Goal Post Pub – Oak Lawn, IL

9 03 2009
  • 5207 1/2 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708 ) 422-5275
  • Website
The Goal Post Pub on 95th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

The Goal Post Pub on 95th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

OK, here’s the set up.  J and I were in Oak Lawn for one of her friend’s surprise birthday party.  Supposedly, we were in town because I was working.  Since I was working, J asked two of her friend’s (birthday girl included) if they wanted to go to dinner.  They went to their favorite restaurant in LaGrange.  Halfway through dinner, I called J telling her I got out of work early, her parents weren’t home, and I didn’t have a key to get in so I went to a bar to watch the basketball games.  As the dinner wore on, I was getting crankier and crankier because I had to sit at a bar and wait for them.  In reality, I was at the bar, but I was there with the birthday girl’s husband, parents, and fifty of her closest friends.  When the three ladies got to the bar I was at, J called me again and told me to meet her in the parking lot.  I had just ordered a beer, so she was gonna have to come in.   The other friend, said they should come in and say hi since I was in such a bad mood because I was stuck at a bar by myself.  That did it.  They got the birthday girl to come in first.  I was sitting at a bar by myself and they could see me when the walked in.  The party goers were behind a wall.  When the birthday girl got close enough, I pointed behind her.  She turned around, everyone yelled surprise and she jumped twenty feet.  Totally fooled.  Had no idea it was coming. 

The ironic thing (to me anyway) is that the party was a bar called The Goal Post in downtown Oak Lawn.  The bar expanded into the business that used to be next door.  The last business to use that space was the birthday girl’s women’s only gym.  I thought it was funny.  I don’t know if anyone else did. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Illinois, Irish Bar, Oak Lawn, Reviews

7-Eleven – 103rd & Central – Oak Lawn, IL

9 03 2009
  • 10220 Central Avenue
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708 ) 346-0816
  • Website
The 7-Eleven on the corner of 103rd and Central in Oak Lawn, IL

The 7-Eleven on the corner of 103rd and Central in Oak Lawn, IL

You should know about my new found love for frozen drinks by now.  After a quick dinner at Brown’s Chicken & Pasta, I had a decision to make. I could either go back to J’s parents for an hour or so and risk either falling asleep or getting involved in a Wii game and miss the party or I could just kill time shopping or something. 

I chose shopping.  I only know two ways to get to the Chicago Ridge mall.  One is to take the busy Central Avenue to 95h or to take the even busier Cicero Avenue to 95th.  J and her family weave through the neighborhoods, but I’m not brave enough to drive and find that way on my own, so I chose Central to 95th.  I figured along the way, if I saw a Speedway or 7-Eleven I was going to stop for a Frozen Coke/Slurpee.  As I turned from 103rd to Central, I noticed a 7-Eleven in the strip mall on the corner, so I made a quick lane change and went after my Coke.

Normally, I wouldn’t blog about every 7-Eleven I stop at.  You all know by now what the store’s all about and you really have even less interest in a Chicago convenience store than you do a Chicago restaurant, but it’s not the Slurpee’s that make this 7-Eleven stand out.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Reviews

Brown’s Chicken & Pasta – Oak Lawn, IL

9 03 2009
  • 4740 W. 111th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708 ) 424-9280
  • Website
  • Menu
Browns Chicken & Pasta on 111th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

Brown's Chicken & Pasta on 111th Street in Oak Lawn, IL

There’s been a fried chicken debate going on between J and I since we started dating.  I have always preferred Popeye’s Chicken while her family grew on Brown’s.  If you’ve never heard of Brown’s, it’s probably because it’s a Chicago chain.  If you have heard of Brown’s, it’s probably because of the “Brown’s Chicken Massacre” which happened at a Palatine location in 1993. 

We were in Chicago for a surprise birthday party for one of J’s friends.  It was J’s job to distract the birthday girl and get her to the party later in the evening.  J and another friend decided they needed a girl’s night out at Al’s Char-House in Lagrange (review HERE).  Since I was being used as an excuse to be in Chicago that weekend, I couldn’t be seen and therefore couldn’t go to dinner with the girls. 

After dropping J off, I was on my own for dinner.  We just had the Popeye’s/Brown’s discussion earlier this week so I thought I’d give the Chicago chain a chance to see if they really were better than my beloved Popeyes.

