The Holiday Bar, 801 5th St NW, Grand Rapids ~ 12/6/18

This place originally opened in 1905 across the street at 585 Stocking NW, where Arsulowicz Brothers Mortuary currently sits. John Arsulowicz called it the Ideal Tavern. When Prohibition hit in 1920, the bar closed and became a store selling religious goods. It re-opened in 1959 and moved to its current location. So with a gap of almost 40 years, it is a little misleading to claim they've been in business 113 years. But nonetheless, it is a Westside staple.
Here are two old, undated photos of the bar.
The vast space is broken up by the large horseshoe bar in the middle. Tables and/or booths, and a lot of TVs, run along either side and we took a table at the front windows.
The horseshoe bar is very cool but one can't see from one side to the other. We thought the padding was old but it turns out patrons are just very tough on it. But some of the wood of the bar is original and over a hundred years old.
And there are still some bells under the bar that were part of their old phone system. A bartender let me in back of the bar to show me this, and after I took this picture, the owner kicked me out from behind the bar :-)
Our server was prompt but very diffident in her dealings with us. She was eager for us to put in our orders so lack of attention was not a problem but she was not friendly or personable and we had the feeling she wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible. But we held our own and ordered when we were ready, starting with Titos, Peary Manilow, Winter White Ale, and Blackberry IPA. The Peary Manilow was a little too sweet so avoid if you don't like sweet drinks.
We snacked on Sriracha chex mix, and calamari with The Holiday Bar sauce (THB) (horseradish, mayo, mustard seed, maybe more?). Both appetizers are worth ordering and the chex mix inspired us to create our own version.
We then ordered a few of the night's specials beginning with chili. The shredded pork and chilis got hotter as it went and was altogether delicious. The 'hotness' did not overpower the flavor.
A wonderful, grilled chicken sandwich was also on the specials list and arrived with lettuce, tomato, cilantro, and pepper jack cheese, and gigantic onion rings.
The THB Burger, their 'signature' burger, came with carmelized onions, American cheese, lettuce and the THB sauce. We are fans of this sauce and it seems to make everything just a little bit better. Fries were nicely seasoned.
Beer braised corn beef brisket made up the THB Reuben and was accompanied by Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing on butter-grilled rye bread. It was as good as it sounds.
A side salad came fresh and crisp.
The always-playing soundtrack is loud and apparently later on the weekends the place morphs into a club atmosphere complete with DJ. So it has technically lost its 'watering-hole' classification but we've included it anyway. The menu is interesting and the food is well-prepared.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mill Creek Tavern, 3874 West River Dr NE, Comstock Park MI ~ 7/9/24

Image
  Back in 1890, this building opened as the North Star Saloon and Hotel which closed sometime in the early 1900s. It became Mill Creek Tavern in 1999, and no one we talked to was definite about the time in between. But to be fair, our servers were all fairly new. The current owner, Scott Ingersoll, bought the business in December of 2021. From comments in some facebook history groups (thanks, Jamie Wasilchenko & Nan Schichtel), the following information came to light. Joseph Thiel was an immigrant from Germany who owned the hotel at the time of his death in 1913. And courtesy of Travis Brown:  When the Soldier's Home (Veterans Facility) was built along the Grand River near North park, there was a federal law that prohibited alcohol sales within one mile of the Soldiers Home. Comstock Park was just beyond that one mile threshold and as a result numerous bars sprung up there. Betty's BBQ was somewhere near Mill Creek Tavern, and  Louie's may have been at this location o...
Read more

Conklin Bar, 19683 Main St, Conklin MI ~ 9/17/24

Image
This bar is well-known, not only in Conklin but state-wide, due to its very short but well-attended St. Patrick's Day parade. That is also the only day that Irish food is served. Back in the 1970s, this was Stub's Pub, owned by Bernie "Stub" Fritz, and a few reminders of that time are still here. From 1987-2015 it was Fenian's Irish Pub and owned by Terry and Mary Ann Reagan. In 2015, Mark Schneider, who was Stub's nephew, bought the place and called it the Conklin Bar.  Kathy Vandoeselaar purchased the place in March of 2024 and we not only met her, but also her sister, Mary, and her husband, Phil. It's definitely a family affair here 😊 Although the menu may not be Irish, they do have Guinness on tap so cheers for that! We had one Guinness, a Sam Adams Octoberfest, Arnold Palmer and a Chocolate Covered Cherry (Guinness with Sam Adams Cherry Wheat). We shared the Macho Nachos, which were superb: house-seasoned beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, blac...
Read more

Nick Fink's, 3965 W. River Dr, Comstock Park MI ~ 11/14/24

Image
Established in 1888, Nick Fink's has always claimed to be the oldest bar in the Grand Rapids area. Its competitor for the title was The Cottage Bar, whose claim as the oldest continuously operating bar in Grand Rapids can now be put to rest. They opened in 1927 and closed in October 2024. It's currently for sale. So back to Nick's. It closed in 2021 due to the pandemic and re-opened September 2024. The first Nick Fink was a Prussian immigrant and opened the bar inside a hotel. These are old photos from the bar's website and they are awesome. Three generations of Finks owned the bar but in 2008 they sold it to the Gilmore Group. Gilmore put on some additions but kept the vintage wallpaper and patent leather booths. They have an old safe near the entrance and say they've been unable to open it. Here are a few more interior photos. Self-serve free popcorn is available. We paired our popcorn with a White Pine Pilsner, Brew Detroit Campin' and a Shorts Local Light. ...
Read more