Deja Brew Bar & Grill- Oak Lawn, IL

12 02 2009
  • 5219 W. 95th Street
  • Oak Lawn, IL 60435
  • (708 ) 423-0484
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Deja Brew on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn, IL

Deja Brew on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn, IL

After taking care of some things this morning, my girlfriend, her family, and I headed out for lunch.  Our first stop was Palermos 95th (review HERE), but they were even packed for lunch, so we went to J’s parents favorite bar in downtown Oak Lawn.

Deja Brew Bar & Grill is located on 95th Street in downtown Oak Lawn.  It fronts the busy highway, but the parking and main entrance is actually in the back which is accessible by an alley.  When you walk in that back door, you come into an enclosed courtyard.  From there, there’s another set of doors to actually enter the establishment. 

Inside is a typical sports bar.  There are LCD’s hanging from the ceiling.  There’s a large, odd shaped bar that takes a good chunk of the space.  The shape of the bar is a little hard to describe.  Around the bar are a few pub tables.  Along the opposite wall is a step up with more tables.  We took a table near the windows and waited for a watiress.

The waitress actually came over pretty quickly to get our drink orders, but then took a really long time to come back with them.  She spilled a little bit of J’s mom’s beer and went to get something to clean it up with before taking lunch orders.  It took a good ten minutes for her to come back with a bar towel.  Once we got the spilled beer taken care of, we put in lunch orders.  Another half hour later and we finally got our food.  During the time, J and her uncle both ran out of Diet Coke but there was no refilling until the food came out. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Downtown, Illinois, Oak Lawn, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream – South Cedar

10 02 2009
  • 5620 S. Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 272-5015
  • Website
  • Menu
Twisters Soft Serve Ice Creams second location on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream's second location on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

Boy, as soon as the mercury hits 65 degrees, everyone thinks it’s summer.  Just this morning, I saw a story on WLNS.com about ice cream shops opening up…in February!  My day was spent barbecuing so I guess I’m not any better.  After dinner, J suggested we go get ice cream.  Heck, this might be our only chance at sixty degrees for a couple months yet so let’s take advantage of it.

Twisters Soft Serve Ice Cream has two locations in Lansing.  The original is on South Waverly.  The second location and the one closest to us is on South Cedar Street right next to Taco Bell.  The building is a drive-thru only structure with a little patio area set up out front if you choose to get out of the car and order at the window.

It was a nice night, but not nice enough to eat ice cream outside, so we hit up the drive thru.  When you first enter the driveway, there’s a menu board on the side of the building.  It’s not lit up and J had a hard time reading it from the passenger seat, so we drove around to the order speaker.  Again, no light on the menu board and J couldn’t make out most of what it said.  I went with my normal ice cream treat, a peanut butter cup Flurry.  J eventually gave up and ordered the same thing.  We each got a medium Flurry for a cost of $7 for the two of them. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ice Cream, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Fat Matt’s Pizza

9 02 2009
  • 986 Trowbridge Road
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 324-7000
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Fat Matts Pizza in the Trowbridge Plaza in East Lansing.

Fat Matt's Pizza in the Trowbridge Plaza in East Lansing.

I’m still on that quest for the perfect pizza.  We’ve found a couple really, really good ones and some really, really just alright ones.  I had been hearing things about a fairly new place in East Lansing called Fat Matt’s.  Since I was in the area, hungry, and tired, I stopped in to Fat Matt’s to see if they could place on my pizza list.

Fat Matt’s Pizza is located in the Trowbridge Plaza in East Lansing.  It’s a little tough to find at first.  It’s not visible from Trowbridge Road.  There’s a little section of the plaza on the side that has a few stores and Fat Matt’s is the last store in this stretch.  It actually sits right next to Goodrich’s loading docks. 

The store itself is pretty small.  Most of the space is taken up by the kitchen, but they do have two tables should you want to sit there and eat for some reason.  I had heard they did pizza-by-the-slice and they had a display for them, but there was nothing in it.  Instead of questioning, I just ordered a large pizza.  Usually, we get just cheese pizza since J doesn’t really like toppings, but I was in the mood for pepperoni, so I got half cheese, half pepperoni.  I got a little bit of sticker shock when the guy told me the price was $17.  I thought that was pretty expensive for a pizza.  I looked at the menu and a large cheese pizza is $13 then it’s almost $2 more for each topping.  To me, that doesn’t seem like a way to compete with the chains. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Jenison Field House

9 02 2009
  • 248 Jenison Fieldhouse
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 355-1610
  • Website
The entrance to Jenison Fieldhouse on MSUs campus

The entrance to Jenison Fieldhouse on MSU's campus

I wish my first visit to Jenison Field House was thirty years.  When I walked in to the building for the first time, the first and only thing I could think was, “I bet this place was loud.”  I knew of Jenison before I moved to Lansing.  Who hasn’t?  I loved watching the old clips of Magic Johnson in East Lansing.  I can only imagine what the place was like.  Sure, it’s huge, but those big cavernous ceilings had to make the place loud.

