Theio’s Restaurant

16 06 2008
  • 2650 E. Michigan Ave.Theio's
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 487-3955
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I love 24-hour restaurants.  My dad and a buddy of mine came to town for the NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway.  My buddy had to work until 5:00 (CST) back home in Illinois, so they got a pretty late start to the three and half hour drive.  After getting a little lost getting to my place, they were both pretty hungry.  It was after 10:00 (EST now) and neither had eaten dinner.  I figured the choices were either fast food or a diner.  So, of course, I chose the diner.

I had drove by Theio’s a few times, but never stopped.  I knew at some point it would make a great late night stop.  We drove through downtown East Lansing first to see if there was a pizza-by-the slice place, but when we couldn’t find one, we headed back down Michigan.  It looked like there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but most of them must have been at the bar next door.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Mayfair Bar

7 06 2008
  • 1585 Lake Lansing Rd.Mayfair Bar
  • Haslett, MI 48840
  • (517) 339-3880
  • Website
  • No Menu Online

I had to run some errands in the Okemos area one Saturday and had been looking forward to trying Mark’s Watershed.  Unfortunately, when we got out there, Mark’s looked closed and no one answered when we called.  I kept going down Lake Lansing to turn around and saw a brick building with a sign outside that said Mayfair Bar.  We figured what the heck.  The sign had a hamburger on it, so they must serve food.  We parked in front and ventured inside the dark bar.

When I say dark, I mean dark.  It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust.  My girlfriend just grabbed my arm and told me to find a table because she couldn’t see anything.  The bar is set-up into two rooms with a bar in the middle.  We found a booth near the bar and right on the dance floor.  There was just one waitress/bartender working the whole room.  She noticed us right away and came over with menus.  There’s not a whole lot of options.  Some hamburgers, appetizers, and sandwiches.  Some of the appetizers looked really good.  Fried ravioli.  Fried mac ‘n cheese wedges.  Some really unique options for a bar like this. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Bar, Burgers, Haslett, Local Flavor, Reviews, Sandwiches

Mancino’s Pizza and Grinders

5 06 2008
  • 6520 S. Cedar #4BMancino's Pizza and Grinders
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 887-6300
  • Website
  • Menu

I’m going to try not to confuse you, but I’m still a little bit confused myself.  Growing up, my family would always eat at Mancino’s Pizza and Grinder’s in Bradley, IL.  I loved the sandwiches.  So, is this the same Mancino’s?  I’ve been searching the net for days and can’t come up with a good answer.  There’s no corporate website that links the two together.  I found another Mancino’s website that lists the Mancino’s on Clippert and that one is linked Samuel Mancino who is from St. Clair Shores, MI and started this concept for a store.  This website doesn’t list either the store on S. Cedar or the two in Bradley that I’ve always eaten at.  To make things even more confusing, there is a chain called Bellacino’s Pizza and Grinders which had stores in Peoria, IL where I lived the last five years.  Bellacino’s had the same menu and made the exact same sandwiches that Mancino’s did, but there is no Bradley store listed on their website either.  On their franchise info page, they say that the recipes are those of Samuel Mancino.  So, are all these stores related?  I still have no freakin clue………… Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Lansing, Pizza, Reviews, Sandwiches

Kelly’s Downtown

31 05 2008
  • 203 S. Washington Sq.Kelly's Downtown
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 484-5007
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend and I were checking out the city courtesy of the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitor’s Bureau “Be a Tourist in Your Own Town” (which is an incredible event and I would definately recommend you check it out next year.)  Around lunch time, we made it downtown and decided to hit up Washington Square for lunch.  At first, we stopped into Tavern on the Square, but the menu kind of sucked.  There were no sandwiches and it was pretty expensive.  We were just looking for a quick lunch so we could keep touring the town.

Across the street sat Kelly’s.  So we got up and left Tavern on the Square and crossed the street.  There was a patio outside, but we chose to go inside and found a table near the front of the shop.  There’s a huge bar in the middle of the space with seating all the way around.  We sat down and waited five to ten minutes for the lone waitress/bartender to even acknowledge us.  She yelled across the bar to get our drink orders then a bus boy actually brought them out.  After a few more minutes, she yelled across the bar to take our order as well.

