Brewery Vivant - Belgian Tradition, Local Mission, 925 Cherry St SE - 2/18/11

An old funeral chapel now holds a very unusual pub/brewery that should not be missed.  The large, wooden doors still have “Chapel” written above them. Walk in and you are in a small foyer with a hostess station and t-shirts for sale. Upon entering the pub, you will be treated to vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows.

It feels more like a monastery than a chapel, however, with somewhat austere decor. The floor is concrete and the walls are cinder block. A large cabinet holding goblets sits back in what was the apse, and a horseshoe bar, which seats about a dozen, extends from the cabinet into the middle of the place.

Each side wall contains three large booths or alcoves, and a long row of unfinished wooden, communal tables with benches extends from front to back. Three or four smaller tables fill out the area. The atmosphere is rustic and spacious. A small balcony is located above the entry and light streams in through the stained glass window.

The brewery is located in an attached building that once was a repair shop, and tours are promised for sometime this spring. There’s also talk of an outdoor beer garden to be located in an area facing Cherry Street.

The lunch menu is small and contains eight interesting selections. (The dinner menu is much larger.) Our first choice was Lobster Corndog, described as Maine lobster, cornmeal and vivant farmhand butter, house remoulade, with pomme frites. It was  accompanied by a garlic, bearnaise-mayo. The dish was quite delicious and the cornmeal coating was not overwhelming. It was enhanced by the remoulade, tasting of lemon and pepper.

Our second choice was the burger. It consisted of 8 ounces of a “chef-selected blend of humanely raised hanger steak, top sirloin, and short ribs.” It was served with tomato, butter bib lettuce, onion, and bacon marmalade, and was also accompanied by pommes frites with the bearnaise-mayo. Cheese and bacon were added for a $2.00 up-charge. It was a lovely burger, and very well prepared.

You won't find salt and pepper, or ketchup, on the tables. It's a good sign of a confident chef.

Beer flights are offered, and at the time of our visit there were eight brews listed. (We both enjoyed the two we chose but that’s for another time.) One may also select from two hard ciders, and a Chardonnay or Cabernet Franc.

There’s a lot more that can be said about this very unique place and we would suggest checking out their website for more information and menus. It’s not inexpensive (the burger was $12.00, but where else can you order a burger made from hanger steak, top sirloin, and short ribs?). You will receive quality food and brew. Above all, drop in to experience this pub in person (and don't miss the innovative restroom sinks!).  

www.breweryvivant.com

Corez Wine Bar, 919 Cherry St - 10/13/10

Update: Corez will be closing 11/13/10. The restaurant was purchased by the owners of The Green Well & Bistro Bella Vita and will be re-opening in a few months.

Tucked into a refurbished law office building across the street from The Green Well, Corez is easy to miss with its low-key facade. Walk in and you will find a modern restaurant with minimalist decor, open ceiling, contemporary art, and overall a very stylish ambiance. The room is divided into two sections, and the bar runs along one wall with a wooden slat ceiling arching over it. Tables and chairs fill both sections and there is a small outdoor patio out front for nice weather days. When it’s crowded, the restaurant is noisy due to lack of carpet and close proximity of tables. However, today for lunch we were alone for most of our meal.

The menu, small and innovative, changes with the seasons. One may pick from nibbles, sandwiches, pizzas, small plates, and not so small plates. We chose moules frites to start. The mound of mussels was steamed in garlic, white wine, and cream. They were excellent and the wine sauce was an exquisite complement. Hand-cut fries accompanied the mussels and did provide a nice balance. But they were too heavily salted.

Since the mussels were good, our first sandwich selection was the crispy whitefish. The server returned immediately to inform us that the whitefish delivery had not yet arrived for the day. Although this was disappointing, we were pleased by the fact that the seafood was delivered daily. The pulled chicken sandwich was ordered instead and it made a fine substitute. The sandwich arrived covered in a mustard barbecue sauce with white cheddar cheese, house made pickles, and fresh greens. The barbecue sauce blended well, enhancing the flavors rather than overwhelming them. The greens were decidedly fresh and served with a subtle dressing.

Our next dish was the honey and chili glazed pork ribs. The small ribs were beautifully presented over a carrot and raisin salad. The ribs were tender and flavorful, but this dish was not well thought out. The overall taste was too sweet, particularly when combined with the salad. We expected more heat to balance out the sweetness and the honey flavor simply overwhelmed everything. The dish is far from a failure but it needs some conceptual work before it can be considered excellent.