Jenison Field House is on the campus of MSU just off Kalamazoo Street.  It’s just a block or so from it’s replacement, the Jack Breslin Student Events Center (review HERE).  It’s a huge building.  At first, I was wondering how they would even do basketball, but figured it out after seeing the wrestling set up. 

Jenison was opened in 1940 and was the home to Spartan basketball until 1989.  The facility is now used for Women’s volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, and indoor track & field as well as a practice facility for a number of MSU sports.  There is permanent seating in an upper deck that runs around the entire facility.  The surface is a multi purpose rubber which is used for track and field.  When other events are held in the Field House, a curtain is dropped to divide the arena into a smaller area and portable bleachers are brought in to fill out the empty spaces.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Big Ten Tour, East Lansing, Entertainment Venues, Live Entertainment, Michigan, Reviews

Patio Restaurant of Orland Park (IL)

8 02 2009
  • 7830 W. 159th St.
  • Orland Park, IL 60462
  • (708 ) 429-7575
  • Website
  • Menu
The Patio of Orland Park on 195th Street

The Patio of Orland Park on 195th Street

We finished up our mini-vacation in Illinois on Saturday.  The  purpose of our trip was so J could judge an IHSA speech regional in Orland Park which is another one of Chicago’s south suburbs.  I slept in, but met her at the school later in the day.  When it was time to head back to Michigan, we left straight from there instead of going back to her parents.  Before we could do that though, we had to make one more stop for food.

The Patio Restaurant of Orland Park is one of four in a local chain.  It’s another place that J’s parents eat at often and have suggested to us in the past.  The Patio sits on 195th Street.  The building is huge.  The parking lot…not so much.  It took a while for us to find a spot on a busy Saturday night.  I didn’t have much hope of actually getting a table, but J assured me we would be ok.

The inside of The Patio is a wide open space that is decorated to resemble a patio.  The furniture is more patio furniture than lawn furniture and the ceilings are high, vaulted, and decorated to make you feel like it is open air.  The restaurant is set up so you order in the front of the building then take a seat with a number.  Your food is brought to you a few minutes later.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Illinois, Orland Park, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

One Sixty Four North – Kankakee, IL

5 02 2009
  • 164 N. Schuyler Avenue
  • Kankakee, IL 60901
  • (815) 936-0164
  • Website
  • Menu
One Sixty Four North in downtown Kankakee, IL

One Sixty Four North in downtown Kankakee, IL

Whenever I go to my parents house, I run into the problem of “where do we eat today?”    There’s not a lot of options in a town of 750 people.  The closest “big town” is Kankakee a half hour to the north.  J and I tossed around a couple options, but then I decided I was going to make dinner for my brother and dad tonight since my mom and sister-in-law were working.  In order to do that, I had to find a grocery store…again, a half hour to the north.  Since we were going anyway, I told J we’d just eat in Kankakee. 

One Sixty Four North is on North Schuyler Street near the Paramount Theater in downtown Kankakee.  Growing up, there wasn’t much in this area.  The only thing we went downtown for was a movie.  Most of the people I know are not adventurous eaters.  They prefer their Applebees and Arby’s, so asking about a local establishment is sort of like talking in Greek.  I had asked a few people about One Sixty Four North and the answer I always got was “heard it was good, but too expensive for us to try.”  I checked out the menu on-line and it looked pretty reasonably priced to me. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Downtown, Fine Dining, Illinois, Kankakee, Restaurant, Reviews

Wing Zone

1 02 2009
  • 340 Morgan Lane
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 332-9464
  • Website
  • Menu
Wing Zone in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing.

Wing Zone in the Frandor Shopping Center in Lansing.

Wings and the Super Bowl go together.  It’s just a fact of life.  For the last five or six years, I have slaved over a deep fryer for hours making wings for my friends on the day of the game.  Every year, I’d come up with a new sauce or way to cook them.  Last year, I skipped the deep fryer all together and went for baked wings.  This year, I just wasn’t in the mood.  I still wanted wings and have been craving them for days.  My two choices were to make a trip to Kroger for wings and oil or let the professionals do all the work.

