Meet Little Lucy's and Brighton Graye's: The newest additions to Plainfield's burgeoning food scene

There are many Grand Rapids neighborhoods undergoing extreme makeovers. Ever-looming cranes and bulldozers dot massive construction projects. But there is also quieter redevelopment going on in the city, where old buildings are being repurposed into something new. 

Case in point: the Creston/Cheshire neighborhood.

Little Lucy’s Cafe and Brighton Graye’s Bistro are a two-restaurant concept housed in the former D’Amico Food Market on North Plainfield.

Larry Zeiser, partner at L&B Portfolio (owners of Graydon's Crossing, Logan's Alley and Derby Station), is one of two owners of the restaurants and sees the recent addition as being a complimentary addition to the rapidly developing food scene on Plainfield.

Although the restaurants share the same building, each one has a separate entrance, its own kitchen and its own identity.

Little Lucy’s, named after Zeiser’s daughter, opened in late May and has a focus on breakfast, lunch, coffee, deli options, and bakery items. It is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. The bakery and deli are open most days from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. It offers seating for 60 inside and  28 outside at a dedicated open air patio. A complete menu can be found on the Little Lucy’s website at www.littlelucyscafe.com.
 
Brighton Graye’s Bistro just debuted in late June. Brighton Graye’s is named after L&B Portfolio partner Brian Giampapa’s son. It’s a bit more upscale and brings the feel of urban dining to the Creston neighborhood, with an emphasis on modern American cuisine. Brighton Graye’s offers small and large plates made primarily with locally-grown ingredients that changes on a daily basis.
 
Another focus of Graye’s will be its craft cocktail selection. Brighton Graye’s offers seating for 100 people inside, including 14 at its bar and capacity for 36 at its outdoor open-air patio on the south side of the building. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.and Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. until midnight, with an after-dinner happy hour starting at 9 p.m. each night.

Both partners are residents of Grand Rapids’ northeast side, and Zeiser describes himself as a “big-believer in a great neighborhood.”  He says he has worked with the neighborhood association for more than five years and said the availability of the specific property was the catalyst for the development. “The key for me was D’Amico’s being vacant. It’s a natural connector between Creston and Cheshire,” Zeiser says, adding that the development of the neighborhoods is more akin to Cherry Street than the recent work being done on the westside.  “We are bringing something different to the neighborhood. We don’t have burgers but other places have them,” he says.

So, for those of you unfamiliar with the food scene on Plainfield Avenue on the  northeast side, here is a quick guide. Starting just north of Leonard you have the Choo-Choo Grill (burger, fries, shakes) and Graydon’s Crossing (Indian/English food, craft beers). Going north there is The Rez (pizza, Cajun, beer, pub food), the soon-to-be-opened Creston Brewery and continuing up the road you have Little Lucy’s and Brighton Grayes, Frosty Boy (an iconic ice cream stop), La Huasteca (traditional Mexican), Cheshire Grill (classic diner), and Fat Boy’s (burger and fries). For the DIY crowd, there is the local grocery store Kingma’s, which features fresh produce, a wide selection of beer and wine, groceries, and one of the finest full service meat markets in the city.

Check it out.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Jobs News Editor