Cosi

7 12 2008
  • 301 E. Grand River Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 332-6500
  • Website
  • Menu
Cosi on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Cosi on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.

Cosi is another one of those places that remind me of Chicago.  It was about eight years ago that a DJ friend of mine introduced me to the chain when he took me to a store on the north side of Chicago.  I went back to that store on Clark and Belmont a few times, but I also made several stops at a location in the Loop while I was interning at Fox Sports Net Chicago.  When I moved away from the Chicago suburbs, it was four years before I saw another Cosi.  Not long before I left Illinois, Cosi opened a location in Uptown Normal (home of Illinois State University).  I took co-workers there after talking up their flat bread sandwiches.  Most of them didn’t agree with me, but it was still a sandwich that I really liked.

J and I had walked past Cosi several times in East Lansing.  The store is located on Grand River Avenue across the street from Michigan State.  We had tickets to the Michigan State vs. Bradley University basketball game and wanted to grab lunch before heading over to the Breslin Center.  Since we gorged ourselves yesterday on pasta, bread, pizza, and gingerbread cookies, I decided on a healthier option than bar food.

It was J’s first time ever going to a Cosi, but this was the fourth different shop I had been in.  The others I’ve been in have all been very cramped and designed really awkwardly.  The shop in East Lansing was very spacious.  When you walk in, you have the option of going to a coffee bar or to go order sandwiches.  We headed to the right where the sandwich order line was.  The menu board was above the counter and was a little hard to read.  It was so far way from the front of the counter and a little high.  I found three or four sandwiches that looked good, but I always let J pick first. No sense in us getting the same sandwich.  That way we can share with each other and taste more of the menu.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Chains, Downtown, East Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Tomato Bros

6 12 2008
  • 3030 W. Grand Avenue
  • Howell, MI 48843
  • (517) 546-9221
  • Website
  • Menu
Tomato Bros on Grand River Avenue in Howell

Tomato Bros on Grand River Avenue in Howell

Another weekend.  Another trip to the Kensington Valley Outlet Mall in Howell.  After our last trip to Howell when we ate at The Bloated Goat Saloon (review HERE) in Fowlerville, someone suggested in comments that we try out Tomato Bros.  J asked if it was the place we always drive by on Grand River, but I didn’t remember seeing it.  Either way, the menu looked good so that’s here we headed. 

Tomato Bros. is on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Highland Road.  You can’t miss it.  There is a huge sign over the entrance of the building in addition to the typical roadside sign.  One you turn in, you find a parking lot that is a little weird.  Some of the spots are facing north and south while others are facing east and west.  They really try to pack the cars in there.  I parked my truck  and J thought I was nuts.  It looked like I made my own parking space, but I assure you, I didn’t. 

We made our way inside.  Once we got through the big, decorative, wood doors, I didn’t find what I was expecting to find.  I figured Tomato Bros was going to be a sports bar, but it was really a nice, sit down restaurant with a bar.  We were met by a hostess and asked us the dreaded “smoking or non-smoking” question.  We chose non-smoking and were shown to a booth in the back of the restaurant near the kitchen.  The space is rather large and there were quite a few groups of ladies dining.  We assumed they were either going to or coming from the outlet mall. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Howell, Italian, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Weber Grill Restaurant – Chicago

30 11 2008
  • 539 N. State St.
  • Chicago, IL 60654
  • (312) 467-9696
  • Website
  • Menu
The Weber Grill Restaurant on State Street in downtown Chicago.

The Weber Grill Restaurant on State Street in downtown Chicago.

It isn’t very often that J and I eat at the same restaurant twice, so when I tell you this is the third time we’ve eaten at Weber Grill, you should know that it’s a good restaurant.  After spending all day walking around Chicago, it was finally time for dinner.  We had a reservation for 7:30 and we left The Gap at about 7:00 to start walking towards our dinner destination.

Weber Grill Restaurant is located at State and Ohio in the bottom floor of the Hilton Garden Inn.  The downtown restaurant is one of four locations with two others in the Chicago suburbs (Schaumburg and Lombard) and the third in Indianapolis.  Weber Grill is like no other restaurant you will ever go to.

Yes, Weber Grill Restaurant is owned by the same comapny that produces those kettle grills you should have on your patio or in your garage.  There are no stoves here.  Just grills.  Giant ranch grills.  Everything is cooked over live fire and charcoal.  It’s a grill lovers paradise.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : BBQ, Burgers, Chicago, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Steak House

Al’s Char-House – LaGrange, IL

29 11 2008
  • 32 S. LaGrange Road
  • LaGrange, IL 60525
  • (708) 354-6255
  • Website
  • Menu
Als Char-House in downtown LaGrange.

Al's Char-House in downtown LaGrange.

