The Best Meat in Town

I love food dive joints. I look for them wherever I'm at - Fuengirola, Manila, Chicago, Paris, Tortola. The soul of any city could be found where the masses eat. Plastic chairs, tacky placemats, poor lighting, off the beaten path locations.

I remember this Vietnamese dive my sister and my Mom took us in Hong Kong. It is located in a shabby alleyway near Lan Kwai Fong. We walked up this narrow wooden stairway, single file, maneuver our way pass rows of black hair diners cramped like new turf in the front room, duck underneath exposed pipes, before finding our way to our table located next to the one closet size bathroom. I can literally hear every trickle of pee from where I sat. But that damn house "ketchup rice" was to die for! I'll even flush the toilet for you. It was that good.

Closer to home, El Granjero (formerly El Ganadero) on the intersection of Bridge and Lane on the west side of the Grand river is my kind of dive. Most of the Mexican restaurants in the city are more American and Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican. I discovered this restaurant several years ago when only the hispanics came here. But I couldn't forget the carne asada burrito I ordered filled with sauteed onions, lettuce,tomatoes, chiles, fresh avocado and accompanied with a side of sauteed green onions. Their salsa is freshly made and quite addicting. My Mom (who lives in Paris) and sister (who lives in Hong Kong) also swears by this place.

A Mexican-American friend of mine from the Zapopan, Mexico, Grand Rapids Sister City Committee, Arturo Armillo, invited me to join him for lunch this afternoon. I told him that I wanted him to take me to his favorite Mexican dive. And sure enough, we landed right here at the El Granjero. Great minds (and appetite's) think alike.

Former waitress, Mercedes Lopez, of Mexico City,

is now the owner of El Granjero.

Meet the Artist: Gretchen Minnhaar

Gretchen Minnhaar in her loft studio in downtown Grand Rapids

The excitement for ArtPrize is finally gaining some steam as the deadline for matching artists and venues comes to a close at the end of the week. ArtPrize is awarding the world's largest art prize to the piece selected as the best by a public vote by the visitors to the two-week event and not by a panel of esteemed art critics. Over a thousand artists from all parts of the globe are signed up to date.

The JW Marriott Grand Rapids is one of the many downtown venues hosting artists to showcase their art. So far, we have committed to showcasing the work of several artists including the work of Argentinean born architect, Gretchen Minnhaar.

"Parkour" is the French activity of fluidly moving from one point to another - through jumping and acrobatically maneuvering one's way through urban obstacles such as sides of buildings, stairwells, railings and roof tops. Using famous buildings around the world such as the Eiffel Tower, Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and of course, the elliptical shape tower of the JW Marriott Grand Rapids as the background, Gretchen painted parkour "jumpers" scaling these famous landmark buildings. A series of 34 paintings will grace the rock wall entrance of the JW - awaiting hotel visitors as they enter the lobby of this globally themed hotel.

ArtPrize runs from September 23 through October 8, 2009. The first prize is $250,000 and the rest of the top 10 artist will split the remaining $250,000 - for a grand total of $500,000! ArtPrize is definitely one "giant leap" for Grand Rapids.

A prevue of "Parkour"

A bird's eye view of a Buenos Aires park from her

apartment deck inspired "Saturday in the park."

Global Faces

A clay model

People Walking

The Perfect French Crepe

French Crepe with Butter and Sugar (Beurre-Sucre)

My kids, especially Francesca, have an obsession with the French version of the American omelette. Visiting the Crepe Delice stand on rue Saint-Denis by my Mom's flat was part of our daily ritual whenever we were in Paris. The short walk through the alley of sex shops, prostitutes and smoky immigrant cafes is a cultural lesson in itself. I'm not the type to prevent my kids from these colorful travel experiences.

