Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant--Holland, MI

The Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant

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NOTE: Unkh's is drastically changing their menu as of 1/08, so the below review is no longer applicable. I'll post an update when possible.
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322 E Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI
Just West of the US 31 ramp, past the entrance to WalMart
Lunch M-F 11-2
Dinner M-S 5:00-9
Closed Sundays
616-394-0024
www.unkhs.com

On Unkh’s website there’s a saying: “Gather in UNKH’S small place, eat good fresh earthly food and have a happy long life.” The husband and wife team who run this place make every effort to live up to this goal with every meal they serve.

Across from the WalMart entrance on the way to Ottawa Beach, Unkh’s is tucked between a battery outlet and tanning salon. This is no ordinary strip mall restaurant—this is a serene, airy, immaculate (and smoke-free, cell phone-free!) eatery. Unkh’s offers three seating areas: a sushi bar, regular tables and “traditional” seating, which looks like Japanese low tables, except there’s room under the table to put your legs, so there’s no knee pain involved.

We heard rave reviews from a sushi expert that Unkh’s fish is the freshest he’d had since Japan, but that really didn’t impress us vegans/vegetarians. But their veggie sushi did: the Green Roll (cucumber and avocado wrapped in rice and seaweed) and Tamago Sushi (a large chunk of cooked egg tied on top of a rice pad) were fresh and flavorful. You can also choose from Pickled Daikon Radish and Shiitake Mushroom rolls. The sushi comes with wasabi (which can be blended with soy sauce to create a killer spicy dip) and pickled ginger.

From what I’ve read, it’s ok to eat sushi with either fingers or chopsticks and you eat each piece in one or two bites before it falls apart. You could spend a lifetime trying to figure out Japanese etiquette, but the staff at Unkh’s is a tolerant bunch. They happily answered our questions but were also fine with letting us do our thing, even if that thing was probably an assault on their sensibilities. (They'll happily provide forks if chopsticks aren't your idea of fun.)

Unkh’s has four vegetarian udon soups, meal-sized bowls of thick noodles with broth and toppings. (All of Unkh’s udon and miso soups are made WITHOUT any fish products, unlike at many Japanese restaurants.) I’ve had the Kitsune-Udon, filled with shiitake mushrooms and tofu pockets but always return to my fav, Yasai-udon (topped w/ perfectly cooked veggies). My beloved loved the Tsukimi-udon with poached egg and scallions, though he couldn’t finish it after all the sushi and salad.

We were pleasantly surprised to find vegetarian versions of Gyoza (pan fried steamed dumplings) and Korokke (mashed potato croquettes with corn and carrots) since they often contain pork. Like most menu items, they’re served with interesting dipping sauces. Other vegetarian options are Vegetable Tempura, Hiyayakko (hilled organic tofu with scallions) and Edamame. And every meal is better with the mixed green salad—it comes topped with Unkh’s awesome house-made sesame dressing.

Unkh’s does a lot of carryout, catering and offers sushi and cooking classes.

posted by veghead at 5:24 PM

Piper Restaurant--Holland, MI

Piper Restaurant
2225 South Shore Drive
Macatawa, MI 49434
616-335-5866
http://piperrestaurant.com/

Tuesday-Thursday 5:00-9:00
Friday & Saturday 5:00-9:30
Closed Sun. & Mon.

SUMMER HOURS
Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend
Dinner 7 nights a week 5:00-9:30


Seems like vegetarians don’t like water. Or interesting food. At least that’s what most waterfront restaurants in West Michigan must think. In Saugatuck your choices are a baked potato and tossed salad at the Butler or a veggie burger at the Mermaid. In Grand Haven, the temporarily closed Bil Mar on the beach had awful vegetarian options despite it’s stellar location and Snug Harbor has decent, but typical, choices. And then there’s Holland. Despite shorelines on both Lake Mac and Lake Michigan, the choices are slim, even for
carnivores. The only game in town is Piper Restaurant. In its former incarnation as the Sandpiper, we often enjoyed taking guests there for special meals. There’s a dock out front where you can tie up if you arrive by boat and the Sandpiper prepared creative vegetarian dinners as wonderful as, sometimes even better than, their “regular” entrees. But when the restaurant went “casual” and became the Piper, we were disappointed--it was back to veggie pizza, fries and salads, and after a few mediocre meals we avoided the place for several years. Then my father came to town and wanted to dine on Lake Mac, so we reluctantly headed to Holland’s south side.

The Piper’s funky stairway offers a nice workout before dinner and we could smell the wood fired pizzas as we climbed. (There is an elevator, but we weren’t in any rush for this experience). Upstairs there’s a spacious dining area and bar and another set of stairs leads to a loft for large groups. Somehow this open room doesn’t get as noisy as many restaurants, even when the place is busy. The setting is attractive and there are whimsical sculptures and murals which were added when they casualized. But the main attraction is the wall of windows where you can watch the boat action at the Holland channel and catch a sunset if you time it right.

