The Irish Pub & Grill

26 03 2009
  • 1910 W. Saginaw Street
  • Lansing, MI 48915
  • (517) 482-3916
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Irish Pub & Grill on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

Irish Pub & Grill on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

Over the last year, we’ve gotten a lot of recommendations.  The one place that’s been recommended probably more than any is the Irish Pub & Grill.  We kept making plans to go on a Saturday night when they have karaoke, but something always came up and we never made it.  We were out in Delta Township this morning and come lunch time, finally took the recommendations.

The Irish Pub & Grill is on Saginaw Street just after Saginaw Highway splits into two one way roads.  There’s a corner parking lot on Saginaw and Cleo Street which is a little tricky to get into.  The entrance to the pub is on the corner of the building.  There’s a big, heavy wooden door that leads into a large bar and pub space. 

When you get past the door, you end up in the bar area.  There’s a long bar that runs along the wall with TV’s mounted above and behind.  All were tuned to ESPN.  The rest of the space is divided into two dining areas.  The one in the bar area, where we sat, has tables scattered through the space as well as pub style tables built into the support beams.  The other room has more tables as well as the dart boards and pool tables. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Irish Bar, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Quality Dairy – Saginaw & Robins

26 03 2009
  • 4500 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 319-4113
  • Website
Quality Dairy on Saginaw & Robins in Delta Township

Quality Dairy on Saginaw & Robins in Delta Township

My tour of Quality Dairy’s continue.  One of these days, I’m going to make it to all of them.  It’s just one of those stupid things that I do.  Once I get started, there’s no stopping me.

I was out in the Delta Township area killing time as J was getting her haircut.  I had to make a trip downtown after I dropped her off, but on my way back, I finally stopped to get a pop.  Most people need coffee in the morning to get going.  Not me.  I need a pop.  If I had things my way, it would be a Pepsi.  When I’m at home, it’s Coke Zero.  Since I was out, it was going to be a Pepsi.

This Quality Dairy is on the corner of Saginaw Highway and Robins Road in Delta Township.  Getting in is a little tricky as the store sits on a corner and the parking lot is pretty small.  The inside of the store is typical convenience store layout.  The ice cream counter is right near the door and the fountain pop is right across from that.  I grabbed a plastic cup and filled it up with Pepsi. mmmmmm……Pepsi.

I still miss my Circle K.  The same size pop costs only $0.69 there.  At QD, the 32 oz. costs $1.05.  It’s still much better than buying a bottle.


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

The Ultimate Ballpark Burger

25 03 2009

We all expect ballpark food to be unhealthy, but this is nuts

The West Michigan Whitecaps unveiled their new menu yesterday for the upcoming baseball season. It includes the Fifth Third Burger, which contains beef, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, chili and fritos on an eight-inch high sesame seed bun.

The burger weighs in at a whopping 4800 calories.  The cost is $20, but if you finish it in one sitting, you get a Fifth Third Burger T-shirt.


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

Cheese Recall

25 03 2009

From WILX.com

Torres Hillsdale Country Cheese LLC is recalling its Asadero and Oaxaca soft Mexican-style cheeses due to possible listeria contamination.

The products were distributed to retailers and delis in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

The recalled cheeses were sold in 10-pound balls and 16- and 12-ounce plastic packages under the name “Aguas Calientes” and in 6-pound blocks shrink-wrapped in clear plastic under the name “El Jaliciense.”

Their expiration dates range from Oct. 29 through May 10.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the recalled products.

Eating food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes can cause listeria’s, a potentially fatal disease.


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Categories : Food News

Mamacita’s Famous Taco

23 03 2009
  • 3500 S. Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 393-0766
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Mamacitas Famous Taco on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Mamacita's Famous Taco on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Today was the first day of what’s going to be a lot of improvising when it comes to dinner.  I’m working this summer downtown and it’s going to keep me from being home a few nights a week.  I had a 6:00 meeting tonight and when I was walking out at 7:00, I got a text from J asking if I could meet her for dinner.  I happened to be getting in my truck when I got the message, so I called her back and suggested meet for tacos.