Paper thin crepe topped with butter and sugar is their all time favorite. Though Nutella and banana comes a close second. After years of trying to find a recipe to duplicate the savory goodness of the Paris crepe, I finally stumbled upon one simple recipe that recreates the perfect French Crepe. My French brother-in-law, Raph Blot, in his true French form, said that my crepe cannot duplicate his mother's recipe. The true test came last December during our family vacation in Buenos Aires. Raph finally tasted my crepe, and much to his disbelief said that "it came very, very close to his mother's crepe." I believe he asked for seconds. Ahhh...the French.

THE PERFECT FRENCH CREPE

1 cup flour

3/4 cup water

2/3 cup milk

3 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour - you can skip this step if the kids are really hungry. Cook in batches in a crepe pan. Place preferred toppings, fold and serve. It helps to have a crepe spatula. Yield: 8 small crepes or 4 large ones (the way my kids like it).

Cook on a stove top and place toppings before folding the crepe.

Filipino Style Baby Shower

Tahong (Mussels) with Vegetables

My wife and I attended a baby shower (yes, men were invited) yesterday for our good friend, Analou Opina Schoonmaker. I've been looking forward to this party for I knew that Analou's mother-in-law was going to go to town with the Filipino food. More importantly, I wanted to share in marking a milestone for my future god daughter.

The Menudo was my favorite, followed very closely by the pinakbet. It is times like these when I truly miss being home in the Philippines. Food has a magical way of connecting me to my childhood days and to the many food gatherings associated with it. It is quite ironic that the Filipino food I never really cared for when I was a child have become more endearing to my palette as I get older. Staples like bagoong (shrimp paste), pinakbet, tahong, kare-kare, or even my cholesterol infused favorite - lechon kawali (roasted and deep fried pork belly) - weren't exactly in my food vocabulary. However, you would never find me holding back when these items are in front of me these days. My only hope is that my American born children grow up to have the same affection for Filipino food as me.

Does food transport you back to your childhood?

Mongo Guisado (Mung Beans)

Pork Menudo

Chicken BBQ

Guisadong Ampalaya

Lumpia (Egg Rolls)

Pansit (Rice Noodles)

Chicken Adobo

Pinakbet (Vegetable Stew)

The New Halibut is Here

As much as I dine at the JW's six.one.six restaurant, it never seizes to amaze me when the kitchen surprises me with yet another fabulous dish. Regulars to the restaurant await the arrival of any new set on the menu just like the pageantry associated with the release of the Beaujolais Nouveau in France every third Thursday of November. The buzz last night was the new set for the popular halibut dish, which of course, I had to try. And the buzz did not disappoint. The Citrus Steamed Halibut is accompanied by preserved Meyer lemon, baby carrots, squash, turnip greens and a Romesco sauce.

I tried the Asian inspired Five Spice House Made Sausage and Rice Noodles as a starter. I am a bit hesitant when American kitchens attempt to recreate Asian food, but this sausage dish will fit right in with any dish served in Hong Kong or Shanghai. The sausage is served with local broccoli, carrots, shiitake, black bean sauce and basil from the hotel's Chef's Garden.

One of my favorites dessert on the menu is the Dancing Goat Cheesecake with chevre from local Dancing Goat Creamery, vanilla, apricot and candied macadamia nuts. Unlike the calorie buster cheesecakes from most restaurants in the U.S., this cheesecake perfectly balances sweetness with the creaminess of the goat cheese yet leaves the diner content and guilt-free from over indulgence.

The pastry team also delighted us with the absolutely memorable Peach Cobbler Wonton served with crisp cinnamon sugar wontons, amaretto creme anglaise and oat crumble. The fresh peach just explodes with the first bite sending the most tingling culinary sensation of heat, sweetness and crisp texture.

"It was the most satisfying dinner from start to finish" according to my dining friend, who is also a frequent guest at six.one.six.

Five Spiced Sausage with Rice Noodles

Dancing Goat Cheesecake

Peach Cobbler Wontons

My Favorite Beer in the World

You could usually tell the nationality of the hotel food & beverage director or general manager by the extensive list of wines from a particular country in their signature restaurant or banquet wine list. My food & beverage mentor from my days with Regent International, Jean-Pierre Leroux, distinctively added more French wines to our hotel list. A good f&b director friend from Austria, Gerhard Schmied, introduced the restaurant crowd in Grand Rapids with a stellar array of Austrian wines well before the Gruner fad started. 

