For several years now, one of my very favorite restaurants in West Michigan -- which in its broad definition includes the metro areas of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Grand Haven, and Holland -- has been Mia & Grace, in downtown Muskegon. They're extraordinarily committed to supporting local farmers and other food producers as well as local artists and artisans. They make as much of their creative menu as possible in their own kitchen, including bread, butter, ice creams, pastries, condiments, and sausages/hot dogs. Unfortunately, the area didn't generate sufficient dinner traffic to justify their staying open in the evening (at least I think that's the reason; perhaps the owners just wanted to have more family time), but they're still open for breakfast and lunch 9-5 Tuesday through Saturday, and for special events.
And speaking of which, on July 12 they hosted an extraordinary 12-course dinner for Slow Food West Michigan, with guest chefs.
The very simplified menu
Farmers and Friends
Small samples from Harmony Brewing in Grand Rapids were served with four of the courses
First course: bread loaf w/condiments
Condiment plate, clockwise from the duck fat candle (!): Sumatra coffee jelly, blueberry preserves, rhubarb jam, jalapeño jelly, goat cheese rolled in black pepper, bacon jam, and, in the middle, house-made butter w/sea salt
Second course: quenelle of chicken liver pâté, sweet and sour dried cherries, pickled green tomato, poppy seed crumble, purslane, lettuce
Third course: morel and leek soup, crème fraîche, red bell pepper, purslane, truffle flavor potato chip
Fourth course: chilled poached whitefish surrounding a whitefish mousse w/parsley, salt, and pepper cream; yellow summer squash, lamb's quarters, oxalis, nasturtium aioli
Fifth course: hickory-smoked duck andouille, cheddar jalapeño grits, swiss chard, pickled rhubarb, golden raisins, pea shoots, radish, ham glace, cornbread crumbs
Sixth course: tiramisu two ways: 1) housemade ladyfingers, pistachio liqueur w/vanilla, amaretto-coffee glaze; 2) housemade ladyfingers w/amaretto cookie, raspberry glaze, blueberry
Our table, halfway through:
Seventh course: lamb neck and tomato sugo, pecorino Parisian gnocchi, nasturtium leaves
Eighth course: Scotch quail egg (panko + chorizo crust), sweet potato puree, herb pistou, pickled onion, cilantro
Ninth course: Farmers Market vegetables -- new potatoes, redskin potatoes, string bean, sugar peas, snow pea, edible flower, fresh dill, sweet onion-veal broth
Tenth course: "Pork Belly Breakfast" -- braised and maple syrup-glazed pork belly w/ Hollandaise sauce, savory (garlic and herbs) mini-waffle, pickled strawberry, Sumatra coffee jelly, crumbled cured egg yolk, English muffin crumble
Eleventh course: Pizzette -- pizza slice with mozzarella, coppa, crème fraîche, swiss chard, peppadew pepper, roasted garlic oil
Twelfth course: brown butter bread pudding, fennel ice cream, fig, roasted pistachios, golden raisin butterscotch sauce
