A is for Alebird – Byron Center
We left work early as we were so excited to get started. After a spring and early summer of focusing on other things, and neglecting each other, we had decided we would be intentional about going out on dates and trying new places. We decided we would try a new restaurant by alphabet, with each of us taking turns picking a place. We were looking forward to getting started.
I was wearing a black dress and sandals. Ray was in a summery button down. We took time: to get ready: to go out, and for each other.
The Alebird was in an old brick building on mainstreet in the small town of Byron Center Michigan. The building reminded me of an old Sam’s Joint, the restaurants in the area famous for ribs, that had animatronic dogs that played music. Now, there are no animatronic dogs at Alebird, but it looked like that age and style, with old brick on the walls and wood floors.
We were seated promptly, the crowd was older Gen X / younger Boomers. Byron Center is not a young hip place to hang out, that is a downtown Grand Rapids thing. Ironically there was an A restaurant downtown (Atwater Brewery) that we elected not to go. I work downtown a few days a week, and the rush hour traffic to get downtown is just not what we wanted to do.
Though they didn’t brew their own on site, there were several locally crafted beers on tap, so many it made it hard for Ray to choose just one and he got a flight. I’m not a beer drinker so I got a white wine. Perfect for a warm Friday night.
We talked of weekend plans, that included going to Mt Pleasant the next day to see my dad who lives there, and Ray’s son Alex who goes to CMU. We also talked of the B restaurant, would we find a B restaurant in Mt Pleasant that we could try? Would it be too soon to get our B restaurant in the next day? We are on the cusp of being empty nesters, and are finding we have more time then we ever used to. This doesn’t bother him, but I find myself needing to make plans and keep myself busy so as not to spiral into an unhealthy funk. I’m lucky he will humor me and go along with most of what I ask of him in this regard.
Ray ordered a sandwich called Smoke Show – which was pulled pork. I ordered a Trans Am, a spicy chicken sandwich. The food was served on a small tin tray. My sandwich was delicious. I would definitely order it again. We ate in a companionable silence, after taking the obligatory food photo.
For our inaugural ABC dining experience, it went pretty well. We left looking forward to whatever B restaurant we chose and what it had in store for us.
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