8211 Portage RoadI had plans to go to bars all week while J and L were out of town for a figure skating camp, but by night two, I just wanted to get home. I had my evenings to play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and I wanted to spend as much time as I could do that.
Looking back, I’m kinda disappointed in myself for not doing the dive bar thing…but I know at the time, I was happy to just get a delicious dinner and sink down in to my couch to play video games uninterrupted.
I did go kind of out of my way Tuesday night to get dinner though. A new place in Portage was calling my name.
Blue Kitchella is a new concept from the people who own Latitude 42. This new restaurant isn’t a bar though. It’s a high end fast food restaurant. The building is just down the street from Latitude 42’s Portage brewery on Portage Road. It’s in an old Burger King building just south of the intersection with Centre Road.
I put my order in online hoping it would be ready by the time I got there. The receipt said it would be 15-20 minutes. I got a text message about 5 minutes later that my food was ready. I hadn’t even got to my car yet after leaving the building almost right after I put the order in.
If you don’t put your order in online like I did, you’ll find order kiosks to order. The restaurant doesn’t have people to take your order and it’s a completely cashless store. There’s a kiosk right inside the door when you first walk in.
If you make your way inside, there are two more kiosks set up next to the donut counter to put your order in.
The donuts are one of the highlights of Blue Kitchella. There are 12 different varients made in house every day. They even have a donut paying homage to the former County Maid Bakery that used to be across the street.
My food was already waiting for me under a couple of heat lamps on the other side of the order area. The hot stuff was in one bag under the lamp while the not hot stuff was off to the side so it wouldn’t get warm while it’s waiting for pick up.
There is a pretty nice seating section if you’re going to do the dine-in thing. It looks like a fast food restaurant but it also doesn’t look like a fast food restaurant. There are the typical booths and tables but there aren’t as many and the space is anchored by a fireplace in the middle. I was never in this Burger King but I assume it wasn’t there then.
The concept of Blue Kitchella is fast food but high quality, locally sourced fast food. Not just the usual frozen stuff you get at the big chains.
I ordered quite a bit just because everything looked good…and coming from the people that do Latitude 42, I assumed it would be fantastic and wanted to try it all.
I started with the BBQ Bacon Burger. This smash burger served on a brioche bun is topped with white cheddar cheese, a spicy garlic BBQ sauce, lettuce, tomatoes onions, and bacon. I left the onions off. The burger had a real tanginess to it from the BBQ sauce. I think I ate the whole thing in like 3 bites. It was a bit messy from the BBQ but really tasty. The quality bread just makes a sandwich like this extra special.
To go with my burger, I got an order of Parmesan fries. Just like the ones I had the night before at Saugatuck Brewing, these were pretty salty. The Parmesan cheese itself makes it a little extra salty but also super delicious. The fries come with a garlic aioli to dip, but I just had them leave it out knowing I wouldn’t actually use it.
I had to try the mac ‘n cheese as well so I got a side of that too. The noodles are covered in a thick white cheddar sauce and topped with (I think) Parmesan bread crumbs (??). The menu didn’t say what it was exactly but it had a little bit of saltiness to but still had the crunch of bread crumbs. It was quite delicious…it’s just a small serving as a side but a bigger serving could be a great meal on it’s own.
I had to get a donut for the morning but they didn’t have the ones I really wanted to try. I got the Bourbon Bacon. This donut is a vanilla old fashioned with a maple glaze and bourbon candied bacon. There were also nuts on it which I wasn’t totally expecting. It’s not an issue for me but I don’t see it on their menu. The nuts were pretty much the only flavor I could taste. It just dominated everything. There was some sweetness from the candied bacon but it was all nuts. Old fashioned donuts are cake donuts so they’re a little dense. The donut was fine but I’m more of a sweet donut person and this was more savory.
My bill for dinner was just under $20.
Blue Kitchella is a great concept. I’ve always been a fan of Latitude 42’s food and I love the idea that I can get something quick that’s this delicious. The location is kind of far from both work and home for me but I do make my way down there every so often. This will become a must stop when I’m looking for somethign quick.