Pizza | Mid-Michigan Dining

Crunchy’s Burgers and Pizza

19 04 2008

254 W. Grand Ave.
East Lansing, MI 48823
(517) 351-2506
Website
Menu

I found Crunchy’s by doing a Google search for the phrase “Best Burger in Lansing” What I got was a link to Crunchy’s Burger’s and Pizza who, according to their website, was voted the best burger in Lansing by the Lansing State-Journal. We made two trips to Crunchy’s. The first time, we popped in late on a Friday night because my girlfriend wanted to do karaoke. It was late so we didn’t get food. We went back a second time on a Saturday afternoon after we went to a Lugnuts game.

It was also the same day as the Green and White game at Michigan State University, which is right down the road, so the bar was pretty packed by 5:00. We found a booth located in the room off of the main dining room. A waitress eventually came over for drink orders and found us a couple menus. I had to go with the Famous Crunchy Burger. A 1/2 burger comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomatos and pickles. So, was it the best burger in Lansing? It was definately the best burger I’ve had since moving to Lansing, but not the best burger I’ve ever had. The meat was fresh and very juicy. The bun was a mega-mart poppy seed bun, so nothing special there. The sandwich came with chips, but I upgraded to fries and for the second meal in a row, they were fresh cut. My girlfriend chimed in on the fries saying despite being fresh cut, they were crunchy like the out of the bag ones (which I hate and she likes) usually are. So for once, we were both happy with the fries.

Speaking of my girlfriend, she went with the Traverse City Cherry Burger. We had seen this on the menu at a few restaurants here in Michigan, so she decided to finally try it. The waitress warned her it wouldn’t taste like cherries which must be a misconception to out-of-staters (she saw our drivers license when we ordered drinks). She it pretty much tasted like a burger, but she did say she probably put a little too much ketchup and mustard on the sandwich because she forgot to order cheese.

Both of us ate for under $20 with drinks. I was actually shocked when I picked up the bill because I figured it had to be wrong, but it wasn’t Crunchy’s wasn’t quite everything I hoped it would be. The burger was good, but not knock my socks off good. The atmosphere is unique. Being a college bar, they decided to just encourage vandalism instead of trying to stop it. Patrons have been writing on the walls, tables, and any other surface with Sharpie’s for quite a while.

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Tags: Burgers, East Lansing, Michigan State, MSU, Pubs
Categories : Burgers, East Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Pub, Reviews

Cottage Inn Pizza

11 04 2008

1995 Cedar Street
Holt, MI 48842-1831
Phone: (517) 699-1000
Website
Menu

We had a coupon for Cottage Inn and decided one Sunday night to give a shot. The coupon was for a large family meal deal. I couldn’t find that on the menus I had or online so we didn’t really know what we were getting when we ordered. The person on the other end of the phone asked what I wanted on two pizzas, so I knew at least that much, but when the delivery guy arrived, we knew we’d be eating pizza for a few days.

The deal came with two large pizzas. We got one pepperoni and one cheese. It also came with salad and cheese sticks.

Since the pizza would be good for lunch the next day, we dove into the sides. The salad was really only enough for two of us. It was the standard mixed greens with croutons and a few vegetables. It came with two packages of Italian dressing. The cheese sticks were good. Thick pieces of bread covered in cheese sauce with a marinara on the side. They weren’t rock hard like breadsticks but still had a great flavor with the cheese baked into it.

Once we finally dived into the pizzas, we found a great flavor in the sauce. A little bit tangy that went well with the mozzerella layered on top. I had a little problem with the cheese as it kept wanting to come off with one bite.

The size of the meal deal was a lot for just two people. We ate pizza for lunch for three days…and trust me, I’m not complaining about that. With the coupon we had, the meal was free, but t looks like it normally runs about $30.

I see Cottage Inns all over the place and it seems like they cater a lot of public functions, so I assume they are they pizza place in Mid-Michigan. It was good, but still too much like the other chains. We will most definately order again, but we continue looking for unique pizza in Lansing.

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Tags: Holt, Pizza
Categories : Holt, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Coach’s All-American Pub-Grill

11 04 2008

6201 Bishop Rd
Lansing, MI 48911-6208
Phone: (517) 882-2013
Website
Menu

Coach’s is your typical sports bar. There’s a bar when you walk in, multiple pool tables, dart boards, and dozens of TV’s. There’s also two pretty large dining rooms where they serve not your typical pub food.

My girlfriend and I stopped in on a Saturday night for dinner. We were a little worried because the NCAA tournament was on, but surprisingly, the place wasn’t crowded. We showed ourselves to a table in the first dining room and a server was right behind us to get drinks.

The menu had your typical pub fare plus entrees and unique pizza combinations including calzones. My date ordered the chicken strip and fries basket plus a side salad. She liked the crispy fries and said her chicken strips were good. I grabbed a bite of one and it all tasted like someone opened a bag and dumped them in the deep fryer. Doesn’t matter what I think, she enjoyed her dinner and that’s what really coungts.

I ordered the Bourbon Chicken Dinner. Two boneless chicken breasts come covered in a Bourbon BBQ glaze with fries, a salad, and a cheese breadstick. The BBQ was sweet and added a nice touch to chicken. THe fries were the same as my dates. The portion was a pretty good size. I didn’t leave stuff, but I didn’t leave feeling cheated either. The side salad was your typical greens with croutons, cucumber, and tomatos. I got the Italian dressing which was a little thicker than usual, but still good.

The bill with three drinks was about $30. There’s a lot on this menu I really wanted to try. I’ve heard the pizzas were good, the burgers looked good and there were a few more dinners that looked appetizing. Coach’s really tries to be more than just another sports bar and with this menu, they are succeeding at doing so.