I was grumpily concocting a no-meat, no-dairy meal with the waitperson when she asked if I wanted to see the vegetarian menu. When I picked my jaw off the floor, I was handed a neat little all-vegetarian menu with items clearly marked vegan (no animal ingredients) and ovo/lacto (those that contain dairy and/or eggs but no meat). The waitperson topped off our beverages and left us with a basket of delicious bread while we absorbed this new information. The clouds over Lake Mac cleared and my attitude was thoroughly adjusted.

When I saw they offered vegan Portobello Ravioli ($12.50) with sundried tomato, leeks and spinach topped with a basil vinaigrette, I had to try this rare treat. Most non-vegetarian restaurants don’t know how to make a flavorful meal without massive quantities of cheese or cream and this entree was terrific--subtle, rich, but not cloying. (Unfortunately this dish probably did contain dairy, but we’ll get to that.) While I smiled between bites of pasta, my husband enjoyed the Vegan Stew ($12.50), a blend of roasted root veggies, fingerling potatoes, spinach and onion in a saffron garlic broth. It, too, was a creative and successful combination. The Piper has discovered that there’s more to vegetarian cuisine than fettuccine alfredo.

I checked the Piper website recently and they’ve changed their menu. It looks like the vegetarian items are now incorporated onto the main menu and are clearly marked as ovo/lacto or vegan. The ravioli is still available, but is now marked ovo/lacto, so I presume the original vegan descriptor was an error. Sigh. Though I don’t take this kind of error lightly (we are horrified by how often servers think beef broth or bits of chicken is ok with vegetarians), I am willing to give some latitude to a place that’s truly making an effort. (And maybe they’ll go the extra mile and make it truly vegan? Please?) They have added a vegan jambalay and other interesting options. Other sides are sweet potato fries and spinach bread, and the wild mushroom spinach salad with asparagus and artichokes sounds mighty good.

The Piper has now moved into our top tier of special places to eat. They don’t just accommodate but they really work hard to please ALL their customers. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with veggie burgers or pasta primavera. But when restaurants go that extra mile and serve healthy AND creative fare, that get our attention. We’ll gladly climb those stairs for another wonderful meal.

Cafe Gulistan--Harbert, MI

Cafe Gulistan
Turkish Cuisine
13581 Red Arrow Hwy.
Harbert, MI 49115
Hours change seasonally
(269) 469-6779
www.cafegulistan.com

Inevitably on our treks to and from Chicago, our stomachs start to grumble within an hour of leaving home and occasionally we venture off the highway to try our luck at finding decent vegetarian fare. Occasionally we get lucky. One particularly pleasant detour is the Red Arrow Highway (US 12) which parallels I-94 south of Benton Harbor to the Michigan/Indiana border. This scenic drive through Harbor Country is lined with antique stores, galleries and lots of new restaurants, many catering to the Chicago folks who immigrate either for the weekend or permanently to our side of the lake. Just south of the I-94 Sawyer exit, tucked among many pseudo trendy places which lean heavily on meat and fried stuff, is an unassuming block building which you could easily miss. Here, in the tiny town of Harbert, Cafe Gulistan has been serving up Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food for the past 10 years.

On a recent visit, my companion was delighted to find that the soup of the day was vegetarian Cream of Mushroom (cup $2.95, bowl $3.95). A little sweet and a little spicy with a light cream base, it was definitely not the bland, gummy Gordon Food concoction on many menus. My beloved and I split the the Appetizer Combo Platter ($12.95), an all vegetarian mix of hummus, babaghanoush, tabouleh, Gulistan salad and a falafil patty topped with garlic-dill yogurt sauce. We thought that this was a little expensive until the plate arrived. It was quite large and yummy. If you’ve never been crazy about those rock hard, flavorless grease balls most restaurants label “falafil” ( more commonly “falafel”), you must try these. The same is true of the babaghanoush, which is hard to find in West Michigan, at least in an edible version. If you hate eggplant or have tried this dip elsewhere and not liked it, Cafe Gulistan’s wonderfully smoky version will surprise you, in a good way. Along with all the salads and dips, it was fresh, flavorful and perfectly seasoned.

There are five all-vegetarian dinner-sized salads and six vegetarian entree choices (almost half the total entrees!) We chose the Ispanak ($14.95), two crispy chickpea patties topped with sauteed fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions, peppers topped with a garlic-mango-cream sauce and served with Basmati rice. It seemed somewhat pricey since it’s basically a variation of the aforementioned falafil but the toppings made it an entirely different and very tasty dish—well worth the money and we had leftovers for a big lunch. (It would have been just as good as a vegan dish without the cream sauce.)

We also had the Sultan's Tava ($11.95), a vegan blend of fresh spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and garbanzos all sauteed in a curry garlic sauce. Served with Basmati rice and a side of
sumak salad (made with shredded red cabbage), the quantity was generous and the use of spices, again, was just right. (Note that these spices add flavor, not heat, and nothing we ate would be too “spicy hot” for even the most tentative palate.)

