Tonight Mel and I decided to go out to eat. Originally we wanted to go to Twisted Rooster again, but when we got there it was absolutely packed and there was a huge wait for a table. So we decided to try a new restaurant, Rose's, located on the bank of Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids. They make Mediterranean style food. Here are what our plates looked like.
Mel ordered the spicy Italian sausage and Gorgonzola pizza and I ordered the angle hair pasta. I'll start with the positives- the pizza. Mel's pizza was pretty good and pretty reasonably priced at $14.25 for a 12" pizza. It is a thin crust pizza and they did a pretty good job with the crust. I had some minor issues with the crust though. While the outside edges were nicely cooked and had great flavor and texture, the middle wasn't as nicely done. Don't get me wrong it was done, as in it was not raw dough. However it didn't have the same crispiness as he edges had. When I think back of the best pizzas I have ever had, the crust was evenly done all over. Minor gripe aside, the toppings were very good. The sausage had nice flavor and was not too spicy, and was seasoned well. The Gorgonzola added a nice woodsy flavor to the pizza. Also on top were onions and some garlic, as well as mozzarella cheese. All the flavors worked well together and really formed a good pizza.
My dish was angel hair pasta with tomatoes, chicken, roasted garlic, basil, green beans, bacon, and a garlic butter "broth." I will get straight to the point: this was one of the most disappointing meals I have had in a long time. First off the I would expect a restaurant that makes Mediterranean food to be able to cook pasta right. My pasta was incredibly overcooked. I like it al dente, so there is still a little bit of firmness to the pasta. This was cooked to mush basically. Next, the pasta was just piled in the middle with all the other "bits" around the outside. The problem was the chicken was cut into little pieces that were hard to integrate with the dish. It would have been better if the chicken was tossed with the pasta, or if a larger piece of chicken was on top or the side. The same could be said of everything else. Also, individually everything tasted fine. The beans were fresh, the garlic was sweet, and the tomatoes were tasty. But together it just didn't all go together well. To top it off, the broth was watery and just kind of sat in the bottom of the plate and didn't add a lot of flavor to anything else. Mel agreed that it was just OK, nothing special. In fact we new we could make a vastly superior dish. But what really made me mad regarding the dish was that it was $16.50. For $16.50 I expect my pasta to be cooked right and the flavors to go together coherently. Instead I received a dish that wouldn't be out of place at a national chain restaurant sold for $8 or $9. Even that may be pushing it.
The service was decent. Our server was friendly and was knowledgeable of the menu. The food came out fast, but was hit and miss. I have a hard time giving this restaurant my full backing. The pizza was pretty good; one of the better ones I have had in the city. But the pasta was not good at all, and was very disappointing. I would say if you haven't been and want to try it to go for the pizzas. Otherwise proceed with caution.
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