The Lift Restaurant & Bar
2747 S. 11th StreetWe really used to love when there was an Old Burdick’sat the Holiday Inn on South 11th Street in Oshtemo Township. We’d order take out at least once a week. Greenleaf Hospitality sold that property a few years back and eventually, Old Burdick’s left too.
It seemed like the hotel was always under construction once Burdick’s left. My in-laws stayed there once before they moved to Michigan and we ate at what was then dubbed 11th Street Grill. It was fine, but it wasn’t Burdick’s.
We ate there one more time while they were doing another renovation with a limited menu a few years ago but it was kind of off-putting and really wasn’t that great…so we never went back.
The renovations at the hotel seem to finally be done. It’s no longer a Holiday Inn. It’s now a Delta Hotels by Marriottand the restaurant area has been renovated once again.
J and the kids went to her parents house in St. Joe County the night before Thanksgiving. I had to be at work at 3 AM on Thanksgiving so my plan was just to join them the next day. I got off work pretty late but I still needed to get dinner. I had decided to give the 11th Street Grill another chance but when I walked in, I found something totally different.
The walls separating the restaurant from the lobby had been torn down. The two spaces now flow into each other. It’s much more reminiscent of a traditional hotel bar than a separate restaurant. The spaces are divided by a sitting area with couches and a fire place.
The dining room underwent a total redesign. There are a lot fewer tables now. They moved booths to the middle of the old dining room and put tables around them. There are larger tables for bigger gatherings near the bar which is in about the same spot as the old but it’s no longer cut off from the rest of the space. They also got rid of the access to the pool and covered up the windows that used to let you see in.
There is pretty large beer list written on a large chalkboard near where you enter. I saw they had Bell’s Official on tap so I got one of those and asked for a menu.
The menu isn’t huge but there’s a lot of good stuff on there. I picked the Two Hands Burger. The “hand pressed patty” is topped with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and a fried egg. It comes on a Brioche bun. I left the mushrooms off (and I think there were onions on the menu I saw too…I left those off as well). The burger was slightly pink and nice and juicy. I’ve really become a believer than brioche is the best type of bun for a burger.
The sandwich came with battered french fries. They were of the frozen variety. They were fine and a good compliment to the sandwich.
The fries came with a trio of condiments. Ketchup, mustard, and mayo. I had no use for the ketchup or the mayo but the mustard really helped with the fries.
My bill for dinner by myself was a little under $20 before tip.
The Lift Restaurant and Bar is a huge improvement over the 11th Street Bar and Grill. The place is much more inviting and the food is much better than anything we had the few times we were there before. I don’t think it will be the carry-out place Burdick’s was for us but is a great place for a beer and something to eat when we want to stay close to home.
SW Michigan Dining 