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Restaurant Review


fluffy

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Decided to brave the slushy weather last night and check out Mangiamo's. At 7p, we were told at the door it would be 45 mins, so we chilled in the bar and managed to snag a couple seats for the 3 of us. The bar area looked pretty much the same as the couple times we went to Gibson's...fresh coat of paint, maybe. The creepy downstairs bathroom area looked unchanged (I always think of those twins from THE SHINING when I'm down there).

Anyway, almost an hour and half later I went to the hostess stand where she was in heated conversation with a waitress, about where they were going to seat people. Clearly, the hostess was distracted and pissed off. A manager popped up, took one look at our name and said, "Gather your party, we can seat you right now." That was pretty cool, after waiting so long. We were seated at a table in the room where there's a stained glass window lit up from behind, depicting a young couple on a picnic underneath a tree. Tables seemed spaced out pretty well.

Food and service were very good and quick. We shared napkin bread stuffed with roasted garlic. I had the black tie pasta (chicken, gorganzola sauce) which tasted very rich, but addictive. My wife had the salmon and said it was "ok". Our friend had the beef tournedos and cleaned his plate. All in all, we'd go back but aren't willing to wait that long again.

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Just ate lunch at the reopened Big O' Cafe on Ottawa and have to say I was very impressed. The sub sandwiches are cheap at lunch, about $5, and they also have pizza and Italian dinners. Recommend the Super Deluxe sub.

I was surprised by how busy it was, even though it just opened this week. They also have free delivery downtown.

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Had dinner Friday night at Louis Benton's One Pound Lounge with 6 other people. We cozied up on the leather sofas and chairs near the entrance. Good live music. Enjoyed a few draught beerz and then ordered food. Two of the items on the one pound menu were no longer carried (ribs, which I was going to order, being one of them). I had the one pound Reuben and could only eat half, but it was very good. Also got a pound of Onion Rings for the table to share, which were delicious and I'm sure very good for you. I even tried a bite of another's King Crab Legs, though I don't like seafood; it was very good as well. Thanks to free valet parking, this is one spot where we'll hang out more often!

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I ate at Grand Rapids Brewing Co. this weekend and I really like the place. I'm a beer drinker so I always love the micro-brew stuff. Check out the coffee cream stout if you go. Everytime I eat there I am amazed at how fast the food comes out. I couldn't even get through half of my soup and the entrees were out. The beer battered perch was great. I'll definately eat there again.

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I ate at Kansas City Dipping Grill on Byron Center Ave just south of Gezon on Saturday night. I thought I'd give you all a review.

To start the atmosphere was pretty bad. The bar was big and empty (and I don't mean just people, I mean the actual counter where you would normally have liquor and glasses looked oddly empty), the tables were mostly empty and the walls were barren. It was kind of bright in there and everything had a 'new contruction' feel to it. It wasn't cozy in the least. And it's in a strip mall.

Second, the wait staff wasn't the best. I'm sure this restaurant has only been open a few weeks or so, so it was OK. I'm sure most of the girls were in highschool and probably had never waited tables before. Someone has to do something about them all congregating at the end of the bar and just hanging out with nothing to do. It looked VERY unprofessional.

Next, the food. It was great. Basically they have 80 (including desert) dips that you can choose from and with each dip you get chips or pita bread or rye bread that corresponds with that dip. If you can't decide on one, you can get a sampler of 3 dips and their corresponding chip/pita/bread for $11.95. I think I'm a pretty big eater and I split the dip sampler and an appetizer with someone and the appetizer was not necessary. The dips would have been enough as they re-fill your chips/pitas/breads as much as you need. We were both stuffed and our food bill was under $20.00. The dips we had (Con Queso, Parm, and Ranch) were all very good and there were tons more to choose from.

To summarize, the atmosphere wasn't that great but the food was awesome, the drinks were great ($9.95 fish bowls), and the price was amazing. It's kind of out in the middle of no where for us city-dwellers, but I will go back, it's worth the drive. I think if they dimmed the lights and had a more trendy feel to it they could put it downtown, charge 50-100% more than what they do and have a constant waiting list of people trying to get in, it was that good.

