Mid-Michigan Dining

I just moved to Lansing and I’m looking forward to diving into the culinary world here.  I don’t eat out everyday, but my girlfriend and I do eat out a lot and for the most part, we don’t eat at the same place twice unless it absolutely blows both of us away.  We’re huge on local diners and love the history and culture that surround such places.  It’s very, very rare that you will see us at one of the major chains, but it does happen (family in town, convience, etc.).  I’ve been posting my reviews on the website we8there.com for about three years, but I thought on the move to Michigan, I would start my own site and get some discussion going. Since I started posting on We8there, I’ve reviewed over 300 restaurants with the majority being in my old home town of Peoria, IL. I won’t transfer those over, but if I ever travel, you will probably see those reviews here too.

I’m a true midwestern meat and potatoes guy.  I’m not much into ethnic food which the Lansing area has a lot of.  I would say 99% of my reviews are going to be at American food restaurants.  There are a couple other blogs that do a good job of covering Asian cuisine in Lansing and I would definately suggest checking them out of that’s what you’re looking for.  Eat! Lansing and Lansing Food News will both hit restaurants I probably won’t.  The other thing you’ll notice about me is I put a lot of emphasis on the whole dining experience.  I can cook.  I like to cook.  So for the most part, anything I eat in a restaurant, I can cook at home and do it just as well.  To me, dining out is an experience.  I really look for presentation and decor as well as service.  Food is still important….if it doesn’t taste good, it doesn’t matter how pretty the place is, but you really do eat with your eyes, so all my reviews will critique presentation and decor as well.

I will also do my best to do some “original” reporting/opinion making on local food news.  I’m a former news photographer, so I’ve worked in the business and I’m a total news junky.  I still read a lot of newspapers and TV station websites, so if any of the local media do stories, I’ll probably have a comment or two on them…just to add more to this blog other than restaurant opinions.