The servers are knowledgeable and helpful. The executive chef (Chad Miller) is also the owner of Bloom, another restaurant serving wonderfully innovative food. One of the owners (Mike Dombrowski) is the former sommelier at the Chop House and former wine buyer for Art of the Table. The bartender creates his own drinks and offers house infused spirits. The wine cellar is extensive and servers are happy to recommend pairings. Years of experience and knowledge spill over into creative, fresh, and delicious food and beverages using local and/or house made ingredients.

Our tab was around $35.00 and menus are online. This restaurant ranks among our favorites and you shouldn’t miss it.           
                       
www.corezgr.com

The Chez Olga, 1441 Wealthy St, SE - 10/6/10

Remember Rafav’s Mexican Restaurant in that crazy building where you had to struggle to find the door because it was disguised as a tree? It now has a new tenant, The Chez Olga. The restaurant opened in July and is run by a couple from Haiti who immigrated to Grand Rapids in 1993. After a failed clothing store, they started a catering business that evolved into the current restaurant. Featuring Caribbean and Haitian cuisine, they invite you to “feel the heat.”

It’s not a large restaurant and the configuration is close to how it was as Rafav’s but the decor has changed and is simplified. A few booths remain and there are about 12 tables filling out the restaurant.

We checked out the appetizers and decided on pate with chicken. This is described as a Creole pastry, fried or baked, and filled with chicken, beef, or vegetables. We ordered them fried, with beef, and they arrived very hot and quite greasy. Similar to empanadas, these were better with more flavor. However, they were not served with plates so it was messy eating with grease dripping everywhere.

The Chez Olga signature dish is the gumbo shrimp and chicken served with rice, so we had to try it. Rice arrived in a large bowl accompanied by a small bowl of gumbo in red sauce. Our second dish was the Chez stir fry, a blend of onions and peppers with beef. It arrived in the same manner as the gumbo and they looked almost identical. The chef who served them to us was confused as to which was which. We sorted it out and enjoyed both dishes immensely.

When our order was first taken, we were asked by the very charming Olga to select our spice level, which ranged from 1 to 10. Having never been there before, we played it safe and chose 5, but it wasn’t hot enough. If you like your food quite spicy, 7 or 8 would probably be more appropriate. Overall, everything had big, bold flavors making Chez Olga an interesting option and something different in Grand Rapids.

The website contains their menu along with opportunities to make donations to Haiti.

www.chezolga.com
 

Tokyo Grill & Sushi, 4478 Breton Rd SE - 9/29/10

 

Located in a half-alive strip mall at 44th and Breton, the restaurant opens up into a large room that greets you with a sushi bar. The room is lined with booths against two walls and the rest of the place is filled with roughly 20 tables for two or four. At the front and back of the room there are two private dining areas, each of which contains the low, Japanese table-style dining. These rooms require reservations and prohibit shoes.

The booths and the private rooms offer a semblance of privacy but otherwise you’re in an open room dining with everyone else. Because of this, and the tile floor, noise was an issue. (From our booth I could hear voices from the other side of the room.) But all in all, it’s an inviting atmosphere.

Service was prompt but a bit rushed throughout our lunch. However, other posted reviews have indicated the opposite experience. Since there were very few people in the restaurant, we did not expect to be pushed as much as we were.

We started with wasabi sumai. The wasabi flavored steamed pork dumplings came with a house dipping sauce. They were tenderly prepared and quite delicious. Before it arrived, we were served miso soup, which was not as good as what we’ve had elsewhere.

Our first main dish was beef hibachi. Broiled marinated beef came with homemade sauce, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and broccoli. It was a very tasty combination of flavors and well prepared.

Next up was the shrimp tempura lunch box. This was a most impressive presentation and a great way to sample more offerings. It arrived with California rolls, vegetable dumplings, chicken katsur, salad, rice, deep fried shrimp, and vegetables. Overall, the lunch box was great. Unfortunately, the shrimp, perhaps the weakest part of the dish, was overshadowed by the California rolls and dumplings.    

Lunch and dinner menus are online. The restaurant was clean, the food was fresh, and the staff was friendly and helpful. It’s definitely worth a visit.

www.tokyogrillsushi.com

Bentham’s, 187 Monroe Ave NE - 9/22/10

 

 

Located in the Amway Grand Hotel, Bentham’s is an older restaurant on the river’s edge. It’s long and narrow, three rows wide and about ten tables long. There are two menus, breakfast and lunch/dinner. It’s a classy, casual setting, complete with cloth napkins and live flowers. There is no outdoor seating but you can sit at a window table and see the river and people walking by on the river walk.

