Holland-Grand Rapids Tour - Day Two

We got up early next morning to go to famers market.  The best way to explore a city is through its market.  O(∩_∩)O~

And then we went to San Chez for breakfast. 

Forgot to take restaurant photos again.  This one is from internet.

When visiting a restaurant where I have never been to before, I usually ask the waiter or waitress to recommend their signature dishes.  And we ordered Cuban Pork Omelet and Breakfast Empanadas according our waitress’s recommendation.

One pot of French press coffee.  It tastes kind of sour and bitter, not good at all.

The kitchen is semi open.  We had a good view of what was going on the kitchen from our table.  Contradictory to what we usually see on TV or movie, the kitchen staff didn’t seem busy at all.  Everyone was moving kind of slow.  When I am cooking in my kitchen, I move a lot faster than these guys. 

Remember Flash from the movie Zootopia?  What I saw in the kitchen this morning reminded me of that DMV scene in the movie. Well, not a good sign anyway.

After waiting for a while, our food finally came. 

Whatever in this plate was hard and chewy.  A couple bites later, I totally ost my appetite to continue.

So I switched mu plates with his.  Bad decision.  The omelet on the plate was greasy, fatty, salty and interestingly tasteless all at the same time.  The worst omelet I, no, we have ever had.

Although the food is poorly cooked and unappetizing, the service was pretty great.

It is a myth how this restaurant scores so many good reviews on yelp.  This restaurant would never ever make a dime from me.

Grand Rapids Art Museum is another our favorite spots in town.  After two hours in the museum and one hour walk in downtown area, we still had no appetite for lunch.  So we skipped lunch and continue to walk around in the downtown.  Wow, that breakfast really sucked for a long time.

In the afternoon, we want to Hopcat.  Grand Rapids is also called beer city.  Hopcat is famous for its beers too.  I was told that if you can’t find beer you like in Hopcat, you won’t find it anywhere else. 

I ordered a glass of Whitsun ale, with lighter color on the left.  He ordered Full Circle, with darker color on the right.  Both are really good.  They are light, fruity, with a hint of citrus.  I like both of them very much. 

The crack fries are one the ten best fries in America according to Foodnetwork magazine.  I am a huge fan of Foodnetwork, so we had to try the fries.

The fries are beer battered, deep fried and sprinkled with herbs.

It is good, and it is even better with the sauce.

I ordered Vladimir Poutine, which is crack fries with raviolis, sour cream sauce, bacons and green onions.  It is good when it was served hot.  When the plate cooled down, everything becomes tough and greasy.

We continued our walk to La Grande Vitesse statue park.  Guess what?  The annual American Home Brewers Association Big Brew was going on!

Homebrewers and craft beer lovers were here to celebrate their enthusiasm for beers.  We got there a little bit late, but there were plenty beers left to taste.

A lot of these beers were really awesome and so much better than the ones you pay for in bars and nightclubs.  Unfortunately they were not for sale.  Want more beers?  Come by here earlier next year!  O(∩_∩)O~

One cappuccino

One latte

Their coffees are always as good as I remember. O(∩_∩)O~

There was a strong intense aroma from espresso and its crema.  Frothered milk was silky and creamy.  Just one sip, you will know what I am talking about!

We sat on a table outside the coffee store, surrounded by those beautiful spring flowers and afternoon sunshine.

With a great cup of coffee at hand and the person I love across the table, I feel so happy!

The trip ended with two cups of frozen yogurt.  Blackberries made really great topping for frozen treats.

Holland-Grand Rapids Tour - Day One

Finally spring is in the air!  The weather is getting warmer.  And flowers are blooming.  We drove to Holland and Grand Rapids for a weekend getaway.

 Every year there is a tulip festival in town.  We went on Friday to avoid tourist peak.  That was such a wise decision because we enjoyed some really nice and quiet walks around downtown and parks area.

For brunch, we headed for Windmill restaurant in downtown Holland. 

The restaurant is a bit small.  We waited for while for a table.  The staff was super nice.

My husband ordered pancakes.  They are soft, warm and fluffy. 

Eggs and bacons.

Cinnamon toasts.  We were hoping for French toast.  This is the closest one they have.  The bread is good, soft and fluffy.

I wasn’t sure what to order.  So the waitress recommended harsh brown omelet.

It came in a huge plate.

Just one bite, I was hooked.  Wow, that is really awesome!  The harsh brown is crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, with tons of bacons bits in it. 

We ditched everything else on the table and shared my harsh brown together.  That was so good.

Flowers are blooming everywhere.

We went for a nice walk in the Holland State Park.  It is right next to the Lake Michigan. 

After the walk, we went to JP for coffee.

Latte and cappuccino

Aroma was great.  Crema was thick and beautiful.

What a nice afternoon!

We took another walk in downtown area.  It was a perfect day for ice cream.  Apparently a lot of people thought so, because the ice cream shop was really crowded. O(∩_∩)O~

We had strawberry and chocolate frozen yogurt.  They were really good and creamy, but too sweet for my taste.

After the ice cream, we drove to Grand Rapids and checked in our hotel. We decide to skip dinner and went directly to his favorite bar in town, Founders.

See, flowers are indeed blooming everywhere, even in the parking lot.

