Cheli’s Chili Bar & Restaurant – Dearborn

27 04 2009
  • 21918 Michigan Avenue
  • Dearborn, MI 49124
  • (313) 274-9700
  • Website
  • Menu
Chelis Chili Bar & Restaurant in Dearborn.

Cheli's Chili Bar & Restaurant in Dearborn.

Since moving here, I’ve been wanting to eat at Cheli’s Chili in downtown Detroit.  I’ve always been a huge Chris Chelios fan and a #7 Blackhawks jersey still hangs in my closet.  When I started looking at restaurants in Detroit, Cheli’s Chili on the corner of Michigan and Oakwood came up.  I knew my parents would like a sports bar.

J had a great idea when it came to entertaining my parents.  Our original plan was to go gambling in Windsor, but my parents forgot their birth certificates so we couldn’t do that.  I offered Detroit, but neither were really interested.  They usually stop in New Buffalo when they come see me, but mom wants to say she gambled in Canada before the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes in to effect in June.  Since they forgot their documents, we needed a plan B. I had no ideas, but J suggested The Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.  First, we needed lunch.

We made it to Dearborn just before noon.  The building is on the corner, but the entrance is actually in the back.  There’s a parking lot there with a few spaces, a public lot right next to it and street parking all along Oakwood.  We parked the car and walked towards the door to find another couple standing there waiting.  The restaurant didn’t open until noon.  No big deal because it was 11:55.  We ended up walking across the street to Westborn Market (review HERE) to kill time. 

When we made it back, we walked in and saw a sign that the deck was open so we headed up there.  Like the downtown location, the Dearborn location has a party deck on the roof.  There’s an elevator right next to a staircase.  If it’s not a nice day or you don’t like sun, there’s also a huge dining room in the bar.  We didn’t really go in to far.  We found a display case with autographed memorabilia and Chelios jersey’s, but that’s as far as we made it. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Dearborn, Downtown, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sports Bar

Westborn Market – Dearborn

27 04 2009
  • 21755 Michigan Avenue
  • Dearborn, MI 48124
  • (313) 274-6100
  • Website
Westborn Market in downtown Dearborn.

Westborn Market in downtown Dearborn.

 We had no intention of shopping in downtown Dearborn on Sunday.  My parents were in town and we were looking for something to do.  My dad is a car fan and J thought a trip to The Henry Ford Musuem could be interesting.  After a quick Google search, I remembered there was a Cheli’s Chili in Dearborn and even though Chelios is a Red Wing now, he’s a Chicago boy first, so I’ve been wanting to go to his restaurant.  We got there about five minutes before the restaurant opened.  My mom noticed a flower shop across the street which led us to see a Fruit Market across the street from that.  So, to kill a little time, we headed across Michigan Avenue. 

Westborn Market is a small group of stores in the Detroit area.  Besides the one in Dearborn, there are stores in Berkely and Livonia.  The Dearborn store is on Michigan Avenue at Oakwood  Boulevard.  From the street, it looks like any neighborhood grocery store, but that impression quickly changes you walk inside. 

The first area of the store is an open air fruit market.  It’s covered by a permanent structure, but there are no window or doors….at least when it’s nice like it was the day we stopped.  They have a huge variety of fresh produce.  When we walked in, J called it a cross between Whole Foods and Horrocks.  They had the variety and nice displays of a Whole Foods, but they didn’t have the Whole Foods prices.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Dearborn, Downtown, Grocery, Michigan, Reviews

Logan’s Roadhouse – Lansing

27 04 2009
  • 5800 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 327-4751
  • Website
  • Menu

Logans Roadhouse in Delta Township

I never know what to do when my parents come to town.  They’re not very adventurous eaters so I always hesitate bringing them to someplace I’ve never eaten at.  Chains are always safe because the menus are usually big enough to have something they will eat. 

Saturday, my parents decided to come to town for the weekend.  They hadn’t been here since last fall due to the weather and since my mom had the weekend off, they made the trip north.  They timed it so they got here about a half hour before I got home from the spring football game.  J entertained them while I finished up.  After a quick shower, we headed out to find dinner.  I don’t think my parents had eaten yet and my mom was hungry.  We wanted to make a stop at Babies-R-Us anyway and since we’ve eaten at a Logan’s Roadhouse before (in East Peoria, IL), I thought it was a safe bet. 

