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Restaurant Review

fluffy

By fluffy
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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"over the river" ha, I've never seen anyone make a point of that :D

Just sounds good. :)

Though it is a bit of a denominator just because to get there I have to go past downtown... which rarely happens. I mostly go to Downtown, get out of the car (or off the bike) and wander around there.

That tends to make me forget about stuff west of downtown. At any rate, thanks for reminding me to get over to the Kopper Top. I plan to do that this week now that it's stuck in my head.

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radicaljoy Whistle-Stop

radicaljoy

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Just sounds good. :)

Though it is a bit of a denominator just because to get there I have to go past downtown... which rarely happens. I mostly go to Downtown, get out of the car (or off the bike) and wander around there.

That tends to make me forget about stuff west of downtown. At any rate, thanks for reminding me to get over to the Kopper Top. I plan to do that this week now that it's stuck in my head.

I've been getting more familiar with the westside of GR. I've eaten at a few Mexican places on the westside, but that's about it, unless out Alpine counts as westside. This is my 'to visit' restaurant list (so far):

Kopper Top (have only been there for Jazz Gumbo nights a few years back)

Broadway Bar

Monarch Club

Hub's at Walker & Leonard

Westsider Cafe

Other suggestions?

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nurfle! Unincorporated Area

nurfle!

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Get some takeout from Salvatores for later as long as you've made the trip.

I must have driven past Salvatore's a hundred times on the way to my fiancee's place on Alpine (ugh), always meaning to try it. does anyone have a review or recommendations for what to get there? How expensive is it? We're going out this Friday and I was thinking of trying a new place. It was going to be that or Big Bob's based on what I've read on this board (would you believe I grew up a short bike ride away from this place and have never been there? We always got Andrea's). Salvatore's being much closer and the weather forecast being what it is, I'm thinking Big Bob's might be out for the time being.

Anyway, more pertinent to the topic: I took my parents out to Lindo Mexico on Clyde Park (just N of 28th) recently, and I recommend it. It's kinda one of those South Division/West 28th ethnic holes-in-the-wall, but I tend to prefer those places because they remind me of the little cafes in Tegucigalpa I used to get lunch at. Decor is second in my mind to whether there are patrons speaking the native language of whatever ethnicity the restaurant is, anyway (I highly recommend this criterion if all you want is great food, though Taco Bell sometimes meets it around here :sick: ). Service was prompt and friendly, though it was dead so that's not saying a ton. The food came out quickly, and was extremely good. The tamales and tostadas are some of the best I've had in a long time. The rice needs a little work. They had these things called sopes which I've never seen but are very good also (kind of a tapa-ized tostada-esque thingy). The Rellenos were out of this world. Overall, I'd give it high marks, almost enough to do until Little Mexico reopens.

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twoshort Town

twoshort

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I must have driven past Salvatore's a hundred times on the way to my fiancee's place on Alpine (ugh), always meaning to try it. does anyone have a review or recommendations for what to get there? How expensive is it? We're going out this Friday and I was thinking of trying a new place. It was going to be that or Big Bob's based on what I've read on this board (would you believe I grew up a short bike ride away from this place and have never been there? We always got Andrea's). Salvatore's being much closer and the weather forecast being what it is, I'm thinking Big Bob's might be out for the time being.

The food is awesome. I've had the lasagna and ravioli and just plain old ziti with marinara with various meatballs/sausages. Their sauce is on the sweeter side and the portions are ample. The entree's come with a side salad and garlic bread. Without booze my wife and I have gotten out of there for like $25 w/ tip, so it's REALLY inexpensive. When we can't think of where to go Salvatores is a staple, it's one of our go-to joints. Get a meatball. We've taken unfamiliar friends as well as family and everyone seems to enjoy it.

They're online: http://www.salvatoresgr.com/

check out the specials: http://www.salvatoresgr.com/specials.html

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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The food is awesome. I've had the lasagna and ravioli and just plain old ziti with marinara with various meatballs/sausages. Their sauce is on the sweeter side and the portions are ample. The entree's come with a side salad and garlic bread. Without booze my wife and I have gotten out of there for like $25 w/ tip, so it's REALLY inexpensive. When we can't think of where to go Salvatores is a staple, it's one of our go-to joints. Get a meatball. We've taken unfamiliar friends as well as family and everyone seems to enjoy it.

