L is for Licari

We went to Licari's Sicillian Pizza Kitchen in Grand Rapids August 8!  So yes I am behind again!  We were able to get a table for four with a short wait.  If you are there on the weekends, prepare to wait, it is popular!

After we were seated, Amy and I ordered cocktails and the guys ordered wine.  We had the Limoncello Martini and it was FABULOUS!  They make their own Limoncello.

Our waiter's name was Royce was awesome and gave us insight into Sicillian cuisine and how the owners wife makes the meatballs and aranici each day.

Amy ordered the spaghetti with meatballs.  It is very BIG and definitely required a doggie bag.  Amy liked it but said the sauce is sweet and required some getting used to.  The meatballs were amazing and obviously hand
made.

Greg ordered teh linguini with sausage and meatballs.  It was good but Greg wished he had ordered what I had... He should listen to me more often!

John had a pizza with pepperoni, sausge, basil and goat cheese.  He liked it and would order it again.


I had the penne with shrimp, spinach, and mushrooms.  It comes with a heavy white sauce but I asked them to lighten it a bit with white wine and they did.  It was excellent!

Royce was quite entertaining and made our experience great, but it sounded like he wanted out of Grand Rapids by winter!  The restaurant is much bigger than it appears from the outside and is comfortable.  It is reasonable and great for a casual night out.

Here is what is left of the homemade cannoli!!

K is for Kalamazoo Beer Exchange

Ok so we finally made it to K in May!  Kobe had actually been drawn but John vetoed it, based on the fact that it broke the rule because it was a chain restaurant.  SO we went back to Kalamazoo Beer Exchange in downtown Kalamazoo.  If you follow the blog you know that we were here once before after eating at the Epic Bistro.  We only had drinks and had decided we wanted to return, so none of us fought John on the veto.

We were there on a Friday night and WMU had graduation celebrations going on so it was very busy.  I think we had a 1.5 hour wait.  It was ok they take your cell number and call you so we just walked around downtown and went to a little brewery called Tibbs.  It is really great beer and the staff and guests are fun.  We didn't mind the wait at all.  We returned to the KBE and were seated upstairs.  If you are not familiar with KBE the beer list is listed on giant screens all over the bar.  The prices are market value based on supply and demand.  The prices go up, down, or stay the same every 30 minutes.  There is also a CRASH several times a night when beer prices drop DRASTICALLY for 5 minutes.  It is a lot of fun and people watching is spectacular!

We ordered beers of course and our waitress was very nice although she looked exhausted.  She was great about checking in and was quick to stop by during the crash!  We ordered nachos and fried pickles for appetizers.  Delish!

Amy and I split a burger which was huge!  I don't honestly remember what all was on it, but it was amazing.  Good thing I took a picture!  Greg ordered Mac and Cheese and was very pleased.  John had a burger that had bacon and egg on it and loved it.

We would definitel recommend stopping here if you are in Kalamazoo and need a break from Bells.  It si literally a 2 minute walk from Bells.  Downtown Kalamazoo is very nice for walking and the park area is beautiful.

J is for JD Reardons

Oh dear I am WAY behind!   I am really glad that I take notes when we go to the restaurants!  We went to JD Reardon's on FEB 28!  The restaurant is located just north of downtown GR on Monroe in the Boardwalk Building.  It was pretty quiet when we arrived and had a nice cozy feel.  There are booths and tables but also compy couches and areas to play games or cards.

They have a decent selection of beer on tap, cocktails, and a limited but decent wine selection.

We were greeted promptly by our waitress, Ashley.  We ordered drinks then appetizers.  We chose the Loaded tater tots which were as good as they sounded.  Great for a cold winter snack!  We also had the pulled pork crostini which we all liked.

For dinner, Greg ordered the Blackened Chicken Sandwich which he said had really good flavor and the aioli was great!  Amy had the Angry Reardon with Chicken which was a bit spicy but she liked the zip.  I had the Hangover burger but substituted a veggie burger.  It was excellent and very filling.
John had the Gatsby which was basically a club sandwich but as John said, "a good club sandwich".

We would recommend JD Reardons for a quick drink and meal after work or before a concert.  Nice place to hang out with friends.  It is off the beaten path a bit so maybe a great place when everything else is crowded.

I is for....Indecisive

As it turns out we were unable to find a restaurant the starts with "I" so we decided to throw three options into the hat.  1) Skip I. 2) Each person chooses a random restaurant.  3) Indian food from a place that at least had I somewhere in the name.   Our wacky waitress picked random restaurant.  So we ended up at Bar Divani which was submitted by Amy and I.

Bar Divani is downtown Grand Rapids near the Van Andel arena.  None of us had been there so we were really looking forward to a new adventure... A less dicey one anyway!  

