GRDine

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 after a grueling month and a half of boycotting the Dog Pit for not being served before close one evening, I decided I have too big of a weakness for chili dogs that the boycott could never last.  The Dog Pit on Monroe Center is now in good standings with GRDine.

Last week I was downtown for a meeting and when the meeting got out I just needed something quick and easy for dinner.  I considered the new Pita House next to the Dog Pit, but how could I resist eating unhealthy?  When I entered the Dog Pit, I was greeted by none other than who I had once referred to as Man-boy.  Let’s call him Keith (I don’t know his real name, but he deserves something other than Man-boy).  Keith wasn’t very busy and served me very well.  I went with a Junkyard Dog, and Frito Nachos…Fantastic!  It must have been my pent up guilt over the last little while I left Keith with a nice tip as an offering of my apology…Not like he’s seen this blog, but it made me feel a little better.

I’ve moved on.  I’ve forgotten the poor experience.  The previous experience has been masked by chili cheese Frito nachos.   We can all move on with the weight lifted off of our shoulders.  Go to Dog Pit!

-Jon Dodge

No not my bar, My Bar.  The name just asks for the terrible joke.

I believe it was named that way to serve as an unconscious reminder that this place needs to be your bar.  They are on the right path with 32 TV’s  (they have yet to invest in HD…you are not complete until you get the HD), 16 beers on tap, HD Golden Tee and Big Buck Hunter, and my favorite table accessory…an emergency beer switch.  Just hit the light switch and a red bulb lights up above your table demanding that your drink be refreshed immediately.  What more could you need?

Located at 1 Ionia, My Bar boasts food that is a notch above your typical bar fare.  I can support that claim with my trip to My Bar for dinner.  Not exactly a place that would immediately jump out as a place you would go for dinner primarily.  However, with most establishments closed on Sunday, and the Tigers game in the 9^th inning, My Bar could support our food needs and sports fix.

I had absolutely no expectations when it came to the food.  In fact, My Bar had never crossed my mind for the blog.  I ordered a buffalo chicken sub with fries.  Tough to screw up, but when it is done well you can really taste the difference.  I walked away stuffed having enjoyed a great sandwich.  The menu seems pretty diverse.

If you are around and need a quick and inexpensive bite, My Bar and Grill is a great option.  You have to support this newcomer to the Grand Rapids market.  –JD

Note:  Thanks to Josh from grnow.com for the images.

While strolling through downtown recently my wife and I came across The Cottage Bar.  We had both heard good things about the place from friends so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant sits just south of One Trick Pony  (its sister restaurant) on the corner of Fulton and La Grave.

The Ambiance

Upon entering you immediately feel like you are in a cozy, up North bar with it’s dark wood paneling, low ceilings, and nautical fare hanging from the walls organized just perfectly enough that it doesn’t feel cheap or inauthentic (after all, they’ve been doing it since 1927). 

My only complaint would be to say that it is a little smoky, but when we went it wasn’t too smoky not to bring the little one.  They have high chairs available, btw.

The Service

While I’ve only been there once, the service that I experienced was top-notch.  Jon has been there many times before (he used to live just down the street), and he agreed with my assessment.

The one and only Cottage Burger

 The Food

I had, what I feel, is the best hamburger in town:  the Cottage burger.  Served on a rye bun with olives, bacon, two kinds of cheese, and a hickory mayonaisse, you can’t possibly go wrong.  The burger is cooked to order, which is refreshing in this day and age of pre-cooked meat (try and get medium rare at most hamburger joints…I bet you can’t).  Top that with delicious waffle fries dipped in ranch, and you got yourself a tasty meal.

I’m told that they’re potato nachos are the thing to get (wedges covered in cheese), so you can be assured that’s getting sampled next time I swing by.

 Summary

Although a bit smoky (it is after all, a bar), the Cottage Bar is truly an excellent place to grab a beer and a good deal on good food.

When it comes to the Cascade Roadhouse, I struggle for much to say about the place.  It’s not that I don’t like the place, but I feel that they try so hard to meet so many things.  On one side of the restaurant they try to be a pub, and even have karaoke on Saturday nights.  On the other side they have white table cloth dining with a mid-range menu consisting of pastas, steaks and seafood.   I have experienced both sides, but frankly I stick to the Tavern side.  The finer fare is nothing special…especially when you have the Thornapple Daily grill just 3.5 miles down the street in Ada.

