Grand Rapids

Grove Restaurant, Grand Rapids, 9/29/23

~ hsnixon ~ Leave a comment
exterior – 919 Cherry St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Grove was a medium-sized place that offered a number of dining options.  A Tasting for 2 ($125) included bread, 5 courses of your choosing and dessert and is available on Fri. and Sat,  A Taste of Grove ($50) was 3 courses and available Tues thru Thursday, and the Grove Experience ($300) serves the table the entire menu.   The prices are per table on the first and last option and per person on the middle.  The portions are not scaled, though, so the last option is better if you have 4 or more people.  We chose the 5 course but were hard pressed to pick the courses, every server had a different opionion.  It was a comfortable, modern  looking place with larger natural wood tables nicely spaced on wood and tile flooring with a lowered ceiling and lighting.  Music was in the background but the designer had made a successful effort to keep the noise level amenable to conversations.  A full bar with counter seating took up a portion of the room and there were lots of plants on the walls and placed around.  It opened around Feb. 2022 after the Covid shutdown as a new concept with a rennovated interior.  Service was friendly and helpful, especially in directing the meal plan.  He brought each dish separately so we could enjoy it rather than filling the table with too much at once. It is recommended if you find yourself in GrandRapids. Continue reading →

Schnitz Delicatessen, Grand Rapids, 9/29/23

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
exterior – 1315 Fulton St E, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Schnitz Deli  seemed to be a local favorite with good sized portions and moderate prices.  It’s an old-school deli where you line up along the meat, cheese counter to place your order.  They did a steady to go order business also.  Lots of sandwich combos are in a numbered format but you can also order it your own way or by the pound.  They say the Reuben is the most popular, estimating they go through 300-400 pounds of corned beef and 100 pounds of pastrami a week.  The bread is from Schnitz Bakery that is close by.  The sandwiches come in half or full size with half sandwiches the same size but with half the meat.  Most of the sandwiches charged an extra dollar to go to full – to me that was a no-brainer.  Inside are scattered tables with extra condiments at the order counter, as is the drink dispenser.  The interior room opens into the “Common Ground Coffee House” space,   There were some fun decorations on the walls along with windows that looked out to the street.  It wan’t the best deli sandwich I’ve ever had but certainly good enough for me to go again if I’m in the area and I hope you’ll visit too. Continue reading →

Cafe Mamo, Grand Rapids, 9/28/23

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
exterior – 1601 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 

Cafe Mamo is a small place where the menu changes every week based on what they get from local farmers.  The couple that opened it in July 2021 are Chef Michael Goessman and Sommelier Summer Knoop.  On a corner lot, the building looks like a drive-through cleaners from the outside but inside is new and cozy.  Inside are seats for about 32 people at natural wood tables and chairs with a few seats at the kitchen counter and they added the patio that can house 16 more guests outside.  They named the cafe for Goessman’s garden-loving grandmother.   Windows look out to the street and patio while music plays indoors.  There was a full bar, nice wine selection and the Chef was in the house and managed to speak with all the guests at one time or another.  Service was helpful and enthusiastic which made for a delightful experience.  If you find yourself in this part of Michigan I would encourage you to try and have a meal here – the food is good and innovative and the menu changes regularly.

Set-Up

interior
interior
interior
Frankie checked out the patio
menu
wine storage / display
wine front
wine back

 

Food

We ordered Rolls and butter to go with the Tomato Pumpkin Soup.  The rolls, two to an order, are a regular on the menu and served with good butter.  They are soft and doughy and presented with softened butter.  If you’re looking for crusty bread these won’t fill the bill but if you want a yeasty dough fix this is it.  The soup was thick and needed a touch of salt to clarify the flavor.  The pumpkin worked fairly well with the tomato but it needed a bit more seasoning to give it zest and depth.  It would rate okay.

Tomato pumpkin soup and rolls
inside rolls
closer soup

 

Spaghetti was dressed with midnight roma pomodoro and pecorino.  It was a flat cut spaghetti that was cooked nicely al dente in a good sauce.  Some browned breadcrumbs added a nice crunch and the sauce adhered well to the pasta.   A tasty pecorino cheese added flavor.  My objection to the plate was a price of $25 for what felt like a appetizer portion of food.  If I had ordered this as my entree I would have left hungry but as an appetizer it was good and tasty but seemed overpriced.

spaghetti
closer

 

Half Chicken was served with garlic and baguette.  This plate was said to be a regular on their menu and it truly is a star.  It reminded me a lot of the Zuni Cafe’s chicken in San Francisco.    The skin was perfectly crisped and underneath the chicken was the baguette that had been soaked in the chicken juices.  It also absorbed some of the wonderful thicked jus that was plated with the chicken.  This was a plate of food to swoon over.  It had terrific flavors and textures and made you want to lick up every bit of it.

Half chicken
turned

 

Porchetta Rosmarino came with a hearty salad and lemon, according to the menu.  It was thin slices of pork belly that were well seasoned with rosemary.  It was full of flavor and very tender with a tiny crispy layer on the edge.  The “hearty” salad was a mix of incredibly fresh greens that were dressed with oil.  The lemon on the side was great with them.  The plate was one with lots of flavors for the eater to savor.

Porchetta
closer

 

Dessert was brown sugar Ice Cream with chocolate chunks topped with olive oil.  It came in 3 small scoops.  It was not a heavy creamy ice cream but still easy to eat and well flavored.  The olive oil topping was new to me and turned out to be a nice one.

brown sugar ice cream
closer
Frankie posed with some wine

Choo Choo Grill, Grand Rapids, 9/28/23

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
exterior – 1209 Plainfield Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505

Choo Choo Grill is a family owned place that has been running for over 60 years and open 6 days a week for breakfast and lunch.  Inside is a step back in time with 8-10 seats at the wrap-around counter and 2 booth-like tables.   The cooking is on the griddle just in front of the bar and they’re known for their olive burger – a Grand Rapids tradition.  Rick Mack bought the place from his father in 1997 but now is tired of the 2 a.m. mornings and the daily grind.  So the place was listed for sale and no one knows if a buyer will keep it the same or what.  It’s obviously filled with regular customers where much of the talk centered on the possible sale and how that will change life.  The tiny place is actually next to the railroad tracks and it’s filled with train photos and replicas.  You’d hate to see a place like this change but profit and big rule our world.  Meantime you can still hurry in and enjoy a fresh made burger and malt.  They do a lot of take out and have parking so I encourage you to grab a stool while they’re still in business. Continue reading →

Butcher’s Union, Grand Rapids, MI., 9/27/23

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
exterior – 438 Bridge St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Butcher’s Union is a large gastropub that does not take reservations, it’s strictly first come, first served.  They do have an online waitlist that turns on when they are full.  When you can add your name to it they will give you an approximate wait time and then text when your table is ready.  They are open 7 days a week but close a little earlier on Sunday.  They offer a meat heavy menu and a large selection of alcoholic beverages.  They try and source their products locally.   There are plenty of seating options with the large and long bar, the first thing you see.  There was another dining room off to the side and patio tables somewhere outside but we were ushered to a roomy booth across from the bar.  The music was loud as was the packed crowd.  TVs were hung around the bar but their sound was muted.  Parking is as you can find it but there was a public lot across the street which was convenient.  Service was helpful and efficient and the food was fine but the noise level would make me not want to visit often. Continue reading →