My girlfriend got Kelly’s Thatsa Wrap which is listed as vegetarian, but offers options to add grilled chicken which she did.  The wrap comes standard with tomatos, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and mushrooms inside a flour tortilla.  Besides the chicken, she got ranch on the side and added fries to her order.  She seemed to really like the wrap and had some fries left over for me.  She said the cucumbers were a good addition changing the texture and the flavor of what you usually expect in a wrap like this.

I got the Bear Burger.  It was a 1/3 lb sirloin burger with crumbled bleu cheese and bacon.  The burger was obviously a frozen patty.  It was really greasy.  I picked the sandwich up and it was wet.  At first, I was afraid it wasn’t done.  There was a puddle of grease on the bottom that I almost mistook for blood.  I bit into it anyway and it was done, but it was really greasy.  Fortunately, the bleu cheese covered most of that up.  I did a double check just to make sure there was bacon on there.  It kind of got lost in all the wetness.

After the initial delay in getting to us, the waitress did a much better job.  Our drinks never got empty and she got the check to us pretty quickly.  For the two of us, it was about $20, but we ended up spending more time in the restaurant than we really wanted to.  Really it was only about forty minutes, so it’s not terrible and normally I wouldn’t complain.  I’ve read a lot of good reveiws about this place, but it didn’t do anything for me.  My burger wasn’t very good and places like this I usually expect more.  I just haven’t had much luck with the downtown restaurants yet.  I’m still looking for that place near the Capitol that is worth getting in the car and paying parking for.   Kelly’s would probably be a great night spot, but for lunch, it just didn’t do anything for me.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Dive Bar, Irish Bar, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Turkeyman Deli & Catering

29 05 2008
  • 5021 W. Saginaw HwyTurkeyman
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 327-8300
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend gets her hair cut at Etc. Salon & Spa near the Lansing Mall on Saginaw Highway.  I usually go with her then go shopping to kill time.  After she’s done, we’ll grab lunch and enjoy the rest of the afternoon together until she needs to go to work.  Last time she got her hair cut, I drove into Turkeyman Deli & Catering’s parking lot to turn around.  I thought then it looked like a neat place but didn’t want to eat without her, so I kept going.  We didn’t have time for lunch that day because she had to go to work earlier than usual.  This time, we had time so we made the stop.

Turkeyman is located in a small strip mall kitty corner from the Mall.  Inside the store are about five booths and a small deli counter.  You order at the counter and they get your food up pretty much right away.  We both went with the house special.  The Turkeyman Sandwich is very similar to a pulled pork sandwich.  They take all white meat turkey that has been smoked and pulled off the bone then marinate it in a BBQ sauce.  The pile the pulled turkey onto a whole wheat hoagie bun.  My girlfriend had them add lettuce and shredded cheese while I got my with just the meat.  For another $1.50 each we added a bag of chips and a fountain drink. Our total was just over $15, but our total time in the store was less than fifteen minutes. They were efficient in getting our food and it was so good we plowed through it.

TurkeymanThe turkey was delicious.  The texture was just like pulled pork, but the white turkey meat made it a completely different sandwich.  The bbq sauce was sweet, but not overpowering.  The whole wheat bun was another unique feature.  My girlfriend loved that, but I probably would have been happier with a white roll. This sandwich, even though it was a BBQ deli sandwich, was pretty healthy and it was healthier food that was incredibly delicious.  My girlfriend kept saying over and over that Turkeyman was a “good choice” for lunch.  I just got a bag of Lays, but she got a bag of baked Pita chips.  Something different.

Turkeyman is found all over the area.  In the parking lot they had two giant smokers that are used for fairs and carnivals.  They also have a permanent presence at Spartan Stadium, the Breslin Center, and Oldsmobile Park.  Sandwiches aren’t the only thing on the menu.  You can also find turkey drumsticks, soups, salads, and grilled sandwiches.

If you don’t know it’s there, you’ll probably drive right by Turkeyman.  Slow down, open your eyes and stop.  Turkeyman has taken a unique concept and ran with it.  Everyone can do pork or chicken, but a whole restaurant that survives on it’s turkey is something worth stopping in to.


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

Jon’s Country Burgers

28 05 2008
  • 3109 S. Cedar St.Jon's Country Burger
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 393-1627
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I’ve driven by Jon’s Country Burgers quite a few times on my way to some other restaurant downtown and always wondered, “What the heck is a country burger?”  Well, I found Jon’s menu on-line and answered that question.  It’s “two patties of fresh ground meat, melted cheese, pickle, lettuce, and salad dressing on a toasted bun.”  OK, so that really doesn’t sound appetizing to me (it’s the salad dressing part), but I needed a place to eat a quick dinner one night because I didn’t feel like cooking.

