Pizza Al Forno

11 05 2008
  • 1943 Cedar St.Pizza Al Forno
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-4175
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

No matter where you live in the country, there’s one place that the locals go for pizza.  There’s one place somewhere that is just a little, locally owned, shop that serves up the most delicious pizza you swear you’ll ever eat.  I haven’t had much of a chance yet to find that place and no one has really been able to offer that information up here in Lansing.  I’ve been getting coupons in the mail for some local places, so I figure it’s finally time to start looking.

The first place I tried was Cottage Inn (review here).  That’s kind of a chain, so not really what I’m looking for.  The next place we tried was a little place called Pizza Al Forno in Holt.  I called the order in at about 6:30 on a Sunday night.  They offered delivery, but I really needed to get out of the house, so I got it for pick up.  We headed down Cedar St through Holt to find a pretty non-descript shop in a non-descript strip mall next to the Edru Skae-A-Rama.  It’s strictly a carry-out place….only a counter and the kitchen inside.  My pie was really reasonably priced.  I got a 16″ pepperoni pizza for just under $11.

Once we got it back home, we didn’t waste anytime digging in.  The menu brags that they use all locally grown ingredients and make their sauce from scratch.  That’s what it looked like to me.  The sauce is put on pretty thick and you can taste the fresh tomatos. There was a kind of a sweetness to it instead of a spicyness that most places shoot for.   It’s not a smooth, blended sauce.  There are chunks of tomatos and you get that in every bite.  The cheese was a nice golden brown and held up on each bite.  My girlfriend called the pepperoni’s “cute.”  Instead of a handful of huge pepperoni’s, there were a lot of little pepperoni’s.  The crust is a thin New York-style crust and sort of chewey.

She wasn’t very hungry and only had two pieces and I didn’t finish the rest of it by a long shot.  Even if she had been hungry, the 16″ would have been enough and there probably would have been a little left.  Pizza Al Forno was good.  It wasn’t the knock your socks off I’m looking for, but it is good enough to put the phone number away for another day. 


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Categories : Holt, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Reviews

Clara’s Lansing Station – Brunch

11 05 2008
  • 637 E. Michigan AveClara's
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 372-7120
  • Website
  • Menu

I originally reviewed Clara’s Lansing Station on April 14 (review HERE) after my girlfriend I and stopped in for dinner on a Sunday night.  We liked the place so much, we decided to get Mother’s Day Brunch reservations since her parents were going to be in town.  The atmosphere is what sold us on the return the visit.  The old train station is just beautifully restored that she wanted to show her parents.

Reservations were a good thing.  The place was packed and there were people waiting. We got there about 10 minutes before our reservation, but were shown to a table right away.  This time, we were up in the balcony.  The buffet is on the main floor and takes up space where there are tables the rest of the time.  The trip up the stairs was probably good for us to burn a few calories before hitting the line. 

Right by the door, the buffet started with an omelet station and a carving station.  I passed on both, but my girlfriends mom stopped and got an omelet that was loaded with two kinds of cheese.  Next came the buffet line.  It started with breakfast favorites like biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage then transitioned into lunch food like cheesy potatos (which my girlfriend LOVED), ham steaks, and chicken wings.   I, of course, loaded my plate with meats.  The bacon was crispy, but pretty generic.  The ham was good and the chicken wings were hot.  Nothing would have been fabulous had I ordered it off a menu, but for a brunch buffet, this stuff was good.

There was also a salad bar to the back and a huge spread of desserts.  I just grabbed a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake with an oreo crust.  My girlfriend got a huge sampler platter to share with her mom and her stepdad came back with his own assortment of goodies.  The desserts were all top notch.

The brunch price was around $17 per person, so it did end up being pretty expensive, but it’s one of the better brunches.  I’ve definately paid more and gotten less.  Clara’s was really packed which is always a good sign when it comes brunch.  I’ve heard it was the best in town and I have no reason to doubt that.  Clara’s was the first repeat visit for us since moving to Lansing and we’ve been really happy with both meals.


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Categories : Brunch, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Dusty’s Tap Room

11 05 2008
  • 1839 W. Grand River Ave.Dusty's Tap Room
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 349-5150
  • Website
  • Menu

Dusty’s Tap Room is part of a larger Dusty’s Cellar complex.  My girlfriend’s parents were in town one weekend and we wanted to go to Meridian Mall to go to Caruso’s (reviews HERE).  After a 3 1/2 hour drive, they were hungry, so we needed a place for lunch first.  I did a search for restaurants in Okemos and Dusty’s came up.  Just another reason why restaurantuers need to have a website.

