GRDine

So perhaps I’m skipping out of my responsibilities by revisiting a restaurant before building a larger foundation of restaurants on GRDine, but it was my birthday celebration, and San Chez is the perfect venue.

Our group of 10 did the usual round of tapas and several pitchers of mixed sangria topped with champagne.  It was like drinking Kool-Aid.  After enjoying our favorites we branched out to a few newer tapas we hadn’t experienced.  The table gave the Gambas Asadas al Fuego (Spicy Moroccan fire-roasted shrimp, white rice, sweet banana mustard cream) a try and I think we ended up with four orders.  The other note-worthy dish was the Chuletilla de Cordero (Lamb rib* medium rare, raspberry chili salsa, potato-chorizo mash)…incredible taste.  A little pricy at nearly $12, but give it a try and see why.

As dinner progressed, one of my friends noticed a pretty well known figure in the hockey world. Dan Bylsma, the coach of the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburg Penguins, was having dinner with what appeared to be his wife and another couple.  Michigan is dangerous grounds considering they took out the Wings, but I understand he is from West Michigan…so we give him a pass?

Dan is kind of a pseudo-celebrity, but it got you to read the blog right?  Next time I hope to bring a Will Smith or Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt combo.  I believe San Chez is of the right caliber to draw this audience.

PS: Thank you San Chez for the complimentary birthday cake.  Our group enjoyed it very much! -JD

Drive seventeen minute north of downtown Grand Rapids up either Plainfield Ave or M-37 and you will arrive at the Blue Water Grill located at 5180 Northland Drive.

The scene

On this, my first visit to this member of the Gilmore Collection, my boyfriend and I arrived around just before 9 pm hoping to have missed the dinner rush. To our surprise, the parking lot was full and the restaurant was lively with patrons doing the same as us, enjoying a warm summer evening in Michigan.

When greeted by the hostess we put in our name to wait for one of the many tables with a view of the lake  lining the second floor deck of the Grill. While we waited we took a seat at the bar and enjoyed the view of the lake out the large panoramic windows that give the building a prairie style feel.  Had it been colder outside, a nearby fireplace would have provided a cozy, intimate element. The takeaway, even while sitting at the bar, the mood was relaxed.

After a short while sitting at the bar we left to walk outside in search of one of the many seats by the lower-level outdoor bar. We found two Adirondack chairs facing the lake and settled in for the remainder of our wait.  Shortly after settling down our buzzer rang and we headed back up to the deck to be seated for dinner.

The fare

Being a Gilmore restaurant I expected a few things: a varied menu, dishes created using many fresh and locally grown ingredients, and a great drink menu. I wasn’t disappointed. To begin our meal we each ordered another beer and the Root Chips appetizer. If you haven’t had this before you must try it! Available at many of the Gilmore establishments, root chips are served with melted chevre and a red pepper aoli. Yummy. When getting together with friends for dinner at someone’s house, this is my go-to appetizer; it usually disappears in 10 minutes flat.

The menu was great, consistent with the rest of the Gilmore collection (literally, most everything sounded fantastic). For dinner we went back to basics to enjoy the simple yet extravagant experience of dining outdoors. I had the cheese macaroni with panko bread crumbs and sun-dried tomatoes and my boyfriend has the Margarita Pizza, one of the many Maple Plank grilled Neapolitan pizzas. Both were delicious.

Menu link: http://www.thegilmorecollection.com/MENUBLUEWATER.pdf

The service

The estimated wait time for our table was spot on, our server was present but not too present and I had only to wait a little while to order another drink (the server took one order but not the other). Other than that, the service was consistent with the other Gilmore restaurants that I have visited.

The score

I would highly recommend the Blue Water Grill on Northland Drive to anyone who enjoys sipping a beer or glass of wine while eating a great meal outside on a warm Michigan night. The setting instilled a casually romantic atmosphere as the evening sky crept in. I enjoyed just about every aspect of my candlelight twilight dinner; my only gripe, that the deck faces east so we weren’t able to enjoy the sunset.

Amongst the urban sprawl on Lake Michigan Dr, in Standale, resides Mr. Gyro East Town Deli.  They are located at 3900 Lake Michigan Dr NW, and not even close to anywhere I would normally visit in the city of Grand Rapids as I live on the entirely opposite side of town.  Similar to 28^th Street or Alpine, they are packed between hundreds of small retail shops and fast food chains, and would be easy to miss unless you were looking specifically for the location.  I was with a few friends on the way to a softball game, and the usual chain options just didn’t strike any interest for a quick bite, and we stumbled across Mr. Gyro.

The Atmosphere

Mr Gyro is not very appeal from the outside or inside.  The outside is older and run down, and has a dozen different messages on the window ranging from their daily 99 cent hotdog deal to their lunchtime specials.  Upon entering, every seat in the house was empty.  The booths looked and felt ancient. The springs in the seats seemed to be sporadically placed as few have broken over the years (I had to position myself on one side of the bench to avoid the feeling of falling through the seat).  The walls were covered with “ethnic” posters, and the front counter was covered with self taken pictures of the food.  The menus were not only dirty and sticky, but also included the same not-so-fabulous images.  At this point I noticed a dozen or so awards they hproudly displayed on the wall where we were seated (At this point I wasn’t ready to entirely write them off).