I picked my girlfriend up from work and we headed down Cedar to Jon’s which was obviously a drive-in back in the day.  There’s still an awning for curbside service, but there’s also a dining room…which USED to actually be the drive-in.  It looks like they just put up four walls and added some furniture.  You can still see the wall that used to be the exterior wall.  The door to “go inside” is still there and the waitresses use still use the small counter to pick up orders behind the glass wall.

Jon's Country BurgerJon’s was a little confusing for us first-timers.  When we walked in, we really didn’t know what to do.  A waitress came out and said to just find a seat so we did.  We pulled out the menus on the table and began to look them over.  A different waitress came over with water and told us when we were ready to order to just pick up the phone.  Yes, there are phones at every table that connect you right to the kitchen.  That’s how you place your order.  The waitress doesn’t take it. 

After a few minutes of looking over the menu, my girlfriend picked up the phone and placed our order.  She got the chicken stips which came with an order of fries.  They were the standard deep fried chicken strips, but they were soft and moist.  She got honey mustard on the side and asked for a couple sides of barbecue sauce as well.  The five strips and out of the bag fries were more than enough for her. 

I got the Bacon Burger with Cheese basket.  My sandwich came with fries and applesauce which I passed over to my g/f.  They also brought out a shaker of cinnamon to the table for the applesauce.  My burger was, again, your standard drive-in burger.  There were two strips of crispy bacon a slice of cheese on a juicy burger.  It’s the kind of meal that just begs for me to oversalt the fries then wipe the plate with the burger just to make it a little more salty.  I’m not sure why, but it’s one of those wierd things that I’ve just been doing forever with cheap burgers.

I finished my burger and fries long before my girlfriend did.  I really didn’t feel like there was a whole lot there.  Either that or I was really hungry.  The waitress came and took my plate while my girlfriend finished then seemed to forget about us.   I don’t want to be too tough on her because she was in training and she was a little timid it seemed like.  My g/f finished her meal then we sat there for 10-15 minutes waiting for a check.  The waitress finally came over and asked if we needed anything else and we ended up just asking for the check just to make sure we got it then.  She went back into the kitchen area and came out a few minutes later.  The total for the two of us was $20.  Stupid me, I thought I had a $20 in my wallet, but to my surprise when I opened my wallet, there was only $10.  I felt a little stupid having to ask my girlfriend to spot me $10, but she did and I’ll make it up to her with lunch tomorrow.

Jon’s is a really unique place.  The ordering system is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.  It lets you talk directly to the cook, so you take the middle man out and make sure you get exactly what you order.  Some of the other things were a little wierd.  The waitresses uniforms looked too much like nurses uniforms and they were always carrying around trays which really made things feel more like a hospital than a restaurant.  The food was classic comfort food which met, but didn’t exceed my expectations.  It’s another one of those places I’m glad we went to just because of the uniqueness of the building and the expeience, but not sure if we’ll go back.  It probably wasn’t a good thing that on our first trip there we had a waitress in training since we didn’t really know how things worked.  It was almost so confusing that it really took away from the dining experience.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger – Ann Arbor

25 05 2008
  • 551 S. Division StBlimpy Burger
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 663-4590
  • Website
  • Menu

Not only is Blimpy Burger the oldest burger joint in Ann Arbor, it’s also one of the most famous places in town.  The humble little shop on the corner of Packard and Division Sts. is voted best burger year after year by a variety of publications and they’ve even been featured on Food Network’s Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dives which somehow I missed. 

I was in Ann Arbor the Big Ten Baseball Championships and needed to find lunch before crew call at U of M.  I had heard of Blimpy Burger and thought it would make a good lunch.  Apparently, half of Ann Arbor thought that too.  The line weaved around the tables inside and right to the door.  The building is small. There’s only room for a handful of tables that line two walls and a couple free stand tables next to the counter.  The service is described as cafeteria style.  You actually walk up to a counter where the cook asks you what you want and he cooks it right there in front of you.

Ordering is a tradition in itself at Blimpy Burger and something I thought was going to be really intimidating.  On their website, they give you instructions for ordering and those same instructions are posted in the restaurants.  For the most part, they’re just to keep the line moving.  It starts out simple.   Everyone who’s ordering must order themselves.  You can’t just send Mom up to get food for everyone.  Your first stop in the process is the deep frier.  A fry cook asks if you want anything deep fried.  Your choices are fries (which are steak fries) or vegetables like onion rings or mushrooms.

