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

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