Bonnie’s Place

14 05 2008
  • 415 E. Saginaw St.Bonnie's Place
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 372-1559
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

After winning practically every category in the Lansing City Pulse Best of…., I figured it was time to give Bonnie’s Place a try.  We had passed the quaint little bar on Saginaw a few times as we were trying to find our way to Old Town through the construction plagued streets of downtown Lansing.  Bonnie’s sits on the corner of Saginaw and Cedar Sts. just off of downtown.  We pulled into the parking lot on a pretty rainy day in Mid-Michigan and found a spot right up front.  We got there about one o’clock.  The lunch rush was just finishing up.  We were shown to a table in the non-smoking section of the bar….but I really don’t think it mattered.  The inside of Bonnie’s is pretty tiny.  There’s a bar on one side and on the other side of a half wall are two rows of booths.  My girlfriend described the dining room part of Bonnie’s as a little diner. 

The waitress came back for drink orders and we were ready to order.  Since Bonnie’s had been voted “Best Burger” I had to try the burger.  I got the Bonnie Burger.  A 1/2 lb burger was topped with 1/4 lb of shaved ham, Swiss and American cheese.  The sandwich was served in a plastic basket with a pickle spear and an order of fresh cut fries came in another basket.  Now remember, these burgers were voted best in Lansing.  My burger was huge.  The ham added a salty layer to the sandwich.  Could I call it the best burger in Lansing?  Well, that depends on the criteria for best burger.  The extra’s on the burge were unique and creative.  The actual burger patty wasn’t anything to write home about.  The sandwich as a whole was definately the best burger I’ve had since moving to Lansing, but like every other burger I’ve had, the meat didn’t stand out on it’s own.

Bonnie's PlaceMy girlfriend got the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.  The tortilla for the wrap was the really interesting thing about this sandwich.  It looked like it may have been toasted after the wrap was put together…almost pressed.  The wrap came filled with spicy buffalo chicken pieces, lettuce, tomatos, and a mayo.  The wrap only came with a pickle spear on the side, so she got an order of fries as well.  The spicyness was definately there.  On the car ride home, she was still talking about the heat.  Half of the sandwich is sitting in our fridge right now so she has lunch tomorrow.  The size of the wrap was overwhelming and more than enough for one meal.  Usually, she’ll pick most of the tomatos out of a wrap like this, but with this one, I only noticed a few pieces on her plate so the wrap must have been put together real well.

The fries were also voted best in Lansing.  We both had an order with our meal and I think we both agreed they were good.  She said many times that the fries were good.  With fresh cut fries, she feels most places under cook them.  Not the case with these fries.  They were golden brown and crispy.  I felt they needed a little something to make them the best in town.  I’ve been to a few places that have served fresh cut fries and they were all about the same.  Some kind of unique season was needed to make them stand out.

As an overall review, I loved Bonnie’s.  The small atmosphere was comfortable and the menu offered some unique, interesting items.  I would definately call Bonnie’s the best when it comes to burger combinations.  I would say they may even have the best overall burgers when you consider the condiments and add-ons.  The actual burger patty is nothing special though.  It’s the kind of place that I would love to take my parents.  The food is comforting and not so far out there that they’d be afraid to try something new.  Bonnie’s is absolutely a recommendation for dining out in Lansing.


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Pub, Reviews

City Pulse’s Best of….

8 05 2008

The Lansing City Pulse has released their Best of Greater Lansing.  The reader’s have voted on everything from best burger to best pawn shop.  The one place that popped up a lot in the list was Bonnie’s Place in Lansing.  They won for best burger, weeknight hangout, place to play pool, for 20-somethings’s, place to be seen, happy hour, wi-fi spot, bar food, family restaurant, fries, chili, appetizer’s, cocktails, chef, atmosphere, best looking bartender’s/waitstaff, waitstaff, and public bathroom. 

I’ve passed by Bonnie’s a few times, but haven’t been there yet.  It’s now on the short list.

Check out the rest of City Pulse’s Best of….. by clicking on this link


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Don’s Windmill Truckstop

27 04 2008
  • 7262 Lansing Rd.Don's Windmill Truckstop
  • Dimondale, MI 48821
  • (517) 646-6752
  • Website
  • No Menu Online
  • Don’s Windmill is now closed.  To see the place that replaced it,
    CLICK HERE

Don’s was a suggestion of one of my girlfriend’s co-workers.  We both like greasy spoons anyway and both have fond memories of truckstops from our pasts, so on our way to Horrock’s one Sunday, we took a little detour to Don’s.

