If you haven’t made the venture to Tres Lobos Grill & Bar, you should. It’s authentic Mexican at a reasonable price. I know of and am willing to try many other authentic Mexican establishments, but this one is near the top of my favorites.

Having been there at least a dozen times, I went in to review Tres Lobos recently as open minded as possible. As usual, I noted the salsa was a bit runny and on the onion-y side — perhaps even more onion than usual on this particular visit. I’d prefer less onion and more garlic.

The chips are fresh-made. This batch was browned to a crisp and slightly salty. The first basket of chips and salsa is complimentary, and is generous enough to keep you crunching until your entree arrives.

After a very short wait, the Enchiladas Zuizas ($8.99) I ordered was at the table, along with my dining partner’s Chicken Quesadilla ($8.99).

I went with the enchilada because I recalled thinking the green sauce was very good during a past visit. And, on this visit, it was just as I had remembered, but a bit on the salty side. The chicken was moist, tender and very tasty (the combination of spices made for a perfect marinade). The corn shell was fresh and hit the spot.

The meal was accompanied with rice and beans (I got a double helping of rice instead of beans). The rice was moist and flavorful with a plethora of veggies. This dish comes together truly well, and you don’t find this authentic flavor very often — there’s nothing generic about it.

My friend thought the quesadilla was OK, but noted it was smaller than expected and maybe not quite the value of other menu items.

Located on the northeast corner of 28th and Eastern streets, the ambiance and cleanliness set Tres Lobos apart. As I said, there are actually quite a few places serving authentic Mexican fare, but not many of them have this classic feel (no skin off my back, but a real turnoff for many eaters).

Inside, you’ll find brightly decorated booths, walls and Spanish music in the background (often a live musician). There are mostly booths, but some tables as well. Natural sunlight makes the dining room significantly brighter for early summer diners, but it can get a bit dark otherwise. The wait staff is courteous and efficient, though we did find ourselves waiting around for our dessert orders for longer than expected.

To make this review more complete, my friend tried the Chimi Cheescake ($3.99), and was extremely impressed. For anyone who loves good, real Mexican food, Tres Lobos should be on the rotation of places to visit.

Just down the street from Rivertown Crossings Mall, at 3957 56th St. in Wyoming, this locally owned eatery has been open since March.

I settled into the corner table, was promptly greeted, ordered a cup of tea and began looking over the extensive menu featuring “warm ups” (starters), salads, soups (including their signature homemade Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup), burgers, flatbreads, wraps, pasta, fried baskets and some luscious sounding desserts.

In addition to all this, Sports Center has $5 daily lunch specials. My choice off the appetizer menu was the three mini sliders (appetizer price $5.99) served with provolone, Dijon and carmelized onions on mini pretzel buns and fries ($5 special). The portion of fries was very large, and the mini burgers didn’t disappoint either — each burger was about 2.5 inches in diameter.

Being a newbie to pretzel buns, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It had a subtle soft pretzel flavor and texture, with a shiny brown top with a bit of pretzel twist to it. It was the perfect foundation for the medium-rare burgers, the sweet carmelized onions, creamy provolone and the tangy Dijon. Every restaurant needs something that sets them apart, and these pretzel buns are that thing at Sports Center Cafe.

Likewise, the fries were beyond what I expected. They were big chunks of hand-cut potatoes, that had been fried to perfection — a little crispy in places, crunchy in others and soft where they should be — and seasoned with a secret spice that made them pop, somewhat automatically from the plate to my mouth with no forethought involved.

There were a few diners around me and I heard one tell her server that the soup was delicious. I think I’ll try it next time I go back. They also feature hand-packed ice cream and make old fashioned shakes, sundaes, banana splits, floats, smoothies, flurries and malts.

Sports Center Cafe is a nice little place to drop into for what I’d gauge as good food. The owner said it himself — it’s a nice family place to watch sports games without the bar atmosphere. Drop in for a bite, a dessert, a game or a meal and you’ll feel like you’ve made a “winning play.”

