We stayed in Grand Rapids for the weekend. It is the second biggest city in Michigan. We have been there before for a couple times but didn’t take time to explore the city. So we decided to just relax and walk around the city this time.
We grew more and more found of Grand Rapids. People here are very nice. The downtown area is tidy and clean. It was early spring time. Tulips and daffodils were sprouting. Bright sunshine and cozy breeze made it a perfect weekend for us.
It was about lunch time when we drove there. So we went to Marie Catrib’s for lunch. It is such a highly recommended deli that I have to try it. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)
Food ★★★☆☆
Service ★★★★★
Ambience ★★★★☆
It was easy to find but hard to park. Parking lot was small and crowded. We waited for about 40 minutes before our table was ready.
This is the roof top of bakery. Well, I did have some time to kill.
Our waiter was really nice. He recommended us some popular sandwiches and house potatoes.
My Vermaire sandwich is composed with chicken, cranberry sauce, provolone cheese, cream cheese, spinach and Challah bread.
The sandwich was just ok. Chicken in the middle was really blank and tasteless.
He ordered the Sweet Potato & Quinoa Burger。
It was also kind of blank. He didn’t like it.
Marie’s seasoned potato. Finally we had something flavorful. They were hot from the grill board and perfectly cooked. However, they were too salty for us.
The food was just ok for us. But the service was super! Thumbs up for that! Restaurant ambience was great.
We went to Grand Rapids Art Museum after lunch. Awesome place! And then we drove around the Heritage Hill Historic District area. It was a nice warm sunny day, so we took a walk in the neighborhood.
We came across an ice cream shop Furniture City Creamery. Time for ice cream! O(∩_∩)O~
(The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)
Food ★★☆☆☆
Service ★★★★☆
Ambience ★★★☆☆
We had a chocolate flavor and an Ethiopian coffee flavor.
Chocolate
Ethiopian coffee
I used to make ice cream the same way. Grind the coffee beans supper fine and add to ice cream batter. You can taste the coffee grounds.
We didn’t like the ice cream here. They were are creamy and smooth enough. They tasted more like sorbet than ice cream. And the flavor was also kind of blend. Nothing popped out other than the sweetness.
We drove back to downtown for coffees. There is a coffee shop called Madcap that I wanted to try. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)
Coffee ★★★★★
Service ★★★★★
Ambience ★★★★½
I ordered a latte.
This was the best latte I had ever had so far. It was creamy, smooth, and had bold coffee flavor.
He ordered a cappuccino. It was great too. The service here was also awesome! Our barista was very cute and nice.
We were planning to have dinner at the Winchester, but neither of us was hungry. So we skipped dinner and went to Founder Brewing Co for local beers. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)
Beer ★★★★★
Food ★★★☆☆
Service ★★★☆☆
Ambience ★★★☆☆
The bar was so huge! It might be the biggest bar I had even seen. It was very crowded and people kept coming. Wow!
There was live band playing.
I had a Pale Ale. It was perfect.
He ordered a Red Eye IPA and loved it too.
A Reuben Sandwich and chips
They were just ok. Anyway we were here for the beers, not food.
We drove Holland nearby the next day. It was Sunday and most stores and restaurants in downtown were closed. So we stopped by Lemonjello’s for coffee. (The restaurant’s picture is from Internet.)
Coffee ★★★½☆
Service ★★★½☆
Ambience ★★★☆☆
We ordered two lattes.
It was pretty good. The latte we had at Madcap was so good that any latte I have after that doesn’t not good enough.
