Melting Moments

12 10 2008
  • 313 E. Grand River Ave.
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 332-0110
  • Website
  • Menu
Melting Moments in downtown East Lansing.

Melting Moments in downtown East Lansing.

Ice cream is always a guaranteed way to make everything better.  After a not so great meal at The Small Planet (review HERE), I needed something to make J feel better.  As we were leaving Small Planet, she asked how far Melting Moments was from where we were.  An intern at J’s work told her about Melting Moments months ago, but we never thought of it until a few weeks ago when we tried to go to the MSU Dairy Store on my lunch break.  The line at the Dairy Store was too long and I was starting to run out of time when J said something about Melting Moments.

Melting Moments is situated right on Grand River Avenue and it shares space with a Backyard BBQ store.  We found a parking space on MAC Avenue and walked a block to the store.  The inside is the typical ice cream shop set up.  We found a case with a variety of delicious flavors.  They also had fresh gelato and other handmade goodies. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : East Lansing, Ice Cream, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

The Small Planet Food & Spirit

11 10 2008
  • 16800 S. Chandler Rd.
  • Suite 109
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-6230
  • Website
  • Menu
The Small Planet at Chandler Crossings in East Lansing.

The Small Planet at Chandler Crossings in East Lansing.

I was never around for the original incarnation of The Small Planet.  Apparently, it was pretty popular and people are excited about this new version.  I get hundreds and hundreds of hits every week from people looking for information on The Small Planet so we figured one of these days, we need to go check it out for ourselves.

I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old or what, but I hate paying cover charges.  There are very few places that I will pay a cover and not bitch and they’re all in Chicago.  They’re not in Lansing.  Plus, the bands that play at The Small Planet really aren’t my kind of music.  I’m a country music fan.  I’m going to see Taylor Swift in two weeks and I’m excited about it, so it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to go to a bar that gets a lot of rock bands.

So, instead, we decided to check out their dinner menu.  We went on a Saturday night, but early enough the nighttime crowd hadn’t started coming in yet.  It was about 6:00 and the place was pretty empty.  From the beginning, J had a bad vibe about the place.  Small Planet is not a good place if you’re just looking for a meal.  The place is huge and very open.  There’s no comfort to it at all.  When you walk in, there are short tables leading all the way to the bar.  In the back, there are higher pub tables back by the video games and pool tables.  We chose one of the pub tables all the way in the back corner.  We did this very intentionally. 

I know Michigan hasn’t passed a smoking ban yet and I know it’s up to the owners to decide how much smoke they want.  The Small Planet management must not care at all.  There was no one seated anywhere near us.  There were people at the bar smoking and on the other side of the restaurant smoking, but it felt like someone was sitting at the table next to us blowing smoke in our face.  Like I said earlier, The Small Planet is not a good place if your just looking for a meal. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, East Lansing, Entertainment Venues, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Walmart Supercenter – St. Johns

11 10 2008
  • 1165 Superior Rd.
  • St. Johns, MI 48879
  • (989) 224-8099
  • Website
The Walmart Supercenter just off of Business 127 in St. Johns

The Walmart Supercenter just off of Business 127 in St. Johns

I’ve blogged about Walmart before.  J and I hit the Walmart in Delta Township (review HERE) about once a week to get things we can’t get at Horrocks (review HERE).  The big reason we go to Walmart and not somewhere else is they are the only place in town we can find Mandarin Orange Propel.  I grabbed the last Propel out of the fridge last night so we needed to get more.  We had talked about going around Lansing to the Delta Township store on our way home, but first, we wanted to go into St. Johns to get gas.  I noticed on Lansinggasprices.com that St. Johns had gas for $3.05/gal.  We found a BP on US 127BR that had gas for that price so we stopped and filled up.

After getting gas and a potty break, we kept heading south to try and find the freeway again.  Along the way, we found gas for $3.02 and $2.99.  That $2.99 was at the Murphy’s USA in the Walmart Supercenter parking lot.  I noticed the Walmart and put my turn signal on to turn in.  Why go all the way out to Delta Township when there was a Walmart Supercenter right here?  It sounded like a good idea to me, so we went in to do some shopping.

You all know what Walmart looks like and what you can find there.  The only reason I’m writing this review is to blow off a little steam about rude, inconsiderate, and just plain ignorant cashiers.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Grocery, Michigan, Reviews, St. Johns

Uncle John’s Cider Mill

11 10 2008
  • 8614 North US 127
  • St. Johns, MI 48879
  • (989) 224-3686
  • Website
Shops and dining area at Uncle Johns Cider Mill in St. Johns

Shops and dining area at Uncle Johns Cider Mill in St. Johns

Ah, fall.  There are just certain things you have to do every fall.  When I lived and worked in Peoria, IL, I did a story every year at an apple orchard about twenty minutes outside of Peoria.  On our couple trips north to Traverse City and Mt. Pleasant, I noticed a farm just north of St. Johns.  We talked to a few people who have lived here forever and everyone told us stories of how Uncle Johns Cider Mill brought back memories of their childhood.  Since it was a gorgeous weekend, we figured what the hell.  Let’s go get some apples.

