Mother Bunch Brewing

Another beauty in Downtown, Phoenix is Mother Bunch Brewing. Located on N 7th St, Mother Bunch brews about 15 different beers and offers a handful more for your drinking pleasure. Established in 2014, Mother Bunch Brewing offers brunch, lunch, shared plates, burgers, a traffic hour (happy hour that we selected from) menu, plus much more! See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5 bites

Price: 4 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 4 out of 5 bites

Service: 4 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 3 out of 5 bites

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I tried my first Gose “sour” beer here and fell in love! If you know me at all, you know I love anything sour (pickles, banana peppers, sour candy, etc). Naturally, when I was introduced to a sour beer I had to try it. It definitely lived up to my expectation.

$2 4 oz-ers

Featuring Pink Boots Gose and a variety of light and fruit ales.

Pink Boots Gose: Sour and tart. Refreshing!

Juniper Berry Gose: I didn’t like this as much as the Pink Boots Gose, but it was still nice with a citrus note.

White Chocolate: Interesting, sweet with a hint of chocolate.

Lauren tried the Campfire IPA: She liked it’s smoky flavor, but I am not a fan of IPA’s. It was definitely unlike anything I have ever tried.

House Smoked Olives: Served with olive oil and crostini. Salty and smoky!

Bacon Popcorn: Freshly popped in bacon grease, smothered with Chef’s special smoky chipotle secret seasoning and crispy chopped bacon. Delicious! Real meaty bacon pairs so well with light popcorn with a salty seasoning. Seriously addicting.

The traffic hour menu was great. It had a decent amount of small bites that were hearty enough to hold you over before your next meal. I really liked the exposed brick and industrial feel this brewery had. The art on the walls was also a nice touch.

 

 

Bierkeller Tavern

For lunch, Lauren and I decided to try out Bierkeller in Taylor, MI. I will admit that I heard both good and bad so I was nervous to try this spot out. Located on Goddard, Bierkeller brings a taste of Germany to Downriver. With a creative menu, over 30 beers on tap, live music, and food and drink specials, Bierkeller has quickly become part of the neighborhood. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Price: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Service: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 3 out of 5 bites (creative menu, German theme)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course, I had to start out with a mead.

B. Nektar Zombie Killer Cherry Cyser: Refreshing, light, with a slight sweetness. I first had my first taste of mead about 3 years ago and fell in love. It’s so yummy!

My pick

German Taco’s: Three flour tortilla’s stuffed with shredded corned beef, red cabbage, and haus sauce served with your choice of side. Delish! The haus sauce was some sort of horseradish aioli concoction and it was very good. It added just enough zip to balance the salty corned beef. The cabbage added a nice crunch. My only disappointment was that the cabbage was seriously juicy and caused the tortilla to get soggy. I also never received my choice of side with this entrée.

Kellercakes:  Crispy potato pancakes stuffed with bacon and sharp Cheddar cheese. Topped with green onions and served with a side of sour cream and wasabi ranch.  Of course a Polish girl cannot pass up potato pancakes. These were crispy, salty, and cheesy. The wasabi ranch added just enough creamy, cool, spice to send my taste buds into overdrive.

Lauren’s pick

Bierkeller Burger: Beef patty topped with carved ham, grilled onions, Swiss cheese, spicy brown mustard, served on a pretzel bun. Fat & juicy! The combo of beef and ham never disappoints. The subtle Swiss paired with the sweet onions and spicy, tangy mustard. The fries were cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Service was OK and the food was pretty tasty. I do give Bierkeller credit for the unique and creative menu. The German theme brings something different to the area. I liked that the seating is family style with long wooden tables and benches. Stop in for some sauerkraut balls and get a growler of your favorite beer to go.

Lauren, I cannot wait for our AZ adventure!

