January 17th, 2011
El Granjero came highly recommended by a number of people who claimed they’d experienced some of the best authentic Mexican cuisine in all of Michigan. We were intrigued and our hopes were high. Fortunately for us, El Granjero did not disappoint.
Located near the corner of Lane and Bridge, El Granjero is owned by Mercedes Lopez and her daughter Paola. Formerly of Mexico City, the family moved to Grand Rapids 5 years ago and opened the restaurant 3 years ago. We had the pleasure of chatting with Paola and her sister Gabriela, who told us about El Granjero, and gave some great recommendations as to what we should order.
We started with the chips & salsa and the Queso Fundido which was served with flour tortillas.
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January 7th, 2011
We were lucky to have a larger group dine with us for our first visit to Amore Trattoria Italiana, and I must say, there is no better place get together with friends, socialize, and eat way too much food!
Amore is an authentic Italian restaurant, located on Alpine near 6 Mile. Owners Jenna and Maurizio Arcidiacono met in San Francisco before moving back to Maurizio’s native Italy. While in Milan, Jenna took some cooking lessons from a superb chef….Maurizio’s mother. Lucky for us, the couple moved back to Jenna’s home town of Grand Rapids and now they’re sharing their authentic Italian goodness.
We started our evening by taking advantage of Amore’s $3 happy hour specials while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. Suzie was our bartender and she was great. I think it was the first time I’ve ever had a bartender formally introduce themself to me, and remember the names of everyone in our entire group.
Since we had such a large group we were able to try a lot of different foods. Our appetizer was beyond fantastic … the Saccottino Di Caprino (crispy dough stuffed with goat cheese, roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.) The Zuppa del Giorno (soup of the day) was Lasagna Soup, and it was better than any lasagna I’ve ever had.
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January 4th, 2011
This summer we discovered a wonderful little piece of Greek cuisine called the gyro. Somehow we had both managed to go some 3 decades never having a gyro and this summer, we had three. Our first experience was at Mr. Gyros on Lake Michigan Drive. We’ve driven past Mr. Gyros a million times and after some minor coaxing, I finally convinced my wife to give it a try. The owner was straight from the Mediterranean and he assured us the food was 100% authentic, the finest quality, and the freshest ingredients. We both agreed the food was fantastic, although a little pricey. But, in their defense, we did get what we paid for – great food, fresh ingredients, prepared while we waited.
Our next gyro stop brought us to the Cottage Bar, a Grand Rapids staple. We’re no strangers to the Cottage Bar – you’ll see us there for the annual chili cook-off each year, and the food never disappoints. We ordered our gyro with Cottage fries, and as usual, the food was incredible. I wouldn’t normally think of the Cottage bar as having great gyros, but they’re definitely worthy of a recommendation.
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December 27th, 2010
Having grown up on the West Side and being of Polish descent, I’ve had my fair share of trips to the neighborhood “Polish Halls.” Most people only visit these halls on Pulaski weekend. I dig it. I was born Pulaski weekend, and heck, who doesn’t enjoy the occasional accordion? The thing is, these halls operate year round, and one of them plays host to the best burger in town.
Barb’s Burgers
This is Barb, the Wonder Cook
For those that have been there, that’s all I need to say. You see, this post is actually well past due. We’ve been going to St. George’s Hall on Quarry (between Leonard & Richmond) every Thursday for nearly 6 years now. Everyone that comes along agrees, this is literally The. Best. Burger. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 22nd, 2010
I’m thrilled to report that last week we went to the Twisted Rooster and had our largest group to date. We were able to bring a party of 16 into an establishment on a Tuesday night! Yeah Local GR Eats!
Twisted Rooster is located on the East Beltline in the restaurant formerly known as O’Charley’s. We were drawn to the establishment because of the unique twist on menu items, and the fact that they buy locally. Read the rest of this entry »
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