Food Prices Still Rising

5 05 2008

ugh….this article was in the Lansing State Journal today.

Americans might be getting another helping of food inflation, and it seems likely to come from higher prices for chicken and pork.

Overall food inflation could double this year, lifted by the rising costs of fuel, corn and soybeans, some analysts predict.

Food inflation hit 4 percent last year, up from 2.4 percent in 2006. While beef prices were already high, chicken and pork prices didn’t reflect record costs for feed and fuel. That’s poised to change as chicken and pig producers who have been losing money slaughter more animals to decrease the supply and raise the prices they can charge.

UGH!  Again, this is pretty much do to the Ethanol myth.  Guess what?!  ETHANOL IS NOT A VIABLE ENERGY SOURCE!  All these E-85 vehicles have been a huge waste of money.  A 2006 University of Minnesota Study concluded that even if we used every available piece of farm land to produce ethanol for fuel it would only meet 12% of energy demand.  12%!!!  Does that sound like a good investment to you? 

My dad owns farmland in Illinois.  He made a lot more money last year off his crops than in year’s past so it’s hard for me to be critical of a cash cow for my family, but this is ridiculous.  Everyday we’re seeing higher food prices because politicians and the media are telling America that ethanol is the solution to ween us of Middle Eastern oil.  I don’t have a good solution to higher gas prices, but I know ethanol is NOT what we need.  Gas prices are high enough, we don’t need food prices getting higher because of an idea that is nothing more than a fad.


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Categories : Food News

Red Cedar Grill

5 05 2008
  • 5114 W. Saginaw HwyRed Cedar Grill
  • Lanisng, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-6300
  • Website
  • Menu

I first noticed Red Cedar Grill my first week in Lansing.  We found Lansing Mall looking for Younkers and Red Cedar Grill has a very prominent store front on the outside of the building.  Regular commenter John recommended Red Cedar, so we decided to make it a point to check it out.  My girlfriend needed to go to Younkers, so we made a pre-work trip with enough time to grab lunch.

There are two entrances to Red Cedar.  There is an entrance inside the mall, but the main entrance is the outside door.  We entered through the mall entrance and there was a sign that told us to go to the hostess station at the front of the store.  That’s a little weird considering you have to walk all the through the dining room to get to the front.  The space is gorgeous.  The dining room is dimly lit.  There are booths on a little platform that run the whole length of the wall plus there are tables between the booths and the bar.  There’s a patio out front and a sun room type space next to that.  The bar is also beautiful.  It’s a long L-shape made out of a dark wood.  The low lighting and dark colors make the place really cozy and relaxing.

Red Cedar GrillUsually at malls, you expect places like TGIFriday’s or Ruby Tuesday.  Red Cedar Grill is definately not one of those places.  The menu is much more upscale.  We stopped in for lunch and even the lunch menu was better than burgers and salads….but they did have both on the menu.

I ordered the BBQ, Bacon and Bleu burger.  Crumbled bleu cheese topped a juicy burger.  Bacon was layered on top of that then BBQ sauce was put on the onion roll.  The burger was nice and juicy.  The BBQ sauce sort of cancelled out the bleu cheese taste, but you could still get just a hint of it….and there was a lot of bleu cheese.  I don’t really like onion rolls, but I knew that when I ordered, so I’m not holding that against the sandwich.  The sandwich was good.  It was served with shoestring fries on the side and there was also some hot rolls and butter brought to the table before.  With all that food, for the first time in a long time, I was defeated.  I couldn’t finish everything on my plate….which is a good thing because I’m a big eater. 

My girlfriend ordered the Smoked Turkey Grill….which I almost ordered myself it looked so good.  Smoked turkey was stacked on rye bread with bacon, tomato, aged cheddar, and dijon mustard.  Her meal also came with a side of cracked pepper kettle chips.  For the first time, I almost wished my meal came with chips instead of fries.  These were really good.  The cracked pepper made the chips a little spicy.  The smoked turkey was delicious.  She didn’t say a whole lot about the sandwich other than it was good.  She did remark more than once that the chips were delicious.

