Kitchen Tribes & New Holland Spirits
STEPH’S EXPERIENCE
What was ordered: Kitchen Tribes - Chris Style Burger $10.74 (Mr. Beast Burger) + Hot Hamburger Poutine $12.99 (Chef Sean’s Poutine Machine) / New Holland - Rotating Flavor Slushee $10 + Pardon My Sarong $12
Total: $45.73 before tip (Note: Door Dash Kitchen Tribes prices are slightly higher than when ordering directly from them)
Intro:
IT HAS BEEN SOOOOO LONG!!! After Richie reached out suggesting we have another feast, I knew it was time and we had left y’all just CONFUSED about where to eat for far too long…
I must start this post off with a disclaimer that I have already sampled offerings from both establishments on multiple occasions. However, I made it a point to try things I haven’t had before so I could give a true “blind” reaction for you! Let’s start with the cocktails because it’s 5:00 somewhere…
Drinks/New Holland Vibe:
New Holland Spirits has quickly become my favorite spot to head for “grown up drinks.” While new to South Haven, New Holland has been around since 1997 and they are renowned for their brewing and distilling skills. I always recommend this spot for “grown up drinks” because the atmosphere is one where you can easily carry on a conversation, it doesn’t get too rowdy, the bartenders are always efficient and pleasant, and the drinks are innovative and delicious.
Outside of New Holland Spirits at 253 Center St, South Haven
My go-to drink here is either the Lake Life Lemonade (Lake Life Vodka, Clockwork Orange Liqueur, lemon juice, simple syrup, and lemon-lime soda) or their rotating flavor slush. Today, I decided to start off with their slush which was a watermelon-gin. The bartender gave me a LIME-FLAVORED CANDY STRAW to sip this pure freshness through. Yeah, you heard that right… A CANDY MF STRAW! I swear, the have finally found the perfect way to save the turtles! The straw lasts about 20-30 minutes before it starts to get kind of slimy, but it was still delicious.
Anyway, back to the slushee… it’s dangerous. I could easily chug a couple of these way too quickly and then get caught off-guard when I stand up; You know the feeling. It was sweet, but not too sweet and the lime straw gave it just the perfect amount of citrus/tart kick. For round 2, I went waaaay out of my comfort zone and had the Pardon My Sarong (Beer Barrel Bourbon, housemade falernum, strawberry-basil syrup, lime juice, tiki bitters, and basil). I usually shy away from bourbon because it makes me feel like I’m getting hair on my chest, but this was perfection: It had the sweetness of the strawberry-basil syrup followed by the warmth of the bourbon. It is a perfect summer night drink for when you’re winding down outside, and that chilly breeze arrives.
Note: They do not sell food but have some pre-packaged snacks available if you get the munchies. You also are free to bring in your own food (and I have done this on multiple occasions to avoid long waits for a table at other spots).
Food/Kitchen Tribes:
Ok, now that I’m tipsy just thinking about the drinks, let’s talk food. We decided to hit up Kitchen Tribes. Kitchen Tribes is in the old Dairy Queen and is a ghost kitchen establishment. There are multiple different “restaurants” that exist inside of it and then the lot is available for food trucks and other traveling food offerings, as well as outdoor dining. Today, I had Mr. Beast Burger and Chef Sean’s Poutine Machine.
From Mr. Beast Burger I had the Chris Style: 2 smashed beef patties, American cheese, bacon, topped with crinkle fries, all on a toasted bun. I was soooo pleasantly surprised! The size was perfect and not overwhelming. I usually don’t eat a lot in one sitting but was able to finish this. The burger was cooked to a medium-well, the cheese perfectly melted, and the fries were seasoned to the gods! I will have a hard time choosing anything else when I have my next burger craving.
Chef Sean’s Poutine Machine: We decided to split an order of the Hot Hamburger Poutine. THERE WAS SO MUCH! 2 people could easily split this if you don’t want to over-stuff yourself. It was those same, amazing crinkle-cut fries loaded with hamburger, gravy, onions, and cheese curds. Overall, it was pretty good… 8/10. The fries were cooked perfectly, and I loved the random treasures I found of the melted cheese curds. Only thing I would “complain” about (and it’s not even a complaint) is the hamburger was one of their patties that wasn’t very well cut up, so we had to break it apart as the sizes were not bite-sized. However, the patties were tender and easily pulled apart.