It was busy downtown so we utilized the valet parking which we decided was worth it in light of the bitter cold and crowds.  We were able to make reservations which was great and were greeted immediately and seated in a cool booth in the front window.  The vibe in Bar Divini is casual but elegant.  You can definitely wear jeans and the furniture is comfy for a long leisurely dinner.  

Mike was our waiter and greeated us quickly and matched us up with a bottle of wine.   He did well considering the four of us don't always agree on what we want in a wine!  

We began with appetizer section of the menu which has some unique choices but nothing too weird.  Greg and Amy ordered the Pulled Pork rangoons which had an Asian style sauce and were very tasty!  John and I split the crab cakes which were tasty but not the best we've ever tasted.  

There are only about 8-10 entree choices but they have something for everyone.  We each tried something different so we covered half the menu!  Our waiter offered many tips in choosing and convinced 3 of us to order outside our first choices.  Mike was also great at understanding John's diary allergy.  

Amy opted for the Filet Mignon which was served with an amazing potato gratin and green beans.  Her entire plate was fabulous! The steak was done perfectly, seasoned with enough to add flavor but not take away from the flavor of the filet, and was melt in your mouth tender!  Honestly the potatoes and beans were almost as good as the filet.  

I had the Scottish Salmon as recommended by our waiter.  It was excellent!  It was seasoned and broiled then topped with a marmalade for sweetness.  The kale and couscous that accompanied it were so tasty!  

John was talked into Duck Two Way which had a grilled duck breast served on top of duck confit with curried lentils.  It was a touch spicy and had great flavor.  John liked the duck confit the best!  

Our waiter worked his magic and convinced Greg to order the pappardelle pasta dish which had a chestnut cream sauce butternut squash, arugula, and homemade fennel sausage.  Greg loved the sausage and the pasta and sauce were made to perfection!  

Obviously we were very happy with Bar Divani!  It is cozy and fun yet nicer than a basic bar.  As far as prices go they range from 15-28 for entrees which I thought was fair considering the portion size.  The fact that they take reservations is a nice bonus!  We will be back... I'm trying to figure out why we haven't been there before!

Pulled pork rangoons

Crab cakes

Scottish salmon

Filet

Duck two ways

Pappardelle 

H is for... Hilarious.... I mean Harvard Tavern

I know I just posted G but last night's adventure to our H restaurant needed to be blogged quickly!

Amy picked the Harvard Tavern in Cedar Springs based on the recommendation of a friend. (I may question the friendship!).  So we headed through dense fog into the middle of nowhere praying we didn't hit a deer on our way!  This place is really in a desolate spot and is lit by two old lights from the 40s.  Had there not been a fair number of cars in the lot I would not have gone in!  But we were brave and went in!  

Amy was the first thru the door and was immediately hit on by the rough redneck at the bar.  Good start!  We had been told to expect a redneck bar... Yep definitely a redneck bar!  We found a table and were quickly greeted by a waitress who asked what we wanted to drink.  They had a few beers on tap and some bottles/ cans available.  My friends who hate craft beer will like this place!  John and Greg were happy to at least be able to get blue Moon and killians.  

A few minutes later another waitress brings our drinks and says she's our waitress not the other girl.  "To be honest she was trying to steal my table and I wasn't putting up with that!"  We liked Brooke's honesty!! We asked what was good on the menu and she was able to give a number of recommendations.  We ordered chips and salsa for an appetizer (they do have an extensive list of fried anything!). 

 

So I always describe the restraunts decor etc so here is what stands out... Lots of keno and video games very old furniture,  clean but rugged bathrooms that had signs that said 

"HE PEES" and "HER PEES"... So redneck pretty well sums it up!

Greg's beer tasted a bit off so he had John taste it.  It was bad so they mentioned it to our waitress who took the glass and TASTED It THEN TOOK OUT HER GUM AND TRIED IT AGAIN!!! On the plus side she agreed it was bad! 

Greg ordered chicken enchiladas which were pretty tasty although quite salty.  It was a nice size portion and he had little to take home.

Amy had the bacon burger (they forgot to put cheese on it) and said it was good.  Not a huge burger like some places but just right.  She ordered the beer batter onion rings which were REALLY good! 

John had the 4 piece broasted chicken dinner with steak fries and coleslaw.  It was pretty tasty even though it was chicken on the bone which john rarely eats but we didn't really think they were going to be to excited if he asked for goat cheese or a dairy free item!  

