Lansing City Market Plans – Update

26 04 2008

Just one day after posting on the City Market, the Lansing State-Journal provides insight into the plans.

While City Market and its supporters continue to work on marketing and outreach, some say the ever-struggling market doesn’t have a real shot until (developer Pat) Gillespie buys the property from the city for up to $1.6 million.

Lansing would use that money to construct a new City Market facility closer to the Grand River. The new market proposed would be at least 9,000 square feet and include indoor and outdoor space, Gillespie said. The current site is 16,000 square feet, he has estimated, and includes east and west wings.

Like I said in my last post, I was really disappointed in what the Market offered.  I’m all for farmer’s markets and home grown food, but I didn’t like the layout or the selection.  The place seemed empty. 


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What is Lansing City Market Hiding?

25 04 2008

I came across this great article in the Lansing City Pulse by Neal McNamara.  He describes an ongoing battle between the publication and Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority. Apparently, there are plans floating around for a new city market.  The Friends of the Market think that it’s too early to release plans saying they are “conceptual.”

From what I got in an e-mail (the Friends of the City Market) say they don’t feel comfortable sharing” the plans, says (LEPFA Director Eric ) Hart.

“I’m not comfortable doing that,” said Dave Finet, a member of the Friends when asked if he could provide the plans to City Pulse. “My problem is that (the plans) are real preliminary.”

Plans have been sought from other main Friends Kris Zawisza and Diane Thompson, the group’s chairwoman, both of whom met more than a week ago with this reporter to show off their new position statement about the development of the market. (One of their gripes with the new plans is that the community hasn’t been involved.) Zawisza rebuts Hart’s “uncomfortable” claim. She says it’s not her place to hand out the plans, emphasizing that they’re premature. Thompson says she doesn’t have the newest plans.

That’s crap.  If either one of those organizations take any public money at all to operatre, they have no right to exclude the public from ANY information.  It doesn’t matter if the plans are “conceptual.”  The public has a right to have input on how their money is spent.  Release the plans and let the public decide if they like what’s going on or if they have any suggestions.  When the public sector tries to do business like they are a private business, it usually ends up at a loss to the taxpayers. 

I once watched a public school district purchase $300,000 in houses they were going to tear down for a new school. As soon as the public found out what they were doing (after the houses were purchased), there was an uprising against the site and utlimately, the plans were scrapped.  However, the district had already spent the money on the houses and now had 11 properties they couldn’t sell.

Too often, people in charge of public enterprises forget who they serve.  They forget that they are not their own bosses and can’t spend money however they want.  I don’t know the total make-up of either of these two groups, but I know there is SOME public money involved at least on the LEPFA side of things.  That’s reason enough to make these plans available immediately and go from there.

I’ve been to the Lansing City Market once and was extremely disappointed.  We were so excited when we found the website before we moved here.  We had planned to make it a once a week stop for produce, etc.  Our first weekend here, we went down to the market and it was like someone stole all of our toys on Christmas morning.  It was sad.  Fortunately, we found Horrock’s the next day


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Arby’s buys Wendy’s

25 04 2008

I don’t eat fast food very often, but when I do, I usually eat Arby’s.  I love their fries.  They were one of the first and still one of the few that actually use fresh cut fries instead of those crappy processed ones.  The Associated Press had an article yesterday on the sale of rival fast food chain Wendy’s.

The deal comes as Wendy’s struggles with declining profits and weak sales compared with rivals McDonald’s Corp. and Burger King Holdings Inc.

Wendy’s said Thursday that its first quarter profit was down 72 percent to $4.1 million, or 5 cents a share, in part because of expenses tied to the work of a special board committee that has been studying ways to boost the company’s stock. Revenue fell to $513 million from $522 million a year ago.

Sales at company-owned stores opened at least a year, considered a key indicator of a retailer’s strength, fell 1.6 percent in the quarter and 0.1 percent at U.S. franchise restaurants.

