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

Salmonella Updates

25 07 2008

Got a couple Associated Press articles on the recent salmonella outbreak.

FDA says only Mexican-grown jalapenos are linked to the salmonella outbreak, not U.S. crop.

Well, gee whiz.  There’s a surprise. 

The second article blames the food industry lobby for not being able to trace the source and screwing tomato growers out of thousands of dollars for no good reason.

An easing of government rules on the amount of paperwork the food industry has to keep appears to be hampering a federal probe into what caused the recent salmonella outbreak.

The industry had successfully lobbied the Bush administration to limit the paperwork. The White House also killed a plan to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records that could be easily reviewed to search for the source of an outbreak. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Press Release – L & L Community Commitment

25 07 2008

From a press release.

TO: Editors and Reporters

FROM: Potter Park Zoological Society

SUBJECT: Press Conference on L & L Food Centers Community Commitment

WHEN: July 29, 2008; 10:30am

WHERE: POTTER PARK ZOO

Martha Levandowski and associates of L & L Food Centers will announce a significant community commitment on July 29th at Potter Park Zoo. For more than 77 years the Levandowski family, proprietors of L & L Food Centers and Levandowski Sausage Company have built their reputation on Michigan families and the communities in which they serve. In addition to the family commitment, employees of L & L have organized a commitment of their own to be introduced at this time.

“This commitment will assist the Potter Park Zoological Society in maintaining its commitment to kids, animals and education,” said Diane McNeil, Executive Director of the Potter Park Zoological Society.

“The Potter Park Zoo is such a great community resource for area families. Many fond memories are created during visits to this zoo by young and old alike. We are proud to open up the zoo to so many in our community during L & L Zoo Days,” said Stanley Levandowski III, on the heals of exposing more than 21,000 mid-Michigan residents to Potter Park Zoo through L & L Zoo Days.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

The Barbecue Bible

25 07 2008

The postman knocked on my door the other day and handed me a package from Amazon.com.  Wierd, I didn’t order anything, but it had my name on it, so I opened.  Inside were two books I had been wanting to get.  The Barbecue Bible and Barbecue Bible: Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades.  Once I saw the books, I knew exactly how they got to my doorstep.  My girlfriend ordered them for our anniversary which is coming up in a few weeks.  I think I had only mentioned once or twice that I wanted The Barbecue Bible, so it actually surprised me a little bit that she remembered. 

Whenever we go to a bookstore or Williams-Sonoma, I’ll usually pick up the newest Bobby Flay cookbook.  She’s always gets on me to buy one, but buying a cookbook from a Food Network chef is stupid. All the recipes are already on-line at FoodNetwork.com.  There’s no way I’m going to lay down $35 for something I can get for free.  I’ll just browse through the books i the store and find something I like then go home and print it out.

The Barbecue Bible by BBQ Expert Steven Raichlen

The Barbecue Bible by BBQ Expert Steven Raichlen

The Barbecue Bible is different.  Here’s a book of over 500 recipes put together by Steven Raichlen.  I love Raichlen show BBQ U which airs on PBS stations around the country.  I finally found a local airing her in Lansing on WKAR Create (Ch. 18 on Comcast cable) at 8:30 AM (it alternates days with Raichlen’s other show Primal Grill which I don’t think is as good).  The recipes are broken down by section starting with Warm-ups, then going to salads, breads, beef, pork, lamb, burgers and sausages, poultry, fish, shell fish, vegetarian, vegetables, rice and beans, side dishes, sauces, rubs, and desserts.

The interesting thing about this book is it’s a BBQ culinary tour of the world.  The recipes span the continents and are not as simple as throwing a rub on a rack of ribs and throwing them on the grill.  There’s a lot of asian and indian flavors on everything.  There’s also a lot of interesting ideas for grilled bread and veggies. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

Mid-Michigan Food Bank Shelves Filling Up

24 07 2008

From a press release

Those Empty Shelves are Filing Up at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank

Volunteers stock the shelves at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank.

Volunteers stock the shelves at the Mid-Michigan Food Bank. Photo Courtesy: Mid-Michigan Food Bank

(Lansing, MI) If you visited the Mid-Michigan Food Bank this Wednesday, July 24, 2008, you would be amazed at the transformation. All those empty shelves are filling up with the 23,600 pounds of food donated by concerned citizens in Lansing and the surrounding areas. Monday began the huge task of finding volunteers to sort and inspect all the donations and put them in boxes, then label those boxes for distribution this weekend. As Dave Karr, Director of the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, states, “It’s a good problem to have!”

