Parsley's Mediterranean Grille: A Customer's View

Grand Rapids, Michigan is a mid-sized Midwestern city, population about 200,000. It is not, to say the least, a cosmopolitan mecca in spite of being the regional center of West Michigan. It certainly does not have a large amount of world class international dining experiences per se, but I did find one that stands out from the crowd. Parsley Mediterranean Grill is located at 80 Ottawa Avenue in downtown Grand Rapids. It is, to say the least, my favorite international dining restaurant in all of West Michigan.

The food tends to be Greek and Middle Eastern. The term "Mediterranean" therefore might as well refer to "Eastern Mediterranean" as one will find nothing Italian or French on the menu. The store itself is sleek and clean, and does not attempt to turn itself into a tacky Middle Eastern themed restaurant. The ambiance is admittedly not a traditional sit-down restaurant and is perhaps more similar to a Subway or a pizza parlor in the sense that while it can't be considered fast food, it isn't the sort of place you take a formal dinner party.

Prices are reasonable, although not so much "cheap." A lunch is eight dollars, although a lunch is in and of itself massive and good. If you don't eat off the dollar menu at Arby's or Burger King you could easily run over eight dollars and get less food of a lower quality to put it in perspective. One cheap item does exist when they run their lunch special of a pita wrap for only three dollars. The staff is incredibly hard-working and polite. They get your food to you on time and make sure it is prepared well. Most importantly of all, the restaurant is clean, very clean in fact.

The menu itself consists of traditional fare for Middle Eastern restaurants in America. Pita wraps are a popular item. Falafels are on the menu. Hummus. Not to mention Baba Ghannouj which is a Turkish eggplant sauce I thoroughly enjoy. These are examples of sides that are included in lunches. A soup is also included, and I highly recommend the lentil soup which has a curry flavor to it. Of all the dishes on the menu that I have tried so far my absolute favorite is the chicken kafta. It is a tender chicken strip mixed with herbs on a pita served with vegetables. So great is my love of this dish that if I had to make a list of my top ten favorite foods I am sure I would have to put it somewhere on the list.

The system I use to rate restaurants is a five out of five scale. The first point goes toward value. The second goes cleanliness. The third to service and the last to toward food quality. At Parsley you definitely get your bang for your buck. It isn't the McDonald's dollar menu but for the price it is it is worth paying. I'd say for the quality of food and the amount you get the prices could theoretically go higher and they would still do business. They get one point. The service is excellent and deserves another point. The place is clean, very clean. Another point. Finally the food. Out of the two possible points I award it all two. By my standards Parsley gets a five out of five. Some in the Michelin Guide would certainly scoff at my rating. Although I do fancy myself more of a "blue collar gourmet." It is my goal to be the Michelin Guide for restaurants where the average person would eat, and for the blue collar gourmet Parsley is magnificent.