Culver’s of Stevensville

10 08 2008
  • 4537 Red Arrow Highway
  • Stevensville, MI 49127
  • (269) 408-1780
  • Website
  • Menu
Culvers of Stevensville

Culver's of Stevensville

I love Culver’s custard.  There was always a debate at the place I used to work.  I prefered to go to Culver’s for “ice cream” but most of my co-workers wanted to go to Cold Stone Creamery.  I know they’re not the same thing or even close to the same thing, but given the choice, I would always choose Culver’s.  Things got really bad when I moved to an apartment that was within walking distance of one.  My girlfriend and I would walk over every now and then for a post-dinner snack.

We were on our way home from Chicago and were going to stop for a bathroom break anyway.  I noticed a sign for Culver’s along the highway and asked J if she wanted to take our bathroom break there.  Of course, she loved the idea, so we pulled into Stevensville and drove by the Dairy Queen all for some frozen custard. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Ice Cream, Restaurant, Reviews, stevensville

Greek Islands Restaurant – Chicago

10 08 2008
  • 200 S. Halsted St.
  • Chicago, IL 60661
  • (312) 782-9855
  • Website
  • Menu
Greek Islands Restaurant on Madison and Adams in Chicagos Greektown

Greek Islands Restaurant on Madison and Adams in Chicago's Greektown

We were in Chicago for the weekend for a friend’s wedding.  Our hotel was the Crowne Plaza Metro in Greektown.  On Sunday morning after a night of drinking, we decided to meet up with some friends from Ohio that we don’t get to see often and have lunch before we went our separate ways.  The night before, I went for a walk to kill time and check out the restaurants in Greektown.  We checked out of our hotel then walked down Halsted.  I had read a little about a restaurant on the corner of Halsted and Adams called Greek Islands.

We walked in Greek Islands and were met by an older gentlemen welcoming us to the restaurant.  He showed us to table on a landing in the dining room.  We were seated and starting looking over the menu which is very traditional greek food.  A bus boy brought us some water and the waiter came over to take the order.  We weren’t quite ready to order, but we did put in drink orders.  They had both Coke and Pepsi.  Three of us got Pepsi’s and J got a Diet Coke.  The drinks that were served were little glass bottles, so there were no refills.  I’m guessing they were six ounce portions, so we had to go light before the meal got there. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, greek, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Crowne Plaza Metro – Chicago

10 08 2008
  • 733 W. Madison
  • Chicago, IL 60661
  • (888 ) 444-0401
  • Website
The Crowne Plaza Metro just off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago

The Crowne Plaza Metro just off the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago

Everyone loves going to weddings.  Especially me….I hope that didn’t come off too sarcastic.  We got lucky this year only having one, but that one was in Chicago.  The reception and hotel of choice was the Crowne Plaza Metro located in Greektown just outside of the Loop.  I’m much happier when the reception is at the hotel.  It makes taking advantage of the open bar much easier.

We got to Chicago a little after 3:00.  We were coming from Oak Lawn and hit a little bit of unexpected traffic on the Stevenson, so we didn’t quite make it as early as we wanted to.  The hotel is located right off the Kennedy, so we didn’t have to do much driving through town.  I started driving around looking for a parking garage.  There wasn’t one close.  There were a few surface lots that had $9 overnight parking, but we had quite a bit of extra stuff in the car that we didn’t want to drag into the hotel.  We ended up opting for the valet which is the only on-site parking the Crowne Plaza offers.

After checking in, we headed to our room to relax and get cleaned up.  The ceremony was at nearby Holy Family Church, but we opted to skip that part and just go to the reception.  The room was gorgeaous.  Our room had one king bed.  Around it was a built in desk to one side and a built in dresser with a 27″ flat panel TV.  The interesting thing was the doors in the room.  There were none.  It wasn’t a huge room so to make the space bigger, they elimated doors.  The closet had curtains and the bathroom had a sliding screen.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, hotel, Reviews

Chuck’s Cajun Fest – Burbank, IL

9 08 2008
The pulled pork and mac n cheese from Chucks Southern Comforts Cafe as served at Chucks Cajun Fest

The pulled pork and mac 'n cheese from Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe as served at Chuck's Cajun Fest

A few weeks ago, I was in the Chicago area for a soccer game at Toyota Park.  While I was looking for places to eat, I came across Chuck’s Southern Comfort Cafe (review HERE).  I sent the website to my girlfriend since her parents live right down the road and when she saw the website, she thought I was sending it to her because of the ad for Chuck’s Cajun Fest which was on the front page.  We just happened to be heading to Chicago that weekend for a wedding and a stop in Chicago usually means a stop at her parents house as well.

We slept in Saturday morning since the fest didn’t start until noon.  It was nothing too fancy.  The event took place in the parking lot of St. Albert’s Church in Burbank, IL.  There weren’t a whole lot of people there when we got there but they just opened up for the day.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Festivals, Reviews

Huck Finn Restaurant – Oak Lawn

9 08 2008
  • 10501 S. Cicero Ave.
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708 ) 499-1112
  • Website
  • Menu

One of three Huck Finn Restaurants in the Chicagoland Area

I have got this strange fascination with 24 hour diners.  When we go to my girlfriend’s parents house, we leave Lansing when she gets off work around midnight.  That puts us in the Chicago area around 2:00 AM CST.  This night was no different.  We made it to town just after 2:00.  Like the lazy college kids we aren’t, we piled all of our dirty clothes into her car and took over her parents laundry room.  Because we had plans Saturday afternoon, J wanted to get a couple loads done before we went to bed.  We put in a load of whites and realized we were both hungry.  Even though Huck Finn has been there since she was in high school, she never ate there.  Since it’s only a few blocks away, we hoped back in the car and went for breakfast.

