I would not have expected Grand Rapids, MI to have the best tapas restaurant in the Midwest--one of the best in the country, in fact--but here it is, located right on the edge of downtown, within walking distance of business and lodging.
San Chez is a large restaurant in an old commercial space, but broken up into several separate areas, so you don't have the feeling of its being so big. It was bustling with a cheerful, young, after-work crowd the night we ate there. Don't be fooled by the size--you'd better come early or have a reservation, otherwise you could find yourself waiting for a table.
There is an extensive menu of very interesting tapas, as well as some larger dinner items and some smaller happy hour snacks. We had a warm spinach salad with red peppers, feta, and olives; some delicious little saffron rice balls fried crispy on the outside and creamy smooth on the inside; toast rounds smeared with a yummy tomato paste; and fried calamari, done perfectly and with both aioli and a spicier red sauce to dip. Every dish done perfectly. The food is very inexpensive. The little bread rounds were just $1 each, and the rice balls were at a happy hour special price of also $1 each, if I remember.
There is a wine list with some decent selections, including a good number of Spanish wines. I thought it was a little overpriced, though, maybe to make up for the very inexpensive tapas dishes? We had a decent albarino that went well with the meal, but $11 a glass is too much for a wine that we found the next day at Costco for $12.95 a bottle.
Don't let that keep you away, though. If you ever thought the Midwest was "flyover territory," San Chez, plus a stay in the classy boutique hotel City Flats or the elegant B&B Lafayette House (both within a 10 min walk) will have you thinking of Grand Rapids as a destination city.
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