Arturo's Tacos in Grand Haven with Guest Diva - Cathleen Pranger

Left to right front row:  Kelle Lynn - Nancy Levenburg - Suzanne Scholl

Left to right back row:  Carla Hill - Melody Vrancken - Bari Johnson

"We, as your friends and neighbors, as foodies, cooks, world travelers, entrepreneurs, and cutomer relations and business professionals, offer to give you a fair but candid evaluation of our entire dining experience all while we enjoy time together on an evening out."

After dining with two Guest DivOs (male), the Divas decided it was time for a Guest DivA! And our very first choice was Spring Lake’s Cathleen Pranger. She has had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) for the past 13 years, but prior to ALS, Cathleen loved to cook and entertain others in her home. She is a Diva at heart so we wanted to honor her in her own home with one of her favorite dishes. We conducted sneaky research to keep it a secret and surprise her.

Cathleen grew up in Southern California, and is very familiar with authentic Mexican food. After moving to West Michigan in 1995, she found her choices in ethnic food limited. In Fennville one day, she noticed the Su Casa Restaurant and decided to stop for lunch. 

“It was a hole in the wall, adjacent to a grocery store,” Cathleen said. “But they had the best tacos I've had in a long time.”   Since then, it has been her favorite Mexican restaurant in Michigan. Unable to eat tacos now, her second favorite Mexican dish is chiles rellenos. 

We found the Su Casa's website, studied the menu and made our selections. However, when we telephoned to place our order, the phone just rang and rang. No one ever answered. We didn't know if we had called too early or on a day they weren't open, so we sent a quick email to the Fennville Chamber of Commerce… only to discover that Su Casa was closed. Ugh!   Now we only had two days to find a good chile relleno and follow through with our surprise! 

One of our Facebook followers had suggested we review Arturo's Tacos in Grand Haven; however none of us had ever been there before. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to discover more about this relatively new business in town. Would it hold up to the discriminating palate of someone who grew up feasting on first-rate authentic Mexican cuisine?  

“More rapid than eagles, the autos they flew…” and we were off to Arturo’s to sample their menu offerings. We explained to Arturo that we would need a large take-out order on Friday (with Bari showing off her Spanish-speaking abilities). He and his wife, Ruby, were happy to oblige and said they would have it ready for us to pick up.

Arturo (Orduno) told us:  

"We are originally from Chicago and started making food for festivals about five years ago. Our first one was the Hispanic festival in Grand Rapids. People loved our food and kept asking us where we had a restaurant. At the time, we didn’t have one, but it gave us an idea.  We decided to open our restaurant in Grand Haven in April, 2011. All of our ingredients are freshly prepared every day. We know that’s what people are looking for. 

My parents, Meliton and Elba Orduno, have lived in Chicago for the past 35 years and come here on the weekends to help with the business. All of the food prepared in the kitchen comes from recipes that originated with my grandmother and great-grandmother in Apaxtla, Guerrero, Mexico. They actually cooked everything over a wood fire since there wasn't electricity – or even gas – in their small town. 

I learned how to cook about 18 years ago when I married Ruby. I called my mom and she taught me how to cook over the telephone. Now my own daughter is learning the same recipes and my mom shows her how to cook, too.  Our three children – Marco, Jazmin and Luis – help us on weekends by running the cash register, serving our chips and cleaning tables."

The Divas met at Arturo’s at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, November 22nd, to retrieve the order of chiles rellenos, pork tacos, chicken and cheese enchiladas, chicken quesadillas, frijoles and arroz (beans and rice), chips and salsa, lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a (large) side order of Arturo’s fabulous guacamole. 

Within about ten minutes, Arturo and his kitchen crew had our order packed in aluminum tins, and we were out the door and winding our way to the Pranger house.

Cathleen was surprised by the Divas’ taco-toting arrival!  After welcoming us into her home, the Divas were escorted to the family dining area overlooking beautiful Spring Lake. Our table setting featured woven circular gold-colored placemats and linens, with white plates and crystal goblets. Lovely!  