Brown’s has several locations in Chicagoland, but the one closest to where I was is on 111th and Cicero right at the Oak Lawn/Alsip city limits.  It’s a really small shop and really hard to get in to.  I missed the entrance and had to go up a block and turn around.  When I turned in to the very small parking lot, I headed straight one of just a handful of spots in front of the building. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews

Central Michigan University Breaks World Record

8 03 2009

From a press release…I got this late..apparently the attempt was yesterday during the women’s basketball game…turns out, they did break the world record…there’s more info in this release than there is in the post attempt story, so I’m going with this one.

MOUNT PLEASANT – Ice cream makes anything better. Even when you’re talking about one of the college basketball nation’s best turnarounds and highest scoring offenses.

Looking to set the world record for largest ice cream sundae, the Central Michigan women’s basketball team, CMU athletics and Doozie’s Ice Cream Parlor of Mount Pleasant are partnering up to create a very cool treat for women’s basketball fans following the Chippewas’ regular season finale against Eastern Michigan at Rose Arena on March 7. Guinness, the world’s authority on record-setting achievements, has already pre-approved the event and verified that the world record will be set with this attempt. Fans will also be able to take in the game for the cheapest rate of the season, as all tickets are just $4. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Michigan, Mt. Pleasant, Press Releases

Where to Get Fried Chicken?

5 03 2009

Interesting problem tonight.  J e-mailed from work saying she was craving fried chicken.  I like it when she craves chicken because I always crave chicken.  Problem is, we really don’t know where to go.  I almost always go to Popeye’s when I want chicken.  We ended up going to KFC because J saw a commercial for something she wanted to try.  Is there anyone in Lansing that does fried chicken really well?


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Categories : Michigan

Izzo’s Pub & Pizzeria

5 03 2009
  • 1145-1147 S. Washington St.
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 853-8500
  • Website
  • Menu
Izzos Pub & Pizzeria in Lansings REO Town

Izzo's Pub & Pizzeria in Lansing's REO Town

It took three tries, but I finally found Izzo’s Pizzeria open.  I happened to be downtown for a late morning meeting.  I was hopping back in my truck a little after noon and I started to head towards Washington Square to find something for lunch when I decided to give Izzo’s a third try.

Izzo’s Pub & Pizzeria is on Washington Avenue in Lansing’s REO Town neighborhood.  The pub has been there since the mid-1960’s.  The Pizzeria has been there since December.  The two businesses are in separate spaces with separate entrances, but they are connected and you can move freely between the two spaces.  The pizzeria side is big enough for a kitchen and a handful of tables.   The interior fits the area.  It has kind of a rustic feel with an exposed brick wall with a relief pattern that sort of resembles the globe.  The tables are surrounded black metal chairs and it’s a bright, inviting atmosphere.

The order counter is near the back of the space.   When I made it back there, a man behind the counter made contact right away.  He asked if I was staying or taking something to go.  J was still at home and I planned on bringing her lunch, so I told him I was getting carry out.  He handed me a menu to look over, but I noticed some slices behind the counter.  I asked if they did pizza by the slice.  He said they did, but all they had was a sausage, mushroom, and onion pie.  Not really my thing, so I ordered a small cheese pizza that I could share with J. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, REO Town, Restaurant, Reviews

Restaurant Rally 2009

5 03 2009

Got this press release about a pretty cool sounding event in Jackson….

Support Local Businesses and enjoy hours of entertainment, free transportation and great food at 9 local restaurants!

Jackson, Michigan – Tuesday, March 10th – Visit 9 Jackson Restaurants for only $10 per person! The 3rd Annual Restaurant Rally will take place Tuesday, March 10th, 6pm -9pm. Participants start at any of the participating restaurants where they can enjoy great food and jump on a shuttle bus to the next establishment.

Participating Restaurants: Bella Notte Ristorante, Cascades Manor House, Duffy’s Food & Spirits, Buffalo BBQ Wings, Steve’s Ranch Family Restaurant, New Country China Buffet, Culver’s, Ground Round and Olive Garden.

Each Restaurant will offer samples of signature and popular menu items and drink specials. Guests may start at any restaurant. Free parking for this event is available at Cascades Manor House. Six shuttle buses provided by Jackson Public Schools will run three different routes to each of the nine participating restaurants.

