Silva – A Grand Rapids Gem Full of Flavor and Fun
For a recent work dinner, I had the chance to check out Silva in Grand Rapids — and wow, what a memorable night! Silva blends eclectic vibes, delicious food, and great drinks into a space that feels as lively and welcoming as it is unique.
I started the night with the Black Coffee in Bed cocktail. If you're an espresso martini fan, you'll love this — it’s a touch sweeter than your usual espresso martini but still packed with rich, bold coffee flavor. A perfect way to kick things off.
Black Coffee in Bed
To snack on, we ordered the Serendipity Trio Dip: a seriously delicious trio of mushroom dip, green curry hummus, and caramelized onion dip. Each one had its own vibe, but the caramelized onion dip? Absolute standout. I could’ve eaten it by the spoonful. They serve the dips with flatbread, and although ours was a little overcooked, it still worked well as the perfect scoop vehicle.
Serendipity Trio
We also had to try the mozzarella sticks — and trust me, these aren’t your standard freezer-aisle sticks. They’re enormous, perfectly fried, and totally satisfying.
For my main, I went with the Dry Aged Burger, stacked on a cornmeal tavern bun with onion jam and Muenster cheese. The burger itself was cooked to absolute perfection — juicy, flavorful, with that incredible umami-rich punch that only a great dry-aged patty can deliver. My only tiny critique? The onion jam, while tasty, was a little heavy-handed and overpowered the meat a bit. I'd still order it again, just maybe ask for "light on the jam."
Beyond the food, Silva brings the fun with extras like a bocce ball court — yes, seriously — and the service was incredibly friendly and attentive all night. The entire atmosphere is eclectic and energetic without feeling chaotic — just the right amount of buzz to make you want to stay and hang out.
Final Thoughts:
If you’re looking for a place in Grand Rapids that nails the food and the fun, Silva should definitely be on your list. I’ll absolutely be back — probably with a whole crew next time so I can eat and play a few rounds of bocce.
Sip, Smell, Repeat: Detroit’s Best-Kept Cocktail Secret. A Love Letter to Castalia.
It seems only fitting that my first blog post about the Detroit food scene doesn’t even involve food. What it does involve is my love for trying new things and stumbling upon a hidden gem that has turned into so much more. Let’s start with what Castalia at Sfumato is. Located in Midtown, Detroit, inside a renovated Victorian basement, is the most magical cocktail bar you will ever experience. From the Castalia website: “Focusing on the harmony between flavor and fragrance, each of our drinks is paired with a scent from our sister company, Sfumato. In search of multi-sensory harmony, Castalia serves cocktails inspired by Sfumato's entirely natural fragrances, alongside the scent itself.” The fragrances are unisex, and when they all mix, the scent of the bar is heavenly. The owners, Kevin and Jane, thought of every minute detail when they opened this place. From the light fixtures that make up the shape of the molecules of alcohol, to Einstein’s mathematical equation in Morse Code on the bar, there are Easter eggs everywhere you look.
It started in late March 2018. I had just seen an article about a cocktail bar that paired fragrance with their drinks, and I thought, well, that’s something I have never tried before! A friend and I stopped in, and immediately I was hooked. When you open the door to Castalia at Sfumato, you are hit with the incredible scent and even more incredible vibe. That night, my friend and I were the only two people there at this 18-seat bar, so we sat at the bar and began talking to the bartender, who turned out to be one of the owners, Kevin. We ended up sitting and talking (and drinking) for hours. It was an amazing night. Since then, I have become a regular at Castalia. I have done a few of their sensory experiences that take place outside the bar, such as a sensory dinner pairing with a new brand of whiskey being launched, a sensory sauna experience, and some cocktail-related classes. Castalia’s menu rotates and always has a theme, and a thing that I truly love about them is that every cocktail has a non-alcoholic mocktail partner. It is more about the flavor than the alcohol for them.
Over the years, I have watched Castalia grow and receive numerous well-deserved awards. I watched them struggle to keep themselves and their employees afloat during the COVID pandemic and the creative ways they did it. (This also included me purchasing numerous packs of samples of all of their scents and putting them into a spray bottle with alcohol so that I could make my own Castalia air freshener at home.) I’ve watched them bring on new partners and owners. I’ve watched Kevin, the owner, publish his book, Cocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Cocktails. It has been an incredible journey to witness. Castalia has become my happy place in the city. I have tried drinks mixed with ingredients I never would have thought should go together, but if it is on their menu, I know that it does. I can’t recommend this place enough to everyone I talk to. They are innovative, imaginative, original, creative, warm, inviting, sophisticated, chic, and kind. Do not wait until the next time you are in Detroit to go there, go there for a special trip! Although I would recommend a reservation now, just don’t steal my seat!
