The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

The Kitchen By Wolfgang Puck was very high on my list of must-visit restaurants in Grand Rapids. If you don't know, Wolfgang Puck has a compelling back-story of how he became the chef he is today (oh, look it up) and has become an inspiring éminence grise in the current cooking scene (search, you'll find him all over, from Jon Favreau's "The Chef Show" to "Top Chef").

I was familiar with his airport eateries but this was my first visit to a well-known brick-and-mortar location. The Grand Rapids locations (both The Kitchen and the more casual Kitchen Counter) are in the Amway Grand Plaza hotel complex. The Kitchen is a clean, inoffensive generic European look that brought back memories of traditional Scandinavian design from the 70s and 80s.

The staff are very enthusiastic, helpful, and a pleasure to interact with - they kept things hopping throughout our long-ish visit. A big thank you to all, especially the Swan Princess.

We started with dessert first, because why not?

The Spanish Style Cheesecake - vanilla bean roasted pineapple within and topped with a hibiscus-strawberry coulis - isn't as creamy as New York-style cheesecake, it's a bit more crumbly, but packed with tropical flavor and scent. All of us really liked it.

The Chocolate Soufflé - with sides of salted caramel ice cream and a thick chocolate fudge paste - was darn close to perfect. Again, loved by all.

The Vanilla Beignets - filled with a bit of Nutella and served with a side of banana créme anglais - are a tasty punch of flavors, a surprise to those who already like the simpler New Orleans beignets rolled in powdered sugar. I would've like more Nutella in each center, and more consistency, but these are nits.

The Roasted Brussel Spouts - with a honey gastrique & bacon - is a dish I make myself. The staff really did a powerful job on this one: the bacon was crispy, the honey just the right amount to balance the salty, umami bacon, and the sprouts were fried right up to the edge of perfect, crispy and pulling the flavor from the leaves without crossing over into the land of bitterness. Damn, now I have to up my own game!

The Truffle [Potato] Chips - with a Gorgonzola blue cheese sauce - were enjoyed although there was some annoyance with the word "truffle" in the description. The flavor was nowhere to be found, there certainly was no shaved truffle anywhere, and the staff explanation that there was "some truffle oil" didn't make anyone happier. Serve the dish, lose the word. There's more truffle evident in my toothpaste. :-)

On the other hand, the Shanghai Noodles blew everyone away. Every element was perfect: the cook on the wheat noodles and the crunch on the wok-fried pork along with the tangy, pleasant mouth feel of the sauce found all three of us pawing at the dish.

The Meatloaf - a mix of beef and pork like the Frikadellen of Wolfgang Puck's childhood - is a profoundly comforting dish. The potato purée and the port wine glaze make about as nice a meatloaf as I've had; think proficient meatloaf with the glaze of some of your favorite ribs. The one element of the dish that I'd lose is the theatrical tower 'o onion rings - they just don't fit with the homey vibe of the rest of the dish, don't have enough flavor to feel a part of the festivities, and seem like a desperate food decoration ploy.

At first I was taken aback by the safe, pedestrian feel of the menu. There's nothing cutting-edge here, nothing unsafe. Then, upon reflection, I appreciate the gateway into carefully-prepared, elevated dishes of various countries, especially those that can be reliably replicated by the local kitchen brigade. I would certainly time my return visits to seasonal changes in the menu, and I'll certainly keep my eyes out for the next installment of Puck-approved dishes.

This was a great way to usher my Grand Rapids friends into some eatin' they'd not before enjoyed, and there was a lot of good food conversation throughout. Oh, and the coffee is full-bodied, rich, hot, and plentiful. That's a big one for me....

Good wagyu burger, great fries. Fine dining atmosphere and good service.

Wagyu Burger: Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. I paid more for a burger here than anywhere else, but it was nowhere above most any other burger I would have spent $10 less elsewhere. That said, it was a decent burger, but it was cold by the time I ate it. I ate the fries first since NORMALLY those cool a lot faster, but don’t make that same mistake. The burger cools faster in this case.

I asked for it to be cooked medium and it was medium to medium raw (which is fine to me) and it was a decent quality. I’ve had a couple of other wagyu burger to compare it to and this one was at the bottom of that list, but only marginally so.

The bacon aioli was a small nuance of flavor. The onion marmalade dominated the flavor with its tang and savory addition. The lettuce and tomato were very fresh (and I suspect part of the reason the burger cooled faster). The white cheddar is not a favorite of mine, but was actually really good in this combination.

Fries: The fries were amazing! They are thinner cut with a slight batter coating (I am guessing). They were served hot and with a lot of salt which I usually complain about, but was actually good in this case. The amount of flavor that the salt brings out actually was warranted. They probably have my favorite fries in town.

Service: VERY professional and quiet. They are there to make sure you have everything you need while staying out of the way. Everything was picture perfect.

They are very strict about sticking to the schedule. We were not let in a minute earlier than 3pm. That said, they were very pleasant greeting us and seating us. The waiter was cool and knowledgeable.

Atmosphere: Polished for sure. They have a reputation to uphold and they nail it. There were a few scratches on tables and chairs. However, everything was very organized and in their places. At 3pm, we almost had the whole place to ourselves!

The view of the Grand River is amazing! The lobby outside the restaurant is pleasant as well.

Conclusion: While I am sure their other menu items are astounding and everything else about this restaurant is great, I wouldn’t highly recommend their burger. If you read my reviews, this is my angle and specialty in Grand Rapids. I do look forward to stopping by again and maybe trying their other menu items.

Visited 3-4pm...

Nice little place inside the Amway Grand Hotel. Confusing online presence (not the Kitchen Counter, try to find the actual site that will show a sample menu). Overall, a 7/10.

Atmosphere: 8/10. A nice hotel bar that offers food and a pretty decent selection of alcohol, but maybe not for a die-hard bourbon/whiskey fan. No Japanese whiskey, only a 10 year Whistlepig, and the standard selection of basic whiskey otherwise. No (at the time) Weller, Blanton's, or even a cursory Four Roses. But a very nice view of the river, comfortable bar seating, and pretty modern decor.

Food: 5/10, or, a yikes/10? Maybe I was just sensitive from being shithoused, but the mashed potatoes and "forbidden" (black wild) rice were both on the salty side. Unfortunately, the mahi (pictured) felt overdone and a bit dry, and required a replacement after I could only get a couple of bites down after 20 minutes or so, but +5 to the bartenders who noticed that it wasn't sitting well with me. Service is easily a 15/10, would chat with again, but the food was a let down. The replacement salad had some old bits in it, both yellowed and some completely wilting (on the way to deliquescing-- the chicken came along the side of the plate, so the wilting didn't seem heat-induced). The food was plated beautifully, but unfortunately the execution was a bit lacking for me (but your mileage may vary, it may have just been my taste buds). I really did want to like it. The creme brulee was excellent, however.

Service: 15/10, as stated previously. Friendly, helpful, and candid. From the front entrance to the bar, the advice and attitudes were exceptional. I could sense they would leave me alone if I didn't initiate conversation, and would happily engage if I did.

Facilities: ?/10, there were some convoluted directions to a bathroom that I...