Now in its ninth year, Restaurant Week Grand Rapids has more than 60 restaurants participating in the 12-day event. Each eatery creates a menu specifically intended to branch out and create something new while staying true to its core concept. It’s a chance for newcomers to try new restaurants and regulars to try new dishes, and it’s happening at nearly every restaurant in the Greater Grand Rapids area.
It’s no doubt that ice cream steals the spotlight on those hot summer days. Cool off and treat yourself to some quality scoops from a few of the best local ice cream parlors. Here’s some (but not all) of our favorites.
There’s something special about a dive bar in the middle of the day during a workweek. Whether you’ve played hooky and hit the golf course in the morning or you’re an industry vet appreciating your quiet before the storm, dives are always a welcome retreat.
Serving up Great Lakes fish is something Trevor Bethke had always wanted to do as a chef. But because of some rather Byzantine laws regarding wild-caught fish, food safety and distribution, it has long been difficult to do what seems so simple: see fish, catch fish, serve fish.
In Michigan, “patio” is its own season. At the first sign of 65-degree weather, we open the back door, sweep off the remaining dead leaves (and sometimes snow) and break out the camp chairs. Really, does anything beat drinking a cold beer on the back porch with a cool breeze cutting the humidity, listening to your favorite summer jams? Probably not.
It’s biergarten season at the Sovengard again. Longer days, later nights, and spicier cocktails, like the Surf Mother, the Sovengard’s warm weather take on a margarita.
On a recent weeknight at Little Bird, smack-dab in the heart of Monroe Center, I had the place virtually to myself.
Ask Andy Sietsema what makes a good cider, and he’ll tell you it comes down to selecting the best fruit and yeast before fermentation.
Desserts may not be synonymous with summer in West Michigan, but they should be. True dessert devotees have long considered summer the peak sweets season. Why? The Midwest is in bloom once again and you can taste the difference. Fresh, locally sourced berries can once again top our ice cream and froyo. Of course, if you’d rather blanket your ice cream in graham cracker dust and rainbow sprinkles, we won’t judge.
