Le Bon Appétit

A gorgeous 75 degree day like today, really invites you to get out and enjoy your city. So it was on our wandering exploration of Cherry Hill today that I finally made it to Le Bon Macaron at 951 Cherry Street.  
It wasn't until last year, during our hunting trip to New Orleans, that I learned that macaroons could be adorable as well as tasty. And the confections at Le Bon Macaron are perfection - the suburb balance of crunchy and soft. Enjoyed with a side of Lavender Italian Ice, it was a splendid treat for a summer day. 

Le Bon Macaron is a family owned business, and the Grand Rapids location, which opened in 2015, is actually their second. The first opened in East Lansing in 2010. 
The shop is adorable, and I fell in love instantly. Clean, chic and pink, it was like stepping into a daydream full of tiny treats. The artwork on the wall, which I immediately commented on, is by Grand Rapidian Jasmine Wisz. A watercolor artist who also does custom pet portraits. All of the decor created a lovely ambiance, and really made the beautiful macaroons a centerpiece. 

Having now discovered Le Bon Macaron, it's going to be hard to stay away. I look forward to sampling more of their offerings and also in trying their afternoon tea. In the meantime, I will simply drool over their instagram feed. 

Election 2016: Candy Coated Candidates

I fall for it. Whenever I'm in the checkout aisle and there's a new M&Ms flavor, I must try it.*

So when I'm given the chance to vote in the M&M election for a new favorite nut flavor...

... yup, I bought them all. Meet our 2016 candidates.

All flavors succeed at pairing well with chocolate and nuts. I don't love spicy chocolate so I lean towards the coffee and honey camps. I ultimately loved the extra dose of sweetness in the honey nut and they got my vote. But I do have to applaud the smoothness of the coffee, it was more like a creamy latte than a bitter coffee.

 

It's brilliant marketing, which gets them selling three packs of candy rather than one. And yes, I ate them all in one sitting. And since this election is way more pleasant than our current political system, I recommend you all take part, and exercise your right to vote. 

I mean, let's be honest, add a talking M&M to our current presidential ballot... he'd probably win. 

*Peanut butter still reigns.

Rambutans: A Friendly Fruit

Somebody, some place, was probably real hungry the first time they picked up a rambutan with the intention of eating it. With spiky, leathery skin, it's not the most inviting fruit. But its flavor is sweet, light and refreshing – totally worth the effort.

The rambutan grows on a medium-sized tropical fruit true. Closely related to the lychee, it is grown throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

To eat the rambutan, you peel back its spiky skin (I used a knife tip to puncture it). Once started, it actually peels easier than a hard boiled egg. 

 
The rambutan is very juicy, with a slimy texture (like a naked grape!). I think it tastes like passion fruit or lychee – somewhat reminiscent of a gummie bear.  My only complaint about the rambutan is the pit inside, which makes eating them a little tricky (and it takes up quite a bit of volume of the actual fruit)

So next time you're feeling brave in the produce aisle, know that this hairy little guy is friend, not foe!

My Morning Coffee, Loaded with Custard

I've lived in Grand Rapids (essentially) for 30+ years. So I am amazed and delighted when I discover hidden gems.

Sandy's Donuts had been on my list to check out for a year or so, and I'm really quite disappointed in myself for not stopping sooner! It's everything a donut shop should be — completely old school with black coffee and enamel tables. The smell of fresh baked donuts welcomed me as soon as I stepped out of the car.

Sandy's has been a mainstay on the northwest side (2040 Leonard St.) for generations, with recipes handed down over the years. I couldn't find any formal information on its history, but it's the type of place I dream of having down the block. Someplace I could visit weekly, read the paper and drink my coffee. Looking around the diner, it was obvious that the gentlemen customers had been meeting here for years. The traditions present clearly went beyond the donuts.

For $2.50 I had donut and a large coffee. My eclair was fresh — nice and airy, it was filled with copious amounts of custard. Basically, my perfect donut. 

It feels like sacrilege to say it, but I would be inclined to call these Grand Rapids' best donuts. (Above Van's... and possibly followed by Dart's Donut truck — more research may be required on the subject to formally rank ;) )

Then again, perhaps it would be better for my waistline if I'd never found Sandy's... 

A Plea to the Kremnut

Stumbled across this little creme-filled gem yesterday while in Detroit's Greektown....

Krema opened in February, by the owners of Greektown's Astoria Pastry Shop, at 531 Monroe, just a few doors down Astoria itself. They serve cream-filled and traditional Greek pastries (krema = cream in Greek) AND gelato! I also had what could possibly be the best Chai latte* I've ever had.