Isn’t it funny that J’s favorite restaurant is a steak house?  Here’s a place that celebrates steak yet J can’t stand the site of a medium rare piece of meat.  Funny.  We got back to J’s parents on Friday after a long day of shopping…yes, we got up for Black Friday sales and I got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  J got a new coat that she’s been wanting for a while and my mom saved hundreds of dollars on Christmas presents.  After a nap, we headed back to Chicago where J’s mom said she was craving Al’s Char-House.  J and I were talking about going there the other night but decided on BBQ instead.  Once J’s mom got off work, we loaded up and headed to LaGrange for dinner.

Al’s Char-House is in downtown LaGrange which is beautiful.  The area is a model for new urbanism with a number of restaurants, shops, and condos.  We parked in a surface lot a couple blocks from the restaurant and walked.  It gave us an opportunity to check out some of the other store fronts downtown.  Al’s shares a building with a Mexican restaurant.  When you walk in, your confronted with the choice of going straight ahead to the Mexican place or take a quick left and go down a flight of stairs to Al’s Char-House.  The staircase going down is covered pictures of Western idols and memorabilia.

Al’s Char-House is a mix of Southwest and Old West.  Being in the basement, there are no windows, but it’s not something that’s noticeable.  We showed up on a Friday night around 8:00.  My girlfriends parents were worried that the place was going to be full so we called ahead to get our name on the waiting list.  When we got there, we found that wasn’t necessary.  There were a number of people eating, but the restaurant is huge.  The design is interesting.  You walk to the different dining rooms on what almost feels like a catwalk.  There are a number of dining rooms off the main walkway, but you have to either go up or down a step.  We were shown to a booth in the back of the restaurant.  It wasn’t the typical two people on either side booth.  It was one of those u-shaped booths instead.  J and her mom scooted in to the inside while her step dad and I took a seat on the wings.  One of the most interesting decor features was the seat backs in the booths.  Instead of cheap, plastic backing, they had real throw pillows.  Those pillows could come in handy for an in between course nap. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Downtown, Food News, Illinois, LaGrange, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Steak House

The Pit Rib House – Hickory Hills, IL

25 11 2008
  • 9430 S. Roberts Rd.
  • Hickory Hills, IL 60457
  • (708) 599-7576
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pit Rib House on Roberts in Hickory Hills, IL

The Pit Rib House on Roberts in Hickory Hills, IL

How fitting is it that there’s a BBQ place in a town called Hickory Hills?  J and I were discussing dinner when her step dad starting throwing out restaurant names that they like in the area.  After ten minutes or so, he suggested The Pit Rib House and after a quick scan of the menu, I was sold.

The Pit is located on near the corner of Roberts Road and 95th St.  The outside of the building is lit up with neon which is supposed to resemble a 1960’s road house on Route 66.  There are parking lots on either side of the building and even on a Tuesday night, they were pretty full.  We found a spot to park (not near a light pole) and headed inside.  When you walk in, you’re again met with the feel of a stop along The Mother Road.  There are antique vending machines (for display only) and the walls are covered with pictures, newspaper articles, and old signs.  The first stop inside is the waiting room for carry out.  Just past that, a waitress met us and showed us to a table inside the dining room.  The theme continued with exposed wood walls and ceilings although the walls were covered with artifacts and pictures.  We were seated next to a table overlooking a patio area that was filled with fire wood for the upcoming winter. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : BBQ, Hickory Hills, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Country House Restaurant – Alsip, IL

25 11 2008
  • 5400 W. 127th St.
  • Alsip, IL 60803
  • (708) 389-4618
  • Website
  • Menu
The Country House Restaurant in Alsip, IL

The Country House Restaurant in Alsip, IL

Can you believe that my first meal back in Chicago wasn’t an Italian Beef?  J and I went to see her grandma and on the way back to her parents, we decided to stop for lunch.  There’s a Portillo’s close, but I suggested we stop at the family restaurant that looked packed.  If there’s a lot of cars in the parking lot on a Tuesday afternoon, it must be good.

Country House Restaurant is located in Alsip near the intersection of 127th Street and CalSag Road.  There are entrance from both roads with most of the parking being behind the building on the CalSag Road side.  We found a parking spot near a light pole (more on that later 😦 ) and headed inside. 

Once inside, it looked like a seat yourself deal.  I didn’t see a hostess and there were no signs that said wait to be seated, so I found a booth along the wall and sat down.  I noticed while we were sitting there that there actually was a hostess seating people, but a waitress noticed us and brought menus over without making a big deal about us sitting down.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Alsip, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Frank’s Press Box – Delta Township

23 11 2008
  • 7216 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-1330
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Franks Press Box on Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

Frank's Press Box on Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

Time for the weekly shopping trip.  We got a little lazy today and slept in pretty late then had a hard time getting going, but we needed to run to Walmart and Horrocks to pick up just a few things before we head home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Both of us were starving when we left so we decided to eat first. 

