Bistro Bella Vita, 44 Grandville Ave SW - 7/1/12

We love the Bistro and have lunched here many times. But tonight was the first time we took advantage of their '3 course meal for $25.00' offering. Available Sunday-Tuesday, it is so worth it. There are three choices for each of the three courses (antipasti, primi, secondi).

A Waldorf salad and summer salad were fine selections, with fresh ingredients. The Waldorf was unique and included honey-roasted chicken, dried fruit, goat cheese, and blueberry vinaigrette. The summer salad was beautiful to behold and to consume: apricots, hazelnuts, beets, arugula, strawberries, and a peppercorn vinaigrette.

Next course first brought us Tagliolini Caccaitore, a lovely combination of pasta and roasted mushrooms, brussel sprouts, kale, bacon lardons, and a tomato-demi glaze. 

Second was Albacore Tuna with cucumber gazpacho, quinoa fritter, and crispy kale. Just as good, and creative, as the previous item.

Third and final course selection began with Porchetta, served with carmelized onion bread pudding, cauliflower, and blueberry marmalade. It wasn't a favorite. The pork was a bit bland and the blueberry combination didn't work for us.

But the Ricotta Ravioli was exquisite. The ravioli was perfectly prepared and nicely presented with asparagus, corn, and cilantro, and a great lime zest flavor.

All in all, this is a great opportunity to have a 3-course meal for a reasonable price. This menu changes weekly, unlike their main menu. They have a wonderful outdoor patio and the service has always been great. The wait staff is knowledgeable and attentive, without being overbearing. The restaurant is owned by the Essence Restaurant Group, which also owns The Green Well and Grove. They obviously know what they're doing.

 

April 2010 Visit
www.bistrobellavita

The Green Well, 924 Cherry St SE - 5/4/10

The Green Well is a favorite of ours and, like The Winchester, labels itself a Gastro Pub (more pub than restaurant but with really good food). To us, The Green Well is more restaurant than pub but perhaps later at night, it becomes more pub. Regardless, it’s a great place to eat. (Also, in its pub defense, the bar has very large wine and beer selections and, in keeping with their philosophy, includes some local micro brews.)

The restaurant is not large and is slightly divided between bar and dining. Tables are close together (ok, maybe it is more pub-style) and it was crowded at 1:00 p.m. The outdoor deck has tables more spaciously placed and seeing that it was a sunny day, we headed outside. They may put more tables out later on but today there were only six, and three to four stayed occupied. If you know anything about this well-documented restaurant, you know it’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, and as its website states: “it’s environmentally safe, ultra efficient, and leaves behind the smallest possible carbon footprint.” Tables from recycled materials, food from local suppliers, many local brews and wines, and more, prove the Green Well lives up to its claims.  

And the food?  Wonderful. Creative, fresh, and beautifully presented; what more can you ask for? If you want the best burger in town, order the Kobe burger (but if you’re going to order it anything more than medium-rare, just take a run to McDonald’s instead). The cheese plate is lovely with a great combination of tastes, and is highly recommended. Today we started with the smoked chicken and goat cheese crepe. It consisted of mushrooms, spinach, roasted vegetable hash, and bacon buerre blanc. Interesting and delicious.

Several specials are always available but this time we stayed with the menu. It changes frequently and every description is enticing. Our first choice was the barbequed braised pork (sweet corn, andouille, braised greens, and creamy polenta). It was a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds (the polenta with corn was particularly notable). The second dish was jambalaya. We haven’t had jambalaya since our last visit to Louisiana and this was a great midwest version of the famous dish (braised pork, andouille, shrimp, roasted peppers, sweet corn, tomatoes, onions, and basmati rice); great combination, and if the shrimp were frozen, they still retained flavor.

Service is always great; servers are friendly, helpful, and informative. Menus differ slightly for lunch and dinner and both are found online, as are complete wine and beer listings, and all pricing. The Green Well consistently offers unique dishes with fresh ingredients, and although some customers may complain about the prices, you won’t be disappointed with the quality.
                        
www.thegreenwell.com


                   

Bistro Bella Vita, 44 Grandville Ave SW - 4/13/10

This is a large restaurant/bar that sits alongside the Van Andel Arena. We’ve lunched here several times, in the dining room, on the outdoor patio, and in the bar. Park at the meters on Grandville, and walk to the entrance on Weston. Enter and you are in the middle of the restaurant. The dining area is on your left, which is a combination of tables, and half, curvy booths. The bar is on your right and contains tables and full booths curving around a long, J-shaped bar. We chose a booth in the bar simply because there were fewer people there and we could have a window view. The entire place has a very open, airy feel about it. Very few walls, and windows on three sides give it a spacious feel, but other than the bar booths, it  doesn’t provide an intimate or warm atmosphere.

Out of the seven offered appetizers, we’ve previously had three of them (all good) so selected the antipasta. It was exquisite not only in its taste combinations but also in its presentation. The marinated vegetables combined deliciously with the meats and cheeses. Here the sum of the parts was truly better than the individuals. We could have used more crostinis to help finish the food but to be fair, we didn’t ask for them either. We still had full dishes to come.

Our main dishes were specials of the day and will not be found on the menu. The first was a meatball sandwich with fries, and coming off Rockwell’s a few weeks previously, made for an easy taste-test comparison. (Sorry, Rockwell’s - this one has your’s beat.) The meatballs were flavorful, and were served with grilled mushrooms, onions, and fresh basil leaves on French bread. Fries had partial skins and were nicely seasoned. Much more creative than Rockwell’s, this sandwich was, however, even messier to eat. The other special ordered was rigatoni with scallops, sausage, broccolini, grilled tomatoes, and chick peas, in a light lemon creme sauce. Again, a very creative and enjoyable dish.  

We had the same server as last time and she was great. Moving between the bar and the dining area, she was very efficient as well as personable. One other note on this fine restaurant, expect a higher tab (we parted with $54.00 including a generous tip). But the food is innovative and of high quality. We learned from the menu that both this establishment and The Green Well are owned by the same organization, and for fans of both of these places, you will see the pattern: fresh ingredients, local produce, creative dishes, and lovely presentations - Chef Ramsay would approve.

P.S. For you martini lovers, the Bistro claims to have the largest martini bar in Michigan.

www.bistrobellavita.com
www.thegreenwell.com