The Tap Room is located in a strip mall just down from Dusty’s Cellar.  The Tap Room is a really comfortable bar with high pub tables, low lighting, dark wood and of course TV’s in front of the bar.  There was one other guy in there with his two daughters when we stopped in.  We took a table near the back of the bar.  The waiter came over with menu and to get drinks.  The menu was a lot of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and hot dogs.  Our waiter, Joel, came back with drinks, but didn’t ask if we were ready to order.  He just dropped them of and left.

So, five mintues later, Joel comes back and we order.  My girlfriend ordered the smoked turkey pretzel sandwich and her mom got the Dusty’s chicken sandwich.  They cut each sandwich in half and gave it to the other.  The smoked turkety pretzel sandwich is turkey, bacon, and provolone on a pretzel roll.  It came with a side of honey mustard and your choice of fries.  All four of us ordered the beer battered fries which good and salty.  You could really taste the sea salt…that’s not a bad thing..it’s not like iodized salt which is overpowering when you get too much of it.  Back to the sandwich, the pretzel roll is the reason she ordered the sandwich and it didn’t disappoint.  The grilled chicken sandwich came with a mixture of spinach, sun-dried tomatos, and a garlich-herb cheese spread on top of a pretty good size chicken breast. Both ladies liked both sandwiches, but I think the pretzel roll won.

Myself and my girlfriends step dad went pretty boring and got the Classic Burger.  I really wanted a Black and Bleu burger, but they mix the bleu cheese with a black olive mayo and that didn’t really sound appetizing, so I backed off.  The burger is a 1/2 angus burger.  I got mine with cheddar…her stepdad got it without cheese.  The burger comes on a square seasme seed bun.  I had mine cooked medium  which left it juicy and just a little pink in the middle.  It was good, but it was just a burger.

It took Joel a long time again to come back to refill drinks and quite a while to come back with the check.  We sat there for a while with empty plates waiting for the bill. Once it finally did come, the total for four people was about $45. 

After we ate lunch, we decided to walk down to Dusty’s Cellar.  There’s another restaurant there…a little more fancier and an upscale grocery store with wine, a deli, baked goods, and some gourmet items.  They even had my girlfriends favorite salsa which we can’t find anywhere (Sable and Rosenfeld’s).  The Tap Room has a great ambience and pretty good food.  The whole complex is a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon.  There’s private dining on top of the two dining rooms and at the Wine Cellar, there’s an outdoor patio.  I don’t know if we would try the Tap Room again as it doesn’t really stand out, but I am looking forward to trying lunch at the Cellar.  It was good and the experience is good. I would recommend it to someone looking for a place in Okemos…just not sure if I’d go back.


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Categories : Burgers, Local Flavor, Michigan, Okemos, Pub, Reviews

Joe’s Gizzard City

7 05 2008
  • 120 W. Main St.Joe's Gizzard City
  • Potterville, MI 48876
  • (517) 645-2120
  • Website
  • Menu

So, I’m sitting at home on a Monday afternoon surfing the Internet while watching the Porn channel for fat people….otherwise known as Food Network.  My favorite show Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dives was on.  I wasn’t really paying attention, but my ears perked up when I heard the word “Michigan”  Guy Fieri was at a place called Joe’s Gizzard City somewhere in Michigan.  I kept watching to see if I could catch the name of the town.  They showed a shot of a kid wearing a Michigan State football jersey and I knew it had to be close.  Turns out, Joe’s Gizzard City is in Potterville….about 15 minutes from my place in South Lansing.

My girlfriend and I got up early one morning to do some shopping.  When it came time for lunch, we figured, what the heck….let’s go find Potterville.  We put the address in her Garmin and headed west.  We found Joe’s in the business district of Potterville.  That sounds impressive, but the business district is probably two blocks long.  There were a lot of cars parked in front of Joe’s, but we were able to find a spot.  The inside is definately a dive….and I love dives.  There are two small dining rooms.  One of them is the bar area then there’s a back dining room which is a little larger and has a pool table plus an autographed picture from Guy Fieri.  The room is dimly lit and covered with Potterville signs and memorabilia.  The tables are kind of cramed in there.  We took a table for two that kind of sits between the two dining rooms.  The bar area was full and we weren’t sure if we should go to the back dining room.  The table was small and butted up against a wall, but it kind of added to the charm.

