Smokin' Goodness

Three happy customers

On Saturday, October 29, 2011, my family and I made a trek to Roselle, IL to visit our good friends, the Sahlis. Why? Willie recently opened his own restaurant and we wanted to try it out. Its called Smokin' Will's-"Smokin'" because he cooks all his meat in a smoker. We went for a late dinner. Smokin' Wills is a barbecue restaurant. He has Italian sausage, Vienna hotdogs, pulled pork, beef brisket, and ribs, all smoked to perfection. Well, maybe not the hotdogs. He created his own 3 signature barbecue sauces named after 2 of his employees and his wife Margaret. I tried "Sweet Caroline." Sweet Caroline is the base sauce. It is made up of 8 pounds of brown sugar, and molasses and other things I can't remember. A batch makes about 4 gallons. It is good and sweet. There is "Lindy Sue" which is a spicier version of "Sweet Caroline" and "Brazen Hussy" which is very spicy and is named after Margaret. Dad tried and enjoyed all three. I had the pulled pork combo with sweet potato fries and potato salad. My fries were covered in cinnamon sugar. Fantastic! I put "sweet caroline" on my sandwich and fries. I had the sweet potato fries and potato salad, but you can also get regular fries, onion rings or spicy cowboy pinto beans. Their candy dish is a spittoon. The decor is very Texan. There is a longhorn skull and antlers hanging on the wall. There are old record covers from old bands hung as pictures that have cowboys and indians on them. The walls are three different shades of orange. The bottom of the walls are covered in corrugated metal. The menu is written on a huge chalkboard next to the counter. The service was pretty quick. Not a long wait at all. I give 5 stars for Smokin' Wills because everything was excellent. I hope it really takes off and I can enjoy many more meals there.

the famed longhorn rack

the sauces

The menu

Smokin' Will in the Flesh, and I know him

I have enjoyed blogging, but I'm moving on. I hope you've enjoyed reading my posts. Maybe I will take up blogging in the future. Thank you everyone for following me so faithfully.

"I can be your Gyro, Baby..."

Been a while since I've posted on my blog. But on Sunday, July 24, after church I went to Mr. Gyros. Mr. Gyros is a new drive through on Alpine Avenue. The owner used to ow East Town Cafe. I reviewed them a couple months ago. Mr. Gyros is a restaurant that serves Greek and American food. They claim to have America's best hummus and gyros. I tried both out. I had the regular gyro. This is beef/lamb gyro meat, cucumber sauce, tomatoes, and red onion wrapped up in pits bread. It was finger-lickin' delicious. I had to lick drips of saucy goodness off my fingers. I'd have to agree that its the best gyro in America. I also had a pita with hummus. The hummus was garlicy, with a nice amount of lemon. It was pretty good. I'd say its the second best in America, because my mom is actually known for her amazing hummus. You can also order baklava, hotdogs, greek salad, greek fries, onion rings, and platters. They have falafel, stuffed grape leaves, tabbouleh. You can make your gyro into a meal by adding fries and a drink. You can drive through, have it delivered, or walk up and order at the window. There is a couple tables outside that you can eat at. Price wise, it is kind of expensive for a drive through, but pretty average for Greek food. I think I will go again-maybe on my birthday. I give 5 stars for Mr. Gyros. If you live in Grand Rapids, especially on the westside, you shouldn't miss this one.

Maggie's Mexican

On Saturday I went to Maggie's Kitchen for my blog. I went with my family. Maggie's Kitchen is a local, 8 time award winning, Mexican restaurant. So I figured it should be good. It is located on Bridge Street on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. It is run by Maggie. We were waited on by her son. She was cooking behind the counter. It isn't a very big restaurant. It has interesting decor. The are maps of Mexico that have words in Spanish. There is a juke box which plays music. You have to pay and pick your song. It is an unusual juke box. It plays Mexican music. There is a painting that had an eagle eating a snake on a cactus on an island in a puddle. It is a picture of the legend of where they should build Mexico City. There was a circle wood carving of Aztec symbols. Everything was painted in bright citrus colors. I had a taco, spanish rice, fried vegetables, and refried beans. My taco had lettuce, tomato, guacamole and chicken. I also had a pineapple flavored Mexican pop. I tried some of mom's pork burrito. Ethan and Elsie had the same thing as me. I also had chips and salsa. The salsa was medium-not too spicy. It was all delicious. I would like to go again. It was kind of expensive though. And there is no kid's menu. It is a unique experience, well known in and around Grand Rapids. I give 5 stars for Maggie's Kitchen.

