Could this restaurant be the best place for Italian food in West Michigan?

Amore's Cozze bowl

I don't take anointing a restaurant with "the best" title of anything lightheartedly. Sure, West Michigan is not Chicago when it comes to a myriad of good selections for authentic Italian food, but, we do have a few options. It took me several trips to the restaurant's website to finally convince myself that this place could be worth the twenty minute drive
from downtown Grand Rapids. First of all, its location is not exactly a hot spot for good eateries in the area. In fact, N. Alpine is not even remotely close on my foodie radar screen.

Right across from the "landmark" Oasis hot tub resort on the barren stretch between Five Mile and Six Mile Road on Alpine Avenue, lies the restaurant that serves up the best Italian food in the area. Hands down. The place is Amore Trattoria Italiana. Forget the fact that my kids were appalled when we drove up to to this restaurant that looks like it had it share of former identities including a pub and a former Brann's Steakhouse. Amore, from an architecture and interior design standpoint is between a charming dive joint and nice family restaurant. The chef/owners have done everything they can within their budget to bring life into the place, from the colorful paintings for sale in the dining room to kitschy Italian memorabilia on the walls. The dark bar/lounge with mostly high tops occupy the southern half of the restaurant while the dining room with banquettes and four-top tables on the built-in dance floor reside on the northern half. But get past all the physical aspects of Amore and get down to the real reason for visiting - the FOOD!

We visited Amore twice in the last month to make sure that our first dining experience wasn't a mere fluke. In fact, this was just the beginning of our love affair with Amore's food. Both times, the food were simply the best tasting Italian food we'd experienced in the city (the former Tuscan Express on 28th St. and Cascade used to hold this distinction for me). From the mussels with a sauce worthy of bread double-dipping, to the decadent home-made pastas to the pizza crust that tastes exactly like it was right off the ovens in Rome to the friendly servers, and even more hospitable hosts, Chef Jenna and her husband, Maurizio Arcidiacono.

What differentiates Amore's food from other Italian restaurants in West Michigan is you get this sense that the chefs actually eat this at home. For most part, theses are recipes from Chef Maurizio's family back in Busto Arsizio, Italy. Their plates are simple Italian dishes done very well and with lots of "amore." That is perhaps the big difference. Food cooked with a lots of love and history cannot be replicated by a line cook or even a chef. Just like grandma's cooking; there's just something about them that makes it come out perfectly. It's the Italian umami.

Here are my favorites: The pizza crust is impeccably Italian. The four-cheese with arugula is wholesome. Any of the homemade pastas are irresistible. I personally love the Bucatini alla Amatriciana. My wife adores the Polpette Della Nonna - one of the best eggplant dishes she has ever had. Portions are West Michigan sizes; so come hungry or be prepared to share plates.

Jenna loves her desserts. Her tiramisu is succulent though a bit sweet for my own taste. I prefer tiramisu with just mascarpone. Jenn adds some cream for a richer cake.

The wine list is purely Italian and all very reasonable. We tried the Savini Riserva (DOCG) and the Brunello di Montalcino which were both incredible wines for the price.

Any recommendations for the restaurant? I can say that some of the plate presentations could be simplified and cleaned up; more specifically, too much lettuce for decorations. Also, I prefer lemon wedges I can squeeze easily versus lemon wheels which are really for decorative purposes.

I highly recommend Amore if you are looking for authentic tasting Italian food. Amore is also a big proponent of using as many local farms and purveyors. If you can get past the appearance of the building, you might just fall in love with this place as much as my family did.

Amore Trattoria Italiana
5080 Alpine Avenue
Comstock Park, MI.
616.785.5344

Quattro Formaggi

Special Blossoms from Chef Jenna

Large Caprese order

Bucatini alla Amatriciana

Spaghetti with Mussels

House-made Ravioli Del Giorno

Gnocchi di Patate

Vitello

Polpette della Nonna

Tiramisu 

A Visit to Michigan's Farm Garden

This is, perhaps, my favorite exhibit at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. I have never lived in a farm, but I have romanticized about the experience of being one with one's environment. Walking through the farm's garden's, barnyard, and farm house is worth the price of admission if this was the only exhibit you have to see.

Below is the description of Michigan's Farm Garden from the Meijer Garden's website along with more photos I took of the farm.

"Michigan's Farm Garden is reminiscent of a 1930's family farm. The farmhouse, barn, gardens, sugar shack and animal pens are reminders of a bygone era when the land supplied the family with groceries and income, a time when every family member helped with chores.

Central to the Michigan's Farm Garden is the 1880's farmhouse. It is a three-quarters scale model of Lena (Rader) Meijer's childhood home. The wrap-around porch has rocking chairs for visitors to reminisce and escape from the summer heat. The windmill was an important feature on the farm, supplying water and powering other machinery. Restored to its original glory, the windmill is from the Rader family farm.

