Had a decent breakfast platter here before a recent day of golf with friends. Others in my group had breakfast sandwiches that also looked good. It was a typical eggs, meat, potatoes and toast kind plate and it was all cooked to my liking and doneness. read more

So I woke up this morning and said to my girl, "Let's find a golf course that has a clubhouse that contains a bar but the bar has a dining room because the owners have aspirations to offer fine dining. And let's order two of the most challenging breakfast dishes and watch the cooking staff fall all over themselves getting it wrong." So we did. The location of the restaurant is not obvious from the road. There is no sign or branding that will easily catch your eye as you drive by. But we know the Gull Lake area well and we knew it was in the clubhouse so we knew where to look. The owners were having the clubhouse reroofed. Not a huge problem - we figured the roofers weren't working on a Saturday so we wouldn't be troubled by the sounds of nail guns - except the roofers were using all of the handicapped parking spaces for storage of the new roofing materials and dumping of the old roof from demolition. The name of the restaurant was on the glass doors to the main entrance. The dining room is on the left, across from the bathrooms and the golf shop. The dining room appears to be one half of a banquet hall - a sign at the door says the building capacity is 300 - so perhaps the owners are looking to host weddings or high school proms as well. A very nice wooden partition separated the room into two halves. There was a square bar in the northeast corner with about ten stools, and the remainder of the room had tables of varying sizes (to seat from 2 to 8). The kitchen doors were on the north side, and to the east were windows overlooking the golf course. There were maybe 5 TVs scattered about playing a rerun of '10 version of "Clash of the Titans" (the one with the Gemma Arterton), and the actor dialogue competed with the muzak that was also playing. There was neither host nor a station that we could see, but just a sign directing us to sit where we pleased. We were attended to as soon as we chose our table and sat down. We ordered Eggs Benedict & the Corned Beef Hash. The restaurant calls them in the breakfast menu: "Classic Eggs Benedict" ($11) & "Smoked Corned Beef Hash and Eggs" ($11). As many fine dining establishments do, the menu lists the components of each dish. The "Classic Eggs Benedict" is described as "applewood smoked ham, hollandaise sauce, toasted English muffin & hashbrown casserole." Everything was brought to the table lukewarm. The eggs were properly soft. The ham tasted less smoked than just ham. The hollandaise sauce was bland. But my girl saved her outrage for what was called "hashbrown casserole." It was nothing more than cheesy hash browns. She said, "Imagine macaroni and cheese and that instead of macaroni someone puts in hash browns. No onions, no peppers, no cubes of ham or bacon, no spices, no nothing. Just hash browns mixed with what looks and tastes like melted Velveeta cheese product." And, later, "These aren't even hash browns. Hash browns are pan fried. These are just riced potatoes." The Smoked Corned Beef Hash & Eggs is described as "Two eggs cooked your way with smoked corned beef brisket, shredded potatoes, green peppers, onions & toast." I ordered my eggs poached. The eggs arrived in a small glass bowl (the size of a small ramekin) sitting in a pool of water. The corned beef had a nice smoked flavor, and there were plenty of onions and green peppers, but the entire thing was mixed with the restaurant's hashbrown casserole (aka cheesy potatoes). Corned beef hash mixed with Velveeta? Edible, but weird. And again, everything was brought to the table lukewarm. Lots of hot, brown diner coffee though, delivered frequently by the server, Brookelynn. Service was attentive but I should think barely acceptable. I should mention that when we are some unfamiliar restaurant, when the server brings us our food we immediately feel underneath the plates to see how warm or hot they are. (Unless the server warns us - "Watch out! Those plates are scorching! My hands are on fire!") We could immediately tell the meals were not hot - and that meant Brookelynn, who carried the dishes by hand from the kitchen to our table, knew too. And it annoys us when a server is not paying attention to something so basic. The cheesy potatoes is an idiotic concept. To call it a "hashbrown casserole" is twice a lie for it is neither. It is included in nine of the eighteen items on the breakfast menu, so the kitchen probably has a giant sized pot of cheesy potatoes made everyday to scoop out onto plates. Repulsive. The rest of the meal was indicative of poor execution: Plates delivered lukewarm. Bland hollandaise sauce. Poached eggs sitting in a pool of tepid water. Coffee that the best thing I can say about it was that it was hot and it was brown. Figuratively speaking, the owners went to the first tee, took out a shiny driver, and drove the ball into every windshield in every car in the parking lot. A forgettable experience. Blah. read more

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Burgers are good. Nachos are average. Everything a little overpriced. Service is good.