East of GR

On May 23, 2011, at lunchtime, I went to Eastown Cafe. It is s little restaurant around the corner from Yolanda's office. I went with mom, Ethan and Elsie. This restaurant has been around for 6 years. It is run by a husband and wife. They serve sandwiches, paninis, kid's meals and breakfast all day. I had the chicken pesto panini which has a layer of tomatoes, cheese, chicken, and of course, pesto. It is made in a grill like a waffle maker. I had Barq's and chips too. They make their own chips. They are thicker than normal chips. They are delicious. Mom had the steak hoagie, which is a steak sandwich on a long bun like a hotdog bun. The restaurant is a lot like Panera Bread where you stand and order but here they bring the food to you. It is small with seating for only 30 people. The food was really good. They were not busy when we were there. Actually we were the only people there, but we went early. We were able to visit with the owners while we ate. That was nice. I will go again. They are putting in an ice cream shop and French pastry shop this month. I give 5 stars for Eastown Cafe.

Gettin' Filled Up

On Saturday, May 7, 2011, I went to the Wealthy Street Station, a local burger joint. I went with my family. The location used to be a gas station. This restaurant is famous for their "wealthy station burger", which is what I had. It has been called the best burger in town. They are so popular, you often have to wait 15 minutes or more for them! The burger weighs at least half a pound when cooked. It is topped with lettuce, tomato, deep fried onions and deep fried japalenos. There is a sauce made of something like thousand island dressing and maybe cayenne pepper to spice it up. I don't know what is in the sauce (maybe it's a secret recipe), but it compliments the burger perfectly. This is all sandwiched on a toasted pretzel bun. It's amazingly delicious. And very filling. I also had french fries and A & W root beer. If you go away from here hungry-it is your own fault. I was stuffed. My dad had a western style burger with barbecue sauce. They also serve Polish and Mexican food. Since it was a gas station, space is limited. There are 2-3 tables inside, and a few more outside. We always sit outside. Only the lucky few eat there. Everyone else has to take their burgers home. The decor inside is interesting. There are race car trophies of many colors. The walls are brown. There are advertisements of all kinds-drinks, instruments, tobacco, and other country things. I will say that the burgers are a bit pricey for fast food. But the burgers are delicious, and the experience is fun so it is worth it. I give 5 stars to Wealthy Street Station.

An Outback Barbie

Wow, I haven't blogged for a while because I haven't been to any new restaurants. But, I went to Outback Steakhouse on Saturday, April 16, for dinner. Outback is a nickname for Australia, like "down under." I went with my family. I ran into Mr. and Mrs. Quigley, who is a good friend of my mom. There was lots of interesting Australian decor. There were several boomerangs painted red, blue and yellow. By the door, there was a black wooden thing that looked like a snake. There were also paintings of different criminals and constables from Australia. There was a poster with the Australian pledge and pictures of Australian animals. It was loud because it was busy. I, being at a steakhouse, had a joey (kid's) sirloin, a vegetable mix of summer squash, carrots and peas, bread and butter, and bloomin' onion. A bloomin' onion is vidalia onion wedges battered and deep fried. We dipped it in a spicy chipotle sauce. I washed it all down with Sprite. Mom and Ethan had burgers, dad had steak and shrimp, and Elsie got her chicken fingers. Everyone got what they wanted. The food was all very good. I liked Outback because of all the boomerangs, and the juicy sirloins. I waited only about 20 minutes to be seated. That wasn't bad for a Saturday night. The service was good. It was rather expensive. Kid's meals cost between $5 and $8. But it is worth going for a special occasion. I give 5 stars for Outback.