The truckstop is exactly what you expect.  It’s kind of run down and not at all fine dining.  There’s a lunch counter with little coin operated TV’s then booths spread throughout the remaining space.  We just missed the breakfast buffet, so we showed ourselves to a booth in the non-smoking section and started looking over the menu while we waited for the waitress.

Don's Windmill TruckstopWe both got pop’s while we looked over the huge menu.  They do breakfast all day and offer some unique items like veal parmigana while making sure not to stray too far from what makes truck stop food great.  I ordered the Pepper Jack Cheeseburger.  The burger is a 1/3 lb frozen patty topped with a slice of pepper jack cheese served with coleslaw on the side and crinkle cut fries.  I don’t expect a whole lot when it comes to these types of places and I got exactly what I expected.  The meal was not great by any standard, but it was comforting and brought back memories of late night drunkeness in college.  There’s just something about a greasy diner burger and salt that’s comforting to me.

My girlfriend ordered the Gigantic Grilled Cheese sandwich.  Here’s a situation where Don’s went a little bit above expectations and served a grilled cheese with Texas Toast.  Like me, the memories of truck stops out west came rushing back.  She said her grilled cheese was delicious and appreciated the Texas Toast over regular bread.  Neither one of us really ate the cole slaw that came with the meal. It’s just one of those things your taught in the restaurant business….you never know when it was made.  She tried one bite just to see if it’d knock her socks off and it didn’t. The fries were a little soggy, but alright.  I salted them up pretty good.  Again, it’s truck stop food.  I wasn’t expecting anything great, but it was filling.

Our bill was just under $20 before tip.  Really, the food was good and exceeded expectations, but not worth that much.  The diner is open 24 hours and that’s what makes it appealing to me.  I love 24 hour places and will most likely be back to settle a late night craving.


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Categories : Dimondale, Diner, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Truck Stop

Crunchy’s Burgers and Pizza

19 04 2008
  • 254 W. Grand Ave.Crunchy's Burgers and Pizza
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-2506
  • Website
  • Menu

I found Crunchy’s by doing a Google search for the phrase “Best Burger in Lansing”  What I got was a link to Crunchy’s Burger’s and Pizza who, according to their website, was voted the best burger in Lansing by the Lansing State-Journal.  We made two trips to Crunchy’s.  The first time, we popped in late on a Friday night because my girlfriend wanted to do karaoke.  It was late so we didn’t get food.  We went back a second time on a Saturday afternoon after we went to a Lugnuts game.

It was also the same day as the Green and White game at Michigan State University, which is right down the road, so the bar was pretty packed by 5:00.  We found a booth located in the room off of the main dining room.  A waitress eventually came over for drink orders and found us a couple menus.  I had to go with the Famous Crunchy Burger.  A 1/2 burger comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomatos and pickles.  So, was it the best burger in Lansing?  It was definately the best burger I’ve had since moving to Lansing, but not the best burger I’ve ever had.  The meat was fresh and very juicy.  The bun was a mega-mart poppy seed bun, so nothing special there.  The sandwich came with chips, but I upgraded to fries and for the second meal in a row, they were fresh cut.  My girlfriend chimed in on the fries saying despite being fresh cut, they were crunchy like the out of the bag ones (which I hate and she likes) usually are.  So for once, we were both happy with the fries.

Speaking of my girlfriend, she went with the Traverse City Cherry Burger.  We had seen this on the menu at a few restaurants here in Michigan, so she decided to finally try it.  The waitress warned her it wouldn’t taste like cherries which must be a misconception to out-of-staters (she saw our drivers license when we ordered drinks).  She it pretty much tasted like a burger, but she did say she probably put a little too much ketchup and mustard on the sandwich because she forgot to order cheese.

Both of us ate for under $20 with drinks.  I was actually shocked when I picked up the bill because I figured it had to be wrong, but it wasn’t  Crunchy’s wasn’t quite everything I hoped it would be.  The burger was good, but not knock my socks off good.  The atmosphere is unique.  Being a college bar, they decided to just encourage vandalism instead of trying to stop it.  Patrons have been writing on the walls, tables, and any other surface with Sharpie’s for quite a while. 


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Categories : Burgers, East Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Pub, Reviews

Barley’s American Grill

17 04 2008
  • 727 E. Miller Rd.Barley's
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 882-7297
  • Website
  • Menu

I picked my girlfriend up from work on a Thrusday night for a quick dinner break.  I had drove by Barley’s a few night’s earlier and wanted to check it out.  I figured this was as good as time as any.

