The Union Cabaret & Bar

Intended Publication: The Index, Kalamazoo College

The Union Cabaret & Bar is a casual eatery with a twist, located at the corner of West Exchange Place and South Kalamazoo Mall. The Union, as many affectionately call it, stands out among other restaurants in Downtown Kalamazoo with its live, often local, jazz, blues, and funk concerts on Tuesday through Saturday nights and relatively inexpensive menu.

The restaurant has curvy red, yellow, and green stained glass that lines the top rim of the large storefront windows, which welcome golden sunlight inside on sunnier days. The words “Union” look painted on near the bottom of the windows to give the place a funky feel, even at first glance. Their warm lighting and mix of low and high top tables gave the restaurant a relaxing, casual feel. From the entrance, there are many different seating options. There are the square and rectangle tables of varying heights near the large aforementioned windows, the wrap-around bar that sits in the middle of the space, couches near the back of the restaurant, or the soft seating in front of the stage. The stage sits to the left of the entrance, in the middle of the restaurant but against the wall, giving all patrons a view of the stage for when musicians come through. Decked out with lush red curtains and arm chairs lining the front of the stage for a more casual feel, this floorplan sets the tone for fostering community connections through good eats, music, and drinks.

Storefront of The Union

The bar offers a wide array of Michigan-made beers on tap, a varied selection red and white wines, and a unique cocktail menu, with choices like “Sky Full of Stars”, a beverage made of Bulleit Rye Whiskey, Absinthe, Pomegranate Juice, Lemon And Soda, or more rich options like the “Black Gold” drink, which consists of locally roasted Waterstreet Coffee, Triple Sec, Amaretto, Bailey’s, Hazelnut liqueur and Cinnamon Schnapps. To compliment the menu, one can take advantage of one of the many specials they offer, like “Martini Mondays” where Martinis are half priced, or “Wine Wednesdays” when wine by the bottle is discounted by 30%. On "Burger Tuesday" they offer any burger of the menu at just under seven bucks until four in the afternoon. Considering that most burgers are around twelve dollars, this is a good deal.   

Western's Jazz Musicians Performing

A unique community element about The Union is that on Thursday nights, students from Western University’s Jazz Department perform shows at this venue for the public. Contrary to what one may assume, Western’s Jazz Department is actually more decorated than that of The Juilliard Schoool’s. With this opportunity for community involvement, college students are encouraged come into Downtown Kalamazoo and explore their passion for music outside of the classroom, whether that be by performing or supporting peers and other local talent who do.  

Top: Portobello Fries
Right: Gator BallsLeft: Rib Tips

The small plate options offer shareable portions at shareable prices, with each appetizer running between six and eight dollars a piece. From the small plate menu, The Portobello Fries are parmesan-fennel breaded Portobello mushroom strips, served with curried mustard sauce.The dark brown breading is grainy and heavy, which is to be expected with fennel, but it seems to be a bit too thick to easily bite through. The mushroom inside the breaded casing is very elastic, making it hard to chew, and lacked flavor. The squishy texture, which is typical of mushrooms, can be unsatisfying. The curried mustard sauce was an autumnal golden yellow, but fails to add any surprise-factor to the dish.

Blackened alligator, grit, jalapeño bacon, and smoked gouda, cornbread fritters served hot with a side of bistro sauce make up the dish called Gator Balls. Five balls, about the size of golfballs, Sit on a bed of lettuce with a red powder dusting the tops of the brown spheres, and a dish of bistro sauce on the side. The Gator Balls are fluffy, easy to cut with the side of a fork, having the looks and texture of falafel. Inside they are a soft yellow color and the alligator appears to be ground up inside into a creamy, airy texture. flavors like bacon and soft spices play together nicely in this dish.The bistro sauce is a pale yellow color, and while its color may appear unappetizing, this sauce complimented the Gator Balls very nicely with it’s tangy kick.Despite having jalapeño bacon, this sauce feels more bitter than spicy. It adds a surprise punch of flavor to any dish.

