Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe

21 09 2008
  • 1601 W. Lake Lansing Road
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 337-4680
  • Website
  • Menu
Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe is East Lansing

Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe is East Lansing

After two long days touring Northern and Western Michigan, we got home and just wanted to relax.  We unloaded the car then laid down on the couch and watched Michigan State beat Notre Dame while I blogged about our trip and J took a nap.  Not long after the game got over, J woke up and we started talking about dinner.  Neither one of us felt like cooking, but we neither of us really had a taste for anything either.  We talked about a few places, but one of us wasn’t interested in any of them.  Finally, I said, “What about Hall of Fame Cafe on Lake Lansing?”  We thought that may not be a good move since the game just got over, but we hopped in my truck to go give it a shot.

Spartan Hall of Fame Cafe is part of a small chain of cafes located in college towns.  The other cafes are in Columbus, OH (Buckeye HOF Cafe), Huntington, WV (Marshall HOF Cafe), and Louisville, KY (Cardinal HOF Cafe).  The East Lansing location sits just off US 127 in East Lansing near the Eastwood Towne Centre.  There looked to be quite a few parking spaces left so we pulled in to see if we could get a table.  There were a few people waiting, but they must have been parts of groups.  We were met by a hostess and shown to a booth in the dining room right away. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Cafe, East Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Pizza House

1 09 2008
  • 4790 S. Hagadorn Rd. #116
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 336-0033
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pizza House in East Lansing. A little slice of Chicago in Mid-Michigan

The Pizza House in East Lansing. A little slice of Chicago in Mid-Michigan

The quest for the perfect pizza took me to East Lansing after getting several recommendations for the Pizza House in Hannah Plaza.  My family was in town and we spent the day in Frankenmuth.  As we were leaving, we debated on whether or not to go in to Detroit for dinner and gambling.  That was eventually shot down and my dad said he just wanted pizza.  Since the Pizza House has been so highly recommended, I thought that was a safe bet.  If you remember my review of Pisanello’s Pizza (review HERE) in Mt. Pleasant, you’ll recall that everyone in my family likes a different type of pie, so pizzaria’s can be a challenge.

I had a little bit of trouble finding Pizza House at first.  We put the address in the GPS and it brought us the right area, but as the GPS was saying “Arriving at Pizza House on right” I couldn’t see any signs for it.  We were at Hannah Plaza, so I assumed it was in there.  I turned into the parking lot and J saw the sign for it.  The building is nothing special.  Just your typical strip mall pizza joint….or is it? Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : East Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Welcome Enlightened Spartan Viewers

21 08 2008

I’ve noticed the last couple days that a lot of hits are coming from the Enlightened Spartan website.  For those of you finding this blog for the first time, thanks for checking it out and I hope you find something you like.  For those of you regular readers, make sure to check out Enlightened Spartan for some incredible Spartan sports coverage.


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Categories : Food News

The Peanut Barrel

19 08 2008
  • 521 E. Grand River Ave.
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 351-0608
  • Website
  • Menu
The Peanut Barrel on Grand River Ave. in East Lansing across the street from Michigan State University

The Peanut Barrel on Grand River Ave. in East Lansing across the street from Michigan State University

The Peanut Barrel is one of the restaurants that have been our list since we moved here.  One of our first weekends in Lansing, we went to check out East Lansing and MSU.  We walked by the Peanut Barrel and the patio area was full with a long wait, so we didn’t stop.  Every other time we’ve been down that way, the situation was the same, so we’ve always passed.  Those times were always weekends which makes sense.  Lots of students with families in town.  We finally made it to East Lansing on a Tuesday morning right before lunch and thought it would be the perfect time to try to get a seat outside. 

My girlfriend needed to go to the Secretary of State’s Office.  I asked her which one and she just said one near a restaurant we haven’t been to.  The Mason branch is the closest, but there’s not a lot of restaurants around there.  I thought I remembered seeing a branch in East Lansing and there are still a ton of restaurants in that area that we haven’t been to, so that’s where I went.  Like all trips to the SOS office, it never goes smoothly.  We had to drive all the way back home to get something and go back.  Same thing happened to me last time I went.  Why do they have to make it so damn hard? Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, East Lansing, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews

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

Jimmy’s Pub

5 08 2008
  • 16804 Chandler Rd
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 324-7100
  • Website
  • Menu
Jimmys Pub on Chandler Road in East Lansing.

Jimmy's Pub on Chandler Road in East Lansing.

After another day of shopping at Meridian Mall, we decided to head out to Chandler Crossing to get some lunch.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but this blog has been getting a ton of hits for Small Planet.  I noticed on their new website the kitchen is (is going to be?) open at 11:00 am.  Since that’s what a lot of people are coming here for right now, I thought we’d check out the menu and see if it’s worth going during the day.  We found Small Planet and there were people inside, but the doors didn’t open when we got up to them, so we assumed they were closed.

