Gus's Original Stone Oven Eats, 3123 Leonard - 11/15/12

The son of the original proprietor of Red Hot Inn, Matt Koukios, honored his father by naming the restaurant after him, and opened the restaurant on property already owned, adjacent to Red Hot Inn. (We dislike the additional “s” after the apostrophe but it falls within appropriate grammar rules :)

We walked in, disappointed when we discovered it was counter service. And this restaurant is a little more confusing than most. Enter through a long hall, with a hard-to-read menu taped on the wall and an arrow pointing you to the order counter.

We gave up on reading the hall menu and headed for the order counter, where we were met by an unfriendly, impatient employee. Sorry - we need a minute to read the over-hanging menu and no one is waiting behind us, so chill.

Our order placed, we attempted to pay but were shushed down the way to another station, attendant needing to be called by the aforementioned employee to take our money. Pick up your silverware, fill your beverage, find a seat, and wait for your order delivery. 

So that’s the negative stuff. Here’s the good stuff. It’s a cool space, complete with a fireplace seating area, and the food is good. The restaurants touts its pizzas but we cannot attest to them. We started with Stuffed Peppadews (sweet piquante peppers stuffed with cranberry goat cheese & prosciutto ham served with fresh mozzarella & balsamic glaze). Beautiful to behold and exquisite to taste.

We never both order the same dish but today we did, picking the Wealthy Street BBQ sandwich from the small menu: seasoned pulled pork mixed with BBQ sauce and topped with homemade coleslaw on a french style hoagie. They came with homemade potato chips and a pickle spear. This was one fine sandwich with delicious bread that is preservative and corn-syrup free.

And we loved the boxed water!

Some additional information about the restaurant: they serve both Coke & Pepsi, there’s an early morning coffee bar and an ice cream bar, their stone oven bakes 10 pizzas at a time, outdoor seating wraps around 2 sides of the building, and they do not have a liquor license. So if you want a beer with your pizza, this is not your spot.

The vintage Grand Rapids photos placed above the 20 or so tables are lovely and interesting, and there are 3 large screen TVs in the restaurant. Their website is cluttered and does not provide their address (just a google map) so check them out on facebook instead.

It’s a curious place, so much better than its Red Hot Inn neighbor, but not as comfortable or welcoming as the nearby Licari’s. We’ll wait to hear what pizza-lovers think about the pizza.

Wine, Beer & Food Festival 2012

Please hop over to All Things Grand Rapids (link below) for photos and information on this fantastic event.

Wine Beer & Food Festival 2012

Licari’s Sicilian Pizza Kitchen, 2896 Knapp St - 10/25/12

Licari’s was recommended by a friend (thanks, Kendra) and it was a great find. You can’t see it from the road and there is no signage on Knapp. So look for the Crushed Grape and turn in. The restaurant is attached to the backside of Crushed Grape and is near the Celebration Cinema complex for you movie goers.

The narrow space is small with high tops and booths along the windows, and a few tables and the bar fill in the rest of the area. The outdoor patio looks like a pleasant place to be in nice weather.

The menu is also small but interesting.  Five antipasti selections, 5 insalate, 8 pannettis, 6 pasta, and pizza. Opened since April 2012, the restaurant is gathering a well-deserved following.

It has a cool vibe to it and the service was great. Our server took our order on her iPhone and we started with her recommendation, Arancini - crispy rice balls filled with meat sauce and mozzarella. We found them beautifully presented but overly deep fried.  

From the very appetizing selections, we chose the Pasta a la Chef: some family secrets tossed with Gemelli pasta and tomato cream sauce, peas, carrots, and ham. Although we hate secrets, it was a very finely prepared al dente pasta dish.

Linguini con salsiccia e ricotta was our second dish, which consisted of fresh house made sausage, creamy ricotta, and fresh tomato sauce over linguini. Again, the pasta was exquisitely prepared and the combination was delicious.

In order to get garlic bread with your dish, you need to pony up $2.00 more for four slices, but it is worth it. Forget the butter/garlic drenched slices of bread you receive elsewhere. This bread will arrive with a much lighter touch of garlic and butter and accompanied by their house-made tomato sauce.

Left-over boxes are earth-friendly, there is just one large screen TV playing, and the pop-soundtrack music playing was not overly obtrusive. They should lose the Bobby Flay picture and Food Network references, however; we don’t care about Bobby Flay. 