Our bill with pop was $25, so it’s not a cheap meal, but the food is quality and the service was pretty good.  For a while, we were the only ones in the restaurant, but we hit them right as they opened.  The server disappeared come check time, but during the meal, he was always there when we needed another Coke.  The food came out pretty quickly and we probably weren’t there more than a half hour. 

Thanks, John, for the suggestion.  We’ll have to go back and try the dinner menu now.


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Harrison Roadhouse

4 05 2008
  • 720 Michigan Ave.Harrison Roadhouse
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 337-0200
  • Website
  • Menu

This is a concept I saw all the time living near old Route 66 in Illinois, but not something I’ve seen a lot of in Michigan….take an old gas station and turn it into a garage themed restaurant/bar….and that’s exactly what Harrison Roadhouse is.  The Roadhouse was originally Duke’s Shell station.  In 1981, someone had the idea to turn the building into a restaurant.  Today, the old bay doors are windows and the ceiling beams are covered with license plates from all over the country. 

Surprisingly, the actual dining room isn’t that big.  When you walk in, you come right into a waiting room.  Past the hostess station, there is a small dining room with tables on either side and just enough room for to walk single file.  To the left of that is a bar that sits elevated from the rest of the dining space.  On that platform, there are a few pub tables, the bar and then a drink bar where you can stand, but still have a place to set a drink down.  Once you get past the bar, there’s another dining room where the tables are packed in pretty tight and then a couple private party rooms plus an outdoor patio with a fire place.

We probably chose a bad day to eat at the Harrison Roadhouse.  MSU had graduations, so there were a lot of big parties.  It was raining so we couldn’t sit outside.  I ran in to check with the hostess to see about the wait.  She handed me the buzzer thing and by the time I called my parents and girlfriend who were waiting in the car to tell them to come in, my buzzer went off.  We were shown to a table in the main dining room.  I think we were the only small party other than one table behind us.  Every other table was pushed together to accomodate huge parties.

We chose Harrison because the menu looked different.  We all started with Coke’s then skipped the appetizer and went straight for sandwiches.  I got the Roadie Dip which is a French dip served on a Ciabatta roll with a side of Au Jus and fries.  I love Ciabatta bread, so that was a real treat.  The meat was good, but the Au Jus was a little heavy on onion.  Nothing overpowering, but noticeable.  I don’t know how to explain the fries.  They almost looked and felt like fresh cut fries that were breaded and deep fried.  They were alright, but definately different.

My girlfriend got the Rt. 66 Rollup.  Grilled chicken breast tenders were covered in a hot sauce that was tangy and had quite a kick then rolled with lettuce, tomatos, and bleu cheese in a flour tortilla.  Her sandwich also came with those same fries.  She likes spicy and that’s probably a good thing as the chicken was really spicy.  She’s become a big fan of bleu cheese lately and that’s what made her order rollup….and we all know how well hot sauce and bleu cheese go together.

My mom got the BBQ chicken sandwich.  She got a fried chicken breast served with lettuce, tomato, BBQ sauce, onions, and cheddar cheese served on a kaiser roll.  She had to take some of the toppings off to get to the chicken because there was so much.  She got onion rings instead of fries and was happy with them. She prefers the rings whole, battered and deep fried whereas my dad prefers bites, so you don’t pull the onion out of the breading.  Neither had a problem with these onion rings.

My dad surprised me and got the Buffalo Melt.  Surprising to me because that’s a 1/2lb buffalo burger served with sauteed onions on grilled rye bread.  I wasn’t 100% sure that he knew he was ordering buffalo meat and not hamburger meat with a “buffalo” sauce or something.  I was more worried when he called it a a “glorified patty melt”  When I asked him about it later he said he didn’t realize it at first and thought he was just getting a regular patty melt, but the buffalo tasted a lot like hamburger and he actually really liked the sandwich.  The bread was different and the meat was nice and juicy.

