We visited Electric Cheetah shortly after it opened and came away unimpressed. We visited again for dinner in July 2011 and for lunch in Feb 2012. And wow !!! What a difference !!

1015 Wealthy Street Southeast ,  Grand Rapids, MI 49506 616-451-4779 www.electriccheetah.com

Contemporary , industrial décor, a bit noisy and a “happening” feel. Wait staff is friendly, helpful and loves their restaurant.

People ask me ‘What kind of food is it?’ Heck, I don’t know, it is Electric Cheetah. Which is pretty fabulous. We ordered the fried green tomatoes while we pondered the large variety on the menu. Turns out is was half green tomatoes and half eggplant. I actually liked the eggplant better ! My son and daughter-in-law were with us and we tried a variety of items. The Ole Mexican Quinoa Kurt, despite the dubious title was flavorful with a variety of textures (warning, it is a cold dish). I gravitate to the green dishes with quinoa. Lots of flavor and textures. At lunch I had Cilantro City USA. The waiter suggested I take the leftovers and have it with a couple of fried eggs for breakfast. So I did! Lots of good sandwiches and wraps. They feature different soups all the time. If they have the curry chicken… grab it!!

This restaurant is obsessive about local foods. This is good for beers (although a small number of features) sand , don’t beat me, not so good for wine if you are a red wine drinker. They also have a boatload of craft root beers.

Prices are reasonable, especially with all the flavor you get!!

This restaurant combines good prices with a innovative and flavorful food. What’s not to love?

Well , it finally happened. I was beginning to worry we were too picky and would never find a 5 star Jameson rating restaurant. Wrong !! Here it is, read on.

”

Located in what we call Funkytown district, this restaurant replaced the ill fated Corez wine bar , it is run by the same folks that brought us the Green Well and Bistro Bella Vita. In fact it is right across the street from the Green Well
Phone: 616.454.1000 Address: 919 Cherry Street S.E Grand Rapids MI 49506.  Website is www.groverestaurant.com

”

I would call it classy casual.  The wait staff are friendly, non-pretentious (important to me) and extremely knowledgable and helpful.

We have been there twice and everything was fabulous. Really.
Appetizers

We have been really trying not to order appetizers, since they are generally packed with calories and our waistlines can’t take much more. However, some of these sounded too interesting to resist. The Bahn Mi was a risk. It had Banh Mi crispy pork belly and shrimp on a base of bread, and pickled shallots, cucumbers, poblano peppers, siracha aioli, carrots and cilantro. Wow !!! Then there was the Crispy Knefla which is like tiny gnochis, made with butternut squash, brown butter, hazelnuts, fried Brussels sprouts, mushroom, Wisconsin blue cheese. Double wow!!

In summary of appetizers: Get ‘em, Share ‘em
Entrees
Main courses are just as good as the appetizers. After the appetizers, I was feeling adventuresome, so I ordered the Spicy Kimchi stew (which is a standard on the ever changing menu). It is made with ocal chicken, pork belly, spicy cabbage, slow cooked egg, peppers, brown rice, cilantro, and dashi broth (whatever that is). OK, this is turning into something the size of “War and Peace” so I’ll just say it was also…. fabulous as was everything everyone else had.
Desserts
The desserts are creative and sound good. However the Salted Dark Chocolate Fudge with candied walnuts, vanilla malt gelato, caramelized brioche, bourbon brown might just be the best dessert I have ever had.

Incredible wine list. Beers you haven’t heard of ,but the ones we tried were great (sorry,  didn’t write them down)

You didn’t think something this good would come cheap, did you?  We spent about $100 for the two of us and you could spend more easily.

I am sick of my own superlatives.
Enough !!
Save up your pennies and go try it. Reservations required and you need to call early. There is first come , first serve seating in the bar and they serve the full menu if you are reading this and want to run right down there.

We are always interested in new ethnic cuisine in Grand Rapids. When we heard about the Safari restaurant , I headed off with a couple my college students in tow to broaden their horizons.

It located in the strip mall on the southeast corner of Breton and 44th St. DO NOT confuse it with the African Safari Coffee bar nearby. I spoke to the owners about their need for a web presence, but still no action there.

It is pretty basic décor.

The food is a mixture of Somali, Indian and Ethiopian. However, the injera (flat bread) is not made on site and is pretty uninspiring. Stick with the Somali and Indian offerings. The menu is a little confusing. What they call lamb turned out to be goat ! They said, it’s pretty much the same . Well…. no…. it’s not, but hey it was the first time I tried goat and it was quite good! I expected a wild taste or something, but it was tender and mild. Their dishes are all in the pretty good but not great range. Definitely worth a stop to broaden your horizons, but not likely to be your new favorite spot.

no alcohol license. They have some nice spicy teas.

Prices are great.