Mamacita’s Famous Taco is on Cedar Street in that strip mall right next to the Lansing PD’s South Precinct.  I always thought it was two different business, but it’s just the sign that’s split up.  We walked in under the sign that said “Famous Taco” to find a dining room that spanned what probably used to be two separate store fronts.  There were already laminated menus on the table, so we grabbed a booth near the front.  It was a little after 7:00 on a Monday night and we were the only ones there.  A few people came in for carry out, but we obviously missed the dinner rush.

The decor is pretty bland.  They don’t have the usual, stereotypical Mexican decor.  Other than the booths and tables, the only thing in the restaurant were stainless steel buffet tables which get used during the day.  There was no dinner buffet, so we ordered off the menu.

A waiter came over with our Pepsi’s then went and got some chips and salsa.  The chips were home made as was the salsa.  He brought out mild and asked if that was ok.  It was fine with me.  The chips and salsa were delicious.  There were a few too many chunks of onion in the salsa for me.  I’m not an onion fan and I’d rather not see them even though I know I’m eating them.  J was eating the chips by themselves.  She really liked them. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Sweet Sensations

22 03 2009
  • 1693 Cedar Street
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-6922
  • Website
  • Menu
Sweet Sensations on Cedar Street in Holt.

Sweet Sensations on Cedar Street in Holt.

Ah, spring.  With spring comes one of my favorite things.  The opening of the ice cream stands.  J and I spent all winter sitting at home wondering where we could go for soft serve ice cream.  All the stands close during the winter.  There’s no Dairy Queen restaurant and Culver’s is in Okemos. 

On our way to Mason for dinner, we noticed that there was an ice cream stand on the way opened.  As we drove by, we decided to skip dessert at Big Boy and pick up some ice cream on our way home.

Sweet Sensations is on the corner Cedar Street and Watson Avenue in Holt.  It’s a small shop with a walk up window and a giant ice cream cone on the roof of the building.  If you’ve ever driven through Holt, you’ve seen the giant ice cream cone.  There are a few tables along the side the building, but other than that, there’s really no place to sit an eat.  It’s really more of a neighborhood place for families to walk to in the summer time.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Holt, Ice Cream, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Tony’s in Birch Run to be on Triple D?

22 03 2009

Frequent commenter Dan pointed me to an article in the Saginaw News that says Tony’s Restaurant in Birch Run may be featured on my favorite show Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives.

“They got an overwhelming amount of calls about us being on their show,” said Steve Fritzler, 10-year owner of the restaurant. “You have to get a certain amount of referrals from customers.”

Fritzler said producers contacted him about three months ago and indicated they wanted to tape this summer.

On the day of filming, posted notices will warn patrons not to enter if they don’t want to appear on TV.

A representative from show producer Page Productions of Minneapolis, Minn., would not confirm whether taping would take place.

Tony’s was one of the places I wanted to stop when we took a trip to Frankenmuth last fall, but I wasn’t sure if it was a place my parents would enjoy.  It definitely sounds like a place J and I would enjoy and it’s now getting bumped up to a higher priority on our list of stops.


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Categories : Birch Run, Food News, Michigan

Big Boy Restaurant – Mason

22 03 2009
  • 660 N. Cedar Street
  • Mason, MI 48854
  • (517) 676-4401
  • Website
  • Menu
The Big Boy Restaurant on Cedar Street in Mason.

The Big Boy Restaurant on Cedar Street in Mason.

It was a long weekend.  I worked in Detroit on Friday, Champaign, IL on Saturday then had to drive home on Sunday.  I left my parents house before lunch, but I didn’t want to actually stop for food on my way home.  I was already making a detour to the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond to get J tickets to see Joel McHale for her birthday and another stop would have made a four hour trip (five with the time change) start pushing five hours.  By the time I finally got home at 5:30 ET, I was starving.  J hadn’t eaten much either, so after unpacking really quick, we went on the hunt for food.

