GRDine

Since starting GRDine back in June/July, I have experienced some of Grand Rapids Best and Worst dining establishments.  I have always loved talking to friends and family about some of the good and bad experiences we have shared around Grand Rapids cuisine.  Restaurants typically have the most interesting stories that go well beyond the food.  These stories range around family struggles as they look to make it in a new city, to the efforts the owners make to be green or buy local.  The stories are endless…

So why is it that the restaurant industry seems to be in the stone ages when it comes to digital/social media???  Restaurants make it or break it based on word of mouth…and now everyone has the ability to participate in these conversations, yet so many still don’t have websites, or an online menu.  Think about the endless conversations that take place on a daily basis around your brand.  It is likely that you don’t have a clue because you aren’t participating in the space.  Now think about how much of that information could be misguided, or inaccurate?  Being a part of the community is now beyond knowing your physical neighbors.  Take a minute to Google, Facebook or Twitter search your restaurant, your name, your competition.  Do you like what you see?

Some of my favorite restaurants are also restaurants that I have had correspondence with online.  Some of these brands even initiate the conversation.  Take a look at Founders, San Chez, and Green Well on Facebook.  These establishments understand the importance of being a part of the conversation.  People who use Social Media like to define themselves by the brands they follow.  Become a part of their image.  Share your stories.  Talk to your customers before they come in the front door.

-Jon

PS: This note was written as I was searching online for photos of several restaurants.  I also enjoy the history of how many of these establishments came to be.

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

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

By the title of the post I think it would be reasonable to conclude that, unlike my cohort, I do not like the Beltline Bar’s food.  That thinking would be dead wrong, so allow me to explain.

Yesterday  I got a call from my mother wanting to meet me for dinner (my parents are going to Seattle and Banff for a few weeks) that night.  I obliged and, with my dad’s help, we settled on the Beltline Bar.

After consulting with a few friends (I had never been there before, sadly enough) it was decided (for me) that I would get the famous double-beef wet burrito.

When it came time to order, my wife got the chicken enchiladas, my mom got some gooey thing I don’t remember, and I of course ordered the wet burrito.  Then a funny thing happened:  my dad ordered-and although he is a HUGE wet burrito fan and loves beef to no end-the beef chimichanga.  When I asked why, he replied with a sly grin, “you’ll see”.

When the food came out, I immediately dived into the burrito like a crack addict searching for nickels.  Upon consuming roughly 1/3 of the burrito, I thought I understood what the big deal about the dbwb was.  I could see my dad was enjoying his chimichanga, so I asked if we could swap a piece of each other’s meal.  After doing so, I took a bite that shattered my taste buds.  The chimichanga was incredible.  I thought the dbwb was delicious, but this blew it away.

The moral of this story is, you can prefer the chimichanga to the  wet burrito, or vice-versa, but you should still go to the Beltline Bar.  -TM

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

On Friday I felt like going Italian and ended up deciding on Noto’s.  Located on 28^th street where old 28^th meets (new?) 28^th, Noto’s celebrates a tradition of old-world Italian cuisine.  It even says so on their website.

The Ambiance

Interesting feeling when you walk in, because it is very open and very polished.  It feels a little like a hotel.  The hostess then greets you and brings you to the dining area (a substantial portion of the restaurant is devoted to the catering).

The Service

Exceptional.  Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the food and the wine, and was attentive to our requests.

The Food & Wine

Easily, this restaurant has the deepest wine selection I’ve seen in town.  The commitment to wine is not only evident by the wine list.  If you’ve been to their website, it’s obvious they see wine as an integral part of their menu (as all fine dining restaurants should).

The only critique I really have of the restaurant is, with such a commitment to wine, why is the red wine served at 72-74 degrees?  It should be served at low 60’s, so during the course of consumption the wine will be drank around 63-69, which I would say would be its ideal serving temperature.

I ordered the Cannelloni della Casa with veal, homemade sausage, spinach, and grana cheese.  The ingredients tasted very good, and it was clear (and refreshing) to see an owner and chef with a vision of what a dish should taste in terms of subtlety and nuance.

Summary

Notos is clearly old world Italian dining with a true commitment to their wine.

–TM

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.