Casual Quality Meals and a Foodie's Shopping Spree In and Around Grand Rapids, Michigan -

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Casual Quality Meals and a Foodie's Shopping Spree In and Around Grand Rapids, Michigan

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By Cheri Sicard

Photos: Grand Rapids Convention and Visitors Bureau and Cheri Sicard

Posted October 10th, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, USA -- There's no need for anyone to go hungry in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan, and there's certainly no reason to eat fast food. Everywhere you look there seems to be a proliferation of good casual eateries who serve quality food made from locally produced and often organic ingredients. Bakeries, coffee shops, delicatessens, wine and spice shops - it's almost like being in Europe, but with a down home Midwestern touch. Foodie shopaholics will enjoy some wonderful stores here, and along the way be able to stop for treats or a light lunch and/or casual supper. Below are some of our favorite casual eating places and foodie boutiques you will want to check out when visiting the Grand Rapids area.

Erika's Delicatessen
Laurie Lindrup, owner of Erika's Delicatessen - a Grand Rapids gourmet shop that rivals any found in Napa Valley -- credits the large immigrant populations who originally settled the area as the catalyst for the city's sophisticated tastes. "These people came here with a European palate -- for wines, cheeses, sausages, etc. -- and tried to duplicate it in Grand Rapids," she says. A French trained chef who lived in Europe and developed those tastes herself, Laurie moved to Grand Rapids when she married a local native. She purchased the Erika's over fifteen years ago and has turned it into a gourmet's dream. You'll find an interesting selection of wines here - not the stuff you'd find at the local markets, but rather the products of smaller wineries. Ditto the huge assortment of microbrews and beers. Erika's also stocks a huge array of fine cheeses and sausages - they carry over 15 different varieties of liverwurst alone! Their European style bakery is exquisite with treats that tempt the tastebuds and the eyes. As Erika's is half shop, half restaurant, you can have your meal prepared for you, sit back and enjoy it, then do some shopping. And if you happen to be in Grand Rapids for en event, they also do catering.

Marie Catrib's and Nearby Wealthy Street
Judging from the crowded dining room and lines of people waiting to be served at Marie Catrib's Restaurant, Grand Rapids residents evidently know a good thing when they taste it. Everything about this restaurant is fresh, wholesome and environmentally friendly - from the locally produced organic ingredients they cook with, to the building that houses the restaurant itself. The building, designed to keep the historic theme of the surrounding uptown neighborhood, was selected by the United States Green Building Council as a pilot project for the brand new LEED-Core and Shell certifications - one of the first projects of its type in the nation. Included is a vegetative roof garden that makes use of solar energy and collected rainwater that's filtered and used to sustain plants, as well as filter out pollutants before being released back into the environment.

But enough about the building, it's really the food that keep people flocking to this mother and son restaurant. Marie and son Fouad believe in fresh produce and extensively use local purveyors of organic ingredients. Everything is homemade here, from the delectable baked goods to the flavorful dressings and sandwich spreads. While the fare has a middle eastern flair - dishes like falafel, kibbe, falafel, hummous and taboule all have permanent places on the menu -- there are also lots of less ethnically accented choices. You'll find a wide array of ultra fresh salads, appetizers, sandwiches, entrees and desserts. Should you want to take advantage of a picnicking opportunity, there's also a wide variety of take out items including baked goods and Marie's fatayers (baked sandwiches). Don't miss Marie's famous potatoes - heavily spiced and the perfect accompaniment to the food.

Marie Catrib's is part of Grand Rapids' Uptown District, and is reasonably close to Wealthy Street where you'll find the Art of the Table and the Wealthy Street Bakery. Stop at the bakery for fabulous muffins, artisan breads and gourmet coffees. Just two doors down you;ll find The Art of the Table, which has a nice selection of hard to find gourmet ingredients, trendy tableware and accessories and a nice selection of wines and beers, including a respectable collection of Michigan made wines.

Martha's Vineyard and the Nantucket Baking Company
When you talk about "Martha's Vineyard" in Grand Rapids, chances are the subject has nothing to do with the Massachusetts version, but rather Michigan's world class wines and spirits store. Folks order from these wine purveyors from all over the world, and it's no wonder, they have an enormous selection of wines and spirits - at all ends of the price and taste spectrum. Everyday wines are available in the downstairs shop which also features a nice selection of beers, cheeses, gourmet meats and specialty foods. Fine and collectible wines are offered in the upstairs showroom by appointment. Next door to Martha's Vineyard is (naturally) the Nantucket Baking Company. Stop in and pick up one of their many varieties of artisan breads or pizzas, or perhaps some sweet baked treats like scones, cookies or brownies.

Journeyman Café
If you venture out of downtown Grand Rapids and head towards the Michigan shore you'll find a hidden gem of a restaurant in the tiny town of Fennville. The Journeyman Café values quality ingredients above all else and serves what it calls "American Artisan Foods." Everything, and we do mean everything, is made from scratch. They use organic ingredients from local purveyors when possible and small artisan producers from around the country. Like many of the restaurants we encountered in and around Grand Rapids, the Journeyman Café passionately support sustainable agriculture. Of course the menu changes constantly in order to reflect the best ingredients available at the moment. No matter when you visit, however, you'll find artisan breads and pizzas made in the café's wood fired oven, selections of artisan small farm cheeses as well as house made sausages and pates. The evening fare includes creative entrees, pastas, appetizers and salads accompanied by a relatively small but interesting wine list. The Journeyman Café also shines at breakfast time where you'll find some unique choices -- Ramp Quiche, Portuguese Chorizo Hash and Cranberry Beans with Country Ham were on the menu when we visited - along with more traditional breakfast fare, homemade baked goods and gourmet teas and coffees.

Practicalities

Erika's Delicatessen is located at 3989 Cascade Rd. #20 in Grand Rapids, MI 49546; phone 616-942-1450 or click to www.erikasdeli.net.

Marie Catrib's Restaurant can be found at 1001 Lake Dr. SE in Grand Rapids, MI 49506; phone 616-454-4020.

You can find all the great wines that Martha's Vineyard has to offer at 200 Union Ave. NE in Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (the Nantucket Bakery and Coffee Shop is right next door); phone them at 616-459-0911 or visit their website at www.MarthasVineyardGR.com.

The Wealthy Street Bakery is located at 610 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids, MI 49503; phone them at 616-301-2950 or click to www.WealthyStreetBakery.com.

Look for Art of the Table just 2 doors down from the Wealthy Street Bakery at 606 Wealthy St. SE in Grand Rapids, MI 49503; phone 616-301-1885 or visit their website at www.ArtOfTheTable.com.

The Journeyman Café is located at 114 E. Main St. in Fennville, MI 49408; phone 269-561-2269 or click to www.JourneyManCafe.com. As of this writing the Journeyman Café is open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 AM to 10 PM.

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.