Pizza House

1 09 2008
  • 4790 S. Hagadorn Rd. #116
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 336-0033
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pizza House in East Lansing. A little slice of Chicago in Mid-Michigan

The Pizza House in East Lansing. A little slice of Chicago in Mid-Michigan

The quest for the perfect pizza took me to East Lansing after getting several recommendations for the Pizza House in Hannah Plaza.  My family was in town and we spent the day in Frankenmuth.  As we were leaving, we debated on whether or not to go in to Detroit for dinner and gambling.  That was eventually shot down and my dad said he just wanted pizza.  Since the Pizza House has been so highly recommended, I thought that was a safe bet.  If you remember my review of Pisanello’s Pizza (review HERE) in Mt. Pleasant, you’ll recall that everyone in my family likes a different type of pie, so pizzaria’s can be a challenge.

I had a little bit of trouble finding Pizza House at first.  We put the address in the GPS and it brought us the right area, but as the GPS was saying “Arriving at Pizza House on right” I couldn’t see any signs for it.  We were at Hannah Plaza, so I assumed it was in there.  I turned into the parking lot and J saw the sign for it.  The building is nothing special.  Just your typical strip mall pizza joint….or is it? Read the rest of this entry »

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

Frankenmuth Cheese Haus

1 09 2008
  • 561 S. Main St.
  • Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • (989) 652-6727
  • Website
The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus in downtown Frankenmuth

The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus in downtown Frankenmuth

I just can’t pass up cheese.  J and I were walking down Main Street with my parents and an aunt who were in town for Labor Day.  There were so many shops, but the Cheese Haus was one we couldn’t pass up.  We weren’t the only ones.  The store was packed.

The Frankenmuth Cheese Haus sits on the corner of a courtyard and has an interesting shape.  We went inside and there’s a one-way path around large freezers which eventually leads to the check out and the exit.  They had every kind of cheese imaginable and the cheeses they didn’t make on site, they shipped in from Wisconsin.  There’s no trying to hide that fact either as everything is clearly labeled as Frankenmuth cheese or Michigan cheese.  Along the way, there are lots of samples. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Frankenmuth, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Mac’s Fudge

1 09 2008
  • 570 S. Main St.
  • Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • (989) 652-6555
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu On-line
Macs Fudge on Main Street in downtown Frankenmuth

Mac's Fudge on Main Street in downtown Frankenmuth

The streets of downtown Frankenmuth are lined with candy shops.  For no particular reason, the one we actually chose to step into was  or Mac’s Fudge.  Mac’s is a pretty small shop connected to the Frankenmuth Woolen Mill’s.  There was a billboard out front that promised nuts and my dad likes cashew’s so I think maybe that’s why we picked it.  Problem is, once we got inside, we totally forgot about the nuts.

Like most of the places in Frankenmuth, there’s an area where you can watch candy makers make fudge.  While we were there, no one was making fresh fudge as there was only one person even working.  She was helping another couple choose from their huge variety of favors.   Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Chocolate, Downtown, Frankenmuth, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

Castle Bakery

1 09 2008
  • 713 S. Main St.
  • Frankenmuth, MI 48734
  • (989) 652-9941 EXT. 3282
  • Website
  • Menu
The entrance to Castle Shops in downtown Frankenmuth

The entrance to Castle Shops in downtown Frankenmuth

After spending an hour or so at Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, we headed downtown to check out the businesses district of Frankenmuth.  What we found was a shock.  Tourists packed the streets of a vibrant, bustling downtown anchored by the Bavarian Inn and Zehnder’s.  We drove around for a while looking for a place to park.  We finally found one in a parking lot on the other side of the covered bridge.  It was a hot day and no one had had anything to drink since lunch at the Blackforest Brew Haus & Grill (review HERE). One of the first places we ran into was the Castle Shops.  We noticed a bakery and figured they’d have bottled water or soda or something to drink. 

The Castle Bakery is the first thing you come to when you walk down the steps to the Castle Shops.  The whole shopping area is located below the Bavarian Inn Restaurant.  The feel of the whole area is that of an old castle.  The buiding is all stone from floor to ceiling.  The bakery takes up a huge portion of the area when you first walk in.  There is a case displaying their goodies that runs from the door all the way to the other side of the shop.  J found the bottled water and grabbed one of those then went to pay.  On the way, she noticed a chocolate chip cookie with mini pretzels baked into it.  It looked way too good to pass up, so she didn’t.  It didn’t look appetizing to me, but she loved it.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Downtown, Frankenmuth, Michigan, Reviews

Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill

1 09 2008
  • 281 Heinlein Strasse
  • Frankenmuth, MI 48724
  • (989) 652-6060
  • Website
  • Menu
Sullivans Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill in Frankenmuth, MI

Sullivan's Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill in Frankenmuth, MI

My parents have been to Lansing several times since I moved here from Central Illinois.  On I-94 going through Indiana, they always see a billboard for Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland.  Christmas is a big deal in my family and this year it’s even more special. My brother and his wife are expecting my parents first grandchild.  My mom, dad, and aunt decided to come north for Labor Day and I suggested we drive over to Frankenmuth to check out the town.  I heard it was pretty touristy and it was.

Before we did the tourist thing, we needed to find something for lunch.  My parents had been on the road since 8:00 AM CST and we arrived in Frankenmuth at about 2:00 EST.  Everyone kept saying, “Go to Zehnder’s” or “You have to eat at the Bavarian Inn.”  I did a little research and noticed the chicken dinners everyone raved about were $20/person, so that was out.  Seems pretty expensive…even for an all-you-can-eat.  I mean, really, it’s just chicken.  I didn’t get a whole lot of suggestions when I asked for one on Chowhound, but I ended up stumbling across a website for the Black Forest Brew Haus & Grill.

We ended up finding Black Forest right across the street from Bronner’s. My family was marveling at just how big the Christmas store was when I turned in the driveway for Black Forest.  They all turned around and said the same thing about the big, castle looking building we were now sitting in front of.   We hit up the brew pub during off peak hours.  It wasn’t quite lunch nor was it quite dinner.  We were right in between so there weren’t a whole lot of people in the restaurant at the time.  We were met at the door and show to a table in the dining area to the left of the bar.  Besides the bar area and the dining room, there was a four seasons patio not far from where we sitting.  Upstairs, there were big banquet rooms.  The dining room and bar area is realy spacious.  There are high exposed ceilings and lots of seating.  There is a big room enclosed in glass where the distillers sit.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Brew Pub, Burgers, Frankenmuth, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches