Eddie’s Bar & Grill – Kankakee, IL

20 06 2009
  • 1875 W. Station Street
  • Kankakee, IL 60901
  • (815) 939-3972
  • Website
  • Menu
Eddies Bar & Grill on Station Street in Kankakee, IL

Eddie's Bar & Grill on Station Street in Kankakee, IL

Here’s the dilemma when J and I go to my parents house.  We either drive twenty minutes to Kankakee for lunch or we eat whatever Lean Cuisine my parents have the in the freezer.  Growing up in a small town, I never noticed that there wasn’t a restaurant on every corner, but since I’ve moved away, it’s become more noticeable.  I like to eat out and I like to eat at different places.  That’s hard to do in a town that only has one restaurant.

So, J and I made the choice to drive to Kankakee.  We had some other things to do anyway, so the trip wasn’t totally pointless.  We waited around until my mom came home for lunch so we could see her and make plans for the evening.  The next part of the battle was finding a restaurant.  I know the Kankakee metro is littered with hidden gems, but no one I know eats at anything other than chains.  I ended up remembering a place my brother told me he heard from friends was pretty good. 

Eddie’s Bar & Grill is on Station Street in Kankakee near West Court Street.  The only directions I could remember from my brother were “in the old Pizza Hut next to the bowling alley.”  J told me to call him and get an address, but I knew that’ the directions I would get.  No one knows street names….they all go by landmarks.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Illinois, Kankakee, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Honky Tonk BBQ – Chicago

16 06 2009
  • 1213 W. 18th Street
  • Chicago, IL 60608
  • (312) 226-7427
  • Website
  • Menu
Honky Tonk BBQ in Chicagos Pilsen neighborhood.

Honky Tonk BBQ in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

Since we were in the wedding planning mood, J and I decided to practice for our honeymoon by going out for BBQ….guess where we’re going for the honeymoon 😉 )  Last week, I put a post on Chow.com asking for a good place to eat before a White Sox game.  One of the places suggested was a BBQ place a few miles north of The Cell.  Unfortunately, the game is at 3:00 but the restaurant doesn’t open until four.  I showed the website to J and she suggested we go for dinner one night.

Honky Tonk BBQ is on 18th Street near Racine Avenue in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.  We happened to luck out and the one parking meter directly in front of the restaurant was open, so we pulled in and fed the meter.  The restaurant is in a very unassuming building that looks like it’s the back side of the grocery store on the corner.  The door looks more like a service door than the main entrance, but the address was right and there was an “open” sign lighted in a window, so we assumed the door was right.  The steps up are pretty steep and the last step is a doozy if you’re not paying attention.

The restaurant is divided into two rooms.  There’s a few tables and a take out window when you walk in.  To the left right is another dining room that is a little bit larger with more tables.  We weren’t quite sure of procedure.  I went to the window and picked up a paper menu, but J noticed the menus on the table.  Someone in the kitchen told us to take a seat and a waitress would be right with us. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Chicago, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Fatburger – Orland Park, IL

16 06 2009
  • 15110 S. La Grange Road #A
  • Orland Park, IL 60462
  • (708) 364-8380
  • Website
  • Menu
Fatburger on La Grange Road in Orland Park, IL

Fatburger on La Grange Road in Orland Park, IL

Our wedding planning trip to Chicago continued this morning with a trip to meet with the Reverend we chose for the ceremony.  After we took care of that meeting, we had a couple hours before our next appointment and J was starving.  Since we were already in Orland Park, we headed over to the big business street and started looking for food.  J’s mom suggested a brew pub on La Grange Road.  I said any place with a burger was fine with me.  We started towards the brew pub, but as we were driving, J noticed the Fatburger.  She figured that would be faster than a sit down restaurant and it would satisfy the burger criteria. 

Fatburger is a west coast burger chain that, at one time, was co-owned by former Spartan Magic Johnson.  The chain was started in 1952 in Los Angeles.  Up until the mid-9o’s, the chain pretty much only existed on the west coast, but expansion brought store farther to the east.  The company now has 93 restaurants across North America, Asia, and the Middle East. 

The store in Orland Park is in a strip mall on La Grange Road near 151st Street.  We pulled in just after 11:00 and there was only one other person in line.  Fatburger’s slogan is “The Last Great Hamburger Stand.”  The decor is that of a sixties diner and while it’s technically considered fast food, they do cook your food to order.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Illinois, Orland Park, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Rosie’s Drive-In – Oak Lawn, IL

15 06 2009
  • 10235 S. Cicero Avenue
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60453
  • (708) 636-7717
  • Website
  • Menu
Rosies Drive-In on South Cicero in Oak Lawn, IL

Rosie's Drive-In on South Cicero in Oak Lawn, IL

I’ve been in the Chicago area for three days now.  I’ve had two pizzas, but no Italian beef.  J and her mom got up to go do some wedding planning that I didn’t need to be there for, so I slept in.  When I got up, I was hungry.  I wanted an Italian beef…..bad.   J’s parents have recommended a little place just around the corner.  They have Italian beef and it was close, so that’s where I went.

