This past summer Kentwood’s Yo Chef’s announced it would be serving up wood fired pizzas. This is an image of a fresh tomato, mozzarella, and pesto pizza. Fair warning, the pizzas are only available through Yo Chef’s catering.
Do you have a photo you would like considered for Photo of the Week? Then send it to WKTV Managing Editor Joanne Bailey-Boorsma at joanne@wktv.org.
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
It’s the place where “the fun never ends,” and this year, that place of fun, Craig’s Cruisers, also is the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Retailer Business of the Year.
“The community really welcomed us with open arms,” said Cait Thrasher, group sales and marketing manager for Craig’s Cruisers.
After twenty years of the first Craig’s Cruisers opening in Silver Lake, the company began to look for a location in the Greater Grand Rapids area. It already had expanded into the Muskegon location in 1990 and Holland in 1994, and with each expansion, came a new addition. For Muskegon, it was an indoor area to host birthday parties and for Holland, it was a restaurant that served pizzas.
When looking in the Greater Grand Rapids area, the owners knew they wanted enough space to be able to grow the business and they found a three-acre parcel on Clyde Park Avenue in Wyoming that fit the bill. In 1999, Craig’s Cruisers opened with outdoor activities that today include two 18-hole mini golf courses, bumper boats, kiddie carts, go-carts, and two large pavilions. A little more than half the building is dedicated to arcade games, including a giant crane game, laser tag, and the first indoor go-cart track that remains very popular today.
“We have a number of team building events utilizing the go-carts,” Thrasher said, adding that the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce has had events at the facility for its members that have included the go-carts.
The biggest change for the Wyoming Craig’s Cruisers location came 10 years after it opened when a 700-seat capacity restaurant – the largest seating capacity restaurant in Kent County – was added to the facility increasing the building to 85,000 square feet. The restaurant features a pizza buffet that also has salad, pasta, and desserts, which yes, includes dessert pizza. Thrasher said it opened a whole new door for Craig’s Cruisers in allowing the facility to host an array of different groups from corporate team building events to lock-ins for church programs and schools.
In fact, Craig’s Cruisers has become a popular place for senior all night parties and hosts a huge New Year’s Eve event for teens. It also remains popular for birthday parties as well as a place to escape for a few hours of fun.
“We are happy that we are helping to make memories and proud to be the place that people do that,” Thrasher said.
Community is important to the owners and staff of Craig’s Cruisers because “without community we wouldn’t be here,” Thrasher said, adding that having community connections and being able to network with others is vital in today’s marketplace, and a key in making those connections has been the Wyoming Kentwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It is very exciting – and flattering – to know that what you are doing is so appreciated by the community that you are in,” Thrasher said. This year’s award is extra special in it is the second-time Craig’s Cruisers has received Retail Business of the Year, she said.
“There is so much that brings people here and we are happy to be one of those places that bring them,” Thrasher said. “We also are thankful that the city of Wyoming has allowed us to grow here.”
Joanne’s Portion
I did not know Spectrum Lanes had a restaurant until one day, while bowling with some students, a waitress came by with a menu. We ordered and the food was good, like tasty good.
But I have not eaten at Woody’s Press Box, located at 5656 Clyde Park SW, in some time, so when we pulled it out of the hat, I was somewhat excited about visiting.
The restaurant was not full — it’s a big space — but it was busy. The day’s specials featured a lunch buffet and an all-you-can-eat spaghetti meal.
There was a special lunch menu that included an array of fare from pizzas to sandwiches to burgers, but what got me were the prices. Lunch meals were arranged in three categories, $4.53, $5.52 and $6.46, any of which comes with homemade potato chips or onion straws. You could upgrade to fries, loaded potato, coleslaw, macaroni salad, potato salad or baked beans for $1.75 more.
Let me repeat: You could have lunch for $4.53. With tax, it is still under $5 which is way cheaper than many of the large chain restaurants. The bargain hunter in me was doing back flips.
“Who would order only a half order of chips & cheese,” Mike asked as he looked over the menu. “That’s like a snack.”
“Me,” I thought in my head as it would make me feel less guilty with a half order. Then again, I don’t run a lacrosse team four days a week, burning off a gazillion calories.
When I came in, I was thinking burger but the personal, one-item 10-inch pizza at $4.53 stole my attention. Was it the price? Hmm, maybe, but I went with it. You could add extra toppings for $1.05 but I stayed to just pepperoni. It also came thin crust or hand tossed and at our server’s suggestion, I went with thin crust.
It didn’t disappoint. It was end-to-end cheese coverage with a nice sprinkling of pepperoni. Afterwards, I discovered I could have added a small side salad for $1.75, which I might have done and brought half the pizza home. Heck, I could see myself bringing a salad to work and snagging one of those pizzas and being very happy for a couple of lunches.
The price point alone is reason enough to pass all those other chain places by and head to Woody’s, the quality is the bonus for doing so.
Mike’s Portion
“Would you like the lunch menu or were you planning on having the buffet?”
More attractive words have never been spoken into my ears. A lunch menu and a buffet? There had to be a catch. Fortunately for me, my stomach and taste buds, there wasn’t a catch as Joanne and I sat down for lunch at Woody’s Press Box.
