Lou & Harry’s Grill & Bakery

19 05 2009
  • 1429 W. Saginaw Street #150
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-1066
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Lou & Harrys Grill & Bakery near Frandor

Lou & Harry's Grill & Bakery near Frandor

Another one of those days were I was up long before I wanted to be.  I had to work downtown again fairly early.  As I was wrapping things up, I got a text from J.  She was at a jewelry store in Frandor getting her ring re-sized (I was off by half a size).  Since she had some time to kill, she asked if I wanted to meet her for lunch.  I was just going to grab something on Washington Square, but meeting J sounded like a better idea.

When I got to Frandor, she was waiting for me and suggested Panera.  I like Panera, but there’s still places I want to try in the area.  Instead, we headed out of the shopping center a little way to a little strip mall just on the other side of the East Lansing city limits.

Lou & Harry’s Grill has three locations in the area.  Two are in East Lansing and the third is Okemos.  The store we hit up for lunch was the Saginaw Street store.  The roads in this area are really messed up and if you’re not paying attention, it’s hard to get around.  Coming out of Frandor, we had to take a left on to Coolridge Road to get into the parking lot. 

Lou & Harry’s is part of a little strip mall.  One end is anchored by Lou & Harry’s.  The other by a Biggby.  The Lou & Harry’s faces the Saginaw Street Grand River Avenue side on the building.  You walk through a small outdoor patio to get inside.  It was a pretty nice day and there were several people taking advantage of that.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Deli, East Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Press Release – Dow Gardens Festival of the Senses

19 05 2009

From a Dow Gardens press release….

Dow Gardens Festival of the Senses
Friday, May 29
7:30-10:30 p.m.

– Michigan wine and beer tasting under the stars
– Hors d’ oeuvres from the H Hotel
– Music and artistic entertainment of Empty Canvas
– Copper sculptures of Jim Ardis
– The beauty of Dow Gardens
– Fourteen Michigan wineries and five Michigan breweries will feature their products for sampling with orders for purchase being taken by Eastman Party Store.

The wineries include: Black Star Farms, L. Mawby Vineyards and Shady Lane Cellars of Suttons Bay, Brys Estate and Peninsula Cellars of Traverse City, St. Julian Wine Co. and Warner Vineyard of Paw Paw, Burgdorf’s Winery of Haslett, Lone Oak Vineyard of Grass Lake, Pentamere Winery of Tecumseh, Rose Valley Winery of Rose City, Tabor Hill Winery of Buchanan, Sandhill Crane Vineyards of Jackson and BK Nektar Meadery of Ferndale.

The Breweries are: Arcadia Brewery of Battle Creek, Atwater Brewing Co. of Detroit, Mt. Pleasant Brewing Co., New Holland Brewery of Holland and Tri-City Brewing of Bay City.

Empty Canvas will perform: As patrons taste the beer and wine, they will be treated to the talents of Scott and Mike McMath as they perform music and Mike produces a painting of Dow Gardens. This is truly a unique performance and the painting will be auctioned off at the end of the evening, with the successful bidder choosing the charity to whom the proceeds will be donated.

In addition copper sculptures which will be on display in the Gardens throughout the summer will make their debut at this event. The sculptures include arches, banner poles, a maypole and other creative garden art by Jim Ardis .

Tickets for the multi-faceted Festival of the Senses are $25.00 in advance and $30.00 at the door.

Advanced tickets are available at Dow Gardens, 1809 Eastman Ave, Eastman Party Store and through www.dowgardens.org.


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Categories : Michigan, Midland, Press Releases

Press Release – Festival of The Sun 10th Anniversary

19 05 2009

From an Old Town Commercial Association press release…..

OLD TOWN FESTIVAL CELEBRATES TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY­­­­­­­­­­­
The Festival of the Sun celebrates ten years in Old Town

OLD TOWN, LANSING, Mich.. – As the days grow longer and the weather warms, the count down to the Festival of the Moon and Sun is getting shorter! Celebrating a decade of fun, these festivals welcome the summer solstice in a unique and exciting way.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Old Town Commercial Association (OTCA) Festival of the Sun. For the past decade, Festival of the Sun and, more recently Festival of the Moon, has brought together friends, families, and neighbors from all over Michigan to the heart of Old Town. Celebrating the beginning of the summer season, revelers take part in Mid-Michigan’s premier wine, beer, and food sampling event and enjoy live music throughout the weekend.

“Old Town and the Festival of the Sun have both grown tremendously over the past ten years. A couple years ago the OTCA launched the Festival of the Moon and just last year, the Festival of the Sun expanded – almost doubling in size – to accommodate the large crowds. It’s so exciting to see these festivals continue to grow, attracting more people to Old Town and raising money to continue the revitalization efforts,” said past Festival Director Shannon Rolley.

