Europa Pastisserie Cafe

1 03 2009
  • 546 Monroe Street
  • Detroit, MI 48226
  • (313) 237-5370
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Europa Patisserie Cafe in Detroits Greektown

Europa Patisserie Cafe in Detroit's Greektown

After checking out the Eastern Market and snapping some pictures of what’s remaining of Tiger Stadium for my brother, we headed towards Greektown.  We’re still not really familiar with Detroit, but we knew Greektown was a walkable area and probably had a coffee shop or something for us to relax in for a while.  Luck was on our side, we actually found a metered space about a block from where we wanted to be.  After showing off my parallel parking skills, we headed towards the restaurant area. 

We thought about just going to the Astoria Pastry Shop (review HERE) like we did last time we were in Greektown, but the line was out the door.  We kept walking and I noticed a cafe across the street.  We walked down to the stoplight since I was chicken to jaywalk right in front of the Detroit cop that was walking toward us then double backed to the cafe.

Europa Pastisserie Cafe is on Monroe Street on the bottom floor of the Greektown casino.  There is an exterior door, but there’s also an entrance from inside the casino.  There’s a little marketplace area that has a link to a number of restaurants including a Cold Stone Creamery, a steakhouse, and a Greek tavern.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Detroit, Greektown, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Eastern Market

1 03 2009
  • 2934 Russell Street
  • Detroit, MI 48207
  • (313) 833-9300
  • Website
The Eastern Market in Detroit

The Eastern Market in Detroit

Saturday, February 28th was a big day for J and I.  We delayed our Valentine’s Day celebration by a couple weeks because of a concert in Windsor.  I got J tickets to see Miranda Lambert and in return, she got reservations to Roast in Detroit for me.  When the day finally came, both of us were anxious.  We had been looking forward to this day for so long, it was hard to sit still.  Early in the day, we decided we just needed to leave and go to Detroit even though our reservations weren’t until 6:15.  To kill time, J suggested we check out the Eastern Market.

The Eastern Market is on Russell street.  It’s the oldest public market district in the United States.  Since it’s still winter, things weren’t as crazy as they probably are in the summer.  We got to Detroit just before 4:00.  Since we didn’t really know what was going on, I parked in the first place I found.  During the winter, the market is in Shed 5 which was a two block walk from where we were.  We didn’t know that when we started walking, but I saw signs pointing us that way.  It was cold and windy and it made the walk brutal.  I should have just moved the car, but I didn’t know any better. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Detroit, Farmer's Market, Michigan, Reviews

The Venue Live Grand Opening

27 02 2009

I drove by The Venue Live tonight on my way to dinner and noticed the parking lot was packed.  On my way home, I noticed the searchlights.  I’m guessing tonight was a preview.  I found this info about the Grand Opening…

Time: Saturday, February 28, 2009 at 9:00pm
Location: “The Venue Live” ~ (the old L.A. Globe)
Street: 6810 S. Cedar St.
Lansing, MI~ VIP Available

Come Eat, Drink and Dance

Special Celebrity Guest


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Jackie’s Diner – Pennyslvania Ave.

27 02 2009
  • 5600 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 272-0036
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Jackies Diner on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing.

Jackie's Diner on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing.

I’ve always known J was a little quirky.  When most people aren’t feeling well, they want soup and 7-up.  When J’s not feeling well, she wants something greasy.  About the only time she ever craves burgers is when her tummy hurts.  She’s been a little under the weather the past few days and when she sent me an e-mail from work about dinner, she caught by surprise.  “I want a greasy dinner grilled cheese and fries.”  How can I argue with that. 

We chose Jackie’s Diner on South Pennsylvania because it’s close enough to J’s work and it’s a diner we haven’t been to yet.  We got there a little after seven on a Friday night.  The parking lot was pretty empty but there were a couple cars.  When we got inside, a man told us to find a seat, so we grabbed a booth.  J said she was worried I had picked an Asian diner due to the decor.  The dining room was split level with booths in both levels and tables filling in the remaining space.  To me, it felt like a little country diner. 

While it was comforting, there was one big problem.  The ceiling fans.  Ceiling fans themselves aren’t really a problem.  The problem is when you put them too close to lights.  The entire dinner I felt like there was a strobe light just above my head.  There was a light directly above one of the fan blades.  You can imagine how annoying that can be. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Diner, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders

26 02 2009
  • 8741 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 627-3025
  • Website
  • Menu
Rudinos Pizza & Grinders on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Rudino's Pizza & Grinders on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Once a month, I spend the whole morning driving around Delta Township while J gets her hair cut.  I usually spend part of that time looking for someplace to eat.  This month was easy.  A couple weeks ago, I saw a posting on Craigslist for jobs at a new place on Saginaw Highway.  Last weekend, we were out in the area and I drove by to see if there was any indication it was opening.  There was a sign on the door that said it would open February 25.  I knew we were going to be out there on the 26th, so we were good to go for lunch.

Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders is in a small strip mall near the Menards on Saginaw Highway.  It’s in the space that used to be Art’s Pizza & Italian Oven.  We tried going to Art’s once, but it was closed.  I was excited to see a new pizza joint moving in.

Rudino’s is a long, narrow space.  When entering, you sort of come in to what can be considered the first dining room.  Beyond that is the order counter.  There is a menu board above the registers that lists a large selection of grinders as well as pizza’s, calzones, and salads.  Since it was only the second day of being open, things were running a little slow, but we knew that when we walked in and it wasn’t a big deal.  We needed time to figure out what we wanted anyway.  We were greeted right away by two guys who were sitting behind the counter on laptops.  The whole space is a Wi-Fi hot spot. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Italian, Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

McDonald’s Outsources Jobs

26 02 2009

You know the economy is in the crapper when McDonald’s is outsourcing minimum wage jobs.