Count on me to be the first GM in history to add Filipino wines to the hotel restaurant list - if that ever happens. In the meantime, my legacy lies in one of my favorite beers in the world. The Philippine's San Miguel beer is a crisply golden, hoppy beer with a distinct bitter-hop finish. It's the first Asian brewery in South East Asia (1890) and the also the first brewery in Hong Kong (1948). It commands a 95% market share in the Philippines. 

As you can imagine, every Filipino grew up on San Miguel beer. It was in the summer before high school when I started "enjoying" this brew. My friends and I would hang out at the local pool hall called "Pink House" and lavish in our freedom by drinking beer and smoking Marlboro "blue seals" - the term we used to classify American tobacco from the locally made Marlboro cigarettes.

Grand Rapids was a little slow in adopting this top notch Asian beer. A couple of years ago, World Market started carrying the beer as part of their global beer pack along with family-owned specialty grocery store, GB Russo's. The turning point came when the JW Marriott Grand Rapids introduced San Miguel beer in its Mixology selection in 2008. Then came the giant Meijer grocery chain - though I'm a bit irritated that they keep displaying the beer in the Latino beer section! The Asian store in the area also started carrying it last year.

I've been on a mission to promote San Miguel in the area by asking for it at the local watering holes even though I knew they didn't serve it. A few of my friends have been on a similar mission. To our delight, one of our favorite local bars, Logan's Alley, finally started offering San Miguel beer. So a funny thing happened last week when my Filipino friend, Mark Schoonmaker, texted me to meet him at Logan's for a little happy hour. We both ordered San Miguel's. I started texting more Filipino friends to join us and within an hour, we have occupied our little corner of Logan's. The first timers to Logan's were surprised to see San Miguel on our table - and with their burst of enthusiasm, the onslaught of San Miguel orders resulted into a steady stream of flowing San Miguel beer to our corner until we drank the bar dry of its supply. It was a small triumph for us "little people" from this poor country in Asia -  but it sure felt much larger than that. 

Have you ordered a San Miguel beer lately?

Shopping and Dining in Downtown Rockford

My wife and I took or teenage daughter, Margaux, to downtown Rockford, Michigan, for a little one on one time and "girl" shopping. I was impressed with how this historic downtown 10 miles North of Grand Rapids has slowly transformed itself into a destination worth the drive from any point in West Michigan. 

While Rockford still has a long ways to go when it comes to dining spots, two newer restaurants are making noise: Reds on the River and the Grill One Eleven. Reds being the more refined of the two with a scenic view of the Rogue river from its gigantic outdoor deck. I love the slightly higher than cost pricing for its extensive wine list. Though I'm a bit irritated that Reds is not open on Sundays during the summer! Grill One Eleven is a casual restaurant with good American pub food. My reuben was fantastic. 

Jade and Paper Doll are the two retail outlets which are teenage and mom friendly. Jade is beautifully designed with a nice collection of niche clothing from kids "metal" onesies to high end designer jeans.

For more information on Downtown Rockford, click here.

Jade

Poetry at Jade

Motley Crue Onesie

Sidewalk Sale at Paper Doll

Fly Fishing

Rockford Dam

Red Warehouse Coop

Second Floor Canopy at Reds on the River

Eat Local

Jen Crowley and Tami Systma hosted an "Eat Local" cocktail reception on the jdek of the JW Marriott last week for the 2009  alumni class of Leadership Grand Rapids - "The Sexiest Class Ever!" Anja Mast, the "co-earthtaker" of Trillium Haven Farm in nearby Jension, and JW sous chef, Joel Wabeke (kitchen alumni of Fat Duck in England and Journeyman Cafe in Fennville, Michigan), collaborated in presenting the class with an hors d'oeuvres menu using Trillium Haven Farms and JW's chef garden products. Consequently, the JW is one of Trillium Haven's biggest customer and supporter in West Michigan.

