Food + Drink

Not only is the Mitten Brewing Co. celebrating its fifth anniversary with a week’s worth of events, the company is releasing its first canned beer.

Thanksgiving: Just the word makes your mouth water. It’s the Super Bowl for foodies - a full day of feasting and football, surrounded by family and friends. We can’t wait to dig into herb-roasted, thick-carved turkey and mountains of mashed potatoes overflowing with rivers of gravy. But we aren’t looking forward to all the work that it takes to pull the meal together.

Walking into New Hotel Mertens is like stepping back in time. That’s because many of the building’s features harken back to previous decades, including the original flooring, which bares the building’s name and was first laid in 1914, when it opened.

Today marks the start Grand Rapids Cocktail Week, produced by Experience Grand Rapids in partnership with more than 40 restaurants and bars. It runs Nov. 8-19, offering two Michigan-based cocktails and a shared plate for $25 or less.

Mel Trotter Ministries (MTM) is once again collecting turkeys for families in need. On Wednesday, the organization hopes to receive 1,500 donated turkeys from individuals and businesses in the community.

With over 40 bars and restaurants participating in Cocktail Week this year, you’ll want to be sure to map out your strategy for trying as many beverages as you can stomach.

Lauded by weekend warriors everywhere, brunch has become more than just a meal. It’s an experience, an ordeal, an event. It’s not a stumble-out-of-bed kind of meal - no, here in Grand Rapids, it’s an Instagram occasion and a foodie sensation.

A family with 160 years of apple orchard history is slowly building a hard cider brand.

A locally made gin, which has been named best in the world, is making its second appearance this week.

Chef Keith Bryant came to his craft early. As a youngster, living in Ohio, Bryant said he watched his uncles “break down venison,” using all parts of the animal to make “unique and delicious dishes.”

Grab a fork and get ready to dig into some delectable local fare. The seventh annual Local First Fork Fest event takes place on Thursday.

Some men might not want to admit stopping into their parents’ house on a regular basis for a home cooked meal, but Ty Nguyen said he regularly goes to his parents’ house for lunch and dinner.

On the West Side of Grand Rapids sits “a mom-and-pop shop with a twist,” as co-owner, Sylene Wilkining described it.

The buzzing never stops at Grand Valley State University’s two apiaries as bees from 13 hives constantly churn out honey.

New Holland Brewing's Knickerbocker and the Grand Rapids Fire Department collaborated on a new project that brings together beer and the Great Lakes Burn Camp.

Whether it’s the buzz of creative conversations or the actual buzz from the caffeine, I always feel more productive at a coffee shop. Since Grand Rapid experiences nine months of colder weather, it’s a true java hotspot; there’s nothing better than a steaming cup of craft coffee on a crisp fall day, amirite?

A Grand Rapids area brewery walked away from the Great American Beer Festival in Denver with one of its biggest honors.

Harmony Hall is partnering with John Ball Zoo to pay tribute to one of the zoo’s newest additions, in Grand Rapids fashion: through beer.

The new Rendezvous bar at Amway Grand Plaza has quickly become a hot spot since opening two weeks ago.

Popular East Hills restaurant Marie Catrib’s will serve breakfast and lunch only according to an announcement the restaurant’s owner made on Facebook Tuesday.