Bistro Chloe Elan owner Christine Gill is happy that the Ada restaurant along the Thornapple River has become a destination for people who want to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. But Gill wants the upscale eatery at 445 Ada Dr. to be a neighborhood gathering place where folks come to hang out, have a Michigan craft brew, and indulge in some great, reasonably priced food.
To that end, Gill will close Chloe Elan on April 14 and reopen on April 18 as Riverhouse Ada, a casual come-as-you-are pub with a focus on American regional comfort foods. Menu specialties, all made from scratch, include fish tacos, sandwiches, burgers, shrimp and grits, cottage pie, and a load of healthy salads, fresh fish, and grilled chicken.
Popular Chloe Elan offerings, such as the truffle fries, herbs and veggies grown in the onsite kitchen garden, and the summer concert series on the lawn, will stay.
"After being open for two years, I had an opportunity to do some demographic analysis and have come to the conclusion that people want something more on the casual side esthetically and menu-wise," Gill says. "I have worked with Christian Wiles of the Ada Museum and spent many wonderful hours there paging through the historical photos of Ada. Riverhouse Ada will give tribute to that history in the design and all the old black and white photos on the walls."
Gill hopes to bring her original Chloe Elan concept -- an homage to a daughter she gave up for adoption and the family that adopted her -- to downtown Grand Rapids in the future.
Riverhouse Ada will feature several craft brews on tap, a pool table, and dart board.
Gill expects to be busier than ever, and has begun the hiring process for more servers, bartenders, and server assistants.
The April 18 grand opening is a ticketed event. To inquire, call Bistro Chloe Elan.
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Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Riverhouse Ada
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