I had the all meat chicken burrito with lettuce tomato and onion.... I asked for a half but the waitress basically told me not to order half sine it was only a dollar less and it warmed up well.  The whole burrito is HUGE!  By huge I mean I ate less than a1/4 of it and when I put it in the to go container was stunned by its weight!  We weighed my leftovers when we got home...2lbs 8oz!!!  Although a bit salty (I love salty and it was a bit too salty) it was really good.  The chicken was grilled chicken breast strips and the sauce was not overly spicy.  

We were not offered dessert and didn't have room any way.  We were invited to stay for the country band at 10 though... We passed on that.   Brooke our waitress was super chatty and we got st hear about her prior jobs at establishments that won't end up on this blog.  She was very excited about helping to pick our next adventure, I heard her telling everyone in the kitchen when I went into the "her pees" room!!!

Would we go back? Hmmm if someone wanted a redneck experience with decent food or if you were snowmobiling up there sure.  But, I personally would not rush back given many other choices!  It was a fun adventure and may win most memorable experience of the A-Z adventure!

G is for Green Well

Ok I admit that John and I have been to Green Well many time in fact it's one of my favorite places but we didn't pick it so....   We decided we would not order anything we had ever ordered before! 

Green well is in the Cherry street area right next to the old DA Blodgett orphanage now ICCF.  We went on a Saturday night which means it was packed! 40 minute wait but we went to the bar ordered drinks and were able to sit outside in a nice lounge area.  

We were seated inside which is comfy though crowded and a bit loud.  We are used to it so it didn't bother us.  Tao was our waitress and she was excellent!  We started with appetizers.  Greg and Amy ordered truffle fries with garlic aioli.  They were crispy and had great flavor... Addicting!  John and I ordered grilled veggie and goat cheese quesadillas  and I will say it might be one of the best items I've ever ordered at Green Well.  I don't know what kind of goat cheese they use but it was sooo good!  

For our entrees John and I split the Pho which was a Vietnamese dish with chicken sausage, broccoli, cabbage, cilantro, vermicelli, and miso broth.  We would have liked more veggies in it but it was very good.  

Amy ordered the Chicken chopped salad.  It has a bit of a spicy bite to it but the size was just right and she enjoyed it.  

Greg ordered the pulled pork with polenta and we all thought it was delicious! The pork was tender and had great flavor when combined with the polenta.  

For dessert we had the chocolate stout cake with vanilla gelato, and Greg and Amy had the root beer waffle with gelato and root beer syrup.  Both were pretty good and more than enough for two.  

I love Green Well, I always recommend it to people and once again I say you can never go wrong at the Well!  The staff is always great, the specials are unique, they use local food as much as possible and it is pretty reasonable!  

F is for Flat Landers!

I must confess I used my veto in order to get to go to Flat Landers!  John's pick, Flat River Grill was chosen, and I'm sure it is great.  However, it is part of the Gilmore Collection and I wanted to try an independent new restaurant.  

Flat Landers is located on Michigan NE between Eastern and Diamond.  It has only been opened about 6 months.  It looks like its in a strip mall but that ends the second you walk in the door.  We decided the vibe was warehouse rustic urban meets retro.  There is a lot to look at!  We were greeted quickly and shown to a table in the lower area.  It's sort of a bi-level place...  We were given the summer cocktail menu and told they are a barstillery!  They distill their own whiskey, moonshine, rum, gin, vodka, and bourbon.  Nick was our waiter and was full of great advice as we selected our cocktails.  Greg had the front porch sweet tea, Amy had the lemon shine, John had the best darn gimlet off the regular menu, and I had the blueberry mo hee to!  The drinks were beautiful and tasty!  They do offer beer on tap as well as a nice selection of bottles and wine!

We ordered two appetizers, fried pickle planks with spicy ranch and bar cheese with celery, chips, and fried pretzel bread.  The pickles were a big hit with those who like pretzels, and the bar cheese and pretzel bread were worth a trip back!   

The food is as locally sourced as possible with the meat coming from the butcher right next door!  They call their food hillbilly chic... Who isn't curious about that!?!

I ordered the mahi fish tacos as did Amy.  They had nice flavor and were not overly spicy.  They are served with their yummy kettle chips.  Greg had the Flat Lander burger which was served with beer cheese, bacon, pork BBQ, and a fried egg.  Greg decided it was likely the best burger he had ever eaten!!! John had the southern pulled pork sandwich and loved every bite!  The prices are very reasonable (all sandwiches are under $10).  

You probably would not go to Flat Landers for dessert... They have 3 varieties of hobo pies.  Yep, just like camping!  They were ok just not very memorable.  Adding toppings, cinnamon sugar or something would help.  

We loved Flat Landers and will put high on the list of places we will be returning to soon.  It's a fun restaurant / bar and they even have a tiny stage for musicians called the bird cage.  Perfect spot for a casual night out with friends!!!