What will win you over the second you walk through the door, is the rows of original Kremnuts. Part croissant, part donut, each flavor is filled with a different filling. They're beautiful and intriguing. It's sounds like a variation on the infamous Cronut.

Now, I've never had a cronut (which has been trademarked by Dominique Ansel). The one time I tried, they had sold out hours earlier that morning. Screw getting up early and traipsing across NYC to wait in line, you can have a Kremnut any time in Detroit's Greektown—no line.** The Kremnut is hands-down better than any donut I've had in Grand Rapids.

In short, I would like Krema to be my neighbor. This little Greek Patisserie would definitely fill a void in Grand Rapids.

*I figured out there's fresh pressed gingered infused in their Chai concentrate. I ♥ Ginger. 
**Well not at midnight, when the Rolling Stones concert ends, because Krema closes at 11pm.

Seeing Red: It's Beet Week

A bountiful trip to the farmer's market, made in necessary that this be Beet Week!

Beets are a fairly polarizing food— sure they sometimes like dirt, but they are the most amazing shade of fuschia (and who doesn't love eating colors!?)! I discovered beets just a few years back and immediately began a love affair with them. Cold, roasted, or pickled, all of detoxifying nutrients and all fine by me.

So let's see what happened this week. 

Beet Chips
With a little experimentation, and my Top Chips trays, I learned that in about 3.5 minutes a beet becomes a chip. A really beautiful chip, with concentric rings and slight ruffling at the edges. Think Terra Chips. This was an amazing snack and a quick easy way to eat a beet.  


Beet Bread with Cream Cheese Swirl
For anyone who doesn't like beets, this might be the bread is for you, it tastes nothing like beets—in fact it's rather bland. It's also a bland color. Which I don't understand, seeing as the puree was such a magnificent, velvety fuchsia. 

Look at what it looked like on the recipe where I pulled the recipe. Purple beetiness!

So the bread had fine texture and might be fine smeared with butter and jam, it's just entirely lacking in flavor (and rich beety color!), which makes it completely undesirable to me. I'm not sure what went wrong here. 

But to go along with bland bread, I made a Russian Beet Salad – which was anything but bland. Since I decided to substitute the red cabbage for radicchio*, this salad was zinging all over the place. 

This salad was basically a flavorful slaw. I'd leave out the potato hashbrown things next time (weird?) and add apples instead. But it's a good way to use a raw beet and overall was pretty refreshing. 

It's back to the farmer's market on Friday, so we'll see what recipes get unearthed next week!


*I made this decision based on the fact that cabbage and radicchio were the same color and the Radicchio was cuter. Turns out radicchio is basically radish flavored lettuce. Zing. 

Sugar-Coated Sticker Shock

How do you charge $10.99 for a chocolate bar? You put it in really lovely packaging. 

I was at the register of Martha's Vineyard today when gorgeous abstract illustrations behind the register caught my eye. The associate sent me to the chocolate aisle, where I was overcome by one work of art after another. 

I know, from my many trips to World Market, that I will buy things that come in pretty packages. I think the chocolate companies got that memo. 

Take for example Mast Brothers Chocolate, which looks like an array of wallpaper, that you can mix and match to create a case of 12 bars that show just the patterned spines. 

And chocolate isn't just chocolate anymore. Ever since the growing popularity of Vosges luxury chocolate (in it's pretty purple boxes) there's be an influx of hybrid flavors like blueberry lavender, vanilla rooibos and chile, such as the Raaka chocolate that caught my eye at Martha's. Raaka has even created a chocolate bar of the month club, so you can gift new flavors of chocolate all year round (2 bars per month) for only $280. 

And if you want to design the packaging to show off the flavor, take a look at Moonstruck's chocolate bark where intriguing flavors like raspberry fennel, strawberry basil, candied-orange hibiscus and prailine pecan ginger are visibly pressed into the chocolate— and of course seen through the packaging. 

Don't get me wrong, I love good chocolate and rich interesting flavors, and I fully appreciate beautiful design—but sometimes snacks come with a bit of sticker shock!

Breakfast with a Side of #PureMichigan

Years ago, after a Guster concert at Interlochen (with an amazing surprise accompaniment by the campers), we ended up at a nearby German brewhouse called Hofbrau. 

Fast-forward to just a few months ago, as someone recapped the amazing all-you-can-eat buffet they had at this adorable place up North. They pulled a picture on their phone to show me. "Hey," I said, "I've been there."