The four of us ate for less than $50.  The atmosphere is really neat, but the place is really, really loud and it was really full.  There were a few people at the bar just screaming at TV’s while watching the Kentucky Derby and the sound carried.  It was hard to carry on a conversation or communicate with the waitress.  The food was really good and I would suggest going back to try a different sandwich.  As long as your not going for conversation, Harrison Roadhouse is a really neat place.


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, East Lansing, Pub, Reviews, Sandwiches

Caruso’s Candy Kitchen

4 05 2008
  • 1982 Grand River AveCaruso's Candy
  • Suite 712
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 347-0200
  • Website
  • Menu

Everyone loves chocolate and my family is no different.  My parents were in town recently and we went to Meridian Mall to do a little shopping.  On our way to Younkers, we went by a little candy shop where a choclatier was hand dipping chocolate in the window.  My mom and girlfriend went in to see what the store was all about and not long after, I followed after seeing a soda fountain the back of the store.

The shop is pretty tiny.  Like I said, there’s a place off to the right when you walk in where you can watch the employees hand dipping just about anything into chocolate.  To the left, there’s a couple big display cases where they show off their hard work.  To the back of the store, there’s an old timey soda fountain where they serve a full menu on sandwiches, soups, and salads.

This isn’t your normal chocolate shop.  Instead of seeing a lot of fudge and homemade peanut butter cups, what you actually see is a lot of things dipped in chocolate.  They do some of the traditional favorites.  My mom got some peanut brittle along with chocolate covered cashews for my dad.  My girlfriend got chocolate covered gummy bears or “muddy bears” as they’re called.   I got a chocolate covered Twinkie.  Everyone loved their selection….except me.  I don’t know if it was a Twinkie knockoff, if it got stale, or if the chocolate changes the flavor, but it really wasn’t that good.  The muddy bears were so good, I had to melt some chocolate when I got home and we made our own because what she got at the mall wasn’t enough.

I sorta wished I had gotten a soda, but maybe next time.  That was the part of the store that I really gravitated towards.  Just seeing a working soda fountain brought back a few memories.  I’m not old enough to know of soda fountains in there time, but there were a few leftovers in the early mid-80’s when I was growing.  I have memories of going grocery shopping then going to the drugstore for a soda.  Not sure why I passed up this opportunity, but I’m looking forward to going back again.  Caruso’s has been in business since 1922 in their oringal location in Dowagiac, MI.  They’ve opened this second store in Okemos, but have brought along the 70+years of experience.


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Categories : Candy, Local Flavor, Michigan, Okemos, Reviews

Submarina

3 05 2008
  • 438 Edgewood Blvd.Submarina
  • Suite B116
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-7707
  • Website
  • Menu

It’s weird how we come across new places to eat.  My girlfriend needed to make a quick stop at National City.  While inside the lobby, I saw a take out menu for Submarina.  We get back in the car and she says she’s hungry and suggests Steak ‘N Shake.  I happen to have that take out menu in my back pocket and I take it out and show it to her.  Now, I know both places are chains.  Steak ‘N Shake actually got it’s start in Normal, IL which is close to where I used to live, so I’ve eaten at Steak ‘N Shake’s many times.  We decide to give the new place a try.  Usually, I hate anything related to California (Submarina is marketed as California Subs), but Submarina is new to town and it’s the only location in Michigan.  The majority of the chain is located in San Diego County with just a few locations outside of that…again, mostly in California.

The shop is in a strip mall and it’s pretty tiny.  There are only a few booths, but they do have two flat screen TV’s.  It’s like most sub shops where you order at the counter then watch them make your sandwich in front of you.  Nothing out of the ordinary there, but the menu is anything but.

I got a six inch East Coast sub.  Proscuitto, cappocola, ham, salami, and pepperoni are sliced fresh on a deli slicer right in front of you.  It’s not like the sub standard place that has the portions already packaged out between sheets of butcher paper.  They cut the meat right in front of you.  The sandwich starts with a bed of provolone then the fresh sliced meats are piled on top.  After that, you have a choice of a few toppings.  Not as many as the other place, but they do have a couple items that make them “California.”  I passed on all those and went just with lettuce, Italian dressing, and mustard.  The sandwich was good and the meat was really piled on there.  Unforunately, the flavors all kind of ran together.  I love the taste of proscuitto and I couldn’t really taste it.  I do prefer this sandwich over Subway, but let’s face it, it’s a cold meat sandwich.