So, how would Dave Thomas feel about this?

Thomas’ daughter Pam Thomas Farber said the family was devastated by the news.

“It’s a very sad day for Wendy’s, and our family. We just didn’t think this would be the outcome,” said Farber, 53.

If her father were alive to hear news of the buyout, “he would not be amused,” she said.

No kidding.  It seems when the founder dies, those in charge always find a way to ruin a good thing.  It happened to Col. Sanders.  It happened to Sam Walton and now it’s happening to Dave Thomas.

Reminds me of the Chris Farley classic Tommy Boy.  It’s sad.  In their lifetime, these American icons build up their dream to make it something great, but as soon as they pass on, corporate greed takes over and destroys the concept and turns people off.  In all fairness, I’ve never been a huge fan of Wendy’s anyway.  I always thought it was too greasy.  As a kid, I ate there all the time.  My dad and brother loved it.  As long as I could get a Frosty, I was happy, but as I grew older, I sorta backed away from fast food. 


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Robbery for White Castle Burgers

24 04 2008

This isn’t funny, but it sorta is.

Investigators say the fast-food drama started Wednesday night at the White Castle at Featherstone and Martin Luther King Blvd. in Pontiac when the pair, 16 and 17 years old, got impatient with the long wait in the drive thru.

“Instead of paying for their order, they decided to follow the vehicle ahead … with the intent of stealing the victims White Castle hamburgers,” investigators said in a statement. When the vehicle arrived at a home in Rochester Hills, the teens attacked.

According to investigators, the 17-year-old hit the driver with a hammer, pulled him out of the car, ordered him to empty his pockets, and took his wallet. At the same time, the 16-year-old yanked the passenger out and forced him to give up a his wallet, cell phone and Sony Play Station. The big haul, however, was a While Castle bag with 16 burgers and one chicken sandwich.

It’s obviously not funny that two teenagers would do this, but did anyone see last night’s South Park episode?


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Categories : Detroit, Food News, Michigan

Tim Hortons

24 04 2008
  • 5625 S. CedarTim Hortons
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-3536
  • Website
  • Menu

So, Tim Hortons is the first chain restaurant I’ve eaten at since moving to Michigan.  It’s a chain I had never heard of before coming here, so we decided to stop in for a quick lunch one day after a morning of shopping.  The chain is based in Canada getting their start in Ontario in 1964.  In 2000, they opened their 2000th store in Toronto, ON.  In the US, their stores are mostly in the northern and eastern part of the country….closest to Canada.

Tim Hortons is a coffee shop and bakery that serves a few sanwiches and soups.  When you walk in, your senses are assaulted (in a good way) by baked goods in glass cases right up front.  Since we were there for lunch, we somehow managed to not give in to desire and just got sandwiches.

I got the turkey bacon club on white and my girlfriend got the same, but on wheat bread.  The bread takes a quick ride through the toaster oven then is piled with turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mustard.  My g/f and I had totally different takes on the sandwich.  The bread was good.  The turkey was good and you could smell the bacon.  We both agreed there.  The mustard was a big point of difference for us.  I thought the neon yellow mustard was way too tangy and I really didn’t like it.  I ended up taking off the bottom piece of bread on both sides of the sandwich and eating the remianing half like an open faced sandwich.  My g/f totally disagreed with me and loved the mustard and thought that it made the sandwich stand out.  I’m kind of glad we both got the same thing just so you can see how different people view the same thing.

We grabbed our sandwiches to go so we wouldn’t be tempted by the sweet treats just inches from us.  The total for two sandwiches was $8 and it only took about 5 minutes from the time we walked in the door.


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PETA Test Tube Chickens

24 04 2008

There are very few things in life I hate more than PETA.  Animals are food.  Just because you like eating weeds doesn’t mean I do.  Now, PETA is offering $1 million to anyone who can grow a “chicken” in a laboratory to be eaten.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the money would go to the first scientist who could create and market such a meat by the summer of 2012. The group said the scientist had to be able to produce the meat in large enough quantity so it could be sold in 10 U.S. states — at a price competitive to the prevailing chicken price.