Founders is one of best local breweries.  We have to stop by here every time we are in town.   Their beers are also sold in grocery and liquor stores.  But being here is a total different experience. 

I forgot to take pictures from outside.  So I found a couple pictures online.

We ordered a Founders All Day IPA and a Dirty Bastard.  They are both quite good, intense flavor and earthy, but just a little bit too dark for me.  I personally prefer light and fruity beers.

Guacamole and chips to go with the beers.  It is very light, bland and kind of lack of taste.  Well, we are here for the beer, not the food.

Famous Dave’s BBQ

Last weekend was a bit chilly and rainy.  So we decided to go get some comfortable food.  Yeah, that is right, BBQ! O(∩_∩)O~

We went to Famous Dave’s BBQ.  We have been there a couple times before but that was a long time ago.  Just when we were about to order, we found out that every table, I mean literally every table, has a huge tin pan with all kinds of delicious looking food in it.  We immediately switch our order to a BBQ feast for 2.  

The food came quick after order. We didn’t have to wait too long.  That would have been a torture to sit in a BBQ restaurant with an empty stomach surrounded by smoky BBQ air. O(∩_∩)O~

BBQ ribs were a little bit disappointing.  The flavor was good.  But they were kind of dry.  Maybe they have been sitting in the oven for a bit too long that the meat became chewy and dry.  I would not call it juicy at all. 

Beef brisket was way better than the ribs.  It was smoky, tender, juicy and flavorful.  Thumbs up for the brisket!

Chicken was better than what I expected.  The seasonings were really great.  They were strong but not overpowering the chicken flavor.  The skin was the best part; crispy, crunchy and loaded with concentrated flavors.

We finished all the chicken…skin…O(∩_∩)O~

Cole slaw was too sweet for my taste.

 Didn’t like the chili either.  The flavor and taste were not right.

Corns were ok.  But the corn muffins were too wet inside.  We each took a bite and gave up on the muffins.

The fries were good.  Potatoes were fried into a perfect golden color.  They were crunchy on the inside, soft and tender on the inside.  

The feast was definitely not our thing.  We won’t order it again. 

There are many BBQ trophies on display in the hallway, impressive!

Bone Daddy’s BBQ, Midland, MI

The Bone Daddy’s BBQ in Midland Michigan has been recommended to me several times by my husband and a few other friends. 

It is a local good eats and a really popular lunch spot.  And it is been voted as the fifth best BBQ places in Michigan.

I quote the reviews onlinefrom http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/06/michigans_best_bbq_2012_top_10.html.

“5. Bone Daddy's BBQ, Midland.  Day 2 was one of our best days, and that's because we finished the trip at Bone Daddy's. Owner Bill Wall II pulled out all the stops, taking on a tour of his award-winning pits and showing off all his trophies. Wall took the top prize in the Best of the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off in Reno. Obviously, all the attention is warranted. Billy learned the art of BBQ from his dad, Bone Daddy. Everything is carefully produced; the ribs will get you. But I loved the pulled pork and barbecue chicken. Just sample some of that bark!”

If you are a fan of foodnetwok show Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, you already know what a local diner looks like.  It is not a fancy place, but those huge trophies for best BBQ exhibited inside the store are pretty impressive.

I ordered a Bone Daddy’s Sampler Plate.  Besides ribs, you can have a choice of two meats from pulled pork, beef brisket or BBQ chicken.  I picked pulled pork and beef brisket.  

The food came soon after ordering.

Beef brisket is tender and juicy.  The smoke flavor really stands out.  Two thumbs up for that!

Pulled pork is good too.  It is a little bit too sweet for my taste.

Ribs are definitely a star on the table.  They are tender, smoky, sweet, juicy and flavorful.  Each ribs has beautiful smoke ring and the smokiness adds more flavors.  Too bad they are also a little bit too sweet for me.  But I still love them.  O(∩_∩)O~

All BBQ plates here come with smokehouse beans, coleslaw, corn bread muffins or dinner rolls.

Smokehouse beans are also on the sweet side.  Onion rings and corn bread muffins are ok.

My husband is a huge fan of pulled pork and pulled pork sandwich.

The pulled pork is also very tender, juicy and smoky.

We enjoyed our food here.  My friends told me the BBQ are pretty good too.  So I have a good reason to come visit again! O(∩_∩)O~

Lucky’s Steakhouse in Bay City, MI

The Lucky’s Steakhouse in Bay City is almost our go to place now.  Although we don’t live in Bay City, that doesn’t stop us dining there from time to time.

The following picture is from internet.

The interior décor is just so so.  But the service is always good.  Sometimes it can get very crowded.  The longest waiting record for us is over an hour.  That is pretty long waiting time for such a small town as Bay City.

Garlic bread for every table.  Well, not my favorite. 

I ordered a combo appetizer platter.

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The ribs were great, tender and juicy.  The onion rings were hot and crunchy.

Our waiter was very considerate.  He brought extra plate for each dish so that my husband and I can share the food.

The potato fries were a really nice surprise.  Loved very bite until it was all gone!

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House salad

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My husband ordered Big Ribeye which is a huge 22 oz. prime cut of beef.  He asked for medium rare.

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Now you see the reason why we like this steakhouse.  The steak is always cooked perfectly!

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