Traditionally, the basic staples in Mexican food are corn, beans, and chili peppers. Europeans introduced meats (including beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep), and dairy products (especially cheese) during the 16th century. Arturo’s Mexican style tacos feature corn tortillas filled with pork, onions and cilantro.  They also offer American style tacos, which are served with lettuce and chopped tomatoes. The enchiladas are made using flour tortillas.

Our Guest Diva, Cathleen, gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up to the chiles rellenos, noting they were prepared with the Poblano peppers’ seeds left in, lending a distinctive bite.  Bari also liked the chiles rellenos, observing they were shaped differently from others she has had in the past. Perhaps this comes from Arturo’s heritage in Mexico and traditional recipes. 

Suzanne isn’t a fan of Mexican food (or for that matter, anything other than meat and potatoes), but she bravely sampled everything – including the hot sauce. She liked the chips and salsa the best. Nancy’s favorite was the Cheese Enchiladas, and Kelle’s favorite was the pork tacos. Carla and Bari loved the chicken quesadillas, stating they weren't like the Tex-Mex one's we usually see; they came with a lot of chicken and had a nice bite.  And Melody liked everything!  We simply couldn't get enough of the quacamole! 

Our dessert – a bakers’ dozen of assorted bite-sized cupcakes – came from Desserts by Design in Grand Haven. “Mexican food and chocolate is always a good combination,” Nancy said, and Kelle added, “chocolate is ALWAYS good.”

Without a doubt, the sweetest part of our evening was spending time with Cathleen – a woman who is not only lovely, but a wonderful inspiration to us all.    

 Kimberly Parsons, a project manager for Cathleen, set the table in preparation for the Dining Divas!

A gift from Cathleen's husband - Scott Pranger.

Scott:  "The Diva's were treated to four delectable choices from my wine cellar. It wasn't surprising they gravitated to the 2007 Jordan Cabernet, which is an exceptional Napa Valley Cab from one of the best rated years in the last decade. Of all the cabernet's in my cellar, the 2007 Jordan is my favorite as well."

  

Wine cellar at Pranger residence

Arturo's Tacos
305 N Beacon Blvd
Grand Haven, Mi
616.844.4100

The Orduno Family

                                                      

Our mini cupcakes from Desserts by Design/Consider It Done

320 Columbus

Grand Haven, MI

616.847.1370

www.dessertsbydesign.us

Ellen Vonesh is owner of this cafe and bakery located in a newly renovated Victorian-style home in Grand Haven.  Ellen offers full-service catering and a bakery specializing in wedding cakes and special recipe baked goods - all made from scratch.  The cafe offers a bowl of homemade soup, salad, and sandwich.  You can also schedule a gingerbread house decorating class.  Or make it a girls' night out for an after hours party with sweet fun! 

                                                            

Scott, Cathleen and Sam Pranger -  2004 (one year after diagnosis)

A diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in February 2003 came as a complete shock to this healthy and active wife and mother. The symptoms of ALS started out in her right index finger when she noticed difficulty in buttoning her blouse and zipping up her toddler's pants.

The disease has progressed, paralyzing her from the neck down, and today she can barely speak. The use of a Dynavox has made a significant difference in helping Cathleen to communicate with others in the room, as well as sending letters to faraway loved ones. Four caregivers are employed in the Pranger household and work around the clock in various shifts. 
Through the help of her caregivers, Cathleen keeps a busy daily schedule and is able to accomplish an extraordinary amount of projects - scrap-booking memories and photos, decorating her beautiful home, plus staying connected with people through email and Facebook. She stays current with the latest fashion and enjoys getting dressed up for events and visitors coming over. 

ALS is a variable disease; meaning no two people have the same experiences. Most people die from respiratory failure, usually within three to five years from the onset of symptoms. The median survival time from onset to death is around 39 months, and only 4% survive longer than 10 years. Cathleen is one of the 4%. 