Every time we go out that way, we go by Frank’s Press Box on Saginaw Highway.  It always looks deserted, but we always go during the day during the week.  When we pulled into the parking lot today (on a Sunday), the parking lot was the opposite of deserted.  In fact, it was packed.  The inside of the restaurant was no different.  Most of the tables were full and all eyes were pointed at the TV’s.  We figured out later the Lions game was blacked out and the only way to see it was to have the NFL package which Frank’s obviously did. 

The restaurant/sports bar is divided into three rooms.  Near the front is a game room with a number of pool tables.  The bar area also has a large dining room designated as the smoking section then there’s another section separated by a tiny wall and a fireplace designated non-smoking by green paint on a mirror near the back of the space.  The wall did nothing.  My coat smells like cigar smoke which was painfully noticeable during the meal.  Each section has a number of TV’s.  From our table, I could see seven LCD TV’s and each of them had a different football game on, but the audio from the Lions game was pumped in via speakers. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Bloated Goat Saloon

22 11 2008
  • 141 E. Grand River Ave.
  • Fowlerville, MI 48836
  • (517) 223-8413
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
The sign hanging from the Bloated Goat Saloon in downtown Fowlerville

The sign hanging from the Bloated Goat Saloon in downtown Fowlerville

The Bloated Goat Saloon is my kind of bar.  Not only is the name awesome, but the inside is the typical small town, turn of the century saloon with above average food. 

J and I were heading out to Howell to do some Christmas shopping.  Might as well get it out of the way early.  I hate people and you can’t have a crowd without people and you can’t Christmas shop in December without crowds, so we went to the Tanger Outlets the week before Thanksgiving instead of the week after.   We’re always on the lookout for new places and when I was searching for restaurants in and around Howell, I came upon a place called the Bloated Goat Saloon.  There were a couple reviews that said the place was really neat and the food was good, so we decided to give it a try.

The Bloated Goat Saloon is in downtown Fowlerville.  It’s not hard to find.  There’s a huge sign hangining on the side of the building.  The inside is dark, long, and narrow.  There isn’t much width to the place.  There’s a really neat bar running along one wall in the front of the space and tables along the other.  The back of the room is filled with more tables and the usual pub games.  Back to the bar for a second, it’s a really interesting design.  There’s the bar, but there’s also a boxed in shelf a few feet above the bar.  The whole thing is supported with steel pipe, so it looks like there are a bunch of “windows” when you’re sitting there.  About half of the bar stools are attached to the bar itself and then there’s a couple of the more traditional free standing stools. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Bar, Burgers, Fowlerville, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Flap Jack Family Restaurant – South Lansing

16 11 2008
  • 6927 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 699-5532
  • Website
  • Menu
Flap Jacks South Lansing location on South Cedar St.

Flap Jack's South Lansing location on South Cedar St.

I’m not going to give you the same ol’ spiel about how J and I aren’t really breakfast people.  Saturday’s we usually sleep in late, do a little shopping and find a couple new restaurants to for lunch and dinner.  This particular Saturday was a little out of the ordinary.  J was getting up early to do some volunteer work and I was shooting a hockey game at Munn Arena.  It just so worked out that by the time she was getting home, I would be leaving to head to East Lansing, so we got up an hour earlier than she needed to be up and went and found breakfast.

Flap Jack Family Restaurant is a small, local chain of family restaurants in the Lansing area.  We picked the store on South Cedar because it was close to our place.  It was a dreary day and by a little after 7:00, the parking lot was starting to fill up.  Since it was raining, I parked as close as I could, but I mistook some spots by the door for handicap spots, so we parked on the opposite side of the parking lot and ran inside.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : breakfast, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Tony M’s Restaurant & Lounge

13 11 2008
  • 3420 S. Creyts Rd.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 322-2069
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Tony Ms Restaurant & Lounge on Creyts Road in Lansing.

Tony M's Restaurant & Lounge on Creyts Road in Lansing.

We do a lot of shopping out in the Delta Township area and finding new places to eat is always hard.  We’ve found some good ones out there, but in our quest to eat at everyplace I keep sniffing out new ones.  I’m not exactly sure where I first heard of Tony M’s.  While J was at her monthly hair appointment, I was running errands.  After picking up a few things at Walmart, I turned on the GPS and started looking for restaurants in the area.  The usual suspects showed up, but Tony M’s also popped up so while I was waiting on J, I went and did a little scouting.  After finding out it was still there, I picked J up and we headed back for lunch.

Tony M’s is located on the corner of Creyts Road and Millet Highway just across the street from the Meijer Distribution Center.  We pulled up a little after 11:00 and found a good number of cars in the parking lot. I figured it was lunch time or something at the Meijer and since this is the only place around, it’s where everyone went.  There are two sections to Tony M’s.  In the back is the restaurant and lounge.  The front of the building is a party store and deli.  The entrances are clearly marked and we made our way to the restaurant for lunch. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Italian, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

« Previous Entries Next Entries »