Service was quite prompt and attentive, in the beginning. The appetizers contained nothing out of the ordinary except for the pan seared seafood cakes, served with mango chutney and basil chive oil. Beautifully presented, the mango chutney combined wonderfully with the seafood and basil.

Our first main dish was the 16-hour smoked barbecue beef brisket, served open faced on a kaiser roll with pepper jack cheese and red onion. The beef was very tender and essentially required no chewing. The sauce was adequate but didn’t really stand out.  Thankfully the brisket was good enough to offset this, creating an average sandwich.

The second dish was beef tenderloin tips: sauteed with wild mushrooms in red wine sauce, tobacco onions, and whipped potatoes. Potatoes, mushrooms, and beef were good overall but a tad salty. And three pieces of beef had to be discarded due to gristle. There is no way to remove meat from one’s mouth gracefully or surreptitiously. This was a major fail on the kitchen’s part.

The service fell completely apart toward the end of our meal and it took forever to get our check. Menus are online and there are small wine and beer lists. It might be worthy of a breakfast visit as that menu is a little more extensive. It’s a nice setting but a little pricey and more than likely designed to service hotel guests. With all the other downtown options, this is not a recommendation.

www.amwaygrand.com/benthams.html  

Twisted Rooster, 1600 East Beltine - 8/26/10

A lot of attention has been paid to this restaurant and its conversion from the national chain, O’Charley’s, to what will become a “local” chain. We had to give it a try.

Walk in and it still feels as if you’re in a chain restaurant. Several young greeters/hostesses are milling about. A large dining area lies straight ahead, a bar with high-top seating is to your left, and leads to another dining area. The interior has been redone with nondescript modern decor, but the bar is attractive. At least nine TVs could be seen and very loud music is piped in everywhere in the building. With their attempt at a creative menu, it might be described as  a Sports Bar that wants to be a Gastro Pub.           

We were seated promptly and our server took a few minutes to describe the menu (not sure why - it’s not that complicated). Although the menu throws “twisted” in front of many of the items, most of the items are not that unusual. There were no appetizers or sides to start things off so we went with the soup of the day, gazpacho. Topped with homemade croutons, it was amazingly tasty and perfectly seasoned.

Next item up was the bison burger (nicely credited as Byron Center Buffalo). It came with white cheddar, tomatoes, leaf lettuce, “twisted sauce,” and salt pepper fries. Ordered medium rare, it verged a little close to medium but was flavorful and delicious.

Our second dish was the hard-to-resist twisted mac & cheese: cavatappi noodles, white cheese, house smoked chicken, sweet peas, asparagus, cherry tomatoes with baked cheddar bread crumbs and fried parmesan. It was a spectacular concoction with all items combining nicely, and nothing overcooked. The parmesan was a nice touch.

Our server asked if we wanted any dessert but there were none listed. She then brought the dinner menu, which listed the desserts as well as appetizers. When asked if we could have had one of the appetizers, she informed us that most of them were available. But how would we have known that? Check out the menus online beforehand if you’re going for lunch. Our food tab came in under $30.00.

The menu claims to emphasize local food but credits only the buffalo with its source. They do have a nice list of local beers and wines. But the main problem with this restaurant is the noise level. It is unbearably loud, unbelievably so. The music volume makes everyone speak up to be heard and the resulting roar is overwhelming. A man two tables down was talking on his cell phone, which is usually a major irritation. But although we saw his lips move, we couldn’t hear a word he was saying.

The Twisted Rooster reserves a few parking places for those picking up “to-go” orders, and this would be a much more pleasant way to experience their food. It will be interesting to watch how this place and its menu evolves. (The logo found below was kindly sent by the owners' marketing office.) And if you are wondering if there's any significance to the name, there isn't. As possible names were being bandied about, this is the name that stuck.

www.twisted-rooster.com

Leo’s, 60 Ottawa Ave NW - 8/10/10

Walk into Leo’s and you smell fish. Although there are alternative items on the menu, if you’re not a seafood fan, this is not your restaurant.

With an attractive bar to the left, the main dining area is very spacious. Last time we were here, we dined in the bar area and it’s a much more intimate setting. Although there are a few booths, the dining room on the whole is wide open. Decor is muted with light wood trim, an elevated black ceiling, and large windows. It’s classy but still has a dated feel to it. And the absence of diners is a little eerie and makes one feel somewhat conspicuous. To top it off, there’s piped-in light jazz music which immediately reminded us of the weather channel. Salt and pepper shakers were situated on the table, which is not a good sign.

