Texas Roadhouse – Lansing

19 02 2009
  • 208 E. Edgewood Blvd.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 887-8181
  • Website
  • Menu
Texas Roadhouse on Lansings south side

Texas Roadhouse on Lansing's south side

Finally!  Home!  I left Illinois this morning not knowing how long it was actually going to take me to get back to Lansing, but I hit things just right and didn’t see more than a few flurries on the way home.  Didn’t slow me down at all and I actually made it home before dinner.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been home in over a week, so there’s no food in the house.  I didn’t feel like going shopping, so I asked J if she wanted me to pick her up and we’d just go out for dinner.  We’re starting to run out of places to go on the south side of Lansing.  All that’s really left are a handful of chains.  I didn’t feel like thinking, so I suggested Texas Roadhouse.  I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever been to one before.  I always get Texas Roadhouse and Lonestar Steakhouse confused.  I know I’ve been to at least one Lonestar, but after that, it’s anybody’s guess.  This may well have been my first time at a Texas Roadhouse.

Texas Roadhouse is on Edgewood Boulevard near the Target and Sam’s Club.  We pulled up on a Thursday night and were really surprised by the number of cars in the parking lot.  Don’t let anyone tell you restaurants are struggling during these tough economic times.  I’m convinced no one knows how to cook anymore, so if they want a decent meal they HAVE to eat out.

We found a parking spot and went inside.  When J said we’d like a table for two in non-smoking, we were told there would be a little wait, so we made our way to the peanut barrel and starting eating.  I love places that put peanuts out.  I always eat too many though.

A few minutes later, the hostess said our table was ready and our waitress showed us the way.  The walk to our table went right by the kitchen, so the waitress grabbed a basket of rolls and some butter so we didn’t have to wait for it once we were seated.  J told me before we got there that she loved the butter at Texas Roadhouse.  How many places do you know of where someone actually craves the butter?  Once we were seated, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I buttered up a roll.  I see know why she likes it so much.  It’s a cinnamon butter.  It was sooooo good.  After we polished off one basket of rolls, the waitress brought a second.  Uh-oh.  We’re going to fill up on rolls.  We polished that one off to and the waitress said she would come back with more, but we stopped her.  If she brought it, we would eat it and we didn’t need anymore…no matter how much we wanted it. Read the rest of this entry »





Press Release – Old Town Mardi Gras

19 02 2009

From a press release…

Mardi Gras in Old Town!
An Evening of Jazz and New Orleans Cuisine
This Saturday from 7-11pm! (doors at 6:30)

PUT ON YOUR PARTY BEADS and transport yourself to New Orleans right here in Old Town. Enjoy a fantastic evening of live Jazz with the Wess Anderson Quartet and New Orleans jazz vocalist Germaine Bazzle and feast on delectable Mardi Gras favorites prepared by East Lansing’s own Gumbo & Jazz Restaurant. Sample delicacies such as Crawfish Etouffee, Gumbo, Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole and Bread Pudding.

$75 per person, $130 per couple
$250 per table of four, $360 per table of six

limited seating by reservation only
For Tickets Call: Gumbo & Jazz at 517-664-8626
For TicketsCall: Perspective2 at 517-853-5880
(5% discount to all P2 members)





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





Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream – South Cedar

10 02 2009
  • 5620 S. Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 272-5015
  • Website
  • Menu
Twisters Soft Serve Ice Creams second location on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream's second location on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Boy, as soon as the mercury hits 65 degrees, everyone thinks it’s summer.  Just this morning, I saw a story on WLNS.com about ice cream shops opening up…in February!  My day was spent barbecuing so I guess I’m not any better.  After dinner, J suggested we go get ice cream.  Heck, this might be our only chance at sixty degrees for a couple months yet so let’s take advantage of it.

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream has two locations in Lansing.  The original is on South Waverly.  The second location and the one closest to us is on South Cedar Street right next to Taco Bell.  The building is a drive-thru only structure with a little patio area set up out front if you choose to get out of the car and order at the window.

It was a nice night, but not nice enough to eat ice cream outside, so we hit up the drive thru.  When you first enter the driveway, there’s a menu board on the side of the building.  It’s not lit up and J had a hard time reading it from the passenger seat, so we drove around to the order speaker.  Again, no light on the menu board and J couldn’t make out most of what it said.  I went with my normal ice cream treat, a peanut butter cup Flurry.  J eventually gave up and ordered the same thing.  We each got a medium Flurry for a cost of $7 for the two of them. Read the rest of this entry »





Ice Cream Shops Opening for Season

10 02 2009

Saw this on WLNS.com……yay!

 The warm weather is heating up sales for local ice cream shops. As the snow melts, customers are once again indulging their tastebuds with frozen treats. For local shops, the rise in customers is a sweet topping to the barren winter season. Twisters Ice Cream Shop reopened last week and customers are already coming in to get their frozen fix.





Wing Zone

1 02 2009
  • 340 Morgan Lane
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 332-9464
  • Website
  • Menu
Wing Zone in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing.

Wing Zone in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing.

