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.


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sports Bar

Weston’s Kewpee Sandwich Shop

11 04 2008
  • 118 S Washington Sq
  • Lansing, MI 48933-1704
  • Phone: (517) 482-8049
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend and I were checking out downtown Lansing one day and decided to stop into Kewpee for lunch. They had a menu posted outside and some of the selections looked interesting so we figured why not. The waitress claimed that Kewpee is famous for their burgers, which include an Oliveburger and a Cherry Burger…for once in my life, I probably should have had the burger.

Instead, I went with the club sandwich. Usually, my girlfriend orders the club…I order the burger, and I end up saying I should have got the club. Not this time. It should have been a sign as to how the meal was going to go when the waitress brought our drinks in styrofoam cups…but I was hoping the food would make up for that. We both ordered a side of fries with our sandwiches and the waitress brought those to the table before the sandwiches like they were an appetizer. My g/f liked the fries noting they were nice and crispy. To me, they’re just out of the bag fries.

Our sandwiches came a few minutes later. Like I said, I got the club. It was served on hamburger bun…not toasted white bread or something that would have provided less bread than a hamburger bun. There were a couple slices of ham and turkey, a slice of provolone, a piece of lettuce, a half slice of tomato and probably 3 gallons of mayo. Needless to say, I wasn’t all that happy with the sandwich.

My girlfriend ordered the BLT. Lots of bacon, and lettuce on toasted white bread. She didn’t really comment on the food. She just said she didn’t have an appetite because of a smell in the store. I’ll be nice and not write what she said it smelled like, but it was enough to make her lose her appetite.

The Kewpee has a really good location and the restaurant itself has a neat layout with exposed brick and separators that make sure you have a private dining experience. Maybe the burgers are great, but I’m not sure I want to give them another chance to try. Our meal, which neither of us were happy with, still cost $18….I could have made it at home for less than $5


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Champion Sports Bar and Grill

11 04 2008
  • 2440 Cedar St
  • Holt, MI 48842-2104
  • Phone: (517) 694-7660
  • No Website Known
  • Menu

Champion Sports bar is your classic sports bar with TV’s everywhere, lots of beer, and decent pub food. We stopped in for a business meeting which happened to be on the same day as the Detroit Tigers season opener, so there were quite a few guys at the bar and it got loud everytime someone hit a pop fly.

We walked in and showed ourselves to a table near the back of the restaurant to try and get away from the sports crowd. This is where the horrible service started. We sat there for a good 10 minutes before one of the ladies in my party got up to find a waitress. About the time she got up, the waitress noticed and came over and took drink orders. It took about 10 minutes to get those drinks and menus. Then she left again and it took another 10-15 minutes to for her to come back to actually take the order.

I ordered the blackened burger. Really it was just a burger with cajun spices, but it was pretty hot for a burger. I was a little surprised and had to keep grabbing my Pepsi (which also took a while to get refilled). The sandwich came with fries which were the ordinary out of the bag crispy fries.

My girlfriend ordered the blackened chicken salad. When she asked the waitress what kind of dressing they had, the waitress replied, “we pretty much have anything.” Well, that was true as long as you didn’t want a vinegrette. The salad did come piled with chicken pices and she said it was good.

The other two ladies in my party split between a sandwich and a salad. One ordered a fajita salad and had them put it in a taco shell. The other had a chicken sandwich. Neither of them made any comment to me about their meals, but both finished and were too stuffed for desert.

The waitress came back one more time to see if we wanted anything and at that point, one of the ladies I was with asked for the check…not sure if the waitress would ever come back. The price for four of us was about $40, but it took over and hour and a half to eat a meal at a sports bar. The food was ok. The atmosphere and the bar area are great if you’re wanting to watch a game, but the waitress was not very on top things and it really dragged the place down.


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Categories : Holt, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sports Bar, Uncategorized

Fleetwood Diner – Lansing

11 04 2008
  • 2211 S Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48910-3131
  • Phone: (517) 267-7606
  • Website
  • Menu

The Fleetwood Diner is a throwback and exactly what you think of when you think of the word “diner.” My first weekend in Lansing, I accidently stumbled on the Fleetwood while driving around lost trying to get back to my new place, so, of course, the next day we headed back for breakfast.

