THEWINEMONOLOGUES.COM: A visit to Reserve in Grand Rapids

A visit to Reserve in Grand Rapids

A few weeks ago, on our way back from Chicago (to celebrate my Chicago Marathon finish!), my wife and I decided make a small side trip to Grand Rapids and visit one of the coolest wine people I had never met, Allie Merrick. Allie is the self-proclaimed "wine gal" at a new wine bar called "Reserve".

Reserve, co-owned by Dick and Betsy DeVos with Grand Rapids' Martha's Vineyard owner Khameel Chamelly, opened just over a month ago. It is located inside the Windquest Building at 201 Monroe Ave. NW in Grand Rapids. www.reservegr.com

We arrived a bit early on our Monday excursion from Chicago and were surprised to see a small line waiting outside of Reserve before its 4:00 opening. Upon entering this old bank building, I was happy to finally meet Allie in person!

Allie is Reserve's Wine Relations Director and may be better known to some of you social media wine aficionados as the co-host of "My Wine Words" with her husband Peter Eizel.
www.mywinewords.com

Allie gave us a quick tour of Reserve, including the private tasting room, complete with a cork floor and a wonderful cellar contained within the old bank's vault in the basement of the building. Reserve is a beautiful wine bar with great lighting, lots of windows and a wonderful mural that sits above the bar, taking up the entire width of the bar area.

"Open Water No. 24" is the centerpiece of Reserve. It sits high above the bar and is noticeable as soon as you walk in. Being the first winner of ArtPrize, Grand Rapids own annual art competition, the Devos's could not let this wonderful work of art leave the area, so they bought it and display it prominently in Reserve.

After our tour with Allie, I was ready to take a look at Reserve's selection of 102 wines by the glass. Yes, you read that correctly, Reserve has 102 wines by the glass. Preserved perfectly through the Cruvinet dispensing system behind the bar in Reserve, the selection of wines by the glass is a true delight to those wine "experts" and "novices" alike. Reserve even serves Falanghina, which impressed my wife, a fan of this varietal (try finding a Falanghina the next time you are in your local wine bar, let alone your local wine store).

We jumped right into two flights. . . the Pinot flight and the Alsace flight. Both flights were outstanding and we paired them with samplings of some meat and cheese from Reserve's Charcuterie.

We then moved to the main course. Reserve menu is all "small plates" to allow a guest to partake in many tastes to be paired with different wine. We chose the Manila Clams (made with chorizo sausage) and the Spinach and Poached Egg Risotto. The dishes, to say the least, were fabulous. The clams were perfectly cooked and the chorizo was pleasantly spicy. As good as the clams were though, the risotto with a poached egg over it was our favorite. We never would have imagined an egg over risotto as a meal, but what a meal it was!

Our visit to Reserve was the best time my wife and I have had at a restaurant/wine bar in a long time. The staff was outstanding, the wine list unmatched and the food was unforgettable. That, along with a great host like Allie on premises, is too much to pass by. If you are in Grand Rapids, you must stop into Reserve. We are headed back to "GR" for the Grand Rapids Wine and Food Festival on November 20th and have a reservation already for Reserve that night. I am sure I will have a great time at the Festival, but I am really looking forward to heading back to Reserve. Cheers!