My curiously would not be pacified till I went up North and tried this Sunday buffet, which includes carved prime rib, an omelette station, chocolate Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, German potatoes, and hand-dipped chocolate strawberries, myself.

It was pretty basic fare, and alone not worth the drive. But we added to the trip with a pass through the Sleeping Bear Dunes scenic drive and a stop in Glen Arbor for a Cherry Republic wine tasting and sandwiches at Art's Tavern.

The sky was blue and the lakeshore was beautiful. All-in-all a wonderful Pure Michigan day. 

When Not Following Directions Turns Out Awesome. And Delicious.

I love cooking. But I suck at following recipes.

Tonight I made a Blueberry, Beet and Basil Summer Salad from Better Homes and Garden. This is what theirs looked like.

This is what mine looked like.

I used:
– canned red beets, not fresh yellow beets
– lemon juice, no lemon
– no basil (next time!)
– fennel seed instead of fresh fennel – in dressing ( next time I'll skip the fennel all together)
– no onion
– plain yogurt not greek yogurt  
– added dried thyme to dressing
Blueberries, arugula, honey, crushed red pepper and oil as directed.
And I measured nothing.

I will make this salad again, even though I ignored most of their directions. But I love when a recipe can serve as inspiration, rather than instruction. That's why I prefer cooking to baking, in baking, if you get it wrong, you've messed up chemistry.* But in cooking you adjust, and taste, and use what you have, substitute and create. 

I bet if you studied the preference of baking vs. cooking, it would be a right vs. left brain thing.....**
 
*Though tonight I did EVERYTHING wrong in this cookie recipe and they turned out amazing. I will never be able to duplicate this. This was my "inspiration".
**Somebody do this.

Reliquishing the Impulse

On a recent trip to World Market, these "unnecessary" items* found their way home with me.

While certainly none of these items broke the bank, none of them offered any ROI aside from self-indulgent, curiosity satisfaction.

When it comes to impulse purchases, packaging can often win me over.** But only in terms of grabbing my attention and initiating an initial purchase – the product still has to deliver on taste and value. 

Un-intimidating price points are definitely key to nailing an impulse sale, but something else that World Market does really well is create an aura of authenticity, uniqueness and worldliness. It's like finding an undiscovered treasure.***

Every time I go in there, I sort of feel like I've been tricked into buying something that looks Peruvian but is really crap manufactured in China. This awareness often leads me straight to the food aisles... which is where I unburied this haul. Let's see how my treasure fared... 

Ginger People's Ginger Syrup. I may be biased towards ginger, but this is a pretty stellar product. It works to liven up pancakes, but I've also been putting it in my coffee and tea, and it has a gingery-honey effect that is absolutely pleasant. 

WM Banana Chocolate Spread. This is a Goober Grape throwback for me. Except it's for adults and awesome. I'm not sure exactly what you're supposed to spread this on, but I've decided sandwiched between two windmill cookies is best. It also turns toast into dessert. The only thing that makes me nervous, is what's in this that makes refrigeration not required? 

Fentiman's Sodas. Both the Dandelion & Burdock and the Curiosity Cola were full of exciting flavors— cola with hints of anise and ginger with a fruity lightness, not sugary and strong. 

All three of my recent impulse purchases from World Market proved themselves recommendable. Even if they are all frivolity loaded with sugar.

*Are there ever "necessary" purchases to be made at World Market? 
** And the word "Ginger" will ALWAYS win my over.
***That is mass-produced and sold in similar World Markets all over the country.  

On the Hunt: Macaroons

A large part of our trip to New Orleans, was eating ALL of the food. And in that journey, I was educated in the art of the macaroon.

The first round I had were en route to New Orleans while in Chicago. While beautiful, these actually weren't very good. The cookies were full of air and separated on first bite. Come to find out, this is not how macaroons should be! Cookie consistency is actually quite crucial to a successful macaroon. Find out what constitutes a macaroon fail here.

Peeps, Caramel, Irish Creme, Strawberry, Pistachio – Sugar Fixé, – Lincoln Park, Chicago.

At NOLA's charming, sugar-coated Sucré, we had gold tinted macaroons, served in fancy boxes and on top of gelato. These earned points for presentation and flavor. 

Chicory macaroon on Almond Gelato – Sucré in NOLA.

But the best were from Croissant D'Or Patisserie — a French bakery in the French Quarter, baking sweets from scratch. The macaroons had great flavor, adequate cream and most importantly, soft cookies! (My favorite flavor was the Coffee).

