1105 River StreetI’ve talked about it a lot recently. I’ve lost my colleague in Kalamazoo and until a new one is hired, I’m kind of on my own.
That means I’m eating out a lot more because I don’t have to worry about someone else complaining about where I want to eat.
I ended up in Lansing a few days ago for a morning assignment. I met a co-worker from Grand Rapids. Once we were done, he headed back to Grand Rapids while I headed back to Kalamazoo. We both had work yet to do but we didn’t need to be in the same building to do it.
We were leaving Lansing just before 11:00. I was hungry and, of course, I had some place nearby I wanted to eat.
I made my way to Gumps BBQ. The small restaurant is not one you would likely find unless you were looking for it. It’s on River Street. which dead-ends just past the restaurant at the Red Cedar River, and Elm Street just a couple of blocks south of I-496. The BBQ joint is tucked in between a number of commercials buildings that make up fabric of this area.
I walked in a little before 11:00 and while they do have breakfast, I was in the mood for BBQ.
There’s a lunch counter type area that overlooks the kitchen. There was no one else in the store at the time so I sat there and picked up a menu. I told the lone employee running both the front and back of house that I wanted to put in an order to go for a Smoked Brisket Sandwich with an order of fries.
Since I got fries, it was going to take a few minutes to prepare. I took a seat in the small dining room just inside the door. The aesthetic is all wood paneling and solid wood bar stools that weren’t super comfortable. It’s a cool look but if I was staying to eat, I probably would have just stood at the table to eat.
Once the fries were ready, they were tossed in to the to-go container and I was on my way. I popped it open as soon as I got in the car so it could cool off as I made my way back to the highway.
I started with the fries on the drive home once they cooled to a temperature that wouldn’t leave me with a second degree burns on the roof of my mouth. They were the frozen battered fries I don’t really love but there was a lot of them and it held me over for a while until I couldn’t take the smell of the BBQ anymore and had to pull over and eat.
The brisket sandwich came served on a toasted sub bun which was a pretty good start because that meant more space for meat. The brisket was tender sliced pieces of meat. There appeared to be a bit of sauce on the meat but not enough to cover up the smoky, salty, peppery crust on the meat. There was a lot of meat on this sandwich but I was left wanting more.
Gumps BBQ has been around for a while but somehow, it’s never come on my radar. The shop is way off the beaten path and definitely worth seeking out. They’re only open until 1:00 Tuesday-Saturdy so you really have to plan out your trip.