Krispy Kreme – Midlothian, IL

28 11 2008
  • 14747 Cicero Ave.
  • Midlothian, IL 60445
  • (708) 535-7649
  • Website
  • Menu
Krispy Kreme on Cicero Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian

Krispy Kreme on Cicero Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian

I never got on board with the Krispy Kreme fad.  My mom loved them.  Whenever we would take trips to Chicago, we would make a little detour to this exact store on Cicero Avenue not far from Interstate 294 or Interstate 57.  I always thought they were good, but I didn’t go crazy.  My mom would buy several dozen boxes and take them home.  If her co-workers were lucky, she might even share.  Oh sure, I would eat them, but I wouldn’t go nuts over them like so many others.

On Thanksgiving Day, J and I were leaving her parents in Chicago to head to my parents south of the city.  We were driving down Cicero like we always do and we started talking about lunch.  It was 9:30 or so when we left and neither of us had breakfast.  J assumed we were eating around noon.  When I said it was going to be later in the afternoon, she suggested hitting a drive thru. It just so happened we were in sight of the Krispy Kreme sign.  She suggested getting some doughnuts and I didn’t argue.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : breakfast, Chains, Illinois, Midlothian, Reviews

The Pit Rib House – Hickory Hills, IL

25 11 2008
  • 9430 S. Roberts Rd.
  • Hickory Hills, IL 60457
  • (708) 599-7576
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pit Rib House on Roberts in Hickory Hills, IL

The Pit Rib House on Roberts in Hickory Hills, IL

How fitting is it that there’s a BBQ place in a town called Hickory Hills?  J and I were discussing dinner when her step dad starting throwing out restaurant names that they like in the area.  After ten minutes or so, he suggested The Pit Rib House and after a quick scan of the menu, I was sold.

The Pit is located on near the corner of Roberts Road and 95th St.  The outside of the building is lit up with neon which is supposed to resemble a 1960’s road house on Route 66.  There are parking lots on either side of the building and even on a Tuesday night, they were pretty full.  We found a spot to park (not near a light pole) and headed inside.  When you walk in, you’re again met with the feel of a stop along The Mother Road.  There are antique vending machines (for display only) and the walls are covered with pictures, newspaper articles, and old signs.  The first stop inside is the waiting room for carry out.  Just past that, a waitress met us and showed us to a table inside the dining room.  The theme continued with exposed wood walls and ceilings although the walls were covered with artifacts and pictures.  We were seated next to a table overlooking a patio area that was filled with fire wood for the upcoming winter. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Hickory Hills, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Country House Restaurant – Alsip, IL

25 11 2008
  • 5400 W. 127th St.
  • Alsip, IL 60803
  • (708) 389-4618
  • Website
  • Menu
The Country House Restaurant in Alsip, IL

The Country House Restaurant in Alsip, IL

Can you believe that my first meal back in Chicago wasn’t an Italian Beef?  J and I went to see her grandma and on the way back to her parents, we decided to stop for lunch.  There’s a Portillo’s close, but I suggested we stop at the family restaurant that looked packed.  If there’s a lot of cars in the parking lot on a Tuesday afternoon, it must be good.

Country House Restaurant is located in Alsip near the intersection of 127th Street and CalSag Road.  There are entrance from both roads with most of the parking being behind the building on the CalSag Road side.  We found a parking spot near a light pole (more on that later 😦 ) and headed inside. 

Once inside, it looked like a seat yourself deal.  I didn’t see a hostess and there were no signs that said wait to be seated, so I found a booth along the wall and sat down.  I noticed while we were sitting there that there actually was a hostess seating people, but a waitress noticed us and brought menus over without making a big deal about us sitting down.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Alsip, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

Fabiano’s Homemade Candy & Ice Cream

22 11 2008
  • 119 S. Putnam St.
  • Williamston, MI 48895
  • (517) 655-3782
  • Website (dead link)
Fabianos Homemade Candy & Ice Cream in downtown Williamston

Fabiano's Homemade Candy & Ice Cream in downtown Williamston

After a day of shopping, we needed something sweet.  A stop at Meridian Mall was next on our schedule and the GPS always takes us through Williamston to Grand River when we go from the Tanger Outlets back to Okemos.  Somehow, I found Fabiano’s and homemade candy always sounds good.

