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

Schnitz World Famous Deli

I don't mean to sound like a snob, but having lived in New York City for a year and getting to know the amazing sandwich cuisine of the East Coast I found myself skeptical about this Delicatessen known as Schnitz in Ada, Michigan. I found myself happily surprised. Schnitz Deli understands the most important fact of sandwich making. You have to just pile on the delectable deli meat. Every sandwich needs to be much taller than one would imagine. You have to either stretch your mouth to its largest capacity in order to take a bite of such a sandwich or find some strategic methodology of taking the beast apart. That's how you make a sandwich.

The people at Schnitz must have understood this fact long before I did, because their sandwiches are spectacular. It's become one of my favorite restaurants in the greater Grand Rapids area.

I imagine all of the Schnitz sandwiches are heroic in taste. Unfortunately, I have not been able to taste them all because I am hooked on the Evan's Double Dip, one of Schnitz's many variations on the classic Reuben recipe with corned beef, cole slaw, swiss cheese, pastrami, sauerkraut and 1,000 island dressing on rye bread. The sandwich is enormous, which means there's a good chance you won't be able to finish it in one sitting. Here's the good news: Schnitz offers to-go boxes and the Evan's Double Dip is just as good the next day.

There are three locations of Schnitz World Famous Deli in the greater Grand Rapids area:

Schnitz Deli

1315 E. Fulton St.

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Schnitz South Deli

1529 Langley St. SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49508

Schnitz Ada Grill

597 Ada Dr. SE

Ada, MI 49301

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UPDATE:

On a recent trip to Schnitz, I found that the meat loaf and nachos are also amazing. That said, if you've ever gone to Schnitz and have never eaten the Evan's Double Dip you've done yourself a disservice.

Double-Decker Just-Jelly Sandwich

Using the intermediary bread technology of the McDonald's Big Mac, I've discovered a means of making an ordinary sandwich taste like cake. Give this a shot some time. You'll never need to eat a Fruit Newton again.