Baja Grille

5 07 2009
  • 402 S. Jefferson Street
  • Mason, MI 48854
  • (517) 244-1181
  • Website
  • Menu
Baja Grille on South Jefferson Street in Mason.

Baja Grille on South Jefferson Street in Mason.

We’re finding out that the thing to do on the Fourth of July in Michigan is to “go up north.”  Well, we have no place to really go up north and I had to work all weekend anyway, so J and I did what we always do on Saturdays.  We slept in late then got up and started planning on lunch.

Our original plan was to see about driving over the Birch Run.  We got up too late to do that without rushing to get me home in time for work.  Our second idea was a cafe in Jackson that Corky told me about.  We called and they weren’t open.  I had a copy of City Pulse sitting on the coffee table, so I picked it up and started looking through the “Food Finder.”  As I’m going down the list, I come across a place called in Mason that I’ve never heard of.  I did a Google search, found a website and loved the menu.  We were off to Mason. 

The Baja Grille is on Jefferson street on the courthouse square.  There were quite a few people downtown due to the Fourth of July holiday.  We got there after the parade, but the car show was still going on.  I could see there was a lot of foot traffic, so when I found a parking spot a half a block away in front of the library, I pulled in.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Cafe, Downtown, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Kid Rock Beer Starting Production

3 07 2009

Someone will have to help me on this one.  I was under the impression the Michigan Brewing Company was working on a Kid Rock craft beer.  I’m assuming that is shelved now?  This  is from a Drinks America press release….

Kid Rock and Drinks Americas Announce “AMERICAN BADASS BEER COMPANY™” to be Born on the Fourth of July
AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ will be Launched at Kid Rock’s July 17-18th Weekend Shows at Comerica Park

WILTON, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Drinks Americas Holdings, Ltd. (OTC BB: DKAM) (“Drinks Americas” or the “Company”) announced today that on July 4th it will commence brewing and filling kegs for the launch of Kid Rock’s “AMERICAN BADASS BEER COMPANY™”. Kid Rock plans to launch kegs of his new American style lager at Detroit’s Comerica Park in time for concert dates July 17th and 18th. AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ will be available at kiosks within the park during the concerts and rolling out in Michigan in the coming weeks followed by a number of Midwest market openings.

J. Patrick Kenny, CEO of Drinks Americas, said, “We are very excited about the launch date, the beer and all the work that has been put into making Kid Rock’s AMERICAN BADASS BEER™ a success. Based on orders alone we are off to a very good start. We will let the beer speak for itself as people begin to taste this great product.”


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Press Release – Swish Bucks Kicks off Tomorrow

1 07 2009

From a City of Lansing press release….

What: Swish Bucks Kick Off

Who: Swish the Fish; Chad Gamble, Public Service director
for the City of Lansing; Mindy Biladeau, Principal Shopping
District director; CSO Control Program team

Where: Great Lakes Chocolate & Coffee Company in the
Stadium District, 500 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing

When: Thursday, July 2, 8-9 a.m.
Details: Between July 2 and September 9, 2009, Swish
will periodically hand out Swish Bucks, $5 coupons that
can be used at several downtown eateries and other stores.
Participating vendors are listed on the back of the coupons.
Swish will launch the Swish Bucks initiative at Great Lakes
Chocolate & Coffee Company in the Stadium District on
Thursday, July 2, from 8-9 a.m. A limited number of Swish
Bucks will be given out at each event. Distribution locations
will vary throughout Lansing and East Lansing.

The Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Program is separating
the sewage and rainwater drainage systems into two separate
pipes, along with other system improvements. This change
is dramatically reducing the overflow of sewage into the
rivers and creating a cleaner, greener Lansing. Visit www.
LansingCSO.com for more information.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Select Michigan Capitol Lawn Farmers Market

30 06 2009

Yay.  It’s that time of year again.  J and I went to both of these last year and came home with some reallygood stuff.  Our calendar’s marked for this years market.  J got the following message from a Facebook group.

Select Michigan Capitol Lawn Farmers Market
Thursday, July 23, 2009
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
State Capitol lawn
Downtown Lansing
Explore companies selling a variety of Michigan crops including pies, fruits, vegetables, honey, nuts, flowers, maple syrup, and so much more!
 


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Categories : Farmer's Market, Lansing, Michigan

Michael’s Southern Style Jack Daniel BBQ

28 06 2009
  • Corner of Mt. Hope Avenue & Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 881-8720
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Michaels Southern Style Jack Daniel BBQ on the corner on Mt. Hope and MLK in Lansing.

Michael's Southern Style Jack Daniel BBQ on the corner on Mt. Hope and MLK in Lansing.

I was all set to make tacos tonight when I got home from the baseball game.  For some reason, I took the long way home and headed down MLK from downtown.  I sort of did it for a reason, but I didn’t think of the reason until I actually started doing it.  Must have been one of those subconscious things.

A few days ago, I saw a tweet from @lansingonline about southern style BBQ on the corner of MLK and Mt. Hope.   There weren’t a whole lot of details, but the note said it was good.  Still, it brought up a lot of questions.  New place?  Guy with a grill?  What kind of BBQ? 

So, after I realized I was driving down MLK, I stayed on until I got to Mt. Hope so I could check it out.  When I got to the corner, I found a big red, white, and blue trailer in the parking lot of a party store.  I didn’t stop just then.  I went home where I casually mentioned it to J.  She was on board and we jumped back into my truck to get some BBQ.

