Detroit Area Company Recalling Candy

16 02 2009

From the AP…

A Detroit-area candy store is recallingsome chocolate-covered peanuts because of salmonella fears.

Gayle’s Chocolates has stores in Royal Oak and at Detroit
Metropolitan Airport. Customers can return the product for a refund or destroy the box. The UPC number is 3447803065.

Gayle’s Chocolates of Royal Oak says it has no reports of
illnesses. But the peanuts used in 10-ounce boxes of sugar-free
chocolate-covered peanuts came from Lynchburg, Va.-based PeanutCorp. of America.

A salmonella outbreak has been traced to a processing plant in Blakely, Ga.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Nino’s Pizza – Alsip, IL

15 02 2009
  • 4835 W. 111th Street
  • Alsip, IL 60803
  • (708 ) 423-9100
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Ninos Pizza on 111th Street in Alsip, IL

Nino's Pizza on 111th Street in Alsip, IL

Valentine’s Day wasn’t the typical Valentine’s Day for J and I.  We had another commitment that took precedentover a romantic night out.  No worries.  We had our night on Friday night instead.  On Valentine’s Day, after we got done with what had to be done, we started thinking of places to go eat that wouldn’t have a huge wait or be swamped with people.  Most of the usual suspects were booked up, but I remembered a place we have driven by many, many times and never stopped at.  The real funny thing is my brother was raving about a pizza he had in Matteson which is about a half hour away.  I finally figured out the name of it and realized there was another location right down the road from J’s parents.  Even though it had been there most of her life, J had never eaten at Nino’s, so thought we’d give them a shot.  To make this even better, a friend of ours from Peoria told us some time ago that her family actually owns the Nino’s in Alsip…still, we had never stopped in for a pie.

Nino’s Pizza is near the corner of 111th and Cicero right on the city limits for Alsip and Oak Lawn.  It’s a rather old building with neon tube signs on the front and side of the building.  It looks like a throwback pizza parlor.  J had called before we left to see if they had a huge wait and they said we’d be ok if we could get there in twenty minutes or so.  I had a feeling a pizza place wouldn’t be packed on Valentine’s Day and I was right for the most part.  The place was full, but there was no wait.  We found a parking spot and headed towards the entrance which is on the side of the building.

Once inside, we were met by a hostess who said she had four tables and we could pretty much just pick.  We took one fairly close to the door so J’s parents, who were meeting us there, could find us.  The decor is very rustic.  There is a lot of those thatched wood panels that you see on patio’s.  They even made a drop ceiling out of them.  There are several old chandelier’s scattered throughout the joint.  The tables are topped with the typical red and white checkerboard table cloths.  There are a number of old, wooden booths scattered throughout, but they looked pretty small like they were meant just for couples. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alsip, Illinois, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Jedi’s Restaurant – Oak Lawn, IL

15 02 2009
  • 9266 S. Cicero
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708 ) 499-4545
  • Website
  • Menu
Jedis Restaurant on Southwest Highway and Cicero in Oak Lawn, IL

Jedi's Restaurant on Southwest Highway and Cicero in Oak Lawn, IL

It was time for lunch again and we had a hard time deciding where to go.  We knew there would be six of us because J’s uncle and his girlfriend were meeting us as well.  It took a long time to finally settle on a place.  We needed something that would be quick and something that would satisfy a number of different palates.  We finally settled on Jedi’s Restaurant.

Jedi’s Restaurant is on the corner of Cicero Avenue and Southwest Highway in Oak Lawn.  It’s a typical family restaurant with a large menu and a family friendly atmosphere.  The rest of our party was already seated when J and I arrived, so we joined them at a table on the “upstairs” part of the dining room.  We were seated right next to the fish tank which was a pretty big draw for the kids in the restaurant.

