Interesting problem tonight. J e-mailed from work saying she was craving fried chicken. I like it when she craves chicken because I always crave chicken. Problem is, we really don’t know where to go. I almost always go to Popeye’s when I want chicken. We ended up going to KFC because J saw a commercial for something she wanted to try. Is there anyone in Lansing that does fried chicken really well?
Izzo’s Pub & Pizzeria
5 03 2009
Izzo's Pub & Pizzeria in Lansing's REO Town
It took three tries, but I finally found Izzo’s Pizzeria open. I happened to be downtown for a late morning meeting. I was hopping back in my truck a little after noon and I started to head towards Washington Square to find something for lunch when I decided to give Izzo’s a third try.
Izzo’s Pub & Pizzeria is on Washington Avenue in Lansing’s REO Town neighborhood. The pub has been there since the mid-1960’s. The Pizzeria has been there since December. The two businesses are in separate spaces with separate entrances, but they are connected and you can move freely between the two spaces. The pizzeria side is big enough for a kitchen and a handful of tables. The interior fits the area. It has kind of a rustic feel with an exposed brick wall with a relief pattern that sort of resembles the globe. The tables are surrounded black metal chairs and it’s a bright, inviting atmosphere.
The order counter is near the back of the space. When I made it back there, a man behind the counter made contact right away. He asked if I was staying or taking something to go. J was still at home and I planned on bringing her lunch, so I told him I was getting carry out. He handed me a menu to look over, but I noticed some slices behind the counter. I asked if they did pizza by the slice. He said they did, but all they had was a sausage, mushroom, and onion pie. Not really my thing, so I ordered a small cheese pizza that I could share with J. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Izzo's, Izzo's Pub & Pizzeria, Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Pizzeria, Pub, REO Town, restarant
Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, REO Town, Restaurant, Reviews
Restaurant Rally 2009
5 03 2009Got this press release about a pretty cool sounding event in Jackson….
Support Local Businesses and enjoy hours of entertainment, free transportation and great food at 9 local restaurants!
Jackson, Michigan – Tuesday, March 10th – Visit 9 Jackson Restaurants for only $10 per person! The 3rd Annual Restaurant Rally will take place Tuesday, March 10th, 6pm -9pm. Participants start at any of the participating restaurants where they can enjoy great food and jump on a shuttle bus to the next establishment.
Participating Restaurants: Bella Notte Ristorante, Cascades Manor House, Duffy’s Food & Spirits, Buffalo BBQ Wings, Steve’s Ranch Family Restaurant, New Country China Buffet, Culver’s, Ground Round and Olive Garden.
Each Restaurant will offer samples of signature and popular menu items and drink specials. Guests may start at any restaurant. Free parking for this event is available at Cascades Manor House. Six shuttle buses provided by Jackson Public Schools will run three different routes to each of the nine participating restaurants.
Tickets are now on sale at the Chamber (141 S. Jackson Street) $10 per person
For more information about Restaurant Rally 2009, contact the Chamber 517-782-7221 or www.gjcc.org.
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Tags: Jackson, Michigan, Press Release, Rally, Restaurant
Categories : Food News, Jackson, Michigan, Press Releases
Another Peanut Butter Recal
4 03 2009I thought we were done with these…
Spartan stores has issued a voluntary recall of spartan chocolate peanut clusters.
Spartan officials say they contain peanut ingredients from the Peanut Corporation of America’s Texas facility.
The FDA has recalled all items processed at that facility saying they may be linked to a salmonella outbreak.
There are no reported illnesses associated with this precautionary recall.
Consumers should discard the product or take it back to the store for a refund. The product pack size is 4.5 ounces, the order code is 099-523 and the UPC is 11213-04218.
The product best by dates are 2/27/09, 3/2/09, 4/6/09, 7/24/09, and 7/28/09.
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Tags: Michigan, Recall, Salmonella, Spartan Stores
Categories : Food News, Michigan
Topper’s Pizza
2 03 2009
Topper's Pizza on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing.
Now that it’s NASCAR season again, Sunday’s can get pretty lazy. When the race is a west coast race, it really gets lazy because the race starts so late, it goes right through dinner. J and I were hanging out on the couch flipping back and forth between the Shelby 427 and the Illinois vs. Michigan State basketball game. Once we saw MSU had the game wrapped up, we started thinking about dinner. J suggested pizza. I was game. Once again, we tried Izzo’s Pizzeria in Old REO Town only to find them closed again. I continued to drive around before I ended up in East Lansing.