Jolly Pumpkin Brewery

Today on the Bite Tonight: Jolly Pumpkin

Although new to the Midtown neighborhood (they opened the doors April 11th), Jolly Pumpkin is not new to Metro Detroit. Detroiters have been well familiar with the local brew since it popped up in stores and on taps in the area. Jolly Pumpkin not only is brewing some tasty beer, but also offers infused vodka, gin, rum, bourbon, and agave as well as craft cocktails. The menu is what I like to refer to as “healthy comfort food with a twist” and their pizzas are my favorite. Not to mention, Jolly Pumpkin is incorporating some unique flavors and creative combinations. Check out the Perfect Fried Chicken Sandwich with sesame cilantro slaw, tumeric aioli, spicy pickles on a sriracha brioche bun. Talk about a flavor bomb! Amanda and I met up for celebratory dinner and drinks a few weeks ago. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4.5 out of 5 bites

Price: 4 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 4.5 out of 5 bites

Service: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 4 out of 5 bites (menu and creativity)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Strawberry Infused Vodka: Light, refreshing, and slightly sweet. Perfect drink to end summer with.

Mystery Ale: Since I am not a beer drinker by any means, I asked the bartender to pour me something light and fruity. He brought me a lemon-y ale which I am not even sure is still on tap (I couldn’t find anything close on the menu). It was exactly what I wanted and delicious.

Korean Shortrib Pizza: Scallions, mozzarella cheese, black sesame, arugula, and sesame soy vinaigrette. Say Whaaaat?? Delicious! One of the best specialty pizzas I’d ever had. It was sweet, slightly spicy, but fresh and light from the arugula. This is the best pizza because I didn’t feel bad about eating it at 10 P.M. This pizza was not greasy at all and the crust was thin, but still had a nice chewy texture. I thought the shortrib would be heavy, but surprisingly it wasn’t. I really appreciated how the toppings were evenly distributed and you got a little bit of everything in each bite.

Service was good and the vibe is chill. Everyone is there for the same reason: to enjoy killer food and drinks. Jolly Pumpkin not only has good beer, but they also have amazing food. With breweries sometime you run into good drinks, but mediocre food or even a limited food menu. Jolly Pumpkin is serving up really good comforting dishes in a sophisticated way. Their food ignites your palate and pairs perfectly with the freshly brewed artisan ales. It’s great if you are looking for a light salad, hearty vegetarian sandwich, or a late night pizza. It’s what I like to call “feel good food.”

Thanks for a night out, Amanda. We need another pizza date soon! ❤

B Boomers

Located on Southfield Rd. in Allen Park, MI, B Boomers is a local bar dishing out good food with big portions. Getting more bang for your buck is always a good feeling and a lot of spots aren’t as generous as they used to be. B Boomers offers a typical bar menu consisting of pizza, burgers sandwiches, soups and salads, and fried favorites. With flat screen T.V.’s, cold beers, and a full bar, B Boomers is the place to enjoy a nice dinner and watch your favorite game. Ma and I decided to grab a quick bite before heading to the Allen Park Street Fair a couple weeks ago. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 bits

Price: 4 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 4 out of 5 bites

Service: 4 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 3 out of 5 bites (good food and portion size)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reuben Sandwich: Thinly slice corned beef with sauerkraut on marble rye served with thousand island dressing and homemade chips. The corned beef was lean and juicy which made it tasty, but also made the bottom half of the bread soggy (I hate that). It’s sometimes the risk you take when enjoying a nice Reuben sandwich. The home made chips were really delicious and were served warm (so you know they were fresh).  The corned beef was stacked high and was enough for Ma and I to share. The sauerkraut added a nice bite to the salty corned beef. I really like how the sandwich was served on newspaper paper. It adds character and uniqueness.

I sometimes forget about B Boomers since they are one of the last restaurants before you hit Southfield Freeway and because they re-opened under new ownership a little over a year ago. Since rediscovering it’s charm, I have a feeling that they are my new local favorite. My next visit will be to try the pizza (which I hear is amazing). B Boomers is a great place if you are looking for good food and service at a local price. Stop in for live music, events including fantasy football, trivia, and fundraisers, and great food and drink specials.

One Eyed Betty’s

Today on the Bite Tonight: One Eyed Betty’s

Located in Downtown Ferndale, MI One Eyed Betty’s is a great spot if you’re a beer condenseur, or simply if you like good food with an adult flare. The menu includes your standard beer food, but only amped up with sophistication to satisfy the grown-up pallet. My friend, Lauren and I decided to meet here for dinner and a drink. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 bites

Price: 4 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 4.5 out of 5 bites

Service: 4 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 3.5 out of 5 bites

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alaskan Cran Spruce: Light and summery with an herb-y bite.

