RG’s Ballpark Dogs & More

29 07 2009
  • 625 E. Michigan Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 977-9079
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
RGs Ballpark Dogs & More on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

RG's Ballpark Dogs & More on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

I go to a lot of Lugnuts games and almost every game I go to, I walk right by a little Mexican/hot dog place on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pere Marquette Street.  Sometimes, the restaurant is open, but most of the time, it’s not.  It seems like every time I walk by, I’m low on cash so I’ve never been able to stop in for a quick meal. 

I was downtown this afternoon for the Lugnuts Summer Family Fun day game.  When I walked by before the game, the store was open.  I didn’t eat at the park figuring I would take my chance and see if they were open when the game was over. 

After a dramatic ninth inning, two out comeback that fell just short, I started walking back towards my truck.  The door to the restaurant was open and there was one other person in.  The special board caught my eye, so I made a quick turn to see what this little corner shop was hiding.

RG’s Ballpark Dogs & More is about a block from Oldsmobile Park on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pere Marquette right across the street from Clara’s.  I have no idea what the hours are or even if they have regular hours.  I’ve tried to see if they were posted somewhere on the window or door, but there’s nothing. 

The shop is very tiny.  When they are open, the front door is usually propped open.  When you enter the store, you have to take a step up to get to the order counter.  There is enough room for two small tables in the space next to the counter, but that’s about it.  On nice days, they pull at least one of these tables outside to the sidewalk which makes more sense.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Downtown, Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Release – “Mix It Up For MDA” at Carrabbas

29 07 2009

From a Muscular Dystrophy Association press release…

CARRABBAS ITALIAN GRILL, AWARD WINNING MIXOLOGIST TO “MIX IT UP FOR MDA”

WHO: Carrabba’s Italian Grill invites consumers to “Mix It Up for MDA” at a special event combining exclusive cocktails from award-winning mixologist Charlotte Voisey with new Carrabba’s food items to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

WHAT: A special mixer and food tasting event that includes a delicious array of appetizers from the new Mr. C’s Menu, designed for snacking and sharing, including: Antipasti Misto, Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese, Patatinas with Blue Cheese, and Chicken Parmesan Piccolinos.

Admission to “Mix It Up for MDA” is $15 per person. The ticket price includes a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of Voisey’s signature cocktails created for the event (Blackberry Lemonade, the Italian Lemon Drop or Blackberry Fields Martini) or another drink on the Mr. C’s list.

In addition to monies raised from “Mix It Up for MDA” event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of Voisey’s drinks sold from July 30 – August 6.

WHEN: July 30, 2009

5 p.m. to close

WHERE: Carrabba’s Italian Grill

6540 West Saginaw Hwy.

Lansing, MI 48917

WHY: Funds raised will directly affect the lives of children and adults in the Lansing area living with one of more than 40 muscle-wasting diseases in MDA’s program. “Mix it up for MDA” will support research, clinics and programs in the area. Contributions will help MDA provide outpatient clinic services, purchase and repair wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices, and perform many other important services.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Take on the 3-Foot Coney

28 07 2009

There must be something in the water in West Michigan.  First it was the Fifth Third Burger.  Now, it’s a monster 3-Foot Coney from The Galley in Wyoming.

The Jolly Roger is a three-foot long hot dog that comes with Coney sauce, onions, mustard and pickles. The German-style wiener is made by a local meat market and the bun crafted by a Grand Rapids bakery.

Owner, Rick Baumgardner hopes it will put his restaurant, The Galley on the map. “We’ve been thinking about something for the past couple of years and we just didn’t know what– but we knew we needed a signature item, and a few months ago we decided we needed something big and unusual and recently we decided it was going to be a Coney dog.”

From a marketing standpoint, I love these ideas.  I would never take one of these challenges, but anything that gets people talking about your place is a good thing….a website would help too..especially with all the media attention that you’re hoping to get from this gimmick.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

A & W Restaurant – E. Oakland Ave.