Nice, very friendly owners and fun place to try. With a little work it could be really good.

We loved the Blue Moon restaurant in Saugatuck, so we were interested to see how the new ownership and the new name Zing would play out.

310 Blue Star Hwy on the south side of Douglas. 269-857-3287, you can call ahead an hour to get on the list. Website is www.zingeatdrink.com

It still has the funky, fun feel of the previous ownership. There is a an outside court that is quiet and comfortable and a smaller deck out front. There is a martini lounge and a dining room on the inside. There is often live music in the summer. They definitely get an “A” for atmosphere. One of the owners was wandering around greeting people and giving advice. He said they are rotating menu items to find the best combinations.

Most things on the menu sound interesting and innovative. Many titles are enhanced with “Z’s” and “Zing” We couldn’t resist a couple of the appetizers. They have something called a a Savory Cheezecake. It sounded weird, but the owner convinced us to try it. It was just slightly sweet, but also spicy with just a hint of “heat”. It came with a variety of crackers and just slightly sweet cookies Fabulous start. We also got their version of a caprese salad which added the interesting touch of pinenuts to the tomatoes and fresh mozarella. We really didn’t need a salad, but once again we had try the interesting sounding Asian salad. It is an entree salad, but you could get a small version for $5 and my wife and I split it (it was still plenty, plenty) We were surprised to find it had almost no greens, it was pretty much a spaghetti salad, but very flavorful with a nice touch of peanut-ginger dressing. I could have even stood a little more of that good dressing.

Entrees

OK, on to the main course. The excecution of the innovative ideas was a little bit inconsistent. I got the Zingington, their version of a Wellington. The tenderloin had a layer of bacon and a topping of something like a creamy spinach dip before it was wrapped in puff pastry. Don’t order this if you need your meat well done. It was beautifully prepared and very flavorful. Probably their best dish. It had a side of asparagus and spinach.

Entree #2

My wife got the whitefish on a bed of mashed potatoes with a roasted red pepper beurre blanc sauce. This was a fairly mellow dish, but quite good nonetheless. The side dish was mixture of lobster meat and spinach and asparagus. It was a very nice mixture.

Entree #3

Chicken Saltimbocca. This one fell a little short. It was basically breaded and fried chicken that turned out too dry. It had two interesting sauces, one from sun dried tomatoes and one a bit creamy, but even those didn’t salvage it completely. All in all this place is very good and may soon be great. Don’t tell the owner, but we found the The the dessert menu a bit uninspiring, so we opted to head over to Everyday People Cafe in Douglas where there is often live music on the back patio.

They have a very large wine list. We didn’t really check out the beers, because they make a big thing about the martinis. OK, here’s the problem. I just don’t get the foo foo martini fad. They always sound fun and have provocative names like lace panties or french kiss, but they tend to be bland flavored. And for $12 , I want flavor. Unfortunately, Zing’s martinis lived up to my low expectations. I tried the Cosmo and tasted my wife’s French Kiss (so to speak). Both were large, seemed to have plenty of alcohol and came in cool glasses, but alas, no great flavor. Our friend Mary ordered a standard Tanqueray martini, which can’t be spoiled really, but that was nearly $9. The top of our list so far for flavorful martinis is the Bistro Bella Vita in Grand Rapids.

This place is pricey. Mary got a sandwich for around $13, entrees were around $30. Salads are a la carte, but entrees at least, do come with a starch.

Zing gets big points for creativity. Many of their offerings do deliver in the flavor department. Despite the big price tag, we likely will go back when we have a day of hanging around Saugatuck / Douglas planned.

JD Reardonds was formerly the Waterworks pub.  It is hidden in a condo building. 

It is at 940 Munroe street. 616-454-8590. Parking is at meters in front of the building. Website www.jdreardons.com

JD Reardon’s has a comfortable pub feel. There is a nice outside seating area. The patio is in the beautiful inner courtyard of the condos in the renovated Boardwalk condo building.

It is a bar. There food menu, however does go beyond pub grub. We shared southwest eggrolls. I will confess, all the predictable standard offerings at most restaurants taste the same to me. Fried. Some of our group really liked them. I had fish tacos and they were decent. Not great, but decent. The same goes for the burgers that some of our group got. Good, solid food. My wife got the chicken sandwich. Nothing interesting with that one. On previous visiits I have had the chili and lunch. No beans and just not great. But remember, chili is a very personal taste.

The claim to fame here is the incredible beer list. LOTS of beers on tap. They have teamed up with the Tuesday Night Beer Rating group and will have beer tasting events coming up.

Prices are very reasonable.

This is definitely a great place for a beer and the food isn’t bad either.

We have always thought Sanchez was a fun place. The food was good, but not great. Until our last visit.