Perks at Perkins

On Saturday, February 27, 2011, at breakfast time, I went to Perkins, a restaurant on Alpine near Target. Perkins is a family restaurant with locations across the United States. It is famous for its pies and baked goods. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. A Perkins "perk" is that kids eat free. I went with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Kathryn, my family, Uncle Josh and Aunt Renee and Abby and Ruthie. We went because Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Kathryn were going back to Texas. It was a goodbye party for them. The restaurant has cheery decor. The walls were a light yellow and the ceiling was white. There are windows between rooms with pictures of grapes etched on them. There is a painting of some red and yellow flowers. There is also a horse shaped tricycle. There were plants too. I had a french toast tower, (which is 6 french toast sticks) with a syrup of your choice, sausage links and orange juice. Ethan had rainbow pancakes-two pancakes with sprinkles and whipped cream. Elsie had scrambled eggs, a pancake and bacon. Our waitress was very friendly-even when Elsie spilled her apple juice. I give 4 stars for Perkins. The food is good, but its not really anything to write home about. (just to write a blog about.=))

Caution: Peanuts Ahead

On Saturday, February 12, 2011, at dinnertime, I went to Texas Roadhouse, near River Town Crossings Mall. Texas Roadhouse is a steakhouse chain restaurant. Dinnertime wasn't a good choice because I had to wait an hour to be seated. They had very interesting decor around the building. There were lots of paintings of an armadillo. One painting was a picture of him wake boarding, and his friend, an iguana, power cruising on the Grand River. There were also cactus plants, caricatures of race car drivers and their stock cars and Texas flags. I had a bucket of peanuts that you crack open to eat. I also has root beer. We shared a Baby Blossom, an appetizer that's a chopped deep fried onion that you can dip in Thousand Island dressing. I also has soft, cushy, big rolls with cinnamon butter. They were fresh from the oven. Then I had the Ranger Ribs-pig ribs with barbecue sauce-and fries. They were delicious, chewy and tangy. My favorite part was the peanuts which came from a big barrel. My least favorite part was waiting an hour to be seated. Our waitress was quick at bringing our food. She was nice. I give 4 stars for Texas Roadhouse because the food and experience were excellent, but the wait was long.

Hero of Gyros

On February 5, 2011 at lunch time, I went to The Pita House. It is also known as Sam's Gyros. When I walk in the door I see 10-15 little tables, yellow walls, and windows that have a view of 28th Street. Not much artwork. There is a patio to eat on in nice weather. It is a typical mom and pop hole in the wall. It is a fast food Middle Eastern restaurant. There is food from Lebanon, Greece and Israel. The menu is on the wall, along with some photos of the food. There is a buffet that the cooks prepare your food from. There is a spit with a lamb and beef mixture that turns while the meat cooks. They will shave the meat off it for your entree. I had a gyro with black olives, gyro meat, lettuce, tomato, cucumber sauce and feta cheese. I also tasted a purple vegetable, hummus, a stuffed grape leaf, falafel, and a cheese pie. My dad shared his fatosh which is a salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, mint and lemon. My mom shared her tabbouleh-a parsley, tomato, lemon, couscous salad. I like the food a lot. It is not spicy like Indian. The prominent flavors in Middle Eastern cuisine are lemon, mint and garlic. The food has a good taste and lots of flavor. I think the food is delicious. And the way they cook the food is interesting. This restaurant is not fancy. It is busy. People go because the food is fantastic. Most entrees are between $7-$13. It is definitely worth it. I give 5 stars for Sam's Gyros.

Food fit for an "Indian" King

On Sunday, January 16, at lunch time, I went to Palace of India with my family. This restaurant is on Diamond and Fulton. It serves Northern Indian cuisine. It is a buffet at lunch and a la carte at dinner. I don't like Indian too much but I went because mom and dad say, "you don't have to like it, but you do have to try it." Mom and dad also want to expand my tastes. There is lots of food on the buffet like fresh garden salad, vegetable curry, chicken curry, fried vegetables and chicken, spinach stuff, and tiki masala-which is a spicy mixture of tomatoes and chicken. They bring fresh naan to your table. I also had mango lassi-a drink that's made of mangos, milk, sugar, yogurt and cardamon. I also tried the tiki masala, salad, spicy spinach stuff, rice and chicken curry. My favorite was the naan and mango lassi. The restaurant is small with about 10 tables. It has a gold ceiling of carved plaster typical of old Eastown buildings. There were paintings of Indian girls doing the spinning wheel, getting water from a well, and swinging, and a painting a a lake by itself. I will maybe go again because it was good, though spicy and expensive. I give 4 stars for Palace of India because mom and dad liked it, but its rather too spicy for kids.