After you get your fried food, you make your way to the grill.  The cooks actually put on quite a show and this part can be fun to watch.  The cook will first ask what you want.  Adults have to get at least a double and they go all the way to quints (that’s five burger patties) and beyond.  All the meat is fresh.  What they do is take a disher and make little balls out of fresh beef.  The cook puts those balls on the grill then slams them down into patties.  He had probably five or six orders going at one time with all of them being at least triples.  The patties aren’t huge.  Once slamed down, they’re pretty thin, so a triple isn’t as huge as you’d think.

After the cook asks what you want, the next question is “Do you want any grilled items.”  By this, he means bacon, onions, etc.  Don’t say cheese.  Cheese isn’t grilled.  The guy in front of me made that mistake.  I didn’t want anything, so he moved on to buns.  The regular bun comes standard, but they also have choices of onion or Kaiser rolls for an additional charge.  As the burgers are just about done, the cook turns around again and asks if you want cheese.  They have five choices.  I went with cheddar although the bleu cheese option was there.  The burgers cook a little longer then they are passed on to the cashier who finishes the burgers off with condiments.  There’s even a correct way to handle this process.  Wet condiments first then everything else.  I passed altogether as I just wanted to taste the burger.  The cook appreciated that.  He turned around and said most people don’t do that, but they really should.

It took me about a half hour to get through line.  I elected to take my burger to go since the place was packed, but quite a few people were grabbing trays to stay.  Once I got to my destination, I chowed down.  The burger was delicious.  Blimpy Burger is NOT all hype.  They really do have good food.  The triple was about the size of a double most places.  The cheese was melted into the burger and the burgers were so moist they were just falling apart.  I actually had a hard time finishing the burger and fries which almost never happens.  I just got the small order of fries and with the sandwich, the total was just over six dollars.

Blimpy Burger is an absolute must in Ann Arbor.  Make sure you have plenty of time as I imagine it’s always busy like it was the day I was in there.  This place lived up to the hype as a classic burger joint.  Their slogan is “cheaper than food”…..they could also add “better than food” 


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Burgers, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Grand Traverse Pie Company – Okemos

22 05 2008
  • 3536 Meridian CrossingsGrand Traverse Pie Company
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 381-7437
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend is heading back to Chicago to see friends and family this weekend and wanted to bring back something unique to Michigan.  We were going to drive up to Middleton to an Amish Mennonite Bakery but were afraid we’d get up there and they wouldn’t have any cherry pie.  Since they don’t have a phone we didn’t know the name of the place, we couldn’t call ahead.  Instead of taking the chance, I suggested we go to the Grand Traverse Pie Company.  A small chain located here in Michigan that started in Traverse City in the mid-90’s.  Their specialty?  Pies of course.

We stopped in the Okemos location around lunch time.  Since we hadn’t eaten yet, we decided to do that first.  Grand Traverse reminded me a lot of Panera Bread.  You order at a counter then wait for your name to be called.  At least you know your sandwich is being made fresh.  There were quite a few choices for lunch ranging from cold sandwiches to soups and salads.  Both my girlfriend and I went with a grilled sandwich.

She got the Grilled Smokehouse.  The sandwich consisted of smoked ham, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and a spicy dijon mustard on sourdough bread.  The neat thing was this sandwich was served in a pie tin.  On the side, she got berry coleslaw and a pickel spear.  The ham was delicious and there was a lot on it.  She peeled a few pieces off to give to me.  She’s doesn’t like a whole lot of meat on her sandwiches and this one had a lot.  The mustard was spicy, but again, there was a little too much.  Both pieces of bread were covered with the mustard where one side probably would have been better.  Even with those two minor complaints, she loved the sandwich.  The ham had a great smoky flavor that the mustard balanced.  The lettuce and tomato were just enough to cool down the spice.

I got the French Dip.  The sandwich came with a huge cup of Au jus.  I didn’t realize it when I ordered, but sauteed onions came on top of the roast beef.  I really don’t like onioins so I scraped them off which also took off most of the cheese.  The bread was just hard enough that it really soaked up the au jus and made for a nice crunch, but held the flavor of the juice.  I got a bag of chips on the side along with the pickle spear.  The chips were just a small bag of Lays.  Usually at places like this, the French Dips are a little on the small side and I end up leaving hungry.  Not here.  The sandwich was a good size and had a lot of flavor.  It’s easy to overcook roast beef, but this was done just right.

