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Now a member of the Gilmore Collection, part of this building once belonged to the Ramona Amusement Park (1897-1955). Historic pictures line the restaurant hallway, and as a nod to Mr. Rose’s popcorn stand that served customers until the 1980s, the current Rose’s ends your meal with a small cup of caramel corn.
Located on Reed’s Lake, the main dining area is quaint and a bit rustic; the cozy, heated patio provides year-round seating; and the deck offers the best view of all. Not quite warm enough today for the deck, with no heat lamps running, we opted for the patio, which was a lovely setting on this sunny day.
The menu is reasonably sized and ranges from sandwiches and soup, to pizza and pasta. We bypassed it, however, and selected from the specials, beginning with hummus trio. Fresh vegetables and pita bread chips came along with the trio: edamame, black bean, and roasted pepper. Each flavor was unique and distinctive, with the roasted pepper being our favorite. We didn’t leave much on the plate.
A steak burger, ordered medium-rare, came precisely as ordered. It was deliciously juicy and topped with bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions. Also listed but barely detectable was orange-jalapeno jam. A bit more of it would have gone a long way to make the burger more remarkable.
From the small plate specials, the described pan-seared diver scallops were irresistible. Being diver scallops, they were sure to be fresh(er), and what a treat they were. A peanut, cilantro, ginger vinaigrette accompanied the scallops along with roasted vegetables; spicy, fried wakame topped off this beautiful presentation. The dish is highly recommended while the scallops are available.
Although the hostess was unfriendly and almost rude, our server was perfect: prompt, efficient, and friendly. This is a very popular place, particularly in the summer time, so plan your visit accordingly and expect a wait time during prime dining hours. Or take a late lunch and walk right in. Either way, you’ll appreciate the view, and the history, of this East Grand Rapids landmark, and you just may enjoy the food as well.
Find them on facebook and at www.gilmorecollection.com
What used to be open to club members only is now open to the public. The bistro is located in the Sunnybrook Country Club and if you use your GPS, it won’t be hard to find, even in the rain.
The entrance brings you into a large dining room with booths along one wall and tables elsewhere. We walked in and seated ourselves in a booth; there were several other tables occupied. A waiter came up to us and said we should seat ourselves in the bar area. Hmmm - was it the clothes? The non-golfer look? Whatever it was, it was the most unwelcome greeting ever.
We moved into a booth in the bar area, which is a good-sized L-shaped room adjoining the dining area. The decor everywhere is tasteful and subdued, and the windows everywhere overlook the golf course. Our server here was much friendlier and told us that the dining room was closing, which explained the bum’s rush.
The menu is large and looks like it is trying to be all things to all people: a couple of interesting appetizers, pizza, pasta, seafood, chicken dishes, an enchilada, meatloaf, pork tenderloin, steak, and shepherd’s pie. That’s pretty diverse for one kitchen but maybe it’s due to catering to the country club set and their families.
We picked the crab-stuffed mushrooms for our appetizer and did not go wrong. The crimini mushroom caps were filled with Alaskan crab stuffing, fresh lemon and herbs, and topped with Chablis cream sauce. The crab and mushroom flavors were enhanced by the lemon but remained distinct and not overwhelmed by the sauce. A perfect pick.
Our first entree was the chicken cavatappi: grilled chicken on a bed of pasta with spinach, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms, and topped with a light Alfredo sauce and parmesan cheese. Pasta was al dente and the dish was a taste delight.
Shepherd’s Pie on a menu is usually irresistible and today was no exception. It was a beautiful thing to behold, and to consume. The hearty stew consisted of ground lamb, beef, carrots, spanish onion, garlic, and a house blend of fresh herbs and spices. It was wonderfully topped with creamy whipped potatoes.
Both dishes were served with garlic toast and an efficient and informative server. When the bar dining area was invaded by very loud, obnoxious golfers fresh off the course, our server semi-apologized for them and explained that they think they own the club (they are members) and were not used to sharing it with the public. That’s too bad as we didn’t enjoy listening to them shouting about who won and what the losers owed.
The food was good, the ambiance is pleasant, the golfers indoors were unpleasant, so take your chances. Watermark Properties owns this and two other country clubs, each of which offers a restaurant open to the public. (We had a taste of Fire Rock Grille at the recent Wine Beer & Food Festival).
Wine, Beer, Food Festival
http://www.sunnybrookcc.com
You can also find them on facebook.
Walk into the restaurant and you are greeted by a menu board on your left, and a counter straight ahead. A first-time visit to this style of restaurant is always a little confusing and a few minutes are needed to sort out the procedure. We were disappointed it was an order-at-the-counter restaurant but we were glad we stayed.
A host noticed our hesitation and immediately provided us with menus and pointed out the specials on the wall. That was a nice touch. Usually we are left to flounder until we sort it out. There was no one in line behind us so we could take a few moments to scan the board and the menu.
The woman taking our order was friendly but business-like and told us our order would be out shortly, and asked us to take a seat. Luckily there was one table still open. Unfortunately, it was right in the middle of the dining area, and the noise volume was unbelievably loud.
The room holds about twelve tables and they are fairly close together. The wood paneled walls and hard wood floor are nice to look at but don’t absorb any sound. In general, the atmosphere is modern and clean, and old black and white photos dot the walls. A fireplace is featured along with an outdoor patio. In nice weather, the patio probably more than doubles their seating space.
Without appetizers to choose from, we both started out with the soup of the day, white bean chicken chili soup - lovely to look at and better to eat. It was nicely seasoned and not over salted.
Before we were finished, our sandwiches arrived, neatly presented in round metal trays with a paper lining. Out of the many interesting sandwich offerings, our first pick was the Derby Racer. Tender roast beef and melted cheddar cheese arrived on a french roll with grilled onions, tomatoes, and horse radish sauce. The horse radish was perfectly proportioned for this excellent sandwich.
All items are accompanied by either kettle chips, cole slaw, a deli salad, or redskin potatoes, all house-made. We didn’t take the time to examine the displayed deli salads and took the redskin potatoes for the Derby Racer and the cole slaw for our second sandwich, the Adult Grilled Cheese. Both sides were satisfactory but the seasoned potatoes were a standout.
Aged cheddar, provolone, and American cheese make up the Adult Grilled Cheese sandwich and it was topped with fresh tomatoes (not sure where they’re coming from “fresh” this time of year) on San Francisco sourdough bread. It’s not for the fat-calculating, cholesterol-watching diner but it was cheesy-delicious.
The aforementioned host was ever-present and as the place cleared out we could finally hear each other speak. These are obviously hard-working restaurant people with plans afoot, according to their website, for an expansion.
Your visit won’t be a fine dining experience but it could be with their catering and pairing with Martha’s Vineyard for private parties. They emphasize locally produced ingredients and house-made food, and are ecologically savvy; our leftovers came in a paper bag. Open for breakfast and with a creative menu all around, the restaurant is worthy of your attention.
You can like or follow them on facebook and twitter, respectively.
www.ramonastable.com