We found Fabiano’s in downtown Williamston.  When we pulled up, we kind of got a mixed signal on whether the shop was even open.  There were two signs in the window.  One said “open.”  The other said “closed.”  On top of that, there was a building for sale sign in the window.  We could see lights on inside, but no people.  J told me to go check, so I got out and pulled on the door.  It opened so I went in. 

The inside of the shop is very sparse which leads me to believe that “building for sale” is in the window for a reason.  There was just one girl working by herself.  There’s a big case filled with truffles and chocolates.  The clerk asked what I wanted, but J hadn’t made her way in the store yet, so I asked for a few more minutes.  She went back to cleaning up behind the counter.  J came in and we decided on some chocolates.  I was hoping for fudge, but there was none there.  They’re a candy shop, not a chocolate shop.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chocolate, Downtown, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Williamston

Bloated Goat Saloon

22 11 2008
  • 141 E. Grand River Ave.
  • Fowlerville, MI 48836
  • (517) 223-8413
  • No Known Website
  • No Online Menu
The sign hanging from the Bloated Goat Saloon in downtown Fowlerville

The sign hanging from the Bloated Goat Saloon in downtown Fowlerville

The Bloated Goat Saloon is my kind of bar.  Not only is the name awesome, but the inside is the typical small town, turn of the century saloon with above average food. 

J and I were heading out to Howell to do some Christmas shopping.  Might as well get it out of the way early.  I hate people and you can’t have a crowd without people and you can’t Christmas shop in December without crowds, so we went to the Tanger Outlets the week before Thanksgiving instead of the week after.   We’re always on the lookout for new places and when I was searching for restaurants in and around Howell, I came upon a place called the Bloated Goat Saloon.  There were a couple reviews that said the place was really neat and the food was good, so we decided to give it a try.

The Bloated Goat Saloon is in downtown Fowlerville.  It’s not hard to find.  There’s a huge sign hangining on the side of the building.  The inside is dark, long, and narrow.  There isn’t much width to the place.  There’s a really neat bar running along one wall in the front of the space and tables along the other.  The back of the room is filled with more tables and the usual pub games.  Back to the bar for a second, it’s a really interesting design.  There’s the bar, but there’s also a boxed in shelf a few feet above the bar.  The whole thing is supported with steel pipe, so it looks like there are a bunch of “windows” when you’re sitting there.  About half of the bar stools are attached to the bar itself and then there’s a couple of the more traditional free standing stools. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Burgers, Fowlerville, Local Flavor, Michigan, Pub, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Jersey Giant Subs – South Lansing

20 11 2008
  • 6441 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 272-2300
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Jersey Giant Subs on South Cedar in Lansing.

Jersey Giant Subs on South Cedar in Lansing.

The market is flooded with sub sandwich shops.  It seems like they all run together and I never know what’s a chain or what’s local.  We’ve passed over Jersey Giant Subs a number of times because we wer just tired of sub shops.  They’re all pretty much the same, right?

J wasn’t able to come home for dinner tonight and I had to go meet someone and pick up some gear for a job I have tomorrow in Grand Rapids.  Since I was out, I figured I’d just grab something for dinner instead of trying to scrounge something up for myself.  As I was driving back down Pennsylvania towards home, I thought of the non-descript sub shop we always pass up.

Jersey Giant Sub sits in a small strip mall on Cedar Street near the Meijer.  There are a lot of food options along this stretch of Cedar St.  The strip mall is mostly other take out places.  There are two Mexican places close by and a number of national chains.  Jersey Giant Sub kind of gets lost in the mix.

I had a hard time finding a parking spot.  There’s something in that strip mall that people love because every time we go there (there’s also a Bigby), the parking lot is packed.  I found a spot on the other side of the complex and walked back to the store.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Sandwiches

Munn Ice Arena

16 11 2008
  • 1 Chestnut Rd.
  • East Lansing, MI 48824
  • (517) 353-4698
  • Website
One of the endzones at Munn Ice Arena. The view from my camera position.

One of the endzones at Munn Ice Arena. The view from my camera position.

I like hockey.  I like going to hockey games.  I like watching hockey.  I don’t do enough of either, so when I got a phone call to shoot CCHA hockey at Munn Ice Arena, I was pretty psyched.  I was just in Munn for the first time a week ago when I shot football across the street at Spartan Stadium and I thought then Munn would probably be a pretty good place to watch hockey.  I was right.