Above average food for a golf course. Brisket tacos were excellent, breakfast burrito the following day was way too covered in gravy. Staff was friendly and happy to set your meal to-go if you were running late for your tee time. A very convenient location at Gull Lake. read more

It's OK. I was expecting some good barbeque. Like brisket cuts and pulled pork dinners. It was basically bar food with some BBQ dumped on top of some of the things. The service was just silly. There was one person running around trying to help all and then some other people standing by the bar. The brussel sprouts we're almost inedible. They had globs of bacon jelly stuff in the bowl. The pretzel was pretty good. The loaded tots with brisket we're tasty. But everything was almost cool as far as temp. I was just hoping for more and hoping for something we could support because it's nice to have more restaurant choices in the area. I don't know if we will go again. read more

We were excited to try after seeing that it's "the best smokehouse in Kalamazoo" but we were not overly impressed. Brisket and chicken were both dry - definitely had to dip in sauce. The sides were much better- mac & cheese, greens, corn bread- all good, especially the corn bread. Service was good but load drunk golfers were a little much. I would like to give it another try and try something that is not on the BBQ menu. read more

I was so excited to try this place because I heard it has the best steak and ribs in the area. We arrived at 5ish but there was no brisket left. We ordered the classic burger and the ribs platter. The ribs were super delicious! They are recommended. The special sauces served with the platter make it more tasty. The burger was juicy and the bun was soft. What I did not like is the ambiance of the restaurant. Recommended for ribs lovers :) read more

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This in cut gem is definitely a good spot to go! It's Michigan's little secret! Went there with some work buddies. Very quiet and spacious so I'm sure they get busy! Presentation of food was so cute! Our waitress Danielle was so sweet! Definitely recommend if your looking for a great food and chill and relax place! read more

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So this place is close to home and was hoping it would be awesomely tasty. It was not. I didn't even get the correct order in my to go. I got the guys order next to me which was weird. He was eating there and I was getting to go and I got his order in my to go box. No biggie, people make mistakes. So then I thought they would get it right after that... And then when I thought I got the right order in my to go box... it was still missing items. So then I thought at least what I got in the pulled pork sandwich that I ordered would be great. It wasn't. The pork was really dry and hard to chew, and the pretzel bun was soaked in grease that presumably could not have been from the pork that was on the sandwich and had a fake garlic flavor to it. The sweet potato fries were decent and crunchy. They have Macallan scotch, and that's cool! I gave this place two stars because of the pickles. They have great pickles. Nothing was wrong with their pickles, garlicky and delicious! Without the pickles this is a one star review easily. Let's see if they can figure it before they get flooded with golfers UPDATE: I got refunded $$ from first visit. Decided to give them another shot Whoops. Update #2: I gave them another chance And it was worse than the first time. But service was really good that's why it isn't just one star. Service alone was a solid four stars. But the food is not really that good And it's expensive Maybe it would be good drunk after golf, maybe. But not today... I got a pulled pork dinner and it wasn't worth the $$. And a salad, whoops. Moldy lettuce... couldn't eat it. Then dinner came out: Dry pulled pork... And the onion "ring" of destiny (see photo) Key lime pie is good though. read more

Tried this place again after a year. My husband and went in to get our food and came back saying "that waitress is *issed off at the bartender for taking a table". So she was going off in front of customers. Very unprofessional! Not a fan of the food I ordered. My sweet potato fries were cold and soggy and tasted like they were fried in old grease. The "seasoned vegetable of the day" was CANNED CORN! The pulled chicken was extremely salty. Sad to say, we will not be back. read more

I've had two dishes and they were bomb! Brisket tacos. At first they appear overwhelming but are pleasantly light and fluff with thin slices and a unique and surprisingly subtle queso sauce that adds the signature touch. Chicken Alfredo has the right amount of savory and flavor perfectly Al dente. Someone deserves credit on creating that menu. Just the unique tweaks that bring out great flavor. read more

Slow in the winter but still has great food! Saturday's they have wings and 6 different sauces to eat them with! All the sauces are delicious and the wings are good just by themselves. The loaded tots are also very good. Excited to try more than just wings. Only complaint is flat beers on tap. Just needed a new keg. read more

