Houlihan’s Restaurant & Bar- Lansing

18 01 2009
  • 5732 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-3550
  • Website
  • Menu
Houlihans Restaurant & Bar at the Lansing Mall

Houlihan's Restaurant & Bar at the Lansing Mall

Last time we were in Chicago, J’s step-dad suggested we go to Houlian’s for dinner.  Actually, he gave us the choice between Houlihan’s and Hackney’s in Palos Park.  I lobbied for Hackney’s since I knew we had a Houlihan’s in Lansing.  J and her mom agreed so we went to Hackney’s.

Today, J wanted to make a quick trip to Horrocks to get some apples for the week.  It was a little later in the afternoon and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet.  I was still pretty tired and didn’t feel like thinking or researching so I suggested we go to Houlihan’s at the Lansing Mall.  J didn’t argue, so that’s where we headed.

Houlihan’s is in the Lansing Mall near Macy’s.  There’s an entrance from outside the mall as well as inside.  We used the outside door and entered near the giant clock.  We were met by a hostess who showed us to a booth near the windows in the non-smoking section.  The decor wasn’t all that different from most chains.  It was more of an upscale feel when compared to something like Applebee’s, but again, the design was too clean and too perfect to not be a chain.   I hung my coat on one of the coat hooks attached to the booth and took a seat.  J mentioned she was surprised that she wasn’t cold sitting next to the windows like she had been at other restaurants recently.

The first thing we noticed were the menus.  The outside covers were a piece of tin.  Inside, the pages were inside plastic sheet covers.  The menu started with drinks.  There were quite a few pages.  I flipped through until I got to the food section.  I just wanted a Coke.  J got a pomegranite lemonade which she loved.  She said it was just a little tart and was sparkling.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Grumpy’s Diner

14 01 2009
  • 1001 E. Mt. Hope Ave.
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 853-1035
  • Website
  • Menu
Grumpys Diner

Grumpy's Diner on Mt. Hope and Pennsylvania in Lansing.

I don’t know what “Mean Cuisine” is, but I like it.  Because of the weather, I took J to work again, so when dinner rolled around, she offered to treat me instead of making another trip back and forth.  We threw around a few ideas then she came up with Grumpy’s Diner.  We noticed right after they opened and have heard nothing but good about it since.  I love diners, so why  not?

Grumpy’s Diner sits on the corner of Mt. Hope and Pennsylvania Avenue.  There is another restaurant connected to it, but Grumpy’s is by far the more visible restaurant.  We found a spot in the L-shaped parking lot which proved to be tough with all the snow piled up.  We parked on the Pennsylvania Avenue side, but the entrance is on the Mt. Hope side.  After carefully making our way to the front door, we were met by a waitress who showed us to a booth along the windows.  Other than the booths, there are a few tables and a lunch counter.  The color red dominates the decor.  The table clothes are red and white checkered  and any surface that lended itself to a pop of color is bright red.

The waitress brought us drinks while we looked over the menu.  After she set them down, she told us drinks were on the house tonight as long as we ordered dinner.  We weren’t there just to drink, so of course, we did.

The food is typical diner fare.  They serve breakfast all day and most of the menu is sandwiches.  J ordered a grilled cheese and a cup of soup.  The soup of the day was Cream of Broccoli and that was brought out while we were waiting on our meal.  More than anything, she just wanted to hold the cup of hot soup.  We were both freezing.  It’s nothing Grumpy’s did…..it was just 10 degrees outside before windchill.  The walk from the car to the door was enough to send a chill straight to the bone.  The grilled cheese came out not long after she finished her soup.  A nice, thick sandwich with a gooey center.  She loved it.  It was perfect diner fare as far as she was concerned.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Diner, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Zeus’ Coney Island – Lansing

9 01 2009
  • 6525 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 272-7900
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

Zeus' Coney Island on Pennsylvania Avenue in Lansing

On our first day in Lansing when we were apartment hunting, the first restaurant we saw after getting off of I-96 was Zeus’ Coney Island on Pennsylvania Avenue.  At that time, I had no idea what a Coney Island restaurant was and wondered why a Greek restaurant had a name I associated with New York City.