Our server was attentive but distant, almost as if he disapproved of us; the attitude remained throughout, but he did bring us deliciously warm dinner rolls (unusual for lunch). We started with seviche: sea scallops, scottish king salmon, and halibut, served with marinated cucumbers, onions, avocado, red peppers, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. It was a lovely and tasty creation, with our only criticism being that it was slightly oily.

First main dish was the brazilian grilled shrimp: gulf shrimp (hard to believe) with spicy honey-herb marinade, served with harvest blend rice and fresh vegetables. All good except that nothing went into the presentation. It’s Sunday dinner at your Mom’s - each item just piled on your plate.

Our second dish was grilled alaskan halibut. The restaurant claims to receive its fish daily and we have no way of knowing whether that’s true or not. Along with the aforementioned rice and vegetables, the fish was served with roasted lemon vinaigrette and Mediterranean tapenade - really nice accompaniments but again, presented without any creativity.

The menu is updated by the week, and the online menu changes accordingly. As a nice final touch, your bill comes with two fish-shaped chocolates. Our tab was over $50.00 and we would recommend the bar atmosphere for a more enjoyable setting.
                    
www.leosrestaurant.com

Ichiban, 3005 Broadmoor SE - 8/6/10

This was our second visit and we tried the Chinese wing of the restaurant this time. It‘s a large room with about 16 tables and is very tastefully and minimally decorated; dark wood tables and chairs, and white table cloths. There was no one else is the room when we were seated. After about five minutes, the hostess seated another two people - right next to us.

The lunch menu offers fourteen different lunches at $6.45 and another seven items at $6.95 each. We began with crab wontons and they were brought to our table in less than two minutes. Obviously they were already prepared. But the filling was good and there was a lot of it. Unfortunately, we did not have plates on which to eat them.

Our hot and sour soup was brought next and although there was a nice addition of a dumpling in the soup, it was neither hot nor sour.

Ingredients for each lunch item are not listed on the menu. We chose szechuan pork for our first main dish and confirmed that we wanted this and our next dish to be spicy. They obliged nicely; jalapeno and red chili peppers covered both dishes

Our second selection was orange flavored beef. We’ve had this dish many times before and this was our least favorite to date. The beef appeared to be chicken and the deep-fried little pieces were light on meat and more like little fat chunks. But vegetables were nicely done and the spice level was perfect.

Our server was very polite and prompt, and menus are online. Although the ambiance here is quite nice, we enjoyed the Japanese food much more (see October 2009 Review).

www.shanghaiichiban.com

Mexico’s Little Kitchen, 2747 Clyde Park Ave - 7/30/10

This is the old location of Lindo Mexico, which has moved into new digs near Studio 28. We dined here when it was Lindo and have yet to visit their new location. But today it was about MLK (that is how they refer to themselves). The owners also own a nearby grocery story.

The small restaurant is divided into two sections, separated by the entryway. On the left are four booths along the wall and three large tables. On the right are two small tables and three booths. The place has a nice tile floor but is otherwise decorated with typical Mexican restaurant decor. A Mexican game show was playing on the TV at a high volume.

The menu is large: nine appetizers, two salads, four soups, four enchiladas, a category labeled Mariscos offering seafood dishes, six Mexican platters, twelve Mexican specials, seven burritos, three fajitas, two chimichangas. You get the idea; it’s another very large Mexican restaurant menu. But this one has handwritten modifications and black magic marker cross outs on it.

Our server brought us tortilla chips and salsa immediately. The tortilla chips were double layered, quite greasy and very good, but the salsa was bland. When we asked for hot sauce to liven it up, it arrived when our main selections did, spicy salsa along with a separate dish of hot sauce.  

Looking for something different to start with, we picked the Southwest egg rolls. We knew it would be some Tex-Mex configuration but it was a taste treat all the same. The guacamole that came with it was excellent, and we ignored the accompanying bland salsa and ranch dressing.

Our first lunch selection was the taco dinner: three soft shell corn tortillas; one spicy chicken and two steak. The tortillas delivered were flour but they were great and  definitely home-made. Ingredients needed spicing up with the hot sauce, and the chicken taco paled in comparison to the steak tacos.

The second dish was carne asada. Ingredients: little chunks of steak simmered with tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and onions. Fajita style was ordered and it was an excellent choice. It was good and “hot;” the flavors all blended well and were not overwhelmed by the jalapenos.

There were only a few people in the restaurant but we had to physically get our server when we were ready to go. Up until then, service was fine. Most items are below $10.00. There is no website so you’ll need to check it out in person.