My girlfriend got the Peppered Garden sandwich on Squaw bread.  Again, the peppered turkey was sliced fresh right in front of us.  The sandwich is supposed to come with Havarati, but they must have been out as they asked if Provolone was alright.  On top of the turkey was a balsamic vinagrette and sprouts.  She really liked the sandwich and actually took some of the turkey off because there was just too much there for her to eat.  Good thing is, I get a little bit extra meat for my sandwich. 🙂

Submarina is a chain and normaly I hate chains.  I don’t hate Submarina.  The service was a little slow, but that’s because they were cutting their own meat (have I mentioned that already).  There are a lot of sub shops popping up and each one needs to do something different to make it.  Submarina offers unique ingredients like avocado, pepperocinni’s, and sprouts.  The combination of meats and fresh ingredients make all the difference.  For a little over $11, we had a quick, delicious and somewhat healthy lunch…..better than the hamburgers I probably would have cooked.


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews, Sandwiches

Whiskey Barrel Saloon

3 05 2008
  • 410 S. Clippert St.Whiskey Barrel Saloon
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 351-5690
  • Website
  • Limited Menu

I grew up in a a really rural area.  Line dancing and country music were pretty popular.  I graduated high school and moved to the city and things changed. I started going to night clubs with a DJ friend of mine and starting listening to Euro and Progressive music.  I got older and started to gravitate back towards Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.  I was thrilled when I heard commercials for The Whiskey Barrel Saloon on WITL.  I’ve been wanting to go for a few weeks, so Friday night, we decided to check it out when my girlfriend got off work.

The parking lot was pretty full when we got there, but from the outside, the building looks huge so we weren’t too worried.  There was a $5 cover at the door and we didn’t even get there until midnight.  That kinda sucks, but I’ve paid worse.  There was a live band (more on them later), so at least the cover made sense.

The bar is really cool.  The whole building is one big open room.  The main bar is in front of you when you walk in.  To the left is a bunch of tables next to the dance floor which is surrounded by a drink bar so you can stand around and watch the regulars boot scoot or you can sit down, relax and watch a little racing on their big screen TV’s. In the far corner of the room, there’s a mechanical bull.  Yeah, a mechanical bull.  We didn’t wander over that way, but next time…. 

In front of the dance floor they have a pretty good sized stage and a DJ booth.  When we got there, a DJ was playing country music and the dance floor was packed with dancers.  After about three songs, a band took over and they weren’t playing country.  I hate when that happens. I want to hear country music….they were playing Keith Urban-esque country which isn’t country at all.  There wasn’t an accoustic guitar on stage until the fourth song and there were no fiddles and no steal guitars.  That was pretty disappointing…I wish they would have just kept the DJ….it really looked like everyone was having more fun when the he was playing.  It would be a great place if there was a country act in town….and there is this week.  Eric Church is playing Thursday, May 8.

As far as food goes, there’s not much.  I did notice a case of pizza slices at the bar, but other than that, The Whiskey Barrel is just honkey tonk.  Prices were pretty reasonable.  Beer was $3 and my girlfriend’s cocktails wer $4.  Good beer….good music…interesting people….can’t wait to go back on a night when I can hear a little Taylor Swift. 


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Categories : Bar, Lansing, Live Entertainment, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

Michigan Recipes

2 05 2008

Accidently came across this site today on the Department of Agriculture homepage.  There’s a whole bunch of recipes for Michigan grown ingredients.  I found a handful that I can’t wait to try.

MDA Recipes


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Categories : Agriculture, Food News, Michigan

Great Lansing Food Bank gets help from “Big Give”

2 05 2008

Good story on ABC 3 last night about how the community came together to help the Greater Lansing Food Bank even more after Oprah’s Big Give donated $10,000 for milk.

