Giddy…

9 12 2008

Sorry, not a food related post, but many of you know that I have commented from time to time on Illinois politics.  Today’s news that Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruptions charges has made me giddy.  I’ve hated the man from day one.  I was at his Whistle Stop Tour of the state the weekend before he was inaugurated in 2003 and the theme of the weekend was “End Pay to Play in Illinois.”  I knew then it was a joke.  I was amazed in 2006 when Blago was elected to another term, but in Illinois, votes really don’t count.  The AP declared Blagojevich the winner a mere 30 seconds after the polls closed based on exit polling in Chicago.  The rest of the state didn’t even matter. 

It’s always amazed me how much people seem hate Jennifer Granholm.  Whatever your grievances are with her, they are nothing compared to what’s unfolding in Illinois right now.   Do you realize that in Illinois, the Democrats controlled the House, had a veto proof majority in the Senate, and all the Constitutional Offices yet they haven’t passed a Capitol Construction bill since George Ryan was governor?  They had a record setting overtime session in 2007 (Illinois is a part time legislature usually wrapping up in May with a veto session in October) in which a state budget wasn’t passed until the last minute in December and that was only temporary until they could get back to a regular session where they didn’t need a super-majority to pass.

Governor Blagojevich is a cancer on Illinois politics.  He is the stereotypical Chicago-Machine politician (his Father-in-Law is on the Chicago City Council and even they’ve feuded over some of Blagojevich’s decisions) and the best thing that could happen to the state happened today.  Hopefully, House Speaker and the Governor’s main rival, Mike Madigan (who is also a Democrat, but his daughter is Attorney General and will probably run for Governor in 2010, so he’s made Blagojevich look bad every chance he gets) will convene the House of Representatives and start impeachment proceedings.  The only thing that has held up impeachment in the past is Senate President Emil Jones who is now on the verge of retiring (at the end of current term).  Jones is rumored to be Senate Candidate 5 (along with Jesse Jackson, Jr.) named in the indictment as the candidate willing to grease the wheels to get Obama’s seat.  As Senate President, he was the Governor’s only ally and held up impeachment by refusing to bring the Governor to trial should the House find cause.  With Jones on his way out and Blagojevich in jail, there should be nothing stopping an impeachment.

…and that’s you’re primer on dirty Illinois politics.  Anything you’ve heard about the way things are done in Illinois is probably true.  Sorry for the distraction, and now back to all things food….

If you’re at all interested in following along, I’d suggest checking out Illinois’ premier statehouse newsman, Rich Miller’s blog.  Think MIRS, but better and the blog is free.

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/


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Categories : Illinois, Politics

Jack Breslin Student Events Center

7 12 2008
  • 1 Birch Road
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 432-1989
  • Website
The view from our seats for a Michigan State basketball game at the Breslin Center

The view from our seats for a Michigan State basketball game at the Breslin Center

A year ago, when I stood in the Peoria Civic Center and watched Bradley University almost upset Michigan State, I never imagined that I would see this year’s Bradley/MSU from a seat in the Breslin Center.  Earlier in the week, J and I made sugar cookies like we do every year from my grandma’s recipe.  She took a few to work and one of her co-workers said he’d like some more.  He’s got access to MSU basketball tickets and I offered up a trade.  Two dozen home made sugar cookies for two tickets to the Michigan State vs. Bradley basketball game.  I lived up to my end of the bargain and two days later, J came home with a pair of tickets.

I have been to a number of college basketball games, but surprisingly, never as a spectator.  I do a lot of work for sports networks that broadcast these games and that’s how I usually go…including last year’s MSU/Bradley game that was aired on ESPNU.  I had been to the Breslin Center one other time, but that was for a volleyball game earlier in the year, so I was really looking forward to getting to go to a game.  J had never been to a college basketball game either, so it was a treat for both of us.