My pick

Fwanch Deep: Braised Beef, Sharp Cheddar, Horseradish Sauce, Au Jus. Of course the horseradish was the perfect spicy tang to off set the salty, tender beef. The fries were delicious probably because they were super crispy.

Lauren’s pick

Obligatory Fish and Chips: Fresh fish fillet with hand cut fries, coleslaw & lemon-caper aioli. The crunch on this fish was unreal. The fish was perfectly cooked and flaky. The lemon aioli was bright and the perfect thing to accent the seriously delicious beer batter.

One Eyed Betty’s is the kind of place you want to go to. The service is good, the food is awesome, and the booze is never ending. With over 100 beers to choose from, they have a wide variety of options including one of my favorites B. Nektar’s Zombie Killer. They also offer whiskey and a lot of it, over 100 different types to choose from. Stop in for a drink, some damn good food, or for live music and pinball. Thanks, Lauren. We have to do it again soon!

Granite City Food & Brewery

Today on the Bite Tonight: Granite City Food & Brewery

Located on Big Beaver Rd. right off I-75 is Granite City Food & Brewery. This brewery has come a long way, from 1999, when Granite City first opened it’s doors in Minnesota, to 2014, now operating 30 restaurants in 13 different states. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 bites

Price: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 2.5 out of 5 bites

Service: 4.5 out of 5 bites

Wow factor: 3 out of 5 bites

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Granite City had this neat little brew menu that creatively described each beer. Josh went with the Northern Light Lager: Light, clean cut, and refreshing. This was better than a Bud, Miller, or Labatt!

While we were waiting for our order, the manager heard it was our first time visiting and welcome us and offered soup samples.

Northern Light Cheddar & Ale (pictured on left): Creamy cheddar cheese soup simmered with our Northern Light lager. Our favorite! Smooth, cheesy, with a light nutty ale touch. This was not overpowering as some beer soups tend to be.

Cream of Potato Bacon (pictured on right): Creamy potato soup with bacon and cheddar cheese. Pretty spot on for a creamy potato soup.

Maple Pepper Bacon & Tomato Pizza: Maple pepper bacon, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella and parmesan cheese with our signature garlic aioli. This was a nice change from your typical pizza sauced pie. The garlic aioli was subtle, yet present. The maple pepper bacon was decadent and delicious! I substituted the tomato for sliced red pepper and it was a good choice. There’s something about warm tomato that I don’t care for. The crust was chewy, yet crispy.

Cajun Pasta: Chicken, andouille sausage, red and green peppers and onions simmered in a creamy parmesan cheese sauce with a hint of bourbon. This dish started off really good and flavorful. After a few bites, Josh noticed a nice sized pool of grease in the bottom of the bowl. We assumed it was from the sausage, but it was too much to stomach. Our server was really cool and offered another option. This was unfortunate because the dish was really good and the creamy parmesan sauce was awesome and spicy from the cajun spice.

Josh went with the Adult Mac & Cheese: Alfredo sauce, pepper jack and cheddar cheeses simmered with our Brother Benedict’s Bock then finished with penne pasta, chicken, red pepper, bacon and toasted breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, this dish was a bust as well. Presentation was good, but it lacked flavor. Also, I think the kitchen was in a hurry to get this back out to our table, because the Alfredo sauce was thin, runny, and didn’t stick to the pasta. There wasn’t much chicken either and we had a hard time telling the difference between chicken and breadcrumbs because the pieces were so small.

Service and the beer was good, but we didn’t have good luck with the food. I do like how the manager came over to address the dishes and our server did a great job handling the issue. The overall atmosphere was really nice, with an upscale brewery feel and a unique menu that is constantly featuring fresh, new items.

Founder's Brewing Company

Today on the Bite Tonight: Founder’s Brewing Company.

