Under careful scrutinization, the menu items at Marie Catrib’s in Eastown may seem to have originated under the bumbling fingers of a four-year-old playing in the kitchen.

Ginger-tomato chutney?

Garlic-lime slaw?

Barramundi?

Rice-and-beet patties?

The vast array of sandwiches, salads, and deli items at Marie Catrib’s are a grown-up version of the unexpected and often illogical ingredient pairings of a little kid playing chef. The youthful energy seen in the creative dishes translates into the establishment’s ambience, and the two combine with the trendy, hipster-esque Eastown location to make a meal at Marie Catrib’s an unparalleled culinary experience.

Patrons are greeted by warm orange walls and colorful, folksy artwork when they enter Marie Catrib’s. Usually packed, the restaurant is abuzz with conversation, creating a friendly and inviting atmosphere which helps make waiting in line (a common occurrence due to the popularity and small size of Marie Catrib’s) bearable. Marie Catrib’s is a perfect place for catching up with friends over breakfast, lunch, or dinner, a place where the quirkiness of conversation is embraced and celebrated by the equal zaniness of the food. The comfortable yet energetic mood of the restaurant is coupled with friendly, efficient service to make Marie Catrib’s an even better place to eat a meal.

Ordering off the menu at Marie Catrib’s is a feat that requires some amount of adventuresomeness and a hint of spunk. But don’t be fooled: Marie Catrib’s is not a restaurant for only the adventurous eaters of the world. The unexpected flavor combinations and unique ingredients may appear intimidating, but the entrees are so carefully crafted that customers may, in fact, fall in love with a meal whose ingredients they never would have thought to put together.

The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m on weekdays and from 8 p.m. to 4 p.m on Saturdays. The days at Marie Catrib’s begin with the innovative mash-ups of the breakfast menu. The options include variations on traditional breakfast items such as grits, omelettes, and hashbrowns. One such spin-off is the Greek Omelette, which pairs steaming eggs with green olives, spinach, feta cheese, and a mix of spices which add an extra kick to both the eggs and the customer’s morning. The signature creativity of Marie Catrib’s becomes more obvious in dishes like the Soo Lox and the Hitchhiker, both of which display the inventive ingredient combinations which define the restaurant.

The switch to the lunch menu, which occurs at 11 a.m., provides customers with even more unique options with which to satiate their appetites, ranging from the cranberry sauce-slathered chicken of the Vermaire sandwich to the savory mingling of avocado shavings and poppyseed dressing on the AMO salad. The restaurant’s delicatessen remains open all day and provides a number of baked goods which customers can enjoy as a dessert with their meal or stop by to purchase quickly as they pass by the convenient Lake Drive location. All ingredients are locally sourced and because of this, the moderate prices (most items hover around $10) seem like even more of a bargain.

Marie Catrib’s is a truly one-of-a-kind restaurant, providing customers with a friendly energy that is evident in both the atmosphere and the food. The avant-garde menu and inviting spirit allow customers to enjoy an extraordinary meal and perhaps rediscover the joy of creating culinary marvels, the joy that Marie Catrib’s has brought from childhood games in the kitchen to the Grand Rapids dining scene.