28 07 2009
  • 427 E. Oakland Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 485-3950
  • Website
  • Menu
The A & W Restaurant on East Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

The A & W Restaurant on East Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I still haven’t figured out the fascination with Sonic Drive-In’s.  J, on the other hand, loves the place.  Mostly because of their Limeade.  While watching TV the other night, we saw a commercial for A & W and they were promoting their new Fruit Flavored Limeades.  The commercial caught her attention and the next chance we got, we headed to A & W.

There are two A & W Restaurant in Lansing.  One is on West Saginaw Highway.  The other is on East Oakland.  We chose the Oakland store because it was the one I knew.  The A & W is at the corner of East Oakland Avenue and North Cedar Street.  Like many businesses in the area right now, their parking lot is only accessible from one street because of the CSO project. 

As we were pulling up to the stoplight at Cedar Street, I had serious doubts that they were open.  It was lunch time, but there was only one car in the parking lot.  It looked desserted.  As I pulled into the parking, there was a car that drove around to the drive thru window so we knew they were open. 

We were wanting to eat in the store because our next stop was grocery shopping.  It wouldn’t make sense to take our meals with it.  The inside of the store is tiny.  Very, very tiny.  There’s an order counter that only has one register and almost no counter space.  There are less than ten tables jammed into the small space…most of which are two tops.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Fast Food, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Releae – 32nd Annual Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition

28 07 2009

From a Kellogg Center Press Release…..

KELLOGG HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTER HOSTS 32ND ANNUAL MICHIGAN WINE AND
SPIRITS COMPETITION
Public Invited to “Taste the Winners” at August 6 Reception

East Lansing, Mich. – The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center will host
the 32nd Annual Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition and a public Gold
Medal Reception unveiling Michigan’s top wines on Thursday, August 6.

This year marks Kellogg’s ninth year hosting the competition, which
will bring together several wine experts to judge their way through 350
Michigan wine entries. The public is invited to the Gold Medal Reception
on August 6, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., to taste the winning wines paired
with foods prepared by Kellogg Center chefs. Selected Best of Class
wines will also be featured at Kellogg’s State Room Restaurant.

“It’s a pleasure to once again host the competition and serve the
best of Michigan wines,” said Geoff Parkerson, general manager for the
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. “Between the great wines and our
award-winning chefs’ creations, attendees are in for a treat.”

The Gold Medal Reception is expected to bring out an audience of 350
supportive consumers, industry members and industry associates. Winning
winemakers and owners will be on hand to discuss their wines and share a
glass with attendees. Special guest authors, Lorri Hathaway and Sharon
Kegerreis will also be signing copies of their book, “From the Vine:
Exploring Michigan Wineries” at the event.

Tickets for the Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition Gold Medal
Reception are $40 and are available through the Kellogg Center at
517-432-4000.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Ryba’s Fudge Shops

27 07 2009
  • PO Box 1410, Main Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 4974
  • (906) 847-4065
  • Website
  • Menu
Rybas Fudge Shops on Mackinac Island.

Ryba's Fudge Shops on Mackinac Island.

There’s really no other place on Earth where the main purpose of a trip could be to buy fudge.  It wasn’t the main purpose of our trip, but it was a perk that we were looking forward to. 

We put off the actual fudge buying until we were ready to leave.  Had we given in and bought fudge when we got there, we would have been eating fudge all day.  Not a bad thing from a taste perspective, but you know what chocolate and sugar can do to you. 

After eating dinner at The Pink Pony, we started to make our way back to the Arnold Transit Company docks.  We had been debating all day which fudge shop we would try.  It was hard to make a decision because every store had a sign proclaiming “Best Fudge on Mackinac according to the Detroit News.”  Like I mentioned in my post about the Island, they must just rotate every year. 

The store we ended up choosing was Ryba’s.  There are a number of Ryba’s on Main Street.  There was at least three just downtown and I noticed one on the way to the Grand Hotel as well.  The store we actually went into was the one next door to the Chippewa Hotel.  It was the first one we came across and there weren’t many people inside. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Reviews

“No Reservations” in Detroit tonight!

27 07 2009

I’ve never really gotten in to this show, but “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel will feature four Detroit area restaurants tonight.

Bourdain’s stops here included Polonia and the Family Donut Shop in Hamtramck, Al-Ameer in Dearborn and Detroit’s Cadieux Cafe.