Rosie’s Drive-In is on South Cicero Street at 103rd in Oak Lawn.  It’s not a Drive-In in the traditional sense.  There are no speakers in the parking lot and no car hops.  It is a small building that does most of it’s business with carry-out and drive thru. 

Since I hate drive thrus, I chose to park my car and go inside.  To my surprise, there was seating inside the building.  I didn’t think it looked very big from the outside, but there are a handful of tables so you can actually sit an eat.  Since J’s parents live right around the corner, I chose to take my sandwich with me.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Green River Cafe Closing

14 06 2009

Sad news from The State News today.

After three years of serving East Lansing a selection of vegan, vegetarian and organic food, the Green River Cafe, 211 MAC Ave., will close its doors for good today.

Their menu didn’t really interest me because I’m a meat eater, but it’s still sad to see any local business go under.  For those that do prefer the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, there’s not many choices.  Still, there is some good news.

Green River Cafe opened in September 2006, and the owners Jim and Josephine Jabara opened a second location at the Lansing City Market in May 2008.

The Lansing location will remain open and will continue to serve the same menu, (employee Grace) O’Connor said.


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Categories : East Lansing, Food News, Michigan

Downtown Dog House

12 06 2009
  • 107 E. Allegan Street
  • Lansing, MI 48933
  • (517) 316-2312
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The Downtown Dog House on Allegan Street in downtown Lansing.

The Downtown Dog House on Allegan Street in downtown Lansing.

I’m last to the party on this one too.  Earlier this week, Runs With Spatula Twittered about a place called the Downtown Dog House.  I asked what is was and a few hours later, there was a blog post.  Yesterday, I get an e-mail from City Pulse about a new article online about…you guessed it…the Downtown Dog House.  Heck, I even got five or six replies on Twitter myself about the place.  With all this buzz, I had to check it out.

The Downtown Dog House is on Allegan Street in downtown Lansing just off Washington Square.  Right now, it’s a horrible location.  The entire street is tore up due to the CSO project and Allegan Street is completely closed.  If you didn’t already know about it, there’s very little chance you would see the place.  I have to say, it takes guts to open a new business under those conditions.

I had to run some errands in the area and J tagged along so we could hit up the place for lunch.  We made it downtown just before eleven and found a parking spot on Washington Square.  We walked back a block or so to get to the front doors which is even somewhat of a challenge with all the construction. 

I think we were both surprised when we walked in.  At least in my mind, I had pictured a quick service, order at the counter, find a place to sit hot dog place like I’m used to seeing in Chicago.  Instead, we found a very welcoming sit down restaurant.  We were shown to a booth along the windows.  While we looked over the menus, the man who seated us brought us our Pepsi’s.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Coney Dog, Downtown, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Fiesta Vallarta

7 06 2009
  • 6724 S. Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 699-3691
  • Website
  • Menu
Fiesta Vallarta on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Fiesta Vallarta on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

I always thought it would be great if there was a sit down restaurant that J and I could easily walk to.  When we moved here, the only choices were Ponderosa or Charlie Kang’s II.  We put off Ponderosa for a long time (and with good reason) and we’re not into any Asian cuisine.  When I saw work at the closed Charlie Kang’s, I had hopes that it would be someplace we might like.  When I saw the building being painted orange, there was no doubt a Mexican restaurant was moving in. 

For the last several weeks, we passed by hoping to see signs of life inside or at least a “coming soon” side.  On Thursday, we saw the “open” sign lighted up and by the time we finished running errands, there was a huge “now open” banner on the side of the road.   It was just a matter of time before we stopped in for lunch.

Fiesta Vallarta is on South Cedar Street almost underneath I-94.  It takes the spot that used to be Charlie Kang’s II.  I never went in that business, but  I never saw cars out front.  I’ve seen more cars in the last four days at Fiesta Vallarta than I did in almost a year at Charlie Kang’s.

I’m not 100% on the story behind the business.  When I got home, I typed http://www.fiestavallarta.cominto my browser.  What popped up was a website for a Fiesta Vallarta in California.  The menu was nothing like this one in Lansing, but the logo’s were very, very close.  Turns out, I typed the address wrong.  It’s actually a .mx address, but it’s http://www.fiestavallarta.com.mx.  So, I don’t know if there’s a relationship, coincidence, or an homage to the California restaurant.