For ten months now, J and I have been saying we need to go to Zeus’.  The parking lot is always packed and a couple of her co-workers are regulars at the Greek diner.  After what seems like several days of snow, we finally decided to give it a shot.  You see, I have the four wheel drive, so when it snows, I usually end up taking J back to work after her dinner break.  When it really snows, I take her at the start of her shift.  Instead of making four trips back and forth, we just end up going out to dinner instead of coming home for dinner.  When I dropped her off, I didn’t know the snow was going to taper off by 7:00, so I said I wanted to stay on this side of town.  J suggested Zeus’ and I didn’t argue.

Zeus’ Coney Island sits on Pennsylvania between Cedar Street and the I-96 ramps.  It’s one of two restaurants owned by the same people.  The other is in Brighton.  There’s no way you can head down Pennsylvania and not see it.  The building looks like an old Wendy’s or some other type of fast food.  There are two huge signs that stick to the simple color palette of the Greek flag.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Coney Island, Diner, greek, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Hackney’s in Palos Park (IL)

3 01 2009
  • 9550 W. 123rd St.
  • Palos Park, IL 60464
  • (708) 448-8300
  • Website
  • Menu
Hackneys in Palos Park on 123rd and LaGrange in Palos Park, IL

Hackney's in Palos Park on 123rd and LaGrange in Palos Park, IL

Whenever I talk about the “best burger” people always bring up burgers with lots of stuff on them or a great special sauce, but no one ever takes the time to talk about a really good flavorful piece of meat.  I don’t like sauces and condiments on my burgers.  I want a burger that tastes good with a slice of cheese on a bun that wasn’t delivered to the back door three weeks ago.  I’ve found a few places in Lansing with burgers like that, but it’s never at the places that win “best burger.”  Very few places take the time to grind their own meat and put the emphasis on the cow.  Lucky for me, there’s still a place in Chicagoland that does just that.

If the name Hackney’s sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’re a fan of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network.  Guy Fieri visited the original Hackney’s in Glenview.  There are six restaurants overall including a downtown Chicago location.  We chose to visit the Palos Park location which has been open since 1986. 

Hackney’s in Palos Park sits on the corner of LaGrange Road and 123rd Street.  It’s across the street from the forest preserve and there’s not much else around it. The building looks like an old farm house both inside and out.  We showed up on a Saturday night just before 5:00.  There’s a huge parking lot that was fairly empty, so we were pretty confident seating wasn’t going to be a problem. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chicago, Illinois, Palos Park, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Chili’s Grill & Bar- Okemos

1 01 2009
  • 5055 Marsh Road
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 347-7188
  • Website
  • Menu
Chilis Southwestern Bar & Grill on Marsh Road in Okemos

Chili's Grill & Bar on Marsh Road in Okemos

Hey, why not start of the 2009 with a review of a chain restaurant?  J’s mom picked up a gift card for Chili’s for me for Christmas.  Just like Applebees (review HERE), I have never been to a Chili’s.  Growing up in the Kankakee (IL) area, there was no Chili’s and by the time I moved to Peoria, I was already on my “hunt out the local joints” kick, so I never took the time to actually eat at Chili’s.  J said she used to eat there all the time when she lived in Idaho Falls (ID) because they had great drinks and appetizers, so when I opened up the gift from her mom on Christmas and found a Chili’s gift card, J got excited that she was going to get to take me to what could maybe be called her favorite chain.

The Chili’s Grill & Bar in the Lansing metro is in Okemos adjacent to the Meridian Mall.  It sort of shares a parking lot with the Olive Garden. Our plan was to hit up Younkers at Meridian Mall then go to dinner, but we were too late for shopping as the mall must have closed at 6:00 and we arrived closer to 6:30.  Since we couldn’t go shopping, we just headed over to Chili’s for dinner. 