My favorite wing place, by far has always been Buffalo Wild Wings.  It’s the one chain I don’t mind telling you that I love.  When the company opened their first store in the Peoria area, I spent three or four nights a week there.  I worked second shift and my buddies and I would hit B-Dubs after work for drinks and wings.  Most Tuesday’s, our orders were waiting for us when we got there. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Wings

Sir Pizza : Grand Cafe

31 01 2009
  • 210 E. Grand River Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 484-9197
  • Website
  • Menu
Sir Pizzas Grand Cafe in Lansings Old Town

Sir Pizza's Grand Cafe in Lansing's Old Town

After a late afternoon lunch, neither J or I were really hungry around “dinner time.”  We sat on the couch watching TV until a little after eight.  It was then, we decided we needed to find something for dinner.  I wasn’t really in the mood for another burger and the only thing I had a taste for was pizza.  I was hesitant to suggest that because I seem to always go to pizza if I don’t want bar food.  To my surprise, when I did suggest it, J said she was thinking the same thing.

Our first choice was the newly opened Izzo’s Pizzeria in REO Town.  Unfortunately, we were too late.  When we drove by, it was open.  By the time we parked and walked back to the pizzeria, it was closed, so I went with Plan B. 

The Sir Pizza Grand Cafe is in Lansing Old Town on Grand River Avenue overlooking the Grand River.  When it came to ordering pizza, we always seemed to avoid the Lansing chain.  The other Sir Pizza stores never really looked all that inviting.  The one we always drive by is the Cedar Street/Mt. Hope location and that one looks like it’s abandoned.  The front is all boarded up and you can’t tell that there’s anything going on inside.  So, and I know this is bad, that’s how my perception of Sir Pizza was built, but I had heard good things about the Grand Cafe.  Since we were still in the mood for pizza and Old Town wasn’t really all that far, that’s where we headed. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Michigan, Old Town, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

Gilbert & Blake’s

31 01 2009
  • 3554 Okemos Road
  • Okemos, MI 48864
  • (517) 349-1300
  • Website
  • Menu
Gilbert & Blakes on Okemos Road in Okemos

Gilbert & Blake's on Okemos Road in Okemos

I’ve always been afraid of Gilbert and Blake’s.  I had only read one review of the place and it wasn’t exactly glowing, but the thing that really scared me off was the “seafood” part of the branding.  We don’t eat seafood.  I know, they have steaks, but I don’t order steaks at a restaurant.  They’re never as good as I make at home and really expensive.  J and I are sandwich people.  I love a good burger and there were no burgers on Gilbert and Blake’s dinner menu, so I never considered it an option for us.  For some odd reason, I was looking at restaurants last night.  I came back to Gilbert and Blake’s and decided to look at the menu again.  Again, the dinner menu didn’t do much for me.  It’s a little too fancy for a regular night out, but the lunch menu actually looked really good.  J and I were discussing lunch options and I figured…let’s give it a try.  There were enough options that both of us should be happy.

Gilbert & Blake’s is on Okemos Road not far from I-96 in Okemos.  Like I figured, it’s not your average night out kind of place.  I would put it in the fine dining category for this area.  There are couple different dining rooms.  When you walk in, you’re met by a hostess.  We were shown to a table in what looks to be their main dining room just off of the bar.  Gilbert & Blake’s is a white tablecloth, black napkin kind of place.  The decor is subdued and dark.  Most of the light is natural lighting coming in from large windows that run along one wall of the dining room.  What little lighting they have are track spot lights. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Michigan, Okemos, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Starbucks Coffee – Downtown East Lansing

29 01 2009
  • 401 E. Grand River Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 332-0398
  • Website
  • Menu
Starbucks Coffee on Grand River Avenue in downtown East Lansing

Starbucks Coffee on Grand River Avenue in downtown East Lansing

When we were hanging out in Chicago Thanksgiving weekend, we tried four or five times to stop in a Starbucks so J could try their Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate.  None of the Starbucks we passed had any tables and the lines were out the door, so we ended up settling on a Dunkin Donuts and just got some regular hot chocolate.  It didn’t hurt my feelings.  I loathe Starbucks and everything it stands for.  Back in Peoria, I had a co-worker who stopped every morning and if we happened to be in a car together, I knew she was going to wine until I stopped so she could get an overpriced coffee.

After dinner at Brother’s Grill, I was standing outside taking a picture for the blog.  When I turned around, J was gone.  I thought maybe she started walking back towards the car.  Fortunately for me, she wears a bright colored coat.  I happened to catch a glimpse of that coat out of the corner of my eye in line at the Starbucks that sits right next door. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Coffee, Downtown, East Lansing, Reviews

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