American Char
6394 Adams StreetSkating competition days can be long. B had four events at Skate the Lakeshore at Griff’s IceHouse West in Holland this past Saturday.
The first event was until 12:30 so we didn’t have to get up too early. We left Kalamazoo around 9:00 AM and stopped at Dunkin’ along the way to get breakfast.
The first three events were all pretty close together. He had a break from about 2:30 PM to 5:45 PM though which isn’t totally unusual at these competitions.
B didn’t want to leave the rink. He was hanging out with friends so I ran to Jimmy Johns down the street to get him lunch. I screwed up though because I got distracted as I was ordering and forgot to leave the mayo off the sandwich. He powered through most of it and didn’t ask for anything the rest of the day.
On the way home, he asked if he could get something else to eat. I asked what and he said he didn’t care. McDonalds, Wendy’s, Taco Bell. Whatever.
I told him I wanted to stop for BBQ along the way and then we could hit the Taco Bell in Wayland for him.
I headed west from Holland going back towards US-131 but I didn’t take the most direct route. There’s a BBQ place in Zeeland Township that I have been wanting to stop at for a really long time but it seems like every time I drive by, it’s closed.
That BBQ restaurant is American Char. It’s on the corner of Adams Street and 6th Avenue in the unincorporated area of Zeeland Township known as Drenthe. The building looks a little out of place until you realize this was once a home with an ice cream parlor attached to it. The add on looks very added on but less so now that the BBQ place has done some renovation making it look more like the Southern BBQ restaurants that you’re accustomed to.
The few times that I have passed this place when it was open, I didn’t stop because I didn’t know if it was counter service or a sit down restaurant. I was having a hard time finding pictures online.
It didn’t really matter this time though because I wasn’t in a hurry. I did end up find some Google pictures though that made it look like it was counter service. That was confirmed when I walked in. The counter is actually in the back of the space all the way through the dining room.
The menu is behind the counter for the most part but there is a pizza menu off to the side. I asked B if he wanted a pizza. He said no, Taco Bell was good.
I ordered the Mini Meal Sampler. The cost was right around $15. I was given a ticket with a number then B and I went to sit in the dining room.
The dining room has about a half dozen tables. Most of them are larger party tables though. It’s combination of pub style tables and regular dining room size tables. Everything is done in wood. The floors, the walls, the tables. The chairs are kind of cheaper with the metal frames and wood seats.
It took way longer than I expected to get my food to go. It was almost 15 minutes which seems like a long time for BBQ that is already cooked. Still, when my number was called, I grabbed the bag then we headed back to Wayland to get B his cheese quesadillas (yes, that’s plural).
The Mini Meal Sampler was a really good deal at $15. It consists of Chopped Brisket, Pulled Pork, and two sides. I chose the Mac & Cheese and Cornbread.
There was no sauce on the meat and I am totally fine with that. I typically prefer sliced brisket over chopped but I get why the chopped is in this meal. It’s still deliciously tender, juicy brisket that just melts in the mouth. It was a pretty good sized portion too as the meat was jammed into the foil container.
The pulled pork was the same but pork instead of brisket. It was super tender, juicy, and really flavorful. I would have been really happy with either of these meats as a meal but I love the sampler option so I got to try both.
The mac and cheese was a really thick, creamy cheese covering the macaroni noodles. It was a good side portion and actually a pretty good mac and cheese. I could see throwing some meat and BBQ sauce into this to make it a whole meal.
The final piece of the Mini Meal Sampler was the Corn Bread. This was a pretty good size piece and a light, airy, and buttery piece of bread. Not a bad way to end the meal.
There was one more thing in the meal and that was two flour tortillas. I guess I could have made tacos but the meat was good on it’s own. I just ate the two tortillas by themselves just because they were there.
American Char was exactly what I was hoping it would be. It was delicious BBQ and getting the Mini Meal Sampler was a really good move. There was quite a bit of food and the price for it was really good considering what the price of BBQ is now days. I’m glad I stuck to my plan of hitting this place on our way home from Holland. It’s been on my list for a while and I can finally check it off.
SW Michigan Dining 