Uncle Johns is huge.  We were both shocked by what we found when we arrived at the farm on US 127 north of the City of St. Johns.  We were directed back to a huge grass parking lot where we didn’t really know where anything was at and ended up parking pretty far from the attractions.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Chocolate, Michigan, Reviews, St. Johns

The Draft House Neighborhood Bar & Grill

11 10 2008
  • 12449 S. US Highway 27
  • DeWitt, MI 48820
  • (517) 669-5206
  • Website
  • Menu
The Draft House Neighboorhood Bar & Grill on Old US 27 outside of Dewitt

The Draft House Neighboorhood Bar & Grill on Old US 27 outside of Dewitt

How many times have I said all restaurants need a website?  I know I keep harping on it, but again, we picked The Draft House for lunch just becuase I found a website and it looked cool.  We were out in Clinton Country because we wanted to go check out Uncle John’s Cider Mill, but first, we needed lunch.  I looked for places in St. John’s and didn’t find a whole lot.  My Google search then led me to Dewitt.  I found a few places there, but The Draft House looked cool and looked like our kind of place so that’s where we went.

We had a hard time finding the place at first because the GPS wouldn’t recognize the address they way it was written on Google.  We instead hit “City Center” and started driving hoping we’d find it.  There’s no way we would have had we continued on that path, but when we got to an intersection marked “Old US 27” we tried putting that in the GPS and we finally got the address right.

The Draft House is on Old US 27 outside of DeWitt.  There’s a huge sign out front, but the building itself is pretty non-descript.  There were a few cars in the parking lot, but we were pretty early.  The football games had just started so the bar wasn’t completely empty.  Things started looking good when we opened the door to go in.  Hanging next to the door is a sign proclaiming The Draft House is smoke free!  YAY!  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Dewitt, Michigan, Pub, Reviews, Sandwiches

Culver’s of Okemos

7 10 2008
  • 5140 Times Square Place
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 853-8714
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Okemos on Times Square Pl

Culver's of Okemos on Times Square Place near Wal-Mart

I was looking at my stats today and noticed there were a ton of hits for a post I put up last week about $1 butter burgers at Culver’s.  I should have looked at that post.  I thought it was tomorrow, but I got an e-mail from J who was excited about those $1 burgers…..and it was today!  I scrapped dinner plans and went to pick J up from work.  Last year, we waited in line for $1 burgers at Culver’s in Morton, IL and it was totally worth it. 

In the restaurant business, you’re always told it’s location, location, location.  Culver’s of Okemos couldn’t have done a worse job with that.  I can’t figure out why they would put a restaurant where they did.  It’s down a dark road and there’s nothing around it.  We had a helluva time finding it.  It wasn’t in J’s GPS.  She finally called 411 to get the address, but I had just seen a sign for it near Wal-Mart.  So we drive back by the Wal-Mart and I almost miss it.  There is no sign outside and the building isn’t lit very well.  This store is in a really weird location and we had a tough time finding it.

When we finally did get inside, I was surprised that there wasn’t a line out the door.  I don’t know if it wasn’t advertised really well or what, but it looked like a regular night at Culver’s.  After a short wait, J went up to the counter to place our order.  When we lived in Morton, the Culver’s was within walking distance from our apartment, so we ate there too much.  As far as fast food burgers go, Culver’s is by far the best.  Since burgers were $1, there was a limit of five, so J ordered one with cheese for herself and four plain ones for me.  The dollar burgers were just plain butterburgers.  The cheese I think was a quarter extra. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Ice Cream, Michigan, Okemos, Restaurant, Reviews

Get-A-Way Saloon

6 10 2008
  • 9489 Red Arrow Highway
  • Bridgman, MI 49106
  • (269) 465-5932
  • Website
  • Menu
The Get-A-Way Saloon in Bridgman, MI

The Get-A-Way Saloon in Bridgman, MI

As a Southsider, the Get-A-Way Saloon is hostile territory.  They make no bones about being Cub fans and the decor and menu reflect that.  I noticed a billboard for Get-A-Way on I-94 while heading home.  I was supposed to take an Amtrak on Saturday from Chicago back to East Lansing, but my niece was still in the hospital and I wanted to hold out one more day to see if she’d get to go home and I’d get to hold her one more time.  That didn’t happen, but now I needed to get home.  My parents like to gamble at Four Winds in New Buffalo and J had been sick all weekend and wanted to get out of the house, so they both agreed to drive halfway.  My parents kept driving and as I was on the phone with J to set up a meeting point, I saw the billboard and told my parents to pull off the highway.  Five minutes later, J was pulling in to a gas station near the highway so we could make the switch.