Festival of the Moon will be held on Friday, June 26th from 6-11 p.m. This year’s festival continues the tradition of offering Bell’s Beer on tap and will include music by Thriving Ivory, Suburban Euphoria, and Alco. Attendees will receive a keep sake beer tumbler to use while sipping on select Bell’s Beers.

Festival of the Sun will be held on Saturday, June 27th from 2-10 p.m. Vistitors will be able to taste wine and food from all over Michigan and dance the day away to music provided by Ritmo, The Dewaynes, The Lash, and Hot Club of Lansing on the main stage or relax with a drink by the acoustic stage with music by The Pantones, Nervous but Excited, and Daughters of New Grass. Tickets include a complimentary “throw back” wine glass with designs from the past ten years.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.festivalofthesun.com or www.festivalofthemoon.com or stop by the OTCA office on Turner St. and Grand River.


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Old Town, Press Releases

Bethany’s Place Family Diner

17 05 2009
  • 2221 University Park Drive
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 349-9570
  • Website
  • Menu
Bethanys Place Family Diner on University Park Drive in Okemos.

Bethany's Place Family Diner on University Park Drive in Okemos.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a billboard on South Cedar near K-Mart for a restaurant I had never heard of.  There was a web address on the billboard, so I came home and typed it into my browser.  Nothing came up that day, but a few days later, I found out the Okemos Big Boy went out of business and a family diner opened up.

Since we don’t usually get up for breakfast, I put it on my mental list of places to stop for lunch after a trip to Meridian Mall.  Things changed when I got an unexpected 9:00 AM wake up call.  Since we were both up, J offered to treat me to breakfast.  We had noticed that some people had found my blog looking for information on the place and checking it out would be a good idea.

Like I already mentioned, Bethany’s Place has taken over the old Big Boy building just off the Interstate on University Park Drive.  Last summer, J and I ate at the Big Boy and it was the first Big Boy experience for both of us.  We were pretty underwhelmed.  The business acted like they didn’t want to be in business.  There was no signage and it was hard to find.  Bethany’s Place already took the first step towards a successful business.  They added signs and started advertising.  It’s always amazed me when people open restaurants, don’t advertise at all, then can’t understand why they went out of business because no one knew they were there or what kind of food they served. 

Not much has changed from this restaurant’s Big Boy days.  There are still some signs on the walls and the layout, furniture, and decor are all leftovers.  When we got there, we stopped at the sign that told us to wait to be seated.  A frantic hostess came over and said it would be a couple minutes.  They were short handed and behind.  We considered leaving at that point because there is no way the meal could have went smoothly, but J noticed a sign for a $7.99 breakfast buffet.  We chose to stay and get the buffet so we could set the pace of our meal. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Diner, Michigan, Okemos, Restaurant, Reviews

Subway – Cedar & Jolly

15 05 2009
  • 5025 S. Cedar St #2
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 393-7370
  • Website
  • Menu
The Subway at Cedar & Jolly in Lansing.

The Subway at Cedar & Jolly in Lansing.

OK, so when you think “celebratory lunch,” Subway isn’t the first thing you think of, but we just didn’t have time to go out for something fancy.  We were both starving and J still had to get ready for work, so I suggested Subway.  Jokingly, I said we should go to the store at Cedar & Jolly.  I had never been there, but J went a few weeks ago and came back with a doozy of a story about the layout of the building.  Normally, we’d just go to the Subway in Holt, but J said I needed to see this store to understand what she was talking about. 

The Subway at Jolly & Cedar looks like most other Subway’s from outside.  It’s situated in a small strip mall near the busy intersection.  Heck, even when you first walk in, it looks like any other Subway.  There are a few tables, but, for the most part, it’s a carry-out business.  The counter is the back right side of the space.  There was only one other person in front of us when we got there just before one o’clock. 

J eats at Subway quite often when I’m working, so she knew what she wanted right away.  I usually get the same everytime as well, so there was no waiting on us when it came our turn to order.

J got a footlong veggie on whole wheat.  When her sandwich was finished, it had pepper jack, lettuce, cucumbers, banana peppers, green peppers, and Chipotle Southwest mayo.  She tried the Chipotle mayo last time she was at a Subway and really liked it.  Read the rest of this entry »


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

Paramount Coffee Giving Away Frac Packs

14 05 2009

I saw this on Paramount Coffee’s new blog.

During most night (Lugnuts) games, we offer cheap parking in our company lot right across the street from the stadium.  Five-bucks will get you in, and starting in June, we will be giving away FREE “frac pack” coffee in addition to coupons for 25% off at our online retail store.


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Categories : Michigan

Press Release – Menna’s Joint Grand Opening

12 05 2009

It’s not a new one…it’s a grand opening for the downtown Lansing location that opened in October (and I reviewed in November.)  From a Lansing Principal Shopping District press release….

Grand Opening of Menna’s Joint in Downtown Lansing

(LANSING) –Mayor Virg Bernero will join Lansing’s Principal Shopping District (PSD) for a
Grand Opening celebration of Menna’s Joint, 208 S. Washington Sq. at 11:00 a.m. on
Wednesday, May 13 in downtown Lansing.

