Kroger – Saginaw Highway

26 06 2008
  • 6430 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-1039
  • Website

A few weeks ago when I originally posted about Kroger in Holt (review HERE), a commentor suggested I check out the Kroger on Saginaw and Creyts Rd.  I figured a Kroger is a Kroger, right?  Boy, I was wrong.

My girlfriend had me running some errands while she was getting her hair cut.  I tried to do pick up everything I needed at Meijer, but was one thing short.  I thought I was just going to go to Wal-Mart, but as I drove by Kroger, I remembered the comment and decided to stop.  My plan wasn’t to get anything food releated.  I was actually looking for a skin care product, but I wanted to check it out.  Let me tell you.  This is like no Kroger I’ve ever been in before.  Read the rest of this entry »





Cheddars coming to Saginaw Hwy?

26 06 2008

I was hanging out near Lansing Cheddar\'sMall today and noticed some work going on at the corner of Saginaw and Mall Dr.  The outside looked familar, but I couldn’t quite figure it out.  I drove up a little closer and saw the signs for Cheddar’s which, according to their website, will be the first is the only Cheddar’s in Michigan.  Cheddar’s is a growing chain founded in 1978 in Arlington, TX.  I’ve eaten at a couple of their other stores.  It’s good food, but it’s still a chain.  There isn’t a whole lot that is different from, say, Applebees.  For those of you that like the chains, this is something to get excited about.  It is a small enough chain that you’re not going to be able to find one in every city, so treat yourself sometime.

Update – Apparently not a new Cheddar’s but a remodel maybe?  Corky pointed out in comments that there had been a Cheddar’s at this location before.  The signs are all covered and there’s a lot of work going on?  Does anyone for sure if they’re remodeling or maybe a new tenant moving in?





Michigan Brewing Company – Coming Soon! – UPDATED!

25 06 2008

Michigan Brewing CompanyI was in downtown Lansing tonight and noticed that sign you see off to the right.  This seems to be a search engine search that brings a lot of people this site, so I figured some of you might be interested in seeing that work is happening at the building located at 402 S Washington Sq.  I’ve sent an e-mail to the folks at the Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville to see if there’s any progress and when they are expectin to open.  If and when I get a reply, I’ll let you know.

UPDATE – I got an e-mail back from Stan Thornbury who is the marketing manager for the Michigan Brewing Company.  He said the store is progressing slowly because they are waiting on state licensing.  They’re hoping for an opening in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Michigan Brewing Company





Troppo

25 06 2008
  • 101 S. Washington Sq.Troppo
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 371-4000
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend had a meeting at City Hall this morning and I tagged along to help her out.  The meeting ended just before one o’clock and both of us were hungry, so we decided to try another downtown place.  After two bad experiences, we finally had a good one with The Firm (review HERE), so why not try again.  From City Hall, I could see the sign for Troppo and that’s been on my list of places to try.  We moved the car a little farther down Michigan Avenue and made our way in for lunch.

Troppo can be kind of intimidating for the casual diner.  There’s a massive sign on the upscale building on the corner of Michigan and Washington Sq clearly marking the establishment.  You walk into a lobby area before you run into the hostess.  Beyond the hostess stand and thru a curtain, you enter the main dining room.  The space is gorgeaus.  Red fabrics and a deep brown wood are highlighted by vintage photos of Lansing and small chandeliers.  We were seated near the windows which look out to the terrace which has a beautiful view of the Capitol.  From our table, the view was the roundabout and the Comerica Bank Building.  Interesting thing about that building is the writing carved into the stone.  It looks like it used to be the City National Bank and there’s a huge inscription claiming to be the oldest bank in Lansing. Read the rest of this entry »





Horrocks Farm Market

24 06 2008
  • Horrocks 7420 W. Saginaw Hwy
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-3782
  • Website

We accidently found Horrocks not long after moving to Lansing.  Our first day in town, we hit up the local mega-mart near our house and thought we were doing pretty good.  The produce was good and there was a huge selection.  Boy, we were naive.  Our first weekend here, we went to explore the town.  We were at the Lansing Mall and wanted to find Eastwood Town Centre.  We were way off, but we headed down Saginaw to get back to the Interstate.  Earlier in the day, we had stopped at the Lansing City Market and were really disappointed in the selection.  We had really hoped to find a place that would sell fresh produce at a good price.  Our luck turned around when I noticed the windmill.