When we first pulled in to the parking lot at Woody’s, I immediately noticed how big the building was. I was expecting a small, local sports bar but instead was presented with a behemoth of a building. However, once inside, the seating area wasn’t nearly as large as the outside portrayed. Joanne noticed my inquisitive focus on what we just walked into, how the size didn’t match up with what I saw from the outside, and mentioned that a bowling alley — Spectrum Lanes — is attached to Woody’s. The great mystery was solved and my focus could now shift back to what truly mattered, the food!
My eyes filtered through the lunch menu while occasionally peeking up at the TVs lining the walls. My eyes also caught a glimpse of the bartenders pouring generous amounts of beer into massive cups. Calling it a cup might be the understatement of the century, like saying the Titanic hit an ice cube. The portion sizes were truly a sight to behold, but Joanne and I were on the clock and we would like to stay gainfully employed. We opted for a water, with lemon of course, and vowed to come back another time.
So, about that food — as Joanne mentioned, the lunch menu had meal options that ran $4.53, $5.52, and $6.46. The lunch buffet cost $7.74 and could also be added to anyone of the meal options at a slight up-charge. Woody’s is essentially giving food away. Eventually I settled on the spicy chicken sandwich for $6.46 that came with homemade kettle chips and a pickle.
When I ordered my sandwich I was expecting something small but what was put on my plate may as well have been the full chicken. The meat protruded off of both ends of the bun and was stacked high with Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. The chips were bountiful.
The first bite into the chicken sandwich was juicy with a kick of heat. I’ll be honest with you, the sandwich was significantly better than I was anticipating. After every bite I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into the next one. The chips were crisp and added a hint of salt to fully complement my taste buds. To get a better idea of how much food there was, I wasn’t able to completely clean off my plate.
Eventually the bill arrived and I was pleased to see the price stay under $7 with tax included. After including the tip, the bill was still less than what I would’ve expected to pay for the size of sandwich I received.
Woody’s Press Box, I will be making my way back for lunch. This time I might even try the buffet!
By: Mike DeWitt
Before Joanne left on vacation she made one request — pull Daniele’s Pizzeria out of the Going Local hat until she came back. I had to remind her that we run a legit operation here at WKTV News. We couldn’t let a personal request ruin the integrity of our newest feature. The name would stay in the hat and the Going Local Gods would decide our next locale.
Fast forward a few days and the hat made its decision… Daniele’s Pizzeria! Sorry, Joanne.
Four weeks into Going Local and the flavors have been all over the map. My tastebuds have taken a trip from Chinese, to barbecue, to Mediterranean, and now pizza. It’s a world tour right here in Wyoming and Kentwood.
While our last three locations were all sit-down restaurants, Daniele’s Pizzeria located at 846 52nd street is built for takeout and deliveries. There is a small bar area inside that seats up to four and one table outdoors if you wanted to stay and eat, but a majority of patrons choose takeout or delivery. Their hours are also geared towards dinnertime as they don’t open until 4pm throughout the week.
Scanning over the menu, Daniele’s makes more than just pizza. They have dinners with spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, and manicotti, wings and appetizers, stuffed riceballs called arancini, salads, subs and dessert. It’s a small operation, but it packs a lot of punch. With all of those options, we chose to keep it classy and original — a deluxe pizza and cheesy bread.
The deluxe pizza came with mozzarella cheese, ham, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and they did not skimp at all on the toppings. The pizza was packed with toppings all the way to the crust line. I measure a pizzas quality on how well the cheese stays on the crust. There is nothing more frustrating that picking up a slice and having all of the cheese and toppings fall off and land in the box. Daniele’s passed with flying colors as the cheese stayed on the pizza. It’s the little things.
When it comes to pizza, it’s almost impossible to make a bad pie, but you KNOW when you eat a good one. Daniele’s pizza is in that category with their flavor, crust texture, amount of cheese and toppings, and the richness of the sauce. The pizza came out to just under $15 and easily fed three of us.
No pizza is complete without the cheesy bread to accompany it. First off, the cheesy bread is a generous size with 16 pieces of thick, fluffy bread. It is well seasoned and adds the perfect side complement to the pizza for an added five dollars.
Overall, Daniele’s Pizzeria makes wonderful pizza and needs to be tasted if you consider yourself a pizza lover. While the pizza was great, there are two things on the menu that I need to try. The arancini, or deep-fried riceballs, look and sound exceptional. Honestly, I’m bummed I didn’t order one along with the pizza. There is also one other gem on their menu that is only available Monday through Wednesday and it’s called the D-Burger. It’s a 1/2 pound sausage patty sandwiched between two 7-inch pepperoni pizzas.
Joanne, when you come back we’ll need to put the D-Burger in the hat. It’s a perfect creation that is begging to be devoured.
Just my luck, I missed out on yet another Going Local foray. So far, I’ve missed China City, Le Kabob and now, Danieles. But who’s counting? So, maybe the food gods are being brutal but Mike, ever the gentleman, kindly saved one piece of pizza pie for me to try — along with several slices of cheesy bread — and that I surely did. I find that the proof of a pizza is in heating it up again the next day.
Our microwave here at work isn’t the greatest, and I unintentionally left the pizza slice heating for a bit too long. (I just can’t win!) I can say this, however: The cheese still stayed on the pie, and the crust was scrumptious. I’m not a fan of sausage, but the other toppings were flavorful and satiated my hungry belly. The cheesy bread was amazing, even the second day.
Joanne, when you come back, we’ll need to get another pizza pie and try the arancini.