Anja shared with us the value of community supported agriculture (CSA) as it pertains to sustaining a healthier and stronger community. Chef Joel presented the class with the JW's philosophy of supporting local agriculture as a sustainable and profitable model for the JW's signature restaurant, six.one.six. 

Here are some "food for thought" from the flyer The Highland Group designed for our group:

* If every household started spending just $10 per week of their current grocery budget on local foods, we'd keep more than $37 million each week circulating within Michigan.

* Since 1900, 75 % of vegetable varieties have disappeared worldwide.

* Farms of 27 acres or less produce ten times more dollar value per acre than larger ones.

* Every dollar that stays in a community has three times the effect of a dollar that goes to a distant corporate HQ.

* In the U.S., four companies pack 83.5% of beef and 66% of pork, and crush 80% of soybeans.

* Global food prices increased almost 50% in 2008.

* 75% of the world's food is generated from just 12 varieties of plants and five animal species.

Watch a Flick:

Food, Inc. (2009)

The Future of Food (2006)

King Corn (2007)

Watch Something Online:

The Story of Stuff 

The Meatrix 

six.one.six is named after West Michigan's telephone area code.

Anja Mast speaks to the LGR Class of 2009

Server Nate showing off the the Duck Cakes

Five Spice House Made Sausage Skewers

Trillium Haven Flatbread

A Garden in the City

The main theme surrounding the creation of the JW's signature restaurant, six.one.six, is to "Eat Local, Feel Global." Our initial plan was to open an Italian restaurant, which downtown Grand Rapids really needed in 2007. However, at the suggestion of our company president, we decided to switch the theme to something more local -- focusing on locally produced vegetables, herbs, and even protein -- using global spices and cooking techniques to enhance the natural flavors of our Michigan products.

Americans lack the same regional pride in their farm products as the French, Italians and Spaniards. We do not share the same respect for the land and the passion for products our local farmers produce. But in every pocket of our abundantly rich country are small pockets of farm missionaries who are spreading the benefits of local farming -- from farm cooperatives to locally owned restaurants and organizations fully committed to changing the way we value our earth-- and simply the way we live and eat. 

The tide is slowly changing in Grand Rapids and I believe that the JW has succeeded in our mission to support our agriculturally diverse State. Though our job is far from over, we are proud to showcase our new downtown city Chef's Garden, right on our jdek patio, overlooking the Grand River. We have slowly incorporated the greens and herbs in our restaurant and bar menu. In August, we are looking forward to our first heirloom tomato and pole bean harvest. Through our company recycling program, we can now fertilize our garden from the compost from our food wastes. It's a beautiful thing. 

Come visit our city garden at the JW. Better yet, stay for a meal at six.one.six or the jdek. 

To learn more about "Eating Local," click on these links: Local First, West Michigan Guide to Local Food, Food for Thought Magazine, West Michigan Cooperative, Local Harvest and Trillium Haven Farm.

A morning at Fulton Street Farmers Market

It was a picture perfect day in Grand Rapids yesterday -- mid 80's, sunny with a slight breeze. My wife and I took advantage of the day and took our youngest child, Francesca, to the Fulton Street Farmers Market. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning.

The entrance to the market

I bought a focaccio from this vendor. Ten minutes in the oven, a little virgin olive oil and we were set for a light lunch.

Very colorful peppers

Fresh cut flowers

Baby cactus plants

JW's favorite goat cheese farm -- Dancing Goat Creamery in nearby Byron Center

Visser Farm radishes

Tower of flowers

Young vendor selling handmade organic soaps from Brickyard Farms

six.one.six restaurant server Carrie with former JW restaurant supervisor, Pia.

Mountain of green beans

Local Honey

Michigan Blueberries and Strawberries

Thai Basil