Kalamazoo gets hookah
By Jonathan Chong
Western Herald
This week, we took a little detour from our regular eateries to check out a new hang out spot that is just a stone throw away from Western Michigan University.
It was the Blaze Hookah Lounge on West Michigan Avenue, right behind Campus Pointe.
This particular branch — which opened its doors about two weeks ago — is the second establishment by owner Emad Shatara.
The lounge offers a variety of hookah flavors from Jordan with a twist to better suit the American crowd.
Already a big hit with the students, Blaze had a good amount of patrons when we got there on a Saturday night. The comfy couches, chairs, and coffee tables created a private atmosphere to chill with friends and to enjoy playing games on one of their few high definition televisions.
When it came to ordering hookahs, the menu served a large assortment of flavors and mixes to choose from. They had the regular fruity flavors like watermelon, apple, grape, etc.
But what really would excite regular hookah smokers are the cool and funky mixes from names like Paris Hilton and Juicy Couture, to “mock‑tail” mixes like “Sex on the Beach” and “Jagerbomb” that are all created by Shatara himself during his free time. These exotic flavors are made to keep things special and are always evolving.
We chose to have one of the house favorites, Gummy Bears, as well as a grape flavor with ice. They both turned out to be extraordinary.
My experience with the gummy bear flavored hookah was like inhaling the smell of smooth, sweet, and chewy gummy bears; it felt like I was in a room filled with gummy bears.
It was a huge hit for all of us. As for the grape with ice, it was smooth and flavorful. It is a simple flavor that anyone would love.
Along with the hookahs, Blaze serves up a couple of finger foods from flat bread pizzas, paninis, chips and dips, and as well as milk shakes, smoothies, and your regular fountain drinks.
However, one of the smaller highlights of the night was when we tried the baklava, a dessert famous in the Middle East. It was sweet with great texture and flavors. Baklava is a must try with the hookahs.
With free wi-fi, and a juke box for music, Blaze Hookah Lounge provides a great selection of hookahs, simple foods, and a place to just relax with friends and catch up.
With the wide selection of flavors, this place will definitely keep you coming back for more.
Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=11963
Posted by heraldstaff
on Nov 15 2009. Filed under A & E.
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Great like we need another place for hipsters.
It’s not about hipsters…Ive been there quite a few times already and it’s cool to have people all dressed up and others in their pajamas. It’s nice to have a place to go to where people arent screaming andyelling and pounding jager shots, while trying to grab my butt….But maybe some people like that
Quite frankly, this place is very disappointing, the hookahs are incredibly over-prices, the food is terrible, and the place was dead quiet, no music, and nothing but sports talk shows on the only television that was on… All of my friends agreed with me that this place will only last as long as the fad continues, I mean, just look at what has happened to every coffee, and/or hookah lounge on this town other than Water st., Fourth Coast, and Biggby, all gone.
By the way, you’d think a “journalist would know that Baklava is not a desert (a large, barren stretch of land covered in sand), but a dessert.
I just came back from lunch with a friend at Blaze. I was very impressed with the service and quality of food. I ordered the hummus platter and it was *huge*, definitely something to split with friends! We had the Garden of Babylon shisha mixture and it was delicious. It is a blend of cherry, rose and mint. There is a good selection of Arabic pop music on the jukebox and as a belly dancer, this makes me very happy. The sofas are comfy. My only complaint is the overhead florescent lighting, but they have better lighting at night. I will definitely be spending a lot of time here. As for the comment about hipsters, I don’t see that sort of atmosphere at all… I’m probably one of the dorkiest people around and I found it completely comfortable!
Hookah is far from a hippy hobby. It is all about getting together and conversing on a Friday or weekend afternoon.
I’m glad to see more hookah bars around and hope that smoking ban laws don’t come into effect for hookah bars.
Was at Blaze Hookah Lounge last night it was awesommee! Our food was so good and each hookah lasted over an hour…We each spent 4.75 cents what else could u want we were there for almost 2 hrs it was warm the coffee was good…Can’t wait to go back for poetry night