McDonald’s – W. Saginaw & Vermillion

23 11 2009
  • 7240 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-2228
  • Website
  • Menu

My quest for cheap meals went on with one of the most obvious choices when it comes to dining on the cheap. 

My first day of work in East Lansing ended around 8:30.  I was exhausted and headed straight for my hotel.  As I was driving across town on I-496, I was trying to picture what I could grab quickly and eat in my  hotel room.  I was drawing blank, but I knew there were a couple options right there near the Red Roof Inn.

Like most cities, Lansing is littered with McDonald’s.  I chose the location on West Saginaw Highway and Vermillion Road in Delta Township for one reason.  It was close to where I was going. 

Being 9:00 at night on a Thursday meant I should be able to get in and get out in a hurry.  I’m not a drive thru fan.  In fact, I despise them.  Unless I absolutely have to, I never use them.  If J forces me to, she leans across the seat and yells into the speaker.  I guess I don’t speak clearly or something because I never have good luck.  I’d rather just take the extra few minutes and walk inside.  No one has ever died from getting out of their car for a hamburger. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Dolly’s Pizza

9 11 2009
  • 719 Brookside Drive
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 327-0077
  • Website
  • Menu

Another weekend on the road back in East Lansing for work.  I was on my own for a hotel, so I was on the look out for the cheapest I could find.  That’s not an easy task on a football weekend, but I was able to find one for under $50/night.  It was the Motel 6 on Saginaw Highway.  Not a five-star hotel by any stretch of the imagination..hell, lucky if it was one, but all I really needed was a bed for a few hours and it did serve that purpose and I’m sure I’ll be staying there a lot this winter.

Before bed though, I needed food.  There aren’t many places in Delta Township where J and I didn’t eat.  That area of Lansing is one of the major shopping districts and we made trips out that way once a week.  We almost never did pizza on that side of town though, so I pretty much had my pick.  There was only one chain out there that wasn’t on the south side where we lived.  Even though I read a so-so review a year or so ago, I decided to give it a shot. 

Dolly’s Pizza is a chain out of White Lake, Michigan and most of their stores are in the Detroit area.  They were voted Best Pizza in Michigan at some point by the Michigan Restaurant Association yet they never say what year that was. 

The only Lansing location is in Delta Township on Brookside Drive.  It’s in a strip mall anchored by an Outback Steakhouse on Saginaw Highway.  Like most chains, Dolly’s is a strictly carry-out/delivery business.  The store front is mostly kitchen with a small waiting area that included a couple chairs and some old Sports Illustrated magazines.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Qdoba Mexican Grill – Delta Township

30 08 2009
  • 5415 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 977-0063
  • Website
  • Menu
Qdoba Mexican Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Qdoba Mexican Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

I don’t think I need to tell you about our shopping patterns again….do I?  Of course, we were out in Delta Township and it was lunch time.  We weren’t in the mood to hunt out a sit down place and McDonald’s didn’t sound good either. 

I remember seeing a few months ago that Qdoba was moving into the space that used to be a Ya-Ya’s Chicken.  That was a while ago, so I assumed it was open. 

I’ve only eaten at Qdoba once in my life.  I used to work with a woman that loved it.  She would have lived inside Qdoba if they would have let her.  The closest one to us was forty minutes away, but if we were ever anywhere near it, I would have to take her for a burrito.  Only once did I actually eat lunch with her.  I wasn’t impressed, but I wasn’t turned off either. 

The newest Qdoba in the Lansing area is on Saginaw Highway across from the Lansing Mall.  Parking around the building isn’t great.  The entrance is actually on the side of the building and there are a few angled parking spots there.  If there’s a lot of traffic in the area of that strip mall, finding a close spot could be a challenge. 

The restaurant is set up sort of like a Subway.  There’s a counter where you order and it’s put together right in front of you.  I don’t like rice and it seems like all fast food Mexican likes to use rice filler.  Qdoba is no different.  That limits the options for me.  There were some things that sounded good, but I had a feeling it would be 90 percent rice and 10 percent meat.  Instead, I ordered three tacos.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Fast Food, Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Release – “Mix It Up For MDA” at Carrabbas

29 07 2009

From a Muscular Dystrophy Association press release…

CARRABBAS ITALIAN GRILL, AWARD WINNING MIXOLOGIST TO “MIX IT UP FOR MDA”

WHO: Carrabba’s Italian Grill invites consumers to “Mix It Up for MDA” at a special event combining exclusive cocktails from award-winning mixologist Charlotte Voisey with new Carrabba’s food items to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

WHAT: A special mixer and food tasting event that includes a delicious array of appetizers from the new Mr. C’s Menu, designed for snacking and sharing, including: Antipasti Misto, Meatballs with Ricotta Cheese, Patatinas with Blue Cheese, and Chicken Parmesan Piccolinos.