I wanted to like this place and I was so excited to try it. First, it's weird inside. Picture a country club dining room that they changed nothing about and then add a BBQ place. We felt super out of place as there were your typically country club folks dining in there complaining about everything, very loudly. I felt bad for their waitress. We went fairly early and they were out of most sides. I got the half rack of ribs. They were the smallest ribs I've ever seen! They were also super dry so I'm not sure if they were just lacking meat or if they were over cooked and lost so much moisture they shrunk. We also couldn't find our waitress to get our bill for about 20 minutes. It was strange. Like I said, I really wanted to like this place since it's close and BBQ choices are limited around here. For the price its 100% not worth it. Make a longer drive to Kelvin and Co or Dickies on the other side of town. Both are leaps and bounds above. read more

We visited Charles & Darl's for the first time. This is inside of a golf course club house so don't expect ambiance. Has a bit of a banquet hall feel. They do offer outdoor seating weather permitting. Knowing this, we didn't come for fancy decor, we came for dinner and this is how I rated them. Started with beverages, they have about 10 taps of various micro and domestic brews, and a full bar. We started with a half order of wings. I have to say, these were some of the best wings I have had. They are smoked, not fried, and served naked, no breading, sauce, or rub. They were served well done and crispy. Meat was juicy and fall off the bone. They have a nice selection of House made sauces but I'm telling you, these wings need nothing. So for dinner we ordered the ribs. I got the fries and Mac & cheese and my wife got the onion rings which were actually onion pedals and the slaw. Plates were served with corn bread and pickles. The ribs were out of the park. Dry rubbed and smoked. Again, they have sauces but you don't need any. Ribs had a nice crisp bark and the meat was moist and fall off the bone. The sides were ok. The fries were more like thick chips and the onion rings were actually pedals. They were good, just different. The Mac and cheese lacked flavor, but this was easily remedied by the green chill verde sauce they had on the table. The slaw was ok, but I'm not a big fan of celery seeds. The corn bread served with the meal was first class. Very moist and flavorful. Last was the staff. Everyone was very friendly and attentive. Overall, a good place for dinner, whether your a golfer or not. Looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu. read more

They have started serving breakfast!!! It's wonderful. Great portions, great flavors, good selection. Prices are decent too. If you go away hungry that is on you! Wait staff nice and friendly. The place is located inside the club house but they do have a nice new lighted sign up outside on roof showing the place is there. Have been here few time. It's also an awesome place with fantastic BBQ for lunch and dinner! read more

I went for lunch on a rainy day too cold for golf. I was the only customer there. The service was great, of course. I looked for steak on the lunch menu, but didn't see any. I didn't ask either. I had a brisket sandwich that was great. It was 2 for 1 day, so I took a brisket sandwich home. I warmed it up the next day and it was barely edible. The meat was really tough, unlike the one I had there. That was perfect. I don't know if microwaving it ruined it. It seems doubtful. I would have given the place five stars were it not for the takeout sandwich. read more

Ate with my golfing buddies on a Wednesday evening. The food and service were excellent. I had the ribs and they were some of the best I have ever eaten. Beautiful hard crust with a nice spice bite, and the inside meat was moist with a little chew - not tough, but not mushy either - perfect! Had the smoked greens as a side and they were very good. Cole slaw was pretty standard, but good. Nice smokey flavor. Our waitress was very nice and attentive. Everyone was happy with their meal and the service. Breakfasts we're good too. I won't grade on decor, because, after all, this is a golf resort, not a fine dining establishment. read more

This BBQ/smokehouse/grill place is located at the Gull Lake View East golf course (in the same building as the pro shop). It has a lunch and dinner menu that stresses brisket, steaks, ribs, pulled pork and the like. Ate here twice while staying in the area for golf with a group of eight. One dinner, I had the brisket platter, and one lunch had the chili and the chopped salad. Can't say our group sampled widely from the menu - but all the food we did get was roundly praised - except for a less than spectacular assessment of the Delmonico steak. Sides were good, and reasonable portions. People liked the collection of sauces to try. Outside patio was pleasant at the end of the day, but inside was plain beige - still (un)decorated as a golf course clubhouse that rents on weekends for receptions. TVs all around and a bar on one part of the room. Not sure I saw any non-golfer any time I was there. The service was very friendly and generally prompt and attentive. Given the other options in the immediate area for decent food -- I am hopeful this new place is a success. You don't need to be golfer to enjoy the food - that's for sure. read more