*

So lesson learned: yes presentation is important, but when it comes to baked goods, adorable doesn't always win. Make sure the appearance is backed up with a good taste experience. 

*Photo by Alicia Magnuson
**Join me in my confusion of whether it should be macaroon or macaron.

Basically a 300.

Wondering where the best Grilled Cheese in town is? Well stop looking and go bowling!

My happy place just got happier. I'm happy to announce that the Clique has the best grilled cheese in town. And some pretty friggin' stellar onion rings too. 

Peeps: A Respectable Way to Go...

Easter was a few days ago, which means right now you probably have some peeps growing stale somewhere around your house (and if you don't you can probably get them for pennies at the local market). 

Not ready to subject yourselves to the sugar rush? Here's a way to maybe make it a little more palatable. Peeps Ice Cream. 

This is taken from last weekend's GR Press, where Jessica Webster grotesquely illustrated the murder of 10 baby blue peeps. I especially love this second image of them being boiled alive.

So unless you intend to keep these chics around till next Easter (and turn them into a wreath!?!!), I'm declaring it ice cream time. 

There's a Gadget for That

Meet Zoku, is the Ikea of housewares. Their family* of design led products  began with the question, what if we could make Popsicles freeze faster? This quandary led to the quick pop maker, a unit you freeze the day before you want a Popsicle, in order to get one "instantly".

Since then, the products have evolved, but not really the concept. The Zoku Slushie Maker is based on a frozen inner core. You pour cold liquid into the already frozen core, stir for ten minutes and it will turn to a  slushie.

If you're looking for a refreshing snack now, this is not the gadget for you. This is for someone who wants a refreshing snack in... like 15 minutes. And who's patient enough to remember to stir it every 1-2 minutes (which I have not been... and it just freezes from the outside, leaving a liquid middle)

While the science behind this is kind of cool, in that this works little a mini ice cream maker, there's some fundamental flaws. Specifically, in the amount of planning ahead this requires. Aside from the stirring/freezing time, the inner core must be frozen from 6-18 hours in advance. So I have to think yesterday, that maybe I'll want a slushie today. I don't call that instant.

Additionally, you can only make one. This is clearly snack to be enjoyed privately. 

With my Bella Rocket blender, I can throw a few ice cubes in with whatever liquid/fruit/yogurt/whatever I want, and I have a Slushie or smoothie in under a minute. And I can easily make enough to share. 

All that said, I was on a mission to make Frozen "hot" Chocolate. And it actually took me a few tries...
Attempt #1 failed because I added Bailey's to it... forgetting the basic science of alcohol not freezing...
Attempt #2 I didn't let my hot chocolate cool first. And after 45 minutes, I still had liquid.
Attempt #3 I used chocolate milk (duh.)

But seeing as they look so tasty... And I'm an easy target for good design, I'm still interested in trying more recipes. When I find the perfect science, I'll report back. 

*Zoku means family in Japanese.

Candy for Adults

For those of us who choose to hibernate during winter months, we can get through cold days by satisfying our sweet tooth with homemade imitations of the childhood foods we crave.

I fattened myself up the last few weekends with two very successful recipes— Homemade Snickers Bars and S'mores Bites. Using ingredients that I had on hand (it's true... I may keep more in the house than most! However, I did substitute the peanuts in the Snickers with almonds and pecans, because that's what I had) I was able to, quite quickly make some sugar-filled knock-offs.

Look at all that preservative-filled sugar! The basis for the Snickers bars, these cavity instigators are delightfully rich, and they lack that lingering, chemically after-taste of pre-packaged candy bars.

The s'mores were wickedly delicious and it was so hard to stop eating them (much like real campfire s'mores!) The marshmallow stayed soft and and the chocolate relatively melted. The trick is to cook the crust thoroughly to make popping them out of the muffin trays easier (I did both mini and regular sized in silicon trays – the minis are great for sharing, the larger great for gorging...)

Both of these are recipes that I will totally visit again. Each took about 30 minutes and tasted just as a good a few days later. 

It's one of the great things about being a grown-up—our candy is more "sophisticated" and we're allowed to eat as much of it as we want! And I recommend eating it all!

*Recipes: Homemade Snickers from Imperial Sugar / S'more Bites from the First Year Blog

A Diet of Nuts and Kale?

