Having Trouble Navigating Downtown?

26 06 2008

I am.  Being new to town, the whole CSO project makes it really hard to get to whre I’m going.  I’ll put an address in my GPS and when I get downtown Daniel (that’s what we call our Garmin because we use the programed British voice) freaks out then I freak out at him.  According to WLAJ, businesses are feeling the effects of people not being able to get to them.

They tell us it’s been a rough year for them.  With higher gas prices people are already spending less, and nowconstruction is detoring customers away from their stores. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Food News, Lansing

Benson’s Vinaigrettes

26 06 2008
  • 940 Elmwood Rd.Benson\'s Vinaigrettes
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 703-9616
  • Website
  • Menu

Boy, did we stumble on to something great here.  I drove by Benson’s Vinaigrettes last time my girlfriend got her haircut and said next month, that’s where we were going to eat lunch.  I found their website and was a little worried that I wouldn’t be all that thrilled with it.  I knew my girlfriend would love it and it’d be a nice change from all the bars and pizza joints I bring her to. 

Benson’s is located just behind the Lansing Mall.  It’s a really nice looking building from the outside with a LCD board underneath their sign that displays today’s entrees.  Inside, Benson’s reminds you of a deli.  The place is much bigger than it looks.  You walk through the dining room and get in line.  All of today’s food is on display in cases.  The menu is constantly changing.  You can get salads and wraps everyday, but that days entrees won’t be there tomorrow.  All the food is fresh and homemade.  The chef was standing in the dining room making sure everything was running smoothly.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Cafe, Lansing, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Meijer – Saginaw Hwy

26 06 2008
  • 5125 W. Saginaw Hwy.Meijer
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-8101
  • Website

It was that time again for my girlfriend to get a haircut.  For me, that usually means a couple hours of killing time and shopping.  This time, my girlfriend asked me to run a couple errands and pick up a few things at a mega-mart.  Since Meijer is right in front of the place she gets her hair cut, I stopped over there first.

Meijer is the pioneer when it comes to the hyper-market.  They were the first to come up with the full supermarkert plus full discount store design that Wal-Mart has now made popular.  While I like Meijer’s grocery store, I don’t shop there often.   Usually, we only go to Meijer when we need food plus general merchandise.  When we first moved to town, Meijer was the first grocery store we went to to stock our new place.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Kroger – Saginaw Highway

26 06 2008
  • 6430 W. Saginaw Hwy.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 886-1039
  • Website

A few weeks ago when I originally posted about Kroger in Holt (review HERE), a commentor suggested I check out the Kroger on Saginaw and Creyts Rd.  I figured a Kroger is a Kroger, right?  Boy, I was wrong.

My girlfriend had me running some errands while she was getting her hair cut.  I tried to do pick up everything I needed at Meijer, but was one thing short.  I thought I was just going to go to Wal-Mart, but as I drove by Kroger, I remembered the comment and decided to stop.  My plan wasn’t to get anything food releated.  I was actually looking for a skin care product, but I wanted to check it out.  Let me tell you.  This is like no Kroger I’ve ever been in before.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Cheddars coming to Saginaw Hwy?

26 06 2008

I was hanging out near Lansing Cheddar\'sMall today and noticed some work going on at the corner of Saginaw and Mall Dr.  The outside looked familar, but I couldn’t quite figure it out.  I drove up a little closer and saw the signs for Cheddar’s which, according to their website, will be the first is the only Cheddar’s in Michigan.  Cheddar’s is a growing chain founded in 1978 in Arlington, TX.  I’ve eaten at a couple of their other stores.  It’s good food, but it’s still a chain.  There isn’t a whole lot that is different from, say, Applebees.  For those of you that like the chains, this is something to get excited about.  It is a small enough chain that you’re not going to be able to find one in every city, so treat yourself sometime.

Update – Apparently not a new Cheddar’s but a remodel maybe?  Corky pointed out in comments that there had been a Cheddar’s at this location before.  The signs are all covered and there’s a lot of work going on?  Does anyone for sure if they’re remodeling or maybe a new tenant moving in?


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Categories : Chains, Food News, Lansing

Michigan Brewing Company – Coming Soon! – UPDATED!

