With a fun mix of trendy restaurants, hip bars and indie shops, downtown Grand Rapids has hit its stride. You can find stuff to do and buy along walkable streets with interesting characters and lovely architecture at almost any time of the day. But still no Whole Foods.
When I have visitors from out of town, I take them to the B.O.B. (20 Monroe Ave. NW). Literally a Big Old Building, this 1903 red brick structure served as a warehouse for the Judson’s Grocery until being abandoned. The Gilmore Collection saved it from demolition and transformed The B.O.B. into a multi-level restaurant and entertainment complex that would fit into much bigger cities.
Start your evening at The B.O.B. with The Monkey Bar, a casual Asian-inspired bistro. Share a selection of small plates ($3.99), such as the Pomegranate Lacquered Chicken, Sesame Crusted Salmon and famous Smoked Gouda Fritters. With a happy tummy, you are ready to hit B.O.B.’s Brewery, which is overseen by new brewmaster John Svoboda. He has rebuilt the brewery, which now offers handcrafted favorites like a classic IPA, as well as more inventive offerings as Mango-Chipotle Ale
. For your main course, head up to J Bar @ Judson’s. Quality and value meet at this steakhouse with its tastefully upscale charm. Try the popular $12 grill menu, which offers $12 New York strips, prime rib and more. You have several entertainment options after dinner. Looking for laughs? Grab a seat in Dr. Grins Comedy Club, which hosts nationally acclaimed comedians and local goofballs (i.e. Sarah Jean Anderson) Thursday–Saturday evenings. Wanna go dancing? The Crush Nightclub offers the quintessential nightclub experience with a spacious dance floor, the best DJs, and VIP access with bottle service.
For a relaxed dining experience, try 25 Kitchen + Bar (25 Ottawa Ave. SW). Conveniently located across from Van Andel Arena, this bi-level hotspot boasts 25 signature cocktails, 25 draft beers and a savory selection of 25 locally and internationally inspired wood-fired pizzas. It is a nice replacement for the Margarita Grill, which featured 25 keloid scars and 25 venereal diseases. (Poppa Steve went to Margarita Grill once and his credit rating dropped 50 points.) 25 Kitchen + Bar also features eccentric sharable plates and a mouthwatering selection of unique entrees crafted by Executive Chef Steve Brechting that you can enjoy on their spacious patio. Every Tuesday night, the restaurant features performances by local singer/ songwriters Eric Allen, Kari Lynch, Mark Sala and Jeff Linsell, paired with Michigan microbrews and wines. The restaurant’s Happy Hour, Monday thru Saturday 2 p.m.-6 p.m., offers $2.25 drafts, wells and wines as well as half-off appetizers.
Z’s Restaurant & Bar (168 Louis Campau NW) is easy to miss but never forgotten. Z’s is a classy dive with huge windows, high ceilings, and high-def TVs. This is the place to go downtown when you are hungry after midnight. The kitchen serves until 2 a.m. (1 a.m. on Sundays), which can come in handy after a concert or play. In fact, food-service folk in Grand Rapids all head to Z’s after their shifts for good food and cheap drinks. Z’s is known for its barbecue spare ribs, which have won the Taste of Grand Rapids seven times. The rest of the menu includes pub grub done right, like the 9-Layer Dip, Roast Beef Asiago Sandwich and Black and Bleu Burger. The bar has a daily happy hour from 2–7 p.m. and $2 drink specials.
Don’t miss these other downtown hot spots. FOUNDERS (235 Grandville SW) serves up strong and flavorful microbrews that challenge the conventional beer drinker’s tastes and, occassionally, their sense of equilibrium. A few Founders brews even touch double-digits in alcohol by volume (ABV). You’ll need to know four digits — 1930 — to get into the secret entrance of The VICEROY (53 Commerce Ave.). The Prohibition-era speakeasy features highballs and finely crafted cocktails like the Devil’s Dishwater, a mixologist’s concotion of Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Wisniak liqueur, Mata Hari absinthe, Green Chartreuse and lemon bitters. Sounds positively Mephistopholean. Right next door, you’ll find STELLA’s, a punk-rock whiskey bar with more than 200 varieties of the fermented grain mash, plus some ‘80s era video games and classic cans of Blatz, Stroh’s and, of course, PBR. What hipster wouldn’t want to drink there? Both Viceroy and Stella’s share a kitchen, where they cook up some of the most interesting vegan food in town, as well as juicy burgers and appetizers like Blue Cheese Chips and Forest Mushrooms.
If wine is your thing, Bar divani (15 Ionia Ave. SW) is a wine bar without the Boston ferns. The unstoppable Miss Carolita prefers the Hoisin-Glazed Lamb Chops and the Spinach Artichoke Dip. By the end of the month, you’ll also be able to sip at the new RESERVE (201 Monroe NW), which plans to serve more than 100 wines by the glass. The new bar will feature a custom-made cruvinet, a system that keeps the wine fresh and chilled for up to six months after a bottle’s been uncorked. While you’re thinking about sipping, keep in mind that schuler books (86 Monroe Center) also serves up Cabernet and Chardonnay alongside copies of Eat, Pray, Love and Sarah Palin’s latest literary effort.