We found a parking spot in front of the building, but there’s also parking in back and along the side.  The door is accessible from both the front and back lots.  When we got inside, we came to a waiting area with a cash register.  There was a waiter who handed us two menus and told us to find a seat.  That seemed odd.  The next party that came in was shown to a table.  The party after that was treated like we were.  There was a pattern I’m not going to mention and just believe it was coincidence.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Hattie’s Kitchen

4 06 2009
  • 401 E. Grand River Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 894-4465
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Hatties Kitchen in Lansings Old Town Neighborhood

Hattie's Kitchen in Lansing's Old Town Neighborhood

There’s a little soul food place in Old Town that I’ve been wanting to go to for quite some time.  Up until a few months ago, it was called Vernadine’s, but it now goes by the name Hattie’s Kitchen.  J and I were out running some errands and since we had some extra time, we headed down Grand River Avenue through some horrendous construction in search of some good comfort food.

Hattie’s Kitchen is in Lansing’s Old Town on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Center Street.  It’s a small, corner building with the entrance accessible from either street.  As we drove through the Old Town Neighborhood, we noticed a lot of people out walking around and enjoying some of the other dining establishements.  That got me a little worried about getting a meal during the lunch rush.

It was a nice, cool day and the door was propped open to let the breeze in.  We walked in to find only two of the handful of tables full.  Along one wall was a couple older gentlemen waiting for the food.  Along the other side of the room was a group of college aged kids looking over a couple menus.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Old Town, Restaurant, Reviews, Soul Food

Panera Bread – Frandor

3 06 2009
  • 310 N. Clippert St.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 332-9183
  • Website
  • Menu
Panera Bread in the Frandor Shopping Center.

Panera Bread in the Frandor Shopping Center.

I know.  I know.  Another chain.  J and I had made plans earlier in the week to only eat out once.  Tomorrow.  Something came up and J wanted to run to Frandor. Neither of us had eaten lunch yet and we wouldn’t get back home in time to eat before she had to be at work, so we just ate while we were out.

J has always been a big fan of Panera Bread.  Me, not so much.  When we lived in Peoria, J worked long hours on Saturday and would usually stop at a Panera for at least one meal.  Before we started dating, she almost lived there. 

The Panera Bread in Frandor has a physical address on North Clippert, but it’s actually on the interior of the shopping center.  It sits on a corner connected to the  same building that houses Kroger.  It’s much smaller than most of the other Panera’s I’ve been in.  From the beginning, I felt a little crowded.  Usually, Panera has separate areas for the cafe and bakery.  I didn’t see that here. 

When you walk in, the order counter is right in front of you.  The bakery section is off to the right side of the counter.  There were four cash registers, but only two open.  We waited for the next available cashier, but that wasn’t good enough for a lady who walked up after us.  She wanted us to pick a line in hopes we would pick the longer line so she didn’t have to wait as long to get her coffee. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Corner Bar & Grill

1 06 2009
  • 505 E. Shiawassee St.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 374-3565
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The Corner Bar & Grill on Shiawassee Street in downtown Lansing.

The Corner Bar & Grill on Shiawassee Street in downtown Lansing.

J and I called it quits early on Be A Tourist In Your Own Town.  After the zoo, we tried to go to MSU, but couldn’t find parking and just gave up.  We spent a few hours at the zoo and we were getting hungry and I had to go to work in a few hours, so we decided to find lunch/dinner.  Since we were in East Lansing, J suggested Buffalo Wild Wings which is usually a hit with me, but on our way, J also pointed out that a lot of the blog entries recently have been chains and I hate doing that.  I wanted to get back to something local.  A couple weeks ago, Runs With Spatula reviewed a bar that I haven’t been to yet.  Her blog made my mouth water.  We were saving it for after a Lugnuts game, but bar food sounded good and it would put me back on the local track.

The Corner Bar & Grill is on the corner of Shiawassee and Cedar across the street from the City Market and just a block down from Oldsmobile Park.  Before we moved here, the building housed the Club 505 which I’m told was a lesbian bar.  Now, it’s kind of taken on a biker bar feel.  Maybe that’s because there are scooters from the neighboring business parked on the sidewalk. 

There’s a gravel parking lot across Shiawassee Street that has signs for parking.  When we pulled in, there was only a couple cars in the parking lot, but it was an odd time.  We were eating lunch around 3:00 which isn’t a prime meal time.  We crossed the street and walked into the building which opens up into the bar.  There aren’t really any tables in this area.  It’s got more of a bar feel.  We walked into another room which has a number of tables, booths, and of course, flat panel TV’s.  A third room was set up for live music and there was a guy running around setting up some gear for later in the evening. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Lansing, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

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