Rumney's Fiesta Cafe

Rumney's Fiesta Cafe
129 S. Lafayette Street
Greenville, Michigan.

You know this is just one of those places one takes for granted. Great food, great service, and reasonable pricing. Much overlooked, but those who attend swear by it, and sing it's praises.

The thing is, Rumney's is not open on weekends or after 8:00 p.m. But they do serve great food and they always have a "special." And I usually really like the 'specials.' But they never fill me up.

This restaurant focuses on Mexican cuisine, but there is a wide variety of things featured on the menu. You can get a Olive Burger or a terrific Club Sandwich. Many great choices.

The owner Bill, obviously loves Mexican food. That's a given. There is another big Mexican restaurant in Greenville, but if I were you, just stick with Rumney's. The food is delicious and not extravagantly priced. And really, what sane human being eats dinner after 8:00 p.m.?

Go for it. The evening waitress is fun and a marvel to watch. This girl is a worker. She does the whole floor alone, with ease, and doesn't bat an eye. Greenville has a lot to offer and Rumney's Fiesta Cafe is a treasure that deserves to be checked out.

The Good: Variety in menu options. And all good. The Decor is so cheesy it's kinda cool without meaning to be.

The Bad: Weird parking. If we can't park in front, we don't stop. Also, the specials don't fill you up. And I believe you should NEVER walk out of a restaurant hungry. And then there's the hours.....not real user friendly. No weekends.

The Ugly: There are regular weirdos that hang out in there and were too shell-shocked from Viet-Nam to not be vocal. God Bless 'em, but just sayin'......

Grade: B-

The Wealthy Street Bakery.

The Wealthy Street Bakery
608 Wealthy Street
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I had just given my wife and father-in-law a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Meyer May house in Grand Rapids, and before leaving my wife asked our friend Shirley if there was anywhere good to eat nearby. Shirley instantly assured us there was. The Wealthy Street Bakery around the corner.

Shirley knows of what she speaks.

This is primarily a bakery. But they do serve an assortment of soups and sandwiches along with coffees, lattes, and other coffee drinks. I opted for the turkey and provolone, while my wife and father-in-law ordered the chicken salad sandwich. We all elected to have the soup along with our sandwich. There is only one soup at a time, and at that moment, it was cheesy broccoli. I normally don't like "cheesy" thick soups, but since it was the only one available I decided to give it a try. And I'm glad I did.

Our sandwiches arrived and I must say I was hesitant about the whole idea. I had been craving a burger. But after I took the first bite of this wonderful turkey and provolone, with lettuce, and some mayo/mustard concoction, on the BEST bread ever..... I no longer wanted a burger. I wanted to figure out how to make this sandwich experience last as long as possible. And did I mention the others' Chicken Salad sandwiches? They came also on the the aforementioned BEST bread ever, and besides chicken included lots of interesting stuff including cranberries.

The soup I had been apprehensive about was simply wonderful. Cheesy for sure, but not thick and overpowering. It was light and was filled with very fresh broccoli that still had life in it. If all cheese-broccoli could be this I would have a bowl every day.

We all enjoyed this little jewel very much. I will be going there again as my occasional duties as a docent at the Meyer May house bring me to that area of Grand Rapids. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It was wonderful.

The Good: Lots of parking, plenty of seating, casual atmosphere, employees who really care and take pride in the food.

The Bad: Only a bakery and lunch place. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it means the menu is fairly limited.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday.


Grade: A.

The Twisted Rooster

The Twisted Rooster
1600 East Beltline
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525


Okay, I had always thought this was a chain, and therefore never paid it much mind. But the other night we stopped in and found out that it is a chain....of 3. All in Michigan. So it's a local chain that deserves a mention.

As we entered....it was noisy. Really noisy. I guess some fancy New York advisor tells them that noisy is good...seems happening, friendly, on top of it. To me, it was too noisy. Lousy acoustics. But if the wife and I raised our voices, we could communicate. My wife had been there before, and she got what she knew to be great....the "Twisted Mac and Cheese." I wasn't really all that hungry so I just randomly picked some "Parmesan Cheese Bruschetti". Spelling error on Bruschetti  not withstanding.