Licari’s is not a fine dining experience like you will receive at Amore Trattoria Italiana but it can stand on its own based on the food and the casual atmosphere. Read the restaurant background on their website where you can also view the menu. We’ll definitely be back. 

http://www.licarispizzakitchen.com/

Wine, Food, & Friends - 10/20/12

Lying in wait ...

Having an executive chef, wine/beer connoisseurs/home brewers,
and great cooks among your circle of friends can lead to a very fortunate
and delicious turn of events.

The menu and photos speak well enough for themselves.

Later, we were just mystified by the empty bottles :)

As someone said tonight - sometimes the best food
is not found in restaurants - cheers!

Kitchen 67, 1977 East Beltline - 9/25/12

Located in a free standing building, the café shares its retail space with a phone store. We had not read much about the new restaurant and almost pulled away when we saw the drive-through window. 

Against our better instincts we decided to go in and check out the menu. We discovered that it is counter-service and menus were laying about on both sides of the entry, as well as at the counter. The space opens into the phone store which was a little weird. We again dilly-dallied about staying or going. We finally decided that the menu looked interesting enough to stay.

It’s a cool space with a lot of partitioned privacy, ever-changing lights above, large screen TVs, and music playing a bit too loud. (I did get called out on complaining about the music only when it was something I didn’t like :)

We stepped up to order and were then given a number to place on our table that a server came by later looking for a match. She brought just one of our orders, and without the fries, and thought our other orders had not been placed. But a few minutes later, the rest of our order appeared.

The Sizzling Bowl with steak came with the option of habanero sauce or asian ginger sauce. After being advised that the asian ginger sauce was hotter, this was the choice. To accompany the bowl, a garden salad was ordered. No Italian dressing was available but a balsamic vinaigrette was offered as a close substitute.

The Bowl contained pan-fried noodles, steak, portabella mushrooms, sautéed peppers and onions, green onions, and sesame seeds, with the afore-mentioned asian ginger sauce. Many diners complain if the meat portion is too small, but this bowl was too meat-heavy to maintain a nice balance. Flavors otherwise melded nicely but the sauce was mild and nowhere near the promised hot.

Our second entree was the Black Jack Burger accompanied with Asian Ginger Slaw and fries. Ordered medium-rare, it arrived close to that. Joined by pepper jack cheese, jalapeño bottle caps, sweet habanero sauce, chipotle mayo, and shredded lettuce on a brioche bun, it was an excellent burger that arrived with the requisite heat. The slaw was tasty but too wet, and the late-arriving fries were delicious, seasoned with a special Brann’s concoction. Our only other negative was the small, fast-food napkins that were available. The burger in particular was a 10-napkin event.

As we read the restaurant materials on the tables we discovered that the restaurant opened the drive-through for breakfast coffee & pastry seekers, and the counter-service lunch converts to full-service dining at 4pm, along the lines of Schnitz Deli transforming into Ada Grill. Great idea, and we’ll have to stop back to enjoy the dinner experience.

So - cool space, interesting menu, and good food (but a sloppy lunch presentation today - see pictures and commentary). The name is derived from the year John Brann, Sr, sold his first sizzler steak and we think his grandson, Johnny Brann, Jr, has a good thing going here.

www.kitchen67.com

Osta’s Lebanese Cuisine, 2228 Wealthy St SE, East Grand Rapids - 8/23/12

This is a sweet, little setting in which to enjoy mid-eastern fare. It’s casual space and holds about 11 tables. The take-out window was busier than the dining room when we visited.

Our server promptly brought us menus but didn’t take beverage orders and didn’t bring us water until we requested it when she returned a while later. Other than that initial bump, the service was perfect, attentive without being over-whelming, and well-timed dishes.

Beginning with the falafel appetizer, we enjoyed the three deep-fried fava bean patties served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tahini.

Fast upon this were our salads, fatoush and lebanese. Both were delicious, fresh, and lovely creations, and although there was too much of it, we ended up preferring the lemon vinaigrette dressing on the lebanese salad. The ingredients for the “zestier” fatoush dressing would not be revealed (but you can find their hummus recipe on their website).

We both chose pita sandwiches for our entrees: grilled lamb (marinated lightly in red wine with hommous - spelled differently in various places on their website so pick your spelling :), tomato and onion; and shawarma (thin slices of beef marinated in lebanese spices) with tahini, tomato, and onion. Visually identical, both sandwiches took a few bites to reach the onion and tomato but were excellent combinations of flavors. And don't miss the home-made, pickled turnip served on the side!