I passed on dessert and I’m kicking myself.  I don’t really like pie, but I do like cheesecake and there was a delicious looking slice of an Oreo cookie cheesecake.  My girlfriend got a slice of Laksehore Berry Pie Grand Traverse Pie CompanyCrumble to take home with us.  Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and apples are packed into this slice.  She picked all the flavors but the apple out.  That one seemed to fade into the background, but she did call it one of the best pies she’s ever eaten.  We also grabbed two whole pies since that was the original purpose of our trip.  Being in Michgan, she went with two Cherry Pie Crumbles to take home.  I’m sure her parents and friends will love them.  Like I said, I don’t really like pie, but these both looked delicious.  Our meal cost around $18 for the two sandwiches and drinks.  For dessert, we got out for under $30 and that was two pies and a slice.


Comments : 11 Comments »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Bakery, Chains, Michigan, Okemos, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Dalmation Firehouse Grill

21 05 2008
  • 1107 S. Washington Ave.Dalmation Firehouse Grill
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 485-7877
  • No Known Website
  • No Menu Online

I got an e-mail from a reader over the weekend that suggested I try the Dalmation Firehouse Grill on my quest for the perfect burger.  Lance, the reader, called Dalmation’s burgers the “best in Lansing” and “amazing.”  With an endoresment like that, how could I pass?

Dalmation Firehouse Grill is located in REO Town next to the Cadillac Club.  It’s a small diner with a lunch counter and only six tables.  We stopped in for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon and the place was about half full.  The waitress came over for drink orders while we looked over the menu.  They’re only open for breakfast and lunch.  They switch over to the lunch menu at 11 am.  The waitress came back with our Pepsi’s and we were ready to order.

My girlfriend went with the BLT.  The sandwich came piled with bacon, lettuce and a few slices of tomato on white toast with a light spreading of mayo.  The lunch baskets came with fries, a pickle spear and a brownie bite.  While her sandwich was filling, her complaint was the same as mine on the burger.  The bacon was really chewey and not very crispy.  A couple hours later, she said her stomach was rumbling.  She really prefers her bacon way overdone and crispy.  The structure of the sandwich was great as you really got a lot for your money and had the bacon been a little crispier, this would have been the perfect BLT.  The bread was buttered when it was toasted and she said that gave the sandwich even more flavor.  The fries were the out of the bag type and they mixed shoestring and crinkle cut fries for some reason.  They were crispy and cooked perfectly.  The brownie bite was a great addition to the meal for desert.  It wasn’t very big, but the flavor was huge.  It was very gooey, fudgy, and even had chocolate chips in it.

Since the burger was the reason we chose Dalmation Firehouse for lunch, that’s what I had to get.  They had a few different kinds of burgers on their menu, but I chose the bacon cheeseburger.  I finally got what I was looking for in flavor of the meat.  It was a classic diner burger.  It was juicy and cooked perfectly on the flattop.  The cheese was melted almost into the burger and it was topped with a ton of bacon.  Like I stated early, the bacon was really chewey.  The flavor of it was good, but it was hard to eat.  After biting into the sandwich, I had to rip the bacon with my teeth.  I really liked that they put an extra effort into the bun.  It wasn’t just the usual seasame seed bun.  This bun was soft and flaky.  They buttered the bottom of it then toasted it on the grill as well.  It makes for an extra layer of flavor that most places skip on.

The Dalmation Firehouse Grill is truly a neighborhood diner.  The small space makes it cozy and the staff seemed to know most of the people in there at the time.  A couple of the waitresses were sitting at the counter talking to a customer and our waitress was carrying on a conversation with two soldiers who were sitting behind us.  The grill is out in the open so you can watch you meal being cooked.  Thank you, Lance, for the recommendation.  I’m not sure I would have found this place on my own.  Is it the best burger in Lansing?  Well, it’s probably the best I had so far.  The individual components of the burger have by far been the best.  The bacon knocks off a lot of points, but the meat, cheese, and bun combo was incredibly tasty. 


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Burgers, Diner, Downtown, Lansing, Local Flavor, REO Town, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

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.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , ,
Categories : Bar, Burgers, East Lansing, Pub, Reviews, Sandwiches

« Previous Entries Next Entries »