Sonic – Flint

9 11 2008
  • 3140 Miller Road
  • Flint, MI 48507
  • (810) 232-2900
  • Website
  • Menu
The New Sonic Drive In on Miller Rd. in Flint

The New Sonic Drive In on Miller Rd. in Flint

I don’t get it.  I still don’t get it.  We needed to run to the mall to pick up some things today so why not run to Flint?   Hell, gas is only $2.05.  Ever since we heard there was a Sonic opening in Flint, J has been wanting to go, so we went.  We hadn’t explored Flint yet and since it was one of the last major cities in Michigan we hadn’t checked, why not?

After grabbing lunch and doing some shopping, we made our way to Sonic.  It’s located on Miller Road right off Interstate 75.  When we pulled in, there was actually a line.  They had workers out in the parking lot directing traffic.  The first person handed us a menu and asked if we wanted a stall or wanted to go to the drive thru.  We wanted to park and eat so she directed us to a roped off area where more cars were waiting.  Then, another worker told us it was time to move into a stall and directed us out of the holding area.  Finally, another person pointed us into an empty stall.  There were five or six cars in front of us but we only waited five minutes or so to get into a stall.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Flint, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Redwood Lodge

9 11 2008
  • 5305 Gateway Center Dr.
  • Flint, MI 48507
  • (810) 233-8000
  • Website
  • Menu
The Redwood Lodge just off of I-75 in Flint

The Redwood Lodge just off of US-23 in Flint

I don’t usually expect Brew Pubs to be considered “upscale dining”, but when I looked on the Flint Visitors Bureau website that’s what it said.  I just figured it was a mistake or Flint has a pretty low standard.  I was wrong.

Redwood Lodge is located in a business/hotel park called Gateway Center.  It’s right off of US-23 and visibile from the freeway.  There’s a huge parking lot out front and the building makes you think of a lodge in the Rocky Mountains.  As we were making our way to the entrance, we passed stacks of mesquite wood which would be used in the wood burning oven.

The inside carried on the Rocky Mountain Lodge theme.  We were met by a host at the front who showed us to a booth near the bar area.  The booths didn’t butt up to the walls like they usually do.  They were freestanding and you could enter on either side.  A waitress came over and got our order for the usual Diet Pepsi and Pepsi.  We passed up the “World’s Largest Bloody Mary Bar.”  A great deal at $6 for all you can drink Bloody Mary’s, but neither of us drink Bloody Mary’s so we passed. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Brew Pub, Flint, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Hobie’s Cafe & Pub

3 11 2008
  • 930 Trowbridge Rd.
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-3800
  • Website
  • Menu

Hobie's Cafe and Pub in the Trowbridge Plaza in East Lansing.

I do love me a good sandwich. After reviewing Menna’s Joint (review HERE), frequent commenter Corky suggested we check out Hobie’s in the Trowbridge Plaza in East Lansing.  I got lazy and uninspired when dinner time rolled around.  I e-mailed J to see what she wanted to do and she said we should just go out.  Since it was recommended, looked cheap, and looked good, we decided to check Hobie’s out for ourselves.

Hobie’s is in a pretty interesting location.  It’s sandwiched between Goodrich’s Shop-Rite and a Subway.  We made our way inside and found a huge menu chalkboard right away.  After deciding on sandwiches, we walked up to the “Place Orders Here” sign.  It didnt’ really look right, but we did what the sign said anyway.  After a few minutes, a very hesitant employee came over to take our orders.  My guess is he is pretty new.  He didn’t seem to sure of himself taking our orders. 

J ordered the Chicken Breast which came with their special “South of the Border” sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato on wheat bread.  She asked to keep the tomato off, but they put it on anyway.  She loved the sandwich.  Neither of us could really pinpoint what was in the sauce, but she said it was delicious.  Getting the tomato on the sandwich is a little disappointing, but not that big of a deal.  They were small enough that they didn’t leave a lot of residue on the sandwich. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : East Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Mark’s Watershed

1 11 2008
  • 5965 Marsh Rd.
  • Haslett, MI 48840
  • (517) 339-4877
  • Website
  • Menu
Marks Watershed on the corner of Lake Lansing and Marsh Roads in Haslett.