Pete’s is a cozy little place that feels like it’s been there for quite some time, yet updated with a nice size patio. Inside you’ll find plenty of tables all surrounded by richly stained wood paneling, and enough flat screen TVs to keep up with the latest game, or satisfy your Keno fix.

While Pete’s has you covered with providing a great atmosphere to enjoy time with friends and family, it seems to have a bit of an identity crisis — is it a bar that wants to be a restaurant or a restaurant that wants to be a bar? While claiming to be a “full service bar,” on a recent visit my wife ordered Strawberry Daiquiri and was told they didn’t have the ability to make one. What kind of “full service bar” does not have a blender?

The food at Pete’s is generally what you’d expect to find from a bar and grill-type restaurant. There are daily specials, with Friday’s “All You Can Eat Fish Fry” ($7.95), giving you the most bang for the buck. The fish — filets of Pollock — were lightly battered and seemed to have a cracker crust. The dish was hot, tasty and plentiful.

On a recent visit, my wife and I stopped in on a Wednesday evening when it wasn’t very busy, as it usually is on Friday and Saturday nights. I ordered the Ham and Beef Burger ($5.69), served with fries, and my wife ordered the All Meat Burrito ($8.79), served with tortilla chips and salsa. Both meals were all right — nothing spectacular — which brings us right to the service. This is an area where the servers at Pete’s need a refresher course. Out of three or so visits, only the first held any merit for customer service, which for me is very important when dining out.

On a busy Friday evening, we were snidely greeted by our server, not with hello or welcome, but with “Did you sit here yourselves or were you seated here?” The service for the rest of the meal went downhill fast from there. On our most recent visit, our server went on break and failed to inform us that she was doing so. (Well, unless you call sitting at a nearby table to eat, “our notice”). We both sat and waited with empty glasses for way longer than necessary.

If Pete’s can pick things up in the service arena, it’ll surely be a place to recommend, as it’s a comfortable place to enjoy time with friends and family.

But calling it “the great taste of Mexico” seems a bit of a stretch.

I’ve had a deep appreciation for Beltline Bar over the years, but that was before I traveled around West Michigan and realized we have some great Mexican eateries. Beltline Bar is Americanized Mexican food. And, I hate to say it, but it’s not that special. Still, they do some things well and there must be a reason it’s a destination for many West Michigan diners, right?

Per usual with Mexican eateries, we started with fresh chips and salsa with an order of guacamole ($3 on special). It seems Beltline Bar likes to nickle and dime the customer, as refills of chips will cost you and I’ve been charged for the initial basket on several occasions. A blend of avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, red onion and lime juice, the freshmade guacamole was a tad bland.

For the entree, I couldn’t justify ordering anything but one of the “World Famous Burritos.” I went with the All Ground Beef Wet Burrito ($9.99). You can’t beat the secret-recipe sauce. The use of Colby cheese on the burrito is unique. I happen to like the taste of Colby, and it certainly has a way of sticking to the burrito that allows excellent ratio control.

The ground beef was tender and plentiful, but extremely salty. It’s almost as if the main spice is salt. And while that is well-complemented by the bland Colby cheese (again, I like Colby), it left even me — a huge salt fan — grabbing for water. Overall, there just wasn’t much to the spices in the meat and the tortilla shell was run-of-the-mill.

My dining partner concurred on the high saltiness with his All Pork Wet Burrito ($9.49), but you would expect a pork burrito to be on the salty side. Both burritos were packed with meat, lettuce and tomato. Certainly, Beltline Bar serves it up in large portions. For that, most should be grateful.

So, the burritos have some good elements, but not enough to claim them as “World Famous.” I’ll still go back — while it may not be the best burrito in the world, there are some unique qualities. I’m not sure how Beltline Bar has gained its notoriety or how there’s almost always a wait for a table.

