We visit Grand Rapids in western Michigan several times a year to see Tim's family, and we have several favorite restaurants that we often visit when we're there.
We increasingly keep hearing about the city's great foodie scene in recent years, so we decided to try several new eateries during our most recent visit for the ArtPrize festival earlier this fall.
Here are a few impressions from our recent culinary adventures in Grand Rapids:
The Electric Cheetah
I've heard many times about this restaurant and determined that this would be the trip where we finally sampled this place on Wealthy St. in one of the older sections of town.
Tim is a real root beer fan, so it was pretty easy to finally convince him that we needed to visit the Electric Cheetah for lunch one day when I told him that the restaurant's offerings included a two-page menu of different types of root beer.
I heard that the restaurant was pretty popular, so we timed our visit for a late lunch/early dinner during the mid-afternoon of a weekday.
The root beer list was pretty impressive and included draft root beer from the historic Berghoff restaurant in downtown Chicago (a place we've eaten a couple of times over the years).
I was initially disappointed that it was late enough in the afternoon that they were out of the shrimp and grits special, and then vacillated between choosing the restaurant's Mac 'n' Cheese and an Electric Cheetah Grilled Cheese sandwich (with several types of cheese on grilled sourdough). I opted for the sandwich as Tim chose the Rueben Gonzalez (featuring house-roasted corned beef brisket on a pumpernickel roll) because we also wanted to split and order of the fries I'd heard so much about.
We were not disappointed!
Our server was helpful and enthusiastic about the menu. Plus, the couple seated at the table next to us gave us the hot tip about visiting a (new to us) ArtPrize venue.
You can learn more about the Electric Cheetah at its Web page and connect with it on Facebook.
Marie Catrib's
A friend of Tim's insisted that we needed to eat at Marie Catrib's.
Marie Catrib's eclectic menu offers plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, but meat-meat-and-potatoes fans will also find plenty to like here! The menu draws from several of owner Marie Catrib's culinary influences over the years that include her Lebanese background, time living in the Upper Peninsula and love of experimentation.
Tim's friend warned us that visiting the popular restaurant might mean a bit of a wait for a table.
Again, we timed our visit for mid-afternoon on a weekday and had no problem getting a seat and service.
I love salmon and opted for the Salmon Surprise, which was a maple-ginger salmon with spinach and feta sauce on grilled challah bread, and we split an order of the restaurant's seasoned fries.
I fell in love with the pickles served with my sandwich and asked our server about them. He told me the restaurant brines the spicy pickles in-house.
Better yet, the restaurant has a small deli next door where you can get the pickles, house-made spice mixes, order entrees, salads and sandwiches to-go or pick up many of the restaurant's cookies, granola or pastries.
Our server brought us a large deli container of pickles to-go and add it to our restaurant bill, and we luckily travel with a small cooler in the car for just such occasions. The convenience of having the deli right next to the restaurant also makes it possible to grab some goodies to-go from Marie Catrib's even if there is a long wait at the restaurant.
Connect with Marie Catrib's on the restaurant's Web site or Facebook page.
The Bull's Head Tavern
We visited this place, which was within walking distance of our downtown hotel, with Tim's brother Brian.
Sandwiches, appetizers, burgers, pasta, steaks, seafood and more make a great place for an informal meal or something a little more substantial.
The Bull's Head won first place honors in the Grandwich 2015 competition with the Pulled Bacon Dutch Crunch, a creation of pulled pork bacon belly topped with avocado, lettuce, jalapenos, red cabbage slaw, tomatoes and Dijon Sriracha aioli on a toasted rosemary focaccia bun. Brian opted for the award-winning sandwich, which he said was good.
Tim likes rare tuna (a taste I'm afraid I haven't acquired) and decided to have the sesame crusted sashimi tuna, which he said passed the rare tuna test with flying colors.
Check out The Bull's Head Tavern on the Web or Facebook.
The Pearl Street Grill
We've found it best to stay in downtown Grand Rapids during ArtPrize because it is pretty easy to get around to the competition venues and restaurants by walking, riding the bus or taking a special event shuttle to get around town.
We stay at the downtown Holiday Inn because it is a reasonable price for its location, and parking for the car is included with the room rate.
We've visited the Pearl Street Grill at the hotel, usually for at least one breakfast or, as we did this trip, for a late snack.
We were hungry, but really just wanted a couple of appetizers after a long day of walking around town, plus I felt in the mood for a cold beer on the warm evening.
The Pearl Street Grill had just what we wanted to suit our appetites that evening with a Pale Ale from Grand Rapid's own Founders Brewery, a small pizza and several hot pretzel bread sticks with a beer-cheese dipping sauce.
Sweet dreams!
Connect with the Pearl Street Grill on the hotel's Web site or the Grill's Facebook page.
Do you have any favorite eateries in Grand Rapids, Michigan that we should check out the next time we head out to western Michigan?
© Dominique King 2015 All rights reserved
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