Curtis Famous Barbecue

28 06 2008
  • Corner of Saginaw & CawoodCurtis Famous BBQ
  • Lansing, MI
  • (517) 333-9287
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

“You had the rest, now taste the best” and “taste tells the story” are two phrases you see a lot around the van that doubles as a BBQ shop that sits in the parking lot of American Print and Copy on Saginaw Highway.  Curtis is proud of his barbecue and with good reason.  I had seen a couple reviews for Curtis Famous Barbecue on the web, but I really wasn’t sure where it was.  I was driving on Saginaw Highway one day last week and started smelling it long before I saw it.

My girlfriend and I were being lazy and laying around watching TV one Saturday afternoon.  About one o’clock, she said something about being hungry and after seeing Curtis out cooking one day, I really wanted to try it.  I was able to find the intersection he usually sits at and put that in the GPS.  The thing about Curtis Famous Barbecue is it’s not a restaurant.  It’s an old delivery van that Curtis drives there each day and because it’s mobile, he can bring his smoker to fairs and festivals in the area.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 11 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : BBQ, Lansing, Reviews

Merindorf Meats & More – Williamston

28 06 2008
  • 500 Williamston Center Rd.Merindorf Meats & More
  • Williamston, MI 48895
  • (517) 655-2898
  • Website

If there’s been one constant on this blog over the past week, it’s been commentors that keep telling me I need to shop at Merindorf Meats.  They kept talking about the store in Mason, but somehow, I ended Williamston instead.  We were at Frandor Shopping Center where my girlfriend sold some gold.  After getting more than she expected, she suggested going to the meat shop everyone kept talking about on the blog.  Since we were already out and didn’t have an address, we put “Mason” and “meats” in her GPS.  Merindorf popped up, but the Williamston store is the only one that came up.  It wasn’t all that far and not being familiar with the area yet, we thought maybe people were saying Mason but it was really in Williamston, so we went. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Grocery, Reviews, Williamston

White Castle/Church’s Chicken – S. Cedar

27 06 2008

I hate White Castle.   That’s not necissarily a slam on the business.  I just don’t like thier slyders.  I’m not a huge onion fan and I really don’t like them on or in my burgers.  I’m well aware that people travel hours just to get to a White Castle, but I’ve never bought into it.  So when my girlfriend said she wanted something greasy for lunch, I was kind of surprised that she said White Castle.  I went along with it because this particular location also has a Church’s Chicken.  I figured I could get some chicken and she could get whatever greasy concoction her heart desired. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Burgers, Chicken, Fast Food, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews

American International Bulk Foods

27 06 2008
  • 6016 S. Pennsylvania Ave.American International Bulk Foods
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 393-1130
  • No Known Website

American International Bulk Foods was recommended to me by my girlfriends boss once she found out I like to cook.  I was told they have a good selection of spices, so I stopped in one day to see what exactly it was.  To my surprise, they had a lot of spices and a lot of hard to find spices at really good prices.  The store is set up like a bulk candy store.  There are rows of plastic bins filled with spices.  Just like a bulk candy store, you pick up a plastic bag and use a scoop to fill it up.  Tie the bag up and write the bin number on the bag and keep going.  This store is incredibly helpful if you cook a lot of Middle Eastern or Indian food.  There’s a lot of spices that you can’t get at the local mega mart. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

Benson’s Vinaigrettes

26 06 2008
  • 940 Elmwood Rd.Benson\'s Vinaigrettes
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 703-9616
  • Website
  • Menu

Boy, did we stumble on to something great here.  I drove by Benson’s Vinaigrettes last time my girlfriend got her haircut and said next month, that’s where we were going to eat lunch.  I found their website and was a little worried that I wouldn’t be all that thrilled with it.  I knew my girlfriend would love it and it’d be a nice change from all the bars and pizza joints I bring her to. 

Benson’s is located just behind the Lansing Mall.  It’s a really nice looking building from the outside with a LCD board underneath their sign that displays today’s entrees.  Inside, Benson’s reminds you of a deli.  The place is much bigger than it looks.  You walk through the dining room and get in line.  All of today’s food is on display in cases.  The menu is constantly changing.  You can get salads and wraps everyday, but that days entrees won’t be there tomorrow.  All the food is fresh and homemade.  The chef was standing in the dining room making sure everything was running smoothly.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Cafe, Lansing, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Meijer – Saginaw Hwy

26 06 2008
  • 5125 W. Saginaw Hwy.Meijer
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-8101
  • Website

It was that time again for my girlfriend to get a haircut.  For me, that usually means a couple hours of killing time and shopping.  This time, my girlfriend asked me to run a couple errands and pick up a few things at a mega-mart.  Since Meijer is right in front of the place she gets her hair cut, I stopped over there first.