Menna’s Joint is a chain of fun, classic food joints steeped in youthful irreverence that are
managed by students for students and the young at heart, presenting an exciting new spin on fast
food.

Hank Andries, owner, opened his first Lansing location on October 10, 2008. The new S.
Washington Square quick service restaurant is his fifth. Other store locations include two in East
Lansing, one in Kalamazoo and one in Mt. Pleasant.


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Press Releases

Horrocks – Battle Creek

11 05 2009
  • 235 Capital Avenue SW
  • Battle Creek, MI 49037
  • (269) 966-3200
  • Website
The Horrocks store on Capital Avenue SW in Battle Creek.

The Horrocks store on Capital Avenue SW in Battle Creek.

Easily, one of things I like the most about Lansing is Horrocks.  We’ve saved so much money and gotten some great stuff at Horrocks in Delta Township.  When produce is in-season, Horrocks is a once a week trip.  During the winter, it turns in to a bi-monthly or monthly trip but still something I look forward to.

J and I met her parents in St. Joseph for Mother’s Day brunch.  On the way home, J suggested stopping by Horrocks to get some fruit for the week.  Since it was on the way, I suggested we check out the Battle Creek Horrocks.

The Horrocks on Battle Creek is near I-194 on Capital Avenue SW.  The building looks to be an old office building or something.  The store is in a pretty industrial area, so the previous tenant of the building could have easily used the building for anything.

Being regulars at the Lansing store made the Battle Creek store very confusing.  We’re so used to the layout and the flow of the store in Delta Township that we were lost when we got inside the Battle Creek store.  First, you actually have to walk through the greenhouse to get to the building.  We grabbed a cart and walked through the doors.  At first, I thought we were in the wrong store.  I thought maybe there were separate buildings for the grocery and greenhouse parts of the business.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Battle Creek, Grocery, Michigan

Kilwin’s Chocolate & Ice Cream – St. Joseph

11 05 2009
  • 217 State Street
  • St. Joseph, MI 49085
  • (269) 982-1330
  • Website
Kilwins Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop on State Street in St. Joseph

Kilwin's Chocolate & Ice Cream on State Street in St. Joseph

I freakin’ love fudge!  When we took a day trip to Traverse City last fall, we found a Kilwin’s Chocolate Shop in downtown.  That was our introduction to the Northern Michigan chain of stores. 

A Mother’s Day isn’t complete without chocolate and, as luck would have it, there was a Kilwin’s across the street from our brunch destination.  After a good meal and a quick stroll through downtown St. Joseph, we loaded up on fudgey goodness.

The St. Joseph Kilwin’s store is on State Street in downtown St. Joseph just a few blocks from Lake Michigan.  Like most of the other stores, you can watch the candy makers apply their craft in the window.  On the day we were there, one guy was making caramel apples an another was making fresh waffle cones.

The inside of the store smells so good.  Just past the candy making area are the cases of candy.  The first case has the fudge.  This shop didn’t have nearly as many options as the Traverse City shop, but still had two of three flavors I wanted.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Chains, Chocolate, Downtown, Michigan, St. Joseph

Pump House Grille

11 05 2009
  • 214 State Street
  • St. Joseph, MI 49085
  • (269) 983-0001
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pump House Grill in downtown St. Joseph

The Pump House Grille in downtown St. Joseph

J really wanted to do something with her mom for Mother’s Day.  Over the past couple months, there’s been a lot of traveling back and forth to Chicago for both us and our families.  Instead of her parents coming to Lansing or us driving to Chicago for the second week in a row, we decided to find a halfway point.  The Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area looked like a good meeting point, so the search was on to find a good place for Mother’s Day brunch.

After a quick Google search, I came up with two options.  Neither would take a reservation for less than six people, so we chose the one that opened first.  That one was the Pump House Grille on State Street in beautiful downtown St. Joseph.  State Street is a one-way cobblestone street that is lined with boutiques and restaurants.  It’s kind of touristy, but would still make a great shopping and dining district for the locals.  We actually drove by the restaurant on our first pass through downtown.  The buildings are all connecte and none of them have eye level signs that stick out from the building.  On the second pass down State Street, we noticed the building on the left side of the road.

Brunch started at 11:30 and we got there about 11:40.  Like I already mentioned, they wouldn’t take reservations and there must have been a line when the door opened.  By the time we got there, all the tables were full.  The host told us there would probably be a half hour wait since everyone just sat down to eat.  We took a buzzer and set up at the bar to wait.  The bartender told us we could eat there if we wanted to, but J and her mom couldn’t really reach the bar comfortably and it would have made eating uncomfortable.  Instead, we ordered drinks….just Pepsi’s since they couldn’t serve liquor until noon.  The half hour wait would give me time to step outside and call my mom to wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Brunch, Downtown, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, St. Joseph

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