 I was craving a burger.  I didn’t want to go to a bar because the MSU/USC game was on and I wasn’t in the mood for a crowd.  Instead, we opted for Big Boy in Mason.  We had eaten at the Big Boy in Okemos last fall and were a little unimpressed with the place, but I wanted to give them another chance.  I figured a different location might make our dining experience a little better.

The Big Boy Restaurant in Mason is located on Cedar Street on the southeast side of town.  It sits right near US 127 before you actually get in to the town.  Unlike the Okemos location, it’s obvious this store is a Big Boy.  There’s a huge sign out front and the famous statue of the Big Boy on the edge of the parking lot.  There were a few cars in the lot, but nothing overwhelming.

This store is more what I was expecting from a Big Boy.  The decor is a little more bright and cartoonish.  I had never seen a Big Boy before moving to Michigan, but the statue is a part of Americana and I guess I just have a preconceived notion of what I thought Big Boy was.  The Mason location lived up to that notion better than the Okemos location.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Mason, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Geovanti’s Bar & Grill – Champaign, IL

21 03 2009
  • 401 E. Green Street
  • Champaign, IL 61820
  • (217) 344-4600
  • Website
  • Menu
Geovantis Bar & Grill on Green Street near the campus of the University of Illinois

Geovanti's Bar & Grill on Green Street near the campus of the University of Illinois

It’s no secret that the one food I crave when I go home is the Italian beef.  It just doesn’t exist in Mid-Michigan.  While it’s obvious you can find the sandwich in Chicago, most people don’t realize there are a handful of places downstate that offer the sandwich.  They’re usually a Chicago-style place that specializes in sandwiches and pizza.  Lucky for me, there was not one, but two places right down the street from Huff Hall where I happened to be working.

Geovanti’s Bar and Grill is on the corner of Green and 4th Streets.  Think of Green Street like Grand River Avenue.  It’s right in the middle of a lot of off campus housing and it’s a short walk from campus of the U of I.  There are a number of bars and restaurants on a four block stretch of road.

I walked in to Geovanti’s just as they were opening at 11:00 AM.  There are two entrances.  There’s the entrance on Green, but there’s also an alley entrance.  I was on the phone and not paying attention, so I walked around to the front entrance.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Huff Hall – Champaign, IL

21 03 2009
  • 1206 S. 4th Street
  • Champaign, IL 61820
  • (217) 244-9755
  • Website
Huff Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois set up for gymnastics

Huff Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois set up for gymnastics

Even if you’ve never been to the University of Illinois and you’ve never heard of Huff Hall, you are quite familiar with a term that was coined during the days when the IHSA boys state basketball championships played in the gym.  It’s actually pretty fitting that I’m writing about this right now.  The term “March Madness” is a term that was trademarked by the IHSA after a court battle that also gave the NCAA a right to trademark the term.  The IHSA still claims to have invented the term and they own the sole trademark to the phrase “America’s Original March Madness” which is how they bill their tournament these days

The phrase “March Madness” was first used in 1939 to describe the state basketball championships that were held at Huff Gymnasium.  The layout and design of the building made it loud and when the place was full, it was deafening.  If you’ve ever watched an IHSA small schools game, you know how loud it can get.

Huff Hall was built in 1925 as a multi-purpose gymnasium named after George Huff who was the school’s athletic director from 1895 to 1935.  It’s a 4,500 seat arena with a permanent upper deck and retractable bleachers in the lower area.  Like Michigan State’s Jenison Fieldhouse, Huff Hall is the home of the U of I’s volleyball, wrestling,  and gymnastics teams. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, Champaign, Champaign/Urbana, Entertainment Venues, Illinois, Live Entertainment

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