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The Winchester - East Hills - Grand Rapids – 3 August 2009

We here at GRSD heard that Merriam-Webster Dictionary is considering accepting the word "gastropub" as a new entry. Wanting to be first in defining what a gastropub experience is, GRSD went out exploring and found Grand Rapid's newest gem: The Winchester.

Peter Davidson, Executive Chef and Bendle, Sous Chef

Just as the term is a combination of the words pub and gastronomy, The Winchester owners Paul and Jessica Lee have created the perfect blend of neighborhood bar and high-quality food experience. Whether you come for a meal, a conversation over a drink, or both, the warm and helpful staff is there to see you through. They are known to even greet guests by name the next time they come! Liz, our server, helped guide us through the menu and the eating began. One thing we noticed about all of the offerings: Peter Davidson, Executive Chef, is not afraid of flavor. Our Pad Thai, served in a traditional to-go container within a large bowl, had a fantastic house made peanut sauce with rice noodles we could have sworn were made onsite. The fish tacos ordered by another GRSD staffer ended up being shrimp tacos. The reason? The kitchen makes the tacos with whatever freshest ingredients were on hand, and that day shrimp arrived. How cool that even the mainstay menu items are switched up from time to time! The side item for all the sandwich dishes are distinctive plantain chips in lieu of your traditional greasy potato ones. The chop salad was a flavor bomb of prosciutto, strong cheddar, chipotle dressing, and hydroponically grown greens. On the pub side of things, we loved how neatly edited the drink menu was. There was no searching through endless pages or agonizing decisions over what drink to get as some wine bars and restaurants have patrons do.

What really makes The Winchester noticeable is its visual consistency. The logo of the cyclist is repeated on the shirts of the staff (we tried to get our hands on one), images on the walls, and even a figurine above the bar. The mix of high tops and low table seating within the rectangular building is repeated on the rectangular patio, which is partially covered.

People may argue that distinctive décor, perhaps wood paneling with a long bar, is what defines a gastropub. Others say it's when food is emphasized over drink, and vice versa. We at GRSD can define it as such: you just know it when you're in one. If The Winchester itself chooses to define itself as one, we don't really know. But we DO know that on a rainy afternoon, this is definitely where we would be. What could be cozier than that?

(photos by: Michael Buck)