Topper’s Pizza is on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing. The store is fairly new having opened just before Christmas. Topper’s is a chain out of Whitewater, Wisconsin with locations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and North Carolina. The East Lansing location is the only Michigan location.
The store is pretty small, but there are a couple of tables should want to dine in. There’s also some leather chairs and a couch in a little waiting area. Since I was driving aimlessly, I didn’t call my order in. I went to the counter to place my order. I ordered a large cheese pizza and tried to tag on a single order of Cinnamonstix. The lady taking the order it would actually be three bucks cheaper if I ordered a triple order of Cinnamonstix due to a promotion they had going on. I didn’t really need that much dessert, but I did it anyway to save money. After that was hammered out, she asked if I wanted extra cheese since I got one topping on the pizza, I said, sure. She didn’t have to twist my arm. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: East Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Topper's Pizza
Categories : Candy, East Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews
Press Release – Wines for Humanity
2 03 2009From a press release…
Wines for Humanity: a unique approach to charity
It started to happen in Michigan last year, when a group of passionate people about wine and helping others from Chicago created a company with a new approach to charity fundraising.
Wines for Humanity’s mission is to raise funds for charities across the country in order to prevent homelessness in families with children. We believe that the funds raised locally should be applied locally- directly impacting the quality of our Wine Advisors’ neighborhoods nationwide.
WFH has been around for a while in other five states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, North Carolina) pairing with different programs to put in motion our vision. As of January 1st, 2009, we have raised over $64,000 for the prevention of homelessness in families with children!
We are rapidly expanding in Michigan to help support the homelessness prevention program that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other charities have in place. We need wine advisors!
Mini Job Fair March 26, 2009
Training for wine advisors is extensive, and WFH provides the materials to start without upfront costs.
Team Michigan is having a Mini-Job Fair
at Gone Wired Café (www.gonewiredlansing.com)
2021 E. Michigan Ave. Lansing MI 48912
on March 26, 2009, from 4 pm to 7 pm
Applicants need to be 21 and older
A demonstration of a wine tasting will be presented at 5 pm.
We encourage interested individuals to call 517. 719. 8049 to reserve an interview time to become a wine advisor. We also encourage doing the same to reserve a seat in the mini tasting.
To host a wine Tasting Party
Our in-home wine tastings entertain and educate the hosts and guests on the joy of fine wines. We discuss how to taste the wine, how to pair wine with food, and how wine can be an integral part of a meaningful life, –all while sampling seven fine wine selections.
To host a party at your home or office please contact
Sabina Texido stexido@winesforhumanity.com or 517.719.8049
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Tags: Lansing, Michigan, Press Release, wines for humanity
Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan
The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
1 03 2009- 377 Riverside Drive
- Windsor, ON N9A 7H7
- (519) 258-7878
- Website
The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
I have never been outside the United States. I’ve never had any reason. Hell, until a few years ago, the only time I had been on an airplane was my 8th grade class trip to Washington DC. Traveling farther than driving distance just wasn’t something my family did. Now, Canada is within driving distance and there was a concert J wanted to see at Caesars Windsor, so I did all the research about what we need to travel back and forth to Canada then bought a couple tickets to see Miranda Lambert.
Getting to Canada and back home had literally kept me up at night for a week. People do it everyday, so I’m not sure why I was so worried about it, but I was just anxious about making sure I knew where we were going and what we needed to get back into the country. Since we were downtown in Detroit, the GPS sent us to the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. I had no idea what to expect. I paid the toll them waited as five lanes converged down to one. I think J was a little nervous about using the tunnel, but I just do what the GPS tells me. It took about a half hour to get through. When your stuck in bumper to bumper traffic under a river, you do kind of start thinking about what could go wrong. We got to the other end and talked to the border agent who wished us luck when I told him where we were headed.
