GRDine

There is a new player in the Grand Rapids area that goes by the name Wild Fire Grille (not to be confused with the Wildfire chain by Lettuce Entertain You).   Located on East Paris in the same complex as Bone Fish and Daniel’s, Wild Fire Grille has replaced Naya.  When I first heard about the arrival of Wild Fire I was excited that a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant would be coming to Grand Rapids, but I was sadly mistaken.  Lettuce Entertain You operates over 31 different restaurant concepts, of which most of them are extremely popular and delicious.  Ok, so now I was able to push that wrong association to the side, I could give Wild Fire a fair shot.

We had reservations for last Saturday around 5:30…which is extremely early, but we were celebrating my mother-in-laws birthday and had other activities planned for the evening.  I make a point of the time because when we arrived, the parking lot was entirely empty and we were likely the first to arrive.  It got a little bit more traffic later, but the house was definitely not packed.  Perhaps due to the lack of patrons were escorted to a private dining area, and the service was very attentive (maybe overly so…in fact the server seemed as though he joined us for dinner.  I would have been happy to pull a seat for him.  He was very nice however.).

The menu is very diverse but places a focus around seafood and steak.  Entrees range between $15 and $30.  We started out with a couple orders of their “famed” Sticky Lime Fried Shrimp ($8).  I would compare this to the Bang Bang Shrimp for Bone Fish, but sweeter.  I could have used an entire meal around the shrimp alone, just amazing.  I went with the Lobster Asiago wood fire pizza($15).  It was very good, but a bit on the rich side.  Another popular dish as the table were the Scallops St. Jacque (Sauteed Sea scallops, buttermilk whipped potatoes, braised spinach, finished with sherry mushroom cream sauce. $17).

The food and service were good, but there are a lot of good fine dining restaurants in Grand Rapids.  I don’t see myself going out of the way to dine there again anytime soon.  If anything, it made me miss Bone Fish.  Do I sense a Bone Fish entry coming soon?

-Jon

There have been some requests for some “non-pizza” establishments.  Apparently the readers want me to class up my dining options!  This is a fair request.  However, I must admit, I have a weakness for pizza.  I’m craving it as I type.

I was encouraged to venture out to Rockford to try a place I honestly had never heard of…Grill One Eleven.

Grill One Eleven reminds me of a common two story Chicago – Lincoln Park establishment that serves a variety of sandwich options, but also has a robust dinner menu focusing on seafood and steak options.  The selections are pretty impressive, and the prices are pretty reasonable.  Essentially you can get a great dinner and drink for about $20 -$25…not too bad.

Our table shared a bottle of white wine to try and compliment the seafood options we had all selected.  My wife and I had the Seafood Stuffed Grouper (stuffed with crab, shrimp and scallops and layered with a chive almond butter sauce).  The meal was very enjoyable but it left me craving a Corner Bar dog just around the corner.  The portions are “appropriate”.  Meaning, the portions will leave a food enthusiast like me craving more…Perhaps a ploy to push the desert menu (unfortunately for them we had desert at Red’s on the River afterwards).  Trevor had the Seafood Linguine.  Apparently the proportions of that particular meal were larger as he had to box up his leftovers (an unheard of situation for Trevor).   His wife enjoyed the Salmon…must be good as it is the second time she’s had that dish.

One downside to our visit…we were disappointed with the wine service.

1. The wine list did not mention the vintage year.
2. We went with the Vouvray from the Loire Valley of France…Nowhere on the wine list did it mention this wine was a demi-sec…Kind of a big deal when you aren’t expecting your wine to be sweetened.
3. The glass was a generic wine glass that serves both reds and whites and had terrible thickness.

All very minor issues, but worth pointing out…especially if this establishment wants to be known for their wine selection.

All in all, a great experience.  I will visit when I inevitably return to Rockford again.  Cheers!

-Jon

After a long week at work, I was in no mood for cooking at home and could make the argument that my blog could always use more content.  Melissa and I decided to visit our long time go-to restaurant…Thornapple Daily Grill

The Restaurant

Another in The Gilmore Collection’s ever-expanding listing of restaurants, Thornapple Daily Grill is located at 445 Ada Dr SE and less than 10 minutes from downtown Grand Rapids(http://www.thegilmorecollection.com/ ). Thornapple Daily Grill offers a fairly diverse menu that ranges from casual fare suitable for any occasion, to more inspired specialty dishes (The specialty menu recently changed and continues to impress me). Whether it’s the Citrus-Glazed Short Ribs, Seared Gail Island Salmon, Corned Beef Rueben, or even the Grilled Cheese , Thornapple caters to all appetites and tastes. They even boast a fantastic wine cellar that doubles as a dining room for group reservations. The restaurant has a wonderful backyard and patio for when the weather is nice.

My Experiences

I commonly frequent this restaurant with family and friends.   Because the menu is so diverse it really can serve any occasion.  The most memorable experience I can recall was when a group of our friends decided to get together for later dinner on the weekend.  I called ahead for reservations.  They were not able to find a table for 8 at 7 o’clock on a Friday night, so they went out of their way to make accommodations for us in their wine cellar.   It was an entirely private setting surrounded by the wines provided on the wine list, and also the Gilmore family’s private wine collection (Very impressive wine collection).  We were informed that the family is willing to part with their wine if a particular bottle interested us.  The Gilmore family is not only known for their fantastic local restaurants, but also their incredible dedication to customer satisfaction.   The other visits I have had to the Grill have provided the consistent, enjoyable experience I have grown to love.

Regardless of which Gilmore restaurant you visit, you will be provided a different experience, but all will be exceptional in their own way.  -JD

My wife and I were recently celebrating our anniversary and decided that we were in the mood for top notch seafood.  The top seafood selections that come to mind:

1. Charlie’s Crab
2. Leo’s
3. Bonefish
4. Gill’s

We decided to make our reservation at Charlie’s Crab (http://www.muer.com/).  Charlie’s Crab is a fresh fish and seafood house that has 5 locations including Hilton Head and Palm Beach, but this restaurant has strong ties to Grand Rapids, and has been a local favorite for their well known Sunday brunch buffet (Absolutely nothing can beat this buffet).

Charlies at night

When taking our reservations, the hostess asked if we were celebrating any special occasion.  Apparently this information became useful when they presented us with custom menus congratulating us on our anniversary by name and by seating us with the best view of the river and city skyline (This type of detail to attention really separates them from the Bonefish’s of the world).  Service was impeccable.

Without planning our meal became four courses…between the poppy seed bread, crackers and salmon pâté, an appetizer sampler of their fresh oysters (Dynamite, Cajun, and Rockefeller), and Lobster Bisque laced with sherry (They demonstrate the significance of the amount of lobster by placing the fresh lobster in the bowl and then pouring the bisque), we barely had room for dinner when our main entrée’s arrived.  I was able to enjoy a few bites of my Salmon Rockefeller stuffed with bacon, jumbo crab meat with a béarnaise sauce paired with a Michigan Pinot Gris. My wife had maybe two bites of her Lobster Ravioli.  Charlie’s Crab became a treat for two nights!

Charlie’s Crab should reimburse me for my meal based on the glowing review… Any Muer representation out there?  -JD