Before we ever got inside the Breslin Center, I already had a sour taste in my mouth.  Parking sucks.  Really sucks.  I tried looking online for a parking map before we left, but couldn’t find anything.  There were no signs directing you to a public lot and everything near the arena had a temporary sign out front that said those lots were for passes only.  I finally found a paid lot on Kalamazoo heading back towards Lansing and by the time we got there, it was almost full.  We were one of the last cars they let in and one of the parking attendants had to move their car to create more parking spaces.  The spaces were really tight and my mid-size truck didn’t want to fit very well.  Had we not left the game five minutes early, leaving would have been a mess. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, East Lansing, Live Entertainment, Michigan, Reviews

Cosi

7 12 2008
  • 301 E. Grand River Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 332-6500
  • Website
  • Menu
Cosi on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Cosi on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Cosi is another one of those places that remind me of Chicago.  It was about eight years ago that a DJ friend of mine introduced me to the chain when he took me to a store on the north side of Chicago.  I went back to that store on Clark and Belmont a few times, but I also made several stops at a location in the Loop while I was interning at Fox Sports Net Chicago.  When I moved away from the Chicago suburbs, it was four years before I saw another Cosi.  Not long before I left Illinois, Cosi opened a location in Uptown Normal (home of Illinois State University).  I took co-workers there after talking up their flat bread sandwiches.  Most of them didn’t agree with me, but it was still a sandwich that I really liked.

J and I had walked past Cosi several times in East Lansing.  The store is located on Grand River Avenue across the street from Michigan State.  We had tickets to the Michigan State vs. Bradley University basketball game and wanted to grab lunch before heading over to the Breslin Center.  Since we gorged ourselves yesterday on pasta, bread, pizza, and gingerbread cookies, I decided on a healthier option than bar food.

It was J’s first time ever going to a Cosi, but this was the fourth different shop I had been in.  The others I’ve been in have all been very cramped and designed really awkwardly.  The shop in East Lansing was very spacious.  When you walk in, you have the option of going to a coffee bar or to go order sandwiches.  We headed to the right where the sandwich order line was.  The menu board was above the counter and was a little hard to read.  It was so far way from the front of the counter and a little high.  I found three or four sandwiches that looked good, but I always let J pick first. No sense in us getting the same sandwich.  That way we can share with each other and taste more of the menu.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Downtown, East Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Westlund’s Apple Market

6 12 2008
  • 2301 E. Grand River Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 482-3900
  • Website
Westlunds Apple Market on Grand River Ave. in Lansing

Westlund's Apple Market on Grand River Ave. in Lansing

J and I had both seen the recent commercials for Westlund’s Apple Market touting $1.69 ground beef.  She doesn’t eat ground beef that often, but I could live on the stuff, so on our way home from Howell, we decided to check it out.

Westlund’s in on Grand River a few blocks from Frandor.  I don’t know why, but I was expecting it to be out towards Eastwoode.  I thought my GPS was screwed up when it turned me left on Grand River from US 127.  J kept assuring me that is was the right way.  She could remember driving by it, but I couldn’t picture it. 

It was a snowy day and it was hard to see the parking lines in the lot, so I just made my own space across from a car thta was already parked.  We made our way in and I got a little nervous when I saw signs on the door that said (these are paraphrased) only one student in the store at a time unless with an adult and  leave all backpacks in the front of the store.  Signs like that just don’t make me feel all that comfortable and that’s not what I was expecting from a neighborhood grocery store. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

Tomato Bros

6 12 2008
  • 3030 W. Grand Avenue
  • Howell, MI 48843
  • (517) 546-9221
  • Website
  • Menu
Tomato Bros on Grand River Avenue in Howell

Tomato Bros on Grand River Avenue in Howell

Another weekend.  Another trip to the Kensington Valley Outlet Mall in Howell.  After our last trip to Howell when we ate at The Bloated Goat Saloon (review HERE) in Fowlerville, someone suggested in comments that we try out Tomato Bros.  J asked if it was the place we always drive by on Grand River, but I didn’t remember seeing it.  Either way, the menu looked good so that’s here we headed. 

