Red Coat Tavern

27 07 2008
  • 31542 Woodward Ave.
  • Royal Oak, MI 48073
  • (248 ) 549-0300
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu Online
The entrance to Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak near Detroit.

The entrance to Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak near Detroit.

I know.  I said I didn’t want to go into the suburbs for dinner and honestly, that wasn’t the plan.  We were going to take Corky and Amy’s advice and eat at Union Street Saloon.  We found the place across from the Detroit Medical Center and parked the car.  After dodging the homeless guy sleeping on the sidewalk, we got to the front door and found out they don’t open until 4:00.  It was only 3:00, so we didn’t want to stick around that neighborhood for very long and the only other place I could remember a name for was the Red Coat Tavern, so we put it in the GPS and headed back out of town.

After getting stuck in traffic on I-75, we got back to Woodward Ave. After a 10 minute or so drive downt the busy commercial street, we came up to the Red Coat.  Actually, I missed it the first time.  There is so much commercial along that stretch of Woodward the signs all block each other so by the time you get to the one you want, you’re right on top of it before you realize it.  I turned into the next parking lot which was connected to the Red Coat and backtracked to find a spot just under the huge awning leading to the front door. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Detroit, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Spotted Dog Cafe

24 07 2008
  • 221 S. Washington Sq.
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 485-7574
  • Website
  • Menu
The Spotted Dog Cafe on Washington Sq. in Downtown Lansing

The Spotted Dog Cafe on Washington Sq. in Downtown Lansing

As my girlfriend said, the Spotted Dog Cafe is more her kind of place than mine.  We made our way downtown to check out the Farmer’s Market at the State Capitol and decided to stay downtown for lunch.  We were parked on Michigan Ave. just past the roundabout so we left the car and went for a walk.  We’ve walked by Spotted Dog before, but usually on a Saturday when they’re not open.  I wasn’t in the mood for a burger or anything heavy and I figured a deli sandwich would be much better.

We walked in right about opening time so the place was pretty empty.  There were a couple people behind the counter.  The first asked what my girlfriend wanted.  She went with the summer salad which she said reminded her of the two years she spent in Idaho.  The mixed greens were topped with dried cherries, blueberries, shredded cheese, walnuts, and apples with a peppercorn dressing.  She it was refreshing and tasted like it came right out of the garden.  The large salad was more than enough for her. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cafe, Downtown, Lansing, Reviews, Sandwiches

Jet’s Pizza – S. Cedar

22 07 2008
  • 6445 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-6900
  • Website
  • Menu
Jets Pizza on S. Cedar St. in Lansing

Jet's Pizza on S. Cedar St. in Lansing

You may remember over the weekend I blogged a little bit about going to a Sugarland concert four and a half hours away in Peru, IL.  My girlfriend really likes Sugarland.  Today, the new CD Love on the Inside “dropped,” so we made a quick trip to Target to pick it up.  Yes, we actually BOUGHT a CD instead of stealing it.  That happens when a group actually puts out a full CD of good music and that’s something Sugarland does…unlike Metallica.  Well, we slept in and didn’t leave until lunch time.  After a little shopping, my girlfriend suggested lunch.  There’s a strip mall on Cedar Street in South Lansing that has couple sandwich shops so I headed that way.  The choice was between Jersey Giant Subs and Jet’s Pizza.  Jet’s won out because I was sort of in a pizza mood. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Frandor Deli

21 07 2008
  • 300 N. Clippert St. #8
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 351-9342
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The beef and cheddar sandwich from the Frandor Deli in the Frandor Shopping Center

The beef and cheddar sandwich from the Frandor Deli in the Frandor Shopping Center

My girlfriend needed to make a run to the Jewelry Doctor in the Frandor Shopping Center so we figured we’d hit up someplace in that area for lunch.  I had heard a lot about Amici’s New York Style Deli, but we couldn’t find it.  I didn’t realize it wasn’t quite in the Shopping Center.  Since we were kind of limited on time, I didn’t feel like driving around the area to look for it.  Instead, I noticed a sign for the Frando Deli.  I figured that would be quick and we could grab sandwiches to go.

