GRDine

Quarterfinals- Matchup #4- Van Ball’s Meats vs. Vanden Brink Sweet Smoked Honey Ham‎

You may have noticed that the matchup this time around changed from what I had originally scheduled.  I had chosen Sobie Meats in Walker as one of the competitors, but I changed my mind to only include businesses within the City of Grand Rapids, making it a truly local contest.  However, I did try Sobie’s Kielbasa anyway.

Sobie Meats-

So the place is in what looks like a doctor’s office.  It is in a non-descript building.  However, when I walked in it was a bustling haven of carnivorous activity.  They must have had 12 people working and there were ten or so customers.  They were very helpful and seemed to have quite the assortment.  I might have recognized some of the folks from eating at one of the Polish halls during Pulaski Days.  They took my order and had me checked out in no time.

Vanden Brink Sweet Smoked Honey Ham‎-

I have been to Vanden Brink before.  I stopped there for one of their $5 boxed lunches.  It was a good, complete meal for $5, it just took 20 minutes for them to make a couple sandwiches.  So I stopped in Saturday and asked for some kielbasa.  With a miscommunication I was served twice what I ordered, but that’s not a huge deal.  The place is focused on hams and smoked products.  That’s another way of saying assortment is not their strong suit.  Another benefit is that they are on a bus route (as pictured!)

Van Ball’s Meats-

This was an interesting little shop.  I went in and was thrust into another era.  It was as though we were back into the grocery store from the 50’s.  (That’s not a bad thing.)  They had a wide selection (only the second place I’ve seen where you can buy whole, frozen rabbits) and a friendly, family staff.  I could see into the back room where they were cutting what looked like a ¼ cow.  I asked for my kielbasa and was on my way with no interruptions.  (If you go, bring cash!)

This time my pan was full of sausage.  There was no room for anything but the kielbasa I cooked.  With three samples to taste and double my order from Vanden Brink it was quite the scene.

I tried the sausage from Sobie first.  I had heard bad reviews, but wanted to give them a shot.  The reviews were well informed.  I couldn’t get past the texture.  When I bit into it, the sausage turned into a grizzly cat litter lacking any flavor.  I couldn’t finish my sample size piece.  I do not recommend it.  Vanden Brink looked a little better.  It was a tad bigger around and had a moist texture.  It was a little more flavorful, but it seemed to be made of nearly 100% fat.  I ranked it second on the day’s list.  Van Ball’s was clearly the winner.  It was made out of what I think is real meat (probably just noses!)  It also had a bigger girth than the other two and included a peppery spice mix.  In comparison to the others I have tried, this one was very similar to Frank’s Market.

In summary, Van Ball’s had a meaty texture that I couldn’t ignore.  It will be interesting to see how the next round stacks up.  I may even try grilling the next batch for a bit of variety.  I am glad to be over the halfway mark of the competition.  I didn’t think that eating this stuff would wear on me, but it is beginning to!

Future Matchups:

Frank’s vs. 20th Century- March 20

Lewandoski’s vs. Van Ball’s- April 3

Finals! – April 17

So I dropped off the face of the internet for over a week.  I managed to limit myself to about 30 minutes of total internet usage while I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest (The Pacific Southwest if you visit Vancouver…I was so rudely corrected when chatting with a local).  So, I apologize for the lack of content over the last week or so.

I have been eating out like never before while on the trip (to be expected since cooking isn’t an option).  I will try to relate this to Grand Rapids as much as possible, but I’m going to highlight the food from some of the places I have been since we last spoke.

Port Angeles – Know for Bella Italia (scene in the Twilight movie where someone had a first date…you can tell I don’t know much about the book series or movie.  This town jumped the shark when it came to Twilight.)  I did not eat here, but I did eat at Michael’s.  The Oysters Rockefeller was great, and the chowder was amazing.

Victoria/Sydney – These cities on Vancouver Island had surprisingly disappointing food options.  When looking back at my meals I can only say that I had two I can actually remember.  I had a Goat Cheese and Lamb pizza at a Gastro Pub in Downtown Victoria, and I had a Chorizo Eggs Benedict at Café on 3^rd in Sydney.   Also surprised to see the seafood options on an Island in the Pacific Ocean had pathetic seafood options.

Whistler – Didn’t have a chance to eat at one of the many small and local establishments, but they have incredible coffee options.  I believe I saw 5 small shops at the base of one of the mountains.  Incredible…

Vancouver – Sushi, sushi, sushi…I think that is all I had while visiting.  The options are incredible.  I paid anywhere from $85 to $25 a meal.  Vancouver is renowned for some of the best sushi in the world, but I would have to say that Tokyo Grill in Grand Rapids can compare (only you can’t get much fresher without being a port city).

Seattle – My favorite of all the cities visited.  Seattle has an enormous amount of seafood options.  Between Pike’s Market and all of the restaurants on Alaskan Way, you will not find more options anywhere else.

It was fun to travel and experience foods and restaurants outside of Grand Rapids, but ultimately Grand Rapids has an option for each of the different cuisine types that compares to the best in all of these cities.  I’m not saying this just because I love GR, but because it is ultimately true.

-Jon Dodge