My family and I stopped by for lunch on Sunday, and I was surprised to see that Big Boiler offers a Sunday-only brunch menu. Figuring it was fate, my dad, my brother-in-law, and I ordered from this menu. My dad ordered the hash without bacon, my brother the breakfast burger with chips, and I asked for the beer pancakes without bacon. My sister made her own burger and my mother ordered the 8 oz. top sirloin. My dad also ordered a 10 oz. mango tango craft beer, while my brother opted for the blueberry bliss.
The drinks arrived first, where my dad shared the mango tango with me and my brother let me try some of his drink as well. Afterwards, it took a while before our food was ready. I suspect it's due to how many locals like to come after church (some children were also seated and enjoying meals with the family), like our family.
The area is spacious, and a full bar is available right when you walk in, as well as select TVs showing a few sports channels to keep most people interested. Earlier last year, I had the opportunity to go to their reserved banquet space upstairs, and it was a neat, private area where you can arrange parties and get-togethers for just about anything. The bathrooms are also clean and nicely kept.
Honestly, I have nothing against this place, but I would just warn you to stick to the beer and burgers and steer clear of anything else. The burgers look well put-together and are generously portioned (like how most people want them to be), and the mango tango and blueberry bliss ciders were sweet enough to accommodate most Michiganders taste for yeasty yet tarty apple beer (the menus even list the level of bitterness for each drink, a helpful guide for any novice). HOWEVER, the pancakes, hash, and scrambled eggs both came with were mediocre at best. My pancakes, aside from being made with beer, were nothing special or even good. They tasted okay, but the cakes were almost crispy and dense, not the fluffy thick stack that Americans have come to love. The syrup did little to provide more flavor, and honestly, I would much prefer to have just made my own pancakes at home (they aren't as fluffy as IHOP's, but they are eons better than the ones here). The eggs, were served unceremoniously folded like a rubber and tasteless napkin, not necessarily scrambled but like an empty, thin omelette. Likewise, my dad found his hash meal bland and not the best. I am not sure when this Sunday brunch menu started, but it's clear that little thought or skill goes into actually making most of what's offered. In which case, the Boiler would do better in not offering it at all!
Granted, both my father and I omitted the bacon from our meals, so I cannot have a say in whether their bacon game could salvage our meal, but I doubt it. I mean, my pancakes wasn't even served with butter; nuff said. read more