Tomato Bros. is on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Highland Road.  You can’t miss it.  There is a huge sign over the entrance of the building in addition to the typical roadside sign.  One you turn in, you find a parking lot that is a little weird.  Some of the spots are facing north and south while others are facing east and west.  They really try to pack the cars in there.  I parked my truck  and J thought I was nuts.  It looked like I made my own parking space, but I assure you, I didn’t. 

We made our way inside.  Once we got through the big, decorative, wood doors, I didn’t find what I was expecting to find.  I figured Tomato Bros was going to be a sports bar, but it was really a nice, sit down restaurant with a bar.  We were met by a hostess and asked us the dreaded “smoking or non-smoking” question.  We chose non-smoking and were shown to a booth in the back of the restaurant near the kitchen.  The space is rather large and there were quite a few groups of ladies dining.  We assumed they were either going to or coming from the outlet mall. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Howell, Italian, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Release – City Market Public Meeting

5 12 2008

From a LEPFA press release..

PUBLIC VIEWING OF LANSING CITY MARKET SCHEMATIC DESIGNS DEC. 18

Lansing, MI— Officials will hold a public meeting in order to gain further input on proposed designs of the new Lansing City Market. The meeting will occur on Thursday, December 18, at 6:00p.m. in the Governor’s Room at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave..

Studio Intrigue Architects, a Lansing-based firm, has been selected to design the new Market. The firm has held two charrettes with the City Market Vendors Association to generate and prioritize concepts for the proposed design. Those ideas, along with suggestions from previous public charrettes, a USDA architect, Michigan State University specialists and LEPFA management have been transformed by Studio Intrigue into design schematics.

“The use of sustainable and ‘green’ technology principles, maintaining the local character, and soliciting input from surrounding businesses and Lansing residents, are all critical to the overall vision of this plan,” said Eric Hart, Lansing Entertainment & Public Facilities Authority (LEPFA) President and CEO. “The meeting will further discussion of the designs proposed for the market,” Hart continued. All members of the community are encouraged to attend the December 18 presentation and participate in the process.

“We want to create a market that is an integral piece of both the downtown landscape and riverfront
re-development. Our hope is that it will fit Lansing’s vision for the future. To do that, we need to rely on public involvement and feedback,” Hart said.

The historic Lansing City Market is managed by LEPFA and was established by the City of Lansing in 1909. It has been located at the corner of Cedar Street and Shiawassee since 1938. It is home to high-quality local farmers, food merchants and artisans that bring their goods to sell to the public in a warm, family-friendly environment. Vendors provide the best-in-quality items at reasonable prices in a unique and inviting atmosphere. Visit the Lansing City Market to experience our personal touch while shopping for the freshest, finest, local products available in the region. http://www.lansingcitymarket.com

-# # #-

 


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Barley’s American Grill (Revisited)

5 12 2008
Barleys American Grill on Miller Road decorated for Christmas

Barley's American Grill on Miller Road decorated for Christmas

I originally reviewed Barley’s American Grill not long after moving to Lansing.  At that time, I had no idea it would become our regular hangout.  Both J and I enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, but we’re not really “go out for a beer” regulars.  Every now and then it’s nice, but we’ve never really had a regular hangout.  A few weeks after the initial review, J got a new co-worker and they decided Thursday night was going to be “Beer Thursday” after they got off work at 11:30.  The closest bar to their place of employment is Barley’s American Grill and it’s on the way home for both of them, so that’s what they picked. 

Barley’s American Grill is behind the Meijer on Miller Road.  It’s a huge building with a good size dining room, a good size bar, and a huge gaming area with multiple pool tables and dart boards.  We have our usual booth along the back wall and our usual waitress who doesn’t even come over to ask what we want anymore.  Since it’s 11:30 at night, we usually don’t go for large food items, but we do get a couple appetizers. 