Further, the meat had to have “taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat eaters and meat eaters alike.”

A taste-test panel would determine if the lab-produced meat fitted the criteria.

People already throw a fit about cloned meat, so why in the hell would they eat a chicken made in a test tube?  There are actually some good things about cloning.

For farmers, cloning is a way to preserve the genes of their best animals, Muir said. A farmer may breed a bull with several of his cows, but won’t know how well the offspring will perform until they are grown, at which point the bull may be gone.

In this way, cloning acts as an “insurance program” for breeders, Muir says, allowing them to preserve the genes of cows and bulls to create a clone for later breeding.

PETA, on the other hand, is selfish and just wants to make sure that food isn’t actually used for food.

Of course, humans don’t need to eat meat at all—vegetarians are less likely to get heart disease, diabetes, or various types of cancer or become obese than meat-eaters are—and a terrific array of vegetarian mock meats already exist. But as many people continue to refuse to kick their meat addictions, PETA is willing to help them gain access to flesh that doesn’t cause suffering and death.

You’re also more likely to be a douche.


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Press Release – Greater Lansing Food Bank

24 04 2008

As a public service, I’ll be posting Press Releases when I see them.  If your organization has any kind of food related news, e-mail them to me at midmichigandining@comcast.net.

The following press release is from the Greater Lansing Food Bank announcing their Empty Plates dinner and auction

LANSING, Mich. — The Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB) will host its annual Empty Plate Dinner & Auction Thursday, May 8, 2008 to raise funds for and awareness of the growing hunger problem in mid-Michigan.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Big Ten Room of the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. Guests will savor gourmet delights created by some of the area’s top chefs, and receive a commemorative “empty plate” decorated by local school children. In addition, guests can bid on one-of-a-kind collector plates — hand painted by artists and celebrities — that will be paired with dinner, hotel, gift certificate and service prize packages.

“The Empty Plate Dinner & Auction is the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s largest annual event,” said Sharon Krinock, GLFB’s executive director. “It’s a great evening and a great opportunity to help address one of our area’s most serious problems –– hunger and food insecurity.”

GLFB supports a network of 58 community kitchens, shelters, and food pantries in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties. In 2007 alone, the network served 1.2 million meals to children, seniors, working families and those on a fixed income. Unfortunately — and the need is growing.

  • The number of Ingham County residents receiving food stamps increased nearly 50 percent in the last four years. Many use the food bank to avoid missing meals.

  • Up to 65 percent of Lansing School District students qualify for free or reduced breakfast and lunch.

  • Higher unemployment and the rising cost of food and transportation are stretching everyone’s resources to the limit.

Organizers aim to raise $200,000 through the Empty Plate Dinner & Auction. Cash donations allow GLFB to purchase high-demand foods not available through food drives, support innovative programs to rescue and grow nutritious foods, and provide nutrition education and self-help initiatives.

“The Greater Lansing Food Bank was formed to serve the tri-county community,” Kinock said, “and all donations stay in this community. The generous support of local businesses and residents helps us continue providing food for the growing number of hungry neighbors in our area.”

The Greater Lansing Food Bank is a non-profit organization established in 1981. Its mission is to raise money, food and in-kind contributions for greater Lansing area emergency food needs; coordinate and support the food pantries in the area; promote, encourage and emphasize self-help programs toward the goal of self-sufficiency; and educate the community on hunger issues.

To purchase tickets or become an event sponsor, to make a donation, or for more information about programs and volunteer opportunities, call the Greater Lansing Food Bank at 517-887-4307 or visit lansingfoodbank.org.


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Marco’s Pizza closes in Jackson

23 04 2008

Four more pizza joints close in Jackson bringing the total to seven in just a few months…..