Good sign when we walked in.  The place was packed.  We made our way through the small dining room to the counter to order our meals.  All of the sandwiches are already made and wrapped in plastic wrap.  When you order, they take the wrap off and then give you the options to customize the sandwich.  The pizza looked really good, but since we were grabbing something to go, I didn’t think that would have been a very good idea.  Instead, I went with the Beef and Cheddar sandwich.  The counter person asked if I wanted it heated and I passed.  I also passed on the toppings which would be your general deli toppers.  With the sandwich, I got a bag of BBQ chips, a small pickle spear and a medium Pepsi.  The sandwich was pretty good which kind of surprised me.  They must make and wrap the sandwiches every morning.  The bun was fresh and soft and the meat was still a little moist.  There was more shredded cheese than beef on the sandwich, but there was enough meat to make me feel like I didn’t get cheated. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Deli, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Portillo’s Hot Dogs – Crestwood, IL

20 07 2008
  • 13130 Cicero Ave.
  • Crestwood, IL 60445
  • (708 ) 385-6400
  • Website
  • Menu
Portillos Hot Dogs in Crestwood. Real Chicago-Style Food!

Portillo's Hot Dogs in Crestwood, IL. Real Chicago-Style Food!

I seem to be spending about every weekend back in Chicago and this past weekend was not exception.  This time, however, I was in town for a concert and not work.  We got tickets to see Sugarland (for the third time!) at the Cedar Point Sportsmen Club in Peru, IL.  Peru is a little over an hour from Chicago, so we decided to stop at my girlfriend’s parents before and after the show.  On our way to meet my parents, whom we were going to the show with, we started talking about food.  We had a pretty packed day trying to fit everything we wanted to do in and we neglected lunch up until that point.  Since she’s more familiar with the area, she started running down places on the way to the meeting point.  After a few suggestions, I finally said, “What about Portillo’s?” 

Let me start by saying.  I LOVE Portillo’s.  This is Chicago style food at it’s best.  When I was in college, I interned downtown at Fox Sports Net Chicago.  The downtown Portillo’s is located a few blocks away and I used to walk there all the time.  Since I started dating my girlfriend, I take any opportunity I can to stop at this location on Cicero. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Mr. B’s Rustic Tavern

5 07 2008
  • 101 W. Grand Ave
  • Howell, MI 48843
  • (517) 548-5500
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Mr. B\'s Rustic Tavern

Mr. B's Rustic Tavern - View from across Grand River Ave.

We came to the corner of Grand River and Michigan Ave. and there was this old building with a neon sign that wrapped around the building that said “Mr. B’s Rustic Tavern.”  There were tables outside that were full which is usually a good sign.  We found street parking about a block away then walked back.  Since the outside tables were full, we had to sit inside which really wasn’t a bad thing.  The inside of the tavern is divided into smoking and non-smoking with the bar in the smoking area.  Of course, the little half wall that divides the two areas does nothing to stop the smoke.  They certaintly didn’t falsely advertise with the name of the place.  The whole inside does have that rustic feel.  The floor is old, creaky hardwood and the walls and support beams look like had seen better days.  It gave a really neat, unique feel to the place.  Along one wall was a row of pictures depicting the history of downtown.  Along the ceiling beams were orange neon tube lights.  There were booths along with walls with tables filling the rest of the space.  Near the back of the space was another room with video games.  Plasma TV’s were hung over the bar and in the smoking section of the dining room. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Downtown, Howell, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Leo’s Lodge

2 07 2008
  • 2525 E. Jolly Rd.Leo\'s Lodge
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 882- 3850
  • Website
  • Menu

OK, so I’ve spent our day playing our new Wii.  Before I knew it, it was dinner time and I had nothing laid out or any energy to actually cook a meal.  I went and picked my girlfriend up from work and decided we needed a night out.  I had drove by Leo’s Lodge several times and figured it was time to actually stop in. 

