Graydon's Crossing is another one of those Grand Rapids restaurants that gets a lot of lip service, so I was pretty pumped to find out we were going there for Easter brunch. I'm also a huge fan of "fusion" food, so the combining of different cultures of food is something I totally dig. British and Indian fusion is what's on the menu here... and I could only imagine what that would entail.
But, I can't honestly tell you what the hell British food happens to be. We all know fish and chips is British, but that's about all know. Other than that, I think it's just like the food we eat here in America. Except, well, the toast they served here was really big. I think it was called something like Schnitz, which makes my inner child snicker with glee. I held it together though considering I was dining with my girlfriend's family.
British food is, apparently, all about the atmosphere you eat it in. I remember eating once at a British restaurant in Canada (of which I'm sure there's a review I did if you search mine) and I think the restaurant was kind of similar looking. Dark, old-fashioned, worn down looking, old agey type stuff. Kind of like you've gone back in time. I kind of got that feeling while we were at Graydon's Crossing. Let's move on to the menu.
The big book we got at first when we sat down was only beer. Impressive to some... boring to me. There's something like 10 pages full of their different offerings of liquid lunches. Great, grand, wonderful. Take your pretentious beer swilling attitude and stuff it somewhere uncomfortable. I'm not down with that. You might be though, so come try this place out if you're looking for choice beers to imbibe.
The food menu was significantly shorter. Which is alright. A lot of stuff, breakfast especially, didn't seem that odd or fusion-y. I noticed they threw in the word "curry" with some selections and I guess that's where the Indian influence comes along. I picked out a nice little omelette for myself which was mostly a nice choice of vegetables and some baby Swiss cheese. Avocado slices on the top made it seem heaven-sent. It was good... but it was basically just an omelette with avocado. Prices were reasonable, so I'm not complaining at all.
To drink, rather than beer, I got coffee. By reading other reviews I see they do something special... French press, I guess. Again, I have no idea what that means, 'cause I'm no coffee snob either. But, this stuff was FREAKING AWESOME. I don't remember what I paid for this cup of joe, but as long as it was less than $4, it was worth it. Refills kept coming and I kept slamming 'em down.
Dessert options are great. My girlfriend and I split a slice of key lime pie and I was very pleasantly surprised with its goodness. It was the right color (not ninja turtle green), and had the perfect crust to filling ratio. Little spots of really super real whipped cream were on it too. Damn, I loved it. The graham cracker crust help up under pressure too, making each bite hold together nicely instead of crumbling making a huge mess to lick off the plate.
Graydon's crossing is a great place to get a good, fair priced meal. i'd definitely return but it's not going to instantly pop in my head as anything significantly memorable (other than that coffee). Check it out, especially if you dig beers of different... stuff. Or if you're in the neighborhood. It won't disappoint and you'll be happy with a full tummy. read more