Local Watering Holes

A windowless building located off the beaten path does not scream welcome to anyone passing by. But if it comes with a recommendation, it's a must stop 😊. We saw a couple of doors and tried the first one hoping it was the entrance. Success! Everyone looked at us when we walked in so we knew we were in a hyper local spot. We were seated shortly by Emily who was also our server. Diffident at first, she was our new best friend by the time we left. The building is divided into two sections with a counter separating the two areas. At some point, they must have had issues with minors. Our starting beverages were PBR, Perrin Blackberry, and two vodka tonics. The menu is not a typical bar menu and we ordered chicken gizzards for an appetizer. Pretty, pretty good. Then in honor of Deb's Mom, Sandy, who recently passed away, we toasted Sandy with the Polish Rose (green onion wrapped in cream cheese and ham). As I mentioned earlier, the menu is not what you usually find in a bar. Our fir...

In 2016, the first bar in Jenison opened here in an old Pizza Hut building. It's a great improvement 😊 The name comes from Baldwin Street (of which it's just off) and 1933, the year that prohibition ended. Pretty creative on the part of the owners. When we first were being seated, our server put us in a side room with garage doors that open in the summer. Being that it was winter, we asked to be in the main room and they obliged. I'm sure it's great in summer but it was really cold that night. The tavern has a full bar with lots of specialty drinks and craft beers. We started with Founders Reds Rye, 3 Floyds Zombie Dust, Imperial Peanuts and Cracker Jack (tasted like we were out at a baseball game), and a plain old Pinot Grigio. Beginning with tots for our appetizer is our tradition and we had multiple choices here. We went with the Totchos (pepperjack, queso, taco meat, romaine, pico de gallo, and avocado creme fraiche). So good! Keeping with their clever naming theme...

We tried to get in this place once before but people were waiting out the door so we tried again tonight, with a little better luck. We took the one open table and ended up sharing it. It's a cute bar with lots and lots of decor 😀 We started with a Manhattan, Vodka on the rocks, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat and a Saugatuck Brewing Neopolitan Stout. Traditionally, we like to start with some loaded tots but they were not on the menu, although tots were. We asked our server if the chef could throw together some loaded tots, and he did so willingly and successfully! Cheese, jalapenos, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and chili with beans. Salsa and sour cream were brought out separately. When one of us asked for chives, our server said, "Look where you're at. You're drinking out of a B-Dubs glass." Haha, so we did without the chives. Here is the 2 page menu: Our main selections were a Mushroom Swiss Burger, a Pulaski Burger with horse radish on the side, a Classic Dog, and Chica...