Barley’s is a pretty unique bar/restaurant.  When you walk in, you actually walk into a huge pool room.  It’s more of a pool hall feel than a bar.  Take a right and you hit the bar.  Go a little bit farther and you hit the dining room.  Nice, spacious area surrounded by TV’s and cut off from the pool room and the bar to make a nice cozy setting.

We took a booth near the back and got menus.  I had eaten burgers for the last three meals so I wanted something else.  That something else was the Hot Cheesey Italian.  Italian meats piled high on buttered, toasted bread.  Between that was both cheddar and provolone cheese.  This sandwich was surprsingly good.  Little things like toasting the bread just made the sandwich so much better.  The fries that came with it were actually fresh cut and had a hint of a cajun seasoning on them.

My girlfriend got the crunch chicken wrap.  Instead of grilling chicken and putting it in a wrap, they deep fry some chicken tenders, cut them up, and put them in the traditional chicken wrap which also included mayo, lettuce and tomato.  Her complaint with the sandwich was the tomatos.  The chicken was hot and crunchy while the tomatos where cold.  She said the contrast of hot and cold made the sandwich a little difficult to eat, but she made it most of the way through.  Had the tomatos been at least room temperature, there wouldn’t have been any complaints.  Like me, she noticed the fresh cut fries and appreciated the cook taking an extra five seconds.

The damage was $20 before tip.  The food was really good for bar food.  The cook/chef took the extra time to develop a menu that goes beyond grease and wings and developed a diverse collection of favorites.  We accidently stumbled upon Barley’s, but it’s location combined with the great bar sets it up for a return trip


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Reviews

Art’s Bar and Grill

13 04 2008
  • 809 E. Kalamazoo St.Art's Bar and Grill
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517)482-8328
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

Art’s Bar and Grill claims to be Lansing’s oldest sports bar serving up award winning pizza and out of the ordinary pub food. After doing some Internet research, my girlfriend and I decided to give it a shot for a Saturday night dinner.

We both had a few reservations as we were heading to the bar.  The neighborhood surrounding Art’s is full of rundown buildings and it just didn’t look that inviting…nor did the exterior of Art’s, but we thought we’d give it a chance anyway since it has been highly recommended on the web.

When you walk in, you come right to the main dining room.  There’s also a bar area to the back and video games are spread throughout the space.  We found a table near the back of the dining room near the shuffleboard table.   There was only one waitress working the entire restaurant and she was busy.  She noticed us right away and yelled over that she’d be right there.  After unloading her tray
filled with drinks, she came over with menus and took our drink order.  After coming back with drinks we were ready to order.

My girlfriend went with the chicken strip basket.  Deep fried chicken strips and fresh cut fries.  YES!  FRESH CUT FRIES!  This place already scores extra points with me.  She liked the chicken and the fries and the portion size was more than enough for her with a little left over for me so I could get a quick bite of the chicken.

I went for a house special.  Art’s Burger.  I didn’t realize what I was getting into when I ordered this.  1lb. of burger broken up into two 1/2lb patties that had a 2oz. slice of ham wedged between them.  With cheese on top, this made for one helluva sandwich.  I couldn’t even get the thing in my mouth.  The burger was nice and juicy and the ham and bun were both toasted adding this amazing flavor.  The burger came with chips on the side and a pickle.  The waitress asked me if I wanted fries and I said yes assuming that the fries would replace the chips, but they didn’t.  I got a huge side of the fresh cut fries on top of the meal. I think it goes without saying, but I definately did not leave the table hungry.

Art’s was a chance we took and we’re both so glad we did.  The clientel was all over the board including many different social groups.  Art’s has great pub food in a great atmosphere.  From my table I could see at least three different TV’s including a giant screen projection in the corner.  After a little hesitation up front, we will probably be going back to Art’s regularly.

 


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Sports Bar

The Post Bar

11 04 2008
  • 213 Ann St
  • East Lansing, MI 48823-4320
  • Phone: (517) 332-7678
  • Website
  • Menu

We were walking around downtown East Lansing on a Sunday afternoon looking for lunch when we came across The Post. It was a nice day, so we decided to eat out on the patio which was a good thing because (and here’s the I’m getting old in me) the music inside the restaurant was so loud we had a hard time just communicating with the waitress that we wanted to sit outside.

We took a table next to the building and the waitress came with drinks and menus. The first thing that just jumped off the menu were the appetizers. We usually don’t do apps for lunch but my date had to try the macaroni and cheese bites. Little chunks of Macaroni and cheese breaded and deep fried served with a side of ketchup on a bed of lettuce. Three hours later, she’s still saying they were “fantastic” and asking if I could make them here at home. Surprisingly, we got quite a few in the basket and they probably could have been a meal by themselves. Definately a unique and very taste idea.