Our server was prompt and wonderful. She was on top of her game. She was full of history and exclamations about the place. And our drinks came fast and for as crowded as the place was - and this was a Thursday night - our entrees were very prompt.

The menu was loaded with Michigan menu items, and obviously they supported many Michigan growers to churn out the menu specialties. Just a shout out to the restaurant, in case anybody actually likes Michigan. I don't. So there's that.

But when the food arrived....oh buddy! What great food. I cannot either spell or describe my Bruschetti. It was some of the best stuff I've ever eaten. Exquisite. The various textures of pasta, croutons, tomato, and cheeses just lit my pallet up.

My sample of my wife's "Twisted Mac and Cheese" was extraordinary. What a great meal from a simple idea! We were both just giddy over how good the food and service were.

I told my son that we'd gone there and he chimed in with his favorite entree...and fancy nachos dishes that feature Jalapenos. He absolutely loves 'em.

All I can say is bring your ear-buds, and be ready to treat your taste-buds. This was one great dining experience.....except for the noise...

Grade: A-

City Park Grill

City Park Grill
432 E. Lake Street
Petosky, Michigan
231-347-0101

This bar/restaurant is located next to the park in Petoskey, Michigan and was formerly known as "The Park Gardens." Back in the old days it was favorite hang-out of Ernest Hemingway when he stayed in northern Michigan. In fact he mentioned it by name in "The Torrents of Spring." Its other claim to fame is that one night in 1902 or 03, Mark Twain strolled in and had a large beer approximately in the spot where the woman in this picture is seated. He was on a speaking tour and was there that evening.

The establishment had added on sometime in the late 70's extending the room to add additional dining space as it moved away from strictly being a drinking establishment. Since then it has changed hands again, and also changed it's name becoming the "City Park Grill"

We were there with a group of eight, which allowed for several different menu choices. We were there at lunchtime. I selected the Fish & Chips and my wife ordered the macaroni and cheese with parmesan chicken added. Others in the party ordered the macaroni and cheese with mushrooms added, and still others ordered various sandwiches.

The Good: My Fish and Chips were the best I've ever had. The fish was breaded just right and the tartar sauce was made from scratch. The fries were like my mom used to make which is the basis from which all fries should be judged. The fish was  tasty but didn't scream "this is fish!" My wife even tried a piece and liked it. That is saying something! (see below).....The others all seemed to enjoy their sandwiches very much.

The Bad: Our friend Lizzie's macaroni and cheese with mushrooms took forever to arrive, since they messed up the order and had to redo it. But they did, and they did so graciously. They didn't charge her for it.

The Ugly: My wife complained that her mac and cheese with chicken tasted like fish. I don't know how she knows what fish tastes like, since she refuses to eat it.
But she was not happy with it.

This place is well worth a visit if you're ever in the Petosky area. Just note the beautiful ornate woodwork in the picture above. I thought the food was very good and the service was wonderful. They are also a full bar, and offer an extensive wine list. The pricing was not extravagant. My fish and chips was roughly $8.99.

The prevailing knowledge is that the table area shown here (at the time was the back wall, the other room was added in the 1970's) was where Hemingway used to sit, drink, and scrawl into journals.

Grade: A-

Johnnie's Drive-In and Bar-B-Q

Johnny's Drive-In and Bar-B-Q

Tupelo, Mississippi

This is the oldest restaurant in Tupelo, and it is located not far from where Elvis lived as a kid. He used to frequent Johnny's often and he always sat in a particular spot. I sat there.

This is indeed a drive-in, and when we took a minute getting out of our car, a car-hop started out. We wanted to eat inside though. I wanted to sit in the afore-mentioned spot.

This place still features burgers cut with grain, the way they did during World War II. If you want them. They had to make meat stretch and last longer. They also still feature a "Slug" burger, so named because it only cost a nickel when it began. It costs about $1.32 today. You can still get a regular cheeseburger.

