Michigan is Getting a New Ramen Restaurant with Homemade Noodles

Who doesn't love ramen? Add to that, ramen with homemade noodles, and you have a very special dish. Now, Michigan is getting a new ramen restaurant featuring homemade noodles and many more treats.

On a side note, it's so nice to see new restaurants opening, after so many months of reporting on restaurants closing due to the pandemic of lack of staffing and resources. It's inspiring to see new establishments pop up, and it also keeps life exciting. Yes, trying a new restaurant is excitement for me, since I love food so much.

Noodle Pig is on target to open in Grand Rapids' Monroe North neighborhood this July of August, according to MLive. This restaurant features homemade noodles, custom and signature ramen bowls, boba tea and more, according to the publication.

Noodle Pig is the brainchild of Chris Wessely, an East Grand Rapids City Commissioner and Grand Rapids Community College culinary graduate. It's described as a "a fast-casual concept, where customers can create their own ramen bowl or choose from seven signature options," according to MLive, with all food being made in-house, from the noodles to the bone broth. The restaurant will also feature an authentic noodle-making machine, direct from Japan. Noodle Pig also wants to be able to sell beer, wine, and boozy boba drinks, so it's requesting a liquor license, which I'm sure it will get.

One really nice aspect of Noodle Pig is that Wessely says a portion of his sales to charities focused on feeding hungry children. According to Wessely, between 50 cents and $1 from each ramen bowl sold will be given to the charities, according to MLive. Noodle Pig will be located on the first floor of 601 Bond Ave. NW. It will be next door to Sweetwaters Coffee & Tea. Congratulations to Wessely and the crew on their new endeavor.

Summer is on the way, and that means it's about to be road trip season. I always enjoy driving around during the spring and summer months, discovering new towns around Michigan. Fall is a great time to road trip, too, because of the gorgeous colors. This state has so many beautiful small towns, which make for perfect stops during a long road trip.

So, how small are Michigan's tiniest dwellings? I actually looked up some data from the state of Michigan and discovered that many towns in Michigan have just a few hundred people. That's almost hard to imagine. Some examples are Addison at 597, Akron at 394 and Alba at 295. Now, that's really, really small.

When it comes to Michigan's quaint cities, I always enjoy South Haven. My uncle lives around that area, and I used to go there at lot as a kid. The beach town is right on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the southwest part of the state. Its population is just over 4,000 residents, but it seems way bigger during the summer months, as it's a very popular tourist destination. Just thinking about South Haven's warm, sandy beaches is making me smile. If you head there, don't forget to check out South Haven's trademark red lighthouse.

Of course, South Haven is just the beginning when it comes to great places to visit. Read on for 40 small towns in Michigan that you need to visit this summer for a weekend getaway. You'll also find information on each town below with a link to that town's official website, so you can find more details about the best time to visit and how to get there.

https://www.munising.org/

https://www.travelmarquette.com/

https://www.traversecity.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/holland

https://saultstemarie.com/

https://www.alpena.mi.us/

https://tawascity.org/

https://www.sjcity.com/

https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/

https://www.escanaba.org/

https://www.frankenmuth.org/

https://www.mackinacisland.org/

https://www.ci.northville.mi.us/

https://villageofontonagon.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/paradise

https://www.copperharbor.org/

https://www.saugatuck.com/

https://www.southhaven.org/

https://petoskeyarea.com/

https://visitludington.com/

http://www.pentwater.org/

https://www.mytecumseh.org/

http://www.colonmichigan.org/

http://www.cityofboynecity.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/caseville

https://portaustinarea.com/

https://www.easttawas.com/

https://stignace.com/

https://www.michigan.org/city/suttons-bay

https://www.newberrychamber.net/

http://www.cityofmarshall.com/

https://www.harrisvillemi.org/

https://www.frankfortmich.com/

https://villageofelberta.com/

https://elkrapids.org/

https://www.michigan.org/city/au-gres

https://www.rosecitymich.com/

https://www.gaylordmichigan.net/

https://menominee.us/