31.8.11

six.one.six

How much more hometown can you get than naming a restaurant after the local area code.  It's also very hip hop. As you can see by the website, there is nothing hip hop about the six.one.six.  (Incidentally, Grand Rapidians seem to be fond of the area code 6-1-6.)

I had a chance to experience brunch at the six.one.six.  Juli was invited along, but apparently she had "just eaten."  The six.one.six (as the locals call it, truly it should be called six.one.six sans "the") is the restaurant in the JW Marriott, a fairly recent addition to to the Grand Rapids skyline.  It was my first brunch experience there, but was privileged to accompany a well seasoned crowd.

Within moments of arrival I was confronted with a choice.  Coffee or Madcap coffee?  Why Kelly chose the house brew is beyond me.   I can only imagine it was because she was presented with an entire carafe.  There is no volume of coffee that can compete with the smooth finish of Madcap.  It is coffee with intense flavor and no bite.  It's meant to be savored and enjoyed.  To call this a morning wake up brew would be insulting to the quality.

Atmosphere: 3/5: We were there when it was a little slow, so it's hard to gauge.  But even if it would have been full, it would have been a huge room, with cold seating.  The major bonus was that we were accompanied by a one year-old and she fit right in.  
One year-old pictured here.  This makes her appear as if she has an unoptimistic disposition, but this could not be further from the truth. Also, this picture was not taken in aforementioned restaurant, it was stolen from facebook.
Service: 4/5: This is specifically speaking to the brunch which is predominantly self serve.  By in large, the servers were available when you needed coffee, a plate cleared, or a gluten free cup of yogurt.

Presentation:5/5:
This is likely the best looking buffet I've ever seen, and I've been to the Old Country Buffet. Nothing scared me.  The fruit looked like each slice was individually placed on the tray (even the raspberries), rather than tossed into a heap. All of the eggs were cooked to order so there was no chafing dish that harbored a single 6 dozen scrambled egg.   

Technique: 5/5: I'm speaking to three items specifically here.  1) The omelette.  Chef made a perfect omelette.  The egg was not crispy and dry.  Neither was it dense and overbearing (It's quite a tragedy that Juli wasn't able to attend as she is particular about overbearing omelettes.  I'm certain this would have pleasantly surprised her.).  
2) The bacon.  Who can put bacon in a warmer and have it it come out crispy? 
3)The yogurt.  To call this yogurt, yogurt seems misleading. When I was presented with the cup of yogurt I momentarily wondered if I had just been served a scoop of Breyer's All Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.   I took a bite and knew that I had eaten a hybrid of Breyer's All Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and my mother's homemade whipped cream. 

Taste: 5/5: I'm not sure if it's Grand Rapids or me.  But I love going out to breakfast.  Maybe it's because it's my culinary Achille's heel.  Maybe it's because Grand Rapids has a lot to offer in the breakfast department.  But the six.one.six brunch skyrocketed to the top of my favorite breakfast list.  Everything was impeccable.  If you know me, you know I exaggerate.  And if you've been, you know I'm not exaggerating right now.  Have I mentioned the waffles yet? They were crisp enough that you could take a real bite out of the waffle, yet they melted in your mouth. Whether you chose the syrup or fruit topping was irrelevant.  The waffle spoke for itself.   

Value: 4/5: There is only one reason I'm knocking this down from a 5 to a 4.  And that is because some people expect breakfast to come cheap.  It must be the early bird phenomenon.  I'm prepared to admit that someone out there may not be willing to pay $15 for breakfast.  I will, however, clarify that this is brunch.  It covers both breakfast and lunch.  Think of it as $7.50 for breakfast and $7.50 for lunch.  That doesn't sound horrible.  And if you eat like I did you can probably allocate some of that cash towards your dinner budget as well. 
I'm willing to recognize that this isn't the most appetizing photo on the planet.  But it is the only photo on the planet that I posses of this afternoon.  Others exist.  They are just not in my possession. 
Overall Experience: 5/5: Personally, I thought the money was well worth it. Tina brought to our attention that we didn't have to choose between a sweet and salty breakfast.  How often do you stare down a breakfast menu?  What will it be?  Strawberry Stuffed Pancakes?  Eggs Florentine?  Do I want diabetes for breakfast or a cardiac arrest?  How about both? 

I'm certainly going back for this brunch.  The menu changes as the seasons change so I know I won't tire of it.

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