The Union

“Hello. I am the Uber Driver,” Kenneth said, as he unrolled the driver-side window of his tiny silver car.

 “Is Sarena here?”

I waved hello. Six minutes later we found ourselves a block away from The Union Cabaret & Bar. Kenneth didn’t really know where he was going, but it was ok. The walk in this fall air was refreshing, and only a few minutes long.The Union, as it is called by most in the area, is a red bricked building with large windows wrapped around the front, and stained glass along the upper rim. The words “Union” look painted on the windows to give the place a funky feel, even at first glance. After being outside in the chilly breeze, we were met with a wave of warmth once we walking inside.

The Storefront of The Union

Immediately we took in the sights. The restaurant’s rich yellows and reds in the décor was comforting. Stained glass lined the top of the windows, which I imagine would let golden sunlight inside on sunnier days. Their warm lighting and mix of low and high top tables gave the restaurant a relaxing, come as you are feel. The stage for performances had lush red curtains that felt right at home, with arm chairs lining the pit.  

The hostess lead up to a high top table near the front window. There were five other parties in the restaurant, and a handful of folks at the bar, which seems common for restaurants at 6pm midweek. I glanced at the drink menu - they have an extensive beer assortment and unique cocktails to choose from. If I did not have to go to work immediately following this meal I would’ve have ordered a drink.

Taylor, our waitress, came by and explained how the restaurant works. They have live jazz, blues, and funk performances on Thursday through Sunday nights by mostly local talent, which is one of their ways of fostering community. The Union is said to be where “food, drinks, friends, and music meet”.  Something I learned is that on Thursday nights, students from Western’s music department perform at this venue. Little did I know that Western’s Jazz department is more decorated that Juilliard’s! This seems like a great opportunity to get out of the K bubble!

First to arrive were our appetizers. We ordered Gator Balls, Rib Tips, and Portobello Fries for the table. Our waitress, Taylor, highly recommended the Portobello Fries, claiming that she doesn’t even like mushrooms but finds herself craving this dish.

Top: Portobello Fries
Right: Gator Balls
Left: Rib Tips

The Portobello Fries are parmesan-fennel breaded Portobello mushroom strips, served with curried mustard sauce. I reached across the table and picked up the five inch fry. I can eat my weight in fries. I’ve been known to scarf down French fries, sweet potato fries, and zucchini fries. I was excited to see this take on the French fry. Having not had fennel before, I assumed that it would fry the same way something with oil or fat would fry. I was wrong. Instead of coming out golden and airy, the breading was grainy and heavy. The mushroom inside was very elastic, making it hard to chew. The mushroom didn’t have much of a taste. The squishy texture was hard to move past. The curried mustard sauce was a beautiful golden yellow, but didn’t add anything to the dish, in my opinion. The only good thing about this appetizer was the cheese they sprinkled on top.

I left the Portobello Fries with a bad taste in my mouth, but moved on to the Gator Balls. Quite honestly, they looked beautiful. Blackened alligator, grit, jalapeño bacon, and smoked gouda, cornbread fritters served hot with a side of bistro sauce made up this dish. Sitting on a bed of lettuce with a red powder dusting the tops of the brown spheres. They were fluffy, easy to cut with the side of my fork, they had the looks and texture of falafel. Inside they were a soft yellow color. The Alligator appeared to be ground up inside the ball. I hesitantly put some of the bistro sauce on the ball and took a bite. I expected to come away with a rubbery taste in my mouth. I was happily mistaken, and flavors like bacon and crabmeat popped in my mouth. Despite having jalapeño bacon, I didn’t experience much heat, which I am okay with because I don’t handle spices very well. I wish we had an entrée of Gator Balls, actually. Having five split between four people felt incomplete. Next time, we’ll put in two orders.

The Rib Tips, which were a pound of dry rubbed pork rib tips served with a six pack of sauces, were mouth-watering. They were very tender, feeling like they melted in my mouth, and were seasoned nicely. This was an excuse to taste all of the sauces they offered. Ordered by heat level, they had Apple Jack, Kansas City, Memphis, Stout, and Chipotle. My least favorite sauce was Stout, but that very well could be due to my dislike of beer in general. I expected Chipotle, being level 5, to have a kick of heat. I’d compare the taste to the pizza sauce in the Lunchables I had as a kid, meaning nothing special. The favorites of my table were Memphis and Kansas City, which were more sweet than bitter, and was a nice addition to the rib tips. I appreciated that we had more options that a typical barbeque sauce, because it allowed us to explore various flavors. The only downside to the rib tips was that some pieces of cartilage were served, and they lacked flavor and the texture was similar to the Portobello mushrooms. We ate the entire pound of meat though, minus the cartilage.

All in all, the Gator Balls and Rip Tips took the edge off of our hunger in a delicious way. The Portobello Fries were a bust. Unfortunately, we had to cut out of the restaurant early because one of the folks I dined with had to pick up a work shift, so we took our entrees to go. No doubt some of the magic was lost when we had to eat in the first year residence hall rather than in the restaurant, but the food spoke for itself even after being placed in to-go boxes.

I ordered the Green Tomato BLT, which was cornmeal dusted- fried green tomatoes, thick sliced bacon, lettuce, and old-fashion mayo on toasted sourdough bread. I love fried green tomatoes. The breading added a nice crunch and the flavors from the tomato popped in my mouth. It added a nice texture to the BLT. The Bacon itself was crispy and melted in my mouth. The fat much appreciated. I sometimes forget that I have braces, and realized when trying to eat this that my teeth were sensitive to the hardness of the toasted sourdough. Still, I trucked through and had a pretty good BLT.

The Dirty South Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

I also tasted one of their most popular burgers, called The Dirty South Burger. A Grilled to order steak burger served on a brioche bun with jalapeno bacon, smoked chipotle jack cheese, alligator, crawfish, spicy remoulade, lettuce, tomato, and onion. This one packed some heat the released after my last bite. A reminder that food is something to savor, I think. This spice was not too bad. If you are familiar with Indian cuisine I’d say it would match to a medium spice there. Again, I think I enjoyed the Alligator because it was not distinguishable as I’d imagine it to be, it having a similar texture to the Crawfish. The colors of this meal were just as gorgeous to look at as they were to eat. Everything tasted crisp and fresh. The brioche bun was toasted to a nice brown, and fluffy. The burger itself was stacked very high.  

The sweet potato fries were good, but nothing to write home about. They could have been seasoned more – I don’t think they were seasoned at all, actually. On the other hand, their regular fries were heavily salted, something I was not prepared for. They served cornbread muffins with red pepper flakes. Had they been buttered, and a bit less dry, I would have been in heaven. The cornbread I am used to is fluffy and moist, although I realize that this might not be true to Southern cornbread tradition.

The Union really does feel like a venue where community meets through delicious eats and live music. The meats are tender, the sauces are sweet, and the space is inviting. I highly recommend you check this place out on your next visit to Downtown Kalamazoo. Just don’t have the Portobello Fries.