Restaurant Expectations: North 11 Bistro and Brew

I chose North 11 Bistro and Brew for my restaurant review, because it is one of the few longstanding restaurants that I have not been to in the Kalamazoo area. When telling my parents of my project, they strongly recommended I choose this place, as it was high-quality food for reasonable prices. They also gave praise to the quality of the bar, and overall atmosphere of the restaurant, saying they have been regular customers since its opening in 2003. This was enough to get me interested, so I took a closer look online to see for myself.

When perusing the website for North 11, I couldn’t help but feel both intrigued and excited. The website itself was well-made, which is normally a good indication of  how well put together the restaurant itself will be. They also make promises of hearty, gourmet burgers, and they provide pictures of them to back it up.

The name of the establishment - North 11 Bistro and Brew - leads me to certain expectations. I expect it to be a restaurant where people go for special occasions, but I also don’t think it to be overly formal. I also think that because of its weekend closing time of 1am, and its promises of great drinks, it will be one of the more popular destinations in the Kalamazoo area for late night drinkers. However, because of it being located on Gull Rd and not downtown, your typical bar hopper will have difficulty finding their way into North 11, perhaps reducing the level of rowdiness there would otherwise be at your usual bar.

As for my reservations about the place, I’m not entirely sure what kind of restaurant they are attempting to be. Part of the menu seems to be promising gourmet meals made by a respectable Chef, yet they still have an order online/pick-up option, which leads me to more of an impression of quick, convenient food, rather than a sit-down, fine dining experience.

Another part of their website that I found interesting was a section titled, “survey”. Here, they give customers the opportunity to rate the food, service, and “atmospheric” quality of their experience(s) at North 11. This is something that not every restaurant offers, and I think it shows a willingness to learn from (and admit) mistakes, so that they can grow and offer a better experience in the future. This is critical I think for a restaurant to improve and survive, and I think it serves as a testament for why this restaurant has been in business for thirteen years now.

Overall, I have mostly positive expectations for my experience at North 11. The website is well made, the pictures of food they offer look appealing, and they have an obvious track record of general success over the years. The biggest worry I have is whether they will be trying too hard to provide both a fine dining experience and a laid-back experience at the same time, which is something I have disliked about restaurants in the past.