Mission Barbecue

Mission BBQ
East Beltline across from Celebration Theater North
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I love BBQ. I have to say that right up front because I am prejudiced right from Jump Street. This was highly recommended so we were anxious to get here.

Right from the beginning we were put off. We have to stand in line and have to try to quickly read and ingest the menu. One gets confused and then right away you have to order. So you quickly settle on just any old thing.

As per the usual the sauce array is on the table and one can review while waiting for the food to arrive.

When the food arrived, I had ribs, my wife had chicken, it was totally....adequate. The sides were also wonderfully adequate. The sauces were what you would expect the usual fare. They were not bad, but usual.

This was a good meal. The portions were generous, and it was counter service so no complaints there.
But for us, it doesn't merit a special trip to Grand Rapids. Especially when we have better closer.

But if you are in the area and hankering for Barbecue, definitely give this a try.


Grade: B-

Zorba's
111 W. Portage Ave.
Sault St. Marie Michigan 49783




My wife was able to visit this establishment this summer and she was so enamored with the place that when we all had a chance to be there again last weekend I considered it a rare opportunity. She had gotten the number 2 when she was there before and was blown away. It was a gyro, and a Greek salad, and a Souvlaki.

So like sheep we all ordered the number 2. There were 5 of us. But before that we ordered that, we ordered a kind of sampler platter and I realized that the item that intrigued me on the menu I should have gone with. I should have went outside the box and ordered the Dolmades. But anyhow, we got our food and it was fantastic.

After the sampler platter stuff, I couldn't eat all of my number 2 but I got into it the next day. It was terrific food, spiced just enough, intriguing because I don't get exposed to Greek food enough. As mentioned there was a dish called Dolmades.  It was a marvelous rice and beef thing wrapped in a grape leaf and a lemonish sauce was poured on. This was wonderful. I wish I would have ordered it.

In reality I will probably never be here again, but if I am I'm going to get into it. If I lived there I would go everyday and know every item on the menu very well.

If you ever go up to see a ship go through the Locks, stop in just a little jaunt down the street to visit here. You won't regret it.

Grade: B+

see menu and hours online.

Water Tower Grille and Smokehouse

The Water Tower Grille and Smokehouse. 

M-44 in Belding

In Belding, the Candlestone Hotel and Golf Course has long had a restaurant. And it wasn't bad. They were well known for their Sunday brunch. But this spring they went through a renovation and turned it into a barbecue smokehouse. Naturally I was anxious to try it, but as things are in this area whenever anything new opens people pack the place for the first month so all can say they've tried it. So we tend to hang back and let some time go by. 

I hadn't heard any reports about it but since I'm a barbecue fan, and the barbecue north of town Coles closed, I looked forward to give this place a go. 

We we got there, the place was virtually empty so I was assured that our timing was right. However while we were there, the place began filling up. 

The wait staff were helpful and attentive and more than willing to explain the menu. I order the ribs and Penny decided on the half chicken. All of the sauces were on the table as is usually customary. We would need them for as the waitresses shirts proclaim, "You food will be served naked!" For sides I chose the mashed potatoes and the rice pilaf. Penny got the deconstructed corn and the mashed potatoes as well. Both dishes came with a very good cornbread and it was all served in a covered basket type arrangement with the sides served in separate dishes. 

Now it was do or die time. And I do have to say it was to die for. Everything I had was excellent. The ribs were falling off the bones and the sauces were excellent. Penny loved the corn. The cornbread  was better than some, but not as good as the white real deal cornbread from the south. The portions were very generous and I was able to get three meals out of it. I may have actually been able to get four, but on the third I got carried away. Pennys deconstructed corn was fabulous. It is grilled corn taken off the cob. 

I can't wait to visit again, because I was somewhat negligent in not ordering the beans and coleslaw.

I don't have much negative thoughts about it. I was a bit put off by the near fast food presentation, but the food sold it. Parking was simple, but then again we arrived at a good time.

So high recommendations on this restaurant tucked away in a hotel.  It is worth seeking out.

GRADE: A-

Diamond Jim's

My son and his beautiful bride wanted us to try a new spot they found in their town of Midland, Michigan. Diamond Jim's. My son had been there many times and knew what to order, so I tried what he suggested.

We opened the meal with the appetizer of a cup of chili. This was a unique and tasty chili; it contained spaghetti pasta among other things. And it was satisfying indeed. Sometime visiting again, I may just want to get a bowl of the chili.

But upon our son and daughter-in-law's suggestion we got the Ollie Burger, Diamond Jim's premium product. And I can see why. This was a full beef patty with all the fixings. Lots of cheese, lettuce, 2 slices of tomato, onion, and other things, and a special house sauce. The house sauce has a bit of a bite to it that is quite satisfying.

