Mid-Michigan Dining

• 101 E. Grand River Ave.
• East Lansing, MI 48823
• (517) 337-2723
• Website
• Menu

Well, it only took three months.  For three months, I’ve been trying to stop in to the place that used to be Johnny’s Lunch in downtown East Lansing.  Their open hours always seem to elude me.  They say they’re open at 11:00 AM during the week, but I’ve tried to stop on several occasions and found the doors locked. 

Anyway, Conrad’s College Town Grill is right on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road.  When J and I first moved to Lansing, it was the 50’s-Style diner Johnny’s Lunch.  That closed up some time ago and we never did stop in to try it out, so I have no idea if much has changed since Conrad’s moved in.

I never could figure out from the street if it was a fast food place or a sit down restaurant.  It’s kind of a cross between the two.  There is a fast-food style order counter near the back of the space with a giant menu board hanging from the ceiling. 

I found burgers on the menu, so I put in an order for the BBQ Cheese Burger and added on an order of fries for a buck.  I didn’t go for a pop because they had Coke and if I’m going to drink a no calorie Coke, I’ll just stop at gas station and get a bottle of Coke Zero (which I did after I left).  The sandwich and fries only cost little over six bucks.  I opted to just eat it there.  Read the rest of this entry »

• 1500 W. Lake Lansing Road
• East Lansing, MI 48823
• (517) 203-0712
• No Known Website
• Menu

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a women’s The North Face jacket right now?  J’s been wanting a Triclimate jacket, but she’s already got the color picked out.  There aren’t a lot of places in Kalamazoo that sell them and the ones that do, don’t have it.  Since I was in Lansing for a couple days, I decided to check out the Lansing stores that had them which led me to Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Eastwood Towne Center. 

They didn’t have it either.  They had it, but not in the right size, so I left empty-handed. 

I still had a little time before I had to be at work so I sort of took the long way back to downtown East Lansing by going through town.  I was looking for someplace to eat and right after I crossed over US 127, I found a sandwich shop that I didn’t even know existed.

Key West Cafe is in a little shopping center at the corner of Lake Lansing and Coolidge Roads.  The sign for the business had the words “wraps” and “sandwiches” so I figured I’d be able to find something to eat. 

The layout is a little confusing.  When you walk in, you notice the huge menu board right in front of you.  Problem is, that menu board is above the kitchen….not the cash register.  As I stood looking at the kitchen, a lady behind the cash register was asking to take my order.  I didn’t know it, but they did have paper menus I could have looked at. 

Once I decided on a sandwich, I walked over to put in my order.  I got the Chicken Parmesan Grinder.  I went with the half sandwich, chips, and a drink which cost a little over five bucks.  I grabbed a bag of Lays while the cashier was filling my Sprite.  After that, I took a table at one of Key West’s half a dozen or so tables and listened to a job interview at the table next to me.  I felt sorry for the guy….I hate that process, but at least he had a job while he was looking for a new one.  Oh, why was I listening?  Not intentional.  The tables are just really tight in the small dining room. 

It took about five minutes for my sandwich to come up.  I took it to go.  I figured I could just get to work and eat before I went in. 

The sandwich was what I was expecting for a grinder.  There were chunks of grilled chicken breast, a five cheese blend, and pizza sauce.  The sandwich also comes with mushrooms, but I left those off.  It was a pretty decent sandwich.  It was good.  The bread was nice and crispy, but there wasn’t a whole lot of filling.  You can see from the picture below that there’s about 5x more bread

The sandwich was alright and it was cheap, so I’m not complaining.  It’s what I was looking for.

  

• 1391 E. Grand River Avenue
• East Lansing, MI 48823
• (517) 332-5555
• Website
• Menu

Mmmmm.  Wings.  Man, I love wings.  For some reason, I had a taste after work and I went looking for some.  My original plan was to stop at Little Caesar’s now that they have Hot ‘n Ready wings, but I missed the entrance.  I pulled into a parking lot a little farther up and noticed the lights for Wings Over East Lansing were finally on.  It’s one of the places I have been trying to stop, but it’s never open.

Wings Over got its start at the University of Massachusetts in the late 90’s.  The franchise is pretty small with only 23 stores nationwide. 

Wings Over East Lansing is in a shopping center on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road a mile or so from campus.  It’s a small storefront, but they do have tables and a lunch counter.  Most of their business is carry-out or delivery though. 

Wings Over does encourage you to call in orders because they are all made to order.  Since I didn’t plan on stopping, I didn’t call in.  There was actually another guy in the store that was waiting, so I’m not the only one that walks in to order. Read the rest of this entry »

• 233 E. Grand River Avenue
• East Lansing, MI 48823
• (517) 203-4278
• Website
• Menu

The thing about college towns…..you never know when restaurants are open.  I’ve tried my last three trips to eat at one of three places.  Everytime I go, the buildings are locked up and dark leaving me to scramble to find something else. 

On my most recent trip to East Lansing, I just wasn’t in the mood to keep looking.  There was a perfectly good sandwich shop down the street and that’s what I was going to have for lunch.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop is a Chicago based chain that has been around since the late 1970’s…well, the original shop on North Lincoln Avenue has been anyway.   They’ve been in the expansion game for a little over a decade. 

I’ve eaten at other Potbelly stores before, but never the East Lansing location which is in the heart of downtown on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Mac.  The restaurant occupies the bottom floor of the corner building. 

The decor of all Potbelly Sandwich Shop’s is an homage to the original store which took over retail space formerly occupied by an antique store.  Many of the decorations were leftover from that store.  I always get the feeling that I’m in an old carriage house or something.  The floors are antique-looking wood and there’s a wood loft that runs along the outside walls that is home to antique signs and knick knacks.  Read the rest of this entry »