Three Domino’s Pizza locations closed recently. Now, four Marco’s Pizza locations — 836 N. West Ave., 2003 Horton Road in Summit Township, 4000 Page Ave. in Michigan Center, and 237 E. Michigan Ave. in Grass Lake — have closed.

Franchisee Pat Richardson, who owned the Marco’s locations in Michigan Center and Grass Lake, had bought the Jackson and Summit Township restaurants last fall. Efforts to contact Richardson were unsuccessful.

Peter Wise, vice president of marketing at Marco’s office in Toledo, said he couldn’t discuss why the restaurants closed but said Marco’s “definitely values its customers and is anxious to get back and be able to serve them.”

Sad, but they are all chains. Anyone know of any good local pizza places in Jackson?


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Grilling A Pizza

23 04 2008

Who knew it was possible?  I got the idea after eating at Weber Grill (review here).  My girlfriend and I went to Chicago for date night one weekend and Weber Grill was recommended by my brother who was supposed go with us with his wife but then backed out at the last minute.  Everyone thought I was nuts ordering a pizza at a place like this, but the concept sounded so good, so I got a pepperoni pizza as an appetizer.  It was delicious.  A few months later, my girlfriend and I took my mom to a doctor in Chicago and since we were close to downtown, we took her to Weber Gril for lunch.  This time, we got the buffalo chicken pizza as an appetizer.  All three of us loved the smoky taste and I knew then, I had to try it on my own.

Pizza DoughSo, today, I started out with my homemade piza dough from a recipe I got from one of my friends moms.  She used to make homemade pizza for us every Friday and Saturday night.  It was definately the highlight of the weekend when I was in high school.  It’s a pretty simple, basic pizza dough recipe of yeast, water, salt, sugar, canola oil, and flour.  I’ve healthied it up a little bit by doing half AP flour and half wheat flour.  It changes the taste a little bit, but nothing bad.  I actually think it might taste better.  I let the dough rise over night then fired up the grill after running a few morning errands.

Charcoal Lit
Charcoal is something else I get picky about when I grill.  I only use natural lump hardwood charcoal.  In this case, I’m using a brand called Cowboy Charcoal Co.  I know it’s minor, but I try to use as few chemicals as possible when cooking and briquettes are pressed together with chemicals.  Nothing terrible, but it just adds a slight taste.  NEVER. NEVER.  NEVER use lighter fluid.  Forgot about dangers of it.  Lighter fluid leaves a bad taste if it doesn’t burn all the way off and it almost never does.  Spend the $6 and get a chimney starter.  Usually, I use parafin wax to start my coals, but I didn’t have any.  The easiest, cleanest way to start the fire is by rolling up a paper towel and spraying cooking spray on it.  The coals will take about 20-25 minutes.  I actually got mine a little too hot today and the fire died pretty quickly after I got cooking.

Grilling PizzaNow it was time to cook the pizza.  After rolling the dough out and brushing on some garlic butter, the dough rounds when straight on to the grill grates.  I had considered using a cast iron skillet, but thought I’d try this.  It worked great.  The fire was hot enough the dough cooked really quickly.  Almost too quickly.  I was yelling back in the house to my girlfriend to bring the sauce and cheese.  AfterGrilling Pizza only a minute or two, I flipped the dough and started spooning on the sauce.  It didn’t take long at all.  By the time I was putting on the cheese, I was a little worried that I was taking too long and the pies were going to be burnt on the bottom.  At this point, I put the grill cover on for just a couple seconds to melt the cheese.  Less than five minutes after I put the raw dough on the grill, I was taking them off. 