Located right on Fulton up the hill from the VanAndel arena, parking can be in issue. All I can say is Perservere. It will be worth it. I usually troll for a metered spot which is not collecting for the dinner hour, but there are other parking ideas on their website if you are impatient or not as cheap as I am. Here is the Sanchez website The address is 38 West Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI 616-774-8272

The staff at Sanchez always make you feel welcome. The décor is funky and fun. This is not the place for an intimate quiet conversation. There are two stories in the main dining room. We always like the upstairs. There is a separate area for breakfast and lunch that they use for private parties for dinner.

As I mentioned, the tapas format is always fun with a group. This visit, however, something was different. Everything we ordered was remarkable and flavorful.

Main Foods

We started with a soup called Fejoiada . It had Pork belly, chorizo, braised pork, black beans and habanero salsa. It was chunky and had a wonderful flavor. And the habanero did not burn your lips off. Things just got better from there. We tried Gambas Asadas al Fuego, a spicy fire roasted shrimp with a banana mustard cream and rice. It was a novel flavorful dish. The banana mustard cream nicely offset the heat from the spicy shrimp. The verduras y tortas is black bean and quinoa cakes and roasted vegetables with avo-cucumber sauce. The least inspiring (but still good) tapas was the empanadas filled with potato, garlic and onlion. The aioli and the mild habanero salsa saved them from being too bland.

Dessert

We were just discussing the possiblity of trying another place for dessert and one of the waitresses overheard us and let us know they just got a new pastry chef from another well know place in town (which shall remain nameless). Her advice was golden.

We tried the chocolate cobbler with raspberries and chocolate mousse.

 It was FABULOUS. This definitely qualifies as a flavor find in West Michigan. We shared one or two other desserts that were pretty good, but they paled in comparison.

Coffee

To top off a perfect meal, I remembered from previous breakfast visits that they have press pots (french press) with a couple of choices of coffee. I ordered Sumatran, emphasizing “extra strong”, since different folks make it different strength. Good strong, rich, earthy coffee (was that enough adjectives?) to top off the meal.

Breakfast

No, we didn’t stay long enough for breakfast, but I do need to mention the best kept secret in Grand Rapids. I eat breakfast here at least once or twice a month. It is never busy !! You do have to bring some change for the meter, but it is so worth it !! Unique dishes along side standard fare and the aforementioned press pot option for coffee make it one of my 3 or 4 favorite breakfast stops in town. The breakfast burrito with chorizo and spicy black bean cakes and who knows what else is my personal favorite. If you are a carboholic, they have a stuffed french toast will satisfy any sweet tooth. You can get standard scrambles and omeletes and custom order the ingredients from an extensive list. The only thing I have ever found I don’t like, there is a particular spice in the mojo onions that I just can’t manage. Even the music is good, with an eclectic mix that adds to the funky atmosphere that is Sanchez.

They have a respectable list of draft and bottle beers, a wide internationl list of wines, the required collection of foo foo cocktails and of course sangria (actually not my personal favorite).

Individual items are not terribly high priced, but it isn’t hard for sampling to push the price up. I have found the more people I go with , the better the price per person seems to come out.

As I said at the beginning, Sanchez has always been a good place, but either something has changed, or we accidentally ordered perfectly, because everything we had was unique, flavorful and made us say “Oh wow”.

New Holland brewery is… well… a brewery. And a good one. We had a wonderful visit at the retail pub location in June 2011.

”

Located in the center of downtown Holland, parking can be a little challenge, just head down a side street and there are parking lots behind the storefronts. The address is 66 E 8th St, Holland, MI 49423. Phone: (616)355-6422

”

They have renovated a bit for more space lately. It has (surpise, surprise) a pub feel. It is loud. They frequently have bands in of various genre’s so you may need to youtube them to decide if you will enjoy them. Some of our favorite local bands have been seen the first time at New Holland. (Classic Fix for example). They also have a patio in back in the summer time , sometimes with live music. For this visit, Lynn Thompson was playing on the patio, another of our favorite local musicians. Oh yes, and the staff. I have never had anything but a super friendly waitstaff here. They look out for you.

Our 4 star rating is not for the food. They do serve up a competent mix of pub grub with some surprising twists, like the spicy olive mix for an appetizer, but you don’t go to New Holland for the food. We were going to go for a burger, but they had new york strips on the grill for 10 bucks. Shoulda stuck with the basics. The steaks were thin and marinated and cooked over not-enough-heat. Steaks not seared are not wonderful. My buddy Mike complained that his was pretty fatty. On the other hand, the sides we got were very good. I had tabbouleh which was excellent and the potato salad (not my choice) was very good as well. The women got pizzas that they labeled “pretty good”.

Drinks at New Holland on the other hand are … actually…. pretty close to fabulous. Let’s start with the beer. Their standard beers are very good. Full Circle is a german style lager. If you have had Dortmunder Gold it is similar. The Poet Oatmeal Stout is a complex rich dark beer. Sundog amber is also good, but maybe not a standout like the others. In addition they are always experimenting with new versions. I can’t wait to try the El Mole Ocho based on the spicy Mexican sauce.

