🎧 Episode 2 – Matt Muscat: Burgers, Billionaires & Baked Alaska

Welcome back to The 616 Ten — your Grand Rapids cheat code for all things local food, drink, and community vibes. And today? We’ve got a big one.

Marketing mastermind, mortgage man-about-town, and resident local expert Matt Muscat joins us in the studio for a whirlwind tour through the best eats, drinks, and hidden gems in Grand Rapids. And he came ready — no notes, no prep, just straight from the gut.

In this episode, we dive into:

• What it’s like taking toddlers to Japan (spoiler: easier than you think)

• How Grand Rapids punches way above its weight in food and drink

• The secret private chef who will outcook Michelin stars in your own kitchen

• Why local businesses deserve your dollars way more than national chains

• And what happens when you try to name the best toilet in town

From nostalgic shawarma to moody speakeasies, Matt delivers hot takes and heartfelt recommendations with the energy of someone who truly loves this city.

1. Best Burger in Grand Rapids
   🏆 Butcher’s Union – A double cheeseburger with fries for $12. Bonus: top it off with a killer Old Fashioned.
   ⚖️ Historical Shoutout: HopCat’s old $5 burger/beer/fries deal
   🍔 Smash Burger Pick: One Twenty Three Tavern at Studio Park

2. Best Pizza in Grand Rapids
   🍕 Martha’s Vineyard – Thin crust, specialty toppings; his go-to is the Red Dragon
   🍻 Add wine and dessert from their in-house bakery
   👨‍👧‍👧 Dine-in Option: Ari’s Pizza
   🧏‍♂️ Secret Tip: Buy Martha’s dough balls to make at home

3. Best Cup of Coffee (Café-Only)
   ☕ Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge – Top-tier baristas and cozy downtown vibe
   🌿 Bonus: Ferris Coffee & Nut for their “coffee lab” and roasting facility
   🥜 Chain Option: Foxtail Coffee (pistachio latte + outdoor seating)

4. Best Craft Beer & Brewery
   🍺 Brewery Vivant – The East Hills original with duck nachos and Farm Hand beer
   🧢 Experimental Pick: Broad Leaf Brewing
   🏡 Comfort Pick: Perrin Brewing Co. (outside patio + hearty fare)

5. Best Cocktail Spot (and the Cocktail)
   🍸 Eastern Kille Distillery – Bourbon cocktails, housemade syrups, and a flaming Mai Tai served on fire
   🥃 Bougie Option: Nightwatch Lounge – A speakeasy with dress code, top-shelf drinks, and “moodiest bar bathroom in town”
   ❄️ Honorable Mention: Aerbic – New cocktail program in the former Reserve space

6. Best Sweet Treat
   🍨 Furniture City Creamery – Vegan no-bake cookie ice cream is the surprise standout
   🍰 Restaurant Dessert Pick:

   • Aerbic – Constantly rotating, inventive dessert menu by pastry chef Wan

   • Grove – Farm-to-table desserts with surprising flavors that work

7. Your Last Meal Before Leaving GR Forever
   🧉 Sheshco Mediterranean Grill – Chicken shawarma pita with extra pickles and bottomless pita bread. Comfort food with flavor, no frills.

8. After a Full Day on the Boat – Best Lake Michigan Coastal Restaurant
   🚤 Big Excursion:

   • Supper at the Mill – New Traverse City gem with fresh farm-to-table fare

   • Trattoria Stella – Italian classics in a historic insane asylum basement
     🐔 Closer Option:

   • The Southerner (Saugatuck) – Fried chicken, honey butter biscuits, cocktails, and that cozy riverfront charm

9. Fill-in-the-Blank: Chicago has the best ___, but Detroit has the best ___
   🌭 Chicago: Best hot dogs
   🍕 Detroit: Best pizza
   (Quote: “Chicago pizza is gross. It’s lasagna. Pick a lane.”)

10. What Feels Like a Local Secret (and You Don’t Want to Tell Anybody About It)
    🧑‍🍳 Tiny Dinners – A private chef (Wes) who cooks multi-course meals in your house, cleans your kitchen, and drops mind-blowing creations like 7-layer Baked Alaska
    🍼 Bonus Secret: Chef Shack – A test kitchen pop-up space on Lake Drive featuring rotating chefs, baked goods, and small-batch surprises

Matt Muscat is a Grand Rapids food lover and Director of Marketing at Treadstone Mortgage, a local lender with offices across Michigan. He’s a champion of all things local and believes in backing businesses that make GR a better place to live, eat, and raise your kids.

Welcome to the very first episode of The 6 1 6 Ten Podcast—I’m your host, Michael Elli.

Now, if you’re tuning in, odds are you’re either a Grand Rapidian yourself or at least Grand Rapids curious. Either way, you’re in the right spot. This show started from a simple question: Where should we eat tonight? My family and I moved to Grand Rapids not too long ago, and like anyone new to the area, we asked around. What we got in return was an avalanche of recommendations—everywhere from “You have to try this burger” to “That place changed my life.”

And that’s when the lightbulb went off. What if we created ten carefully crafted questions to ask locals—about food, coffee, cocktails, beer, and all the consumables that make Grand Rapids taste like home? What if we packaged up those answers for anyone curious about the culinary soul of this city?

That’s what the 6 1 6 10 is all about: 10 questions, one guest, and an insider’s guide to the best bites and sips in Grand Rapids. Whether you’ve lived here your whole life, just got here last week, or you’re thinking about making the move—this is for you.

And speaking of insiders, our first guest is someone who’s brave enough to be guest number one: wine guy, west-sider, content creator, and smooth operator—Matt Labonte. I met Matt at Crushed Grape when I needed a wine recommendation in a hurry. He nailed it. And ever since, he’s been my go-to for anything fermented.

So let's get into it. Matt's in the hot seat. We've got our 10 questions queued up. And yes, historical answers are allowed. Let's go.

The 616 Ten is the podcast that puts Grand Rapids on the record — one plate, pint, and pour at a time. Each week, we ask a new local guest ten carefully crafted questions about the food, drink, and flavor that define life in the 616.

From longtime residents to fresh faces, chefs to creatives, entrepreneurs to everyday enthusiasts — if you’ve got taste buds and an opinion, you’re in the right place.

Funny, honest, and hyper-local — this show is for anyone who loves to eat, sip, and talk about it.

Ten questions. All flavor. Only in Grand Rapids.