Bistro Bella Vita (44 Grandville Ave. SW) is a California-style Italian bistro that could be found on Cannery Row. Known for an extensive wine list, yummy sangria and entrees made with locally sourced ingredients, the Bistro always impresses. Hop Cat (25 Ionia Ave. SW) is only the third best beer bar in the world. With a charming old-world interior, upscale tavern menu and 48 beers on tap, Hop Cat is transforming the fine dining experience in Grand Rapids. Just avoid the Crack Fries, which are less cocaine and more plumber’s. While the weather is still warm, Hop Cat has one of the finest outdoor patios downtown -- the other two belonging to the Grand Woods lounge (77 Grandville SW) and the tavern on the square (100 Ionia Ave SW). The Woods’ patio, actually, is a three-season affair with warming torches that keep burning long after the leaves have fallen off the trees.
Downtown Grand Rapids boasts dozens of arts groups that will challenge and inspire you. Begin by attending a play at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre (30 Division Ave. N). One of the largest community theaters in the country, the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and School of Theatre Arts has been entertaining and educating West Michigan since 1925. Today, more than 120,000 audience members and 1,600 students enjoy nine productions each year in the refurbished Meijer Majestic Theatre. According to the theater’s Nancy Brozek, “A trip to the Civic Theatre combines the grandeur and charm of a historic theatre with performances that are relevant to contemporary life.” The theater kicks off its 85th year with the Michigan premiere of Blues Clues Live in September. The Civic will also be an ArtPrize venue for more than 12 artists, including collaboration with Very Special Arts. Fall classes for the School of Theatre Arts begin Sept. 27. Next stop Broadway, my pets.
The Public Museum of Grand Rapids (272 Pearl St. NW) is educational but not overwhelming. Founded in 1854 as the Grand Rapids Lyceum of Natural History, it is among the oldest history museums in the US. Almost every surface is covered with items made or owned by residents. Look for unusual objects that can spark deep discussions with kids, like Benjamin Franklin’s snuff box (addiction), a Grand Rapids Black Sox autographed baseball cap (segregation), stuffed passenger pigeon (extinction), Ivory Puzzle Ball (craftsmanship), Saudi Arabian Dagger and Scabbard (kick ass) and General Robert E. Lee’s Sword Sash (patriotism). The charming Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibition must be seen. And, Jelani Eddington will play the museum’s 1928 Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ, a veritable one-man orchestra, on Sept. 17 and 18. The Chaffee Planetarium will host their Autumnal Equinox Festival on Sept. 17. Later that night, experience some of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits accompanied by dazzling visual effects in their second floor domed theater.
The Grand Rapids Ballet Company (341 Ellsworth Ave. SW) is the city’s artistic jewel. The only professional ballet company in the state, it performs family favorites like The Nutcracker and a full performance schedule at the DeVos Place (303 Monroe Ave.). The real excitement surrounds the company’s adventurous Dancers’ Theatre Series and the 
Ballet School. That popularity allowed it to expand its Ellsworth Avenue facility in 2006 and then build the adjacent LEED-Certified Peter Martin Wege Theatre in 2007. More recently, it named world-class dancer Patricia Barker interim artistic director. In September, the company will provide a venue for five artists for ArtPrize. It will also kick off its 2010-11 Guest Artist Series with the Luna Negra Dance Theatre from Chicago, which blends ballet and modern dance techniques with Afro-Caribbean dance forms. Luna Negra will give a Master Class for dancers on Sept. 23 and then present a one-night-only public performance on Sept. 24 in the Wege Theatre.
The Grand Rapids Art Museum (101 Monroe Center) is a cool white iceberg of visual arts to the Titanic of artistic ignorance and neglect that lingers in Grand Rapids. But not for long. The GRAM will host 43 artists during ArtPrize while also serving as a registration center. One of the artists will be Young Kim, winner of the 2009 Curatorial Award. His lyrical Salt and Earth installation will benefit from a more prominent venue. The popular Friday Nights at GRAM will include informal talks about volunteering, voting, visiting, and curating ArtPrize. The blockbuster exhibition will be Diana - A Celebration. It will be like a Gay Hajj. Opening Nov. 9, it will feature more than 150 personal objects including Diana’s royal wedding gown, 28 designer dresses, family heirlooms, personal mementos and rare home movies. Was she a neurotic, narcissistic, anorexic, borderline with a Jesus complex or the most influential female of the 20th Century? You decide!
South Division Avenue, between Weston and Williams, is known as the Avenue for the Arts. Or, Pot Alley by the police. This stretch of historic storefronts is where emerging artists, indie bands, yoga teachers, Butoh masters, and quirky retailers can be found downtown. The Avenue for the Arts Market fills the neighborhood with artists, performers, and craftspeople every couple months. Meet talented artists and buy some work at a great price. The Division Avenue Arts Cooperative (115 S Division Ave.) is a performance space run by volunteers who run all the other cool stuff in town. The DAAC tends toward bubble gum punk, acid emo and math metal. You can see six bands for around six bucks before they hit the big time. Scavenger Hunt (117 S Division Ave.) has been selling killer vintage clothing since 1987. You can find racks of the coolest rock t-shirts, vintage dresses and handcrafted hipster garb along with a full-service salon to stroke your fashion bone. Vertigo Music (129 S Division Ave.) has a huge selection of CDs, DVDs, and vinyl for your listening pleasure. Describe the kind of music you like and Owner Herm Baker or one of his astute employees will help you find the perfect new band to impress your friends. Commute Bicycle Shop (120 S Division Ave.) is where Poppa Steve gets his bike greased and tweaked and pumped. Let Owner Daniel Koert get you off your ass and on a cool pair of wheels.
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Photos: GR Public Museum: courtesy of the museum; GRAM: Steve Hall for the GRAM; Eve: courtesy of The BOB; Bistro Bella Vita and DAAC: Steven de Polo