So now that you’re sticking to the Tavern side here are some things that you will come to expect.  The menu on this side is strictly pub fare with nothing that would stand out from any other pub.  If you are going for a beer with a friend then you really aren’t looking for anything much beyond this anyhow.  The draft beer selection is always decent and seems to rotate on a somewhat frequent basis.  There is a small deck right off the Tavern that is fantastic for lunch dining with a beer.  I had a great mid-day lunch with a friend that resulted in the typical burger and a few IPAs.

Like Karaoke?  I’ve enjoyed a few nights of karaoke here and there, and once at the Tavern.  For those who are not frequent karaoke goers like me, beware of the regulars.  They come in large groups, and maybe try very hard to resemble Elvis from the early 90’s.  But Elvis didn’t live in the 90’s you say…Well apparently there are many who like to keep him alive in their hearts, but had a difficult time keeping up with modern trends.  Perhaps the one Elvis who wears 4 watches over 2 armbands struggles to see how he can push the image any further.

So basically…average restaurant, but certainly can be entertaining under the right circumstances.  - JD

Do you ever feel like eating food that would almost certainly shorten your lifespan by at least two years?  Me too…so I decided to eat some ribs and have some good down-home fried food to go along with it:  destination Sam’s Joint. They have around 6 or 7 locations in West Michigan and we chose the one in downtown Rockford because we hadn’t visited there in a while.

Sam's Joint in Downtown Rockford

The Ambiance

There is a very small-town, homey feel when you walk in there.  While normally I’m not a fan of crap nailed all over the walls (it reminds me too much of monolithic culture Friday’s), I’ll give Sam’s Joint a pass since they’ve been doing it for a long time.  When you’re there, at least in their Rockford location, it feels like you’re in North country.

The Service

The waitresses have always been very friendly and have done a solid job of getting orders right and bringing out food promptly (of course this is also a testament to the kitchen).

The Food

My wife and I shared two meals:  one consisting of their signature pork ribs and the other was the appetizer sampler.  Their ribs are the second best I’ve had in town (Sandmanns being first).  They are normally prepared with the sauce slathered on at the end of the smoking process (as opposed to the sauce being served with the dry ribs, which is what I actually prefer) and they come out juicy and delicious. The fries that it comes with are more like wedges, and they are like most fries:  good, not great.  Rounding out the meal was coleslaw, which I didn’t consume because I’d rather watch replays of Michael Jackson’s funeral than eat cabbage.

The appetizer sampler was heart-stoppingly delicious, replete with potato skins, nachos, and chicken tenders.  I realize most appetizer samplers are very similar since they’re fried and in many cases pre-frozen, but that doesn’t make it taste worse.  Besides, this begs the question:  would you rather support local and go to Sam’s or go to Applebees?

The Summary

It’s not fine dining, nor does it pretend to be.  Sam’s Joint is just a great place to kick back, relax and have some good food, especially ribs.  –TM

I recently had dinner at Mojo’s…who would have thunk it?

So a good friend of mine is getting married in a couple of weeks, and as tradition states, you have to treat him to a traditional bachelor party.  Since the soon to be married man lives in Chicago and a few of his good friend also reside in Detroit, Grand Rapids was the central destination for this night of debauchery.

The day started off with a little sky diving, but the night begun with booze, dueling pianos and…dinner.  I’ve been to Mojo’s on numerous occasions, but never once did I know they had food…let alone a full dinner menu.  They serve your typical bar fare cuisine such as chicken tenders and waffle fries, but they shocked me when I had the option of Baked Walleye, New York Strip and Chicken Parmigiana.  I was not prepared for a true dinner option.

I was eating light, but opted to share an appetizer with a few of the guys.  We ordered the Buffalo Rolls.  Essentially, this is chicken mixed with hot sauce, sour cream and colby-jack cheese served with a side of chipotle ranch.  This appetizer was so impressive that I failed to branch out for my entrée and went another round with the Buffalo Rolls.  Highly recommend!

Unfortunately, we came to this establishment around 6:30pm and were surrounded by 5 or 6 “tipsy” (I use this word loosely) bachelorette parties.  This doesn’t make for the best surroundings when looking to have a low key dinner before a night out.  I would say more, but will keep this story limited to maintain GRDine’s PG-13 rating.

The service was fantastic, and the food tasted great.  I would be open to making Mojo’s a dinner spot once again. –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