So I realize my diet may be a mystery to some. Let me explain. I am in fact a vegetarian. I eat a hamburger every 100 weeks for the interest of BOTW on this blog. And I eat a tiny bit of meat when I travel internationally— when I feel it's an important part of experience the culture of the places I'm visiting. The rest of my days, as in 98.7% of my life, I'm a fairly strict veg-fiend. 

I've recently decided to back off cow's milk, and try to source eggs from a local farmer. I am not, however, going vegan, as I will never give up Cheese. 

I bring this up now, because moments ago I finished Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. It was a quick read, one meant to motivate you by scaring the cookies right out of your cupboards. 

I found this book to be: 
20% common sense
20% over-the-top organic label pushing
20% written by psychotic drill sergents
40% reaffirming in my position as a vegetarian

If the World followed their advice, we'd be an army of anorexics eating nothing but nuts and kale. The most frustrating part was, that in their obsession with get skinny, get skinny, get skinny (being skinny is the best, you guys), they never mention exercise (aside from one small paragraph on page 188—and apparently if everyone did yoga, we'd achieve world peace).

Basically what they do, is pressure you to replace your current diet with expensive organic name brands. If it doesn't meet Skinny Bitch approval, don't put it in your mouth. Health is Wealth Chicken-free Nuggets, Now&Zen UnSteak, Amy's Organic Tofu Scramble, or LightLife Smart Bacon. MmmmMmm, now doesn't that sound yummy?

I have been a vegetarian for 5 years, and I have never found a need to imitate meat, I simply don't eat it. No tofu, no seitan, no tempeh, no pressed faux chicken patties. Why fake it? It's not going to taste nearly as good—in fact, it's likely to taste like paste. Instead I replace meat with beans, mushrooms or potatoes. 

I don't think Skinny Bitch was a wasted read. Like I said, it reminded me of the reasons I decided not to eat meat in the first place, and it urged me to be more conscious about the things I do eat. If you're unfamiliar with the meat industry, the unethical motivations of the USDA, and the basic distinctions between phrases like "all natural" or "organic", then I do highly recommend. It is important to know that all food is NOT created equal. 

I do agree with Freedman and Barnouin, you should know what you're putting in your body. But there's smart and there's extreme. And we want to be skinny bitches, not crazy bitches. And only crazy bitches give up cheese.


***If you looking for really great reads on what you should eat, and reasons why you should support the American meat industry, I recommend Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Both are great as audio backs. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. is a good rule to start with. 

Carbs, Carbs, Carbs

It's winter. It's cold. I'm hibernating. I love food. 

I kept myself plenty full this cold, February weekend. And when I have successful kitchen exploits I like to share them. 


Vegetarian Baked Beans
When I was in San Diego I had some killer vegan baked beans at Tiger Tiger(!). So good in fact, that I got up close to examine that they really didn't have bacon in them. And I wanted to try and recreate some of that awesomeness. 

This was my first time using dried beans. Which meant this was really an all night/all day process—8 hours soaking and 8 hours in the crock-pot. I was pretty skeptical that this was going to work, because I started with white beans, but they definitely ended up  red, and packed with flavor. 

I'm not going to lie, they are pretty fan-friggin'tastic. And ultimately, aside from the plan ahead/timeline factor, incredibly easy.


Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
Another very simple recipe, that was full of hearty flavor. This went together pretty quick, aside from the cutting of the butternut squash, which I kind of mangled. I'd recommend having the squash cut up before you start cooking. 

I'm a big fan of both curry and butternut squash, and I think the flavors really here complimented each other. I added an apple to mine which gave it a hint of sweetness. Peas would also be good in here. This was even really good as leftovers, because the squash became even softer and more curry infused. It's rare that I think something makes decent leftovers, and that can be important when cooking for one.
(click image above to see enlarged recipe from Better Homes and Gardens)


Grown-Up Tator-Tots.
I was kind of annoyed with how long these were taking when I was making them. But wow, hello tasty. I continued to eat these until I felt I was going to burst in a similar fashion. And then I dreamt of garlic. 

It was a weekend full of good food, with overall very little effort—which, let's be honest, just makes it all the more tastier. Time to roll myself up the stairs. 

Chef's Little Helpers

Meet the two newest members of my kitchen staff!

A little post-holiday shopping has provided me with...
Waffles on demand*

and all natural potato chips in 3 minutes!

These remarkably simple gadgets liven up meal time and fill me with an abundance of carbs! 

*I didn't know there was a personal demand for waffles until recently... but these lemon vanilla bean waffles are pretty choice!

Popped.

