Where it all began, Arie’s London Bar and Grille in Plainwell. Many dates. Girl’s Night Out, book club. The proposal. A bachelorette party. Arie’s was our place. If we wanted a Cheers-like experience, only one destination held our hearts. Even when our oldest was little, our “date”night with kid in tow was Arie’s. Then kid two came along, a few less than memorable meals at the Plainwell location, and our once a month English fix became maybe a year or two. With just two kids, we ventured out for date night almost monthly. Then our little shocker entered the world and date nights slowly fizzled to once in a great while. So when we do head out, we try to hit up new places around SW Michigan. A few of our new favorites are Phil’s in Saugatuck and Chinn Chinn in Mattawan. Through all of this, our hearts lingered on getting back to where it all began.
Sadly, the Plainwell Arie’s location recently closed its doors. Looking for some of our comfort food, a relaxing meal, and a trip down memory lane we ventured to the Kalamazoo London Grille. Upon entering, I was not getting the warm fuzzy feeling. The gentleman that seated us was less than pleasant. The waitress, sorry I forgot her name, made up for him. She quickly supplied us with a black and tan for hubby and a pear cider for me. My favorite part of any meal is the naan with chutney. The tomato peach chutney was one of my pulls for returning. Here’s the thing, it tasted okay, but it was oily and our dish had more “sauce” than chunks. Those little bits of goodness are what I load up on. A little crispy naan and a gob of chutney… At this point, we were joined by Scott Campbell. He recently took over management of the restaurant. Scott shared with us his vision for the restaurant. We appreciated his candor and welcoming spirit. Also, he is looking to reopen Winston’s (also in Kalamazoo) and Arie’s in Plainwell (yeah!).
Next up was our salad of choice, Stilton Endive salad. Bitter endive, fresh greens, gooey Stilton, and walnut chunks, a salad made from blue cheese lovers. It was good, but not great. A few slices of endive with a few leaves of greens and the rest? Less than stellar iceberg lettuce. Really? For the cost, I expected better. Speaking of expecting better, I kept hearing a door closing. It was a microwave. Right out by customers. I am not sure what was reheated, but the beeping
of buttons and subsequent clicking of the door, bothersome.
Date night is about sharing meals, Stilton steak and Whitefish Grenoble. The whitefish is my favorite. Fried crispy, loaded with salty capers, lemon, and tomatoes, my go-to dish. On the side comes rice and grilled vegetables. I always sub the Indian plate (Indian greens, red & yellow dahl) for the grilled vegetables. This has never been an issue and usually the substitution is made at no or little cost. However this time, I was told that I would have to be charged for the Indian plate, $9.99. WHAT? I just want a taste of the Indian goods. After an exasperated never mind, the waitress said oh
you want a side of Indian greens. Um, yes, yes I do. That will be a little extra. That is okay. We also ordered
the Port Stilton Steak. The steak was a perfect medium rare, perfectly seasoned as were the grilled veggies and potato mixture. The slab of Port Stilton was so thick that it was not the least bit melted when it came to the table. By the end of the meal, it melted and oozed over the remaining slices of steak. Perhaps having it slightly melted over the top at service time…
Normally our dinner wraps up with a shared slice of Sticky Toffee Pudding and a coffee with Bailey’s Irish Cream. Stuffed and ready to move on, we did not relish in dessert. Another day. I have high hopes for London Grille. While we enjoyed our meal, the overall experience was okay. The days where the place was packed and the spirit alive, those are the London times we are missing. A true English pub feel. The days where the bar was packed 2-3 deep waiting for tables, Brothers Flynn playing and singing table to table, and the atmosphere transported you across the Atlantic. I am hopeful.
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