We were met inside by a hostess who I’m pretty sure punished us for picking non-smoking over smoking.  I was hoping to be seated where I could see the Rose Bowl game, but the only TV’s must have been in the smoking section which is basically the bar area.  Instead, she took us into a cramped dining room around the corner and sat us in a booth right next to the Chili’s To Go entrance.  The restaurant was not packed by any means so there was really no reason to put us at this table.  The table was fine, but it was right next to an outside door so every time someone came in or went out, we were also treated to the 20 degree weather outside.   Kind of ruins dinner when you have to eat with a coat on. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Chains, Michigan, Okemos, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Southwestern

Corey’s Restaurant & Lounge

31 12 2008
  • 1513 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 4891
  • (517) 484-7060
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Coreys Restaurat & Lounge on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Corey's Restaurat & Lounge on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Since we found out our bar of choice wasn’t going to be open past 10:00 on New Year’s Eve, we decided to go out for dinner.  We had driven by a very uninviting building on Cedar Street with a old sign hanging off the building that simply said “Corey’s Coktails.”  We never gave the place much thought until a co-worker of J’s recommended it during a discussion of local eateries.   J e-mailed me and asked if I just wanted to go out for dinner and I said, yes and suggested Corey’s, so that’s where we ended up for dinner on New Year’s Eve. 

Corey’s Restaurant & Lounge sits on Cedar Street not too far from downtown.  From the outside, you’d never guess what was inside.  We pulled up to the building around 7:30 to find a packed parking lot.  We entered the lot off of Cedar Street and found a place to park, but we had no idea where the door was.  It definitely wasn’t on the Cedar Street side, so I assumed it was around back.  As we were walking towards the building, we saw someone walk out solving the mystery of the front door.

When you walk in, you take a step down and enter in the lounge part of the space.  There were no signs about seating or a hostess.  I noticed a pub table along the wall not too far from the entrance so that’s where we went.  There are two rooms  to the space.  Had we kept going, we would have found a more traditional dining room separated from the bar.  We climbed up the chairs and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited for a waitress to see us.  After a five to ten minute wait, we were finally noticed and a waitress came over for drink orders and left a couple menus.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Culvers of Bourbonnais, IL

29 12 2008
  • 983 Convent St.
  • Bourbonnais, IL 60914
  • (815) 614-3638
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Bourbonnais on Convent Street

Culvers of Bourbonnais on Convent Street

It’s always fun when you take people some place new.  J and I have been eating at Culvers for a few years and love the food..well, love it as far as fast food goes.  My family had only been to Culvers one other time when we lived in Morton, IL and they just got custard, so lunch was something new…and apparently confusing for them.

J and I were in Bradley because my brother wanted to take a family portrait for my mom for Christmas.  J and I couldn’t get back before Christmas so we did it the Saturday after.  The Sears portrait studio made a huge mistake and took a walk-in of 17 just before our scheduled 12:00 appointment.  It was 1:30 before we even got our pictures started and 2:30 before we got out of there.  By that time, everyone was starving.  Even though everyone was hungry, no one wanted to make a decision.  Everyone my mom asked, “What do you want to eat?” would reply “I don’t care.”  I don’t know what restaurants are in the Bradley/Bourbonnais/Kankakee area, so I left it up to them…even though no one wanted to make a decision.

Finally, someone said Culvers which has just opened within the last month.  My brother didn’t think it was a great idea because it has been packed since it opened.  I just got in the car and started driving.  I noticed it was being built when we were home for Thanksgiving so I knew where it was.  J and I were going to Culvers even if it was by ourselves at that point.  I just wanted food. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : bourbonnais, Burgers, Chains, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Urbana Garden Family Restaurant – Urbana, IL

22 12 2008
  • 810 W. Killarney St.
  • Urbana, IL 61801
  • (217) 328-1514
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Urbana Garden Family Restaurant in Urbana, IL

Urbana Garden Family Restaurant in Urbana, IL

It’s always fun when you’re in a strange city to go out to eat with the locals. I was working at Assembly Hall for a University of Illinois basketball game with a few other guys who live in the area. I’m somewhat familiar with the Champaign/Urbana area, but not nearly as familiar with the local joints, so I was happy when one of my co-workers took the lead and suggested we go to Urbana Gardens for dinner.