The century-old barn was moved from it's original site with the help of Amish craftsmen. Awarded "2005 Barn of the Year" by the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, the barn remains a symbol of a vanishing way of life.

Farm animals are represented by bronze sculptures. Pigs, goats, sheep and horses all played a role in keeping the family clothed and fed. Do you recall stump fences along farm fields? We have them in bronze at Michigan's Farm Garden.

The vegetable gardens and flower beds are dedicated to heirloom varieties � open pollinated types used for more than 50 years. Appearance and short shelf-life of fruits and vegetables were not important to the 1930's farm. The well-tended bounty was grown for quality in flavor and much was used fresh. Nothing went to waste; great emphasis was placed on preserving, canning and storing food for the whole year."

Sonoma Restaurant & Wine Bar, Washington, D.C.

arugula salad - black trumpet mushrooms, pecorino, pine nuts, red wine P3 vinaigrette

I love stumbling into restaurants I have never been to or heard of when I travel. Such was the case for Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar on Capitol Hill. It was well past 1 PM and the entire Aquino clan and some friends were all starving and ready to take a break from the sweltering DC heat.

The interiors of Sonoma has clean lines and a comforting ambiance. The wine bar dominates the first floor main dining
room. The restaurant has a wonderful event space upstairs complete with soft seating for up to 175 guests.

We chose Sonoma partly for its mission of using the best naturally-raised ingredients and locally sourced products. I can always learn from these visits and see what we could implement in six.one.six restaurant back in Grand Rapids.

The food reminded me a lot of Chez Panisse in Berkeley. From the Arugula Salad with trumpet mushrooms that tasted like it was just plucked from the backyard garden to the house-made Spaghetti with garlic, ricotta and egg yolk. I ordered the Stuffed Calamari with potato, salumi and squid ink aioli, and to my surprise, my son Jules loved it and we had to order him another portion. My good friend Luigi ordered the Mushroom "burger" with hand cut fries which was nourishing as it was filling despite not having a slab of beef in between the buns.

You can count that I will be back in Sonoma on my next trip to DC. Hopefully, when the weather is a bit cooler.

the wine bar

house made spaghetti - ricotta, garlic, egg yolk, oregano, black pepper

stuffed calamari - potato, salumi, lemon, squid ink aioli

mushroom "burger" - grilled onions & hand cut fries

the long banquette seating

smashburger: No Ordinary Burger Joint

Secret "Vegas" style smashburger

I really don't frequent chain restaurants. A couple of times a year; mostly  on the road when there are not a lot options in the middle of rural America. Once a year, I would crave a Big Mac meal, but that's about it. Now, things would be different if there was an In-N-Out burger in Michigan - the one chain that I love.  However, there is a new "kid" in town and that frequency might have to increase because this chain is worth the trip.

Smashburger officially opened its 110th restaurant in Grand Rapids in July; the chain's first in the Grand Rapids area. I
was fortunate enough to be invited to the press sneak peak at its Medical Mile location. In fact, you can see from my receipt that I was smashburger's first customer (hey, I thought that was cool)! Expecting another "burger," I was surprised to see fresh Angus beef patties (same day delivery) and options galore to customize each burger. SB also emphasizes the local culture by featuring a Michigan Olive Burger and a Michigan Cherry BBQ sauce. Each SB location offers a local signature dish.

I ordered a Create Your Own burger with grilled onions and a fried egg which was beautifully presented in a metal mesh tray. The burger was seasoned perfectly, and along with my toppings, made for one delicious meal. The counter attendant coerced me into ordering the Sweet Potato Fries which was equally good.

Tom Ryan, the founder of smashburger was on hand to introduce his creation to his hometown. Tom is a graduate of West Catholic High School and Michigan State University. He invited me to "smash" my own burger in the kitchen to really see the quality of preparation that happens with each burger. Each patty is literally smashed for ten seconds to cook the burger surface evenly. There is no shortcut to the method.

Tom also brought out their humungous Michigan Harvest Salad Bowl and SB's secret 'Las Vegas" style smashburger. Let's just say that either would be sufficient for your entire meal for the day.

While I don't plan on visiting the hospital food court soon, I am anticipating the opening of the next smashburger on East Beltline and 28th street (former Blockbuster video). Good things are always worth the wait.

smashburger Medical Mile
25 Michigan Street

First Smashburger inside the Medical Mile Food Court

My Smashburger with Sweet Potato Fries

Smashburger with Fried Egg

Michigan Harvest Salad with Grilled Chicken

First customer!

Founder Tom Ryan, a West Catholic and MSU grad

Each Smashburger is "smashed" for 10 seconds