Perhaps the food quality has simply gone down in the restaurant’s 48 years of operation. Maybe it was better at one point in its tenure. Or, my second hunch is that a lot of competition has moved in, but people have been loyal to Beltline Bar or they don’t care to try real Mexican food. We should be proud of the many great Mexican eateries we now have in West Michigan and take full advantage.

I don’t have any problem with people being loyal, but let’s not over-hype Beltline Bar and give it praise for all the wrong reasons. Yes, they do a lot of things well and the food is usually served hot and fresh, but it isn’t Mexican. And it’s really nothing more than an average restaurant.

We visited Lindo Mexico on a snowy Thursday. The dining room was lightly populated at 6 p.m. The dining room is nicely decorated, colorful without being fake, with several tables and booths available for seating. Our waitress was pleasant and helpful with our orders, and promptly brought our drinks and fresh chips and salsa. The salsa is more smooth than chunky, with a good kick and smoky flavor. Green salsa is also available, for the spicy-hot fans.

I ordered Chicken Tacos Mexicano, 3 tacos (corn or flour) served with sides of Mexican rice, refried beans, and grilled onions. This was beautifully presented on the plate, with the grilled onions and one grilled jalapeño charmingly placed on the side. Chopped radish added another flash of color to the plate and added a refreshingly cool crunch to the meal. The chicken tacos were very flavorful; the smokiness of adobo was subtle but very welcome. The tacos were topped with crisp lettuce and fresh cilantro — a very nice touch.

My son ordered the Chicken Fajitas. Again, the chicken had a lovely low smoky adobo flavor and was cooked to perfection – tender and juicy. Served with corn tortillas, Mexican rice, refried beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole, this was a fantastic dish that my son made very short work of!

My husband ordered Enchilada Mixta — three enchiladas (one chicken, one ground beef, and one cheese) rolled in corn tortillas and topped with a choice of mild, medium or spicy sauce, melted cheese and sour cream. This meal, like the others, is served with rice and refried beans. Although the plate has little visual interest (rather all one color), the flavor of the different enchiladas was outstanding and my husband ate them so fast we had little time to gaze at the plate!

This was an excellent meal at a great price. Courteous and prompt service, coupled with freshly made food and margaritas makes Lindo Mexico a great place to dine out for Mexican.

For the uninitiated, Vietnamese places can be a bit daunting, but to put it simply, here’s what you can expect: a giant meal in a bowl called pho (pronounced fuh, don’t call it foh or poh), which can be described as a huge bowl of soup that features copious amounts of noodles and some type of meat. Cuu Long specializes in pho, but serves other Asian delicacies as well, including a few Chinese and Korean dishes.

Cuu Long excels because of its pho, which at its best is a complex dish that mixes elements of Asian cooking and hints at the country’s colonial French influence. I love pho with its complex, warming broth and explosion of flavors. It is comfort food at its best.

Like many Vietnamese restaurants in West Michigan, Cuu Long is a no-frills establishment that mainly serves the area’s large Vietnamese population. During a visit to Cuu Long, it is likely that you will be the only non-Vietnamese person in the dining room. And that’s what I love about it: It is the kind of restaurant that transports you to another place. While that can make dining at a place like Cuu Long exciting, it can also make it a bit intimidating. The restaurant itself, a converted fast food place, is a bit run down, though it always appears sanitary. The menu is short on details and some diners might be scared off by dish names like Bun Ha Noi, Bo Luc Lac and Bun Bo Hue.

Have no fear. If you show respect and an ounce of courage, the owner will take you under her wing and show you the way. She is a delightful woman who starts by asking if you’ve ever eaten Vietnamese food before. If you haven’t, she will ask you what type of meat and flavors you like. With that in mind, she will pick a dish for you. As she gets to know you and if you are honest about what you like and don’t like, she will help you choose what she thinks you will enjoy from the menu.