One by one local sponnsors brought in their donations for the cause hoping to inspire others to do the same.

“That was the idea- pay it forward” said Sharon Krinock of the Greater Lansing Food Bank.  “You get one person on board, word gets out and other people want to join in. That’s exactly what happened- it was wonderful.”

The 22-thousand dollars raised will go to proivde families with much needed staples.

“This will go to milk money for our families and the numbers of families does grow in the summer time” said Krinock.

“For three weeks, our eight area stores had receptacles that people could come in and make donations of canned goods and items that were collected for the area pantry food bank” said Marthan Levandowski of L & L Food Centers.

That’s a lot of milk!


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Categories : Food News, Lansing

Gone Wired Cafe

1 05 2008
  • 2021 E. Michigan Ave.
  • Gone WiredLansing, MI 48921
  • (517) 853-0550
  • Website
  • Menu

I don’t remember how I found Gone Wired Cafe’s website, but I’m glad I did.  Usually, when I’m looking for new places to eat, I turn to the web.  A good website and, more importantly, a menu on-line usually is what gets me to a place.

I picked my girlfriend up from work one night for a quick dinner.  We drove right by the place looking for a parking spot.  There’s a city lot behind the building and there’s also on street parking up front.  We couldn’t find a place in the city lot, but found one right in front of the building.

When you walk in, you walk into a huge open space.  There’s a little comic book shop to the left as well as desktop computers you can rent for $1 for 15 minutes.  To the right, the first dining area sits in front of the counter.  A huge chalkboard above the counter displays the menu which ranges from breakfast favorites to pizza to burgers.  You order at the counter and they give you one of those electronic buzzer things you usually get handed at chain restaurants to let you know when your table is ready.  Once the buzzer activates, you go to a window near the kitchen and pick up your own food.  They just put the plates up for you to take back.  There are trays underneath the window and you have to go somewhere else to pick up your silverware.  The main dining area is on an upstairs balcony that is lined on either side with booths.  There are also a couple corner booths that they just put out into the middle of the room.  It’s actually a really cool look.  Back downstairs, there’s a kids area where the kids can play while mom and dad get some work done or enjoy a meal.  There’s one more area downstairs that’s kind of a circle booth.  I’m pretty sure some college kids were hooked to each other playing games at this table.

I have no idea why, but I ordered the Black and Bleu burger without thinking that I had burgers for lunch.  Being in a cafe, I should have gotten something a little healthier, but the Black and Bleu burgers always shout my name anymore.  The burger came with a choice of side.  The menu board and the printed menu said they had fries, but when I asked for fries, the girl behind the counter said they don’t do fries anymore.   That was a little disappointing, but it did force me to eat healthier.  I got a side salad with Italian dressing.  The sandwich came piled with bleu cheese.  Man, was it good.  I’ve come to love the tanginess of the bleu cheese with hamburger meat.  The salad was just iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and croutons.  It wasn’t a whole lot, but a good compliment to the burger.

My girlfriend got the Waldorff salad.  Her plate was stacked with greens, strawberries, walnuts, and bleu cheese.  On the side, there were three little cheese quesadillas.  Like me, she loves how bleu cheese works with other ingredients.  In this case, it was the cheese and the strawberries.  She polished off all the toppings and the three quesadillas, but had some salad left on her plate when we finished. 

Both of us got Coke’s for dinner, but on the way out, she stopped and got an iced latte to go.  Gone Wired is an incredibly unique cafe.  Most cafes have realized they are not going to make money on coffee alone due to that big chain that has brainwashed consumers into thinking they have to pay $10 for a cup of coffee.  Gone Wired has gone a little farther than most cafes and have offered a unique, interesting menu in a really cozy environment.  On a Thursday night, most of the tables were full with a pretty good mix of people.  There were college students studying for finals.  College professors grading papers.  Young adults playing video games and guys checking their Facebook pages.  Gone Wired is one of those unique finds where atmosphere plays a big part in the overall experience of the place.


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Categories : Cafe, Coffee, Downtown, Lansing, Local Flavor, Reviews

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