Myrth — Restaurant in Ada Township

I really really want to love Myrth, but I'm just not convinced. First, the food. Obviously the draw is the James Beard chef so one would expect the food to knock your socks off. But...it doesn't. The pizzas are not consistent (we have had some come out with black char spots, ingredients like lions mane mushrooms are not chopped - the experience of chewing through a long, slimy lions mane mushroom isn't the pizza bite I want), and the toppings menu is too limited; the pastas are very small portions, bland, and way over priced.$30 after tax for a small bowl of noodles with red sauce is just not something I can get excited about even if it was the best little bowl of noodles with red sauce I've ever had, which it was not. Every pasta we have had here has been bland, tiny, and boring.

The pizzas are also small and there are very limited options, which is fine for a one time customer but there's not a lot of rotation, so after a couple of visits it's easy to tire of the exact same thing especially when they are either basic cheese/pepperoni or very different like lions mane mushroom (which are stringy and slimy when cooked, especially if not cut up...). I can't really take my kids here because the cheese doesn't have that much cheese on it (I get that is the intended style, but it makes it hard to find something for the kids to like) and the pepperoni is really spicy. The other options are bland, and I'm just not getting the hype.

The desserts are weird and there are only 1 or 2 of them - for example, unless you love a salty honey syrup pie slice, you're out of luck some nights, and the same applies to the drink menu which seems unnecessarily too limited. It almost feels like you're being told this is the exact perfect beverage you are supposed to have with the food here, so your opinion or preference doesn't matter. But that's not the way to make a restaurant amazing. To top it off, the service we've had the few times we've been in has been mediocre. We've had to ask for water every time, the servers and hostesses are not welcoming, they do not know much about the menu when you ask questions, and have seemed very annoyed or literally told us no when we asked for any menu alterations (simple ones like add a topping to a pizza, nothing crazy).

Finally, the location right on the awesome new riverfront in Ada is amazing, but behind windows. What a bummer that the developers didn't plan for more of an outdoor space than the cramped little 4' wide fenced in corral outside by the sidewalk. It's almost never going to work for us because we usually go out with friends and bigger parties. Places like Eastern Kille in Rockford blow this place out of the water in all of the categories above, and, in my humble non-James Beard recognized opinion, have much better pizza (and drinks, of course). So, we just don't find ourselves with a reason to go here anymore, which is super sad because as Ada residents we really want to love it.

Myrth's design and vibe inside is great, it is beautiful, and for a once in a while date night it'll do in a pinch, but I would not recommend it. The idea of Myrth does not match up with the experience, and that makes all...

We've been wanting to try Myrth since they opened and finally had the chance. We made reservations the day before and were able to get right in on a Friday night. We actually prefer sitting at the bar and it was almost like they saved us two spots there. The restaurant was full and it wasn't long after us, that people were waiting.

We started with the Garlic Focaccia and I usually just think Focaccia is ok, but not this Focaccia! It was fantastic and the Sauces enhanced the flavor even more. We ate it all, even though I was only planning on eating half. My wife and I split the Spicy Cheese Pizza and Pennette with Whitefish. The pizza was full of flavor with just enough spice. The crust was baked to perfection and the only thing I would do differently is add pepperoni next time. That's just because I will always add meat to a pizza, but my wife wanted to have it in it's natural state. The Pennette was a pasta dish that I've never really experienced before. I don't usually think fish in a white sauce is all that appealing, but there was something about this dish that just came together perfectly. Everything there tasted SO fresh and we can't wait to go back and try something new.

Again, we sat at the bar and it was super busy. The bartenders were top notch. The had to have been SUPER busy, but we never really had to wait for a drink and they even took the time to really make you feel like you were wanted there. They were impressive!

Overall, this is a place I wish was on the same block as my house. Although, I would probably spend too much time and money there. I'll gladly make the 20 minute driver there anytime and I'm looking forward to...

Ho hum. This was my second experience with Myrth. I'll talk about the best aspects first. We were a party of four people who dined outside. We ordered a very nice Chardonnay blend. Nope, you can't try before you buy. That's unexpected. But, the wine was nice. The service - we had a very sweet guy who was very charming and attentive. Now for the two reasons we chose Myrth: the food. Since when are apps. Salads? It was difficult to share apps because it's really odd to have 3/5 apps as salads. Shouldn't salads be on a salad menu? I shared mine with my hubby. We had the Arugula Salad. It was quite literally a plate of arugula. Thats it. Maybe four tiny croutons. Then I ordered the Penne Pasta. It was okay. But, here's the odd thing. It was served with a giant blob of Burrata on top. Now, I like Burrata, but this Burrata was ice cold! So, it made my pasta cold immediately. My friend ordered the same thing and had the same experience and reaction. My hubby ordered a wood fired pizza. He thought it was ok. West Michigan, how many restaurants with wood fired pizzas on the menu do we need? Tired, very tired. The second reason we came: al fresco dining on a beautiful, summer evening. The patio was - outside. That's all I can say about it because there was absolutely no effort to zhuzh up the space. Is it too much to ask for more attention to detail for a restaurant which boasts a Beard award winning chef? Let's elevate the quality of the food as well as the experience. I know you...