Liquor

A while back, New Holland expanded into the distilling arena. Their first attempt was Knickerbocker gin. We first had it a year or so ago and the bartender made the martini with no vermouth. It was fabulous. It had the fresh complex taste most similar to Tanqueray. I have not let bartenders put Vermouth in my martini since !! Strangely, we at this visit, we ordered another one without vermouth (naked) and the taste was dramatically different, it was still delicious, complex and fresh tasting, but the was missing the classic juniper taste. I have emailed the distillery to see if they changed recipes or what. In any case, it was well worth a try and a nice change. I will add a comment below if I find out what changed. They also have their own brand of whiskey, vodka, etc. We will add comments as we try these over time.

”

Prices are reasonable. Specials are very reasonable. Beers are not cheap, but they are worth it.
”

New Holland has decent food and great beverages. I seem to remember good desserts on previous visits, but I can’t promise. Try a naked knickerbocker martini, you’ll never go back to vermouth

Ok, Now I can say it. but what is it?

Jicama has been described as a mix between a cucumber and a pear. That is pretty close. It is crunch, but more solid than a cucumber and just slightly sweet. It is great cut up with just a little paprika sprinkled on, in salads, with hummous. Some people put it in stir fry, but I think it is much better raw.

Three Types of Tequila

Basic Tequila

There are three legal designations. To be called tequila, it is aged 1 to 2 months.. This basic tequilas are good for mixing in things like margaritas. It tends to be a bit harsh for sipping. Another way to make good use of cheaper tequila is to mix it with amaretto and make almond tequila. We find we 3 parts tequila and 1 part amaretto to be a good ratio.

Reposada

Reposada literally means rested. For this designation, tequila has to be aged betwen 2 months and one year. Aging mellows the tequila and I find reposada quite “sippable”. It also starts taking on some color from the barrel.

Anejo

There is a supposed to be a squiggly line over the “e” indicating the pronounciation is Ahn-Yay-ho. This is the best and most expensive of Tequila’s. It has to be aged at least 1 year and may be aged up to 3 years and has a golden color with a mellow complex taste to match. Don’t be fooled. Some well known brands (we won’t mention the name, but it rhymes with nosay barevo) is neither 100% blue agave nor aged. The brown coloring must come from something other than aging barrels (sly grin).

Bottom Line

Your taste buds are what matters. I have had expensive tequilas that just don’t taste good to me. Taste before you spend the big bucks on a fine bottle of anejo tequila. Then ENJOY !! Oh wait, I almost forgot. Follow this link for our Perfect Margarita Recipe.

We were on are way back from a long weekend in the Smokies and stopped in Lowell for dinner. We were tired and hungry, so this review might be just a little biased in a positive way. We have visited the Flat River many times. It is one of the Gilmore collection. Nothing radical here, but as with most Gilmores it is , steady, reliable good food

Right on the main drag in Lowell where the bridge crosses the river. 201 E Main St., Lowell, MI 49331 Phone: (616) 897-8523 One annoying thing about the website is that you have to hunt through www.thegilmorecollection.com to find what you want. I would prefer a separate website for each restaurant.

It has attractive, dimly lit décor. There is a nice patio looking out over the river, but it does face west, so the sun can be an issue (on the rare Michigan sunny day). Thursday nights in the summer, Lowell has live music and with some very good bands just along the riverwalk from the Grill.

Always friendly, small town feel. The clientele also seems relaxed and friendly to match the staff.

Overview

As I said, solid Gilmore style food. They are adding some trendy antoxidant stuff to the menu, but I really think that stuff is just a fad. In the past , they had a lemon chicken on the menu in the past and it is fabulous. If you happen to be there when it resurfaces, grab it.

Flavor Find

On the night we were there, they had a salad special and it was FABULOUS. As best I can remember, it was greens, wth figs, jicama, dried cherries, slivers of almonds . I don’t remember if I it came with grilled chicken or if I added it, but topped with a balasamic dressing to offset the little bit of sweetness, this was the best salad I have had in a very long time. My wife ordered a barbecue pizza. It was not sweet like a typical version, but she said it was quite good. Thinking back, we have never had a bad meal at Flat River Grill.

They have a nice variety of good beers on tap and in the bottle. They do some fun mixed drinks, we haven’t tried many of them. Will add on a comment if we do. We don’t typically drink wine here, unless we get there in time for the Gilmore Happy Hour.

Prices are not cheap, but very middle of the road.  Entrees run $12 to $22.

This is a very solid, sometimes creative place to eat. Going to Lowell offers a chance to get out of town for a very nice meal. It very nearly makes the 4 star level.