Mark's Watershed on the corner of Lake Lansing and Marsh Roads in Haslett.

This was our second attempt at Mark’s Watershed.  A few months ago, we tried to stop in for lunch on a Saturday afternoon only to find the building locked up.  We were laying around watching college football (yes, J likes to watch football and we got a double header today with MSU playing early and U of Illinois playing late) and kind of lost track of time.  A little after 7:00, I asked what she wanted to do for dinner.  We had a late lunch at Menna’s Joint downtown (review HERE), so a dinner after 8:00 didn’t seem that bad.

Mark’s Watershed sits on the corner of Marsh and Lake Lansing Road.  Lake Lansing is just over a block away.  We came from Lake Lansing road which is where the parking lot actually is.  There was no doubt that they were open this time.  The parking lot was packed.  We made our way inside to the waiting area.  There was a sign on the hostess station to seat yourself, so we stepped into the dining room to find a table.  It’s not a huge space.  There are less than 20 tables.  There are booths along each wall.  The booths are made out of wood planks and they are really high backed.  There’s no worry about not having enough privacy.

After a few minutes, a waitress notices us and brings over menus.  The menu isn’t quite as big as the one I could find on-line (and linked to at the top of this review), but most of the items are there.  We started with an order of Shed Chips.  The menu describes them as “sliced russet potatoes, seasoned, fried and served with chunky bleu cheese dressing.”  I assumed they would be more like fries, but really, they were homemade potato chips and they were delicious.  The bleu cheese was served on the side, wasn’t really chunky, and there wasn’t a whole lot there.  The chips stood on their own.  Good starter. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Haslett, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Menna’s Joint – Lansing

1 11 2008
  • 208 S. Washington Sq.
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 316-3827
  • Website
  • Menu
Mennas Joints new location in downtown Lansing on Washing Square.

Menna's Joint's new location in downtown Lansing on Washing Square.

“The only legal joint in town.”  Nice.  And what the hell is a “dub” anyway?  J and I got up and went for a walk on the River Walk from the Lansing City Market to Old Town.  After a walk and a quick trip through the Market, we went to Washington Square in search of lunch.  As we drove by, I happened to notice the new restaurant tucked in between Tavern on the Square and Brannigan Brothers, so we found a parking spot and stopped in for lunch.

Menna’s Joint is way too nice for a typical sub shop.  Put a table cloth on the table and you would think you were in a fine dining establishment.  The wood panelled walls are covered with artsy posters.  There’s a faux cement block motif running throughout and a couple of alcoves that offer a little bit of privacy.  The chairs and tables are much nicer than you would expect.  There are a number of LCD TV’s hanging on the walls and there’s even a waterfall and fireplace to make you feel like you’re not in a fast food joint.

The order counter is near the back of the space.  We made our way back to order.  First off, I should explain that I finally figured out what a “dub” was and I was intrigued.  Apparently, it’s a grilled wrap with no beans or rice filler.  Sounds good to me.  I ordered the Chicken Parm Dub without the mushrooms.  The grilled tortilla came filled with chicken tenders, Parmesan, mozzarella, and marinara.  I was a little surprised by the size and just how filled it was.  I got chicken in every bite.  There was no filler and fancy folding of the tortilla to make it look bigger than it actually was.  I’ve never had anything like a dub before.  The dub was really filling and really good. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Tripper’s Sports Bar & Grill

30 10 2008
  • 350 Frandor Ave.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 336-0717
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Trippers Sports Bar and Grill in the Frandor Shopping Center

Tripper's Sports Bar and Grill in the Frandor Shopping Center

I’m a little surprised I had never heard of Tripper’s before this past weekend.  On Saturday, we were at Frandor to check out the Linens ‘n Things going out of business sale and I noticed a sports bar on the other side of Frandor.  This afternoon, J and I realized we haven’t eaten out since Saturday, so we decided to go for lunch.  I had a hard time getting out of bed and by the time J pushed me out, it was afternoon.  I was a little worried we’d be pushing it to get her back in time to get ready for work, but it turned out not to be an issue.