Overall, I was super happy with my food from Kitchen Tribes and my mouth is currently watering as I write this, reminiscing about the burger…
They also have Wow Bao (Asian-inspired food), Pardon My Cheesesteak (see Richie’s review), Strips & Wings (self-explanatory), Buddy V’s Cake Slices, Street Greek (gyros, etc), and soft-serve ice cream. I have found Mr. Beast Burger to be my favorite option so far, and am very excited to see how their food truck lot turns out!
New Holland Spirits and Kitchen Tribes both are SupperVillain Worthy to me!
richie’s EXPERIENCE
What Was Ordered:
Got the Mango Bramble ($10.50) and Pardon My Sarong ($12) from New Holland, and the Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak ($10.49) from Kitchen Tribes. (…..also ate some of Steph’s fries too, not gonna lie.)
Came to $32.99 before my tip. I don’t mess around on them tips, so you know what’s up!
Intro:
We’re back, my beautiful people!!!! It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve done one of these reviews, and it feels that way because it ABSOLUTELY HAAAASSSS BEEN!!!! I think I speak for Steph as well when I say that we’ve truly missed this, and that we won’t have you guys waiting this long again if we can help it.
We’ve had a few changes, but our heart for this has never changed. Life happens, and getting a group of full-time parents together can have its issues. I’ll spare you long and drawn out details, but Steph and I have a new name, and some new ideas that we think can be fun! We are still very passionate about our community, about food, and about sharing what we think are insights to the wonderful restaurants and businesses that our community has to offer. We will never bash anyone, and will always give you our personal experiences and favorite menu picks when we make these posts.
There! I felt that all needed to be said before I got into the food, but……… NOW TO THE GRUB!!! We chose a newer spot in town that makes you feel like going to a mall’s food court without going to a mall. I mean this in a good way, because it’s one building with a TON of options!!!!!! We chose Kitchen Tribes as our place to review food from (located in the building previously known as the local Dairy Queen), and chose New Holland Spirits Tasting Room as the location to physically eat it. We chose this because we love a good drink, and it’s become one of my favorite places to have a drink. I won’t make you wait until the end to know that this was a great experience, but please read my review still!!! I promise it’s worth it!
***Warning: it’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these, so take a comfortable seat, and maybe get you a drink. ;)
Vibe:
If you haven’t visited New Holland Spirits Tasting Room I’ll give you the feel, just close your eyes and roll with me! It’s the perfect blend of rich colored decor and wall finishes that make you feel like you’re in an upscale environment, while being light and playful enough to not feel bad bringing your kids or pup with you (yep, they allow dogs…..as long as you don’t mind your dog being loved and rubbed on). They only offer spirits, cocktails, and light snacks, but allow you to bring food from anywhere in to enjoy. It can be a little confusing to some customers, because New Holland started as a brewery, but ventured into spirits after being a staple in the beer game. You won’t find any beer there, but they do have vodka, gin, and bourbon seltzers for people who aren’t looking for something the strength of a mixed cocktail. They also offer a great selection of mocktails, so you really get a feel and vibe that this place genuinely wants anyone and everyone to visit them. The bartenders are very quick to greet you, and make you feel as if they want your experience to be one to remember.
We ordered from Kitchen Tribes while sitting at New Holland, and it is walking distance, so I picked our food up and came back. At the time of our review, Kitchen Tribes was a dining area (carried over from Dairy Queen and was basically unchanged) with a walk up ordering station. Now they’ve revamped the previous parking lot to include a MASSIVE outdoor dining area, with smaller mini buildings where you can walk up and order. It’s a very awesome looking layout, and it should change the vibe from a grab-and-go spot to a sit-and-enjoy feel. I’m excited to see how this change plays out.
Service:
The service at both locations was stellar!!!! We spent most of our time at New Holland, but the ordering process for Kitchen Tribes was simple and straightforward online, and when I went to pick it up (even though Steph did the actual order), the pickup was suuuuuper simple. Steph even paid online (your boy cash app’d her because I didn’t realize she did that), and the pickup went beyond smooth. Truth be told, I’ve ordered food right at the walk up register before, and it usually takes less time than they tell me for my food to come out. I’m very impressed with this.
The service at New Holland is also straightforward. They don’t have a kitchen, they are purely a cocktail bar. This gives them the opportunity to focus on less things (mainly making a drink that you will love as a customer), and the process of the drinks being ordered and to you happen in a very efficient manner. Although I’m giving this to you as a non-biased experience, I’m more than happy to tell you that I bartend there every other Sunday. I do this BECAUSE of the amazing experiences I’ve had there as a customer, and it’s a choice that I’ve not once regretted. They treat their employees as if we are part owners of New Holland, and they encourage positivity and creativity from each and every one of their employees regardless of their job title. This vibe trickles down, and it makes it hard to not have a good time with the customers.
