Bernie O's - November 17, 2008

I've actually eaten Bernie O's food many times, but since I just had their food again I can write a current review.

For those not in the know, Bernie O's is a pizza/sandwich shop in North Muskegon. People love this place. They've been open a relatively short time (almost 2 years, I believe) and they've built up a good business with many loyal customers. Just the other day I asked a friend what his favorite restaurant is and without hesitation the answer was Bernie O's. So they must be doing something right.

Being from the Chicago area, much of my taste in food and ALL of my taste in pizza is based on what I grew up with. I am a very harsh critic when it comes to pizza, and eventually I will get around to comparing some of the local pizza places here. In the meantime, Bernie O's deserves a proper review.

The focal point of Bernie O's is their collection of rather bizarre specialty pizzas. Sure, they make "regular" pizzas too, but they're quite proud of the specialties. So far I've tried a couple of the less-weird ones and they're good. I have trouble calling them pizza but they are tasty. The one I had the other night was their French Dip pizza, which is exactly what it is. Pizza dough and cheese (no sauce), with sliced roast beef, mushrooms and onions, complete with au jus for dipping. And I hate to admit it but I really enjoyed it. It goes against everything I believe a pizza should be. But damn it was good. I had also ordered some cheese breadsticks just to be on the safe side (in case the pizza didn't work for me), and I must say those were good too - though I had to eat most of them as leftovers.

Their regular, normal, real pizza is decent. Far from the best I've had, but much farther from the worst I've had. I'm not a huge fan of their crust unless I'm in the mood for it, and then I am a fan. The sauce is good, they're generous enough with the toppings. Overall it's a good pizza but nothing I'd do cartwheels over. It's one of the better pizzas I've had since moving here, but not the best. So I think their strength really does lie in their specialty pizzas, which run the gamut from interesting to what the hell are they thinking.

Try this on for size - their "ultimate pizza" called The Twist:
Cheese and pizza crust, honey mustard sauce, breaded chicken, bacon, pineapple, tomato, yellow and jalapeno peppers, all topped with ranch dressing. People somehow go nuts for this pizza. I don't get it, but more power to them.

One pizza has mashed potatoes on it. Another has dried cherries. And they do love their ranch dressing. This is all very difficult for a pizza purist like me to accept, but it seems to be working for them. The place is busy. The customers keep going back.

Their sandwiches run along the same lines as their pizzas. They have some fairly normal sandwiches, and then they have some... different ones. So far I haven't been able to try some of the weirder sandwich choices, because I'm pickier about what sandwiches I like. I tend to go for the French Dip myself, which has been hit or miss and they can be a bit overly onion-happy. Sometimes it's incredibly good, other times I think I won't be ordering it again but I always seem to be willing to give them another chance, and when I do I'm always glad I did. I also must say it's a huge sandwich and very filling. It's a good value compared to what you get for the money at other places. You certainly aren't left feeling still hungry.

One thing I'm very picky about is a restaurant's cleanliness. No worries here - in fact, the entire kitchen is visible to the customer, showing they have nothing to hide. Clean place, friendly staff, and overall quite good food. I definitely recommend it, but the Chicago in me can't say it's the best. A good, solid 4 stars.

Bernie O's is located at 321 Center @ Ruddiman in North Muskegon. Call them at 231-744-4900. You can also visit their website (which is in desperate need of work) here: http://www.bernieos.com/