The decor of Leo’s should be pretty obvious from the name.  It’s a lodge.  Very cool rustic feel with a faux log cabing design.  When you walk in, you sort of walk into a small dining room connected to the bar.  There are a few tables and a pool table.  We started to head that way, but my girlfriend called an audible at the last minute and we went over to the other dining room which was no smoking.  We took a seat right in front of a big screen TV.  If we played the stock market, we could have gotten caught up during dinner as they had CNBC on that particular TV.  First thing we both noticed was the chairs.  It was a very cool design with a woven rope seat and back on a rustic wood frame.  Very cool addition to the log cabin feel. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Stanton

Harper’s Restaurant & Brewpub

19 06 2008
  • 131 Albert Ave.Harper's Restaurant and Brewpub
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 333-4040
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I noticed Harper’s one night while driving around East Lansing pretty late looking for a pizza-by-the-slice place.  We didn’t stop because we weren’t looking for a bar and especially not a college bar, but I put that info in the back of my head for future use.  Today, my girlfriend and I were making a run to the Grand Traverse Pie Company to get pie’s for the weekend, but weren’t in the mood to eat there.  After driving around with my head cut off, my girlfriend mentioned that brew pub I was telling her about, so we headed down Grand River to downtown East Lansing.

The building for Harper’s is massive.  When we drove by, we weren’t sure if it was even open.  It looked dark, so we drove around the block again.  The parking is across the street in the public pay lot, so we went through the gate and found a place to park.  It was just starting to rain as we got out of the car, so we hustled across the street hoping they were open.  I got to the top of the steps and pulled on the big wood double doors and they opened up right into the bar.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Brew Pub, Burgers, Downtown, East Lansing, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Arby’s – S. Lansing

18 06 2008
  • 6035 S. Cedar St.Arby's
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-1619
  • Website
  • Menu

Arby’s is my guilty pleasure.  I know I give chains a hard time on this blog, but if there’s one fast food place I could eat at everyday, it would be Arby’s.  Growing up, Arby’s was always a treat because it does tend to be a little more expensive than a Wendy’s or McDonald’s, but the food is soooooo much better.  Now, it’s about the only fast food I eat at regularly.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Arby’s on South Cedar is the old sign out front.  There was one store in my last town of Peoria, IL.  I think we did some research and found out there’s only a handful of these old signs left.  The old sign sits in front of a more modern building.  I let my girlfriend talk me into going through the drive-thru.  I HATE drive thru’s.  I can never understand the person talking to me and I feel like they always get something wrong because they can’t hear me.  I did it anyway because neither of us were totally awake yet or dressed very well, but we needed lunch. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

The Beach Bar

16 06 2008
  • 3509 Ocean BeachThe Beach Bar
  • Clarklake, MI 49234
  • (517) 529-4211
  • Website
  • Menu

The Beach Bar is one of those places that is really off the beaten path.  We left Michigan International Speedway after the Craftsman Truck Series race hungry and needing a place to eat.  The Beach Bar is one of the suggested places on MISpeedway.com, so I found a website and was impressed (again, I reiterate, restaurant owners, YOU NEED A WEBSITE if you want to be found).  We left the track and the GPS took us back into Brooklyn to Clarklake Road.  After winding through the Irish Hills and down what seemed like some country roads, we came upon Clark Lake.  My companions in the truck with me were starting to wonder if we were going the wrong way until we hit the lake which is a beautfiful site.  All of a sudden, I looked to the right and there was this big building right across from the docks.  I was almost expecting a little hole in the wall, but this was a big, nice looking building.  I was also somewhat expecting it to be packed since we were still fairly close to MIS.

When you walk in, there’s a little area for carry-outs.  I think it’s pretty safe to assume they do a pretty good carry-out business with the lake across the street.  People come in for food, but want to sit on their boats.  You go through that room and enter the bar.  The hostess station is almost in the middle of the room and it took us a while to notice it.  I almost suggested just grabbing a station when my buddy saw the hostess.  We were shown to a table in the non-smoking section near the back of the restaurant.  the space is divided by a game room area with the smoking section in the front of the space near the bar. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Clarklake, Local Flavor, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

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