Food:
Kitchen Tribes truly makes me feel like they are a bunch of different restaurants in one location, and I know for a fact that there are multiple chefs bringing their own recipes to the table. This is why I previously mentioned that it feels like a mall food court, because the options nearly feel endless!!! You can get poutine, Asian cuisine, American cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, Pacific cuisine, European cuisine, and desserts for days. It’s UNREAL the amount of options you have, and they seem to do all of them at a level that feels elevated from your average fast food. I’ve had them a few times for lunch, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.
This particular time I wanted to review something I’ve kept coming back to, which is their chicken cheesesteak, particularly the buffalo chicken one. It’s delicious, simply delicious. It’s a smaller hoagie (I bet maybe 6-7 inches, honestly I didn’t measure it), but it’s densely packed with chopped chicken breast, covered in buffalo sauce, cheese, and caramelized onions (which I skipped). I can EAT, and I can say that it got me to the point of full without being uncomfortable. I’d consider it the sweet spot in terms of what I want out of a sandwich, and it left me juuuuust enough room for a few bites of Steph’s food (we seriously can’t resist trying everything on the table)! Without dragging this out longer, it’s a sandwich I’ve ordered MULTIPLE times, and will probably order for my next lunch if I’m being transparent! LOL
Delivery man selfie!
Drinks:
Those of you who know me, know that I’m not one to just drink for the sake of drinking. I save drinks for the company of people near and dear to me. I’m also a bit of a prude in my 44 years, so I’ve evolved from the average beer, it’s gotta be some gooooood stuff from a little brewery that I can taste the thoughts of the brewer in the pour, a complex dry wine that has something memorable to the flavor when I see the bottom of the glass, a goooooooood, bourbon by itself, or a mixed drink that feels like I shared a moment with it. I’m telling you this because I don’t waste money on stuff I’m gonna power through, and I want the experience to stick with me.
There are 2 places in South Haven that speak to this uncompromising character trait of mine absolutely every time, and New Holland happens to be one of them. This is not discrediting anyone who is outside of these particular locations, it just happens to be that it’s more of an unspoken consistency from these locations, and New Holland has never failed me in this. My relationship with New Holland goes back to almost their soft opening, and it’s hard not to take this into consideration. I want to be honest with you guys, it’s the VERY reason that we chose this place to do this maiden voyage review under our new, refreshed identity. We wanted to do it right, and give you guys a solid, dependable review that stood up to our standards.
I had 2 drinks here; one while I waited for Steph to get there, and one with our meal. My first drink was the Mango Bramble, which consists of Lake Life Vodka, mango puree, simple syrup, and lime juice. It’s a refreshing drink that really plays on the mango and lime flavors, and it’s a very easy sipper. It has 2 ounces of vodka in it, so it’s definitely a drink that you don’t want to drink too quickly, and as smooth as the vodka is, it’s easy to drink this quicker than you should.
My second drink was the Pardon My Sarong, which is one that I’ve actually had multiple times (so I knew it was gonna be good)! It uses my spirit of choice (bourbon, their own Beer Barrel Bourbon to be exact), expertly blended with house made Falernum (a Caribbean liqueur), strawberry-basil simple syrup, lime juice, and tiki bitters. This drink is the Caribbean in a glass, but stands out from the field of drinks tied to that region by not depending on rum. It gives you not-so-overpowering fruit flavors that are tamed by the fresh signature flavor of basil. It is what you give to a person who wants to flirt with a sweet drink, but doesn’t want it so obvious. It’s a complex drink that is nearly impossible to forget, and randomly shows up days later in a random thought without effort. Both of these drinks haven’t seen the last of me!
Wrap up:
I’VE. MISSED. THIS! I’ve missed getting that message “…..it’s been a minute guys, and I’m hungry!” That was the bat-signal for us to throw down!! I miss the absolutely random conversations that we’ve had over some good drinks and some interesting meals. I love that those conversations were so casual and natural that it spurred ideas for new avenues for our Suppervillain selves to explore. I miss this avenue to spill my thoughts onto a canvas in a way that makes me feel closer to the community.
………and I’ve missed us having the intuition to choose amazing places in our community that hopefully get our readers through their front doors. New Holland and Kitchen Tribes are a value to our community and our downtown businesses. They certainly get my business frequently and with an excitement of knowing that I’m not going to be disappointed.