Caesars Windsor sits right on the river and is highly visible from downtown Detroit. We could see the neon signs well before we made it to the border crossing. From the time we got to Windsor, it felt like we were just going in circles. We got to the casino then went around the block what seemed like six times to get to the self park parking garage. We made our way all the way to the top then hit the elevator back to the third level where the pedestrian bridge is. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Caesars, Canada, Colosseum, Miranda Lambert, Ontario, Windsor
Categories : Canada, Entertainment Venues, Live Entertainment, Ontario, Windsor
Roast
1 03 2009
Michael Symon's Roast in downtown Detroit.
Finally! The present I’ve been looking forward to. When I told J I bought her tickets to a concert in Windsor, she suggested going to Roast for dinner. Her treat. I was so excited when I read an article that Iron Chef Michael Symon was opening a Detroit restaurant and when I saw the menu for it, I knew I had to go.
Roast is in downtown Detroit on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue in the recently restored Westin Book-Cadillac hotel. The restaurant is on the bottom floor of the Washington Boulevard side. There is an entrance from the hotel, but there’s also a set of doors next to the hotel’s main entrance that lead directly into the restaurant.
We surprisingly found parking at a meter about a block away. Had we not, the choices looked to be very limited. I think I saw a self park on Michigan Avenue next to the hotel. There’s also a valet service if that’s more your thing.
We arrived at about 5:45 for a 6:15 reservation. We checked in with the matre’d figuring we were going to have to wait, but they actually seated us right away. Roast has a couple huge dining rooms. They are street level with huge windows looking out into downtown Detroit. The space is covered with dark, subdued colors with pops of light. From the dining room, you can see into the kitchen and you can watch the “Roast Beast of the Day” being slow roasted on a spit. We didn’t sit in the dining room. Instead, we were seated in the bar area which actually worked out really well. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: burger, Detroit, Downtown, Fine Dining, Michael Symon, Michigan, Roast
Categories : Burgers, Detroit, Downtown, Fine Dining, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews
Europa Pastisserie Cafe
1 03 2009- 546 Monroe Street
- Detroit, MI 48226
- (313) 237-5370
- No Known Website
- No Online Menu
Europa Patisserie Cafe in Detroit's Greektown
After checking out the Eastern Market and snapping some pictures of what’s remaining of Tiger Stadium for my brother, we headed towards Greektown. We’re still not really familiar with Detroit, but we knew Greektown was a walkable area and probably had a coffee shop or something for us to relax in for a while. Luck was on our side, we actually found a metered space about a block from where we wanted to be. After showing off my parallel parking skills, we headed towards the restaurant area.
We thought about just going to the Astoria Pastry Shop (review HERE) like we did last time we were in Greektown, but the line was out the door. We kept walking and I noticed a cafe across the street. We walked down to the stoplight since I was chicken to jaywalk right in front of the Detroit cop that was walking toward us then double backed to the cafe.
Europa Pastisserie Cafe is on Monroe Street on the bottom floor of the Greektown casino. There is an exterior door, but there’s also an entrance from inside the casino. There’s a little marketplace area that has a link to a number of restaurants including a Cold Stone Creamery, a steakhouse, and a Greek tavern. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Bakery, dessert, Detroit, Europa Cafe, Michigan, Pastry
Categories : Bakery, Detroit, Greektown, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews
Eastern Market
1 03 2009- 2934 Russell Street
- Detroit, MI 48207
- (313) 833-9300
- Website
The Eastern Market in Detroit
Saturday, February 28th was a big day for J and I. We delayed our Valentine’s Day celebration by a couple weeks because of a concert in Windsor. I got J tickets to see Miranda Lambert and in return, she got reservations to Roast in Detroit for me. When the day finally came, both of us were anxious. We had been looking forward to this day for so long, it was hard to sit still. Early in the day, we decided we just needed to leave and go to Detroit even though our reservations weren’t until 6:15. To kill time, J suggested we check out the Eastern Market.
The Eastern Market is on Russell street. It’s the oldest public market district in the United States. Since it’s still winter, things weren’t as crazy as they probably are in the summer. We got to Detroit just before 4:00. Since we didn’t really know what was going on, I parked in the first place I found. During the winter, the market is in Shed 5 which was a two block walk from where we were. We didn’t know that when we started walking, but I saw signs pointing us that way. It was cold and windy and it made the walk brutal. I should have just moved the car, but I didn’t know any better. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Detroit, Eastern Market, Farmer's Market
Categories : Detroit, Farmer's Market, Michigan, Reviews
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