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. 

The Kirby Grille

We recently visited Grand Haven as an overnight get away. We tried to find the place of our first date and we picked a place that was now a high end grille. Later we determined that we were a block off of our calculations, but the place we actually went to back then is now closed.

So we ended up in this fine dining place. The entrees were $26 on up. Sides were all $6 each. But who cares? We don't do it everyday.

First off, my wife was intrigued by the espresso martini. She's a coffeeaholic. And it was wonderful. I had a beer. Not a craft beer that tastes like Squirt, but real beer. And then we both opted for the sirloin. And then mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. It came family style so there was much more that two people could eat.

The atmosphere was very nice. Our server was very bland but very knowledgeable and I guess that's enough. He was very efficient and that is all one can ask.

Our steaks were very good, but certainly not medium as we ordered. No pink at all in the steak. Usually medium has a pink strip in the center. But this was medium well and that's generous. The mashed potatoes were so-so but the asparagus was great, but asparagus is hard to make badly.

So for dessert my bride had the Creme Brûlée. She does anytime she can. She is an expert. And this was the best she ever had. For dessert I had a real martini. Gin and vermouth, not the wannabe martini's with vodka. And yes "shaken, not stirred." Ben brought it to the table and shook our martini's for us.

Yum Yum. My Favorite dessert. 

 This is a great place for a fun time. And a great meal. All of it was awesome. So there it is.

Grade. A-

Pita Pit

I was recently in Ft. Myers Florida and one evening my brother and sister in law took me to a little spot they enjoy. It was called the Pita Pit. I suspected we would all be getting veggie falafels, but man, was I wrong. 

First one gets to choose the meat they desire. I chose Prime Rib. They throw that on the grill.  And then it gets a little subwayesque. Then there are decisions; I chose spinach, cucumbers, pickles, tomato, provolone cheese and mayonnaise. And then they put this amazing masterpiece together. It turns out like a burrito but much more tasty. And the pita has been specially designed so there are a couple flaps that hold it all together. 

They are lots less carbs with this meal than a burrito would be and this is a lot more enjoyable. One bite and I was hooked. Delicious. I can't recommend this place enough. I don't know if they are a chain or if this is it, but I suspect there is more than one. I wanted to get the address, but they didn't didn't have a business card. So I don't know the exact address but it is located at the corner of Fowler and Colonial.

This is delicious stuff and I can't recommend it enough. One of my only complaint is that there is not one in Greenville, Michigan. 

Grade: A-

Bravos!

Bravos!
East Beltine
Grand Rapids, Michigan

We were able to dine her with two of our dearest friends. I should mention that first. Because after all, they were the most important part of this meal. Anyhow, with reservations we were let into the restaurant.

Billy and I both got the Lasagna, which the obligatory gay waiter explained that was sort of their premium product. When it arrived, I was taken aback at the size of it. It was the size of a wet burrito in a Mexican Restaurant. It was very tasty, and although I never thought I could finish it, I did. So that says something about how tasty it was.

Bill's wife Sandy elected a chicken dish and she shared a small portion of it with me. It was very delectable indeed.

The lasagne was a nice sized portion. And it was tasty indeed. But seriously, reservations?


The Good: Easy parking. Great informative service.

The Bad: It's noisy in there. The acoustics leave a lot to be desired. It was difficult to carry on a normal conversation without practically hollering across the table.

The Ugly: For a just average loud restaurant experience, it requires reservations. Bravos!, you ain't all that. You are not a notch above Chili's or the Outback. Don't kid yourselves. But the food was really good.

The Egg and I

The Egg and I
Pensacola, Florida.

While we were in Pensacola on our last venture, we stopped to a place near our hotel for breakfast one day. We ended up eating there three times. It was wonderful.

A nice clean atmosphere with a terrific menu that offered lots of interesting options. My wife is more of an experimenter, so she usually jumps around a menu. I tend to find something that is very good and order it every time. 

Penny tried lots of stuff. Pecan Pancakes being one of her favorites. But everything here was interesting and good. 

It is a breakfast/lunch place as the sign says. But it has a loyal following. Once we got there early and there were people lined up. They didn't open till like 8 or 9 which I thought was weird for a breakfast place. And after they opened the place filled up quickly. No dinner menu. 

They focus on the egg. And whatever they do that involves an egg, they do it very well. We went there three times and look forward to maybe stopping here again when we are there in July. 

So yes I recommend this spot if you ever need breakfast or lunch while in Pensacola, Florida. 

Not to mention that I love that they are inspired for their name by a great Hollywood film. 

We love it and will be there again. 

Grade: A-

McGuire's

McGuires
Pensacola, Florida.

We went to this place because our daughters who have lived in Pensacola for a number of years raved about the place. It touts itself an Irish Pub and is well known as a premier eating establishment. 

It is a nice place with an interesting atmosphere. The wall are covered in dollar bills. There are sharpies and staplers strategically place around the restaurant and people sign a dollar bill and find a place to staple. The walls and ceilings are covered. It's crazy. And no, you won't find a bill with my name on it there. 

But the wait staff were outgoing, and the young lady we had as it turned out was from Rockford. The next town west of us! How crazy is that?

So we ordered. I ordered some brouchetta. I happened to mention out loud that the only place I really  liked it was from The Twisted Rooster and that is how we found out our waitress is from Rockford. And honestly, if you are from out of town and can't effectively take something home and warm it up later, this is not the place for you. Huge portions. You will never leave here hungry. Never. 

And they do serve alcohol with a large beer and wine menu.

It was good food, but my complaint is that honestly the portions were too big. No one could eat this at one setting. And one pays a wee bit extra because of the portion size. 

So if you are hungry in Pensacola this is the place for you. Well worth the visit. The food was good. Everyone was satisfied. Great wait staff. And the cool thing is, to tip, just pull a few buck off the wall.

Grade: B+