Munn Ice Arena is located on the campus of Michigan State University between Spartan Stadium and the Jack Breslin Student Events Center.   It’s a really interesting looking building.  Most of the arena is actually built into the terrain.  All you can see from the street is the roof of the building.  When you walk in, you’re at the concourse level and have to walk down to get to your seats.

Munn is a pretty good sized stadium for a hockey only arena.  The stadium holds almost 6500 people and most of those seats were pretty full the night I was there.  There are also suites on either side elevated above the seating area.  Most of the seating is bench seating, but the closer you get to the ice, there are some individual seats.  The interesting design thing, to me anyway, was the location of the team benches.  I don’t know if it’s unique to Munn or if it’s a college hockey thing (I come from an area where college hockey isn’t big, so I’ve never been to a game before). Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : East Lansing, Entertainment Venues, Michigan, Reviews

Tony M’s Restaurant & Lounge

13 11 2008
  • 3420 S. Creyts Rd.
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 322-2069
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Tony Ms Restaurant & Lounge on Creyts Road in Lansing.

Tony M's Restaurant & Lounge on Creyts Road in Lansing.

We do a lot of shopping out in the Delta Township area and finding new places to eat is always hard.  We’ve found some good ones out there, but in our quest to eat at everyplace I keep sniffing out new ones.  I’m not exactly sure where I first heard of Tony M’s.  While J was at her monthly hair appointment, I was running errands.  After picking up a few things at Walmart, I turned on the GPS and started looking for restaurants in the area.  The usual suspects showed up, but Tony M’s also popped up so while I was waiting on J, I went and did a little scouting.  After finding out it was still there, I picked J up and we headed back for lunch.

Tony M’s is located on the corner of Creyts Road and Millet Highway just across the street from the Meijer Distribution Center.  We pulled up a little after 11:00 and found a good number of cars in the parking lot. I figured it was lunch time or something at the Meijer and since this is the only place around, it’s where everyone went.  There are two sections to Tony M’s.  In the back is the restaurant and lounge.  The front of the building is a party store and deli.  The entrances are clearly marked and we made our way to the restaurant for lunch. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Italian, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Walmart – Lansing Township

10 11 2008
  • 3225 Towne Centre Blvd.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 487-9150
  • Website
The Walmart store...which is NOT a Supercenter...in Lansing Township

The Walmart store...which is NOT a Supercenter...in Lansing Township

It’s been years since I’ve been to a Walmart that wasn’t a Supercenter….and you know what, I almost liked it better.  We were coming home from Flint after making a run to Sonic (review HERE).  I needed to pick up some things and J was out of some things to.  Instead of going all the way around town to Delta Township, I suggested we stop at the Walmart next to the Eastwood Towne Centre. 

The Walmart in Lansing Township, like I already mentioned, is not a Supercenter…yet.  The outside is a little fancier than more Walmarts to keep up with the higher end theme that Eastwood carries.  When we walked in, I noticed a few things right away that were much different than the norm. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

Sonic – Flint

9 11 2008
  • 3140 Miller Road
  • Flint, MI 48507
  • (810) 232-2900
  • Website
  • Menu
The New Sonic Drive In on Miller Rd. in Flint

The New Sonic Drive In on Miller Rd. in Flint

I don’t get it.  I still don’t get it.  We needed to run to the mall to pick up some things today so why not run to Flint?   Hell, gas is only $2.05.  Ever since we heard there was a Sonic opening in Flint, J has been wanting to go, so we went.  We hadn’t explored Flint yet and since it was one of the last major cities in Michigan we hadn’t checked, why not?

After grabbing lunch and doing some shopping, we made our way to Sonic.  It’s located on Miller Road right off Interstate 75.  When we pulled in, there was actually a line.  They had workers out in the parking lot directing traffic.  The first person handed us a menu and asked if we wanted a stall or wanted to go to the drive thru.  We wanted to park and eat so she directed us to a roped off area where more cars were waiting.  Then, another worker told us it was time to move into a stall and directed us out of the holding area.  Finally, another person pointed us into an empty stall.  There were five or six cars in front of us but we only waited five minutes or so to get into a stall.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Flint, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

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