Great American Bites: Scrumptious surprises at Grand Rapids gastro-pub
— -- The scene: Located on the corner of a commercial block in the East Town area of Grand Rapids, Mich., The Winchester looks like any old neighborhood tavern - in a neighborhood going hipster. There's a food truck perpetually parked outside, which the restaurant uses for street fairs and special events, and a sign featuring a man riding an antique bicycle that has nothing to do with the restaurant other than that antique bicycles are in vogue. Perhaps the most unusual thing a careful observer would note is the well-tended vegetable garden The Winchester operates across the street, one of the secrets to its culinary appeal. The garden can be viewed from the handful of tables near the large, glass front windows. There is also outside seating off the side of the restaurant, by the food truck.
Inside is a well-cared for pub interior with English flair, especially the ornate and elaborate brass beer taps lining the bar that runs the down the left side of the one long dining room. The rest of the decor consists of worn wooden floors, vast exposed brick, wood tables and chairs, and lots of art, covering the walls and even the very high ceilings, which give the room a relaxed spaciousness. It is comfortable and local, yet very much put together to create an enlightened gastro-pub feel.
Reason to visit: Korean BBQ Pork Sliders, Pierogies, Pork Green Chili, Grilled Cheese, Burgers, and nearly everything on the eclectic menu.
The food: I am hesitant to use the word gastro-pub, which has been so abused as to have lost meaning. But I have been to the very first gastro-pub, the Eagle in London's Clerkenwell neighborhood, where the term was coined, and it suits The Winchester well. The idea is to take fairly typical bar food and elevate it with superior ingredients and creative cooking twists, and add some unexpected dishes to the menu. Done well, as it is here, this concept results in an affordable and casual midpoint between bar food and fine dining.
To say the menu is eclectic is an understatement, as it mixes American and English bar staples with Japanese, Thai, French, Polish, Indian and Mexican mainstays and ingredients. You may never be in another restaurant that has a gator po' boy, naan club sandwich, pork belly crepe, bibimbap salad and Buffalo frog legs on the same menu. Yes, Buffalo frog legs, and yes, I ordered them. How could I not? The old saying is true - they taste like chicken, only leaner and bonier.
The frog legs done hot wing-style are a perfect example of the creativity at The Winchester, which takes some straightforward dishes - and many uncommon ones -- and upgrades them. The Midwest has a lot of Eastern European food tradition and lots of places offer spreadable "bar cheese." Here it is "Welsh Rarebit Bar Cheese," house made from fresh cheese and a pale ale from a local brewery served with equally homemade German pretzel style rolls. The pierogies, which were quite good, take the simple Polish potato dumpling and stuff it with a butternut squash and goat cheese filling adorned with cabbage from the garden that's braised with locally cured bacon. The grilled cheese is equally uptown, a mix of dill Havarti and local cheddar topped with Roma tomato confit (house made of course) served on thick, sliced "pullman loaf" bread from a local bakery, served with black-pepper kettle chips. Mac & Cheese takes Michigan Amish cheese and adds roasted portobellos, sautéed king-oyster mushrooms, Italian pasta and white truffle oil.
While the menu is daunting and sometimes appears gimmicky, the underlying theme is simple: the best ingredients sourced as locally as possible, or simply grown here, put together in creative but tasty combinations. Almost as surprising as the menu items are the prices. My Korean BBQ pork sliders, featuring braised local pork shoulder, kimchi slaw and sesame sriracha mayo on a miniature brioche bun from the same local bakery, appear on the menu as an appetizer for $8.50 but came as a trio, bigger than most entrees, and were fit for a main course for one or a solid appetizer for three. The most expensive entrees are ten bucks, a three-way tie between the gator po' boy, soft shell crab BLT (too many impressive ingredients to list here) and the sushi-grade tuna tartare salad.
Whether you go exotic (soft shell crab udon hot pot anyone?) or keep it simple, everything is really good, fresh, large, and fairly priced. To wash this all down there are 18 beers on tap, about half local, the rest from Germany, the U.K., Japan and other American microbreweries. Almost all are $5 a pint. Then there are dozens of bottle beers, almost all even cheaper. The priciest bottle of wine is $29. All of this brings us to the bottom line, which is that dollar for dollar, The Winchester is one of the best restaurants of any kind I have visited in my travels, and not having known a thing about it before visiting on a last-minute local recommendation, the most surprising. Stop in and you too will be pleasantly surprised.
What regulars say: "The bar cheese is good. The fish tacos are really good. So are the burgers. I'm having the pierogies today," said Michael Patrick Shiels, Michigan radio talk-show host and local celebrity.
Pilgrimage-worthy?: Yes - if you are driving through Michigan and like creative food, you won't do better than The Winchester.
Rating: Yum! (Scale: Blah, OK, Mmmm, Yum!, OMG!)
Price: $ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)
Details: 648 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids; 616-451-4969; winchestergr.com
Larry Olmsted has been writing about food and travel for more than 15 years. An avid eater and cook, he has attended cooking classes in Italy, judged a BBQ contest and once dined with Julia Child. Follow him on Twitter, @TravelFoodGuy, and if there's a unique American eatery you think he should visit, send him an e-mail at travel@usatoday.com.