The St. Mary's Foundation Concrete Mixer

Guys in skirts always get the girls!

I have to give it a lot of credit to the St. Mary's Foundation committee members who hosted this fun event to kick off the renovation of the hospital's guest house. First of all, what a great name for a party on the hospital's parking lot. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by my host, Don "Big Daddy" MacKenzie, with a cup of brew from the crew at

Brewery Vivant & Michigan Brewers Guild. Paul Lee was inside the What The Truck roving kitchen dishing out Korean tacos. The folks at One Trick Pony, The Cottage Bar, Greenwell and Culvers were also on hand with concrete party delights.

For more fun, I saw former school chief Bert Bleke dish out his skills at corn holes. I witnessed my buddy Kurt Lacks miss an easy putt on the putting green. Otis Jackoboice was topless on the dunk tank (surprise!). Signal Trip, a local killer band, was atop a truck performing a wide range of hits from the 80's. Mike Hughes, a member of the Up Next class roamed the parking lot promoting the Guest House like a seasoned politician. I even got in the action as Chad Barton's sacrificial lamb at the inflatable jousting ring. 

Tomorrow, I will officially start my term as a trustee of the St. Mary's Foundation Doran Board. I am very honored to be a part of this energizing team. I saw and met a lot of the board members who were on hand with their construction-chic wear to lend support to this amazing project to assist families of patients to have a home away from home as love ones undergo treatment at the hospital.

The FUN element should always play a role in getting people to get involved in making a difference in our community. The Concrete Mixer certainly achieved that.

I need you to do me a favor, "like" the Saint Mary's Foundation facebook page by clicking here, and the 2011 St. Mary's Up Next Class will donate $1 for every new friend. A simple and fun way to make a difference. Thank you.

Two of My Favorite Places in the World - Mandarin Oriental & New York City

The Mandarin Oriental New York just launched a new video to seduce you to their breathtaking setting overlooking one of the most picturesque cities in the world. 

A Pho and Soul Train Weekend

For me, nothing can be more comforting than a bowl of steaming hot pho inside a hole-in-a-wall restaurant. No one cares what you look like. Everyone is there to dive in this bowl of goodness - soup made out of reduced oxtail stock, star anise, seasonings, rare beef, hot peppers, bean sprouts, basil. 

My 14-year old son Jules was craving pho on Saturday, so I took him to Asian Palace on 28th St. and Clyde Park for one of the best pho's in town. We started with the mussels and capped the lunch with pho. Afterwards, he and I played

a round of golf in which he beat me for the first time in his life. Awesome.

On Sunday, Jules was craving pho again. This time, my wife tagged along. We ordered the exact same thing and then played another round of golf. This time, I won by four strokes. 

It must have been Soul Train weekend because Asian Palace had the show on both days. Stevie Wonder and Pho. A perfect combination I must say.

I did ask our waitress why pho restaurants always have a number - pho 82, pho 99, pho 1. She had no idea. Here is my theory. In cities in Vietnam, there are probably hundreds of pho stalls. Adding a number differentiates one stall from another - making it easier for the customer to remember. Anyone care to answer the question?

An Overnight Pub Crawl in Grand Rapids

Mega 80's at The Intersection

The restaurant and entertainment scenes in Grand Rapids have definitely come along way since the arena opened in 1996. Come join me in this overnight pub crawl through the heart of the city via my July "The Good Life" column in Shore Magazine. To read the full article, click here.

Crispy calamari at San Chez

Cheap brews at Stella's

The Winchester

The bustling Green Well restaurant

Alleyway entrance to Stella's

Mussels at Green Well

The dining room at San Chez

Bistec Lomo at San Chez

Bloody Mary at Green Well

A Picture Perfect Father's Day Brunch at Blue Water Grill

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect setting for Father's Day - a sunny day, a riverfront table, amazing food, refreshing sangria, my wife and kids. My kids gave me the option to select the restaurant for our annual father's day brunch. Okay, my youngest really wanted Bombay Cuisine. My oldest daughter was craving the mac-n-cheese at Green
Well. My son (who is the hardest to please and could probably eat at GP Sports, Bombay Cuisine and BW3 everyday) was thankfully in the East Coast for his class trip. My wife would prefer to take a nice drive somewhere. 

Dads, you know the drill. Find a compromise even though "it's your day."

Just like my son, I could eat Indian food everyday. However, I wanted to be sensible with my meal because I could literally pig out on jalfrazi, rogan josh and naan. So I made the call for our favorite alfresco dining spot that doesn't require an hour drive - The Blue Water Grill.

Sheila, one of the servers recognized me from my blog and welcomed us like family. We weren't in her section but she made a point to connect, and to her credit, she made a lasting impression.

With the sun beating down on our table, the house sangria was the refresher we needed to cool us down. Three appetizers arrived first - the flash fried Calamari Hoops ($10.75), the Big Bowl of Mussels ($11.95) and the Tomato Bruschetta ($9.55).  All were presented like a Gourmet Magazine cover. The Calamari was crispy and perfectly seasoned. The Prince Edward Island (PEI) mussels with root vegetables and garlic-butter broth danced in my mouth as smoothly as a figure skater's extended one foot glide across the rink. But the show stopper was the Bruschetta. The bread was grilled to perfection and topped with off-the -ine tomatoes and sweet basil pesto (this part sealed the deal for me). That is the best bruschetta I have ever tasted in Michigan. Absolutely a stunning dish.

Francesca devoured the French Toast with a berry and maple syrup compote. Margaux got her wish with the four-cheese Mac and Cheese ($12.95). Elena enjoyed the Tuna Salad on a bed of organic greens, red onions, mango, avocado, sweet soy and a cilantro-ginger vinaigrette ($13.49) A side of mango sorbet accompanied the dish to refresh the palette. I had the Grilled Atlantic Salmon with cous cous, corn-tomato relish and arugula. Other than the arugula lacking any dressing, the salmon is exactly what I was craving.

As much as I go out to eat, this Father's Day meal is worth noting. We will definitely return to Blue Water Grill before the leaves turn to its autumn colors and the parade of kayaks and boats on the Grand river slowly disappear into the West Michigan horizon.