Mid-Michigan Dining

Darn.  I have no idea why Starbucks would have to close stores.  Damn you people for not buying your $5 lattes instead of feeding your family.

According to the list on Starbucks website, the stores slated to close are:

Grand River and Saginaw - 3201 E. Grand River Ave. - Lansing
Eastwood Towne Centre - 2941 Preyde Blvd - Lansing Township
Meridian Mall - 1982 Grand River Ave. - Okemos

Now you have no excuse not to take advantage of the local coffee shops scattered throughout the area!

Got a press release from the Mayor’s office announcing the grand opening of a new Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches on Washington Square in downtown Lansing.  It’ll be the first in Lansing proper, but the fourth in the metro area. 

Jimmy John’s is another chain that got it’s start in Illinois near the University of Illinois in Champaign.  The expansion took place in central Illinois where I lived so I’ve been around them from almost the beginning.  Never been much of fan.  In my opinion, they don’t do anything that Subway doesn’t do better.  Some people love Jimmy John’s, but I’m not one of them.

 

(LANSING) – Representatives of Mayor Virg Bernero’s office and the Lansing Economic Development Corporation will be on hand tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. for the grand opening of the new Jimmy Johns Sandwich Shop located at 134 South Washington Square in downtown Lansing. The grand opening event will include special $1 sandwiches and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

WHO: Lansing City Officials and Jimmy Johns Sandwich Shop Representatives

WHAT: Jimmy Johns Sandwich Shop Grand Opening

WHERE: 134 S. Washington Square

WHEN: Friday, July 18 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Although they’re saying tomatoes are safe, they still haven’t found a source for the salmonella outbreak.

The FDA hasn’t determined whether tomatoes were a source of the outbreak, but it has determined that tomatoes currently in fields and stores are safe, said Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for food protection, according to The Associated Press.

Salmonella Saintpaul — a rare form of the bacteria — has infected more than 1,190 people in 42 states, the District of Columbia and Canada since April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 370 of those people became ill on or after June 1, the CDC said.

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• 2040 Aurelius Rd.
• Holt, MI 48842
• (517) 699-3670
• No Known Website
• Menu (From Okemos Location)

Buddies Grill in the Holt Plaza Shopping Center

Buddies has been on the short list of places to try near our house for some time.  Why we never got there is a mystery, but we finally hit it up for lunch.  Even the day we went, it was second choice.  I had heard about a deli inside a hardware store on Aurelius Road and that’s what we went looking for.  We found Big T’s Extreme Deli inside Brower’s Hardware, but there was a closed sign on the counter, so we were forced to find something else.  We had just drove by Buddies and my girlfriend suggested we turn around and head back there.

Buddies is located in a strip mall at the corner of Holt Rd. and Aurelius Rd.  It’s a huge space with a nice big outdoor patio.  The heat index was up over 90 degrees the day we stopped in, so we passed on the outdoors thing.  The inside is seperated into two rooms.  The main bar area with a variety of pub tables and regular tables scattered around the bar and then there’s another non-smoking room off to the left.  We took a table in the non-smoking section.  Our waitress came over for drink orders as we looked over the menu and it’s a pretty big menu.  By the time she came back with our Pepsi, we still weren’t quite ready, so she gave us a few more minutes.  Read the rest of this entry »

From a press release….

 
LANSING — Whether you sell milk or electrical supplies, commodities or computers, chemicals or construction or janitorial services, you have potential as a Michigan vendor.  Property owners with office or warehouse space to rent may also find opportunities with the State. That’s why State Representative Mike Simpson is hosting this informational seminar for small business interested in doing business with the state.

WHAT: Buy Michigan First town hall meeting.
WHO: Rep. Simpson; Patty Kaufman, the president of Baker College of Jackson ; Lisa Webb Sharpe, director of the Michigan Office of Management and Budget; and Seleana Samuel, Buy First coordinator
WHERE: Baker College, 2800 Springport Road, Jackson, MI
WHEN:Tuesday, July 22, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m

I got tickets to an upcoming Tigers game.  It’ll be the first time we’ve ventured into Detroit and we need help finding a good restaurant.

If possible, we’d like something in the downtown area near Comerica Park but not necissarly within walking distance. 

Neither one of us are really big on ethnic foods.  Preferably something like a pub or even a nice sit down restaurant is fine.  Anything that just screams Detroit cuisine is even better, but I’m not really looking for a hot dog joint this time. 

If we decided to go outside of the city, what are some suggestions?  I’ve heard Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak has the best burgers in town and that’s very tempting.  Anything else?

From WILX’s website

News 10 isn’t just helping folks save money, we’re also looking out for folks who may not get enough to eat.

You can help in the “Food Fight For Hunger” by stopping by the Sam’s Club on Edgewood Boulevard in Lansing on Saturday from 7am to 5pm.
Folks are encouraged to drop off some much-needed items to stock the Mid-Michigan Food Bank.

Those items in high demand include cans of tuna, stew, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, applesauce, rice dinners, elbow pasta and saltine crackers.
Monetary donations will also be accepted.

Remind me if I ever meet this guy to punch him in the nose.

His friends may call him a snob, and waitresses may give him odd looks, but David Turley isn’t about to drink a beer with chunks of ice floating in it.

But that’s what can happen at restaurants that insist on serving his favorite beverage in icy mugs. And so Turley has no qualms about insisting upon another, unfrosted, glass.

“I’m pretty passionate about it,” says Turley, a 50-year-old information technology worker from Fredericksburg, Va. “The first thing I look at in a restaurant is the beer menu. I consider it a food.”

No, you’re a douchebag and you shouldn’t be allowed to leave your house.  Besides this example of douchery, the article has some interesting insights on what temperature your drinks should be served at.  It reinforces why I don’t like dark beers.  No beer should be served at 50 degrees. Read the rest of this entry »

WILX picked up on what I’ve been saying for quite a while.  Ditch the supermarket when you can and you’ll get fresher food. (I’ve made grammar corrections so they story makes sense)

To compare the prices at the Farmers Market to the Supermarket we bought all of the same items that Anne bought at a local grocery store, broccoli, zucchini and 10 baby potatoes, now while we may have spent the same amount of money at (as) Anne this (the) difference is her produce will likely last longer; us on the other hand, we’ll probably have to make another trip back to the grocery store pretty soon.

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Could a Sonic come to Lansing?

I’ve seen ads in the Lansing State-Journal for Sonic managers and there’s even been a little bit of talk on this blog about what, where, and when.  I contacted Sonic’s PR department to see if I could get any more information.  This afternoon, I recieved a reply from Christie Martin who is the Real Estate Coordinator for Sonic Restaurants Inc.

She did confirm that Sonic is interested in the Lansing market and they are actively looking here for expansion.  However, no specific location has been identified yet.  The hope is to have a store open in the next 12 months.

I remember the first time I ever saw a Sonic.  It was in Vandalia, IL (home to the oldest surviving State Capitol in Illinois).  We were coming home from a family vacation in St. Louis.  It had ben a long week and every body was exhausted and just ready to get home.  We still had about a three hour drive, so we didn’t want to try something we weren’t familiar with.  It was years before I finally ate at one.   Read the rest of this entry »