This last weekend, 17 other bloggers and I had the privilege of attending *Taste of Michigan held in Grand Rapids.
As a Michigan Native, I’d never really spent much time on that side of the state, and when I moved out of it, it was a place I never gave a second thought. Grand Rapids surprised me though. It had a vibrant restaurant scene reminiscent of Philly and the architectural charm of Boston. I liked it. I really liked it. And I really enjoyed meeting the other bloggers too. It sort of helps to know that there are other people out there that search for the perfect tomato at the grocery store just so they can photograph it. They all care about food too. I think that was my favorite part of the whole thing- being in a room with 100% of the people caring about what made it on their plate.
The purpose of Taste of Michigan was to introduce food bloggers to Michigan products. We started our day at the Fulton Street Farmers Market, where we had breakfast at the Silver Spork food truck.
After that, we visited Art of the Table- a kitchen/specialty food store, where they had a chocolate demo. I loved it. It reminded me of Broadway Panhandler in New York, except with nicer people.
From there we went to Cherry Street where we were free to explore on our own. We enjoyed visiting the local shops and even popped into a few that didn’t know we were coming and got impromptu tours and welcomes.
Then it was time for lunch- we went to Bistro Bella Vita where we saw a hummus recipe demo and got a peek at the new Kitchenaid Food Processor. Site note: I want this. It was the quietest food processor I’ve ever heard and there is no need for multiple blades because you can adjust it. How awesome is that? I love having as little sharp things in drawers as possible.
Anyway. Lunch was fantastic.
After lunch we headed to Reserve wine bar for a wine and charcuterie tasting. Isn’t everything beautiful? I was very impressed with the casual, approchable, trendiness of this place. The staff was very knowledgeable in pairings and wine recommendations. The Sommelier, below, encouraged us to ask questions and provided easy to understand lesson with each answer. It was fun to listen to him talk.
We had a break to freshen up for dinner after the tasting. Dinner was at Six.One.Six. and it was fabulous.
Other than how simple everything tasted, the one thing I noticed was how well it was cooked. Usually when I encounter a chef who has executed the cooking of a dish so perfectly, they tend to lose sight of the taste. This was not the case at Six.One.Six. Not only was it beautifully cooked and prepared in a way that Escoffier would approve of, the taste of everything was very complimentary and gave a nod to Michigan cuisine by using Michigan indgredients with a farm to table approach. It’s a place to visit if you’re in the area.
I enjoyed Grand Rapids a lot. It’s a place I will seek out to visit from now on.
***I was sponsored by the Grand Rapids Wine, Beer & Food Festival to attend the event. I was given a free ticket and and $50 for expenses. All opinions are own and 100% honest.