GRDine

I’m pretty sure I have just been introduced to the best burger in Grand Rapids.  I would have made the argument for Cottage Bar, but Choo Choo Grill blows there burger out of the water.  Have you even heard of this place?  I wasn’t aware until I was introduced by co-worker Dan Willey last Friday (That’s right…I promised the shout out by name!).

Located on a very large lot in a very small red building (Old Train Station I do believe), on the corner of Leonard and Plainfield, the Choo Choo Grill has been serving up one of Grand Rapids best burgers for a very long time.  Any Grand Rapidian  needs to experience the Choo Choo just once…then you will be addicted for life.

Did I mention this place is small?  The Choo Choo has nothing more than a grill, a malt machine, a counter than fits maybe 10, and two booths.  You have to come early or late.  Never be on time or you’ll be waiting to be seated.

When I went on Friday, I went with a group of four.  We left around 11:30 in hopes of beating the lunch crowd.  We were lucky to find the last 4 seats available at the bar as another couple had just finished.  Before I had a chance to review the mish mashed menu board I was approached for my order.  Once you do review the board you notice that you really can only have three things…a burger, steak fries, and a shake.  I opted out of the shake to make sure a food coma didn’t kick in later in the day (I would soon find out that was inevitable).  I went with the standard half pound burger cooked to order.  The option to take on the Legend will be saved for my next trip (consisting of two half pound patties before the toppings are added).

The burger was absolutely delicious.  It had the right combination of beef to bread to grease and left me wanting more.  This was a prized experience I look forward to sharing with family and friends.  Enjoy!  – Jon

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

What do you get when you take an EQ3, gut it, and add over 250 seats to a 10,000 square foot warehouse?  You get the best new arrival to Grand Rapids in some time…Peppino’s Sports Lounge.

Just after EQ3 left the space

You probably know Peppino’s for the delicious take-out pizza with over 10 locations around Grand Rapids.  The owners decided to take that delicious taste, expand it to several new menu items, and match it with the perfect compliment…Sports.

The new sports lounge is located on Ionia, and will give other bars and restaurants on the street a run for their money.  Then they added an assortment sports memorabilia, 46 flat screen TVs, including screens inside most booths. Behind the concrete-topped bars are 36 taps offering 20 draft beers.  This place can beat out any other sports bar on several different levels.

Besides the incredible location, and the several beers on tap, and the several TVs, and the good prices, the menu dives deeper than what you would expect in a sports bar.  They have dishes like the Taste of Italy, Chicken Spiedini, Sicilian Ribeye, and of course pizza.  Since I know Peppino’s primarily for their pizza, it was difficult for me to deviate far from the comfort zone.  I tried their build your own calzone and filled it with pepperoni, sausage, bacon, and green olives.  The beast of a calzone was incredible and not a doughy as what you might get at other pizza establishments.

I have decided that this is now my new favorite Sunday Football spot, and can’t wait to try out some of the other dishes.

-Jon

I’m surprised it took me this long to get over to Bull’s Head since starting this blog.  Bull’s Head truly encompasses an establishment that tries to be everything to everyone, and they do a damn good job of accomplishing this.

The first time I visited, I went primarily for drinks for friends.  The menu seemed limited, but the drinks were plentiful.  I actually went around telling friends that they lacked significantly on the dinner selections, and that the food was primarily upscale bar-fare.  I couldn’t have been more incorrect.  Over the last week I actually made two trips here; once for dinner upstairs and once for lunch downstairs.  The experiences couldn’t have been more different.

Dinner upstairs:  The setting moves beyond the tavern look and the setting is white table cloth with full dinner menu including some of their signature Buffalo and Ostrich burgers, but expanded to include Smoked Gouda Chicken Pasta and Sashimi Tuna Steak.  The service is friendly and alert since this portion of the restaurant can’t seat much more than maybe 40 patrons.  Prices are comparable with restaurants of the same caliber.  Not to mention…once you are done with dinner you can retreat to the lower level for a few libations.

Lunch:  At lunch you are presented a completely different menu that focuses on appetizers, salads and sandwiches.  There are a few lower prices lunch entrees that stuck out as well…a great value.  I opted for their Cuban and was not disappointed.

The bottom line is that this place will suit you well whether it is a quick lunch with a colleague, dinner with a significant other, or happy hour to late night drinks with your friends.  It is not easy to pull off the dining trinity, but Bull’s Head has a great thing going.

-Jon

GRDine is easily 60 posts into the blog and not once have I brought you any Thai suggestions.  Honestly, I’m really not familiar with many Thai selections.

So, this last weekend, I had a hankering for the classic Pad Thai dish.  The first and only option that came to mind was a small, run-down looking joint near D&W in Cascade.  In the corner of this retail strip there is the Thai House Restaurant.  From the outside you wouldn’t be able to tell if they were open for the day, let alone open for business.   To say the least, this place lacks flare.

When entering, the ambiance matches the outside…dull.  The place was pretty empty, but we did notice what seemed to be a ton of regulars coming in for their takeout.  It became clear that they really focus on the quality of the food verses the “experience”.  I’m willing to put up with lackluster ambiance if the food can make up the difference (sadly, most people are going to bypass great food due to the looks alone).