A woman who appeared to be an owner was very familiar and friendly with customers and spent a bit of time in the dining room. She greeted the two middle-schoolers seated next to us by name, and later we had the pleasure of helping them figure out what to tip the server, after they had an awkward moment with her. This friendly place is welcoming, offers freshly-prepared food, and is worthy of your business. 

Find more information about the background of the restaurant and view the menu at: http://www.ostaslebanese.com

SpeakEZ Lounge, 600 Monroe NW - 8/18/12

The restaurant opened last February in the old Cambridge House space, and we finally stopped in for a late lunch. The knight’s armor is gone as is the wall that divided the bar from the restaurant. The dark booths are still there along with the dark wood bar, low lighting, and cool atmosphere. 

We took a booth and were promptly greeted by the server/manager on duty, who mentioned the appetizer special, which we took him up on, 3 jerk pork sliders for $1.00. It was an excellent start with very tender, well-spiced pork, topped with sharp cheddar, baby spinach and pineapple aioli, on fresh mini brioche buns.

The menu is one large page, with plenty of choices that include vegetarian and vegan items. Several selections offer a small and large portion option, and we began with Plum Crazy! Stir-Fry (small portion). It was a lovely combination of chicken, water chestnuts, carrots, baby corn, shallots, and julienne squash, tossed in a sweet and spicy plum sauce. Served over pineapple basmati rice, the dish was a bit sweet but still satisfying with fresh and crisp vegetables. 

Pesto Pasta Primavera was our second entree choice (small portion) and it was beautifully prepared but with a slightly messy presentation. The dish contained sautéed asparagus, mushroom ménage, split grape tomatoes and shallots. Everything was tossed in a pesto voloute and served over wheat rotini. It all combined wonderfully - the pesto flavor did not overpower, the vegetables were not over-cooked, and we noticed the messy bowl only when looking at the photos later. And we loved the bowls that both dishes were served in; forget those shallow, filled-to-the-brim bowls that you cannot eat from without spilling. SpeakEZ has this solved.

About a week later, we visited on a Sunday when looking for a restaurant open downtown before 4pm. It was a very light crowd and we had the fortune to have our same server/manager. We tried to order the Catalonian Romesco but were told it was unavailable; the Sautéed Calamari was recommended in its stead. Served with shallots, thai sweet chili sauce, and fennel, it was a fine substitution. 

Right upon the calamari delivery, we were brought Escargot Normandy, complete with burning rosemary, complementary, to make up for the absence of the Catalonian Romesco. It was a nice touch that was followed up by a visit from chef, Ken, who chatted with us about the restaurant and other Grand Rapids restaurants. 

SpeakEZ took second place in the recent Grandwich contest (lost to Skywalk Deli by 8 votes so feel bad if you didn’t vote for them :) and still features the Jerk Pork Cuban as a special. It is one fine sandwich and here is their description:

“Locally sourced pork shoulder pulled and mixed with SpeakEZ's Signature Carribean jerk sauce, then topped with Fulton Street Farmers Market pickled zucchini, summer squash, and red onions. All topped with Mozzarella Cheese, and covered with chipolte mayo and pineapple aioli. Served on butter grilled ciabatta.” It is a very fine sandwich, being a lovely combination of flavors, slightly spicy, and is highly recommended.

Then the insane Irish Pirate sandwich arrived. From their menu: “by popular demand: roast beef, ham, turkey, bacon, cheeses: munster, swiss, parmesan, mozzarella; lettuce, tomato, pretzels, potato chips, roasted garlic aioli, mustard aioli and mayo. All served on sourdough bread; no side. Really?! really.”

This has to be the biggest sandwich you’ve ever seen, or tried to consume. There are several methods that have been tried to accomplish the task of eating this sandwich and our server commended us on the taking-it-apart-to-eat-it approach. It’s an interesting combination but we would prefer the pretzels and potato chips on the side :) 

We don’t usually name servers/managers/chefs, for good or for bad, but Calin deserves a mention (as does the above-named, Ken) because he is knowledgeble and the perfect combination of good service - genuine attention without being obsequious, informative, and absent any of the fake cheeriness experienced with national chain employees (you know of what I speak).

SpeakEZ is a friendly, comfortable restaurant, with good food, great service, a fantastic Grandwich selection, and is so worthy of your patronage.

www.speakezlounge.com