Admission to “Mix It Up for MDA” is $15 per person. The ticket price includes a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of Voisey’s signature cocktails created for the event (Blackberry Lemonade, the Italian Lemon Drop or Blackberry Fields Martini) or another drink on the Mr. C’s list.

In addition to monies raised from “Mix It Up for MDA” event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of Voisey’s drinks sold from July 30 – August 6.

WHEN: July 30, 2009

5 p.m. to close

WHERE: Carrabba’s Italian Grill

6540 West Saginaw Hwy.

Lansing, MI 48917

WHY: Funds raised will directly affect the lives of children and adults in the Lansing area living with one of more than 40 muscle-wasting diseases in MDA’s program. “Mix it up for MDA” will support research, clinics and programs in the area. Contributions will help MDA provide outpatient clinic services, purchase and repair wheelchairs, leg braces and communication devices, and perform many other important services.


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Categories : Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Honeybaked Ham Cafe – Lansing

9 07 2009
  • 5601 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 327-5008
  • Website
  • Menu
The Honeybaked Ham Company and Cafe on W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

The Honeybaked Ham Company and Cafe on W. Saginaw Highway in Lansing.

Merry Christmas!  Yes, I know it’s July, but J and I finally cashed in her Christmas present from work.  We were out in Delta Township with a number of errands to run.  Before we left the house, I suggested we finally use the $50 gift certificate from Honeybaked Ham for lunch.  I think we both almost forgot about it and since it’s good until next Christmas, we just kept putting it off.  My family is coming to town this weekend, so picking up some extra lunch meat sounded like a good idea.

The Honeybaked Ham Company and Cafe is in one of the many little strip malls across the street from the Lansing Mall on West Saginaw Highway.  I have had the boxed lunches from Honeybaked Ham before, but I’ve never been in a store.  J said her mom used to stop and pick up a whole ham, but she hadn’t eaten lunch there either. 

The store is pretty small with an order counter, a couple tables, and some displays of gourmet pantry items.  The menu board is above the coolers behind the counter.  Since we had a gift certificate, we had to spend the whole thing.  The plan was to get lunch for both of us today and get some sliced meat to take home for the weekend.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cafe, Chains, Deli, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Quality Dairy – W. Saginaw Hwy & Migaldi Ln.

9 07 2009
  • 8512 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 622-1533
  • Website
Quality Dairy on W. Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Quality Dairy on W. Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

It’s been another five weeks, so while J was at the salon, I was running errands.  For once, I actually had a lot that I needed to do.  I’ve been putting off a lot just so I could keep busy.  My route today was Walmart, Game Stop, Cartridge World, Target, Meijer then off to lunch.  After my first two stops, I started to get thirsty.  It was 12:30 and I had yet to have my morning Pepsi.  As I was leaving the Walmart area, I remembered there was a QD just down the street so I took a left instead of a right and went to get my Pepsi.

This Quality Dairy is on West Saginaw Highway west of I-69.  It’s near the Art Van on that side of the road across from where Menard’s and Walmart are.  This store is one of the Quality Dairy’s that have a gas station out front. 

The parking lot is pretty large and I just took a spot kind of far away.  While it’s a huge area, the gas pumps are jammed up against the building, so there’s not much room to maneuver after leaving the pumps.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan

Subway – Saginaw & Creyts

6 07 2009
  • 6334 W. Saginaw Highway, Suite G
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-2003
  • Website
  • Menu
Subway on West Saginaw Highway and Creyts Road in Delta Township

Subway on West Saginaw Highway and Creyts Road in Delta Township

Last summer, our Horrocks/Walmart trip was a weekly event.  So far this year, we’ve been pretty bad about getting out to Delta Township.  Over the winter, we’ve preferred the produce at Meijer, but with local stuff starting to come in season, we wanted to make the effort to get out to Horrocks. 

After I got home from the Lugnuts game on Sunday, I asked J if she wanted to make the run.  We needed some groceries anyway, so why not.  I hadn’t eaten all day and was starving, but neither of us really wanted to do to the sit down restaurant thing.  We hoped in the car and just started driving.  I knew there was enough out that way that we could find something.  On the trip though, I came up with Subway.  It’s always a fairly cheap, good meal….and most of the time, it’s pretty quick.

We chose the Subway on the corner of Saginaw Highway and Creyts Road in Delta Township mostly because it was the first one we came across after getting off the highway.  The store sits in a little strip mall that I guess you coule say is “anchored” by a Baryames Cleaners. Read the rest of this entry »


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Logan’s Roadhouse – Lansing

27 04 2009
  • 5800 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 327-4751
  • Website
  • Menu

Logans Roadhouse in Delta Township

I never know what to do when my parents come to town.  They’re not very adventurous eaters so I always hesitate bringing them to someplace I’ve never eaten at.  Chains are always safe because the menus are usually big enough to have something they will eat. 

