Eastown Cafe

Sundays in Grand Rapids are a challenge for those of us looking for a family-friendly meal in a relative hurry.  Sure Mangiamo's is open (and they have a killer "family night" special), but we were in a hurry and friends had to get to the airport in 90 minutes (and we had to leave time for some ice cream at Jersey Junction before they took off).

So there I was, with Megan, Anabel, a friend and her 3 kids (of varying ages) looking for a decent quick meal on a Sunday afternoon.  At least one child had mentioned a desire for a hot dog.  I couldn't have paid him to suggest something I was more qualified to provide.  Alas, if you've ever tried to find a hot dog on a Sunday afternoon then you've probably been through the same quick analysis as me: 

• Kabookie's, with the promise of hot dogs for the kiddies (and me), burgers/sandwiches for the adults:  Closed.
  
• Yesterdog, which I talked-up, drove everyone too and naively assumed would be open...Closed.
• Dog Pit, which pioneered the artful use of Tabasco as an integral component of a good hot-dog:  Closed (and too far away to be a realistic option given our time constraints and ice-cream jones).

In stepped the newly minted Eastown Cafe (at the former location of the Eastown Deli).  Owned by the famous Sami (of Sami's Gyros and Sami's Party Store) who is quietly taking over Eastown one quality restaurant at a time, the Eastown Cafe offers no-frills American food (burgers, paninis, salads, etc) in a very informal atmosphere (think Culver's...order at the counter, sit down, they'll bring your food out when it's ready).   The kicker?  They had a hot dog on the kids' menu, so William and Anna got hot dogs while the adults got Portobello Panninis.

Life was good and so was the food.  Great?  Of course not.  Perfect for a small cafe in a neighborhood rife with eccentric eateries by lacking a burger-joint since the demise of the Wealthy St. Grill?  You betcha.

I had a corned-beef Reuben sandwich on marble rye bread.  It was good, but like the rest of the food, not incredible.   The onion rings I had on the side were of the "big batter" variety and made a nice accompaniment to my meal.  Service was quick, polite, accurate and we were in and out in less than 45 minutes...which makes a big difference when you've got a 13 month-old with you at dinner.

Finally, one note:  They had a REAL HIGH CHAIR.  This alone is enough to make the Eastown Cafe one restaurant on a short list of places we can actually take Anabel.  Those disgusting wooden ones seem like germ factories and have no trays so Anabel like to each the lap-bar.  Disgusting.