I know our party all showed up at different times which can be frustrating for restaurants, but we weren’t that far apart.  There was maybe 10 minutes between the time J’s parents were seated and when J and I arrived.  Once we got there, we waited another ten minutes for our waitress to come over for drink orders.  J’s step dad and her uncle already had drinks.  J ordered a Diet Pepsi.  I ordered a Pepsi and J’s uncle’s girlfriend ordered a Diet Pepsi with no ice and a lemon wedge.  Ten minutes later, the waitress brought back only the Diet Pepsi with no ice but with a lime instead of a lemon.  She then took care of another table behind us and J and I still had no drinks.  J stopped her to ask about our drinks and she rudely informed J that “they” were working on it.  A few minutes later, we finally got our Pepsi’s. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : breakfast, Burgers, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders Moving in to Art’s Pizza

14 02 2009

I just saw an ad posted on Craigslist for a new restaurant moving in to the former Art’s Pizza location at 8741 W Saginaw Hwy in Delta Township.  It looks like a chain out of North Carolina if it’s the same one.  Interviews for positions start next week, so I would expect the place to open up soon.  We do a lot of shopping out that way so we’ll definitely check it out soon.

On the web: Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate – Chicago, IL

13 02 2009
  • 1747 N. Damen Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60647
  • (773) 489-1747
  • Website
  • Menu
Mindys Hot Chocolate on Chicagos north side.

Mindy's Hot Chocolate on Chicago's north side.

Valentine’s Day came a day early for J and I.  We have other commitments tomorrow, so we decided to get reservations for a restaurant in Chicago we had heard good things about.  When I called at ten this morning to see if we could get a table, the response I got was, “Ooooh…I don’t know.  Hang on a sec.”  Turns out, the only opening they had was at 5:30 which is when they open.  I told them we’d take it.

Mindy’s Hot Chocolate is locate on Damen Avenue in the north side’s Bucktown Neighborhood.  Coming from the south suburbs during rush hour was a little bit of a challenge.  It’s only twenty miles, but with rush hour traffic, it took a little over an hour.  Once we got to the neighborhood, we then had to find a spot to park.  The only options are valet or finding a spot at a meter on the street.  We actually got pretty lucky and found a spot on the corner just about a block away.

We walked in to Hot Chocolate and were met by a hostess who showed us to our table.  The restaurant is fairly small with a bench along the back wall that acts as a seat for about ten tables.  There are also a handful of four tops, a bar, a small waiting/lounge area and one table near the kitchen for larger groups.  We were seated along the wall and the tables were really crammed in there.  It was alright at first because there was no one sitting on either side of us, but once the tables around us were filled, it was like we were all eating together.  There was just a matter of inches between the tables.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Fine Dining, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Del Taco – Oak Lawn, IL

13 02 2009
  • 9507 S. Cicero Avenue
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708 ) 229-1988
  • Website
  • Menu
The only Illinois Del Taco location in Oak Lawn.

The only Illinois Del Taco location in Oak Lawn.

Authentic Mexican scares me.  Fast food quasi-Mexican intrigues me.  Go figure.  It’s not that I don’t like Mexican food.  I just don’t have a lot of experience with it.  I had never heard of Del Taco until I started dating J and saw the one by her parents.  I realized it was probably a chain, but it’s not a chain I had ever seen before.   Since it was something I had never had before, I wanted to check it out.

Del Taco is a West Coast chain that is slowly expanding into the Midwest.  The Oak Lawn location is the only one in Illinois.  It sits near the corner of Cicero Avenue and 95th Street in front of  a small shopping center.  When you see Del Taco, you immediately think of it’s competitors.  It looks pretty much the same from the outside.  A small building with a Southwestern flair. 

The inside is much brighter.  J actually described as a kid’s interpretation of a restaurant.  There are splashes of color anywhere and everywhere from floor to ceiling.  The set up is what you’d expect.  There’s a small dining room with plastic furniture and an order counter with little rope maze that you have wind your way through even though you’re the only person there. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Illinois, Mexican, Oak Lawn

Cupid Candies – Oak Lawn , IL

12 02 2009
  • 4707 W. 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708 ) 423-2729
  • Website
  • Menu
Cupid Candies on 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

Cupid Candies on 95th Street in Oak Lawn.

I sort of get a double whammy on Valentine’s Day.  Getting something for J is not a problem.  She’s got flowers waiting back in Lansing and tickets to a show that I’m pretty sure got lost in the mail.  Not only is February 14th Valentine’s Day, but it’s also my mom’s birthday.  Birthday’s aren’t a big deal in my family.  If we do anything at all, we do something small. 