I still remember that first time we walked in.  This was definately not a chain mega-mart.  There is a lot of produce.  A lot.  Chances are, if you want it, they have it.  That first trip, we filled up three paper shopping bags with produce and cheese and only spent around $30.  A few days earlier, we spent over a hundred at the supermarket. Read the rest of this entry »





The Firm Food & Spirits

23 06 2008
  • The Firm227 S. Washington Sq.
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 487-3663
  • Website
  • Menu

Finally!  In our third attempt at eating at a downtown restaurant, we finally had a pleasurable experience.  Last week at the BWL Chili Cook-Off, we grabbed a $5-off coupon from The Firm’s booth.  It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve been grocery shopping, so there’s not a whole lot of food left in our cupboards.  Instead of shopping this morning, we decided to just head out for dinner.  When I got in my truck, I noticed the coupon still sitting in the console, so that’s where we went.

The Firm is located on Washington Sq in downtown Lansing.  We stopped in on a Monday night for dinner.  The place was deserted.  There was a sign that said wait to be seated.  The bartender noticed us and seated us at a booth in the dining room.  The dining room is a pretty good size with a row of u-shaped booths along the walls with tables in the middle.  There’s a cut-out in the wall that lets you see into the bar.  I spent most of the meal watching the two LCD TV’s above the bar that were showing the College World Series. Read the rest of this entry »





Arby’s – S. Lansing

18 06 2008
  • 6035 S. Cedar St.Arby's
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-1619
  • Website
  • Menu

Arby’s is my guilty pleasure.  I know I give chains a hard time on this blog, but if there’s one fast food place I could eat at everyday, it would be Arby’s.  Growing up, Arby’s was always a treat because it does tend to be a little more expensive than a Wendy’s or McDonald’s, but the food is soooooo much better.  Now, it’s about the only fast food I eat at regularly.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Arby’s on South Cedar is the old sign out front.  There was one store in my last town of Peoria, IL.  I think we did some research and found out there’s only a handful of these old signs left.  The old sign sits in front of a more modern building.  I let my girlfriend talk me into going through the drive-thru.  I HATE drive thru’s.  I can never understand the person talking to me and I feel like they always get something wrong because they can’t hear me.  I did it anyway because neither of us were totally awake yet or dressed very well, but we needed lunch. Read the rest of this entry »





Press Release – Lansing School District

16 06 2008

 The following is a press release from Lansing School District regarding the summer food service program for children….

The Lansing School District, in conjunction with other community organizations, announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under or persons over 18 who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically handicapped. The meals will be provided without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. Meals will be provided at the sites listed below. Read the rest of this entry »





Theio’s Restaurant

16 06 2008
  • 2650 E. Michigan Ave.Theio's
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 487-3955
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I love 24-hour restaurants.  My dad and a buddy of mine came to town for the NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway.  My buddy had to work until 5:00 (CST) back home in Illinois, so they got a pretty late start to the three and half hour drive.  After getting a little lost getting to my place, they were both pretty hungry.  It was after 10:00 (EST now) and neither had eaten dinner.  I figured the choices were either fast food or a diner.  So, of course, I chose the diner.

I had drove by Theio’s a few times, but never stopped.  I knew at some point it would make a great late night stop.  We drove through downtown East Lansing first to see if there was a pizza-by-the slice place, but when we couldn’t find one, we headed back down Michigan.  It looked like there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but most of them must have been at the bar next door.  Read the rest of this entry »





BWL Chili Cook-Off Tonight

13 06 2008

Looking for a good way to start the weekend?  The Board of Water & Light’s 13th Annual Chili Cook-Off will take place tonight (Friday the 13th) along the Grand River near the Lansing City in Downtown Lansing.

I even read where fellow foodie blogger Amy over at Runs With Spatula will be one of the competitors.

The event starts at five o’clock and a five dollar wristband will get you samples of the competitors chili’s.  There’s also a mechanical bull, “adult beverages,” and a couple bands.  I’m going to MIS this morning for some media things.  I’m hoping to not be too tired when I get home to make it down there. 

For more information, check out the BWL Chili Cook-Off page.