Like many Western diners, she started me off with a grilled pork chop that included a tangy fish sauce to pour over the meat. One bite and you know you are not in Kansas anymore. To those new to authentic Asian cooking, fish sauce can be a shock to the palate. It has an intense fish flavor and if you are at all queasy, don’t look up how it is made. Still, the dish is a good introduction to the flavors of Vietnamese cooking.

I graduated on a subsequent visit to Bun Bo Hue ($7), a spicy beef and pig knuckle pho with a deep lemon grass and shrimp paste flavored broth covering loads of rice vermicelli. It was spectacular. I’ve also sampled the Jam Bon ($7), a spicy Korean soup. It also was very good. After visiting once, I would suggest grabbing a take out menu so you can Google dishes you might be interested in to find more information. Better yet, grab a Vietnamese friend for lunch to help guide you through the menu.

To be sure, Cuu Long is for the adventurous diner. If you are squeamish about trying new foods or flavors, don’t bother. I’ve brought along two friends on two separate occasions — one loved it, one wasn’t as thrilled. If you believe dining out should a fun adventure, Cuu Long is worth a stop.

Cuu Long is found next to a McDonald’s on South Division, just south of 36th Street.

The first thing we noticed is that there seems to be somewhat of an identity issue here. Although the sign out front says “Old Time Diner”, their name actually is the Times Past Diner. That’s what it says on their menus and placemats, both featuring a picture of the front of the building with the Old Time Diner sign featured prominently. Hmmm, must be an Ottawa County quirk.

The interior is compact and homey and decorated with old photos. We took a table by the front window which is a great place to view passing trains, if only one would pass by. The menu is basic burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast. Sandee ordered scrambled eggs with cheese, sausage links, and their toasted homemade cinnamon swirl bread. I was intrigued by their Old Time Breakfast Platter (there’s that Old Time thing again), two fried eggs adrift a sea of hashbrowns mingled with sausage bits, onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and coated with cheese. “What’s the difference between the full and half order?” I asked our waitress. “You don’t want the full order, trust me” she quickly shot back. “Two people are lucky to finish off one of those.” I prudently elected the half order with their homemade whole wheat toast.

So how was it? Great, basic comfort food and plenty of it. Sandee couldn’t finish all of her breakfast and I left a half slice of toast on my plate. Their homemade bread is not only yummy but thick sliced, so you get plenty of it. The service was quick and friendly. We had about a 10 minute wait after we ordered. Our waitress cycled through filling our coffee cups every couple of minutes. I had so much coffee I would have sloshed had my belly not been so full of carbs.

Total damages came to 13 bucks and change. Yes, we’ll go back. The Times Past Diner (with the Old Time Diner sign out front) is in a small building set back a bit on the southeast side of the main intersection of Chicago Drive and Balsam Street (to the North) / 32nd Street (to the South). Technically they’re on a small service street that opens onto 32nd Street just a tad south of Chicago Drive. Confused yet? That’s why I love Google Maps. They open up early at 5 a.m. and turn out the lights at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Saturday’s hours are a little shorter, 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and they’re closed Sunday. Yet another Ottawa County quirk. Breakfast is served whenever the front door’s unlocked.

Monelli’s Italian Grill, located in Wyoming on Byron Center (just off M-6), offers a similar experience with great-tasting food. I’ve been able to watch games at Monelli’s twice now, and I have to say the experience is great.

My first visit was to watch the Red Wings’ home opener this season. We got there pretty late, so the restaurant was already filled up. We chose to sit at the bar and enjoy the 22 TV screens that surrounded us. We eventually stole a booth once someone left, which was much more relaxing. The second visit we got in right away on a Saturday night, which surprised me.

During my two visits, I had the opportunity to try two completely different dishes. The first time I went, I decided to go the traditional route for a sports bar. I ordered a margherita pizza along with an appetizer of bruschetta. Both items had quite a bit of flavor, which was a bit over the top. Despite the fact that we felt like we needed to brush our teeth afterwards, it was still very good. The pizza was wood-fired and thin, and topped with big, fresh slices of tomatoes and basil. The fresh mozzarella cheese was perfect, and the pizza was definitely one of the best I’ve had in a while. My two dining partners also had a pizza, which they very much enjoyed.