Howling for Wolfgang's

Wolfgang's is a restaurant near Yolanda's office in Eastown. I went with my family. I went because I had to do a blog, and because mom had to visit Yolanda. I went on Monday, 1-10-11, at lunch time. Wolfgang's is a local mom and pop restaurant that serves only breakfast and lunch. They have interesting decor. There were abstract paintings from local artists lining the walls. It is very busy on Saturdays, but it isn't bad on Mondays. We didn't have to wait. I ordered a chocolate chip pancake, 2 sausage patties, and a banana. The kid's menu had photos of animals on the back. You can pick 3 things out of 10 for $3.30. That's a good deal! The food was very, very delicious! They serve basics like eggs and bacon. But they also serve different kinds of things like mom's breakfast burrito and dad's english muffin with turkey, swiss cheese, corned beef and eggs benedict. Some of the adult entrees are named after local people. The cover of the menu has titles like, "The Grinch who cooked breakfast," and "Merry Breakfast," and so on. It took a while for our food to come, but I didn't mind. I thought the service was pretty good. I will go again. Probably soon, while mom is visiting Yolanda regularly. I give 5 stars for Wolfgangs.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2010

I went to my grandma's house in Texas for Thanksgiving. There was a crowd of 26 people there: the Eapens, the Gomez family, all the Thomas'(except for Josh and Renee, Abby and Ruth), and great grandma and great grandpa. There was lots of food-so much that it covered the island and a table. The food was served buffet style. Now get ready for your mouth to water...There was dark and light turkey, with gravy. There was applesauce and marshmellow jello- which is made of colored marshmellows, pineapple and pistatio pudding. Its a Thomas tradition. There was also another kind of jello. It was called blueberry jello. It had blueberries, and a layer of white cream. Grandma made a pretty basic stuffing, and mom made one with sausage, apples and nuts. Mom made cranberry creme dream salad. There was squash (which I don't like) and sweet potato casserole from Mrs. Gomez. There were mashed potatoes and Aunt Dena made a green bean casserole. And last of all there was a relish tray, and cranberry jelly, and rolls. I didn't try everything, but the food I had was awesome. I sat at a round table with all the kids. It was fun! Later, when everyone was hungry again, dessert was served. There was peanut butter pie, Aunt Bekah's cake balls, Mrs. Eapen's spice cake, Grandma's pumpkin pie, and Uncle Seth's strawberry chocolate cake. I like Thanksgiving because I can spend time with my family and remember what I am thankful for. Just to let you know, I'm thankful for delicious food. I give 10 stars for Grandma (and her helpers).

Sharp-Not Cheesy

On Friday, November 19, 2010, I went to Cheddars in Joplin, MO with my family. We were on our way to Texas for Thanksgiving. It was dinner time, and we were hungry. Cheddars is a casual cafe'. Their goal is to sell quality food for a good price. It was loud and busy, but we only had to wait 10 minutes to get seated. On the ceiling were several fan with woven reed paddles that rotated. It was very eye catching. There were some old time pictures by the bathroom. And there was a long fish tank in the wall between two rooms, with lots of big and small colorful fish. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries. I tried mom's steak and dad's ribs. I also had tortilla chips and a hot, spicy spinach dip. The food was delicious. Our waitress was nice because she came to ask if the food was good. The appetizer came quickly but the food did not. I wish the food could have come fast. It was good. The service was good. I will go again because the food was awesome and there was nothing wrong with it. I give 4 stars to Cheddars.

It has been a long time since my last blog. My mom has been sick and tired and it hasn't been a priority. We will try to do better.

A Sweetheart Breakfast

On Friday, October 15, I went to one of our old favorites, Cherie Inn, with my family. We went for my mom's birthday. This restaurant is in East Town, a small burg of Grand Rapids. They serve breakfast and lunch, but I came for breakfast. "Cherie" is French for "sweetheart or darling". It is a very old restaurant in a very old building. It is one of the longest running restaurants in Grand Rapids. It is an unusual triangular shaped building. Lining the entrance walls are old pictures of the restaurant throughout the years. This restaurant is not exactly fancy, but it is nice. All the tables had vases of freshly cut flowers. They use clear glass water goblets and also put glass carafes of ice water on each the table. Did you know you can get your finger wet and rub it on the top of goblets and it makes music? You should try it at one of those nice restaurants sometime. The walls were white plaster, and the ceiling had carved plaster corner decorations. I had the lumberman's special which I shared with Elsie and Ethan. It was big. It has fried eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon, oranges and pineapple, and pancakes. It was very good. I also had hash browns-shredded and fried potatoes. The food was presented nicely. At Cherie Inn, breakfast is expensive. Everything was al a carte (that means that everything is paid for separately). But we has a coupon that made it not so expensive. I keep going there because there are good breakfasts, books for kids to read, etch-a-sketches to draw with, and attentive and quick service. I give 5 stars for Cherie Inn.

Family style-Italian Style

On Sunday, October 3rd, I went to Pietro's for lunch. We had just had family pictures taken, and I was hungry. Like always, I went with my family. Pietro's is an Italian restaurante' on 28th Street. It specializes in family style dining, which is when you order multiple things and everyone shares. I had "pick a pasta/pick a sauce". I picked fettucini with meat sauce and a giant meatball. The meatball was almost the size of a baseball. It was chewy. The meat sauce was chunky and had lots of garlic. We had calamari with lemon juice squeezed on it. We also had oven fresh bread with olive oil. The olive oil had piles of cheese in it. You can usually watch them making the bread through the lobby window, but they weren't doing it this Sunday. I also tried my brother's pepperoni pizza, my dad's fettucini michael, and my mom's pasta with spicy sausage. Kid's meals are really cheap, only $.99, Sunday-Thursdays. It is a very good deal because it usually costs a lot of money, and you got a lot of food. In the lobby there are cooking pots, pans, and spoons hanging from the ceiling. There were old time photos, probably from Italy. It was kind of dark so they had oil lamps on each table. It was very clean. It wasn't too busy, though it usually is. It might be because people aren't eating out as much these days, or that it was a bit past lunch time and everyone was done. I will go again because the food was awesome! I give 5 stars for Pietro's!

Bravo! Panera

On Friday, September 17, 2010, I went to meet my dad for lunch at the Panera Bread on 44th Street in Grandville. We usually go to the Alpine Panera, but dad was working in Hudsonville, so we went here instead. I went with my parents and siblings. Panera is a fast food restaurant. You order, pay and wait for your food at the front counter. By the way, the menu is on the wall. This Panera is big with a two floors, a two story brick fireplace, plus an extra empty room upstairs with a railing. It was busy and loud, and it reminds my mom of an European cafe'. I had a Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich. It was like a BLT only with turkey. It has a zingy mayonaise. It came with chips and a pickle. I had french onion soup. It was hot and tasted kind of sweet because onions get sweeter after they've been cooked. I also had a chocolate chip muffie, which is a flat muffin, and a strawberry cream scone. I will go again and again because it is pretty healthy fast food-not like McDonalds' junk food. They have good sandwiches, and great bread. I like the bagette. I never had anything there I didn't like. Its always a good experience. And even if its busy, its always only a short wait. I give Panera Bread 5 stars.

Hanging @ Julio's

On Saturday, September 11, I went to Don Julio's, a Mexican restaurant on 28th street. I went because my Uncle Nate was here, I was hungry, and Miss June recommended it. There were 10 of us, but we still got seated quickly. I went with my family, plus Uncle Josh, Aunt Renee, Uncle Nate and the cousins. Don Julio's has a lot of atmosphere but only a little decor. The rooms were kind of dark. It wasn't really noisy, but maybe it would have been if it were crowded. It was clean. I thought the Aztec crucifix statue thing and sun and moon ceramic frescos were interesting. I had chips and salsa. The chips were salty and I could taste the hot pepper and cilantro in the salsa. The kid's food came with two entree items. I had an all cheese quesadilla and a spicy beef enchilada. It was awesome! Our waiter was attentive. He refilled the chips and salsa, and drinks as much as we wanted. He did a cool trick. He balanced a lot of full plates on his arm. The food came quickly. Hardly a wait at all. What Don Julio's needs, though, is customers. I'm blogging about it, so you can go. You can tell your friends about it too. Its a good value for your money, great food, and it would be a pity if they shut down because people didn't go there. I give Don Julio's 5 stars.

World Famous Breadsticks

This is my first blog in a while. I will be doing more blogging again because I am now back in school.
On Saturday, September 4, 2010, I went to Spanky's Pizza. I went with my family. Spanky's is in Fremont, MI. It is an old restaurant, but they moved into a new building this summer. They have a lot of Coca Cola decor. My favorites are the truck, the radio, the juke box and the different cans. We had their super pack. It comes with a pizza, breadsticks, wings and pop. The pizza was round (like normal) with bacon and green olives. It was good pizza. But let me tell you about their breadsticks. Spanky's has a sign outside that reads, "Spanky's Pizza and World Famous Breadsticks." The breadsticks are awesome! They are spread with butter, and then topped with a thick layer of parmaesan cheese. Then they are baked in the oven. Buttery, cheesy, salty, hot, crispy and soft. Awesome! There are never too many for our family to eat. We had the Italian wings, and washed it all down with some Barq's root beer. Our waitress was nice, but the food took a long time to come. It was worth the wait, and I will definitely go back. I give Spanky's four stars because the food could have come faster. And I like Giordano's pizza better.=) But the breadsticks are worth it all!

Factor in the Cheese(cake)

On Saturday, August 7, I went to the John Hancock building in Chicago. It is the second tallest building in Chicago. We went up 94 floors to the top. I saw the whole city of Chicago. It was awesome! After I went to the top of "Big John", I went all the way down to the very bottom to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We had to wait 1 hour and 10 minutes to get seated. That wasn't fun because I had to just sit around (until near the end when dad let us watch Bugs Bunny on his iPod) plus I was hungry. But it was worth the wait. Finally we got seated. Soon our waiter arrived with fresh bread. There was plain sourdough, and a pumpernickel with a nice chocolate flavor. We ate a lot of bread-like 6 or 7 loaves. I had corn dogs and fries for dinner. Corn dogs are hotdogs on a stick dipped in cornmeal batter, and then fried. It was really good. The service was good, and our waiter was friendly, but he seemed kind of distracted. He did bring my food quickly, before the adult entrees were ready. My parents and I both appreciated that. The dining room was big, busy, and very loud. The were bread decorations all around. I will go again so I can have some cheesecake. I didn't have any this time because Elsie was asleep, and Ethan was being cranky. I give Cheesecake Factory 3 stars. The food was good, but the wait was really long.
This will be my last blog as a 7 year old. I turn 8 on Thursday. Presents are optional, but gift cards to restaurants would be appreciated.=) Just kidding.

Everything's bigger in Texas

Last week I went to Texas to visit my grandma and grandpa. I was invited to my Great Aunt Sara's house while I was there to write a review on her cooking. I don't usually go to people's houses to do reviews but I made an exception for Aunt Sara. It was a fun time. Everyone should have an Aunt Sara like mine. She put a lot of work into making it a special experience. Before I arrived, Aunt Sara put out a lot of snacks. There was a fruit basket carved out of a watermelon that was filled with cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and pineapple. It was juicy and delicious and looked awesome. There was also chips and salsa and cheese dip. There were crackers and cheese. There was a vegetable tray with ranch veggie dip. And this was just the snack. I took a break from eating to swim in her backyard pool. Then we had dinner. She made pork and chicken shish kabobs and baked beans. Grandma made pasta salad. I got to get my own food. It was really good. There was a t.v. in the room and I watched Prince Caspian while I ate. I got to drink sprite, and eat lots of candy. There were flashlight suckers, mini m&ms, hershey's chocolate bars, and kit kats. It was great. For dessert she made eagles out of coconut coated marsh mellos on chocolate cookies, with cashews for beaks. They were very cute. I have a picture that I will try to post later. I know everyone can't go to Aunt Sara's, but if she was a restaurant I'd give her 7 stars. Thanks, Aunt Sara!