The Fleetwood is an interesting place. The exterior is a metallic silver. The inside is cramped. You walk into the counter and to either side is a small dining room. One smoking and one non-smoking. There is a bench that runs along with wall with tables pushed up against them and chairs on the other side and there are a couple booths along the back wall plus a few tables in between. We were seated at one of the in between tables.

The host gave us the menus and took drink orders. A different waitress came back with drink and took our meal order. I got a bacon omelet which came with four pieces of toast and hash browns. The omelet took up a good portion of the plate and had big chunks of cripsy bacon. The toast could have used a little more butter and I didn’t really dive into the hashbrowns since I’m not really a fan.

The other guy in my group got the french toast and a cup of coffee. His plate came with 6 pretty good slices of bread which he polished off pretty quickly.

Now, the ladies dove right into the Fleetwood’s specialty….the Hippie Hash. My girlfriend got eggs and toast and got the Hash as a side. She didn’t say anything about either the eggs or the toast, but really enjoyed the hash. Hippie Hash consists of the Fleetwood’s homemade hash browns topped with grilled tomato, green pepper, onion, mushroom and broccoli topped with feta cheese. On the plate, it just looks like a mess, but both my girlfriend and her mom (who ordered the Hippie Hash as a meal) enjoyed it and will probably go back for it.

The Fleetwood is just a classic 24 hour diner. The people were great, the atmosphere is that retro diner feel I’m always looking for in a new city. The food was alright, but I’m sure this is a place I’m going to take anyone and everyone who comes to town for a visit. You just have to see the Fleetwood.   I always thought this would be a great place for the Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, but when I e-mailed the producer, he e-mailed back and said they’ve contacted The Fleetwood and the owners weren’t intersted.  Too bad because that would have made a great episode


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Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Diner, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

The Nuthouse Sports Grill

11 04 2008
  • 420 E Michigan Ave
  • Lansing, MI 48933-1421
  • Phone: (517) 484-6887
  • Website
  • Menu

 

The Nuthouse Sports Grill has a great location just across the street from Oldsmobile Park in downtown Lansing. It’s hard to miss driving by as the huge signs out front scream out to you as your driving by.

After finding parking in their tiny lot, we went inside where the hostess showed us to a table in the main dining room near the bar. There are also a couple more rooms that are available for private parties which I was told they use as overflow dining when the main room is packed.

Our server came over and took drink orders. By the time he came back, we were ready to order.

I got the Black & Bleu burger. A 100% Angus beef patty with a cajun spice came topped with provolone and crumbled bleu cheese. The meat itself was alright, but the combination of the two cheese really gave the burger a lot of flavor and made me want another one. The sandwich came with a side of cajun fries which were nothing special, but tasty and complimented the sandwich well.

My girlfriend got the Garden Burger. A 100% meatless patty came topped with provolone on a kaiser roll. She said the guacamole that was served on the side is what made the sandwich for her. Like my burger, hers also came with the cajun fries which she enjoyed more than I did.

Once he took our order, the server seemed to disappear. Someone else brought our meal. When it was time for drink refills, he was no where to be found. I was sucking on ice cubes. I think he finally noticed when my date held her glass up to show me she was empty. Then he came with a couple Cokes.

The price wasn’t too bad for a sports bar and we left stuffed. They look like they have pretty good drink specials and you couldn’t ask for a better location. I’m sure the place is hopping before a baseball game. I’m sure once we move to Lansing, we’ll be spending a lot of time at The Nuthouse.


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sports Bar

New To Lansing

1 04 2008

I just moved to Lansing and I’m looking forward to diving into the culinary world here.  I don’t eat everyday, but my girlfriend and I do eat out a lot and for the most part, we don’t eat at the same place twice unless it absolutely blows both of us away.  We’re huge on local diners and love the history and culture that surround such places.  It’s very, very rare that you will see us at one of the major chains, but it does happen (family in town, convience, etc.).  I’ve been posting my reviews on the website we8there.com for about three years, but I thought on the move to Michigan, I would start my own site and get some discussion going. Since I started posting on We8there, I’ve reviewed over 300 restaurants with the majority being in my old home town of Peoria, IL. I won’t transfer those over, but if I ever travel, you will probably see those reviews here too.


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Categories : Diner, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Uncategorized

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