The usual for us is a Blue Moon for J’s co-worker, a Bud Light draft for me, and a frozen strawberry Daiquiri for J.  As for the appetizers, the girls almost always order the spinach-artichoke dip which comes with toasted bagels.  The bagels are the best part.  Instead of throwing some chips out of a bag with the dip, they thinly slice bagels, butter, and toast them.  They’re delicious on their own.  I’m not a fan of spinach or artichoke so I usually pass.  If they have any bagles left over, I’ll try to steal one just to eat by itself. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

Best Christmas Present Ever!

4 12 2008

I know.  Christmas is still 21 days away, but J and I traded presents early this year.  Mainly because we picked our own presents out.  It wasn’t planned that way, but a Black Friday ad was just too good to pass up.

I have never, repeat never, gotten up for Black Friday shopping if I wasn’t working.  When I was a news photographer, there were a couple years I had to be at Target at 6 AM for the madness and I just couldn’t figure out why people would do that.  This year, Kohls had a deal that was too good to pass up. 

The best Christmas present ever...this year! My new Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

The best Christmas present ever...this year! My new Kitchen Aid stand mixer.

The object in question, a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $170….but that’s not all.  There was a $20 mail in rebate and you got $30 in “Kohls Cash” if you used your Kohls credit card, so after all that, the price came to $120 which is almost $200 off the MSRP.  How could I not get up? 

We were at my parents house for Thanksgiving and my mom was planning on getting up to the stores around 6:00, but that’s two hours after Kohls opened.  There’s no way this deal would still be there two hours later.  J and I debated it for a few minutes then just decided we would get there when Kohls opened at 4:00 AM.  The nearest shopping center to my parents house is a half hour away, so we got our butts out of bed at 3:15.  We pulled into the lot at 3:55 and by the time we walked to the store, the doors were opened.  It still took us five minutes to get in, but most people ran to the toy department.  They had 8 of the stand mixers I was going for and there was one other person grabbing one when we got there.  I grabbed my mixer and put it on my mom’s Kohls charge since neither J or I had one and I got my first Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $120. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Illinois Casino Revenue Down…

4 12 2008

….and they’re blaming it on the smoking ban.  When you look at the numbers, it’s pretty hard to argue with that assumption.  Overall, casino revenue is down 7 percent while Illinois’ numbers are down 20.3 percent.  It’s not that attendance is down.  There’s another reason.

“Although the number of people coming to the casinos is about the same, the time they spend inside is down. They’re outside smoking. And in this business, if you’re not putting money in the machine or on the table—time is money.” (Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association)

Illinois is different from Michigan in that all casino’s are effected.  There are no tribal lands in Illinois.  The problem is there are also no land based casino’s right now.  All the casino’s are old riverboats that are permanently docked, so they’re all on rivers.  The rivers are all close to the border states of Iowa, Indiana, and Missouri so in most cases, you can literally go a mile and a half across a bridge and be in a casino that allows smoking.   What the article doesn’t say is how Peoria is doing.  The Par-A-Dice Casino in East Peoria is at least an hour and a half to two hours from a smoking casino.  I’d be surprised if they saw a 20 percent drop, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Moline riverboat dropped much higher due to another boat in Davenport, IA less than a mile away.

My opinion is still that Illinois is not the problem.  The problem is the surrounding states being pansy’s and giving into the casino lobby.   They need to create a level playing field.  It’s always tough to be the first to do something.  Illinois is going to take some hits, but in the long run, they are making the right decision.  Delaware did the same thing and while their revenues dropped at first, they have recovered and are now above the pre-ban level.  It can be done.  It just takes lawmakers with some guts to make the right move.


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Categories : Food News, Illinois, Michigan, Politics

Smoking Ban Referendum?

2 12 2008

Could it happen?  According to a story I saw on ABC 3 tonight, if the bill is not passed in the lame duck session, we could soon see it on the ballot.

If the bill doesn’t pass during the lame duck session,  health officials may not be out of luck.

A ballot initiative could be considered, but many feel that option would be too costly.

Well, we COULD see it on the ballot, but my sources say that those health officials don’t think it’s worth the money to put it on the ballot.  They believe in it, but only if they don’t have to pay for it.  Nice.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan, Politics

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