O'Tooles

O'Tooles

448 Bridge Street

Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Name: Grilled Cheese

Ingredients: Aged white cheddar, provolone, creamy swiss almond spread, spinach, tomato on Nantucket sourdough

Sides: Homemade chips and a pickle (you can sub fries for $1.25)

Price: $7/$5 half

Thoughts: What I like about O'Tooles is that they boast local food.  Nantucket breads are from Nantucket Bakery close to my home now in GR.  They have use locally made cheeses, produce and locally-raised meat.  I also like that while saying all this, it's not a better-than-you hipstery or Earthy place.  It's an Irish pub with all kinds of people, peanut shell littered floors, soft dark worn wood and a couple of small T.V's.  Seat yourself and snack on a basket of peanuts while you yell at your dinner guest cuz it gets pretty loud in here.  Tonight was $3 Michigan beer drafts.  If you live in West Michigan, you drink Michigan beer.  Or you might be thrown out of the state.  It's home to some of the best award-winning microbreweries in the country.  Okay, off on a tangent there.  
    So, I have to say, I wasn't actually that excited to try this grilled cheese.  I wasn't even planning on doing a tour stop here but it was on the menu and I was in the mood.  Man, was I shocked!  I was ready for your average, sort of tasteless-but-it's-okay-I-guess-for-a-bar sandwich.  The aged cheddar tasted so authentic-thick, not cheap and plasticky.  The rustic sourdough bread is so crispy and warm and the flavors of smoky provolone and whatever the swiss almond spread is is incredible.  The spinach is still fresh and crisp, not soggy or slimy like it was defrosted or from a bag.  The tomato balances everything out and it feels healthy and satisfyingly home-y.  Such a pleasant experience of good earthy, nutty, aged, thoughtful ingredients mixing in my tummy.  
   Drinking good beer, eating a delicious woodsy grilled cheese, surrounded by shells, and Irish quotes in a pub atmosphere, just doesn't get much better.  You can definitely tell the difference when the ingredients are fresh, well cared for and selected with intention.   I couldn't think of a reason I didn't like it.  Maybe I was pleasantly surprised because I'm someone who loves the thrill of an in-your-face blue cheese or goat or 10 cheeses and this one seemed simpler.  Let a great set of cheeses speak for themselves.  It was the first time I actually could taste the difference when someone brags about "local!" or "organic" or any of those trendy phrases these days when it comes to food.  Josh, my dining companion for the evening said, "Get another one!" but I had to say, "No, ya gotta leave 'em wanting more."  And this GC in GR does just that. 

Score: ◥◥◥◥◥

*Bonus: Great music selections...Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus'! And a personal favorite bringing me back to my high school days, Blur's 'Girls and Boys.' Um, awesome.

J. Gardella's Tavern

J. Gardella's Tavern

11 Ionia St.

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Name: The White Cheese

Ingredients: Havarti, feta, parmesan and mozzarella on grilled sourdough

Sides: A big cup of marinara sauce, homemade potato chips and a pickle.  It says you can substitute any breads for a pretzel bun for 50¢.  Hmmm, curious.

Price: $5.99 

Thoughts: OMG so delicious! Happiness!  When you pulled the two halves apart the cheeses gooed out like it was a commercial.  I tasted the salty melty lava flow of cheese and it's toasty warm.  There's big soft chunks with the bite of parmesan and feta balanced by creamy mellow mozzarella.  I wanted to gobble it up so fast as to enjoy it while it was still warm and make sure that it really was as good as the first bite.  I'm not really into marinara sauce but I had to dip it in and try it  This made the sandwich taste more like cheesy bread from a pizza place, if you're into that.  In a way it reminded me of the GC I loved in Providence at Farmstead.  The flavors dance on the tip of your tongue the whole time and it was just the right amount of cheese per bread ratio.

      

The homemade chips were incredible.  Real potato chips curled up had perhaps a hint of smokiness? Maybe BBQ?  Maybe not.  My mom came with me and raved, "Seriously, I've never cleared my plate of chips ever...seriously.  Great chips."

       

J. Gardella's has a low-key comfy loft feel with brick walls, a cool rust tin ceiling and some exposed duct work.  Dim lights and dark wood tables and chairs make you feel relaxed.  Maybe because of the huge snow dumped on west Michigan this week, it was pretty quiet with a few couples and some people sitting at the bar.  The candles were in mason jars filled with peanut shells, so DIY.  Music ranged from the Black Keys to Biggie and wasn't obnoxiously loud which I loved.  Overall, I will definitely be back.  I feel like this is a place that you don't have to be too cool to go to, I saw all kinds of people come in.

Score:◥◥◥◥ 1/2 

*Bonus: Michigan beer.  I got a HUMONGOUS mason jar of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale on draft. Mmm.  Also, even though I think $5.99 for this much food was maybe even underpriced, on Wednesday's they have 1/2 off food and drinks.  

Marie Catrib's

Marie Catrib's

1001 Lake Drive Southeast

Grand Rapids, MI 49506

Hey Grilled Cheeseheads, I'm back!  I've made the long journey back to the Midwest to take up residence in Grand Rapids, MI.  I'm pretty stoked, I heard (which could be a total exaggeration) that GR, at one point, had the most restaurants per capita in the U.S.  I'd believe it though, every other door seems to be a cafe or a bar or eatery.  I've already begun my list of grilled cheeses to experience, it seems everybody has a different recommendation.  So hopefully this means I will be a little more timely on posting!  

Name: The Adult Grilled Cheese

Ingredients: "A sinful combination of feta, goat, and cream cheeses with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked red pepper grilled with fresh tomatoes and basil on your favorite bread."  You can pick from a variety of breads-Challah, white, wheat, rye, whole wheat herb, branny oat (?), and a bunch of gluten-free options.

Sides: You get a pickle and are offered potatoes. These are grilled herby potatoes in a bowl.  A BOWL of potatoes.  I got asked by a woman what I was eating from afar when I dug into my bowl of potatoes.

Price: $8.69

Thoughts:  First thought: I'm not sure if I can get that in my mouth.  It's absolutely huge. (snicker snicker). Second thought: I know this was gonna be great if you had just left the bread on the grill a little longer.  It was a bit under-grilled and I'm sure it'd be a hot mess if they'd cooked it with all that creamy cheese on it so I understand that the insides weren't warmer.  A little browner and a tad hotter and it would've been heavenly.  Upon first bite this sandwich was creamy and herby (ah basil!), definitely not your average grilled cheese.  A nice mix of cool like sour cream and spicy from the cracked red pepper.  You get a tang from the goat cheese but I can't recall much saltiness from the feta.  Sometimes the herbs tasted like pesto and then it was almost like a strange bagel from all the cream cheese.  Overall, I liked it quite a bit but couldn't finish due to size and potato intake.

Marie Catrib's had been recommended as one of the staples of Grand Rapids, friendly to all kinds of people which was obvious because it was packed.  Be prepared to stand in line if you are going at rush hour (lunch.)  I did see the real Marie and was too shy to talk to her, but was told she gave out goodies to those who were patiently waiting for a seat.  There's cool art on the walls and even cooler (tattooed) boys working the grill as the kitchen is open to see, flipping potatoes and talking to each other like no one else was there.  Note to self: Try not to sit directly next to door in the middle of a typical West Michigan winter, brrr!

Score: ◥◥◥ 1/2

*Bonus: So I know all of maybe three people in this city.  I have a knack for the inevitable to happen to me, which proved true when I ran into a certain old flame eating with his mom.  Awkwardness aside, it was good to have company and familiar faces to share in my first tour stop here.  I've been told for being a big city, Grand Rapids has a very small feel, everybody knows everybody in some way.  I'm starting to see.  

If you're into locally grown and raised food then you'd be very happy here.  If you have special dietary needs I think you would be too.

Got a little nervous so pictures are limited.