They're online: http://www.salvatoresgr.com/

check out the specials: http://www.salvatoresgr.com/specials.html

I'm not sure if it's still going on, because it's not on their special page, but the last couple of times Amy and I went there, it was on Sunday evening when they had their half off pasta specials. The last time must have been in Sept. or so, as I remember sitting out on their patio. There were about 4 entrees to choose from and they ended up being around $5-6! It was a great deal. I recommend them! Also, the creme puffs are big and delicious for dessert.

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Somewhat :offtopic:

Does anyone know where I can get some good Eggplant Parmesan in this town? I've tried Vitalie's and Salvatore's but both have been lackluster.

Drive to Kalamazoo and get it from Martini's at the corner of Westnedge and Vine St.

In fact, while you're there eat their vegetarian house foccacia.

For my money, Martini's beats all the pizza we have here in GR (and as a resident of this area, that makes me sad to admit).

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MAU Whistle-Stop

MAU

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We ate a Brickroad Pizza for the first time last night. We split the vegan chicken sandwhich special. It was SO FREAKING good!!! We're both vegetarians and it's great to see a restaurant open with options. I can't tell you how many of these new restaurants have opened with nothing vegetarian on their menu.

I'm not sure if it's still going on, because it's not on their special page, but the last couple of times Amy and I went there, it was on Sunday evening when they had their half off pasta specials. The last time must have been in Sept. or so, as I remember sitting out on their patio. There were about 4 entrees to choose from and they ended up being around $5-6! It was a great deal. I recommend them! Also, the creme puffs are big and delicious for dessert.

They still had that special two weeks ago when we were there.

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jwazzz Whistle-Stop

jwazzz

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Drive to Kalamazoo and get it from Martini's at the corner of Westnedge and Vine St.

In fact, while you're there eat their vegetarian house foccacia.

For my money, Martini's beats all the pizza we have here in GR (and as a resident of this area, that makes me sad to admit).

Better than Fricano's???

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suydam Hamlet

suydam

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Better than Fricano's???

I love Fricano's.

Martini's is better I think... more gourmet though.... so while they're both thin and greasy, they're very different.

Martini's house focaccia has something like 9 veggies and fresh ground romano cheese on it.

They use fresh, locally made, never frozen italian sausage on their pizzas (so get sausage if you like it)

We're talking greasy, thin, fantastic pizza made by 2 brothers that really care about their craft.

They also do italian subs and dinners. Their eggplant parmessan is to die for.... especially as a sub sandwich. I'm a meat-lover, but I order it all the time.

I'm not the only one who thinks so either.

10 years ago they were a walk-up-window with delivery.

5 years ago they remodeled and added a counter looking out at Westnedge at which you could eat.

2 or 3 years ago they added a full-blown restaurant with a full-service bar.

I think they even have an upstairs now.

They've been growing in their nice little spot for years now.

I would seriously recommend anyone who loves a good pizza pie drive down there (not today... it's pretty snowy out) and try it out.

If we find ourselves anywhere near Kalamazoo, my wife and I always make sure to visit.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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My brother is visiting! His first trip to GR, and I routed him through DT. He didn't realize we had a major river (Houston's bodies of water are flat).

We tried Z's last night (never been there). He had the french dip, rated it 6 out of 10. I had chicken served over rice with asparagus and a cheesy sauce (forget what they called it).

Smoky, loud, bar atmosphere. It's nice that the NS section is "upstairs" near the windows. Interesting decor; a 8-seat rowing shell, and some fabric-trimmed lamps. Ed mentioned the service; waitress would approach, say "everything's ok," then walk away as though making a statement. He says she never stuck around long enough to make it convenient and easy to order from.

Now I have one X on my WGVU two-fer member card.

Wolfgang's for breakfast: "wonderful," he says. Meat-lover's omelette, 10/10 he says. Good coffee, excellent service.

We were already DT (someone had to do the Santa Invasion) and my brother was on a quest for walleye. He says that a northern freshwater state ought to have walleye. On this quest, we went to Charley's Crab. (Growing up in metro Detroit, we'd go to Chuck Muer properties.) Houston-based Landry's is the current owner...bro says it's Landry's formula, perfectly exemplified.

He had the potato-encrusted whitefish (choosing a Great Lakes item rather than what he can catch in the Gulf). Says that the (potato) crust had all the flavor; was hoping for a flavorful "Yankee fish." (I asked him about this two minutes ago and he's still explaining that it was bland and had no flavor.) He gives it a 3.

