The Original Maxwell Street Station – S. Cicero, Chicago

27 09 2009
  • 6659 S. Cicero Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60638
  • (773) 581-3500
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The Original Maxwell Street Station on South Cicero in Chicago.

The Original Maxwell Street Station on South Cicero in Chicago.

My brother loves Chicago Style hot dogs.  You would think that someone who lives so close to Chicago would have access to a Chicago style dog, but you’d be wrong.  Where he lives, just an hour south of the city, no one does them right.

My whole family packed up and headed north for the weekend.  Once we got checked into our hotel, we went looking for lunch.  We went for a walk.  There was a little shack right across the street from our hotel that had everything we wanted.

The Original Maxwell Street Station on the corner of South Cicero and West Marquette Road is one of a handful in Chicago.  The building is very tiny and is really the kind of place I love.  There is very little seating inside the bright yellow building.  There are no tables.  Just a counter that overlooks the kitchen with a few bar stools.  Since we had my one year old niece, my brother decided that wasn’t a good idea.  The only other option is a couple picnic tables right outside.   Again, it was very close to the very busy Cicero Avenue and that made him a little nervous.

It just so happened that the special for the day was 2 Chicago Style Dogs and 2 Fries.  That was perfect.  My brother wanted two dogs and I would take one of the fries.  My dad did the same and my mom took the other order of fries from his order.  They both got the dogs without the tomato wedges that are common on Chicago dogs.  What my brother really likes is the sprout peppers and the poppy seed bun. Read the rest of this entry »

Advertisement

Comments : 6 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Chicago, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Fresh Fish & Fry

16 08 2009
  • 3140 S. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 882-7007
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Fresh Fish & Fry on S. MLK, Jr. Blvd in Lansing.

Fresh Fish & Fry on S. MLK, Jr. Blvd in Lansing.

Another Sunday.  Another day at work.  That’s been pretty much my whole summer.  I’ve been without J this weekend.  She was back in Chicago for her wedding shower.  I was originally supposed to at least go back to Chicago with her, but I got some work, so I stayed here.  That means I was on my own for dinner. 

Sometime in the past, I saw an article in City Pulse about the best wings in town (sorry, I haven’t had any luck finding the article in their archives).  For some reason, I thought it was best Buffalo wing, but I guess they just did best wing and mixed both Buffalo wings and regular chicken wings.  Still, chicken’s chicken and it doesn’t really matter to me if it has hot sauce on it. 

Fresh Fish & Fry is on South Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard right in front of the Logan Square shopping center.  It’s a small joint, but it was packed on the Sunday evening I was in there.  There were a couple of tables stuffed into the corner, but they seem to be more for waiting than actually eating at.  There were a couple other people waiting for their food when I got there and there were two guys on the phone taking orders from a constantly ringing phone.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Chicken, Deep Fried Food, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

RG’s Ballpark Dogs & More

29 07 2009
  • 625 E. Michigan Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 977-9079
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
RGs Ballpark Dogs & More on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

RG's Ballpark Dogs & More on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

I go to a lot of Lugnuts games and almost every game I go to, I walk right by a little Mexican/hot dog place on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pere Marquette Street.  Sometimes, the restaurant is open, but most of the time, it’s not.  It seems like every time I walk by, I’m low on cash so I’ve never been able to stop in for a quick meal. 

I was downtown this afternoon for the Lugnuts Summer Family Fun day game.  When I walked by before the game, the store was open.  I didn’t eat at the park figuring I would take my chance and see if they were open when the game was over. 

After a dramatic ninth inning, two out comeback that fell just short, I started walking back towards my truck.  The door to the restaurant was open and there was one other person in.  The special board caught my eye, so I made a quick turn to see what this little corner shop was hiding.

RG’s Ballpark Dogs & More is about a block from Oldsmobile Park on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Pere Marquette right across the street from Clara’s.  I have no idea what the hours are or even if they have regular hours.  I’ve tried to see if they were posted somewhere on the window or door, but there’s nothing. 

The shop is very tiny.  When they are open, the front door is usually propped open.  When you enter the store, you have to take a step up to get to the order counter.  There is enough room for two small tables in the space next to the counter, but that’s about it.  On nice days, they pull at least one of these tables outside to the sidewalk which makes more sense.  Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Downtown, Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Chicken & Fish Express

6 05 2009
  • 601 W. Saginaw Street
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 267-3813
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
Chicken and Fish Express on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

Chicken and Fish Express on Saginaw Street in Lansing.

I had to work downtown early.  Well, early for me.  9:00 is still a couple hours before I usually get up, so getting my butt out of bed and downtown isn’t easy.  It was a short day with my job finishing up a little after 1:30.  I had a few Tim Horton’s doughnuts for breakfast,but that was it, so I was starving.  Chicken has been all the rage and a few months ago, someone told me about a chicken place in a Marathon Station.  Since it wasn’t too far from downtown, I decided to check it out.

This wasn’t the first time I had stopped in to the Chicken & Fish Express on Saginaw Street.  A few weeks ago, I decided to stop, but was really confused and ended up leaving.  The store is connected to the Marathon Station, but the businesses aren’t really connected.  Sure, there’s a door to move between the two businesses, but it’s blocked from both sides.  Chicken & Fish Express has a separate entrance on Pine Street side of the building.  When I stopped a couple weeks ago, it didn’t look like the place was open.  The door moved when I pushed it, but there was no one inside and I didn’t see anything behind the counter, so I left. Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 5 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , ,
Categories : Chicken, Deep Fried Food, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews