Home Food and Travel Restaurant Reports

The Food Scene in Downtown Grand Rapids - Surprisingly Cosmopolitan
Rate it! Votes (3) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard Photos: San Chez, Mezze, Bar Divani Posted October 10th, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, USA -- I have to confess, I didn't know a lot about Grand Rapids, Michigan before some recent travels took me there. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't the cosmopolitan downtown area I encountered, filled with hip and trendy eateries and nightspots, world class art and a thriving community that keeps this area vibrant.

Dan Gendler was quite the visionary when he took over an abandoned vintage office building in downtown Grand Rapids back in the early 90's with the plan to turn it into a restaurant. There were virtually no consumer businesses downtown at that time. Not only that, but Gendler's genre of choice - Spanish tapas was barely a blip on the culinary radar of New York and San Francisco food snobs. Most folks around Grand Rapids had no familiarity with a style of restaurant whose menu consists of lots of snacks and spicy small plates. But Spanish cuisine was Dan's passion. Brooklyn born chef Casey Bell, who had lived extensively in Spain, came on board in the beginning and has making customers happy at San Chez Tapas Bistro ever since.

Grand Rapidians are as surprising as their hometown. They flocked to San Chez, even when it was more or less the only reason to go to the downtown area. They continue to overflow its spacious environs today when there are lots of other wonderful reasons to spend time in downtown Grand Rapids.

Business at San Chez Tapas Bistro was so good, Gendler eventually took over the adjacent building, turning it into Mezze Café and Cabaret. Since both of his restaurants share the same kitchen, patrons at San Chez can also enjoy the Mediterranean inspired fare of Mezze; while Mezze customers can snack on tapas while enjoying live entertainment - belly dancing, music and comedy (Wednesday through Saturday evenings).

Chef Casey Bell says the mixture of Spanish and Moroccan cuisines work remarkably well together. "After all," he chuckles, "if you look at history these two regions were continually conquering one another."

The immediate word that comes to mind mid evening at San Chez is "motion." Everything seems to be in motion - a steady stream of tantalizing scented dishes coming out of the kitchen, customers arriving and departing, and busy wait staff gracefully serpentining between crowded tables of socializing patrons. The area surrounding the open kitchen resembles a busy train station at rush hour, and with good reason. With the exception of paellas, every dish on the menu - and there is a staggeringly large variety of them -- is designed to come out of the kitchen within ten minutes of being ordered. This, coupled with the fact that San Chez will serve about 800 people on a typical busy night, accounts for the fact that it takes about a year and half to train the wait staff here.

"Everyone works their way up from lesser positions," says chef Casey Bell.

"The wait staff has to interact a lot with the chefs and kitchen staff, and know how to time their orders properly, because ten minutes after it's ordered, it's coming out."

The menus at San Chez and Mezze change somewhat each month, but Bell gives them a major overhaul annually. In addition to foods you'll find a nice variety of Spanish wine and creative cocktails. After you've had you fill of tapas, wander next door to Mezze for a taste of Grand Rapids night life, live entertainment and dancing. Mezze is also open for breakfast and both Mezze and San Chez are open for lunch and dinner. Most tapas dishes at San Chez range in the $6.75 to $10.50 range with paellas ranging from $15.50 to $39.95 (as of this writing in 2007). Appetizers and entrees at Mezze range from about $6.96 to $15.95 (a couple are higher but most are in the lower range). They also offer a six-course traditional Moroccan "Prixe Fixe Feast" for a minimum for 4 people for $21.95 per person ($31.95 including two bottles of wine).

Bar Divani
Not only did I find one of my new all time favorite restaurants while visiting Grand Rapids (see my report on the Everyday People Cafe in the Related Travel section below for more details), I also found one of the best wine bars I've ever encountered…anywhere. That's right folks, arguably one the country's best wine bars is located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Nestled in a hip downtown space -- they also own the trendy art gallery next door which does double duty as a private party space.