Urbana Gardens sits near Interstate 74 in Urbana a few miles from campus. It’s one of those down home, friendly restaurants where it’s more about having a good time than white table cloths. Five of us left the arena together for lunch. When we showed up at Urbana Gardens, we were relieved to see the holiday shoppers didn’t make it down this far. The place was pretty empty for a Saturday night and we were seated at a table together. I sort of felt sorry for the other patrons. We were loud. The guys I was with all have a sarcastic sense of humor and the waitress was playing along, so things got a little noisy. The table sitting next to us didn’t seem to mind as eventually, they started asking questions about our line of work.

The waitress came with drinks. I ordered a Coke. We also had one coffee, a Sprite, an iced tea and two Arnold Palmers. The waitress looked at the first guy that ordered it and said, “you’re going to be surprised I actually know what that is.” I had no idea, but after a quick Internet search, I now know it’s half iced tea and half lemonade. The waitress had a system when it came to keeping track of orders and she wasn’t about to let anyone mess it up. She started with the first guy to her left. He asked what the specials were and eventually decided on chicken fried steak. He asked if it had mushrooms and if so, to keep it off. The waitress asked if he was alergic and just didn’t like them. He said he didn’t like them. She said she would have to check if it even had mushrooms because the gravy was already made and if he was alergic, she’d pick them off….if he didn’t like them, he’d just have to deal with. That sounds mean, but she was being sarcastic and messing around with him. It was all in good fun and I don’t think she would have actually made him eat them. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Burgers, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Urbana

Fatty’s Pub & Grille – DeKalb, IL

18 12 2008
  • 1312 W. Lincoln Highway
  • DeKalb, IL 60115
  • (815) 758-7737
  • Website
  • Menu
Fattys Pub & Grille near the campus of Northern Illinois University

Fatty's Pub & Grille near the campus of Northern Illinois University

I have never been so happy to be in DeKalb, IL.  I got up early because of the snow storm last night, but I never thought it would be as bad as it was.  The roads were awful between Lansing and Kalamazoo.  I didn’t think I’d ever make it to where I needed to go.

It was slow going, but I did finally make it.  My four and a half hour trip took closer to six.  By the time I got to DeKalb, I was exhausted and my day was just starting.  I was working at Northern Illinois University where the NIU Huskies were taking on the Southern Illinois University Salukis in  men’s basketball.  Just before four o’clock, we were released for lunch.  No one knew where to go or what was even around.  Lucky I did some research before leaving Mid-Michigan.

Fatty’s Pub is located on Lincoln Highway not far from the Convocation Center and Huskie Stadium.  We piled into a couple cars and set out looking.  I put the address in my GPS, but by the time it found the satellites, we were turning into the parking lot.  The building sits pretty close to the road, so you have to go down a little alley to the back.  The parking lot and main entrance are located behind the building.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, DeKalb, Illinois, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews

Max & Erma’s

14 12 2008
  • 2515 Lake Lansing Road
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 316-7477
  • Website
  • Menu
Max & Ermas near the Eastwoode Towne Centre in Lansing Township

Max & Erma's near the Eastwoode Towne Centre in Lansing Township

Another lazy Sunday.  J and I were laying on the couch watching a Fox News Channel special about corruption in Illinois.  We didn’t learn anything that we didn’t already, but it’s fun to see the rest of the country coming to the same conclusions we had five years ago about the current political situation in Illinois.  Neither of us were in much of a hurry to do anything, but my tummy was really growling.  I was hungry.  We needed to run a few errands, so we just decided to eat out.  I asked J what she wanted and she said a nice big salad with dried fruit, nuts, and cheese.  That really narrows it down.  Nothing was coming to mind.

I went to Google and typed in “Restaurants in Lansing, MI.”  I do that a lot for out of town meals because it gives you a list of all the restaurants in town.  I started clicking on website links figuring the chain restaurants would have what she was looking for.  I clicked on a couple and got a “yeah, those look ok” response.  When I clicked on Max & Erma’s I got a “YES!  That’s what I want!”  Off to Eastwoode.

Max & Erma’s is one of many chains located around Eastwoode Towne Centre.  Even though they have several locations throughout the country, I had never been to one nor had I ever seen one anywhere else.  J had never heard of it, so I didn’t go in with my preconceived notion that all chains are evil.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

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