We pulled into the party store parking lot and found a parking spot.  As we walked back towards the trailer, I could see a woman sitting in the front seat.  When we got to the side, we noticed a menu taped on the window.  They had everything I love about BBQ listed.  Pulled pork, ribs, Mac ‘n cheese, etc.  A minute or so later, a man walked around to the front of the truck and went inside.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

Arby’s – E. Oakland Avenue

28 06 2009
  • 500 E. Oakland Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 487-5154
  • Website
  • Menu
Arbys on East Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

Arby's on East Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

In the last year, Arby’s has drastically changed their menu.  They’ve added the Roastburger, Fajita Flatbread Melts, and Toasted Subs.  Usually when places make that many changes in a short time, the old formula isn’t working.  Still, there’s nothing I like better than an Arby’s roast beef and when I saw the 5 for $5 campaign had been brought back, I started looking for a reason to stop for lunch.

I was on my way to Oldsmobile Park for a Sunday afternoon baseball game.  First, I needed to grab something quick and cheap for lunch.  I drove by the Arby’s on South Cedar and that reminded me of the 5 for $5.  I missed the turn and instead of turning around, I kept going and hit the Arby’s a little farther north. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Lansing, Michigan, Old Town, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Applebees Neighborhood Bar & Grill – Okemos

26 06 2009
  • 2284 Woodlake Drive
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 347-4892
  • Website
  • Menu
Applebees near I-96 & Okemos Road in Okemos

Applebees near I-96 & Okemos Road in Okemos

We’ve been good all week.  I’ve made dinner every night and we haven’t eaten out since last Saturday.  Before J left for work today, I asked if she wanted me to pick her up for dinner.  Of course, she said yes. 

I’ve learned the hard way that we can’t really head towards Michigan Avenue or East Lansing on her dinner break, but the edge of Okemos is usually ok.  She actually said she wanted to eat at a chain tonight and I said Applebees.  Yes, we could have just went to the South Lansing location, but it is Friday night and if they were busy, I wanted to make sure we had options.  There’s plenty of other restaurants near the Okemos location, so that’s where we went.

The Applebees in Okemos is just off of Okemos Road and I-96.  You would think the address would actually be Okemos Road, because it faces that street, but the address is on the side street that you turn on to which is Woodland Lake Drive. 

Like I figured, the parking lot was packed.  Still, I found a spot in the front parking lot, so I was holding out hope.  We made our way to the door where a waitress/hostess was there to greet us by opening the door….something that I’ve noticed at pretty much all the chain restaurant we’ve been to in the last year.  Once we were inside, we were stuck behind what must have been a large group.  It took three people to figure out where to put them.  The hostess that opened the door finally grabbed a couple menus and showed us to a booth in the dining room that is to the left of the bar. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Food Drive at Eastwood Towne Center GAP

26 06 2009

I found this on Eastwood Towne Center’s Facebook page. 

25% off your entire purchase (at GAP) when you bring in 2 or more non-perishable food items!(not valid with any other coupons)

The Food Drive will benefit the Greater Lansing Food Bank.  The promotion runs from today (June 26) through Sunday, June 28.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Wild Wing Cafe Coming to Mid-Michigan – UPDATED

23 06 2009

As I was perusing Craigslist this evening, I came across an add for a new restaurant opening in the Okemos/East Lansing area.  There aren’t a whole lot of details and to apply, you need to fill out an application at Bennigan’s.  The name of the new place is Wild Wing Cafe.  The chain started on Hilton Head, but that’s about all I could find.  I fired off an e-mail to corporate to see if I can get some more details…I’ll update this post if I do…

I do like me some wings….

UPDATE – 6/24/08 – 1:55 PM – The mystery of why you need to go to Bennigan’s to fill out an application has been solved.  I got this e-mail this morning from Shelly Nelson who is the Wings Over America Inc. Assistant Franchise Director. 

First of all we are so excited to be “Spreading our Wings” to the North.  The new Wild Wing Cafe will be a Franchised location owned and operated by the Labelle Management group.  The Bennigan’s restaurant located at 2085 W. Grand River  Okemos, MI  48864 will be converted into a Wild Wing Cafe with a projected opening date of July 31st.  Please keep checking our Website at www.wildwingcafe.com for more opening information as it becomes available. 


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Spagnuolo’s Chocolate

21 06 2009
  • 115 E. Main Street
  • Owosso, MI 48867
  • (989) 729-9590
  • No Known Website
Spagnuolos Chocolate in downtown Owosso.

Spagnuolo's Chocolate in downtown Owosso.

Leave it to us to find the chocolate shop in town.  On our way to Owosso, we saw billboards for “historic downtown Owosso.”  After eating lunch at the Wrought Iron Grill, we decided to find downtown and see what the billboards were all about.  On our first pass through town, we saw a little candy store that still had an “open” sign lit up.  We went around the block to find a parking spot then headed back for some dessert.

Spagnuolo’s Chocolate has a tiny store front on Main Street.  We parked around the corner where there is some angled parking.  In front of the store, there are some parallel spots, but I didn’t realize that and the walk didn’t hurt us any. 

We walked into the chocolate shop at 3:45…about fifteen minutes before they were set to close.  There was one lady who was already gearing up to close.  We started looking around.  We saw a sign for fudge, but didn’t see any in the case.  The lady noticed we looked a little lost and asked if there was anything in particular we were looking for.  She pointed out the fudge in a basket behind us.  It was already cut and wrapped.  They only had two flavors but one of them was peanut butter.  I grabbed a chunk of fudge and J kept looking. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Downtown, Ice Cream, Local Flavor, Michigan, Owosso, Reviews

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