All throughout this weekend and next week, Grand Rapid is celebrating Restaurant Week. The celebration actually kicked off on Wednesday, and will run for a total of twelve foodie-satiating days! Those who live in the Greater Grand Rapids area should make a point of participating; a big part of the inspiration for the event is to bring new and different restaurants into the view of area patrons.
There are a total of sixty-seven restaurants participating in this event, all of which would like you to come visit them and “Taste the City.” A menu of all the participating restaurants that will narrow the list to your preferences is available online here. Of those sixty-seven restaurants, fourty-three will be offering three-course locally-inspired menus for $28 per person. Twenty of the remaining restaurants will be offering a three-course menu for two people for the same price of $28.
The restaurants offering $28 single person menus include local favorites such as One Trick Pony, Gilly’s at the BOB, Cygnus 27, Grand Rapids Brewing Company, The Green Well, and the Bandit Queen. The $28 for two line-up includes Stella's Lounge, The Pearl Street Grill, Flatlanders, and Lindo Mexico. Clearly, there is something for everyone, from fancy fish and fine dining to casual Tex-Mex and Italian places.
In addition to the locally-inspired three-course menus on offer at participating restaurants, there was also the Grand Cocktail 2015 challenge calling on local bartenders at twenty-nine of the Restaurant Week restaurants. Mixologists at these various sites submitted recipes for cocktails in two categories: Most Creative Woodford Reserve Julep and Most Creative Herradura Tequila Summer Cocktail. Customers voted online, and the winners were announced on August 5th at Gravity Taphouse Grille. The first place winner in the Julep category was Tara VanderMolen from Licari's Italian Pizza Kitchen for a concoction entitled “Grand Smash.” The winner for the tequila category was Chris Maxim from Bar Davani, with a drink that includes watermelon and cucumber from a local farmer's market named “A Midsummer's Night Shrub.”
The best thing about Restaurant Week, other than the way it provides area residents with an excuse to treat themselves to sumptuous night on the town, is the fact that $1 from every Restaurant Week meal sold this year will be donated to a student scholarship fund for culinary students at the nationally-recognized Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. This has been a tradition since the 2010 Restaurant Week, and so far, the restaurants that participate in Restaurant Week have donated close to $100,000 to Student Scholarship Fund at the GRCC Seccia Institute for Culinary Education.
Restaurant Week is just one of many excellent examples of the thriving culture in West Michigan. It's no wonder the West Michigan real estate market is so hot right now; it's a wonderful place to live with an increasing number of festivals and events every year! Here at Pyxis Realty, we love to see our city and its various communitys thrive. Creative, fun, socially engaging events like Restaurant Week are what make the Greater Grand Rapids area great. Get out and try one of more of the participating restaurants. Not only will you get to enjoy a great night out, but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you're also helping make our city a better place.