rainsoldier

France is lovely and worth visiting. I don’t think the particular French security guards on my husband’s last trip to this airport were happy to be dealing with a U.S. resident, and they ended up ruining his vacation entirely. He was on his way to Spain and was just in France on a short lay-over but they decided to send him back to Chicago. They said he needed a visa, although everyone else in the world said he didn’t, including Spain. They kept him in a filthy holding cell for 10 hours while they switched his flight for him. The “lowly” security guards thought that he should be let through on to Spain but their supervisor, an unfriendly and quite rude woman, refused to allow it. A week after he was home they finally found his luggage, which the authorities had failed to locate when they decided to send him back to the States, and we did finally get a ticket voucher from American Airlines for the ruined trip. But still.. it should have never happened!

This is a great place for coffee and pastries, and I’m happy I work a block away from it. It has a great atmosphere – laid back, clean, nice colors, great music, and it’s great in the summer to sit outside in their “deck” area and people-watch. However generally I prefer to just get my coffee and go since every time I sit-in I feel like the little old man sitting at the next table is just staring into space as a front for listening to every conversation within ear-shot. And as a semi-private person I don’t really like that! But that’s also the way coffee shops just are, so that’s ok.

Every once in a while I get the urge for breakfast at Gaia, which I think is their best meal. I’ve been going to Gaia off and on for over 10 years and while it never loses quality it also never gets better, and never changes. But Gaia has its niche, and there is a faithful group of regulars who keep this place going. They have good coffee and nice corn bread french toast. Their homemade cookies are excellent and so is the suicide juice (a blend of different juices). This is not a great place to go if you’re in a hurry as the service tend to be slow.

It seems like every biggish city has their own popular hot dog spot, and Yesterdog is definitely it for Grand Rapids. You’re bathed in many years worth of hot dog steamy air when you walk in. It’s kind crazy and hectic to order and pay, but the people are always cool and the hotdogs are always reallllly good. I agree that it would be nice to have the option at least of a grilled dog, because the steamed/boiled dogs are kind of rubbery, but all the same they are tasty, and the toppings are always damn good. The Cheddar Dog and the Yesterdog are my favorites.

Although it’s actually in East Hills, not Eastown! Really good, homemade, locally grown fare at reasonable prices. My favorite sandwich is the Salmon Surprise on toasted hallah bread. They marinate salmon in honey and lime (and maybe something else) and it’s always perfectly cooked. Then they put in on your choice of bread (hallah is best because it’s thick and slightly sweet) and top it with fresh baby spinach leaves and their feta sauce… oh so amazing…...

In my personal opinion, the Chicken Hoagie is the best sandwich they make, but you have to ask for it because it’s not on the menu! It’s a mixture of seasoned, grilled chicken chunks, sauteed green peppers and mushrooms, and caramelized onions with a sort of creamy, cheesy sauce, on a grilled sub bun. Mmmmmmmm… someone once described it as a Philly Cheese Steak, but with chicken…and different. Fries are always good but I think the best accompaniment for this sandwich is the Cafe’s own potato “chippers.” These are like potato chips, but homemade upon ordering them. They are crispy on the outside and still slightly chewy on the inside, with the perfect amount of salt…