Michigan’s Best Local Eats: Enjoy Aperitivo’s curated wine, cheese and meats in downtown Grand Rapids
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — After you’ve cooked your Thanksgiving feast, a spot in the Grand Rapids Downtown Market serving curated wines, cheese and meats is the perfect place to unwind with friends and family.
Aperitivo, owned by Amy Ruis, is a wine bar with cheese and charcuterie at 435 Ionia Ave. SW.
“It’s all from very small places and it all has a story that we like to tell,” Ruis said of the restaurant’s offerings. “It’s all handcrafted by people we’ve met or have been brought to us by great distributors and importers.”
Along with cheese and meats, Ruis pairs locally made jams, fruits, honey and bread with diners’ drinks of choice.
“We love to show off what goes together, so we have jam that’s local here in Grand Rapids, along with honey, mustard, dried fruit and pickled veggies that’s all combined with the bread and cheese,” Ruis said. “I think it’s fun for people to graze and it’s nice when people are here with family to try different stuff.”
For folks new to Aperitivo, Ruis recommends ordering the monger’s plate, which comes in a full ($26) and mini size ($18). The mini monger’s plate comes with three total meats and cheeses and the larger version has five meats and cheeses.
“It’s in the spirit of what we do best, we just surprise them with whatever we have available,” Ruis said of the monger’s plate. “It’s very flavorful and we do a variety of textures and flavors.”
Right now, Aperitivo is featuring a P’tit Basque semi-firm sheep’s milk cheese from France, shaved thinly.
Along with the monger’s plates, the Aperitivo menu features burrata ($14), a feta cheese dip ($12), a variety of sandwiches, a halloumi and quinoa salad and 30 different wines.
The restaurant also takes charcuterie board catering orders, for groups as small as 8 to large events. For folks who prefer to try their own hand at pairing cheeses, customers are welcome to pick out meats and cheese from the Aperitivo cheese case at the Downtown…
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