Joe's Gizzard CityThe menu is fantastic.  Joe’s signature dish is obviously the gizzards which are deep fried in their signature batter.  Gizzards just don’t sound good to me, so we went with something else.  I’m going to describe out meals seperately, but in reality, we both ordered something different then gave the other half so we could try more of the menu.  I’m going to start with my girlfriend’s order this time because it’s such an interesting idea.

Joe’s already had deep fried hamburgers on the menu before Guy’s visit.  Guy took it one step further and fried the whole sandwich….bread and all.  Joe’s put the burger on the menu and called it The Triple D Burger.  I’m going to explain this again because if you’re like me, your reading this and shaking your head thinking that can’t be right.  They take their cheeseburger and prepare it like they normally would.  The hamburger patty is cooked then put on the bun with pickles, onions, tomatos and ketchup.  Then they take the whole thing and dip it in their signature batter and deep fry the entire burger.  When the waitress delivered the plate, there was a knife sticking out the top of a golden brown shell that you knew contained the burger.  The thing was huge.  My girlfriend cut it in half and at that point, you can see the layers.  The burger is entombed in the fried batter.  We both took a bite and our eyes just rolled in to the back of our heads.  This burger was “money” (as Guy would say).  She described the batter as sweet and kind of like a dessert batter.  I loved the crunch of the batter and the juiciness of the burger.  I didn’t really want the fixins and I was still able to peel back the bun and crust to get them out and it made for a delicious and very unique offering.  The batter added an incredible contrast to what you normally think of when you get a burger.  The sandwich was also served with fries, but surprisngly, they were nothing spectacular.  Just the regular out of the bag fries, but the sandwich was so good and so big, the fries are really an after thought on the plate…you really don’t even think about them.

I ordered the quarter chicken plate.  The meal came with two pieces of chicken, fries and coleslaw.  They use Joe's Gizzard Citythe same batter for their fried chicken instead of a bread crumb coating, so the crust of the chicken smooth and thin.  Like everything else at Joe’s, the chicken has it’s own uniqueness.  They actually start by boiling the chicken before frying.  The boiling leaves the meat moist and prevents the batter from burning before the chicken is done.  Like the Triple D Burger, the batter on the chicken added a whole range of flavors and textures you don’t normally expect. 

We couldn’t pass up dessert even though both of us were stuffed.  I introduced my girlfriend to deep fried desserts at the Illinois State Fair soon after we started dating.  We went to see Sugarland and Joe Nichols at the grandstand, but made it there early so we could walk around the midway.  There, we found deep fried Snickers, deep fried Twinkies, deep fried pickles, deep fried…etc., etc.  Joe’s had some of those same goodies on their menu.  We went with deep fried oreos for dessert.  Again, same batter they’ve used for everything else.  You get five Oreos to an order and they come sprinkled with powdered sugar.  My girlfriend compared them to corn fritters she used to get at Brown’s Chicken, but chocolatey and better.  The heat actually softened the cookie to take the bite out of them.  I expected a crunch when I bit in, but it wasn’t there.  The cookies were soft and really, really good.  Even feeling like I was about to explode, I couldn’t pass up these cookies.

The waitress seemed a little frazzled.  She was working the bar and the dining room by herself.  It took a while to get drink refills and to take plates away.  She was doing her best, but they probably could have used one more person.  With all that food, our bill was $22 plus tip.  It took a little over an hour to eat, but I did order fried chicken.  I am sooooo glad I happened to have DDD on that day or I probably never would have found Joe’s.  I have friends and family that will love this place.  Joe’s isn’t a fine dining establishment….it’s better.  It’s a dive bar in a small town with incredible and unique food.


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Categories : Burgers, Deep Fried Food, Dive Bar, Local Flavor, Michigan, Potterville, Reviews

Red Cedar Grill

5 05 2008
  • 5114 W. Saginaw HwyRed Cedar Grill
  • Lanisng, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-6300
  • Website
  • Menu

I first noticed Red Cedar Grill my first week in Lansing.  We found Lansing Mall looking for Younkers and Red Cedar Grill has a very prominent store front on the outside of the building.  Regular commenter John recommended Red Cedar, so we decided to make it a point to check it out.  My girlfriend needed to go to Younkers, so we made a pre-work trip with enough time to grab lunch.

