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| Grand Rapids Brewing Company is located 1 SW Ionia Ave. in Grand Rapids, Michigan |
After making my next big career move. Hello Big Rapids,
Michigan. (Read The Pioneer).
I resorted to spend my last few weeks in Grand Rapids the
best way I can: Rock n’ Roll, French toast and random lunch adventures.
This post will be about the third adventure (sorry, just
trying to keep the blog on focus).
Heading out for lunch on my week of vacation (best way to
end your time at a company), I stumbled across a door with a large white banner
above it that read ‘Lunch’. And lo and behold, it was the door to the GrandRapids Brewing Company (located here).
Well, the banner can’t lie. Must be a good place for lunch.
I took a walk into the brewery and grabbed a seat at the
bar.
GRBC is one of the staples of Grand Rapids’ downtown craft
beer scene--that’s not named Founder’s. The building is as old as the city,
with remnants of the old carriage doors still visible for customers to look at
and contemplate the history of beer in the Furniture City….Or they don’t
notice, and just ask for a Silver Foam.
I grabbed a seat at the bar. It was lunch time, so there
were a few groups of people and more in the seating area and more at the bar.
The place has a front and back room, with a very unique
stage for bands to play in the backroom. It is almost this balcony-type set up,
with the listeners and patrons looking up to the second floor to see the
musical act. So points for creativity.
When I took a seat at the bar, a rather friendly bartender
laid before me a menu for the places craft beers and the lunch specials it had
going on.
The banner didn’t lie, this place was serious about lunch.
I ordered the Rosalyn Bliss Blonde (I know this place has
the best Hefeweizen in Michigan, but it wasn’t offered at the time) and a sandwich
that featured bacon, turkey and ham, can’t go wrong there.
NFL Live was on one of the TVs.
I didn’t get to see much of
the weekend’s actions, shows how much I care about ‘the most popular league in
America’, but it was nice to get a rundown of what happened during the week. How
Ron Jaworski can look at the same 5-yard passing rout five times in a row still
beats me, and I write about sports.
I grew up in a Green Bay Packer household, but I have
nominal appreciation for the team. I’m happy when they win, when they lose,
meh. Life goes on.
The Bliss Blonde and sandwich arrived quickly, showing that
the brewery wasn’t kidding when they said there were serious about providing a
quick lunch.
The beer and the sandwich complimented each other nicely,
and other sections on the menu are rather satisfying. (I was half tempted to
try the pork and waffles—because that just sound delicious—but I knew I was
going out that night, so I tried to keep it light).
The rest the patrons were also lunch goers, mostly
professional types enjoying the classic ‘two-beer lunch’. And before you start judging,
just remember that Harry Caray went to the bar over 1,000 in 1972, just for
lunch only.
The bartender was really nice, asking what my holiday plans
were. Turns out he knew where Jackson so, since his cross country coach had
them race at Ella Sharp Park a lot. I’m not entirely sure what qualifies as a
‘good’ cross country course, but I guess Jackson has one. So horay for Jackson.
While I was finishing my sandwich, a man came up to the bar
and wanted to know where 812 Fulton St. was. The bartender said that he
‘technically’ was on Ionia St., but Fulton St. was right outside, so it should
be right around there.
Despite the rather competent directions, the dude still
didn’t know what to do with this new information. I asked him if he was looking
for E. Fulton or W. Fulton St. Since that does make a very big difference.
Grand Rapids Brewing Co. is a block away from the
Fulton-Division intersection that divides the city, and thus, all the
directions. The man said that he thinks he wants to head to 812 E. Fulton St,
but he doesn’t know for sure.
Well, 50-50 odds. I told him to walk out the door and walk
nine blocks to the right. If it turns out that he needs W. Fulton St. Turn
around, and walk 16 blocks the other way. Then boom, you’ll be there.
I’m not an urban planner or a design major, but the way they
laid out the city streets an addresses seems about normal to most people. Not
this guy, unfortunately.
After giving (remarkable) directions, the bartender thanked
me for the advice to the traveler and we went back to discussing our Christmas
plans. Turns out he has to work the final shift before GRBC closes for the
holidays, which I felt was rather unfortunate.
Turns out the place is going to pay him a little extra, and
he enjoys being the last place to give out drinks to those who need a drink
before spending a lot time with their families (which wouldn’t be me, no,
never).
For my second beer I ordered a Senator Lyon's Stout, named
after this guy. I finished off my plate and spent the rest of the time watching
ESPN by myself.
I really enjoying going out for lunch and having time by
myself. For my money, have time to think is a much under appreciated commodity
these days. As Ms. Mia Watts of Pulp Fiction understands,
long periods of
silence shows that you are truly comfortable with someone. (Can’t believe it
took me this long to work in a Pulp Fiction reference to this blog).
Seeing how it was lunch time, I decided to end it with only
two beers. However, I highly recommend that visitors to GR (and folks that live
there) try the phenomenal choices of beer and really solid food menu (not solid as in the food is solid, though most of it is. But solid in that it's pretty good).
If I had to some up GRBC in one word, I’d use ‘comfortable’.
The place is really reserved, and the mostly wooden framework of the restaurant
and bar give off a very welcoming feeling. It is a place that both craft-beer
lovers and visitors to the city will love—conveniently located next to the Van
Andel Arena, if you are catching a show or game there.
I paid my tab and bid adieu to the staff. As a walked back
from downtown Grand Rapids, I began to reflect on what I will most about living
here.
Yeah, the beer is an easy answer. But it’s not the right
one.
Really the answer boils down to comfort. There is not a
whole lot better than being with people that make you comfortable, truly comfortable.
And for me, that is what makes a truly great bar, and truly great people.
Comfort.
What makes a great bar or a great place to hang out is not
the menu or the drink specials or even what people wear at the bar. It’s the
people. It always has been the people, always will. People are awesome—it’s why
I took up journalism—I gig where I get to write to and talk about my favorite
thing, people.
However, no matter what awesome are comfort zones are, you
have to leave them—or else you will forget why you were even comfortable in the
first place…and that’s discomforting.
So I continued my walk (Mandatory: You’ll Never Walk Alone
clip—God I hope Liverpool does better during the second half of the season),
being glad of all the great things that have made me comfortable, but looking
forward to the things that will make me uncomfortable—life is funny like that.
And with that in mind, I find moving to a new town,
comforting.
………….
Oh, don’t worry. Barstool Banter is still happening. I said
leave some things that are in your comfort zone, but don’t abandoning it
completely.
That’d just be crazy.
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