She is incredibly grateful that she has a healthy appetite with the ability to still chew and swallow food (even meat!) so mealtime is her favorite passion. Cathleen stated that in itself is a miracle!

Cathleen is incredibly grateful for the ongoing support she has had from her family and friends, her husband Scott, her son, Sam, and team of caregivers. But most of all to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she credits most for her daily strength and support.


For more information on ALS go to:  www.alsa.org
  

A very special night with our Guest Diva - Cathleen Pranger!

                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

                                                                         

The Divas want it to be noted, with all due respect, that the views and opinions shared in this venue do not represent those of the Grand Haven Tribune and are entirely based on each individual experience we encounter.  Perhaps on any other occasion, they may differ. 

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The Arboreal Inn in Spring Lake with Guest Divo - Ransom Grey

"We, as your friends and neighbors, as foodies, cooks, world travelers, entrepreneurs, and customer relations and business professionals, offer to give you a fair but candid evaluation of our entire dining experience all while we enjoy time together on an evening out."    

The Divas have been off globe-trotting lately – Bari to London, Nancy to British Columbia, and Kelle to faraway India.  So finding an October night when all of us were in town proved to be a little tricky.  Monday, October 21st, turned out to be date night for our latest Diva adventure, and we opted to explore the Arboreal Inn in Spring Lake.  It has been a Tri-Cities tradition for over 40 years, and we were anxious to check out the cuisine, as it was under new ownership, new management, and had some remodeling.

The Arboreal Inn is tucked back into the woods and from the outside, it looks like a rustic, old log cabin.  Inside, the walls are a soft peach color with brass chandeliers, and floral curtains adorning the windows.  It is reminiscent of a grandmother’s living room, and almost as quiet.  The Arboreal Inn is advertised as “a place to come, relax and enjoy the type of exquisite cuisine and intimate atmosphere you crave,” which is exactly what we were hoping for.

The Arboreal features a cozy bar area, where everyone enjoyed a beverage while waiting to be seated at about 7:30 p.m. The Divas were thrilled to have our Guest Divo, Ransom Grey, along to share our adventure!  

We always enjoy starting with an appetizer and chose one to share amongst us.  The Whitefish Dip was described on the menu as a ‘Hearty portion of smoked Lake Superior whitefish spread accompanied with shaved red onions, capers, and flatbread.’  It sounded tempting and was fabulous!   We only wished the portion had been a little “heartier.”  

Almost a whole hour had passed before our server, Mariah, came by to take our order for dinner.   As the night progressed, there were two couples and another table of six in the dining room.  A total of 17 people were having dinner that night and Mariah was the only one attending the four tables.  

Our entrees arrived at 9:00 pm, an hour and a half after we were seated at our table.  

All entrees are served with your choice of potato du jour (misspelled on Arboreal’s menu as du jur) or potato au gratin (i.e., no rice pilaf or other options), and the Chef’s fresh vegetable of the day.  On Monday night, it was a medley of green beans, zucchini squash and carrot slices.  Almost in unison a few of us said, "My vegetables are barely warm."  But since we were all starving at that point, we appreciated having even lukewarm vegetables and no one was willing to send them back.  

One entree did get sent back.  Kelle ordered the Michigan chop which was two pork chops served with au gratin potatoes and vegetables.  It seemed the au gratin potatoes had been sitting out for awhile and the pork chops were so dry and hard to cut, she couldn't finish them.  Mariah offered to substitute for another entree, but since it was getting close to 9:30 pm, Kelle decided it was better not to wait any longer.  Mariah refunded the entire $24. 

Only one other person appeared to be working that evening... a woman whom we later learned was the on-duty manager.  Toward the end of the evening, she stopped about six feet from our table, and with a sweeping arm gesture, asked, "Was everything okay here tonight?"  Stunned that she offered no apology for Kelle's pork chops that had been returned to the kitchen or our cold vegetables (was she aware?), one of the Divas told her that things were fine... and she walked away.  (We also were reluctant to prolong our already late meal.) 