Bar Divani is a drinker's dream. Offering over 60 creatively chosen wines by the glass, along with 15 innovative tasting flights (samples of 5 or 6 different wines), you can get a taste of a lot of different styles and types of wines without having to commit to a full bottle - or even a full glass. Of course if you find one or two (or three or four) that you really like - and you will - Bar Divani also sells retail, so you can take a bottle back to your hotel, or take it home to share with friends and family.

Bar Divani manager and co owner Dennis Moosbrugger takes pride in selecting wines from small producers - many who sell only to restaurants. "You're not likely to find the wines served here at your local supermarket," he says. Indeed, you're not likely to find many of them anywhere but the winery and handful of other restaurants.

In order to encourage customers to enjoy wine more, Bar Divani keeps their markups low - at about 40%. This makes many bottles, especially those at the higher end of the price spectrum, a real bargain here.

If wine is not your thing, Bar Divani also stocks a huge array of single malt scotches, and other spirits. There are only four beers on tap at any given time, but they are always highly unique beers.

With all the wonderful things to drink, thoughts will undoubtedly turn to food. Bar Divani serves a nice selection of tapas and small plates to enhance their drinks, along with a few larger entrees. Like almost every chef we met in the Grand Rapids area, Bar Divani's Dan Zeralkink (formerly of Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel) believes in fresh ingredients from small local farms and purveyors. Chef Zeralkink's dishes are flavorful and robust enough to stand up to the variety of libations that might be their foil. Especially not to be missed are the Curry Marinated Lamb Chops and the Hazelnut Brown Butter Seared Sea Scallops. (You can also order a specially selected artisan cheese tasting plate to accompany your wine flights.)

Appetizers range from $4.00 to $14.00 (as of this writing in 2007) and entrees range from $17.00 to $36.00. Bar Divani regularly holds wine dinners, tastings, classes, art exhibits and other special events. Check their calendar of events (see practicalities below) for more details.

More Grand Rapids Downtown Attractions
While it might be tempting to never leave San Chez/Mezze or Bar Divani once you get settled, be aware there's a lot more to see, do and eat in downtown Grand Rapids. Just down the street you'll find The BOB (stands for Big Old Building), a restored 1903, 70,000 square foot industrial building that now serves as an entertainment complex housing four restaurants, two nightclubs, a comedy club, a micro-brewery, and banquet facilities.

If you're in the mood for something more formal, you can do no better than the 1913 Room, Michigan's only 5 Diamond Award winning restaurant  (for our full story on this fabulous restaurant, see the Related Travel section below).

Because of the generous financial backing of some of the city's most prominent families, downtown Grand Rapids is a virtual citywide art museum -- everywhere you look in downtown Grand Rapids you'll find interesting art and architecture staring back at you. The City of Grand Rapids downtown Development Authority offers a free walking tour guide of outdoor, sculpture and historic buildings to help you see the eclectic visual treasures downtown Grand Rapids has to offer. What better way to burn off all the fine food and drink you'll encounter along the way.

Recipes!
See the Related Recipes section below for recipes from Bar Divani, San Chez Tapas Bistro and Mezze as well as other Grand Rapids area restaurants..

Practicalities

Downtown Grand Rapids is any easy 20 minutes from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. The restaurant and entertainment district is in easy walking distance of downtown hotels like the Amway Grand and the JW Marriott.

Bar Divani is located at 15 Ionia Ave. SW in Grand Rapidis, MI 49503; phone them at 616-774-WINE (9463) or visit their website at www.BarDivani.com.

San Chez Tapas Bistro and Mezze Café and Cabaret are located next door to each other at 38 W. Fulton St. in downtown grand Rapids, MI 49503; phone 616-774-8272 or click to www.SanChezBistro.com.

You will find The BOB at 20 Monroe Ave NW in Grand Rapids. Call 616-356-2000 or click to www.TheBOB.com.

The Grand Rapids/Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau can help you plan any visits to the area. Call them toll free at 1-877-VISIT-GR or at 616-459-8387 or click to their website www.visitgrandrapids.com.

There are no comments for this item

Be the first to leave a comment

You must be a registered member to leave a comment. So why not sign up now?