There are two entrances to Red Cedar.  There is an entrance inside the mall, but the main entrance is the outside door.  We entered through the mall entrance and there was a sign that told us to go to the hostess station at the front of the store.  That’s a little weird considering you have to walk all the through the dining room to get to the front.  The space is gorgeous.  The dining room is dimly lit.  There are booths on a little platform that run the whole length of the wall plus there are tables between the booths and the bar.  There’s a patio out front and a sun room type space next to that.  The bar is also beautiful.  It’s a long L-shape made out of a dark wood.  The low lighting and dark colors make the place really cozy and relaxing.

Red Cedar GrillUsually at malls, you expect places like TGIFriday’s or Ruby Tuesday.  Red Cedar Grill is definately not one of those places.  The menu is much more upscale.  We stopped in for lunch and even the lunch menu was better than burgers and salads….but they did have both on the menu.

I ordered the BBQ, Bacon and Bleu burger.  Crumbled bleu cheese topped a juicy burger.  Bacon was layered on top of that then BBQ sauce was put on the onion roll.  The burger was nice and juicy.  The BBQ sauce sort of cancelled out the bleu cheese taste, but you could still get just a hint of it….and there was a lot of bleu cheese.  I don’t really like onion rolls, but I knew that when I ordered, so I’m not holding that against the sandwich.  The sandwich was good.  It was served with shoestring fries on the side and there was also some hot rolls and butter brought to the table before.  With all that food, for the first time in a long time, I was defeated.  I couldn’t finish everything on my plate….which is a good thing because I’m a big eater. 

My girlfriend ordered the Smoked Turkey Grill….which I almost ordered myself it looked so good.  Smoked turkey was stacked on rye bread with bacon, tomato, aged cheddar, and dijon mustard.  Her meal also came with a side of cracked pepper kettle chips.  For the first time, I almost wished my meal came with chips instead of fries.  These were really good.  The cracked pepper made the chips a little spicy.  The smoked turkey was delicious.  She didn’t say a whole lot about the sandwich other than it was good.  She did remark more than once that the chips were delicious.

Our bill with pop was $25, so it’s not a cheap meal, but the food is quality and the service was pretty good.  For a while, we were the only ones in the restaurant, but we hit them right as they opened.  The server disappeared come check time, but during the meal, he was always there when we needed another Coke.  The food came out pretty quickly and we probably weren’t there more than a half hour. 

Thanks, John, for the suggestion.  We’ll have to go back and try the dinner menu now.


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

Harrison Roadhouse

4 05 2008
  • 720 Michigan Ave.Harrison Roadhouse
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 337-0200
  • Website
  • Menu

This is a concept I saw all the time living near old Route 66 in Illinois, but not something I’ve seen a lot of in Michigan….take an old gas station and turn it into a garage themed restaurant/bar….and that’s exactly what Harrison Roadhouse is.  The Roadhouse was originally Duke’s Shell station.  In 1981, someone had the idea to turn the building into a restaurant.  Today, the old bay doors are windows and the ceiling beams are covered with license plates from all over the country. 

Surprisingly, the actual dining room isn’t that big.  When you walk in, you come right into a waiting room.  Past the hostess station, there is a small dining room with tables on either side and just enough room for to walk single file.  To the left of that is a bar that sits elevated from the rest of the dining space.  On that platform, there are a few pub tables, the bar and then a drink bar where you can stand, but still have a place to set a drink down.  Once you get past the bar, there’s another dining room where the tables are packed in pretty tight and then a couple private party rooms plus an outdoor patio with a fire place.

We probably chose a bad day to eat at the Harrison Roadhouse.  MSU had graduations, so there were a lot of big parties.  It was raining so we couldn’t sit outside.  I ran in to check with the hostess to see about the wait.  She handed me the buzzer thing and by the time I called my parents and girlfriend who were waiting in the car to tell them to come in, my buzzer went off.  We were shown to a table in the main dining room.  I think we were the only small party other than one table behind us.  Every other table was pushed together to accomodate huge parties.