Tickets are now on sale at the Chamber (141 S. Jackson Street) $10 per person

For more information about Restaurant Rally 2009, contact the Chamber 517-782-7221 or www.gjcc.org.
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Categories : Food News, Jackson, Michigan, Press Releases

Another Peanut Butter Recal

4 03 2009

I thought we were done with these…

Spartan stores has issued a voluntary recall of spartan chocolate peanut clusters.

Spartan officials say they contain peanut ingredients from the Peanut Corporation of America’s Texas facility.

The FDA has recalled all items processed at that facility saying they may be linked to a salmonella outbreak.

There are no reported illnesses associated with this precautionary recall. 

Consumers should discard the product or take it back to the store for a refund.  The product pack size is 4.5 ounces, the order code is 099-523 and the UPC is 11213-04218.

The product best by dates are 2/27/09, 3/2/09, 4/6/09, 7/24/09, and 7/28/09.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Topper’s Pizza

2 03 2009
  • 1219 E. Grand River Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 203-0303
  • Website
  • Menu
Toppers Pizza on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Topper's Pizza on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Now that it’s NASCAR season again, Sunday’s can get pretty lazy.  When the race is a west coast race, it really gets lazy because the race starts so late, it goes right through dinner.  J and I were hanging out on the couch flipping back and forth between the Shelby 427 and the Illinois vs. Michigan State basketball game.  Once we saw MSU had the game wrapped up, we started thinking about dinner.  J suggested pizza.  I was game.  Once again, we tried Izzo’s Pizzeria in Old REO Town only to find them closed again.  I continued to drive around before I ended up in East Lansing.

Topper’s Pizza is on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.  The store is fairly new having opened just before Christmas.  Topper’s is a chain out of Whitewater, Wisconsin with locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and North Carolina.  The East Lansing location is the only Michigan location.

The store is pretty small, but there are a couple of tables should want to dine in.  There’s also some leather chairs and a couch  in a little waiting area.  Since I was driving aimlessly, I didn’t call my order in.  I went to the counter to place my order.  I ordered a large cheese pizza and tried to tag on a single order of Cinnamonstix.  The lady taking the order it would actually be three bucks cheaper if I ordered a triple order of Cinnamonstix due to a promotion they had going on.  I didn’t really need that much dessert, but I did it anyway to save money.  After that was hammered out, she asked if I wanted extra cheese since I got one topping on the pizza, I said, sure.  She didn’t have to twist my arm. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, East Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Release – Wines for Humanity

2 03 2009

From a press release…

Wines for Humanity: a unique approach to charity

It started to happen in Michigan last year, when a group of passionate people about wine and helping others from Chicago created a company with a new approach to charity fundraising.

Wines for Humanity’s mission is to raise funds for charities across the country in order to prevent homelessness in families with children. We believe that the funds raised locally should be applied locally- directly impacting the quality of our Wine Advisors’ neighborhoods nationwide.

WFH has been around for a while in other five states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina) pairing with different programs to put in motion our vision. As of January 1st, 2009, we have raised over $64,000 for the prevention of homelessness in families with children!

We are rapidly expanding in Michigan to help support the homelessness prevention program that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other charities have in place. We need wine advisors!

Mini Job Fair March 26, 2009

Training for wine advisors is extensive, and WFH provides the materials to start without upfront costs.

Team Michigan is having a Mini-Job Fair

at Gone Wired Café (www.gonewiredlansing.com)

2021 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing MI 48912

on March 26, 2009, from 4 pm to 7 pm

Applicants need to be 21 and older

A demonstration of a wine tasting will be presented at 5 pm.

We encourage interested individuals to call 517. 719. 8049 to reserve an interview time to become a wine advisor. We also encourage doing the same to reserve a seat in the mini tasting.

To host a wine Tasting Party

Our in-home wine tastings entertain and educate the hosts and guests on the joy of fine wines. We discuss how to taste the wine, how to pair wine with food, and how wine can be an integral part of a meaningful life, –all while sampling seven fine wine selections.

To host a party at your home or office please contact

Sabina Texido stexido@winesforhumanity.com or 517.719.8049


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

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