GRDine

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.

We can hardly have a Grand Rapids food blog without commenting on one of the most loved and recognized eateries in all of The Rap.  Forever entrenched into Grand Rapids culture through the film “American Pie“, this eatery has been serving delicious dogs for over 33 years.

As most know, Yesterdog is located on Wealthy Street in Eastown.  As you walk through the door of the restaurant, it immediately feels like you are in a hot big city spot because there is always a line of people waiting to order or get their dogs.  Now, I have to mention the ordering system at Yesterdog and I’m sure this will spark some debate and criticism.  There is a page on Yesterdog’s website devoted to the ordering system which is called “Yester Rules.”  Here is what it states:

1. When entering Yesterdog PLEASE walk down to the end of the counter.  Form 2 lines if needed.

2. We take HOT DOG orders FIRST. We start left and move right.

3. After dogs, we take drink orders, after drinks we take chip orders.

4. Once all dogs, drinks and chips are ordered, we will then begin to charge you for your order.

5. Once you are paid up you will then get your dogs on a tray or bag and seat yourself.

I would be willing to bet that most people aren’t aware of Yesterdog’s website. When I’m in there, I see a lot of customers who are confused and intimidated by this system (including myself). Because there is always a line of people at Yesterdog, it’s hard to know whether they are waiting to order or waiting for their hot dogs.  I would simply suggest a make line similar to Qdoba so customers could order, pay, and get their dogs while keeping a flow of traffic.  Not sure how that would work, but I will leave it at that.  I’m sure Yesterdog knows best and does what it can to serve its’ customers as quickly as possible.

With that out of the way, let’s move onto the money-maker:  the dogs.  The menu is very simple with 6 dogs (although I have heard there are other secret hot dogs available) chips, and drinks.  My wife and I actually went there for a late lunch, so we were looking for a filler to hold us until dinner.  I ordered the staple – 3 Yesters (pickles, chili,and a bunch of other good stuff), and my wife ordered the Ultra Dog (Yester w/ cheese).  Yesterdog usually does a great job putting a good amount of condiments on the dogs, but I can never have enough of the shredded pickles.

As you hold your tray full of your favorite, delicious dogs, it’s time to make your way through the restaurant to find a table.  There is antique and vintage artwork all over the walls along with photographs of people in places around the world wearing their Yesterdog shirts.  On the booths and then whatever part of the wall that is left visible there are wood carvings of names, sayings, and whatever people  want to leave imprinted at the restaurant.  Yesterdog is the ultimate late night food:  messy, greasy, delicious..  There are plenty of napkins at each table, but it may even be a good idea to bring a wet wipe with you.

Yesterdog has great dogs.  That is not a secret.  I’m sure most of you have been there before.  If you haven’t been there in a while, you need to go more often.  If you’ve never been there, you need to go now.   -TM

The Yesterdog Documentary Trailer

There is something magical about going to a baseball game in the summer.  It’s a place where calories are not counted, and hot dogs are considered  health food.  Ok…That is just my delusional stance to justify the junk washed down by a few brews.  However, now I am able to put it all in perspective since the 53^rd Burger was introduced this year.  I can eat three hotdogs, one pulled pork nachos, and several beers and still not reach the magnitude of this beast of a burger.

The 53^rd Burger was made famous this year at the Grand Rapids Whitecaps stadium.  This burger (which should probably be illegal) is constructed using 5 third pound beef patties, 5 slices of cheese, a cup of chili and cheese sauce (oh the fake stuff is good!), and I believe I saw a ton of ranch on there as well.  It could probably feed 100 children in Ethiopia (Who am I kidding?  I could feed several villages.  I still can’t figure out why so many foreigners hate America).   Once the burger is constructed it comes in at 4 pounds (equating to roughly 5,000 calories) and is severed in a pizza box that is unable to shut entirely.

To make this situation even more gluttonous, people continue to try and consume this burger in record pace.  I was told last night that the current record holder has finished in just over 13 minutes.

Ron “The Shovel” Lovelace has had a couple run-ins with the 53^rd Burger.  In his first attempt, he not only consumed the beast, but did so in 17 minutes without trying.  Being the modest individual that he is, he decided he was going to break the record and create a media event around his record breaking attempt.  When I spoke to Ron last night, he seemed very confident that he would not only break the record, but do so by 3 minutes.  The man had champion written all over his face.  I ask to take a celebratory picture prior to his attempt as you will see below.

