Have You Ever Been to Gizzard City?

It was a Sunday afternoon, and my husband and I were returning from Lansing, Michigan, to our home on the west side of the state. We were heading down I-69 when I said, "Let's stop and get something to eat."

"I know a place in Kalamazoo that I like to stop at," he ventured.

Hmmm...I know the man well. Because Kalamazoo was so close to home, I knew when we got there he'd suggest just heading for home. "Don't you know someplace closer to Lansing that you like to stop at?"

"Have you ever been to Gizzard City?" he asked.

No, I had not. So, we pulled of the expressway at the Potterville exit, followed the sign left towards the business district and spotted Joe's Gizzard City right away. It's not hard to do. Potterville's downtown is only about 3 blocks long.

Joe's Gizzard City is exactly the kind of place we love. As you walk in the bar is right in front of you, but there are also tables and booths if you are not the "belly up" kind. Electronic games like Michigan Club Keno and Megaforce Touch Screen are available, but we were there for the gizzards - and the conversation.

Draft beers were served in a Mason jar, with a choice of domestic, import and micro-brews for every taste. The people at the bar were talking gas prices with a gentleman from England, As the conversation progressed, he related that he was touring the United States on his motorcycle. It was his goal to visit every state capitol. Everyone joined in the conversation, web sites were exchanged, and the atmosphere was very friendly. Even without the tantalizing smells wafting from the kitchen, this would have been an excellent stop. But, after all, we had come for the gizzards!

Besides chicken gizzards, they also offer a variety of other bar foods like burgers, burritos, wraps and snacks. With so many choices there was only one thing to do -order the Gizzard Sampler Platter featuring traditional, Cajun and garlic & herb deep fried gizzards. They are guaranteed to be so tender you can cut them with a spoon, and the plateful that I had certainly lived up to that claim.