We chose Harrison because the menu looked different.  We all started with Coke’s then skipped the appetizer and went straight for sandwiches.  I got the Roadie Dip which is a French dip served on a Ciabatta roll with a side of Au Jus and fries.  I love Ciabatta bread, so that was a real treat.  The meat was good, but the Au Jus was a little heavy on onion.  Nothing overpowering, but noticeable.  I don’t know how to explain the fries.  They almost looked and felt like fresh cut fries that were breaded and deep fried.  They were alright, but definately different.

My girlfriend got the Rt. 66 Rollup.  Grilled chicken breast tenders were covered in a hot sauce that was tangy and had quite a kick then rolled with lettuce, tomatos, and bleu cheese in a flour tortilla.  Her sandwich also came with those same fries.  She likes spicy and that’s probably a good thing as the chicken was really spicy.  She’s become a big fan of bleu cheese lately and that’s what made her order rollup….and we all know how well hot sauce and bleu cheese go together.

My mom got the BBQ chicken sandwich.  She got a fried chicken breast served with lettuce, tomato, BBQ sauce, onions, and cheddar cheese served on a kaiser roll.  She had to take some of the toppings off to get to the chicken because there was so much.  She got onion rings instead of fries and was happy with them. She prefers the rings whole, battered and deep fried whereas my dad prefers bites, so you don’t pull the onion out of the breading.  Neither had a problem with these onion rings.

My dad surprised me and got the Buffalo Melt.  Surprising to me because that’s a 1/2lb buffalo burger served with sauteed onions on grilled rye bread.  I wasn’t 100% sure that he knew he was ordering buffalo meat and not hamburger meat with a “buffalo” sauce or something.  I was more worried when he called it a a “glorified patty melt”  When I asked him about it later he said he didn’t realize it at first and thought he was just getting a regular patty melt, but the buffalo tasted a lot like hamburger and he actually really liked the sandwich.  The bread was different and the meat was nice and juicy.

The four of us ate for less than $50.  The atmosphere is really neat, but the place is really, really loud and it was really full.  There were a few people at the bar just screaming at TV’s while watching the Kentucky Derby and the sound carried.  It was hard to carry on a conversation or communicate with the waitress.  The food was really good and I would suggest going back to try a different sandwich.  As long as your not going for conversation, Harrison Roadhouse is a really neat place.


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, East Lansing, Pub, Reviews, Sandwiches

Caruso’s Candy Kitchen

4 05 2008
  • 1982 Grand River AveCaruso's Candy
  • Suite 712
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 347-0200
  • Website
  • Menu

Everyone loves chocolate and my family is no different.  My parents were in town recently and we went to Meridian Mall to do a little shopping.  On our way to Younkers, we went by a little candy shop where a choclatier was hand dipping chocolate in the window.  My mom and girlfriend went in to see what the store was all about and not long after, I followed after seeing a soda fountain the back of the store.

The shop is pretty tiny.  Like I said, there’s a place off to the right when you walk in where you can watch the employees hand dipping just about anything into chocolate.  To the left, there’s a couple big display cases where they show off their hard work.  To the back of the store, there’s an old timey soda fountain where they serve a full menu on sandwiches, soups, and salads.

This isn’t your normal chocolate shop.  Instead of seeing a lot of fudge and homemade peanut butter cups, what you actually see is a lot of things dipped in chocolate.  They do some of the traditional favorites.  My mom got some peanut brittle along with chocolate covered cashews for my dad.  My girlfriend got chocolate covered gummy bears or “muddy bears” as they’re called.   I got a chocolate covered Twinkie.  Everyone loved their selection….except me.  I don’t know if it was a Twinkie knockoff, if it got stale, or if the chocolate changes the flavor, but it really wasn’t that good.  The muddy bears were so good, I had to melt some chocolate when I got home and we made our own because what she got at the mall wasn’t enough.

I sorta wished I had gotten a soda, but maybe next time.  That was the part of the store that I really gravitated towards.  Just seeing a working soda fountain brought back a few memories.  I’m not old enough to know of soda fountains in there time, but there were a few leftovers in the early mid-80’s when I was growing.  I have memories of going grocery shopping then going to the drugstore for a soda.  Not sure why I passed up this opportunity, but I’m looking forward to going back again.  Caruso’s has been in business since 1922 in their oringal location in Dowagiac, MI.  They’ve opened this second store in Okemos, but have brought along the 70+years of experience.


