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Restaurant Review

fluffy

By fluffy
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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NorthEnder Hamlet

NorthEnder

Posted
Posted

Same owners.

They're opening a third place somewhere, I hope it has the same HUGE selection as the other two places... You can go there and not be forced to order the same old swill.

For lively bars, I really like McFadden's, it has a good atmosphere, its clean, and it is right next to the Hritz Coney, which makes some pretty good coney style hotdogs, if you can't get all the way to yesterdog at night.

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shopgirl Unincorporated Area

shopgirl

Posted
Posted

Love the Wealthy Bakery, but wish they would do a site study and make better use of their space. Also like Leo's but why did they not use the space along Ottawa for seating? Doesn't it draw people in when they walk by and see all the lovely white tablecloths, crystal and silver and people having a good time? I always thought so. As for Mangiamo's, very nice but wondering if they are trying to be all things to all people. Seems like they are doing a pretty good job of it so far.

Should I start a "I wonder why" or a pet peeves thread? Don't let me, you'll regret it. :rolleyes:

So...I know this was posted over a month ago but what do you mean by WSB doing a "site study". curious. does it fit into your pet peeves thread? am a WSB frequent and am curious what you're referring to.

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mgreven Hamlet

mgreven

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Posted

Had one of my worst restaurant experiences ever at the new Silver Cactus on Carlton in Eastown behind Dominos. The menu looked good (Mexican), and the interior was nicely done. My wife and I ordered, got a couple beverages, no liquor license apparently. We sat there and talked awhile, the waiter never comes back. Half an hour goes by and I shoot the waiter a dirty look, he comes over and says, "Yeah it'll be awhile there a nine people ahead of you, they haven't even started making your food yet." I look around there are only 10 tables with people in the place! The couple behind were the only ones with food, and said they waited an hour and a half! Tamales and burritos can't be that difficult. I would cut them some slack, but no one looked in a hurry, no one warned us about the wait, and I know who the owner is and he never came by to say anything.

I have to chime in after Friday night...found this quote and had to repeat it since I had a very similar experience...makes me worry that it's not just me. First, the food was good and the building, signage, menus, etc. were very sharp. I was getting excited about it. There were about 5 tables of people, 5 servers and at least 8 other employees. Our server came and took our drink order, brought our drinks and asked if we were ready. We each asked one question and said we just need one more second. After, 5 minutes we were sick of waiting so we closed our menus and put them on the end of the table. He was standing by the kitchen just talking with other employees, clearly could have seen we were ready. It was probably another 5 minutes until he came over. We ordered simple entrees and then the real wait started. At least 45 minutes with no visits from the server, no refills, etc. We were ready to just leave. What was worse is that all the staff was just standing around with one person cooking (you can see the kitchen). Finally, we flagged down our server and he brought more diet cokes... We asked, "What's taking so long" and he just said, "there are two people ahead of you, it shouldn't be too much longer" Finally, we got our food and ate fast, went up and asked for our bill, paid and got out of there. We did fill out a comment card...we want this place to succeed, I hope the owner can get something fixed there because we won't be back. BTW, we got there at 5:30pm and were back in our car by 7:15pm. So much for a quick mexican dinner before running some errands. =( Also, I had to talk my wife into going there...talk about an "I told you so". Looks like we're back to the usual Mexican place, El Arriero on 28th...now there's good service and good food! java script:emoticon(':yahoo:',%20'smid_26')

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Par75 Whistle-Stop

Par75

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Posted

I have to chime in after Friday night...found this quote and had to repeat it since I had a very similar experience...makes me worry that it's not just me. First, the food was good and the building, signage, menus, etc. were very sharp. I was getting excited about it.

Unfortunately, I also had a very similar experience at Silver Cactus on Saturday night. From the time we ordered our food, it took almost 45 minutes for it to be served. The servers stood behind the counter chatting with one another, not bothering to re-fill drinks or explain the long delay. When the food finally arrived, it wasn't even hot! I may give it another try in a few months, but I think they need to make some improvements if they hope to do a booming business. I'd really like to see it succeed.

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PBJ Burg

PBJ

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, I also had a very similar experience at Silver Cactus on Saturday night. From the time we ordered our food, it took almost 45 minutes for it to be served. The servers stood behind the counter chatting with one another, not bothering to re-fill drinks or explain the long delay. When the food finally arrived, it wasn't even hot! I may give it another try in a few months, but I think they need to make some improvements if they hope to do a booming business. I'd really like to see it succeed.

Off topic, but i gotta know.. what chair is that on your AVATAR? :whistling:

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sstroh Whistle-Stop

sstroh

Posted
Posted

They have a third location, Graydon's Crossing. 1223 Plainfield NE.