The show airs on Travel Channel (Comcast Digital Channel 159 in Lansing) at 10:00 PM tonight.


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Categories : Food News

Pink Pony Bar & Grill

27 07 2009
  • P.O. Box 250, Main Street
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-3341
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pink Pony Bar & Grill in downtown Mackinac Island.

The Pink Pony Bar & Grill in downtown Mackinac Island.

After our carriage tour of Mackinac Island, J and I made our way back to Main Street.  It was now pushing 5:30 and we still hadn’t bought any fudge.  J mentioned we should probably buy some then added she could go for dinner.  I felt the same way. We burned a lot of energy today and lunch seemed so long ago. 

This was going to be our last meal on the Island and there were still so many choices. I picked up a Mackinac Island dining guide from the Visitor’s Center, but there were no address or maps of where any of the places were.  As we toured the Island, we walked by a number of places that would normally catch our attention. I stopped and browsed menus at a few, but when it comes down to it, J and I are really pub food people. 

I thought it might be nice if we could spend the end of the day enjoying dinner overlooking Lake Hudson.  The first place that popped into my head was the Pink Pony.  We walked by earlier in the day and it looked cute plus the back of the building overlooked the harbor.

The Pink Pony Bar & Grill is on Main Street inside the Chippewa Hotel.  The bar/restaurant takes up a large portion of the bottom floor and it’s divided into several sections.  If you walk into the bar, there is no hostess station, but there is a sign pointing you to the lobby of the hotel.  We just stayed outside and walked to the lobby where we found a hostess just in front of the main dining room.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Mackinac Island, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Sonic opens in Birch Run

27 07 2009

We’ve been wanting to go to Birch Run anyway to eat at Tony’s.  Guess we’ll have a little more incentive.  That now makes six Sonic’sopen in Michigan….none of them in Lansing.  (Flint, Portage, Wyoming, Southgate, and Commerce are the others).  From a press release –

SONIC Opens First Birch Run Drive-In

(Oklahoma City) – Birch Run residents now have a reason to stay in – stay in their cars that is. SONIC®, America’s Drive-In®, a restaurant where you order your meal and eat right from the comfort of your own vehicle, opened its first drive-in in Birch Run.

“We are thrilled to open the first SONIC in Birch Run,” said Martha Sanford, Vice President, Miller-Apple, L.P., franchisee of the Birch Run SONIC Drive-In. “We look forward to serving the community and delivering the fun Carhop service SONIC Drive-Ins are known for across the country.”

The Birch Run SONIC Drive-In is located at 8650 Main Street, and officially opens at 7 a.m. on Monday, July 27, to serve customers. With the full menu available all day, customers can enjoy a Breakfast Burrito to start their morning or as a late night snack. The new SONIC will feature 28 drive-in stalls, two patio ordering stations and a drive-thru.


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Categories : Michigan

Martha’s Sweet Shop

27 07 2009
  • 7395 Main
  • Mackinac Island, MI 49757
  • (906) 847-3700
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Marthas Sweet Shop in downtown Mackinac Island.

Martha's Sweet Shop in downtown Mackinac Island.

It’s not hard to find sweets on Mackinac Island.  If you’re like me, the hard thing is choosing which one to try.  Everything looks good.  My biggest fear was that I would pick the wrong one.  Since we were only spending one day on the Island, I wanted to make sure everything we did would be a good experience.

After walking around for a few hours, J wanted to get something to cool down.  It was hotter than we expected and the sun was out while we were expecting rain.  We may have over dressed a little which made us a little warm.

We walked down Main Street a few times and nothing jumped out right away.  I finally suggested we cross the street and right away, we ran into a little mall that had air conditioning.  The first store in that mall area was an ice cream shop.  Since we were there, I pushed J towards the door so we could sit down and enjoy something cold.

Martha’s Sweet Shop is on Main on Mackinac Island.  It’s in the downtown area even though Google maps is showing it out by the airport.  There are two entrances.  One is off the road.  The other is off the little mall area that connects to a few other shops.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ice Cream, Mackinac Island, Michigan

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