T & D Coney Grill

17 09 2009
  • 1735 W. Grand River Avenue
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 347-9066
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

 

T & D Coney Grill on West Grand River Avenue in Okemos.

T & D Coney Grill on West Grand River Avenue in Okemos.

In my runnings around Delta Township this morning, I forgot a few things I needed to do, so it was back out tonight, but this time, I decided to go to Okemos.  The store I needed to go to was out that way too and I wanted to check out another new place recommended by BernieB.

 

 

T & D Coney Grill is a new addition to the Okemos restaurant scene that sits in a strip mall at the corner of West Grand River Avenue and Dobie Road.  It takes up the space that used to be Villegas.  They do breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the small, family run diner, but it was dinner that I was looking for.

I pulled in just before 8:00 on a Thursday night.  There were a few other people in the restaurant which is divided into two dining rooms.  It’s just the layout of the space.  There’s not really a reason the room is divide.  Tying the two spaces together is a lunch counter that overlooks a window to the kitchen.

Since I was alone, I grabbed a seat at the lunch counter in front of the large LCD TV which was tuned to Wolf Blitzer.  When I sat down, I was asked if I was dining in or if I wanted carry-out.  I had no place to be, so I sat down to eat.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Coney Island, Diner, Michigan, Okemos, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Old Town Oktoberfest Looking for Volunteers

17 09 2009

From an Old Town Commercial Association press release….

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR OLD TOWN OKTOBERFEST!
­­­­­­­­­Be a part of Mid-Michigan’s only authentic German festival and lend a helping hand to Old Town

OLD TOWN, LANSING, Mich. – The leaves are changing, the air is getting crisp, and in Old Town, Lansing, that means the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA) is planning the 2009 Oktoberfest.

Don’t miss out on a chance to be a part of Mid-Michigan’s only authentic German Oktoberfest, filled with music, great eats, and of course, German beer! The OTCA has more than 4,000 volunteers who help us make events like Oktoberfest a success, and allow Old Town to continue to thrive and grow as Lansing’s official arts district.

The OTCA needs YOU (and your friends) to help make this year’s Old Town Oktoberfest the best it can be through volunteering for one (or many) slots during the festival. Below are the time slots for the festival, which is on Friday, October 9th and Saturday, October 10th this year.

Volunteer slots on Friday, October 9, 2009 run from 5:30 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. On Saturday, October 10, 2009, the volunteer shifts run from 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., 4:15 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., and 7:15 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Volunteers receive a unique Old Town Oktoberfest volunteer t-shirt and a discounted ticket in to the festival after their shift has been completed. Volunteers working more than two consecutive shifts may receive food voucher tickets.

Old Town Oktoberfest is an annual fund raiser that helps to fund the continued revitalization of Old Town, Lansing. All proceeds directly benefit the OTCA and its efforts. Old Town Oktoberfest would not be possible without great volunteers!

To sign up as a volunteer, contact Chad at chad@oldtownmainstreet.org or call the office at 517.485.4283. There will be a Volunteer Party held at Spiral Nightclub in Old Town, Lansing on Wednesday, October 7, 2009 from 6-8p.m. where volunteers will learn about their duties, receive their t-shirts, and have an opportunity to mingle over appetizers.


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Old Town, Press Releases

MBC

17 09 2009
  • 402 S. Washington Square
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 977-1349
  • Website
  • Menu
MBC on Washington Square in downtown Lansing.

MBC on Washington Square in downtown Lansing.

The wait is over.  The Michigan Brewing Company put the “Coming Soon” sign on their building in downtown Lansing over a year ago.  I would drive  by every now and then to see if there was any progress.  I would periodically send e-mails to the marketing department in Webberville to see if they would give me anything, but never could get a solid answer.  All of a sudden, a few weeks ago, I saw a Tweet from Lansing PSD that MBC was opening.

The plan all along was to run some errands this morning then head downtown for lunch.  Of course, City Pulse beat me to the punch with an article in this week’s edition. 

MBC is near the corner of Washington Square and Kalamazoo Street.  The parking available is in front of the building in angled street parking.  There are a few spaces directly in front of the building, but more than likely, you’ll have to park and walk.  Not a big deal as there is plenty of parking spaces along Washington Square.

The building is dominated by windows that let in a lot of natural light.  When you first walk in, there’s a little lounge area off to the left with comfy red chairs and some bar stools.  Right in front of you is a hostess station that divides the remaining space into two distinct areas.  On the left is the bar area.  They have a beautiful bar along the far left wall as well as a couple pub tables.  The chairs at these pub tables are made of wood and have a ring around the bottom that looks like it was once part of a wooden barrel.  The rest of the bar area is filled in with regular tables that run along a half wall that separates the bar from the dining room.  The whole space has a somewhat industrial feel to it with high ceilings and low ambient lighting.  A majority of the light comes from the natural light that floods in through the large windows that make up the facade. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Brew Pub, Burgers, Downtown, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Bubble Island

15 09 2009
  • 515 E. Grand River Avenue #E
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 333-3860
  • Website
  • No Online Menu
Bubble Island on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Bubble Island on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

So, why were we in East Lansing this morning?  Funny story.  We had Unwrapped on The Food Network last night…well, actually it was just kind of ambient noise.  We weren’t really paying attention.  J had just got home from work and we were catching up on the days events. 