Sure enough, the food was absolutely amazing!  My wife and I shared the Tofu (Yeah, I know…no real meat) Pad Thai and a shrimp curry soupy dish served with rice (Wow…I really come across as a true foodie with the “Shrimp Curry Soupy Dish…).  I would highly suggest trying the Thai Iced Tea.  Basically it is a sugary tea mixed with what appears to be coconut milk.  Once mixed together it could pass as a milkshake with a thinner consistency.

Overall, this place rocks!  I would likely not come back to sit and eat, but I made sure to leave with a take-out menu.  If you want Thai, go to Thai House!  Besides, I don’t know what other suggestion to give you!

-Jon

When I first discovered Graydon’s Crossing on Plainfield Ave, I was extremely excited.  This was the first time I had experienced a great Gastropub experience.  The food was amazing and the beer selection blew my mind.  Traditional British pub fare with an Indian flare…very interesting.  So you can imagine how excited I was when Graydon’s Crossing: The Derby Station opened in Gaslight.  Unfortunately, I was greatly disappointed in the direction they have taken their food.

When The Derby Station first opened they had a menu that mirrored their location on Plainfield, but had a fantastic new location.  The Derby had the same great beer selections (including their Cast brews) and the same diverse menu that separated this establishment from any other pub in the city.  Since their opening, they have completed “jumped the shark” when it comes to food.  The menu is entirely generic bar food that brings absolutely nothing new to the pub food scene.  They attempted to keep some of their uniqueness with the Fish and Chips and a few other selections, but 95% of the menu can be found at any bar/pub in town…very disappointing.  It is rumored that the previous menu wasn’t as popular with the local customers… I guess you have to give people what they want.

Despite not having some of the uniqueness as it’s brother on Plainfield, The Derby has a very cool atmosphere, and the drink selections are superb.   Just this week they have Bell’s Two Hearted Ale Cask style (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cask_ale ).

The Derby is a very cool establishment in a fantastic location with some of the best beer selections in town.  I would be a fool not to return.  I would only urge them to consider bringing some originality back into their menu.

-Jon

Yes, another Rockford entry making this two trips to Rockford back to back.  I didn’t intend on my dining choice to be the Rogue River Tavern when committing to the 50 mile, round trip drive it takes me to get to Rockford from my house in Cascade.  My intended victim was the Corner Bar where I was hoping to experience hotdogs that supposedly rival some of GRs best.  Unfortunately, upon arriving Corner Bar around 7pm on a Friday, it was either dogs to go, or at least an hour wait.  Since a group of us had ventured out to Rockford, we looked for a close alternative.  Fate brought us to Rogue River Tavern.

RRT can be found right on Main Street cattycorner from Corner Bar, and looks like it has recently been refinished from the outside.  Essentially, it is a very local restaurant and bar that is frequented by the Rockford locals.  This was made very clear when it started to overflow with the color orange after a Rockford high school football game.

RRT likely wouldn’t be a spot that I would return to based purely on location.  It was a very warm feeling establishment that served pretty decent bar food, has your typical drink selection, and is broken up into two key areas: Dining and Gaming.  The gaming side has tables, but has a few pool tables and tvs.  Their Friday night claim to fame is the karaoke…however, the karaoke talent in Rockford seems to fall behind what I’ve experienced at Cascade Roadhouse (I do have to keep in mind the time of the evening I’ve experienced both…It always tends to sound better as the night wears on.).

I feel pretty indifferent about RRT, but would love more insight from someone who has been here a few more times than myself.  If it were downtown, or in Cascade I could see myself making the return.

-Jon

PS: Looks like RRT has been working on changing their image

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

Grand Rapids lacks true sports bars.  Sure, I have highlighted a few that I have enjoyed in the blog previously (Uccello’s, My Bar, and Vitale’s in Ada).  When you look at the number of eating and drinking establishments in Grand Rapids, you have to be shocked by the slim count.  Z’s is a true sports bar and staple of Grand Rapids.  I’ve spent many a time at Z’s cheering for the Pistons or cursing the Lions.

Z’s has a great location downtown, but is tucked away slightly on Campau Ave.  It is a stone throw away from the BOB.  However, Z’s never seems to be very busy.  It is a pretty small establishment that vaguely reminds me of the bar from Cheers.  However, I’m pretty sure no one ever remembered my name, and the crowd varies drastically depending on the night.  They have a huge U shaped bar that wraps around the entire interior and takes up 80% of the seating. Around the bar they have a handful of booths and tables.  The largest TV would be a screen that is pulled down in front of the Golden Tee game.  I’m not going to go out of my way to say this place is pretty, but it feels like a comfortable place to go and watch the game. (I forgot to take pictures, and unfortunately nothing is available online.  It is a bit of an eye sore, but you should try to see past that.)

The food is surprisingly good.  It’s nothing gourmet, but it is on the higher end of the spectrum when it comes to bar/pub food.  They like to tout their ribs.  The baby back ribs are very good… However, I wouldn’t call them the best in town.  It’s a safe bet to go with the burger or the make your own pizza.  The pizza is fantastic!

In order to truly call yourself a local you have to experience Z’s!

-Jon

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