Grilling PizzaSo, how they’d stack up to Weber Grill’s?  Pretty darn close.  The crust had a nice smokey flavor.  The cheese was perfectly melted.  I add a few spices (oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes) to the sauce and that made for a spicy sauce.  This was much, much better than cooking them in an over and it was really quick.  It took longer for the coals to warm up.  I felt bad about wasting the fire so I grilled some burgers for dinner later tonight and I grilled some pineapple and peppers for my girlfriend to eat.  Don’t be intimadated by pizza on the grill.  It’s not as hard as you would think it would be.  If you don’t make your own down, just buy one of those pre-packaged ones.  All the flavor is coming from the fire and it’s totally worth the time and effort. 


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Categories : Food News, Grilling, Lansing, Michigan

4 AM Bars

23 04 2008

The State News has an editorial this week about the legislation that would allow municipalities to enact an ordiance to allow bars to stay open until 4 AM.

The point of the bill is to make money for the state and help reduce the deficit. However, the bill seems too potentially dangerous to justify the budget relief.

Currently, bars across the state are open until 2 a.m. In that time, bar crawlers are able to thoroughly indulge in their desired alcohol-driven activities. By the time the bar closes, many patrons stumble home, drunk and tired.

What happens if bar hours are extended for two extra hours?

More alcohol is consumed, and at 4 a.m. patrons who are even more drunk and tired will pour into the streets, off to their next destination.

The potential for alcohol-related incidents including drunken driving and public intoxication likely would increase.

*Sigh*  Another un-informed opinion.   I know State News is a college paper, but give me some proof to back that up.  For five years, I lived in Peoria, IL where they have a 4 AM district.  Guess what?  There aren’t a ridiculous number of DUI’s or accidents.  There aren’t people in the street fighting at 4:05 because they’re intoxicated.  Peoria is home to Bradley University so it’s not like there are no kids running around Main Street.   It just takes some planning on the city’s part.  I wouldn’t be in favor of a state-wide 4 AM license, but done responsibily, extending liquor license’s can be a benefit to the communities and the state as a whole. 

Let’s not try to pretend that alcohol is the root of all evil.  There’s a reason prohibition failed.  Alcohol sales provide a good portion of any cities revenue through license fees and sales tax.  Not everyone who drinks a beer does so irresponsibly.  I already said I’m not in favor of a state-wide 4 AM license, but I am in favor of 4 AM districts similar to the one in Peoria.  The State News article makes the same point in it’s article.

However, such legislation could be effective in stimulating areas such as downtown Detroit where casinos and other nightlife are prevalent.

But in the very next sentence, they go back to blaming all of the world’s problems on college students.

In more metropolitan areas such as Detroit and Grand Rapids, where the majority of residents are working adults and not active students, the bill could provide a positive social and economic stimulus.

An extended license in a downtown district in any city in Michigan can be a good thing.  East Lansing is no different.  Yes, it’s probably true that business downtown would spike after 2 AM, but that also gives East Lansing Police a chance to regroup and redeploy themselves downtown.  It IS the PD’s job to keep the peace.  Drinking and hanging out at the bars are part of life and a whether you think it’s a good thing or not, it is a big part of college life.  Every one of those police officers know when they take a job in East Lansing that most of their time is going to be spent trying to control rowdy college kids.  Every resident who moves into East Lansing should also know that is where a majority of their tax dollars will go too.

Back to Peoria.  The 4 AM zone is only in Downtown and it doesn’t even cover every bar.  There are boundries set up that have been under question for a few years, but the Council has been very tough when it comes to changing.  The zone is set.  The police chief is in favor of it and realizes the benefits to the 4 AM zone.  At 3:00 they reposition police officers to the Main Street area.  The taxi services know to be downtown starting around then too.  In all my years in Peoria and working in news, I only know of one or two instances of problems when the bars closed and both of those instances where at the same bar.

Michigan has a unique opportunity here with HB4573 to improve the quality of life in it’s urban areas as well as take advantage of a huge funding source.  Business wishing to stay open to 4 AM would be charged an extra $1000 on top of the license fee.  The bill stalled in the house on Oct. 3 of last year when Rep. SteveTobocman moved for temporary postponement on the third reading. 


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