Green Restaurant, 2289 East Beltline Ave NE - 3/6/13

This sign is what first led us to Green Restaurant - we had to find out what this was and half-expected to find someone selling meat out of the back of a refrigerated truck.

But this is what we found instead: a clean, neat restaurant with about a dozen tables for two or four, and a juice counter that seats about thirteen, featuring two TVs. Green is tucked in between Noodles & Co. and Biggby Coffee, and adjoins Noodles, with whom they share restrooms.

So what’s different about this place? Several things, the main one being that the food is mostly organic. No factory-farms are supported by this restaurant, and although it’s not vegetarian, the menu serves only free-range, grass fed animals. Vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are also available. The best news is that all of the food is free from hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and herbicides, and locally sourced. Restaurant materials as well as the food are environmentally friendly.

We started off with gluten-free chicken & rice soup, which was quite flavorful and delicious. It was perfectly balanced for us being light on chicken and heavy on vegetables and rice.

Next, we had to go with the unusual burgers. The Chipotle Bison Burger with house-made chips was a success (tasty, juicy) but the Elk Cheese Burger less so. The description sounded wonderful: tzatziki sauce, feta, lettuce, tomato & onion. But the huge quantity of feta overwhelmed it all. Additionally, the napkins are small and thin, and entirely inadequate in handling the burgers. 

But that won’t prevent us from stopping in again to support and enjoy this very interesting restaurant. Lunch specials are posted, and calories are provided for food items. Check out their creative menu online and stop in soon for an intriguing meal. Find more information on their Facebook page.

Edited: As of November 2013, the restaurant obtained a liquor license and has a full bar available.

www.greenrestaurantgrandrapids.com   
            

Bartertown Diner, 9 Jefferson - 7/12/12

The worker-owned vegetarian/vegan restaurant opened a little over a year ago, and not without controversy. People caught wind/sight of the mural being painted that included Che and Mao, and the comments flew, both on Facebook and Twitter. 

Adding fuel to the fire, the restaurant started deleting unwanted facebook posts (the twitter debate was not so easily stopped). In April, the restaurant promised to stop deleting comments they did not like, and things seemed to calm down. The diner opened in June 2011, and people could come in and judge for themselves, both the art and the food. (I am a fan of Anthony Bourdain but was still amused to see him roasting over a fire. If you watch his shows, you'll know why he's here.)

So onto the food. “Creative” barely covers what this little restaurant produces. The changing menu is small but reasonably varied, and daily specials are posted on the board. Here are some of our selections from various visits:

Collard greens topped with tempeh sausage.

Tofu rancheros - tofu scramble with black beans, onion and greens, vegan cheese, and cashew sour cream.

Son of the Bartertown Monster (Revisted) - Buffalo seasoned tempeh with hash browns, coconut-curry cole slaw, fresh greens, and maple-garlic aioli.

One of the two burrito choices on Burrito Thursday - falafel, hummus, coconut curry slaw, grilled parsnips, and brown basmati rice.

At their worst, the dishes are interesting and unique, and at their best, they are incredibly delicious.

The narrow restaurant space is decorated with a lot of art, and the furniture was created from recycled materials. The servers are friendly and informative, it’s busy at lunch, t-shirts are sold, and bike parking is available outside the restaurant.

Bartertown does an incredible job of recycling and prides itself on using organic and locally-produced ingredients. Their website is more of a blog and is updated frequently with informative and educational information; they have an active presence on Facebook.  

We really dislike calling any restaurant or food offering “the best” of anything seeing as how it is a completely subjective opinion but we will bestow “The Most Unique Restaurant in Grand Rapids” title on Bartertown Diner.  Do yourself a favor and stop in.

www.bartertowngr.com

Graydon's Crossing, 1223 Plainfield - 6/6/12

A beautiful day in early June required outdoor dining and Graydon's Crossing it was. 

We love the outdoor patio but haven't yet been able to enjoy the 2nd story

deck (never open when we're there).

The indoor restaurant area has dark wood, tall-backed booths and a long, attractive bar that exude cool pub ambiance. But we've enjoyed the food more on previous occasions.

Jerk and Jicama was our starter and the Jicama fries were interesting, as was the key lime aioli sauce. The fried clams were tough and chewy.

The Baingan Bharta was pretty to look at but tasted quite bland. The promised carmelized onion could not be found and the curried Dal had no kick to it. The chick peas and eggplant blended well and perhaps it was just our expectations that went wrong.

Drunken Drip Beef sandwich was their version of a French Dip and we added onion rings as a side. Pepperoncini and Italian seasoning make this their own, and it came on a toasted roll with provolone. The onion rings were huge and well prepared, as was the sandwich.

The menu is varied and frequently changes, the service is consistently good, and the atmosphere is wonderful. If you don't know Graydon's Crossing, do yourself a favor and stop in.

http://www.graydonscrossing.com/

Our June 2010 Visit