Even though we weren’t really watching, something caught J’s eye.  They were doing a segment on a place called Lollicup which is a chain of stores mainly on the west coast that serves Boba Tea.  She picked up the laptop to see if there was one either close to us here on in Chicago, but alas, nothing.   Then, out of nowhere, she remembered a place in East Lansing that had the word “bubble” in the name.  She did a Google search and found what she was looking for.  We decided to get up and go see if the tea was any good.

Bubble Island is on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing right next to The Peanut Barrel.  The store is kind of hidden on the bottom floor of a two story commercial building and it sits a little ways back  from the road. 

We had just eaten at National Coney Station, so we were just in the market for a drink. I wasn’t interested at all, but J was really stoked at the idea of trying this wierd drink.  Read the rest of this entry »


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

National Coney Station

15 09 2009
  • 565 E. Grand River Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-2100
  • Website
  • Menu
National Coney Station on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

National Coney Station on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

As readers of this blog know, the thing I love most about food is regional cuisine.  Sure, I may not like everything that makes a region popular, but I love the idea that no matter where you grew up, there’s going to be some brand, food, or preparation technique that will always make you think of home. 

In Michigan, that food is the Coney Dog.  I’m not a hot dog eater, so it’s not something that I’ve been able to adapt to.  I’ve tried it once and wasn’t a huge fan only because I don’t like the dog.  The chili is delicious and I could eat that without the hot dogs.

There are always imitators when it comes to a region’s marquee cuisine.  Yeah, you can get a coney dog here in Lansing, but up until last week, you couldn’t get it from one of the big names in Detroit coney’s.

National Coney Station opened up on Grand River Avenue in the building that was most recently Moe’s Firehouse.  Before that, it was a Spartan Gyro.  National Coney did a lot of work to the building to clean it up.  I never got a chance to eat at Moe’s before it closed, but for some reason, the place always scared me a little bit. 

National Coney Station is not quite the same as the National Coney Island restaurants you’re familiar with in Detroit.  They’re owned by the same company, but they’re designed to be more of a quickservice restaurant.  The menu is much, much smaller having only nine choices plus some a la cart items.  Read the rest of this entry »


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

Nicky’s Carry-Out, Crestwood, IL

14 09 2009
  • 14001 Cicero Avenue
  • Crestwood, IL 60445
  • (708) 388-4626
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Nickys Carry-Out in Crestwood, IL

Nicky's Carry-Out in Crestwood, IL

Months before I started dating J, I was sent up to Chicago to shoot a high school basketball game at St. Xavier University on the south side.  I didn’t know then that I’d be spending so much time on the south side of Chicago and when I got off the Interstate on Cicero Avenue, my first order of business was finding some place to get an Italian beef. 

The first place I came across was Nicky’s Carry-Out in Crestwood, so I stopped and got a beef.  I didn’t know it at the time, but there was a Portillo’s right down the street.  If I had known that, I probably would have waited, but I’m sort of glad I didn’t. 

I haven’t been back to Nicky’s since then even though we do drive by it quite a bit on our way to J’s parents’ house.  On my last trip home by myself, I had to make a stop at J’s parents on the way back to Lansing to pick up some things we forgot on our last trip home. 

I left my parents in kind of a rush because I slept much later than I had intended.  After a quick stop at my brother’s, I headed towards Chicago….hungry.  I could have stopped at Portillo’s, but since I was by myself, I decided to stop at Nicky’s to see if it was what I remembered now that I’ve been formally introduced to Chicago cuisine. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Crestwood, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Dairy Queen – Clifton, IL

14 09 2009
  • 1 Bradie Drive
  • Clifton, IL 60927
  • (815) 694-3202
  • Website
  • Menu
The Dairy Queen in (and only fast food option anywhere near) Clifton, IL

The Dairy Queen in (and only fast food option anywhere near) Clifton, IL

For those of you that didn’t grow up in a small town, you will have no idea what I’m talking about.  Imagine growing up in a town without a McDonald’s, a Walmart, or a Blockbuster.  In fact, imagine that the closest location of any of those three was a half hour away.  That’s how things were when I was growing up.  We only had two options when it came to eating out.  There was the local family run restaurant and a Dairy Queen.

Things haven’t really changed much in the town where I grew up (and my parents still live).  Well, actually they have.  The Dairy Queen is gone.  It moved five miles north.  That actually happened when I was in high school, so it wasn’t a big deal.  I had my driver’s license by then so I could still get the Blizzard’s that I craved.  

While I moved away from home, my brother stayed pretty close.  He moved to that town five miles to the north which is still in the same school district and for all intents and purposes, is still considered part of the same community.  We didn’t really go by towns where I’m from.  We go by school districts.  Yes, my high school was sixteen miles from my house in the middle of a cornfield.  Literally.  It’s in a corn field.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Clifton, Ice Cream, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Guy Fieri Road Show Coming to Detroit

14 09 2009

DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! 