It was after 10:00 p.m. when Mariah asked if we would like dessert and coffee.  The Divas never miss even a single bite of dessert since we feel an ‘obligation’ to share our thoughts on something sweet, but we were yawning and ready to call it a night.  Jetlag set in and some of us weren't sure which time zone we were operating on, while others had early morning appointments to consider.    

A few of us were happy with our entrees, but everyone was taken aback by the slow service and lack of attention. We aren't a demanding bunch by any stretch, plus we enjoy lively conversation with the restaurant staff, however, they didn't seem interested in interacting with us.  

We called the next day and spoke with Jason, the manager and chef.  We explained we wrote restaurant reviews, that it was not our intent to write anything bad about an establishment, but we believed it was only right to state the facts and be honest about our experience.  We also thought it was only fair to give Arboreal Inn an opportunity to explain things from their side.  

Jason explained the slow service was because most people come to the Arboreal Inn wanting to linger over their dinner.  It never occurred to any of us to let them know we had hopes of being home before 11:00 p.m.  He said he and his wife were part of the team that opened the doors to the new Arboreal Inn in January 2013 after it had been closed for quite some time.  Jason said he would be sure to tell the restaurant’s owners about our experience and have them call either that evening or the next day.  We’re still waiting to hear from them.

We went to the Arboreal Inn with hopes of a great night out and were looking forward to experiencing the new menu and management.  Unfortunately, we left feeling the establishment was pricey for the quality of food and lack of attentive service.  We truly love the location and want nothing more than to see this establishment thrive.   

Diva Tips:

Expect to receive leisurely service or be sure to tell your server you have a time limit.  If you are hoping to make it to a movie, or your babysitter needs to be home at an early hour, you might consider dining elsewhere.  The Divas didn’t exit Arboreal until 10:38 p.m. (i.e., over three hours for dinner… and that did not include any coffee or desserts).

The bar area is warm and cozy - a nice romantic setting to stop in for a beverage and conversation.   

If you are making a reservation on a winter evening, you might consider asking for a table by the fireplace in the dining room.  

                                        

                                                                              

The Arboreal Inn - Spring Lake, MI

                                                           

Whitefish Dip ~ $12

                                                                                             

Maine Lobster Tail ~ $24

                                                                                  

Melody: "My dinner wasn't quite what I hoped for.   The lobster tail was very small and so over baked that the claw was dried up.  My vegetables were cold and the Au Gratin potatoes seemed like they had been sitting out for awhile.  I thought about sending my meal back. Not sure I'll be back."

Whitefish small plate - $19

                 

                                                                                      

Suzanne:  "I was the only Diva to order one of the petite plate specials on the menu.  It offers a smaller portion along with a glass of wine of your choice. I chose the whitefish dinner with the house Pinot Grigio to compliment it. I was very pleased with the flavor of the fish, the vegetable medley and the mashed potatoes, but was disappointed that the fish was piping hot and the potatoes were barely warm! After our long wait I decided to not send them back as I was very hungry. For me, my choice was perfect and I was happy that I had not opted for anything else."

Stuffed Whitefish ~ $26

   

Nancy:  "Since Melody and I are both fond of Caesar salads, we decided to split a side salad to begin our meal. (Side salads are available for $8.) Although Caesar Cardini, the alleged originator of the Caesar salad, questions the use of anchovies, if you want them at Arboreal (our opinion: what’s a Caesar salad without anchovies?), it’ll cost you an extra $2. I guess we’re big spenders.

I chose to try the Stuffed Whitefish, a Special Entree item that evening - the stuffing was a crab and shrimp combination - with potato au gratin. While tasty, the potatoes were about the size of a small corn muffin, and the vegetable medley was primarily sauteed zucchini with four green beans and two carrot slices.  Somewhat disappointing...particularly at a price of $26."