Located in Downtown Grand Rapids on Grandville Ave Founder’s Brewing Company is ranked one of the top breweries not only in the U.S, but also in the world. Founder’s currently offers about 20 seasonal beers on tap, a variety of deli items, live music, and a store where you can get tons of swag. See how they ranked.

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 bites

Price: 3 out of 5 bites

Quality/Taste: 3.5 out of 5 bites

Service: 3 out of 5 bites

Wow Factor: 3 out of 5 bites (due to square footage)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First of all, this place is massive! Josh and I walked in to a huge taproom/dining room. In the evening, you seat yourself, first come first serve. Lucky for us, we were able to snag a seat because loyal beer drinkers tend to congregate to the huge outdoor beer garden.

Backwoods Bastard: Dirty Bastard pulled pork, Colby Jack cheese, tangy coleslaw & Dirty Bastard BBQ sauce on toasted ciabatta. The pork was moist, but the sandwich could’ve used more BBQ sauce. The ciabatta was the perfect choice to hold up to the saucy, crunchy coleslaw.

Detroit Ham & Cheese: Smoked ham layered with cheddar and Swiss cheese, topped with Dirty Bastard Stone Ground Mustard on a fresh onion roll. Served with a sidecar of spicy Giardiniera. The ham was juicy, smoky, and slightly sweet. The onion roll was a little on the over done side, but nothing a little cheese and mustard wouldn’t fix.

Then it was time for dessert….

Rubaeus Raspberry Ale: Class 2, 5.7% alcohol. Strong fruity taste, not too sweet.

Dirty Bastard: Class 1, 8.5% alcohol. Malty,  hoppy and not for us.  Josh asked our server (who closely resembled Ned Stark) for the most popular beer, and this is what he got. Looks like the locals love it!

(Not sure if my poor cell phone flash picture quality had anything to do with the color or not.  Hey, they don’t call it dirty for nothing)!

If you love beer, then you have to check out Founder’s Brewing Company. The huge outdoor beer garden (shown in the photo below:  front, left) and the overall square footage blew my mind. Josh and I aren’t huge beer enthusiasts, but can still appreciate Founder’s. If you haven’t taken a trip to Grand Rapids, stop by this gigantic brewery and lose yourself. It’s a beer lover’s heaven.

 

Slows Bar BQ

Located on Michigan Ave. in Detroit’s Cork town, Slows Bar BQ has  been a local (and non local) favorite for years. I’ve been there many times, but I decided to feature my absolute favorites off the menu. It was hard to choose, but I managed. See for yourself!

Brisket Enchilada: Chopped brisket and smoky gouda in corn tortillas topped with cheddar and Spicy Sauce. Cheesy, spicy, crunchy, and smoky.

The Reason: Pork butt, smoked slow and pulled, bathed in sauce and topped with our signature coleslaw and dill pickle strips. This sandwich was too huge to bite into, so after taking half of the pork butt off to save for later, I still had left a mouth watering BBQ sandwich. My favorite signature sauce is the Apple BBQ (sweet and tangy) so I added a dollop to each bite. The pork was moist, and the coleslaw and pickles added creaminess and crunch to the rich pig. The only thing I didn’t like was that the bottom bun was so soggy that juice seeped out with every bite. It was like I was ringing out a sponge with my teeth.

Triple Threat Pork: Featured on Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive In’s, and Dive’s. Apple wood bacon, pulled pork and ham stacked high and mighty. If you’re looking for a salty tower of meat, this sandwich is for you! Huge, delicious and perfect for any carnivore.

Mac and Cheese: Melty, crispy top layer of cheese blankets rich creamy, shells of delicious  goodness. One of the best Mac and Cheese sides I’ve ever had!

Sweet Potato Mash: Slightly sweet smashed potato. I love how this side isn’t whipped to death, leaving it with some texture.

If you haven’t been to Slow’s, go there now! If you have, go back! They recently expanded and opened a second dining room. Check out the full bar with a huge list of locally brewed beers.  They also have a vegan friendly menu, which is normally unheard of in a BBQ place. There’s always events going on and they will cater your next event. Visit Slows To Go with three new locations inside Ford Field and a food truck located @ Campus Martius for lunch.