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Categories : Candy, Local Flavor, Michigan, Okemos, Reviews

Submarina

3 05 2008
  • 438 Edgewood Blvd.Submarina
  • Suite B116
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-7707
  • Website
  • Menu

It’s weird how we come across new places to eat.  My girlfriend needed to make a quick stop at National City.  While inside the lobby, I saw a take out menu for Submarina.  We get back in the car and she says she’s hungry and suggests Steak ‘N Shake.  I happen to have that take out menu in my back pocket and I take it out and show it to her.  Now, I know both places are chains.  Steak ‘N Shake actually got it’s start in Normal, IL which is close to where I used to live, so I’ve eaten at Steak ‘N Shake’s many times.  We decide to give the new place a try.  Usually, I hate anything related to California (Submarina is marketed as California Subs), but Submarina is new to town and it’s the only location in Michigan.  The majority of the chain is located in San Diego County with just a few locations outside of that…again, mostly in California.

The shop is in a strip mall and it’s pretty tiny.  There are only a few booths, but they do have two flat screen TV’s.  It’s like most sub shops where you order at the counter then watch them make your sandwich in front of you.  Nothing out of the ordinary there, but the menu is anything but.

I got a six inch East Coast sub.  Proscuitto, cappocola, ham, salami, and pepperoni are sliced fresh on a deli slicer right in front of you.  It’s not like the sub standard place that has the portions already packaged out between sheets of butcher paper.  They cut the meat right in front of you.  The sandwich starts with a bed of provolone then the fresh sliced meats are piled on top.  After that, you have a choice of a few toppings.  Not as many as the other place, but they do have a couple items that make them “California.”  I passed on all those and went just with lettuce, Italian dressing, and mustard.  The sandwich was good and the meat was really piled on there.  Unforunately, the flavors all kind of ran together.  I love the taste of proscuitto and I couldn’t really taste it.  I do prefer this sandwich over Subway, but let’s face it, it’s a cold meat sandwich.

My girlfriend got the Peppered Garden sandwich on Squaw bread.  Again, the peppered turkey was sliced fresh right in front of us.  The sandwich is supposed to come with Havarati, but they must have been out as they asked if Provolone was alright.  On top of the turkey was a balsamic vinagrette and sprouts.  She really liked the sandwich and actually took some of the turkey off because there was just too much there for her to eat.  Good thing is, I get a little bit extra meat for my sandwich. 🙂

Submarina is a chain and normaly I hate chains.  I don’t hate Submarina.  The service was a little slow, but that’s because they were cutting their own meat (have I mentioned that already).  There are a lot of sub shops popping up and each one needs to do something different to make it.  Submarina offers unique ingredients like avocado, pepperocinni’s, and sprouts.  The combination of meats and fresh ingredients make all the difference.  For a little over $11, we had a quick, delicious and somewhat healthy lunch…..better than the hamburgers I probably would have cooked.


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews, Sandwiches

Whiskey Barrel Saloon

3 05 2008
  • 410 S. Clippert St.Whiskey Barrel Saloon
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 351-5690
  • Website
  • Limited Menu

I grew up in a a really rural area.  Line dancing and country music were pretty popular.  I graduated high school and moved to the city and things changed. I started going to night clubs with a DJ friend of mine and starting listening to Euro and Progressive music.  I got older and started to gravitate back towards Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.  I was thrilled when I heard commercials for The Whiskey Barrel Saloon on WITL.  I’ve been wanting to go for a few weeks, so Friday night, we decided to check it out when my girlfriend got off work.

The parking lot was pretty full when we got there, but from the outside, the building looks huge so we weren’t too worried.  There was a $5 cover at the door and we didn’t even get there until midnight.  That kinda sucks, but I’ve paid worse.  There was a live band (more on them later), so at least the cover made sense.

The bar is really cool.  The whole building is one big open room.  The main bar is in front of you when you walk in.  To the left is a bunch of tables next to the dance floor which is surrounded by a drink bar so you can stand around and watch the regulars boot scoot or you can sit down, relax and watch a little racing on their big screen TV’s. In the far corner of the room, there’s a mechanical bull.  Yeah, a mechanical bull.  We didn’t wander over that way, but next time…. 