Since we struck out at Small Planet, we needed a new place for lunch.  We’ve seen the commercials for Jimmy’s several times on TV, but didn’t know where it was.  We passed the pub on Chandler Road and the parking lot is actually connected to Chandler Crossing.  It looked like our best bet for a meal, so we headed over to their side of the parking lot.

Jimmy’s has a pretty cool atmosphere.  It’s kind of got a old world street feel going.  When you walk in, you run into the big horseshoe bar.  If you look down, there’s a faux cobblestone street.  Above you is a fake night sky with little twinkling lights that look like stars.  The theme is continued with street lamps used for lighting and street signs hanging in the corners. 

There wasn’t a whole lot of people in the bar, but there were a few there obviously on a business lunch.  We found a pub table in the “pool room” and took a seat.  The menus were already on the table, so we started browsing before our server came over to take drink orders.  When she came back with our Pepsi’s, we were ready to order.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, East Lansing, Pub, Reviews, Sandwiches

Bell’s Greek Pizza

3 08 2008
  • 1135 E. Grand River Ave.
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 332-0858
  • Website
  • Menu
Bells Greek Pizza on E. Grand River near the campus of Michigan State

Bell's Greek Pizza on E. Grand River near the campus of Michigan State

Bell’s Greek Pizza is what I missed by going to a small private school instead of a state school.  When it got late, the only thing we had was vending machines.  There was no late night pizza place.  Whenever I visited friends at the University of Illinois or Southern Illinois University, I made sure to push for pizza at 3 am after the bars closed. 

I went looking for this place a while ago when my dad and a friend were in town, but I didn’t go far enough down Grand River to find it.  My girlfriend came home from work one Friday night and said she was hungry.  I suggested pizza so we drove across town to campus just for pizza.  I had a few people suggest Bell’s on this blog before so I was kind of looking forward to it. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, East Lansing, Pizza, Reviews

Small Planet Reopens Tonight

1 08 2008

The Lansing State-Journal is running a story today about the reopening of the popular entertainment venue in East Lansing.  Small Planet, located at 16800 S. Chandler Rd., Suite 109, opened it’s doors at 3:00 for the first time in eight years. 

The first act will be Mason’s Case.  Cover is $5 for those 21 and over. 

Besides being a place for live music, Small Planet will have a full menu and bar, but they’re only open for dinner with a happy hour from 3:00 to 7:00 on weekdays. 

On the web:
Small Planet Website
Small Planet MySpace


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Categories : East Lansing, Food News

Press Release – East Lansing Taste of the Chamber

31 07 2008

Got this press release from the Lansing Regional Chamber.  I love “Taste of” events, but this one is way too expensive for me. 

Annual Taste of the Chamber Event to Showcase East Lansing’s Culinary Expertise
East Lansing Restaurants, Caterers, & Beverage Distributors to Highlight Networking Event

Area residents are invited to come et a Taste of the Chamber at the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce’s (LRCC) third annual Taste of the Chamber event held in East Lansing on July 31.  This fun-filled outdoor networking event features samples of the many culinary delights from East Lansing restaurants and caterers, as well as cold beer, wine, and soft drinks.  More than 400 Chamber members and guests are expected to attend.

Taste of the Chamber…East Lansing will be held from 5:30 PM until 8:30 PM on Thursday, July 31 in Downtown East Lansing, 230 Albert St., East Lansing.

“The Chamber’s summer networking event has always been the highlight of the summer for our members,” said Tim Daman, Vice President, Operations & Strategic Initiatives “The Taste of the Chamber event has really become a major event for the entire region to enjoy.  The fact that East Lansing has so many outstanding restaurants participating really makes this year’s even a must-attend affair.”

The list of participating businesses in this year’s Taste of the Chamber…..East Lansing event include: Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News

East Lansing Coffee Shop Set to Open 100th Store

10 07 2008

East Lansing’s own Biggby Coffee is gearing up for the grand opening of it’s 100th store.  The grand opening of the Biggby Coffee in Bloomfield will be next Tuesday, July 15th.  As an added bonus, the 100th customer at every Biggby store will get a free cup of coffee.Biggby Coffee

How crazy is it that a small coffee shop from East Lansing is expanding and competing in a market that was flooded with specialty coffee shops?  There’s a funny story on Bob Fish’s (CEO and Co-Founder) blog about a store in Davison that just opened and the next day, the McDonald’s across the street gave away free coffee. 

The company is not planning on stopping at 100.  According to the State News, they plan to double their franchises every two years with a planned 250 by 2010.

Biggby Coffee plans to open 73 more stores in the next two years, and to have more than 250 stores by 2010. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Food News, Michigan

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