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Bow Tie Tavern, 8388 Alpine Ave NW, Sparta ~ July 1, 2025

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Out in the country on the corner of 10 Mile and Alpine you will find this historic bar. There were some fancy cars parked outside. We walked in the back door to find an empty room, a pool table, and a phone booth. We rounded the corner and found specials and the bar. It was fairly busy for a Tuesday night and the ambiance was friendly and comfortable. We started with a Goose Island Beer Hug, two Cherry Wheats, and an Arnold Palmer. We were not up for their appetizers tonight so we decided to share a couple of deep-fried hot dogs. They came with ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickle, and we quite enjoyed them. Budget-friendly at $2.25 each, they were excellent with a seemingly more intense flavor. For one of our entrees we chose the Bowtie Burger served with ketchup, mustard, mayo, onion, pickle, lettuce, and tomato. The burger was juicy and delicious and arrived in a fresh bun with crisp lettuce. The Swiss Mushroom burger was equally satisfying served with mayo, grilled mushrooms, and on...
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Tip Top Deluxe Bar and Grill, 760 Butterworth St SW, Grand Rapids ~ June 3, 2025

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Would you walk into this place based on the outside and with no previous knowledge about it? That would be a 'no' but that would also be a mistake. The building was built in 1920 (according to Zillow) and it looks its age. This is the front entrance but you need to enter and exit on the side. This is the back. The interior though has such a cool, retro vibe that we really appreciated. The walls are covered with period artwork and concert posters. This bench and those booths are awesome. The old tin ceiling. The Beers on Tap list is up at the mahogany bar. We had an Oberon, Miller High Life, Blood Orange Honey, and a Ginger Ale, which turned out to be Vernors - only in Michigan 😉 Neither the online menu or the printed menu turned out to be accurate. Sandwiches are gone and the burgers are available only on weekends. So, that left us with the fried appetizers, which were actually quite good. Sourced from Van Eerden Food Service, the food was above average for fried bar food. We ...
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