I think about a world to come where the books were found by the golden ones, written in pain, written in awe by a puzzled man who questioned, "What are we here for?" All the strangers came today and it looks as though they're here to stay.

-David Bowie "Oh! You Pretty Things"

Monday, October 17, 2011

Electric Cheetah


There are a couple of things that you should probably know about Electric Cheetah.

The first thing that you need to know is that Electric Cheetah has a seasonal menu. I was originally going to write an article about Electric Cheetah earlier this year and one of the things I was going to rave about was their brisket sandwich. It was a really fantastic sandwich, but if you go there today you will not be able to order it. While this may seem frustrating, it is actually not so bad because of the second thing you need to know.

The second thing that you need to know is that basically every sandwich and most of the other entrees on any given Electric Cheetah is really good. I've never had a bad sandwich or meal at the Electric Cheetah. Some have been better than others, but unlike many of the other places I recommend that have one or two things that are absolutely fantastic and a bunch of other things to skip, you're more likely to love your food at the Electric Cheetah than you are to be unhappy.


But if you're looking for a bull's eye, there is one thing that I have never seen leave the Electric Cheetah menu. The third thing that you need to know is that if you have not ordered A Classic French Dip at Electric Cheetah before, you are missing out on the best french dip sandwich I have ever had. This is basically the signature sandwich at Electric Cheetah, and almost everyone I know recommends it. I've never been the biggest fan of the French Dip before Electric Cheetah - it's just so easy to make an unremarkable French Dip sandwich. But there's something about the mixture of slow roasted beef, Nantucket roll, Swiss cheese, horseradish cream and au jus that just makes A Classic French Dip fantastic. My hypothesis is that it has a lot to do with the clashing tastes of the horseradish cream and the au jus, but then again, it also has a lot to do with the quality of the beef and how it is cooked. What I can say for certain is that the French Dip will not fail you.

The fourth thing that you should probably know is that Electric Cheetah is getting hotter and hotter each year that I go there. I think that the Cheetah started as a hip restaurant in/near Eastown, but as word began to spread almost everyone in greater Grand Rapids now knows the name Electric Cheetah. As a result, weekends and evenings are likely to be kind of packed. I don't want to discourage you from going, though. Even though the restaurant is not so elegant that you have to make reservations, it never hurts to call ahead and let them know you'll be coming and how many people you will be dining with. It was a lot easier to sneak into Electric Cheetah without a wait when I used to go there at 2 PM on a week day during the summer. But on a Saturday night, during/around the Art Prize festivities, it can be kind of crazy.

Come for A Classic French Dip. Stay for the other appetizing sandwiches and dinners. And if you've tasted each and every delicacy that Electric Cheetah has to offer, just wait a couple months and the menu will be different. Invest some money in your local economy. Eat at the Electric Cheetah today.

Electric Cheetah
1015 Wealthy Street Southwest
Grand Rapids, MI 49506

4 comments:

  1. I know I already commented on this on fb, but I finally got around to reading your review. We MUST go here once I get back. I really miss so much of the restaurants and stuff that I grew accustomed to during the summer.

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  2. We will go back to Electric Cheetah. When you get back, we'll have to have a welcome back dinner. And we can go wherever you like.

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  3. Electric Cheetah sounds like an excellent choice for that. I'll have to try something new for sure. Gotta get the sweet potato fries though. Oh man, this sounds good. It's so not a microwave meal. I can't wait!

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  4. You can order something big and make half of it a microwave meal the next day.

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