Food & Drink
Local eats: Brewery Vivant
By: Matthew Stein
A funeral home turned brewery/restaurant is what makes up Brewery Vivant. Being of the many restaurants on Cherry Street in Grand Rapids it’s a great choice for food and drink. Prior to the brewery, the building was the Metcalf Funeral Home and chapel, which was the largest in Grand Rapids, established in 1894. The word “Vivant” translated from French to English means “to be alive”, which is the direct opposite purpose of the past funeral home.
Brewery Vivant
Right away you are greeted with friendly faces and voices all around and the architecture from years past still stands along with an original beautiful stained glass window. We sat at a table for two and were immediately greeted by a fantastic waiter who did not offer us drink specials, but took the time to review the craft beer menu with us. Personally I do not prefer craft beer, so I chose the apple raspberry cider from Vander Mill, which is located in Spring Lake, Michigan. My guest chose the draft non-alcoholic root beer.
The drinks arrived quite fast and we tried them right away being delighted with the first sip. The root beer being on draft, did not have the pungent fizz that would come from a bottled or can root beer and it had a great rich flavor. My cider was light and very fruity with a slightly dry finish, that was perfect for sipping on during the rest of our visit.
We then ordered appetizers, which consisted of house made 3 blend Beer Cheese served with warm soft pretzels. This dish was the perfect portion for two people and it arrived very quickly-a trend that we noticed, which was enjoyable. The pretzels are made at Nantucket Bakery, which is a local Grand Rapids business. The beer that is used in the cheese is brewed at Vivant and it contained not just one type, but two varieties of beer.
Just as we finished our appetizer, our main course arrived (talk about perfect timing!). My entree was the Poutine, which varies day by day. On this particular day, it was the seasoned french fries, with cheese curds, a homemade gravy made with their beer, and topped with an egg. The egg was cooked perfectly and the yolk broke perfectly over the rest of the components. The gravy was very rich and coated the fries with cheese curds that seemed to come up in every forkful. I also had some of the beer cheese left from my appetizer that I used to dip my fries from the Poutine in.
My guest had the Spinach Manicotti, which was served with a sliced Nantucket Bakery French crostini bread. What was admired the most about the food was the presentation. The manicotti was plated in a skillet with the bread next to it and this was placed on a wooden board, that really gave the dish a rustic look. The entree was made with ratatouille, a tomato-fennel sauce, and house made ricotta. The lovely garnish was tomato, eggplant, zucchini, and squash, which are vegetables that are just lovely for this time of the year especially. The bread that came with it was great for dipping in the sauce and that is what my guest did to use as a secondary utensil other than her fork.
As a side note, before ordering, my guest was informed by our waiter that the dish contained bacon in the sauce. We both agreed that this was very informative and nice to mention should vegetarians want to order the same dish.
As we ate, we both agreed that we had a great choice with ordering and that everything was very flavorful and tasty. Most of the ingredients are locally sourced, which helps add to the wonderful flavors and really gives you a good feeling because you know where the ingredients come from.
After finishing the meal, we had to decline dessert, although the menu selections did offer great sounding options. Before leaving, we walked around to see the brewery area, which is viewable to the public with an explanation of how their beer is brewed. We also viewed the outdoor seating area, which is great for busy times and nice weather.
The drinks were delicious to the last drop and the food was palatable to the last bite, even though we had to take our remnants home in boxes due to being full.
We would definitely recommend this restaurant for those who are willing to step out of their comfort zone with trying new foods and for the craft beer lovers who like a good selection. If you haven’t tried craft beer, this would be a good spot to sample and to get to know the varieties. The other drink options are definitely worth trying as well.
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