At the beginning of the third inning, Ron took an approach he had not previously tried; he decided to dip the 8 inch bun in water to allow him to consume the carbs quicker.  I believe this was the wrong approach for any amateur as the water will easily add weight that he was not anticipating.  I have been thinking about how to say this as non-descriptive as possible…but about 4 minutes into the attempt, his body did not agree with the current pace and decided to fight back…Yup he returned his first serving.  According to Whitecap official rules…this disqualified his attempt.

Ron is a champion in our eyes.  He had the courage to not only attempt the record, but declare it to all of Grand Rapids.  GRDine offered him a second chance with a 30 minute break, but he politely declined.

Disclaimer: Seriously…Do not eat this burger.  It will likely take 5 years off your life.  -JD

It was around 2:17am on July 11^th that a new category is needed on GRDine.com…Boycott.  I didn’t realize business was going so well for the Dog Pit that they now have to turn away business.  I congratulate them on their new found success.

Cutting through the sarcasm you can tell I had a poor experience and this story needs to be told.  A recent blog comment called GRDine out on not having any poor experiences to write about.  Honestly, it is because we have been visiting restaurants we enjoy and tend to have a positive experience.  Dog Pit is one of these restaurants I enjoy frequenting after a night out with friends…not anymore.

It has been a while since I’ve visited the Dog Pit, but I was out for a good friends bachelor party and happened to stay out long enough to require the “fourth meal” (I’ll credit Taco Bell for that).  A few of us guys were in purchase decision mode and the winning option was chili dogs.  Now that we identified fare, we needed to lock down location.  I personally made the argument for Dog Pit since I enjoyed Ritz just a few weeks prior…Wrong choice…

When we approach Dog Pit, the location was buzzing and extremely busy.  There was a line at least 10 people deep, and most of the seats were taken by customers with the same goal we identified minutes earlier.  As soon as we approached the door, a couple was leaving and held the door open for us (we will find out later the door was locked to the outside, but not for those looking to exit).  We decided we were willing to bare with the long line.  We stood in line just long enough to identify what we were going to order (and really looking forward to enjoying the dogs) when the man-boy employee came down to the end of the line and drew a very distinct imaginary line and asked us to leave because they were closed.  I responded with “You are still serving people so how are you closed?  Why are we being asked to leave?”.  At this point we still had not known the door was locked from the outside.  I tried to proposition the man-boy with an offer I thought he couldn’t refuse…he refused.  I offered 3 X’s payment for dogs… Apparently money is not the currency I should have been offering.

Now, in defense to the man-boy, he had probably been dealing with drunks for a majority of the night and just wanted to close up shop.  However, we were polite and still refused service when obviously we had no idea the restaurant had closed.

Never again will I visit Dog Pit.  I will resort to street vendor dogs before I even consider eating another one of their dogs.  A bit harsh?  Give me one good reason to think otherwise.  -JD

Correction: Previous post indicated 2:35am.  It was 2:17 based on a call I made when in line.

I have very few rules that I live by, but one that I stand by…Never trust a man who doesn’t drink beer or doesn’t enjoy a chili dog (unless that man is a recovering alcoholic…in which case I will let the beer slide).

Grand Rapids has a pretty impressive selection of chili cheese dog offerings.  It goes unsaid, but I will state the obvious…Yesterdog is the master of the chili dog kingdom of GR when it comes to overall experience.  However, there is a place I would like to highlight based on an enjoyable experience I had last night.

Ritz Koney (http://www.ritzkoneyisland.com ), located at 64 Ionia, has a stranglehold on the majority of the late night bar crowd…It was genius to not only lock down a liquor license, but to serve countless varieties of chili dogs.  I am willing to make the argument that their dog selection gives it a major advantage over Yesterdog when speaking in terms of options.  They have a full bar menu ranging from salads (and other needless fillers), to burgers, brats, and the dogs.  They have 10 variety of dogs and at least 8 of them you couldn’t dream of getting at Yesterdog.  The fact that they proudly display Michigan State gear throughout the interior décor makes it feel like home.

A couple of good friends just introduced me to the perfect dog a few months back…It has become a part of every meal I’ve had since revisiting The Ritz.  The O’lay dog deserves its own recognition.  It is the perfect proportion of chili and cheese, but then adds the unconventional topping that gives it the name O’lay…Crushed Fritos.  Nothing needs to be added, but adding a splash of hot sauce finishes off this dog perfectly.

Yesterday, I went into ala cart mode and had the Ritz Koney, the Ada Koney (Koney with crushed chips), and of course the O’lay dog.  Nothing beats a Pabst Blue Ribbon and the O’lay dog.  What’s the best chili dog in GR?  -JD

PS: You can get a discount on every visit by becoming a member of Rewards Network (www.rewardsnetwork.com ), and it is free to join.