Tripper’s is located in the Frandor Shopping Center right next to Olga’s kitchen.  For a Thursday afternoon, Frandor was packed.  I was surprised at just how many people there were.  The traffic was bad and it was hard to find a parking spot.  I finally found one somewhat near where we were going.  We walked back to Tripper’s.  When we entered the building, we were met with a long hallway back to the bar.  The host met us about halfway and asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking.  We, of course, didn’t want to sit in a smokey bar.  The host took us the rest of the way down this long hallway, past the pool room and poker room to the non-smoking dining room.  Once you get to the back of the bar, there are two rooms.  One is the actual bar area which is set up and lit like a normal bar.  To the right of the hallway is the non-smoking dining room which is more like a typical restaurant with regular tables and more lighting. 

A waitress came over for drinks.  We ordered our Cokes and I actually got a regular Coke this time.  That hasn’t happened in a while even though I keep ordering it.  When it came time for lunch orders, I spotted my sandwich right away.  Even though Tripper’s has a really big menu that would satisfy any palette, I barely looked it because I found a Black and Bleu burger on the menu.  My burger came with bleu cheese piled on top.  There was no missing it and I got a good chunk of cheese in every bite.  The sandwich also came with lettuce and tomato which I pulled off.  The bleu cheese is the only flavor I want on this particular burger.  A mound of steak fries were served on the side.  Not usually a fan because steak fries get really potato-y tasting.  However, Tripper’s seasoned these fries really well with what I believe was just salt and pepper, but it added a really great taste to the fries. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits – Lansing

26 10 2008
  • 3010 S. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 887-9861
  • Website
  • Menu
Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits on MLK in Lansing.

Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits on MLK in Lansing.

Who doesn’t “love that chicken from Popeye’s?”  I freakin love Popeye’s Chicken.  I know that’s really unlike me since Popeye’s is a chain, but I’ve never found chicken anywhere that I like better.  I’ll try to search out the local chicken joints, but I always end up back at Popeye’s.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  There was one place in Joliet, IL that I did like better, but out of hundreds of examples, that’s the one exception.   We’ve been looking for this store for quite a while.  The day we moved to Lansing, we drove around forever trying to find it.  We tried calling 411 and they said there was no listing in Lansing.  We put it into the GPS and nothing came up.  We were trying to feed not only ourselves, but our families who made the long trip to Michigan to help us move into our new place.  A few months ago, I drove down MLK just looking around and we finally found Popeye’s Chicken.

J doesn’t agree with me.  She grew up in Chicago where Brown’s Chicken reigns supreme.  When I lived in Joliet, IL there was a Popeye’s and a Browns right next to each other.  I tried both but always went back to Popeye’s.  Popeye’s aren’t really that prevelant in the Chicagoland area so the first time J had Popeye’s was right after we started dating in Peoria.  I had to work late and she had a box of chicken and a six pack of Budweiser’s waiting for me when I got to her house. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Rookies

23 10 2008
  • 16460 S. US Highway 27
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 487-8686
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Rookies on US 27 in North Lansing

Rookies on US 27 in North Lansing

If you remember from a few months ago, I mentioned how much J liked karaoke.  When she lived in Idaho Falls, she found a karaoke bar.  When we lived in Peoria, we found a karaoke bar.  When we moved to Lansing, we never found a karaoke bar.  When we were in Chicago last weekend, she wanted to go find a bar, but we got watching Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live and never made it out.  That itch never went away, so she got on Google and again started looking for karaoke in Lansing.  She found Rookies and after a phone call to see what time it started, she had her mind set on singing, so we pushed dinner back to 8:30 then went looking for Rookies.