Huck Finn is a chain of three restaurants in the Chicago area.  They’re open 24/7 and they work on the unique model of being not only a restaurant, but a donut and ice cream shop too.  The parking lot was packed even though it was 2:30 in the AM.  We headed inside and a hostess showed us to a booth along the back wall.  We just seem to not have much luck with waiters in Chicago area 24/7 places.  We had an absolutely disasters meal at White Palace Grill (review HERE) in the south Loop and this one started out that way.  Fortunately, the waiter recovered and everything turned out ok.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : 24-Hour Diner, breakfast, Chicago, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews

Whole Foods Beef Recall…

8 08 2008

from an AP story….

Whole Foods Market is recalling fresh groundbeef sold between June 2 through August 6 because the beef might be contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

The recalled beef might have been sold at Whole Foods stores in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and 20 other states, plus Washington, D.C., and Canada.

The company has received reports that seven people in Massachusetts and two people in Pennsylvania who shopped at Whole Foods Market became ill.

Whole Foods is asking customers who may have bought ground beef from June 2 though August 6 to dispose of the product and return it to the store with the packaging or receipt for a refund.


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Categories : Food News

City Market Vote Delayed

8 08 2008

This is actually pretty common city politics when it comes to hot button issues.

Council members agreed at Thursday’s Committee of the Whole session – their first opportunity to grill Gillespie since Monday’s public hearing – that Aug. 18 is the earliest they will vote on the change in ownership.

Gillespie requested the extension to be more accessible and accommodating with feedback, city officials said.

It would help if city council members were getting in touch with Gillespie ahead of time, but this is probably the best step in the process. 

Despite the hundreds of jobs and the new year-round, indoor-outdoor market that Market Place promises, council members said Thursday they want more information about several things. That includes a business plan for the market, the construction schedule and the amount of local laborers that would be hired to work on Market Place. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Lansing

Press Release – A Taste of Louisiana in Old Town

8 08 2008

From a press release….

Old Town Lansing, Michigan – Perspective2 Studio and Gumbo and Jazz restaurant are pleased to announce the “Taste of Louisiana,” to be held Saturday, August 16 from 7 PM – 11 PM at P2, 319 E. Grand River in Lansing’s Old Town.  Taste of Louisiana wil feature an authentic Louisiana feast, live music from the Wess Anderson jazz quartet, dancing, and more.

Desi Anderson, a native of Louisiana and owner of Gumbo & Jazz restaurant, will provide an authentic Louisiana dinner complete with gumbo, cornbread, and traditional Louisiana fixins.  Since opening her doors in the fall of 2007, Desi has been overwhelmed with the positive reviews of her cuisine and the way the community has embraced her.  “I had always wanted my own restaurant.” said Deis.  “Greater Lansing’s response confirmed that I made the right choice and that they were ready for some great Louisiana food.” Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Old Town

The State Room

7 08 2008
  • 55 S. Harrison Rd.
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 432-4000
  • Website
  • Menu
The State Room located inside the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center near MSU

The State Room located inside the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center near MSU

This week marks the one year of anniversary of the date I finally grew a pair and asked my girlfriend out.  The anniversary is actually Saturday, but we’re going to be in Chicago for a wedding, so there won’t be a chance to have a anniversary dinner out somewhere.  Instead, I decided to ask her out to dinner tonight.  Our first date was also on a Thursday night (last year, the 9th was on Thursday).  That first date was pretty casual at a new spot along the Peoria riverfront.  I wanted to do things a little different tonight, so I chose The State Room.

The State Room is located inside the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the campus of Michigan State University.  There’s no surface parking around the hotel, but there is a parking deck just off the side of the building.  The restaurant validates, so there is no charge to park as long as you eat dinner.  The parking structure is connected to the hotel by a skywalk which brings you into the conference area.  Down the long hallway and past the reception area, the State Room sits on the left side which would be closest to the corner of Michigan and Harrison. 

We were met at the door by a Maitre’d who asked if we had reservations.  I started sweating a little bit when he asked that.  I didn’t figure we’d need a reservation on a Thursday night.  I said no and he fiddled around a little bit looking at his table list.  He finally showed us to a table near the back of the room sort of near the kitchen and right on the wheelchair ramp that leads to the lower dining room. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, East Lansing, Fine Dining, Restaurant, Reviews

GLFB Collection at The Flap Jack

7 08 2008

From a press release…..

The Flap Jack Restaurant located at 6927 S Cedar Lansing will be sponsoring
an in-house food drive from August 11th thru the 16th to support the Greater
Lansing Food Bank. All donors of non-perishable food items will receive a free beverage. 

The food collected will be distributed to the Greater Lansing Food Bank
pantries that help feed the hungry.  As the number of those in need of food
continues to rise, this is a timely opportunity for the community to assist
in keeping local pantry shelves well stocked.

Food Drive
Flap Jack Restaurant
6927 S Cedar
Lansing
August 8 through August 16th
6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All donors will receive a free beverage


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