Meijer is the pioneer when it comes to the hyper-market.  They were the first to come up with the full supermarkert plus full discount store design that Wal-Mart has now made popular.  While I like Meijer’s grocery store, I don’t shop there often.   Usually, we only go to Meijer when we need food plus general merchandise.  When we first moved to town, Meijer was the first grocery store we went to to stock our new place.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

Kroger – Saginaw Highway

26 06 2008
  • 6430 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-1039
  • Website

A few weeks ago when I originally posted about Kroger in Holt (review HERE), a commentor suggested I check out the Kroger on Saginaw and Creyts Rd.  I figured a Kroger is a Kroger, right?  Boy, I was wrong.

My girlfriend had me running some errands while she was getting her hair cut.  I tried to do pick up everything I needed at Meijer, but was one thing short.  I thought I was just going to go to Wal-Mart, but as I drove by Kroger, I remembered the comment and decided to stop.  My plan wasn’t to get anything food releated.  I was actually looking for a skin care product, but I wanted to check it out.  Let me tell you.  This is like no Kroger I’ve ever been in before.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 3 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

Troppo

25 06 2008
  • 101 S. Washington Sq.Troppo
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 371-4000
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend had a meeting at City Hall this morning and I tagged along to help her out.  The meeting ended just before one o’clock and both of us were hungry, so we decided to try another downtown place.  After two bad experiences, we finally had a good one with The Firm (review HERE), so why not try again.  From City Hall, I could see the sign for Troppo and that’s been on my list of places to try.  We moved the car a little farther down Michigan Avenue and made our way in for lunch.

Troppo can be kind of intimidating for the casual diner.  There’s a massive sign on the upscale building on the corner of Michigan and Washington Sq clearly marking the establishment.  You walk into a lobby area before you run into the hostess.  Beyond the hostess stand and thru a curtain, you enter the main dining room.  The space is gorgeaus.  Red fabrics and a deep brown wood are highlighted by vintage photos of Lansing and small chandeliers.  We were seated near the windows which look out to the terrace which has a beautiful view of the Capitol.  From our table, the view was the roundabout and the Comerica Bank Building.  Interesting thing about that building is the writing carved into the stone.  It looks like it used to be the City National Bank and there’s a huge inscription claiming to be the oldest bank in Lansing. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Fine Dining, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews

Horrocks Farm Market

24 06 2008
  • Horrocks 7420 W. Saginaw Hwy
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-3782
  • Website

We accidently found Horrocks not long after moving to Lansing.  Our first day in town, we hit up the local mega-mart near our house and thought we were doing pretty good.  The produce was good and there was a huge selection.  Boy, we were naive.  Our first weekend here, we went to explore the town.  We were at the Lansing Mall and wanted to find Eastwood Town Centre.  We were way off, but we headed down Saginaw to get back to the Interstate.  Earlier in the day, we had stopped at the Lansing City Market and were really disappointed in the selection.  We had really hoped to find a place that would sell fresh produce at a good price.  Our luck turned around when I noticed the windmill.

I still remember that first time we walked in.  This was definately not a chain mega-mart.  There is a lot of produce.  A lot.  Chances are, if you want it, they have it.  That first trip, we filled up three paper shopping bags with produce and cheese and only spent around $30.  A few days earlier, we spent over a hundred at the supermarket. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 11 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

The Firm Food & Spirits

23 06 2008
  • The Firm227 S. Washington Sq.
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 487-3663
  • Website
  • Menu

Finally!  In our third attempt at eating at a downtown restaurant, we finally had a pleasurable experience.  Last week at the BWL Chili Cook-Off, we grabbed a $5-off coupon from The Firm’s booth.  It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve been grocery shopping, so there’s not a whole lot of food left in our cupboards.  Instead of shopping this morning, we decided to just head out for dinner.  When I got in my truck, I noticed the coupon still sitting in the console, so that’s where we went.

The Firm is located on Washington Sq in downtown Lansing.  We stopped in on a Monday night for dinner.  The place was deserted.  There was a sign that said wait to be seated.  The bartender noticed us and seated us at a booth in the dining room.  The dining room is a pretty good size with a row of u-shaped booths along the walls with tables in the middle.  There’s a cut-out in the wall that lets you see into the bar.  I spent most of the meal watching the two LCD TV’s above the bar that were showing the College World Series. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Downtown, Fine Dining, Lansing, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

« Previous Entries Next Entries »