I had the crab cakes, which were more like scoops of crab dressing than the breaded "hockey pucks" one gets in Baltimore. Had lots of flavor. (I do not score my food items.)

We shared the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert (eggnog sauce, brandy flavoring in the crust).

Interesting spectacle: two servers peeled lobsters for a nearby table. Fun to watch. (Followed by a quick wipe of the adjacent window, which had gotten splashed.) Another interesting presentation was the Ceremonial Pouring of the Charley's Chowder, served in a little brass tureen. The restroom was fantabulous (although a young mom mentioned the lack of a changing area).

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plee30 Whistle-Stop

plee30

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To avoid standstill traffic on Ann Street, I took a right on Monroe, and a left on Dale in order to reach Plainfield Ave. Upon getting to Coit, I noticed this quaint little neighborhood restaurant, Isaac's. Perhaps it's already mentioned on here, but I don't feel like searching through 49 pages of reviews and comments. The sign read "best burgers in town." I had somewhere to be so continued toward Plainfield. So intrigued, I ended up turning around and stopping in for a burger. It wasn't too bad, but the place had some charm to it. I think it could be my new breakfast place, purely on atmosphere alone.

Here's my double olive burger combo. Includes fries and a can pop. Around $6, not too bad. I believe the regular cheeseburger combo was $3.75 and included fries and a pop.

isaacs.jpg

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Raildudes dad Hamlet

Raildudes dad

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To avoid standstill traffic on Ann Street, I took a right on Monroe, and a left on Dale in order to reach Plainfield Ave. Upon getting to Coit, I noticed this quaint little neighborhood restaurant, Isaac's. Perhaps it's already mentioned on here, but I don't feel like searching through 49 pages of reviews and comments. The sign read "best burgers in town." I had somewhere to be so continued toward Plainfield. So intrigued, I ended up turning around and stopping in for a burger. It wasn't too bad, but the place had some charm to it. I think it could be my new breakfast place, purely on atmosphere alone.

Here's my double olive burger combo. Includes fries and a can pop. Around $6, not too bad. I believe the regular cheeseburger combo was $3.75 and included fries and a pop.

It's been there a long time as Isaac's. Started out a long time ago as a Miller's Ice Cream location.

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Jocar Unincorporated Area

Jocar

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My wife, some friends of ours, and I ventured out to the Dragon Room the other night. The place was quite cool in our opinion. I like the feel of the interior - the furniture, lighting, etc was cool. The service was lacking but that may be expected in a new establishment. I had my first sushi experience which was great. After figuring out I like sushi I am now excited to try other sushi places in town. Overall a good experience.

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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Can anyone think of any Cajun restaurants in the west Michigan area besides Cajun Cafe, Chez Bayou, and Sazerac? I'm trying to find some for my article and I don't just mean a blog and my search has turned out fruitless.

Would River City Slims downtown count? I'm not an expert by any means, but they seem to have some of those types of items on the menu: http://www.rivercityslims.com/menu.php

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walker Burg

walker

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Can anyone think of any Cajun restaurants in the west Michigan area besides Cajun Cafe, Chez Bayou, and Sazerac? I'm trying to find some for my article and I don't just mean a blog and my search has turned out fruitless.
If you're still lookin, I think you might find Cajun food at Duke's Cajun Bar and Grill in Portland MI. It's a little drive from GR but being about halfway between GR and Lansing I think it could still be considered to be in West Michigan.
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cheshireguy Whistle-Stop

cheshireguy

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If you're still lookin, I think you might find Cajun food at Duke's Cajun Bar and Grill in Portland MI. It's a little drive from GR but being about halfway between GR and Lansing I think it could still be considered to be in West Michigan.

Yeah, its about 35 minutes to Portland, but Duke's Cajun Grill is worth it (though not in this weather, wait until spring and take advantage of sitting on the deck that overlooks the confluence of the Grand and Looking Glass Rivers - also, if you go on a Thursday, there is a brick and copper bandshell that sits on the banks of the Looking Glass that you can catch a show with dinner (in summer). I recommend the cajun bruschetta and an order of blackened chicken nachos - the crawdad po-boy is another showstopper. Not much room to eat inside, maybe 8-10 tables.

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