For lunch, I went with The Post Burger with cheddar. Not a bad burger, but nothing special either. It was juicy and a decent size. The fries were crinkle cuts out of the bag. Between the sandwich, fries, and macaroni and cheese bites, I left stuffed.

My girlfriend ordered the Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad. A bed of mixed greens was topped with grilled chicken, bbq sauce, avocado, bacon cucumber, onion, and shredded cheese then served with ranch on the side. The grilled chicken had a great flavor to it and the BBQ sauce was a KC sweet style. Even after raving about the cheese bites, she had enough compliments left for the salad.

With two Pepsi’s, the bill was just under $30. The Post is a great alternative to the chains and take out places near Michigan State and they provide a great atmosphere for both dining and a night out.


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Categories : Burgers, East Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews

Coach’s All-American Pub-Grill

11 04 2008
  • 6201 Bishop Rd
  • Lansing, MI 48911-6208
  • Phone: (517) 882-2013
  • Website
  • Menu

Coach’s is your typical sports bar. There’s a bar when you walk in, multiple pool tables, dart boards, and dozens of TV’s. There’s also two pretty large dining rooms where they serve not your typical pub food.

My girlfriend and I stopped in on a Saturday night for dinner. We were a little worried because the NCAA tournament was on, but surprisingly, the place wasn’t crowded. We showed ourselves to a table in the first dining room and a server was right behind us to get drinks.

The menu had your typical pub fare plus entrees and unique pizza combinations including calzones. My date ordered the chicken strip and fries basket plus a side salad. She liked the crispy fries and said her chicken strips were good. I grabbed a bite of one and it all tasted like someone opened a bag and dumped them in the deep fryer. Doesn’t matter what I think, she enjoyed her dinner and that’s what really coungts.

I ordered the Bourbon Chicken Dinner. Two boneless chicken breasts come covered in a Bourbon BBQ glaze with fries, a salad, and a cheese breadstick. The BBQ was sweet and added a nice touch to chicken. THe fries were the same as my dates. The portion was a pretty good size. I didn’t leave stuff, but I didn’t leave feeling cheated either. The side salad was your typical greens with croutons, cucumber, and tomatos. I got the Italian dressing which was a little thicker than usual, but still good.

The bill with three drinks was about $30. There’s a lot on this menu I really wanted to try. I’ve heard the pizzas were good, the burgers looked good and there were a few more dinners that looked appetizing. Coach’s really tries to be more than just another sports bar and with this menu, they are succeeding at doing so.


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Categories : Burgers, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sports Bar

Weston’s Kewpee Sandwich Shop

11 04 2008
  • 118 S Washington Sq
  • Lansing, MI 48933-1704
  • Phone: (517) 482-8049
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend and I were checking out downtown Lansing one day and decided to stop into Kewpee for lunch. They had a menu posted outside and some of the selections looked interesting so we figured why not. The waitress claimed that Kewpee is famous for their burgers, which include an Oliveburger and a Cherry Burger…for once in my life, I probably should have had the burger.

Instead, I went with the club sandwich. Usually, my girlfriend orders the club…I order the burger, and I end up saying I should have got the club. Not this time. It should have been a sign as to how the meal was going to go when the waitress brought our drinks in styrofoam cups…but I was hoping the food would make up for that. We both ordered a side of fries with our sandwiches and the waitress brought those to the table before the sandwiches like they were an appetizer. My g/f liked the fries noting they were nice and crispy. To me, they’re just out of the bag fries.

Our sandwiches came a few minutes later. Like I said, I got the club. It was served on hamburger bun…not toasted white bread or something that would have provided less bread than a hamburger bun. There were a couple slices of ham and turkey, a slice of provolone, a piece of lettuce, a half slice of tomato and probably 3 gallons of mayo. Needless to say, I wasn’t all that happy with the sandwich.

My girlfriend ordered the BLT. Lots of bacon, and lettuce on toasted white bread. She didn’t really comment on the food. She just said she didn’t have an appetite because of a smell in the store. I’ll be nice and not write what she said it smelled like, but it was enough to make her lose her appetite.

The Kewpee has a really good location and the restaurant itself has a neat layout with exposed brick and separators that make sure you have a private dining experience. Maybe the burgers are great, but I’m not sure I want to give them another chance to try. Our meal, which neither of us were happy with, still cost $18….I could have made it at home for less than $5


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

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