After saying goodbye to the new grandparents, J and I continued down Red Arrow Highway to grab some grub.  We pulled into the small, neighborhood bar covered with ivy just a few minutes before the White Sox ALDS game.  On the sign out front were the words “Cubbies Why?”  Below that was a scoreboard with the score from last nights NLDS game with the Dodgers in which the Cubs lost.  We made our way though the swinging doors to find a bar covered with Cubs jersey and memoribilia and a dining room.  We started to go towards the dining room, but none of the TV’s had the NASCAR race on which was our first priority, so we headed to the bar.  The tables in the bar were empty so we took one where we could see both the race and the Sox.  Even the table had a big Cubs logo and right before the Sox game started, the bartender, who was wearing a Cubs jersey, turned the channel.  We weren’t going to say anything, but another guy at the bar wearing a Sox jersey did and the game was turned on. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bridgman, Burgers, Dive Bar, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Brickstone Brewery – Bourbonnais, IL

5 10 2008
  • 557 William Latham Dr.
  • Bourbonnais, IL 60914
  • (815) 936-9277
  • Website
  • Menu
Brickstone Brewery on William Lathan Dr. in Bourbonnais, IL

Brickstone Brewery on William Lathan Dr. in Bourbonnais, IL

After a couple long days at the hospital, I needed some real food.  I grabbed my mom and we headed to Bourbonnais (home of the Chicago Bears training camp) for some grub.  Brickstone Brewery is still one of the hottest places in the Kankakee area.  We went to dinner on a Friday night knowing we could be heading into a wait.  You see, if you get there after 5:00 on a weekend, you will probably have a wait.  We got there about ten minutes before 5:00 and were lucky enough to get a table without a wait.

Brickstone is located where the former Greenbriar Restaurant used to be.  Brickstone is a total overhaul.  Having lived in a couple different cities over the last decade, I’ve gotten used to finding restaurants like this, but Kankakee has never seen any place like this.  Brickstone is a brew pub.  They brew their own brews, but they’re smart enough to have the domestic staples on hand.  In a place like Lansing, you could get away with just having your beers.  Not in Kankakee.  They’d be out of business if they tried that.

That night was also Game 2 of the ALDS featuring the Chicago White Sox.  When we were seated in the dining room, I made sure I sat where I could see one of the LCD TV’s in the corner.  Yes, they had TV’s in the dining room.  The interior design is, again, nothing like anything else in Kankakee.  It’s got the same feel as most brew pubs which is the exposed, dark woods.  We were seated at a booth along the wall.  We were pretty close to the bar, so there was a lot of noise from the game that carried over which was ok with me.  That way, I knew when to look up at the TV. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : bourbonnais, Burgers, Illinois, Kankakee, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Poor Boy Restaurant – Kankakee, IL

5 10 2008
  • 1514 E. Court St.
  • Kankakee, IL 60901
  • (815) 939-1880
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Poor Boy Restaurant on Court Street in Kankakee, IL

Poor Boy Restaurant on Court Street in Kankakee, IL

After twelve hours, I finally got to welcome my niece into this world.  Needless to say, after twelve hours, my sister-in-law was exhausted and hungry.  Her first meal post delivery was Wendy’s, but the next day, she wanted something deep fried.  I went back to the hospital hoping I could hold her again, but she was put under the blue lights due to the jaundice, so instead, I just got to hang out with my brother and sister-in-law. 

About 3:00, the new mom decided she was hungry, but the hospital kitchen stopped serving.  No bid deal.  LIke I said, she was really in the mood for deep fried anyway.  When she worked at a flower shop on Kankakee’s southside, Poor Boy Restaurant was a frequent stop for lunch. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicken, Illinois, Kankakee, Restaurant, Reviews

Blue’s Cafe – Kankakee, IL

3 10 2008
  • 1190 W. Station St.
  • Kankakee, IL 60901
  • (815) 933-5315
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Blues Cafe on Station Street in Kankakee, IL

Blue's Cafe on Station Street in Kankakee, IL

If you watch ABC’s World News with Charles Gibson, Blue’s Cafe is a place you may actually heard of.  A few weeks ago (September 18 to be exact) Barbara Pinto showed up in Kankakee to do a Wall Street vs. Main St. story.  Blue’s Cafe was one of the places she visited to get the “regular Joe” insight into the financial crisis.

Blue’s Cafe is a spot that many people in the area automatically suggest when I ask for a local restaurant.  According to my brother, the food is ok, but the pie is to die for.  As I was waiting with my family for my niece to be born, my aunt mentioned she was hungry and hadn’t eaten all day.  Since I’m always hungry, I offered to go to “lupper” (the meal between lunch and supper) with her.  Since everybody always suggests it, I said “How about Blue’s?”

Blue’s Cafe is located on Station Street not far from the hospital.  It’s a very plain building with an old sign out front adorned with an old Pepsi logo and the words “Blue’s Cafe.”  Since we got there at such a wierd time, the dining room was fairly empty.  There are two dining rooms that probably used to be the smoking and non-smoking section before Illinois got smart and banned smoking in public places.  There’s also a lunch counter near the kitchen in the first dining room. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Diner, Illinois, Kankakee, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

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