MICHIGAN DINING AND RESTAURANTS

The Latest Restaurant Reviews and Dining Tips in Michigan

Back in mid-October, I was a guest of Bodil and Patrick Barrington in their home in Weymouth, UK, near the Atlantic about 120 miles southwest of London.

I received word that Bodil Barrington, a charming Danish lass, is an excellent cook with a flair for desserts. I also picked up that her special area of expertise is anything made using almond paste, i.e. marzipan.

Ryan Garza | The Flint JournalWestside Diner, 2336 S. Ballenger Highway in Flint Township, offers burgers, malts and shakes made with hand-dipped ice cream and hearty dinners.

Cy Leder's area restaurant reviews run in this space every other week. On the alternating Fridays, we boil down his most recent reviews in capsule form. Share your opinions of the restaurants in the comments below.

• CANADIAN STEAK, FISH & SANDWICH CO., 3235 Thompson Road (at U.S. 23), Fenton Township; (810) 714-9655. Big breakfast menu until 2 p.m., very good steaks, burgers and sandwiches. Fish is emphasized, from shrimp and frog legs to walleye and Alaskan crab. Good fried bread and sides like housemade onion rings. Reviewed May 23.

• CASTAWAYS OF LAKE NEPESSING, 4058 Hunt Road, Elba Township in Lapeer County; (810) 245-8500. A beautiful setting with a nice variety of food, including two meals for $20 Sunday. New Orleans-style and traditional American food, as well as unusual dishes such as flatiron steak, Cajun prime rib on weekends and Southwestern-spicy crusted salmon. Reviewed Nov. 7. Continue reading "Restaurant reviews: Fandangles, Hollywood Diner, Steady Eddy's and others reviewed" »

Press Photo/Emily ZoladzOn the menu: The "Merry Mary," turkey sandwich at Ramona's Table in East Grand Rapids.

Ramona's Table offers no baloney.

I mean that literally and figuratively. Located in East Grand Rapids' Gaslight Village, this eatery made its debut last month, touting homemade, chef-concocted fare. And I don't exaggerate when I define said grub as Real Sandwiches, the kind that can force a fella to blurt a few exclamatory expletives upon biting into them.

Fare and fees: Sandwich combos, $6.95-$7.95; wraps, $6.95; salads, $5.95-$6.95.

Wait for food: 5-10 minutes.

Ambience: A modern vibe in a cozy setting, with a handful of dark-wood tables and a fireplace. Order off the refreshingly simple menu, pay at the counter, and your food is delivered to your table.

Chow down: I sank my teeth into the Black & Tan Dip ($7.95). My guest opted for The Derby Racer ($7.95) and a cup of French onion soup ($2.98).

Press Photo/Katy BatdorffColor and flavor: The extensive menu at Three Happiness includes chicken vegetable delight.

Dinner at Three Happiness is as likely to be a reunion with old friends as it is a chance to load up on reasonably priced, tasty Chinese food.

The restaurant, which originally opened in 1990, is celebrating its return to the Alpine Avenue dining scene after a roughly six-year absence. The family eatery closed in 2002, when the owners decided to "pursue something different."

"We wanted to do something else, (though) the restaurant is our passion," said manager Richard Ngo. "We were doing good business."

I've had countless rich and extravagant desserts over the years: flourless chocolate cake, creme brulee, vanilla and chocolate mousse swirled in an elegant parfait glass, cheesecake and key lime tartlets. Yet I would trade them all for one simple favorite: a piece of moist yellow cake with thick, white frosting, oozing in cream and sugar, the kind I delighted in as a child at backyard birthday parties. Long after my kids have had their two bites of their birthday cakes, I find myself taking finger-fulls of frosting off their plates.

So I was more than happy to survey the burgeoning cupcake market in the area. There are plenty to choose from, some specializing in cupcakes, others offering other treats.

Press File PhotoMaster Chef Angus Campbell, right, works with GRCC culinary arts student Gene Hartney in the teaching kitchen. Campbell will be one of the featured experts during this weekend's Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival.

GRAND RAPIDS -- If you love wine, food, beer, spirits or any combination of those four, you have no excuse to miss the Grand Rapids International Wine & Food Festival.

"If you're a foodie, you've got to come to this," said Angus Campbell, chef-instructor at the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College.

Campbell will be one of the featured experts this weekend at the three-day, first-time event at DeVos Place. He and chef Robert Garlough will host a series of presentations during the festival, including cheese and olive oil tastings, modern sauce techniques, roasting and mixing spices, stylish plate presentation and pasta coloring, shaping and stuffing.

"It's going to be fantastic," Campbell said of the festival, which celebrates a range of epicureal delights.

Campbell hopes the event will encourage people to embrace the joys of cooking and spend more time getting creative in the kitchen or sharing food with friends and neighbors.

"(The organizers) are laying it on the line for Grand Rapidians. ... It's time for (something like this)," Campbell said. "They do this every day in Italy, we only do it one day a year.

"Cooking is so much fun .... This will teach people how to enjoy themselves with food."

Press Photo/Jon M. BrouwerInviting design: The bright, welcoming interior of Ciao Bella's is a cut above the usual buffet layout and would lend itself to the eventual addition of full-menu, sit-down dining.

When it comes to buffet-style dining, expectations aren't always high for interior design and smorgasbord offerings.

It's a nice surprise, then, to see the light, bright and inviting interior of Ciao Bella's Italian Buffet and Pizzeria, a new Italian buffet eatery in Hudsonville that also offers pizzas, pastas and sandwiches for take-out and delivery.

A wall painting behind the buffet line is reminiscent of the al fresco eateries of Italy and its outdoor markets, replete with a canopy draped over the picture. The palm tree at one side may be a bit on the side of kitsch, but I do recall palms far south in Brindisi.

Press Photo/Hollyn JohnsonPreparation: Prezanna Moore makes an order of Willy Wild Wings' 12 piece barbecue wings.

Willy Wild Wings, a relatively new wing place on Eastern Avenue that broke off from the Wing Heaven chain, offers 18 sauces -- and the tempting aroma hits as soon as you step out of the car.

Willy Wild Wings offers sampler options (six with three sauces or a dozen with four sauces), excellent choices for the uninitiated or indecisive.

Falling into both categories, I grabbed two dozen-wing samplers, $8.79 apiece, with the following eight sauces: medium, hot barbecue, bourbon, spicy garlic, mango habanero, Caribbean jerk, lemon pepper and teriyaki.