The Nest Bar & Grill
3600 Vanrick DriveWings West closing a huge impact on our routine. Like a lot of figure skating and hockey families, we spend six nights a week at the rink.
Things haven’t changed all that much yet. We’re now over at Wings Event Center skating on either The Valley or the Zoo most nights. The kids like skating over there better the parents have really missed one big thing from Wings West. Old Burdick’s.
The Valley usually has their concession stand open so you can get snacks along with a few meals. Plus they have beer but it’s just not the same as the full menu and full bar from Burdick’s.
That’s where The Nest comes in to play. It’s a restaurant inside Wings Event Center near the concession stand in the upstairs lobby for The Valley. The space actually used to be a Burdick’s. When we moved here in 2010, this space was Burdick’s Icehouse. We tried going once when we went to the US Curling Nationals but it wasn’t open that day so we never ate there when it was a working restaurant. Now that space has been opened back up with a larger food menu than the concession stand hands and with a much bigger bar.
The bar functions like an order counter. There are a few seats around it but it mainly functions as a place to order. On busy hockey nights, there can be a decent crowd in here watching through the windows overlooking The Valley but for the most part, people grab their drinks or food and head back out to The Valley lobby or to The Overlook to watch their kids.
There is a good amount of seating inside the restaurant and, again, it has the big windows that overlook The Valley rink. My daughter and her friends use this space quite regularly to do homework, snack on some fries and drink Shirley Temple’s in between their sessions on the ice.
I had a pretty brutal day (week, month) at work when I got to the rink last Thursday. J had to run L out to Richland for a strength and conditioning class while I stayed with B for his skating session. The first thing I did was grab a Two Hearted Ale and sat down at one of the tables where I could watch B skate. That’s really one of the things I miss most about Wings West.
I was also hungry so I put in an order for a Nest Burger. It’s a pretty standard burger served on a toasted bun with choice of cheese (I picked cheddar) and the usual lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. I told the bartender to leave the tomato and onion off because I wasn’t going to eat them. There are condiments outside of The Nest near the concession stand but I was good with the burger the way it was. It’s pretty similar to the regular concession stand burger with a few upgrades. The toasted bun is a definite improvement and the fact it comes with LTOP is a bonus. It’s not quite a Burdick’s burger but it is better than the concession stand burger.
The sandwich comes with fries and Burdick’s fries are something I also really miss. You can get these same fries at the concession stand but they don’t come with the burger if you order that. They do come with the Chicken Tenders and you can order them on their own. They’re frozen, skin-on fries but Burdick’s fries have always just tasted better. I do miss the Truffle Fries Burdick’s used to have. These were the base for that. They’re still good on their own and there was quite a bit of them on the plate so that really rounded out this meal.
The Nest Bar & Grill is a great option to have for the families that are at Wings Event Center every night. I know a lot of us grab Jimmy John’s on the way in or the way out but The Nest gives the option for something hot and something more familiar. It’s not quite Burdick’s but it’s nice to have something back resembling Burdick’s at the rink.
SW Michigan Dining 