Saturday, my parents decided to come to town for the weekend.  They hadn’t been here since last fall due to the weather and since my mom had the weekend off, they made the trip north.  They timed it so they got here about a half hour before I got home from the spring football game.  J entertained them while I finished up.  After a quick shower, we headed out to find dinner.  I don’t think my parents had eaten yet and my mom was hungry.  We wanted to make a stop at Babies-R-Us anyway and since we’ve eaten at a Logan’s Roadhouse before (in East Peoria, IL), I thought it was a safe bet. 

Logan’s Roadhouse is in Delta Township near the Lansing Mall on Saginaw Highway.  The parking lot looked pretty full when we pulled up, but we noticed the same for most of the restaurants along this strip, so it’s not like we’d be better off going somewhere else.  Fortunately, the dining room is big. Actually, it’s pretty large.  We were met by a hostess who took us to a non-smoking table in the middle of the dining room near the kitchen. 

Logan’s really pulls off the Roadhouse theme.  The dining room has a tall ceiling and the rooms are spacious.  The floors are distressed woods that creak a little when you walk.  Those floor boards are covered with peanut shells.  Yup, Logan’s puts buckets of peanuts on the table and the shells end up on the floor.  I love that.  It reminds me of the place my mom works at in Illinois.  My mom did mention that the peanuts actually tasted fresh.  At her restaurant, they go through a lot, but they buy them in big 50 gallon drums, so it takes a while to go through them.  By the time you get to the bottom, the peanuts have a little bit of a staler taste.  Not these. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Lansing

13 04 2009
  • 6540 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-8055
  • Website
  • Menu
Carrabbas Italian Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Carrabba's Italian Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

It had been a long weekend.  I had worked four days in a row (unusual for my line of work) and J had made a quick trip home to see a friend of hers who just had a baby.  We timed it out where she got home about an hour after I did on Sunday.  That gave me enough time to shower and have a little snack.  By 5:00, we were both pretty hungry.  She did brunch with her parents in Chicago, but that was at 10:00 AM.  We wanted to go out for dinner, but since it was Easter Sunday, we weren’t really sure what would be open.  I knew the chain restaurants would be serving, so we headed out to Delta Township.

We had our choice as far as chains go on that side of town.  I narrowed it down to Outback Steakhouse, Cheddar’s, and Carrabba’s.  J said she didn’t have a preference and since Carrabba’s is the one out of those three that I had never eaten at, it’s what we chose.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill is on Saginaw Highway in front of the Kohl’s in Delta Township.  Usually when we’re in this part of town, Carrabba’s isn’t open. They’re not the typical chain and they’re not open for lunch during the week.  They open their doors at 4:00 Monday thru Friday.  On Saturday and Sunday, they do open at noon, but they serve the same dinner menu.

We were met at the door by a waitress who welcomed us to the store as she stood holding the door for us.  We were then met by a hostess who showed us to a table near the kitchen.  The restaurant was surprisingly packed for a holiday.  The table we were seated at had a good view of the kitchen which was open and on display.  In fact, there was even a bar where you could enjoy your meal while watching the cooks prepare the evening’s meals.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Italian, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders

26 02 2009
  • 8741 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 627-3025
  • Website
  • Menu
Rudinos Pizza & Grinders on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Rudino's Pizza & Grinders on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Once a month, I spend the whole morning driving around Delta Township while J gets her hair cut.  I usually spend part of that time looking for someplace to eat.  This month was easy.  A couple weeks ago, I saw a posting on Craigslist for jobs at a new place on Saginaw Highway.  Last weekend, we were out in the area and I drove by to see if there was any indication it was opening.  There was a sign on the door that said it would open February 25.  I knew we were going to be out there on the 26th, so we were good to go for lunch.

Rudino’s Pizza & Grinders is in a small strip mall near the Menards on Saginaw Highway.  It’s in the space that used to be Art’s Pizza & Italian Oven.  We tried going to Art’s once, but it was closed.  I was excited to see a new pizza joint moving in.

Rudino’s is a long, narrow space.  When entering, you sort of come in to what can be considered the first dining room.  Beyond that is the order counter.  There is a menu board above the registers that lists a large selection of grinders as well as pizza’s, calzones, and salads.  Since it was only the second day of being open, things were running a little slow, but we knew that when we walked in and it wasn’t a big deal.  We needed time to figure out what we wanted anyway.  We were greeted right away by two guys who were sitting behind the counter on laptops.  The whole space is a Wi-Fi hot spot. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Italian, Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

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