One Stop Coney Shop
154 Fulton Road E.J and I are doing our best to cut back on eating out at work. Last week, we booked a trip to New York for our one year anniversary. We’d like to save as much money as we possibly can just so we can eat out four or five times a day while we’re in the Big Apple.
She’s been doing pretty well at packing her lunch, but I really need to get in the habit again. I was good when I worked in Peoria. I was in the habit. Since I haven’t had a steady job since then, I’ve gotten out of that habit and forget when I leave the house.
I felt bad about going out to eat, but I was hungry and J told me to go get something. I wanted to find something cheap.
For several weeks now, I’ve been driving by the One Stop Coney Shop on Fulton Road and Jefferson Avenue just east of downtown Grand Rapids. Like I’ve mentioned several times, I don’t eat hot dogs, so I kind of ignored this place at first, but I eventually saw a sign for hamburgers and Belgian fries. That was enough to get me interested.
The One Stop Coney Shop is in a building that fronts a very busy Fulton Road. The business doesn’t have a parking lot, but there is plenty of street parking the area surrounding it. I found quite a few spots on Jefferson Avenue not far from my final destination.
I stopped in around 7:00 on a Thursday night. Business was a little slow and the two guys working were sitting at a counter on their laptop and reading the paper. When I walked in, they both jumped up to get my order taken care of.
The menu is written on a chalkboard behind you when you’re facing the counter. Space is at a premium as the restaurant is not much more than one long hallway lined with tables. The kitchen takes up a good portion of the space and you’re able to watch as your food is being prepared.
If hot dogs are you’re thing, they try to do them right. Dogs are grilled, not boiled and served as close to authentic as you can get. They offer both Detroit and Flint style Coney’s and Chicago dogs.
I was in the market for a burger. They only have four choices, but one of those is the Canadian Blue. The One Stop Burgers are two fresh ground beef patties pounded thin. On their website, they say, “This receipe (sic) has worked for that Ann Arbor burger joint for the last 30+ years. We hope it works in Grand Rapids for us for that long too!” I’m assuming they’re talking about Krazy Jim’s Blimpie Burger. These burgers aren’t quite as thin as Krazy Jim’s, but they are about the same size. The idea is that it cooks faster since everything is cooked fresh. The bleu cheese is layered between the patties and instead of regular bacon, there’s a big chunk of Canadian bacon on the bottom between the lettuce and the meat. The sandwich was very juicy and a little sloppy. I like that in a burger. The cheese melted nicely on the meat and almost formed a sort of sauce. My initial impression was that the sandwich was a little small, but it proved to be a little deceiving.
When I ordered the burger I went with the combo which got me a Coke and an order of the Belgium fries. If you’re not familiar with Belgian fries, it basically means fries that are hand cut and fried twice. The first fry cooks the potato, but leaves it a little limp. The second fry crisps up the outside without overcooking. It’s how I cook fries at home. Since I got my order to go, the fries weren’t served in a cone like they are when you eat in. Instead, they were tossed with salt and dumped into a paper bag. The fries were delicious. Perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned.
My dinner cost me just a little over six bucks which is exactly what I was looking for. I got a great, filling meal for about the same price I would have paid for fast food. I think it’s crazy that this is the second hot dog place I’ve found in Grand Rapids that does great burgers and fries.
Canadian Blue One Stop Burger
Belgian Fries
SW Michigan Dining 