This was a wonderful experience. The place was way understaffed but the waiter was working his butt off, and made it work perfectly. It has a full bar and several craft beers are associated and sold  from all over the state. This was a nice atmosphere and it was a terrific experience.

I will go back again, and guess what? I'll get that Ollie Burger. Now and always.

Grade: A-

Chapz Steak House

Chapz Steak House
Lakeview, Michigan.


We heard about an exciting new restaurant that is getting a lot of buzz in the area. It was recommended to me based on their ribs. So that's what I ordered. My wife figured since they were a steakhouse she'd go with the premium product. She ordered a 12 oz. Ribeye. There are pictures on the menu of how you are ordering your steak. Those pictures of at least one inch thick steaks showed that the medium well was the one she wanted. She also ordered the salad and baked potato.

I ordered the ribs, cole slaw, and mashed potatoes. The cole slaw was awesome. They served a very generous order of mashed potatoes served in a bowl on the side. The gravy was very good. And the ribs, were generous and excellent. They came with a great Carolina sweet sauce.

So my meal was excellent.

My wife's was a different story. First of all Chapz has way over thought the salad and have some sort of fancy lettuce that they've decided to leave in big leaf, was hard for her to cut, and she said tasted like grass. Now I'm not suggesting they go to the white Gordon Food stuff, but a nice fluffy green leaf would be great. Her baked potato was a baked potato. Hard to mess that up. And now to their premium product. They are a steak house after all. That medium well thing? That's just a picture on a menu the cooks have never looked at apparently. First of all there is no way on God's green Earth that her steak was 12 oz. I don't believe it was 8. Maybe 9, but that's optimistic. That thick steak on the menu? When it came it was maybe 3/8 or a 1/2 thick. And it was burnt beyond belief. Like Hiroshima the bowels of Hell burnt. No where near Medium it was way past Well Done. The  waiter who was fabulous offered to send it back but Penny didn't want to wait for another so she kept it. It was like trying to eat shoe leather. It cost around $20. This was one of the worst meals she's ever tried to endure.

So my meal was terrific, and her's was the worst ever. So what is a reviewer to do? I guess go again. That is if I can ever talk my wife into it.

Slow's Barbecue
The Marketplace
Grand Rapids, Michigan

I have been wanting to visit this place for the longest because I am such a fan of barbecue. I have been to barbecue joints all over the south, and really all over the nation. And initially I heard this was a good place.

Man was I lied to.

This place is first of all is going to die for being tragically hip. And it's funny. Northerners don't know how to eat barbecue so why they bother to come here befuddles me. The table next to me all of the people at their stuff without any sauce. Sheesh.

Anyway on to the specifics. First of all it'a all ala carte meaning they pinch you at every turn. We have paid ala carte before but each side we ordered was ample enough for two. But not here.

So we each ordered a side which of course was extra. I got the waffle fries [which I hate but what else goes with ribs?] and Penny got the cornbread.

When the cornbread came it was yellow, a signal that it's not good. If anyone has ever had the real-deal cornbread it comes white. It's awesome. And the yellow crap was small and certainly not worth $3.50. There were plenty of my waffle fries but most of them came home with me because really, nobody likes these. They aren't awesome hip. They suck.

I ordered the ribs and my wife ordered the sampler plate. These were the worst ribs I've ever had. I got the half rack and I didn't get enough meat to make a sandwich. The last two ribs were the only ones with any meat at all.

My wife's sampler plate came and the brisket was mostly fat. The pulled pork and the chicken were only so-so. Border line bland.

Our waiter had a man-bun so right off the place thinks it's cutting edge but one can't respect a man-bun any more than a hyphenated last name.

This place totally is ridiculously terrible. We dropped $50 bucks for a pathetic half rack of ribs, and a crappy sampler platter with bad fries and horrible cornbread [that wasn't even hot by the way.]

Avoid this place at all costs. I've never done this before, but

Grade: E
This place is terrible and I can't think of a single redeeming quality.

Pieology


This is so sophisticated that it appears to be a chain. What a great idea. One has to wonder did Subway see this and introduce pizzas or did Pieology see what Subway was trying to do and take it to the next level?

You basically walk in, select your crust, your butter, your sauce and then all the toppings. You pay.
They put them in the oven and you go pour your drink, get napkins, if you are smart grab the to go box and wait about 6 minutes. Your hot pizza it brought to your table. But all tables are too close to the door in the winter. So there's that.

I get the thin crust because this is the best thin crust in the business. Some people I'm with get the thick crust because they are somehow greedy, but the thin crust is much better. My wife tried the thick crust and next time the thin crust. She is sold - thin crust all the way.

This is a great concept done extremely well. Our only lament was why is there is not one in our town.

This is highly recommended. But I can't tell you where there are more.

Grade: A-

Amendment: Pieology, at least in Grand Rapids, has closed and are gone. Perhaps they didn't survive the pandemic.