Ramona’s Table
2232 Wealthy Street SESome days I just have to give in and go out to dinner. Sure, I pack a lunch, but I work a 12 hour day on Saturday. I usually eat my lunch not long after getting to work which means come dinner time, I either eat out of a vending machine or I go out.
This time, I chose to go out.
I sort of left the office wandering aimlessly knowing I didn’t want fast food. As I headed down Wealthy Street, I remembered a place in East Grand Rapids that I’ve been wanting to try. I had no idea if they were still open or not, but I figured it was worth a chance.
Ramona’s Table is in downtown East Grand Rapids on Wealthy Street near Bagley Avenue in the Gaslight Village Area. Downtown East Grand Rapids is filled with cute little buildings and Ramona’s Table is no different.
Like any good downtown area, the area is very pedestrian friendly which means most of the parking is on the street. Not a huge deal on a n0rmal day, but with piles of snow taller than my car, it did make it a little tough to get from my car to the sidewalk. I did have to walk on the street a little ways until I could find an opening, but since it’s not a high traffic area, it’s really not a huge deal.
When I got inside the restaurant, I wasn’t really sure what to do. At first glance, it looks like a place where you order at a counter and they bring it to you, but after soaking in my surroundings, I started to question that initial reaction. I looked around to find a menu thinking it would be above the counter like it is at most deli’s, but that wasn’t the case.
The lady working at the counter must have sensed my confusion. She asked if she could help me and I just said I wanted to put in an order for carry-out. She started to hand me a menu that was sitting on the counter, but there was a sandwich board out front with the day’s special and one of those caught my eye.
I had been studying the menu online because deli’s are usually pretty overwhelming and I like to have an idea what I’m going to order when I get there. Ramona’s has a large menu of gourmet deli sandwiches including multiple grown-up grilled cheese sandwiches. Unlike most deli’s, Ramona’s actually has burgers. Now, they don’t have a huge burger menu, but instead do a burger of the day. That was what caught my eye as I walked in.
I put in my order for the burger and the order taker asked me about sides. Since I didn’t really look at the menu in front of me, I had to ask what my choices were. I went with the redskin potatoes. My bill without a drink was a little under nine bucks and it took about ten minutes for my order to be packaged up in a neat little brown to-go box.
I got really excited when I opened the box and found my burger. The half pound of beef is charbroiled then topped with mixed greens, tomato, bacon, and a bleu cheese sauce. The bun was a pretzel roll which really held up well with the bleu cheese sauce. The sandwich was delicious. It was fairly juicy and the bleu cheese sauce was just enough to hold the sandwich together. Somewhere, either in the bacon or the burger I found fennel seeds. I couldn’t tell exactly where they were coming from, but it was a great addition to the sandwich. I was a little hesitant at first to spend the $10 on a burger, but it was actually a really good size and filling sandwich. I’m not usually a fan of pretzel rolls, but this one was actually very delicious.
The red potatoes were served in a little Styrofoam cup and they were packed in. The potatoes are roasted then covered in a seasoning. Again, not usually a fan of potatoes cooked like this, but I couldn’t stop eating these. They were delicious and somehow, didn’t have an overly potato taste.
I don’t think I have to say it, but I really am a fan of Ramona’s Table. I was in the mood for a burger on this trip, but next time I will have to try one of their other sandwiches. Almost everything on the menu looks good.
The Daily Burger w/Mixed Greens, Tomato, Bacon, and Bleu Cheese Sauce
Roasted Red Potatoes
SW Michigan Dining 