For my second visit, we started out with breadsticks with melted mozzarella ($7.99). While this appetizer wasn’t as over the top as the bruschetta, it had a great amount of cheese on it, and turned out to be very filling. It’s definitely something that was made to be split between a few people, not just two. My main entree was the Ravioli Rustici ($12.99), which featured ravioli stuffed with sun dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella. It was much more spicy than I had thought it would be, but it was a good balance. And despite its price, the meal was huge — I had to take half of it home with me. My dining partner, on the other hand, opted for the Monelli’s Sub ($6.99). Like my dish, it was rather large.

While the food might have been knocked out of the park as compared to other sports bars in the area, the service is really what’d you would expect. They had a few mishaps; on my first visit we were promised a table, but never given one…we had to fight in order to get the booth. But other than that, the service was good.

Monelli’s also offers several drink specials during game times, and at the minimum give $1 off drafts during state pro and college games. They additionally have a “Late Nite” menu, which offers some very good deals on appetizers and deserts.

Overall, Monelli’s is definitely worth checking out. It’s great food and multiple TV sets makes for a great sports dining experience for any sports fanatic — no matter if you’re cheering for the green and white, or the maize and blue.

Rob: I’m a sucker for Asian food as well — when it is done right. There are many Chinese restaurants in West Michigan, but you could count the solid eateries on one hand. Unfortunately, we won’t be adding Blue Ginger Asian Kitchen to that exclusive group. I used to have a bias against restaurants — especially Asian restaurants — in strip malls. That changed with my visits to Rak Thai (see review on this site). Food is a creation and I believe environment plays a big part in how it turns out. So for foodies, strip malls tend to take away from the experience. But a review is really about food, right? So let’s get to the meal.

Bryan: We started off with some hot tea, and then an appetizer of crab cheese and soup. I went with the classic Won Ton soup ($2), which I found quite difficult to enjoy. The noodles were huge, which I expected, but I would’ve liked a bit more density to the soup. There just wasn’t enough there.

Rob: My experience with the Tom Yum Goong soup ($3.50) was similar to Bryan’s: The soup was fairly good. It was spicy and warming, but there wasn’t a lot to be found in the broth. My Tom Yum had three average sized shrimp, but beyond that, little was found floating in the bowl, except for a few white mushroom slices. I like spicy food, but I found the broth overpowering on the heat scale. The heat diminished the subtle lemon grass and lime juice.

Bryan: On the bright side, our crab cheese (six for $3.50) was excellent. It had a lot of crab bits mixed in, which is hard to come by, especially at eat-and-dash Chinese restaurants where the crab cheese seems all cheese and no crab.

Rob: The crab cheese was phenomenal — simply the best I’ve ever had. The presentation was excellent as well. The crab cheese was served on a bed of shredded cabbage in a dish shaped like a boat. It was a nice touch.

Bryan: While we waited for our entrees, we couldn’t help but notice the random artwork on the walls. There was a nice painting of olives — but how does that have anything to do with Asian food? I have neither seen, nor tasted an olive in an Asian food dish. It seemed to be a mix of American art related to food, with some Chinese artwork thrown in.

Rob: Still, the restaurant was spotlessly clean. The walls were painted a stylish pale yellow and blue, not the gaudy pinks and purples found in some Chinese restaurants. I appreciated my surroundings, despite the mishmash of art.

Bryan: After our appetizer, we were excited for our entrees. I ordered the Orange Chicken ($9.15), a favorite of mine at any Chinese restaurant. When it was brought to the table, it was covered in a sauce paired with an orange slice. The pieces of chicken seemed to be fairly large. Size can be deceiving. Some orange chicken is more breading than meat. Despite a great presentation, the food didn’t hold up to my expectations. Several pieces had stretchy tendons throughout. Overall, the meat was tough. The dish had plenty of orange sauce, but the flavor was off a bit. What might’ve been a great dish was definitely a disappointment.