My first attempt at popovers was NOT a disaster! I followed the recipe's advice and let the batter sit and used warm milk and eggs. My one mistake was not greasing each individual cup enough! And next time I'd take them out two minutes earlier!

The recipe I used was the Neiman Marcus one.

(Food) Tour de Mexico

Sometimes I get obsessed with food, and eating ALL of it. So this summer we started a Mexican Food Tour of Grand Rapids, trying out many of the many Mexican places that we had never ventured to, in order to experience and compare them.

As means of comparison, with few exceptions, I ordered cheese enchiladas at all the locations. As well as Chips + Salsa.

1. La Huesteca - This place is just around the corner from my house, yet I didn't even know it was there.  This was the universal favorite for the group. Skip the chips, they're no good, but overall, it's very authentic place with decent tamales.
1811 Plainfield Avenue Northeast, Grand Rapids, MI 49505

2. San Jose Taqueria - By far the most authentic of our locations, and overall a fun eating experience. Good food, good tamales, good vibes. And I love drinking Coke out of the bottle.

1338 S Division, Grand Rapids, MI 49507

3. El Sombrero - Known for their tamales! In fact, they sell out of tamales daily... not  having known this... we got no tamales. However, we did get delicious, and probably the most unique, chips—though the lack of salsa almost cost them third place! The location and outdoor seating sealed third for them. Overall an authentic taste, great tortillas, and I loved the sauce on my enchiladas.

527 Bridge Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

 

4. El Arriera - A bit more American in flavors and proportions, this place was well rounded. Great salsa, great chips, good tortillas, and just really satisfying Mexican meal. The location prevented El Arriera from stealing the third place ranking!Southridge Center, 2948 28th Street Southeast, Kentwood, MI 49512 

6. Cantina - My favorite as a kid — it had been a decade since I'd been here, and the place had been completely redone. While the atmosphere is fun, it seems more gimmicky than authentic. The food was pretty standard American Mexican fare, BUT they did have some pretty amazing Cheese and Bean dips. Worth going back for more cheese. Good for larger parties. 

2770 E Paris Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 

7. El Granjero - The food here was good, and may even be more authentic than some of the ones I ranked above it, but in general, it just seemed middle of the road to me. The atmosphere was somewhat lacking and the meal was less memorable. 

950 Bridge Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

8. Maggie's Kitchen – Maggie's was hard to get to because of their weird hours. I ended up just stopping in for carryout one day. Really good tortillas but rather bland rice and beans. And again, skip the chips and salsa. I think this would have been a better as a dine-in experience, and I like to try them again sometime. The interior was surprisingly spacious and clean, would be pretty good for seating larger parties.  
 636 Bridge Street Northwest, Grand Rapids, MI 49504

9. Tacos el Cuñado (Downtown Market) - I think it was a mistake to not try the Cuñado at Bridge and Pine. Because, in my opinion, the one in the Downtown Market isn't Mexican food, it's hipster food. And if you want hipster tacos, go to Donkey.

435 Ionia Avenue Southwest, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

10. Cinco de Mayo - Good chips, good salsa, and overall good food. But I've never really thought Cinco was very authentic Mexican—it's not TexMex, it's just... a lot of cheese. Which has some appeal. 

114 Monroe Ctr NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (+ Rockford)

 

11. Beltline Bar - The first stop on our tour is legendary in GR for their burritos. And yes, the burritos are HUGE... and could probably feed a family for a week. The veggie burrito was good, but didn't strike me as remarkable, and overall, the challenge to eat as much of it as I could, left me a little uncomfortable. However, I would rate their salsa highly (but the not the chips). The Beltline Bar loses points with me for inauthenticity—it seemed based on what Americans think Mexican should taste like and what we think Mexican restaurants should look like. It was also full of (white) Americans.

16 28th Street Southeast, Grand Rapids, MI 49548

The experiment could have gone on forever, and I know we left a few places out. But compromises needed to be made and deadlines drawn. A overall few learnings as takeaways from this adventure

1. The shadier the place looks, the better the food is going to be. 

2. Coke always tastes better from a glass bottle. 
3. Salsa as we know it, is probably not all that authentically Mexican.

Speaking of salsa... if you're looking for a variety of salsa in the American way, try Fajita Republic. I hate to call them out because it's so chain-esque, BUT they do have really fun salsa combinations — you can basically order a flight of salsas!

Anyway... I don't know about you, but I'm full. Time to let the beans and rice settle and plan the next eating adventure. Tiramisu? Mac & Cheese? The perfect fry?