Now I could have eaten all of my meal and been miserable. But I ate only half and tried the Double Chocolate Cheesecake ($3.75) with a triple shot espresso to wash it down and then was miserable. With a huge smile.

On our next trip we look forward to trying the shiitake mushrooms sauteed in red wine and soy sauce with walnut-tomato chutney and the grilled eggplant and zucchini topped with sauteed veggies. There’s a large selection of juices, coffee, tea, wine and beer. A small outdoor courtyard is nice for eating when the weather’s nice or for letting the young ‘uns run off extra energy while waiting for the adults to finish their meals. We saw several people pickup carryout and the restaurant also caters.

Unfortunately, the owner of this restaurant has been embroiled in a nightmare on the order of the movie “Brazil.” You can read more about this ridiculous boondoggle at the restaurant’s website.

Huynh's Restaurant--Holland, MI

Huynh's Restaurant
Vietnamese and Thai Cuisine
143 Douglas Ave., Holland, MI
Just West of River Ave.
616-928-0297



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NOTE 1/08 : Rumor has it that this place is becoming a sports bar and grill which may not bode well for its veggie offerings. I'll post more when I know.

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M-Sat 10-9
Sun 10:30-7
Closed Tuesday
http://www.huynhplaza.com

If you're looking for a great meal on the way to Holland's State Park (and just a few minutes out of downtown), you'll find plenty to choose from here. The large menu is split between Vietnamese and Thai cuisines, both with respectable vegetarian sections, a big surprise, since we've never found Vietnamese menus to be vegetarian-friendly.

One of our favorites is Suki Yaki, a soup you cook at your table. The stock is usually chicken-based but a vegetarian version is available on request (INSIST on it or ask for the owner if in doubt--she's the one who got it for us). A veggie combo which serves at least three is offered or you can mix and match from a large list of ingredients, about a third which are vegetarian. We ordered black and straw mushrooms, rice noodles, napa cabbage and Shanghai vegetable. The server gave us instructions and we had fun adding the veggies and stirring as the soup bubbled on our portable burne and was done in no time. It was even tasty as leftovers the next day.

From the Thai vegetarian section, we love the Spicy Eggplant Basil($6.95). If you who cringe at the thought of this veggie, this meal might change your mind. It was a delightfully sweet and spicy blend of eggplant, Thai basil, green peppers and onion served over rice. There was nothing bitter or watery about this dish.

From the Vietnamese options, I recommend the Hu Tieu Xao Rau Cai Chay, a stir fry of tofu, veggies and rice noodles. I can't explain what makes it different from Thai preparations, other than to say it's perhaps even lighter, but similarly fresh, flavorful, and packed with perfectly cooked veggies.

On other visits we’ve tried the Som Tum (green papaya salad), Pad Kee Maw (a quite spicy blend of veggies and thick rice noodles) and Masamun curry (potatoes, onion and peanuts in a mild coconut sauce) and veg egg rolls, all tasty and quite reasonably priced.

When you're done eating, head next door to the Huynh Market which has an impressive produce section filled with beautiful baby bok choy, fresh lemongrass and basil, miso, every kind of noodle and bean imaginable, and exotic spices and sauces, all for much less than a regular grocery would charge.

Famous India--Muskegon, MI

Famous India
6022 Harvey Street, Muskegon MI
Located in a small strip mall just south of the US 31/Sternburg exit
231-799-1717

M-F Lunch 11-3
M-Th Dinner 5-10
Fri Dinner 5-10
Sat 11-10
Sun 11-9

If you’re not sure which Indian dishes you like, the lunch buffet is for you. I arrived at the very end of the lunch hour and they still made a basket of fresh bread and offered three excellent vegetarian entrees plus salad, veggie appetizers, and desserts. Prepare to loosen that belt buckle on the way back to your office.

Dinner is served with complimentary basket of papadums. Choose from over twelve vegetarian entrees and VERY good bread (even the plain naan is terrific). Only downside is that the plates are often cold resulting in fast-cooling food--a minor detraction.

Appetizers we’ve liked: chaat papri (crisps topped with chickpeas, potatoes and onion in a yogurt/tamarind sauce), samosas and pakoras. Two vegetarian soups, tomato and lentil, are offered hot and nicely seasoned, with the tomato being a little more spicy.

If you think all Indian veggies are mushy and taste alike, Famous India may change your mind. The potatoes and cauliflower in the Aloo Gobi held their shape and flavor and the okra in the Bhindi Masala still had a bit of crunch. The wonderfully smoky eggplant in the Baingan Bhartha had the surprise addition of peas, which were still round AND green. One of my hubby's favs is Dhum Aloo ($9.95), baby potatoes stuffed with chopped nuts and cheese served in a rich gravy. They also kindly made the Palak Paneer with potatoes instead of the usual cheese at my request.

They promise to soon offer the dosa listed on the menu--we look forward to trying their version of these giant “crepes” stuffed with a spiced potato mixture since they aren't available elsewhere in West Michigan.
(We always get them at Udupi Palace, one of our fav all-veg restaurants in Chicago.)