We looked for a long time to try and figure out where exactly Rookies was at.  For most of you that have lived here all your lives, it’s not hard.  For us newbies who rely on Google Maps and a GPS to get around, it was a pain in the ass.  Google Maps puts the bar out near Flint for some reason.  Even though the listing says Lansing, it puts a mark on the map far east of the city.  After striking out on Google, we pulled out the GPS.  Daniel (that’s what we call our Garmin due to the voice file we use being called Daniel) couldn’t find the street in Lansing.  This is a really common problem with both J’s and my GPS.  I have a Nextar and she has a Garmin.  A co-worker of hers has a Garmin also and runs into the same problem.  It’s a problem we never have anywhere outside of Michigan.  Michigan’s prominent use of Townships as addresses screw the computers up.  Finally, we found the correct address in Dewitt Township, but it was incredibly frustrating just trying to find a bar. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, St. Johns

Hometown Diner

22 10 2008
  • 1040 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 372-5535
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Hometown Diner on Pennsylvania near I-474 in Lansing

Hometown Diner on Pennsylvania near I-496 in Lansing

J took one more day off after we got back in Michigan just so we could relax after a long weekend of traveling.  We were woke up fairly early for us by a phone call and neither of us could fall back asleep.  After going to the Potter Park Zoo during the “Be A Tourist In Your Own Hometown Event” we kept saying we needed to walk the River Trail.  We noticed it from the zoo, but we never made an effort to actually go for a walk.  Since we had such a bad weekend eating (I had four pizzas), I suggested we go for a walk.  Since it was about lunch time, J said we should eat first.

I had been reading reviews about a diner on Pennsylvania near the Zoo so that’s where I decided to to go for lunch.

The Hometown Diner sits on Pennsylvania across from the BWL in an old Sparty’s Coney Island.  It shares a building and parking lot with a Mexican grocery store.  We parked near the back of the lot and walked in to find a small diner with seating for just over a hundred.  We showed ourselves to a table in the middle of the room.  The layout is pretty common for small diners.  Booths line the walls with tables in the middle.  There’s a lunch counter near the front of the space and the kitchen is open so you can see the cook preparing your meal.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Diner, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Rose’s on Reed’s Lake

22 10 2008
  • 550 Lakeside Dr. SE
  • East Grand Rapids, MI 49506
  • (616) 458-1122
  • Website
  • Menu
Roses on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids

Rose's on Reed's Lake in East Grand Rapids

Rose’s on Reed’s Lake was an incredible find.  The restaurant had been suggested last time we were in Grand Rapids by two of J’s co-workers.  We passed wanting to check out downtown.  We should have took their advice.  The last trip was kind of a bust because we couldn’t find any walkable areas.  Rose’s on Reed’s Lake is close enough to what I’m guessing was downtown East Grand Rapids which is easily walkable and really cute.

We had a really hard time getting to Rose’s.  We were in Grand Rapids for a concert at Van Andel Arena.  The idea was to have a nice leisurely meal.  We left my parents in Illinois six hours before the concert.  It was a three and a half hour drive and we wanted to make a stop in Michigan City, IN at the outlet mall.  I thought we’d have plenty of time.  That was, until we hit construction.  I couldn’t hold it anymore and had to get off a heavily torn up portion of I-196 to find a restroom.  It took us 15 minutes to find our way back to the Interstate due to ramps being closed.  After that, we finally make it to Lakeside Drive only to find it closed due to construction.  Luckily, we had a GPS that brought us to the next road which was also closed due to construction.  Finally, we made it to a road that was open and weaved our way back to where we needed to be. 

I saw the sign for Rose’s out near the road and wondered if it was the right spot.  The parking lot is almost non-existent.  There are probably only a half dozen spots, but there is plenty of street parking.  We were facing the wrong way, so I went up to the next intersection to turn around and find a spot to park.  It was brisk autumn night so we kind of hustled the half a block to the restaurant. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Italian, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

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