In front of the dance floor they have a pretty good sized stage and a DJ booth.  When we got there, a DJ was playing country music and the dance floor was packed with dancers.  After about three songs, a band took over and they weren’t playing country.  I hate when that happens. I want to hear country music….they were playing Keith Urban-esque country which isn’t country at all.  There wasn’t an accoustic guitar on stage until the fourth song and there were no fiddles and no steal guitars.  That was pretty disappointing…I wish they would have just kept the DJ….it really looked like everyone was having more fun when the he was playing.  It would be a great place if there was a country act in town….and there is this week.  Eric Church is playing Thursday, May 8.

As far as food goes, there’s not much.  I did notice a case of pizza slices at the bar, but other than that, The Whiskey Barrel is just honkey tonk.  Prices were pretty reasonable.  Beer was $3 and my girlfriend’s cocktails wer $4.  Good beer….good music…interesting people….can’t wait to go back on a night when I can hear a little Taylor Swift. 


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Categories : Bar, Lansing, Live Entertainment, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

Gone Wired Cafe

1 05 2008
  • 2021 E. Michigan Ave.
  • Gone WiredLansing, MI 48921
  • (517) 853-0550
  • Website
  • Menu

I don’t remember how I found Gone Wired Cafe’s website, but I’m glad I did.  Usually, when I’m looking for new places to eat, I turn to the web.  A good website and, more importantly, a menu on-line usually is what gets me to a place.

I picked my girlfriend up from work one night for a quick dinner.  We drove right by the place looking for a parking spot.  There’s a city lot behind the building and there’s also on street parking up front.  We couldn’t find a place in the city lot, but found one right in front of the building.

When you walk in, you walk into a huge open space.  There’s a little comic book shop to the left as well as desktop computers you can rent for $1 for 15 minutes.  To the right, the first dining area sits in front of the counter.  A huge chalkboard above the counter displays the menu which ranges from breakfast favorites to pizza to burgers.  You order at the counter and they give you one of those electronic buzzer things you usually get handed at chain restaurants to let you know when your table is ready.  Once the buzzer activates, you go to a window near the kitchen and pick up your own food.  They just put the plates up for you to take back.  There are trays underneath the window and you have to go somewhere else to pick up your silverware.  The main dining area is on an upstairs balcony that is lined on either side with booths.  There are also a couple corner booths that they just put out into the middle of the room.  It’s actually a really cool look.  Back downstairs, there’s a kids area where the kids can play while mom and dad get some work done or enjoy a meal.  There’s one more area downstairs that’s kind of a circle booth.  I’m pretty sure some college kids were hooked to each other playing games at this table.

I have no idea why, but I ordered the Black and Bleu burger without thinking that I had burgers for lunch.  Being in a cafe, I should have gotten something a little healthier, but the Black and Bleu burgers always shout my name anymore.  The burger came with a choice of side.  The menu board and the printed menu said they had fries, but when I asked for fries, the girl behind the counter said they don’t do fries anymore.   That was a little disappointing, but it did force me to eat healthier.  I got a side salad with Italian dressing.  The sandwich came piled with bleu cheese.  Man, was it good.  I’ve come to love the tanginess of the bleu cheese with hamburger meat.  The salad was just iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and croutons.  It wasn’t a whole lot, but a good compliment to the burger.

My girlfriend got the Waldorff salad.  Her plate was stacked with greens, strawberries, walnuts, and bleu cheese.  On the side, there were three little cheese quesadillas.  Like me, she loves how bleu cheese works with other ingredients.  In this case, it was the cheese and the strawberries.  She polished off all the toppings and the three quesadillas, but had some salad left on her plate when we finished. 

Both of us got Coke’s for dinner, but on the way out, she stopped and got an iced latte to go.  Gone Wired is an incredibly unique cafe.  Most cafes have realized they are not going to make money on coffee alone due to that big chain that has brainwashed consumers into thinking they have to pay $10 for a cup of coffee.  Gone Wired has gone a little farther than most cafes and have offered a unique, interesting menu in a really cozy environment.  On a Thursday night, most of the tables were full with a pretty good mix of people.  There were college students studying for finals.  College professors grading papers.  Young adults playing video games and guys checking their Facebook pages.  Gone Wired is one of those unique finds where atmosphere plays a big part in the overall experience of the place.


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Categories : Cafe, Coffee, Downtown, Lansing, Local Flavor, Reviews

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