I ordered a cup of coffee today from a woman in North Dakota. It was in my hands within about 10 seconds, and was plenty hot enough to scorch a lap.

The process went like this: I pulled up to the drive-through squawk box at the Charlotte McDonald’s.

[snip]

After thanking me for my “persistence,” Scott confirmed that the Charlotte McDonald’s is, indeed, a test site for an experimental “call center” approach, and that drive-through orders went “out of state

Go to the LSJ’s website and read the whole article.  Great job by LSJ columnist John Schnieder for digging this up.  A few weeks ago, there was a storyline on King of the Hill where Bill fell in love with the drive thru lady who worked for a call center out of state and went on a road trip to find her.  I thought it was all a joke.  I never imagined that someone would actually outsource their drive thru operation.  I laughed out loud when J pointed out this article to me.  Seriously?  They’re outsourcing minimum wage jobs? 

I hate drive thrus as it is.  This is even more incentive to stay the hell away.  I can never understand the person on the other end.  What if the call center is in the south or New England and the person on the other end has an unfamiliar accent.  I’ll never get my food.  I’m at a loss for words.  Outsourcing drive thrus.  Wow.


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Food News, Michigan

East Lansing Police Chief Opposes Extended Bar Hours

24 02 2009

Mike and I got into a discussion today in the comments section of another post about longer bar hours.  I’m in favor.  I’ve seen it work.  I came from a city that had a 4 AM zone downtown.  It was by accident that I came across this article in the State News were the East Lansing Police Chief voices his opposition.

But for East Lansing police, longer bar hours would mean more patrols and more money spent to pay officers, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.

“On weekends, we would increase our overtime pay,” Wibert said. “We generally put out extra foot patrols on bar nights.”

Wibert said making liquor available Sunday mornings probably wouldn’t affect police, but the extended bar hours could pose a problem of increased late night crime.

“Not many good things happen between 2 and 4 a.m.,” he said.

Two things.  1.)  You’re a police department.  You’re job is to serve and protect.  Plan accordingly.  2.) Extended bar hours do not increase late night crime.  You have no proof of that  and there are several cities that have 4 AM license and it works.  Instead of prediciting what you think would happen, I would suggest getting in touch with Peoria (IL) Police Chief Steve Settinsgaard who actually encourage the expansion of Peoria’s 4 AM zone a few years back. 

East Lansing has a number of bars in a small area and they’re near the police headquarters.  Extending the liquor license by two hours shouldn’t be that big of a deal.


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Categories : East Lansing, Michigan, Politics

Flatts Grille Closed by State Treasury

24 02 2009

Whoops.

Flats Grille, 551 E. Grand River Ave., was closed Tuesday, with a sign on the locked door announcing that the restaurant had been seized by the Michigan Department of Treasury.

The sign announced a tax warrant against the business and explained that “it is in the best interest of all concerned parties (owner and state) to sell the perishable property.”

Ingham County Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel Jr. said a state tax lien was filed on Dec. 10 against Flats owner Paul O’Connor, for $8,864.75 in unpaid taxes.

Damn.  Never got a chance to eat there.  I considered it last time I worked at MSU, but opted for McDonald’s instead.  That’s what I get for picking a chain over a local place.


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Categories : East Lansing, Food News, Michigan

Gatorade Drops “Propel With Calcium” Line

24 02 2009

I got bad news in my inbox today.   Earlier this week, we made our weekly trip to Walmart to pick up a few six packs of Propel.  J likes Lemon.  I like the Mandarin Orange which is part of the Propel With Calcium line.  We noticed a change in bottles which is a welcome change, but we couldn’t find the Mandarin Orange flavor.  Walmart was about the only place we could even find Mandarin Orange anyway, so not seeing it on the shelf caused some alarm.  I e-mailed customer service to see what was up.  I got the following reply….

We’re sorry to tell you that Propel with calcium, including the mandarin orange flavor, has been discontinued.

As you may know, there are many reasons why a product may be discontinued, but it is usually because sales expectations have not been met. When too many stores discontinue a product, it becomes difficult to continue making and selling the product.

We’ve been listening to consumer feedback and have decided to take action on the most popular requests. As a result, we’ve made some changes to our current Propel line-up. Propel Fit Water will be transitioned to Nutrient Enhanced Water. This new line now offers the following flavors:

* Lemon
* Berry
* Grape
* Kiwi-Strawberry
* Peach Mango Body (with fiber)
* Black cherry Mind
* Blueberry Pomegranate

(Any flavor not mentioned above has been discontinued.)

DAMN!  I guess I’ll just have drink Lemon from now on.


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Categories : Food News

Could Liquor License Renewal Fees Increase?

24 02 2009

That’s one of Jennifer Granholm’s proposal’s for balancing the budget.  I saw this story in the Jackson Citizen-Patriot late last week.

Local bar owners are not happy with what Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to serve up in 2010 — a doubling of their annual liquor license renewal fees.

Granholm is seeking to raise the fees — which haven’t been increased since 1976 — as a way to help solve the state’s massive budget deficit.

“It’s a 100 percent tax increase,” said Jeff Veach, owner of Veach’s Office Bar in downtown Jackson.

So, it’s been 30 years since there’s been an increase in liquor license renewal fees.  30 years!  That seems like a long time.  With the rate of inflation, a doubling of the fees seems cheap.  It sucks that it could happen now when everyone is struggling.  It’s kind of a vicious cycle.  If business fees aren’t increased, then they’ll have to find another stream of revenue such as property or income tax hikes, but it just seems like doing business in Michigan is getting harder and harder.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan, Politics

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