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Went to Graydon's Crossing for dinner yesterday. Got there around 5 and snagged a table in the back. The service was very good. Interesting menu. I had the Fish n Chips, big pieces of fish and skinny fries (my favorite). It came with tartar sauce and Garlic Aoli for the fries. Very good. My friend had the Beamish Beef Stew, said it was very good. He could really taste the Stout beer in it. The stew came with two rolls and herb butter, which he also liked. Huge selection of beers, and good selection of vodka. We enjoyed the atmosphere so much, we finished dinner and bellied up to the bar for more drinks. It got pretty busy before we left there around 9. Will be back for sure...nice place. :thumbsup:

BTW: Each of our dinners were $10.

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I ate at Grand Rapids Brewing Co. this weekend and I really like the place. I'm a beer drinker so I always love the micro-brew stuff. Check out the coffee cream stout if you go. Everytime I eat there I am amazed at how fast the food comes out. I couldn't even get through half of my soup and the entrees were out. The beer battered perch was great. I'll definately eat there again.

I'm a mug club member there and I always enjoy the food and, especially, the beer. You're right: the coffee cream stout is too good to pass up...but you better hurry. I'm sure John will have another seasonal in there soon.

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Went to Mangiamo last night.

We got there and were waiting for the rest of our party in the bar area. The bartender NEVER asked us if we wanted a drink (which we did). Finally, when the manager came to tell us it will be a few minutes before the area on teh porch is ready did he ask if we wanted drinks, to which we replied that we did. He went and got the bartender.

The service was OK at the table for dinner. Later in the evening it got better, but for a while, it was ehh.

The food was delicious!

We ordered many many appetizers. Fried mozz balls, fried zuccini, bruchetta, crab fonue or something and two napkin garlic bread. All were delicious.

I had the veal somethingorother. It was wonderful as well. It came with a radish and artichoke salad which was also stupendous.

I would definitely recommend going here. I will be back.

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Hey, I took the wife out for breakfast at the Red Geranium on 68th and Kzoo this morning.

GOOD TIMES! It's a tad bit larger than the Michigan street location and quite bright inside with little decor, but the food was on the money (including the sugar bread). The service was wonderful as well.

I had the Michigan Omlet with cream cheese and it was delicious! Wifey had the California Omlet which she also enjoyed.

Two thumbs up!

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I just went to Wealthy Street Bakery and picked up a chocolate babka. Babka is a light, sweet bread filled with chocolate in this instance. If you love chocolate, you will LOVE this bread. It's $6.95 but serves 6-8, which is pretty reasonable seeing that many other pastries are around $2.00 each. I am sure most of you will agree that the bakery has many tasty treats, but the babka is pure chocolate heaven. Since it was introduced for the holidays I am sure it won't be around much longer!

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If you are looking for a very good lunch try the Urban Beanery Cafe located at 1155 Madison. They have fabulous Panini's. They use bread from Wealthy Street Bakery. I find their coffee to be the best in the City. There is always a very diverse crowd there. The atmosphere is classy. There is always very nice jazz playing. February 9th they are having an event called "Urban Expressions at the Urban Beanery." It is an open mic night, with lots of poetry.

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If you have a late night and then a some-what early morning, I suggest Wealthy Street Station.

I agree!! I went to Wealthy Street Station last week for the first time and was very impressed! Tried the Polish dinner (it was excellent), the hot dogs (also good), and some chicken sandwich on pretzel bread (also excellent and very unique!). Ordered take out and didn't have to wait very long, overall it was a great experience, I will be going back!

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I had a couple drinks at Bar Divani last night. It's a great place to sit down, relax and have a conversation. $10.00 martini and a $3.00 old style.

I like to sample both ends of the spectrum :D

I went to Bar Divani a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The beef tenderloin was excellent, and the chairs were very comfortable!

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Love the Wealthy Bakery, but wish they would do a site study and make better use of their space. Also like Leo's but why did they not use the space along Ottawa for seating? Doesn't it draw people in when they walk by and see all the lovely white tablecloths, crystal and silver and people having a good time? I always thought so. As for Mangiamo's, very nice but wondering if they are trying to be all things to all people. Seems like they are doing a pretty good job of it so far.

Should I start a "I wonder why" or a pet peeves thread? Don't let me, you'll regret it. :rolleyes:

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I had lunch today, actually take-out (para llevar) at Sabor Latino. The address is 825 Grandville SW. It's owned by a very nice Dominican family and the food is excellent! It's all freshly made, so it's not a quick take-out but well worth the wait. Being from the Dominican Republic, a good part of their menu has a traditional Caribbean influence. They even open at 6am for breakfast!

This is the real stuff!

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