Since J and I are back in the Chicago area, my mom decided to meet us for lunch tomorrow afternoon at Portillo’s Hot Dogs (review HERE) in Crestwood.  J suggested since we were meeting her before her birthday we should get her some candy or something.  When I was driving around lost this afternoon, I noticed Cupid Candies on the corner of Cicero and 95th.  I suggested we stop in and pick up some chocolates when we went out for dinner. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chocolate, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Reviews

Deja Brew Bar & Grill- Oak Lawn, IL

12 02 2009
  • 5219 W. 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708 ) 423-0484
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Deja Brew on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn, IL

Deja Brew on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn, IL

After taking care of some things this morning, my girlfriend, her family, and I headed out for lunch.  Our first stop was Palermos 95th (review HERE), but they were even packed for lunch, so we went to J’s parents favorite bar in downtown Oak Lawn.

Deja Brew Bar & Grill is located on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn.  It fronts the busy highway, but the parking and main entrance is actually in the back which is accessible by an alley.  When you walk in that back door, you come into an enclosed courtyard.  From there, there’s another set of doors to actually enter the establishment. 

Inside is a typical sports bar.  There are LCD’s hanging from the ceiling.  There’s a large, odd shaped bar that takes a good chunk of the space.  The shape of the bar is a little hard to describe.  Around the bar are a few pub tables.  Along the opposite wall is a step up with more tables.  We took a table near the windows and waited for a watiress.

The waitress actually came over pretty quickly to get our drink orders, but then took a really long time to come back with them.  She spilled a little bit of J’s mom’s beer and went to get something to clean it up with before taking lunch orders.  It took a good ten minutes for her to come back with a bar towel.  Once we got the spilled beer taken care of, we put in lunch orders.  Another half hour later and we finally got our food.  During the time, J and her uncle both ran out of Diet Coke but there was no refilling until the food came out. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Henry’s Hamburgers

12 02 2009
  • 1832 M-139
  • Benton Harbor, MI 49022
  • (269) 926-6757
  • Website
  • No Online Menu
The last remaining Henrys Hamburgers in Benton Harbor on a cold, rainy February night

The last remaining Henry's Hamburgers in Benton Harbor on a cold, rainy February night

Unfortunately, J and I had to make an unplanned trip home due to a family emergency.  After being back in Michigan for just three days, we loaded up and headed south again.  We left just before dinner, but at the time, weren’t even thinking about being hungry.  By the time we got to Kalamazoo, our belly’s started rumbling.  About a month ago, Corky left a message in comments about a place in Benton Harbor that we should try.  We were still about forty miles from Benton Harbor, but decided to stick it out and go in search of Henry’s Hamburgers.

Henry’s Hamburgers sits on M-139 not too far from the Orchard Mall.  According to this website, the Benton Harbor Henry’s is the last of a chain that was popular in the mid-20th century.  At one time, there were several locations in Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Missouri and Wisconsin.  There were even locations in Lansing on South Cedar Street and East Lansing on Michigan Avenue in the 60’s.

We pulled into Henry’s right at 7:00.  Whenever we travel to Illinois, I set my clock’s back to Central time before leaving, so when we pulled in and the doors were locked, I was a little confused.  The counter closes at 7:00 during the winter but the drive-thru stays open until 9:30.  My clock said it was only 6:00.  Stupid me, I had already forgotten I set the clock back.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Benton Harbor, Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Kellogg’s Taking Heat for Dropping Phelps

11 02 2009

By now, we’ve all heard the bad jokes about Snap, Crackle, and Pop so I won’t rehash that, but this surprised me a little.  Did I say surprised?  No, not really.  My personal opinion is Kellogg’s did the right thing.  It doesn’t matter how you feel about pot, it’s still illegal.  The entire world is chastising Alex Rodriquez right now for for doing something illegal, but Michael Phelps seems to be getting a free pass in the court of public opinion.  The media is all over, but he seems to be getting sympathy from a large group of the public.  Illegal is illegal as far as I’m concerned.

Marijuana advocates are urging a boycott of Kellogg for deciding to cut ties with Olympic hero Michael Phelps after he was photographed with a marijuana pipe.

[snip]

The leader of the Marijuana Policy Project says Battle Creek-based Kellogg’s action in dropping Phelps was “hypocritical and disgusting.”

Ron Kampia says he’s never seen his membership so angry, with more than 2,300 of them signing an online petition.

Thoughts?


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