Mixed Grill ~ $30

Carla:  "I chose the Mixed Grill to sample a variety of preparations from across the menu.  I enjoyed the two seared Lamb Lollipops drizzled with a rosemary lamb au jus, a small perfectly prepared sirloin, and two good sized shrimp with Cajun seasoning which I found overpowering compared to the rest of the dish.  I liked the side vegetables that were served al dente.  The small roasted potatoes, however, were about the size of small marbles and had very little taste."  

Alaskan King Crab Legs ~ $38

   

Bari:  "I was in Alaska recently and learned how dangerous and daring those crab fishermen are, so I decided it was worth trying the crab legs.  However, I have to add that the menu said 'crab legs' and I was only served one leg.  The one I had was good, meaty, and everything is better with drawn butter.  I agree with everyone else on the veggies.  But I have no complaints on the wine!"

Pistachio Encrusted Salmon ~ $25

                                                                                               

Ransom:  "The mark of a good restaurant is not necessarily its size or even its renown, but rather the point at which the quality of its food, the competency and generosity of its staff, and its atmosphere converge to form its unique version of the “dining experience.” This is why we sometimes see hole-in-the-wall gems outranking fine dining mega-eateries.  

Looking over the menu, I paused at the lobster bisque, but decided to give it a go. When it arrived, nearly 40 minutes later, I was disappointed at the overwhelming amount of pepper used since that was the only thing I tasted.  My second and final course was the “oven roasted pistachio encrusted salmon finished with a key lime beurre blanc.” The good news was the salmon was cooked very well; always the first thing you check. However, I didn't care for the combination of blackened, over-spiced salmon (which came to the table cold) with the sweet tart blanket of key lime beurre blanc.   

When writing a review, I always try to find the silver lining, and on this evening, it was the fact that I had the opportunity to spend this time with a truly wonderful group of ladies." 

                                                                                    

Baked apples with cinnamon and ice cream by Nancy!

Nancy:  "Knowing that Kelle still had a hankering for a pork chop, I decided to invite the Divas over for some pork chops that smelled absolutely divine when another friend (Marva Netherland) was making them one day. So, off I headed to Frank's Market (on Washington Avenue in Grand Haven) and bought a couple of their thick pork chops. Marva's recipe is to brush them with a mixture of olive oil and Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and pepper, and roast them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes on each side. I served them with a salad (thank you, Kelle!), and quick-fix Seeds of Change quinoa & brown rice (a recent Costco purchase). And for our dessert… baked apples (still warm from the oven) with ice cream."

Absolutely scrumptious!

Ransom Grey has been a sought-after, nationally award-winning Creative Director and creative consultant for more than 17 years in Manhattan, Atlanta, Raleigh, Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, and Nashville and now calls Grand Haven his home. Grey began his career in the entertainment industry in 1995 while attending the Savannah College of Art and Design and has since created innovative brand strategies and advertising campaigns for clients such as MTV2/Viacom, Cirque du Soleil, Country Music Television (CMT), Christian Country Music Association (CCMA), the Country Music Awards (CMAs), Budweiser, Duke Medical, Rihanna (pop artist), Vera Wang, Samsung, and many more. Grey was also tapped by the Design School at NC State University to serve as guest instructor for 2-years where he shared his love for conceptual art in advertising with the next generation's most creative minds. Grey is consistently seen giving of his time to worthy non-profits including his work with the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDs Foundation (EGPAF), the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the National Exchange Club Foundation and has since given nearly one thousand hours of his time to local Grand Haven organizations.

A self-proclaimed foodie, Grey was excited to be chosen to be the Dining Divas latest guest Divo for their review of the Arboreal Restaurant in Spring Lake and looks forward to lending his palate to these bella donne.

The Divas want it to be noted, with all due respect, that the views and opinions shared in this venue do not represent those of the Grand Haven Tribune and are entirely based on each individual experience we encounter.  Perhaps on any other occasion, they may differ.

For more information on The Arboreal Inn go to:  www.thearborealinn.com