Wings and the Super Bowl go together.  It’s just a fact of life.  For the last five or six years, I have slaved over a deep fryer for hours making wings for my friends on the day of the game.  Every year, I’d come up with a new sauce or way to cook them.  Last year, I skipped the deep fryer all together and went for baked wings.  This year, I just wasn’t in the mood.  I still wanted wings and have been craving them for days.  My two choices were to make a trip to Kroger for wings and oil or let the professionals do all the work.

My favorite wing place, by far has always been Buffalo Wild Wings.  It’s the one chain I don’t mind telling you that I love.  When the company opened their first store in the Peoria area, I spent three or four nights a week there.  I worked second shift and my buddies and I would hit B-Dubs after work for drinks and wings.  Most Tuesday’s, our orders were waiting for us when we got there. Read the rest of this entry »





Sir Pizza : Grand Cafe

31 01 2009
  • 210 E. Grand River Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 484-9197
  • Website
  • Menu
Sir Pizzas Grand Cafe in Lansings Old Town

Sir Pizza's Grand Cafe in Lansing's Old Town

After a late afternoon lunch, neither J or I were really hungry around “dinner time.”  We sat on the couch watching TV until a little after eight.  It was then, we decided we needed to find something for dinner.  I wasn’t really in the mood for another burger and the only thing I had a taste for was pizza.  I was hesitant to suggest that because I seem to always go to pizza if I don’t want bar food.  To my surprise, when I did suggest it, J said she was thinking the same thing.

Our first choice was the newly opened Izzo’s Pizzeria in REO Town.  Unfortunately, we were too late.  When we drove by, it was open.  By the time we parked and walked back to the pizzeria, it was closed, so I went with Plan B. 

The Sir Pizza Grand Cafe is in Lansing Old Town on Grand River Avenue overlooking the Grand River.  When it came to ordering pizza, we always seemed to avoid the Lansing chain.  The other Sir Pizza stores never really looked all that inviting.  The one we always drive by is the Cedar Street/Mt. Hope location and that one looks like it’s abandoned.  The front is all boarded up and you can’t tell that there’s anything going on inside.  So, and I know this is bad, that’s how my perception of Sir Pizza was built, but I had heard good things about the Grand Cafe.  Since we were still in the mood for pizza and Old Town wasn’t really all that far, that’s where we headed. Read the rest of this entry »





New Places To Eat!

31 01 2009
The State Side Deli on Okemos Road

The State Side Deli on Okemos Road

We went out to lunch and planned on doing some shopping in Okemos this afternoon.  Our restaurant of choice was Gilbert and Blake’s.  When we pulled into the parking, we noticed a new deli across the street with a “Grand Opening” banner hanging out front.  It’s called State Side Deli.  They’re on Okemos Road in the strip mall directly across from Gilbert and Blake’s.

After lunch, we headed cross town to Horrocks.  I almost suggested stopping at Ice Cream Joes, so I was looking for it.  Ultimately, we didn’t, but as we drove by, I noticed a new name on the side.  It’s now called The Uddery Creamery.  We didn’t stop, so I don’t know if anything’s changed, but we really liked Ice Cream Joe’s when we stopped in back in the spring.





Coming Soon: The Venue

29 01 2009
Coming Soon...The Venue on the corner of Cedar and Long Blvd.

Coming Soon...The Venue on the corner of Cedar and Long Blvd.

Shh.  Don’t tell J she was right.  I went down to the Speedway on the corner of Cedar and Long Boulevard today to get a frozen Coke.  As I was pulling out, I noticed a big , orange coming soon sign in the window of the old Frank’s Press Box South.   The place has been empty for as long we’ve been in Lansing, but this fall, J kept trying to tell me there was a lot of cars parked around the empty building.  I kept telling her it was over flow from the Holiday Inn (now Causeway Bay Hotel), but she kept saying someone was working on the building. 

She was right.  I drove up for a closer look after seeing the sign and there was definitely some movement inside.  I don’t have any other details other than the place is going to be called “The Venue.”  We drive by there pretty much everyday, so when I notice the coming soon sign has been replaced by a grand opening sign, we’ll check it out and see what’s up.





Olympic Broil Restaurant

22 01 2009
  • 1320 W. Grand River Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 485-8584
  • Website
  • Menu
Olympic Broil on Grand River Avenue in Lansing.

Olympic Broil on Grand River Avenue in Lansing.

Not too long ago, someone noticed in comments that J orders chicken strips a lot.  For the most part, chicken strips are chicken strips.  It’s a safe choice because it’s hard to screw them up.  Most places just open a bag and dump them in the fryer.  “Rachel” suggested in the comment section of another post that we should try Olympic Broil because they have “the best chicken strips in town.”  I’m always up for the challenge when someone throws that phrase out there.

Olympic Broil is an old drive-in near the corner of Grand River Avenue and Willow Street.  The business started in the mid-70’s and has been a local favorite ever since.  We pulled in to the parking lot around one o’clock and parking was at a premium.  Most of the old car stalls were full and parking on the outside edge of the lot was scarce as well.  We found a spot out near the road and made our way inside.

Inside, Olympic Broil resembles most fast food restaurants.  There’s a dining room near the front as well as one around the corner from the counter.  The booths are the same plastic type booths you see in the chain restaurants.  The menu board is above the counter and you can see into the kitchen area where workers put your meals together.  Read the rest of this entry »