Today a volunteer youth group from First Assembly of God, East Lansing showed up to help sort and box. What a difference they made. Only seven more bins to sort through after they left. Another group will be in tomorrow.

The MMFB always needs donations of food and money. 23,600 pounds will be distributed to hungry people within the next two weeks. In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, 4.4 million pounds of food and nearly 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce were distributed by the Mid-Michigan Food Bank. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Michigan

Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan Farmer’s Market

24 07 2008
Shoppers looking for deals at the farmers market at the State Capitol

Shoppers looking for deals at the farmer's market at the State Capitol

I know it’s hard to believe but I actually got my butt out of bed this morning so we could make our way to the State Capitol for the farmer’s market.  We parked along Michigan near the roundabout and headed towards the Capitol.  I was really surprised at just how many people had already started checking out the booths at just a little after ten o’clock.

The sidewalks on the east lawn were lined with pop-up tents full of flowers, produce, fish, herbs, cookies, and much more.  One of the first place we stopped had zucchini and squash 3 for $1.  I just picked up a pasta recipe that uses both of those, so my girlfriend snuck through the crowd and grabbed a few.  As she was paying, she also noticed pints of Traverse City Cherries.  After handing me the bag of zucchini, she went back for cherries. 

The next stop was for me.  The thing I love about farmer’s markets is fresh herbs.  I’ve tried growing my own, but I get impatient and I usually end up killing the plants.  I’d rather just spend a couple bucks and buy small bunches as I need them.  I picked up a bunch of basil and oregano for a couple meals next week.  I love the smell of fresh basil and it made the car smell good the rest of the day. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Farmer's Market, Food News, Lansing

Press Release- Gov. Granholm Visits Farmer’s Market

24 07 2008

I’ll have more on this later tonight.  My girlfriend and I made it down there and wound up with some good stuff.  For now, here’s a press release from the Governor’s office on her stop there this morning.

Granholm Visits Capitol Farmers’ Market, Underscores Benefits of Supporting Local Economy
Encourages citizens to visit SaveMoney Web site for money-saving tips
 
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today visited the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local – Select Michigan” farmers’ market on the State Capitol lawn to underscore the benefits of purchasing local agricultural products.  Granholm said supporting local farmers’ markets is a great way to ensure that money stays in Michigan and, in some cases, can be a money-saver for the consumer since local products aren’t being shipped long distances, which can increase fuel costs that are passed along to shoppers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Farmer's Market, Food News, Lansing

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

L & L Food Center – Saginaw Hwy.

24 07 2008
  • 3800 W. Saginaw Hwy
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 321-4392
  • Website
L & L Food Center on West Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

L & L Food Center on West Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

When I visited the L & L Food Center in Holt a few weeks ago, the thing I noticed is that their meats are much cheaper than the other grocery stores.  After hitting the Farmer’s Market at the State Capitol, I needed to find some chicken to go with some of the things we bought.  We needed to go out near the Lansing Mall.  I rememered seeing an L & L on W. Saginaw, so that’s the one I hit up. 

The thing I noticed about this L & L is that it’s much brighter and much more inviting than the one in Holt.  The layout is pretty similar, but the aisle’s seemed much longer here.  Unlike the one in Holt, the frozen foods are at the end of the store instead of in the middle.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

Aldi – Saginaw Hwy.

24 07 2008
  • 5625 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (636) 278-4700
  • Website
Aldis on Saginaw Highway

Aldi's on Saginaw Highway

It has been years since I’ve been to an Aldi.  We didn’t shop there much when I was growing up because there was kind of a stigma to shopping at Aldi’s.  On top of that, it’s kind of a pain in the butt.  They don’t have the conviences of a modern mega-mart, but that’s how they keep prices down.  The stigma is gone now and more and more people are taking advantage of Aldi’s low prices.

The one thing I always use to go to Aldi’s for was their animal crackers.  I know that sounds stupid, but when I was in high school, my distrcit swtiched to the Eight-Block schedule.  Instead of a regular school day with eight 40 minute periods, we had four 80 minute periods each day with an every other day schedule.  Because of the schedule, there was always one group that would have three morning classes before lunch which means we didn’t get to eat much before one o’clock.  The teachers would let us bring snacks in and Aldi’s animal crackers were a big hit or some reason. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Grocery, Lansing, Reviews

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