So the same owners of Graydon's, Cambridge & Logans purchased Waterworks Bar/Rest.

and will begin the remodel I think around April 7. They will be closed down for about

2-3 weeks. :wacko:

For those of you who have been to Waterworks, they are enclosing the bar area

to only have one opening (rather than being mostly open), changing the staff, &

changing the menu. Not sure of the other aesthetic changes to be made to it.

Feel bad for the current staff members, not much notice for them and they

were told yesterday that all but 4 positions were already filled and if they wanted

a position they would have to re-apply. :huh:

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eagle Whistle-Stop

eagle

Posted
Posted

Ate at Little Africa's again tonight. If you haven't tried it yet you need to soon. Get the Red Lentils, Kik, Shiro, Gomen, and Soy Curry.

We also tried Olives in East GR (our favorite standby, Roses had a 1.5 hour wait) last weekend. I really liked it. The shrimp linguini was excellent and the bruscetta appetizer was great as well. I wan't that impressed with the cheese fondue but that's because I'm partial to the fondue we make at home. :)

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Paris Texas Whistle-Stop

Paris Texas

Posted
Posted

So...I know this was posted over a month ago but what do you mean by WSB doing a "site study". curious. does it fit into your pet peeves thread? am a WSB frequent and am curious what you're referring to.

I almost missed this, sorry. As to a site study, I think there are people who do official studies like this but maybe not around here. It just seems to me that there is an awful lot of wasted space at WSB and that they aren't using what they have to their best advantage. Where do I start? The counter where you get your food and pay is too wide. Have you ever seen the counters at a bookstore or a retail store? They are full of little books and toys and other impulse buys. It can be a litte maddening when you're up there, but the stuff sells. Real Food Cafe is a good example. There is no room to pay, but it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to buy a piece of coconut cake "to go" every time I'm there. WSB is a bakery; the baked goods should be prominently displayed so you don't have to walk around the side of the counter to see what all is there. They could fit in a lot more baked goods closer to the registers. And particularly as the day goes on, they could consolidate and move everything closer. Instead, you see a whole basket sitting there with one or two danish. In their spare minutes, the staff could be rearranging. And the gorgeous cakes are in the fridge across the room; if you don't get a soda, you'll never see them. When I finally did, I immediately made a mental note that I could get a great cake, special ordered or last minute, and isn't everyone always looking for a last minute cake for a birthday they forgot? And these cakes sure beat Arnie's or Meijer or Sam's. But those are just the little things. The big things are the kitchen that is too far in the back (although I realize that probably can't be changed), and the enormous bread display that the staff have to navigate around. That eats up (no pun intended) precious time. And it sort of gives me the creeps, like what's behind there (I know it's a food prep counter but how clean is it behind there? Couldn't they move the bread display closer to the wall or something and have the food prep on an island in front of it? I know the bread cupboard is a cool piece and probably custom made but it just doesn't work. The one at the Schnitz bakery works where it is positioned (although they could really stand to have a wall between their counter and the huge "flour-covered kitchen full of ready-made buckets of mix" but that's another story). I think if things were layed out better, they'd be faster. I really like WSB but if you're going to do something, why not do it right? Don't be content with making just so much money, try to make more. Give the people more and they will give you more. Just give me a stopwatch and some creative license and I'd be happy to help. I'm glad you like to hang out there. It is a good hang-out. But if all you want to do is make a hang-out, buy an old dry cleaner on a corner and call it good. If you want a great bakery, focus on your baked goods - - put them in beautiful cases - - perfume the air with the wonderful aroma of baking bread... :yahoo:

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gr49503 Unincorporated Area

gr49503

Posted
Posted

Thinking about trying out Noto's some night for dinner.

Which is preferred: Noto's or Tre Cuigini?

:dontknow:

I would definitely chose Tre Cugini. The food is exceptional and very seasonal, so the menu ever changing based on the season. I always order a fresh pasta because it is so rare to find in restaurants in GR. The appetizers and desserts are great too so save plenty of room and money. I also try to give them my business when ever possible because I would hate to lose this gem.

http://www.trecugini.com/

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dbrok Hamlet

dbrok

Posted
Posted

I've been to Tre Cugini, but not Noto's. However I would recommend Tuscan Express on 28th St. Excellent food and probably the same prices as Tre Cugini, but the ambiance and service was extremely impressive. Great wine list too.

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twoshort Town

twoshort

Posted
Posted

The finance and myself had dinner at Leo's on Saturday (no wait :D). The food was outstanding. The last time I was there I had the lamb which was really really good. This time I figured I should try some sort of sea food since it's a seafood restaurant. I had some sort of shrimp and lobster and spinich wrapped in pasta in a fettucini sauce. My fiance had fish (I'm not a big fish fan, so I didn't try it). Everything was top notch. Appetizer, two entree's and a Sprite for around $60 w/ tip. :thumbsup:

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