Food

From the several signs on the outside windows, Mr. Gyro boasts Greek, Mediterranean and American food.  A very interesting combination as you could get a chili cheese dog with the lamb gyro.  On the American side of the cuisine offerings, they had a few burger and hotdog selections…all with the choice of cheese sauce.  Not being the biggest fan of Greek, I ordered a chicken ranch pita wrap with the “jumbo” upgrade, which I find out includes cheese fries and a larger drink.  My friend Neil opted for the same meal I ordered, and Brian went for the lamb gyro.

In Conclusion

The owners were friendly and the food turned out to be fantastic.  Perhaps my expectations were set so low based on initial appearance, that any degree of success came across as a huge win?  Next time I am driving past and need a quick dinner, I will consider this as an option.  The one piece of advice I would share with the owners: hire a professional food artist and photographer for the food images…that, and clean up those menus…So dirty.  -JD

Since I had never been to Bistro Bella Vita before (http://www.bistrobellavita.com/)  I didn’t really know what to expect other than what I’ve heard from friends, which was generally positive.

The Ambience

Located by Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids, when you walk into the building you immediately notice the swanky ambience complete with high ceilings, wooden floors, and brick/stone walls. 

 They’ve managed to keep the restaurant (which is large in square footage terms, esp. for downtown Grand Rapids) very open while still giving off this intimate feel.  They use the term “Mediterranean countryside” to describe the feel, and I think they achieve this well.

  Also, staying consistent with their philosophy (“fresh.natural.local”) ,  they make all of their pasta from scratch…in fact they they claim to make everything from scratch.

The Meal

Knowing my love for homemade, al dente pasta, I ordered the four cheese ravioli, with shallots in a butter-based sauce.  The pasta was excellent, with the balsamic giving it a nice touch of tang.  I thought they went with a great combination of cheese in the ravioli (although admittedly I forgot to ask what they were) because it provided flavor, not just texture so commonly found in blander cheese raviolis.

caprese salad

My wife ordered the Caprese salad and Carpaccio.  I dove into the Carpaccio ASAP because my wife can be picky about wanting to eat her own food.  It was prepared in the old-style (rare, sliced tenderloin with chunks of Parmesan sprinkled on top, drizzled with what I thought was a cream based sauce (although their website said it was evoo and roasted garlic vinaigrette).  It was great, as were the large chunks of tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with evoo in her salad. 

beef carpaccio

The Summary

Overall, this is an excellent restaurant with a high commitment to quality ingredients that is not only good for Grand Rapids, but would be for any town.  –TM

A couple of months ago I was having a conversation with a friend around the perfect date spot.  She was asking me about some options in Grand Rapids, and without much thought I suggested San Chez.  The rational around this selection:

1. The ambiance is exciting with a ton of local art surrounding the establishment.
2. The fantastic service resulting is a lack of waiting time between drinks and the several courses that are bound to ensue.  Perfect opportunity to avoid those lulls in conversation.
3. The authentic tapas bistro has incredible food and drink that really creates conversation.
4. Tapas are meant to be passed and shared.  Everyone shares a similar meal, but the experiences are really unique.

These factors don’t only make it the perfect first date spot, but the perfect spot for any occasion.  I have experienced several birthday parties, a few dates with the wife, and even New Years Eve.

San Chez (www.sanchezbistro.com ) is an authentic tapas bistro serving a blend of European and Mediterranean cuisine.  Located at 38 West Fulton in downtown Grand Rapids, this landmark destination has been serving up great food for several years!

The selection of food and drink go well beyond your typical restaurant.  When it comes to drinks, it would take at least 10 visits to sample from their offerings…The typical favorite would be the Sangria (which is excellent), but did you know they have Cardenal Mendoza Spanish Brandy??  This is one of the most sought after brandies in the world…Also…you’ve heard the stories of Picasso and his love of Absinthe…Well, San Chez serves up Lucid Absinthe, or as they call it “Death in the Afternoon”.  I can go on and on about the drink menu.

Outside San Chez

The food menu is just a diverse as the drink menu.  Some of my favorites include Gambas al Ajillo (Sautéed shrimp, olive oil, garlic, and pepper) and Fritos de Azul (Blue cheese fritters with red pepper alioli).  Most tapas dishes come with an alioli or olive oil that bread can be dipped in.  I was recently made aware of a new dish they serve, the Gran Paella… This paella costs around $45, but easily serves 6 people.  This dish is stuffed with lobster, shrimp, chorizo and an assortment of other fish.  I had a taste and would gladly go for this again, but only with a big group.  (Menu: http://www.sanchezbistro.com/images/pdf/Main%20Menu%202009.pdf )

San Chez is really one of a kind.  It beats out a lot of the tapas experiences I’ve had in Chicago or anywhere else for that matter.  The combination of ambiance, food and drink continues to make this an attraction restaurant in Grand Rapids.

Let’s call this post San Chez part 1 as I am going to have additional experiences I will want to share.  -JD