House-Made Sauces

A metal container holding six house-made sauces comes to the table before any rib item arrives. Before the Rib Tips in a nicely-placed heap with parsley sprinkled on top for color. They are very tender, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. 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.This pound of dry rubbed pork rib tips is served with a six pack of sauces, a perfect excuse to taste all of the them to craft one’s own experience. Ordered by heat level, they had AppleJack, Kansas City, Memphis, Stout, and Chipotle. One might expect Chipotle, being level 5, to have a kick of heat. Oddly enough, there isn’t much punch to this sauce. One might compare it to to the pizza sauce in the Lunchable prepared lunches kids enjoy, meaning nothing special. With a name like Chipotle, this sauce is disappointing because it lacks the smoky flavor Chipotle is known for, well, this one lacks any flavor at all, really. Stout tastes exactly as the name suggests, like frothy beer, with no spice - an unexpected flavor in a barbecue sauce that beer-lovers may enjoy. Memphis and Kansas City add a more sweet than bitter flavor, and are a nice addition to the rib tips as they do not overpower or take away from the meats.

The rest of the menu includes entrees likes burgers, soups, salads, and various barbecues and braises. They all run anywhere from ten to twenty dollars, all offering large portions sizes that are shareable. The Green Tomato BLT consisted of cornmeal-dusted fried green tomatoes, thick sliced bacon, lettuce, and old-fashion mayo on toasted sourdough bread. These green fried tomatoes add a nice crunch to the classic staple and the fresh flavors will burst in harmony. The Bacon itself is crispy and melts in your mouth, all good things. The fat is much appreciated, adding another layer of flavor to a pretty good BLT. All of the sandwiches can come with a soup and half the sandwich for the same price of about nine dollars. One short-cut if folks want the Union Gumbo, without the eighteen dollar price tag, is to order a bowl of the Chicken Gumbo Soup for just under four dollars.

Both are made with the same broth and similar ingredients, but vastly different prices.

The Dirty South Burger is a staple burger at The Union. Being 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 burger is a bit larger than a softball. The smoked chipotle jack cheese, jalapeno bacon, and spicy remoulade come together to pack some much-desired heat that continues to release after the last bite. For those who are familiar with Indian cuisine, the spice would match to a medium level. The colors of this meal are just as gorgeous to look at as they are to eat. The vegetables are crisp and fresh, giving a hearty crunch with each bite. The brioche bun is fluffy, but substantial, and toasted to a warm brown color. The side of sweet potato fries are good, but nothing to write home about. Still, they are a orange-red color that feels right at home during fall in the Mid-West. These fries while aesthetically appealing, aren’t seasoned. On the other hand, their regular fries are salted with a heavy hand, something I was not prepared for.

The Pulled Pork Sandwich consists of Carolina style slow cooked pork shoulder served on a toasted bun with grilled sweet corn slaw. The pulled pork needs a house-made sauce to give it some sweetness and to make it less dry, which is what they anticipate so the assorted sauces are accessible for the entire meal. The Kansas City sauce helps here. With corn and bright bell peppers, the corn slaw is a crunchy, tangy yet sweet way to end this meal. Cornbread muffins with red pepper flakes are a common side dish. The red pepper offers a bit of bite, although the bread itself is more dry than moist.

Open from 11am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, and 11am to 12am on Friday and Saturday, this venue’s website claims that The Union is where “food, drinks, friends, and music meet”. With such an open floor plan, quality eats, and focus on local musical talent, it is easy to see where the magic happens. Imagine packed Friday nights at around 8:30pm at The Union. Drinks are flowing, Folks are enjoying eachothers’ company and Union classics like their Chicken Gumbo or Rib Racks, and a band plays the blues on the main stage. Some people lounge on the loveseats directly in front of the stage, taking in the performance. Others dance in the open space near the bar. Glasses clink. Families and friends laugh and plates are licked clean. The energy is revitalizing, no doubt about it.