Rob: I tried the House Chow Fun ($10.55), a beef, chicken, shrimp dish with wide rice noodles and vegetables. I love wide rice noodles, but was disappointed by the generic brown sauce that accompanied the dish. You know you are at a Chinese restaurant with a lazy chef when every beef dish is served with the same brown sauce and every chicken dish with the same white sauce. At quality Asian restaurants, chefs don’t cut corners. Each dish they create has its own distinct, freshly made sauce. I didn’t find that kind of quality at the Blue Ginger Asian Kitchen.

Bryan: All in all, Blue Ginger was a disappointment. I would’ve liked to have experienced more originality to the cooking. While the crab cheese was a great surprise as our appetizer, the rest failed to meet our standards.

Rob: Agreed. Blue Ginger is yet another average Chinese restaurant in an average suburban strip mall. The restaurant tries to be too much. There are Chinese dishes blended with a few Vietnamese choices, alongside a smattering of Thai offerings. Don’t be fooled: This is a Chinese restaurant. If you want Vietnamese, there are other solid choices in West Michigan. And if you want Thai, go to a Thai place instead. Asian food lovers have few choices for authentic, fine dining in West Michigan. Blue Ginger certainly does not join that elite group.

This morning, I’ve just finished my first attempt of the Sunrise BLT which includes the crucial BLT ingredients on a Cheddar Herb bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese rather than mayo (with a medium coffee, about $6.50). Overall, the sandwich is good, but it did nothing to ease my skepticism towards fast food bacon — the texture is just a bit too creepy for me. However, the rest of the sandwich is quality between the chewy, savory bagel and their sun-dried cream cheese, which has become a bit of a fanatical obsession amongst my roommates. Without the bacon, I would’ve really enjoyed this sandwich.

Last week, my breakfast sandwich experience was stellar when I indulged in the Breakfast Duo, a plain bagel with bacon (none for me), sausage, scrambled egg, Chedder and Monterey Jack cheeses. Talk about a departure from McDonald’s. In contrast to the corporate giant, this sandwich had a surprising lack of grease. While the sandwich was extremely large, as all of their sandwiches are, I was not left with that vague “I should not have eaten that” feeling.

Generally, a bagel and a coffee are more than enough to kickstart my morning. The bagel menu boasts 15 distinct bagel flavors as well as six cream cheese varieties. All of the cream cheeses are available in a lite version as well. A Bagel Beanery Bagel Bundle ($13.99 for one dozen with two tubs of cream cheese) is the favorite at my house on a Saturday morning after a long and boisterous Friday night.

Two bagels must make it home — the Asiago Cheese and the Apple Crunch. Savory and sweet lovers are passionate about these two, respectively, and I have to agree they’re two of the top bagels on the menu. On a given trip to Bagel Beanery, I am likely to get the Asiago Cheese bagel with sundried tomato cream cheese — a little salty, with a subtle bite of sharpness from the Asiago cheese. The Apple Crunch, on the other hand, maintains the necessary bagel chewiness but is sprinkled with crunchy cinnamon bits.

I’m a medium roast kind of girl, but Bagel Beanery also offers a variety of specialty coffee and smoothy drinks. To add to its nearly overwhelming variety, it also has a comprehensive lunch menu.

I have only dined in at Bagel Beanery once. It’s a bit frenzied for me. Then again, so is Panera Bread and Starbucks. Therefore, I feel compelled to mention how good the service is at the drive-thru window. Not only is the service quick, it has always been outrageously friendly and enthusiastic. Talk about starting your day on the right foot — between a smiling face and quick, satisfying foods, Bagel Beanery is a dark horse breakfast gem.