25 06 2008

Michigan Brewing CompanyI was in downtown Lansing tonight and noticed that sign you see off to the right.  This seems to be a search engine search that brings a lot of people this site, so I figured some of you might be interested in seeing that work is happening at the building located at 402 S Washington Sq.  I’ve sent an e-mail to the folks at the Michigan Brewing Company in Webberville to see if there’s any progress and when they are expectin to open.  If and when I get a reply, I’ll let you know.

UPDATE – I got an e-mail back from Stan Thornbury who is the marketing manager for the Michigan Brewing Company.  He said the store is progressing slowly because they are waiting on state licensing.  They’re hoping for an opening in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

Michigan Brewing Company


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Categories : Brew Pub, Food News, Lansing, Michigan

Troppo

25 06 2008
  • 101 S. Washington Sq.Troppo
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 371-4000
  • Website
  • Menu

My girlfriend had a meeting at City Hall this morning and I tagged along to help her out.  The meeting ended just before one o’clock and both of us were hungry, so we decided to try another downtown place.  After two bad experiences, we finally had a good one with The Firm (review HERE), so why not try again.  From City Hall, I could see the sign for Troppo and that’s been on my list of places to try.  We moved the car a little farther down Michigan Avenue and made our way in for lunch.

Troppo can be kind of intimidating for the casual diner.  There’s a massive sign on the upscale building on the corner of Michigan and Washington Sq clearly marking the establishment.  You walk into a lobby area before you run into the hostess.  Beyond the hostess stand and thru a curtain, you enter the main dining room.  The space is gorgeaus.  Red fabrics and a deep brown wood are highlighted by vintage photos of Lansing and small chandeliers.  We were seated near the windows which look out to the terrace which has a beautiful view of the Capitol.  From our table, the view was the roundabout and the Comerica Bank Building.  Interesting thing about that building is the writing carved into the stone.  It looks like it used to be the City National Bank and there’s a huge inscription claiming to be the oldest bank in Lansing. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Fine Dining, Lansing, Restaurant, Reviews

Horrocks Farm Market

24 06 2008
  • Horrocks 7420 W. Saginaw Hwy
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-3782
  • Website

We accidently found Horrocks not long after moving to Lansing.  Our first day in town, we hit up the local mega-mart near our house and thought we were doing pretty good.  The produce was good and there was a huge selection.  Boy, we were naive.  Our first weekend here, we went to explore the town.  We were at the Lansing Mall and wanted to find Eastwood Town Centre.  We were way off, but we headed down Saginaw to get back to the Interstate.  Earlier in the day, we had stopped at the Lansing City Market and were really disappointed in the selection.  We had really hoped to find a place that would sell fresh produce at a good price.  Our luck turned around when I noticed the windmill.

I still remember that first time we walked in.  This was definately not a chain mega-mart.  There is a lot of produce.  A lot.  Chances are, if you want it, they have it.  That first trip, we filled up three paper shopping bags with produce and cheese and only spent around $30.  A few days earlier, we spent over a hundred at the supermarket. Read the rest of this entry »


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The Firm Food & Spirits

23 06 2008
  • The Firm227 S. Washington Sq.
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 487-3663
  • Website
  • Menu

Finally!  In our third attempt at eating at a downtown restaurant, we finally had a pleasurable experience.  Last week at the BWL Chili Cook-Off, we grabbed a $5-off coupon from The Firm’s booth.  It’s been a couple weeks since we’ve been grocery shopping, so there’s not a whole lot of food left in our cupboards.  Instead of shopping this morning, we decided to just head out for dinner.  When I got in my truck, I noticed the coupon still sitting in the console, so that’s where we went.

The Firm is located on Washington Sq in downtown Lansing.  We stopped in on a Monday night for dinner.  The place was deserted.  There was a sign that said wait to be seated.  The bartender noticed us and seated us at a booth in the dining room.  The dining room is a pretty good size with a row of u-shaped booths along the walls with tables in the middle.  There’s a cut-out in the wall that lets you see into the bar.  I spent most of the meal watching the two LCD TV’s above the bar that were showing the College World Series. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Fine Dining, Lansing, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews

Press Release – Lansing School District

16 06 2008

 The following is a press release from Lansing School District regarding the summer food service program for children….

The Lansing School District, in conjunction with other community organizations, announces the sponsorship of the Summer Food Service Program for Children. Free meals will be made available to children 18 years of age and under or persons over 18 who are determined by a state or local public educational agency to be mentally or physically handicapped. The meals will be provided without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. Meals will be provided at the sites listed below. Read the rest of this entry »


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