I had a regular cheeseburger and fries because I guessed that it was what Elvis would have ordered. Penny opted for the Bar-B-Q pork sandwich and honestly she was not impressed. Underwhelmed. But she didn't add sauce. So there's that.

But overall, it is worth a visit just for the charm and historic value. But don't plan on any kind of good eats.

Overall Grade: C-

The Blue Canoe

THE BLUE CANOE
2006 N. Gloster
Tupelo, Mississippi

This is a funky place. A bandstand where every band that plays there can scrawl their name on the back wall. Local artists put up their art featuring bluesmen. A patio.

We visited on a Monday night. Late. It was kind of quiet. We were not famished, so we decided to split an entree. The waitress recommended the duck quesadilla, so we went with it.

The duck quesadilla was indeed wonderful. The fries were great. Like my Mom used to make (the way I judge all french fries). They usually need to bow to my mother Ruth. Her french fries were uncanny.

The Good: The food and service were wonderful. Nice atmosphere. Not expensive at all.

The Bad: Parking. Very limited and tight. A place this nice needs lots of parking.

I have no hesitation in recommending this place to anyone visiting Tupelo. In a state as rural and mysterious as Mississippi (one of my favorite states) there is modern urban charm found here. The Blue Canoe falls into that category.

Grade: A-

Lambert's Cafe

LAMBERT'S CAFE
2305 East Malone
Sikeston, Missouri 63801

We stumbled into this place quite by accident. What a happy accident! We try to eat at local joints while on the road, and this was the only place that wasn't a chain when we just happened to stop in Sikeston, Missouri. (Okay we found out later there are three of them, but this is the main and original one - established in 1942.)

First of all, this place is huge. I cannot imagine how many people can eat here at one time. The kitchen must be a thing to marvel. Just the logistics of washing dishes must be mind-boggling. There were dozens of staff people in the dining area; I cannot fathom what the crew in the kitchen must consist of.

The decor is pretty much "license plate." They have covered the walls with them and have signs begging for more. It's just a silly fun place - evidenced by the restroom sign that is upside down.

The whole big gimmick of the place is that they throw rolls at you. As explained in a brochure, one time the server was way too busy and a customer wanted another roll. The server kept giving him the 'in a second' sign, and he finally just yelled "Just throw the dang thing to me." She did, and then everybody wanted theirs thrown to them. Thus, the "Home of the Throwed Rolls."

Another pleasing gimmick is that the staff walk around offering to keep filling your plate with what they call "Walk-arounds". These are: macaroni and tomatoes, fried okra, black-eyed peas, fried potatoes and onions, and a few others. We weren't starving when we got there so my wife just got the "walk-around plate", a plate of those items that was constantly being replenished. I ordered an entree. I got to have 3 sides with what I chose- Pork chops. I asked for mashed potatoes, cornbread, and candied yams. Plus I was entitled to all of the "walk-around" stuff. Get the picture? You cannot leave this place hungry.

I received two 3/4 inch thick breaded pork chops that were marvelous and this was with my sides and all of the walk-arounds. The candied yams were indeed candied. They were very sweet and wonderful. The corn bread was the real deal; not the yellow crumble-apart Cracker Barrel junk, but the solid, white, good old real-deal cornbread. 

The Good: The food was wonderful. Penny raved about the potatoes and onions. She said they were to die for. I loved the pork chops. It was like eating a steak. And the atmosphere was great. Something was always going on and that kept it interesting. And they actually had a big bowl of butter on the table, and it was butter that could actually be used! Hey you brain dead idiots at Cracker Barrel, it IS possible to serve butter that didn't just come out of a glacier!

The Bad: They close at 9. They may want to re-think that, because this is so much fun, it's the kind of place that is your night out. Not this and then a movie....just this.

The Ugly: Got nothin'. Our server was a great guy, who "accidentally" forgot to put Penny's walk-around plate on our bill. He must have realized that she wasn't that hungry and couldn't bring himself to charge her.

This was a wonderful experience and the eating highlight of our recent trip to the south. Go out of your way if you have too. You won't regret it, nor will you not get your money's worth.

Grade: A