The Guy Fieri Road Show is making a stop in Detroit at the Masonic Temple Theater on December 4. 

I’m booked on a football game in Champaign, IL on December 5.  I’m going to be out of town. 

Tickets go on sale September 16 at Ticketmaster.com


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Categories : Michigan

Press Release – Best Homegrown Tomato Contest

14 09 2009

From a press release…

 HOW TASTY ARE YOUR TOMATOES?
More than $6,000 in Prizes to be Awarded in Howell for the Best Tomatoes

NatureSweet® Tomatoes are vine-nurtured and hand-picked for homegrown taste. How do yours measure up? The Seventh Annual NatureSweet Best Homegrown Tomato Challenge is coming back to Michigan this year to find out! The event will be held at the Meijer® Flagship store located at 3883 E. Grand River in Howell on Saturday, September 26. Gardeners are invited to bring in their best tomatoes in both the small and large tomato categories for a chance to be one of two $2500 winners! Two runners-up in each category will each receive Meijer gift cards valued at $250.

Other activities at the event include cooking and sampling of tomato recipes, a Master Gardener Q and A Booth, NatureSweet Prize Wheel, Gardening Trivia with a Weber BBQ as the prize, and a live radio remote by WITL FM.

Howell is one of only a handful of cities across America that were selected for this year’s Homegrown Challenge – the contest will also take place in McLean, VA; Arvada, CO; Clifton Park, NY; Lexington, KY, and Warwick, RI. Entry forms are available at participating retail locations. Log onto http://www.naturesweettomatoes.com for more information.

HOW TO ENTER:

Details are available in the produce department of any participating Meijer store. There are no restrictions on the variety or method of growing tomatoes, except that all entries must be homegrown by the entrant (contest is not open to commercial growers). On September 26, contestants must bring three large OR 10 small tomatoes of the same variety to the Meijer Flagship store at 3883 E. Grand River between 9 and 11 a.m. for judging. ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD.

HOW TO WIN:

Tomatoes will be judged in two separate categories: small tomato variety and large tomato variety. There will be one $2500 winner for each category. The large or small classification of the tomato will be based on variety and/or weight. Tomatoes in both categories will be judged based on Brix/Sweetness and Taste. A Brix test determines sweetness — the higher the Brix number, the better the flavor. The finalists will then be taste-tested by a panel of local celebrity judges and two Grand Prize Winners and four runners-up will be announced at noon. The two $2500 first prize and four $250 gift cards for runners up will then be awarded.

CELEBRITY JUDGES PANEL:

2009 Celebrity judges will include:

• Candy Spiegel, Livingston County Daily Press and Argus

• Jordan Lee, WITL-FM

• Kevin VonOtten, Meijer

• Meijer Chef

CHEF COOKS UP TASTY TOMATO TREATS:

A professional chef from Meijer will demonstrate savory tomato dishes featuring NatureSweet vine ripened cherry tomatoes. In addition to food sampling and learning new recipes, attendees can learn how to best select, store, prepare and serve their tomatoes. The first 100 entrants will get a special gift from NatureSweet. Tomato entries will be donated to Gleaners Community Food Bank after the event.

Picked at perfection, NatureSweet tomatoes ripen on the vine to maintain their freshness, straight from the farm to your table. We guarantee that we will deliver the best tasting tomatoes, consistently year round. NatureSweet. Vine nurtured and hand picked for homegrown taste.


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Categories : Press Releases

Press Release – Michigan Harvest Gathering Kick Off

14 09 2009

From a Michigan Harvest Gathering press release…..

19th Annual Michigan Harvest Gathering Campaign To Launch at Michigan Capitol
Campaign success is crucial as need for food is at an all-time high

WHAT: The Food Bank Council of Michigan will kick off its annual Michigan Harvest Gathering campaign on the Capitol steps on Thursday. The 2009 Michigan Harvest Gathering will run through November 12.

New to the campaign this year is an online fundraising component, Fill Michigan’s Fridge, that will allow donors to participate in a virtual food drive–which is a convenient alternative to the traditional food drive. The online food drive will be launched at the Capitol to begin this year’s campaign.

WHEN: Thursday Sept. 17, 2009
                   10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Front steps of Capitol

WHO: Bill Schuette, Michigan Harvest Gathering Co-Founder

Former Director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture

Dan Mulhern, First Gentleman

Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Secretary of State

Don Koivisto, Director

Michigan Department of Agriculture

Spencer Johnson, President

Michigan Health and Hospital Association

Jane Marshall, Executive Director

Food Bank Council of Michigan

WHY: Need for food in Michigan is at an all-time high in the midst of this difficult economy. The Michigan Harvest Gathering raises food and funds to support the nine regional food banks in Michigan. Regional food banks provide food for agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters in all of Michigan’s 83 counties. This year’s goal is to raise $650,000 and 300,000 pounds of food, which would help secure 3.4 million meals for hungry people in Michigan.

 


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Categories : Michigan, Press Releases

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