Logan’s Roadhouse is in Delta Township near the Lansing Mall on Saginaw Highway.  The parking lot looked pretty full when we pulled up, but we noticed the same for most of the restaurants along this strip, so it’s not like we’d be better off going somewhere else.  Fortunately, the dining room is big. Actually, it’s pretty large.  We were met by a hostess who took us to a non-smoking table in the middle of the dining room near the kitchen. 

Logan’s really pulls off the Roadhouse theme.  The dining room has a tall ceiling and the rooms are spacious.  The floors are distressed woods that creak a little when you walk.  Those floor boards are covered with peanut shells.  Yup, Logan’s puts buckets of peanuts on the table and the shells end up on the floor.  I love that.  It reminds me of the place my mom works at in Illinois.  My mom did mention that the peanuts actually tasted fresh.  At her restaurant, they go through a lot, but they buy them in big 50 gallon drums, so it takes a while to go through them.  By the time you get to the bottom, the peanuts have a little bit of a staler taste.  Not these. Read the rest of this entry »


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

Rally’s Hamburgers – Oakland Ave.

24 04 2009
  • 505 E. Oakland Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 482-6464
  • Website
  • Menu
Rallys Hamburgers on Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

Rally's Hamburgers on Oakland Avenue in Lansing.

If you follow this blog, you know my feelings on fast food and drive-thru’s.  I’m not a big fan.  So, it surprised even me when I decided to stop at Rally’s Hamburgers for a pre-Lugnuts game meal.

Rally’s Hamburgers is a drive-thru fast food chain with two locations in Lansing.  I chose the Oakland Avenue location since it was close to downtown.  It took me FOREVER to get there.  I really feel sorry for the businesses at the Oakland Avenue/Cedar Street intersection.  With the construction from the CSO project, there is really no easy way to get there if you miss the turn at Oakland Street like I did.  It was a long way around, but I finally did make it back.

There is a walk up window, but I decided just to do the drive thru.  There was a guy standing there who was leaning halfway through the window and talking to one of the workers.  I’m guessing he knew the lady working since he didn’t move the whole time I was there.  I turned in and headed right for the first drive up window.   Rally’s is a unique concept because there are actually two windows.  There is one on either side of the building.  Stupid me.  I just chose the one closest to where I was.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Chains, Fast Food, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Andy’s Mexican & Ameican Deli

20 04 2009
  • 2102 N. Aurelius Road
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 268-0051
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
Andys Mexican & American Deli on North Aurelius Road in Holt

Andy's Mexican & American Deli on North Aurelius Road in Holt

Finally!  I think I’m probably the last person in the South Lansing/Holt area to grab lunch at Andy’s Mexican & American Deli in Holt.  We’ve tried a couple times and even got up early yesterday to try and get lunch before I had to be to work at 2:00.  When I called to make sure they were open, I got an answering machine saying Andy changed his hours and was closed on Sunday. 

Last night, J and I decided it was time to clean out our closet.  We ended up filling six garbage bags with clothes we haven’t worn since we moved here.  Since we were going out in the rain to drop them off at Goodwill, we thought we’d double back to Holt and stop in to Andy’s for lunch.

Andy’s Mexican & American Deli is on North Aurelius Road in Holt.  It’s actually located inside Brower’s Foods & Hardware.  It takes up the space that used to be Big T’s Extreme Deli.  When we walked into the store, Andy was at the cash register chatting with the lady from the hardware store.  Still, he greeted us like he knew we were there for food.  We made our way back to his part of the store and started looking over the menu posted on the counter.  We were told that the taco lunch was the special for today.  I was going to get taco’s anyway, but I didn’t want the rice and beans that come with it.  I never end up eating them and there was an option for tacos a la carte, so that’s what I did. I ordered three, but he must have mistook what I said and only made two.  He only charged for two, so no big deal.  Sometimes, I think it’s me.  My orders get screwed up every so often and I’m pretty sure it’s because I’m not clear.  Even J says she has a hard time understanding me from time to time. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Deli, Holt, Local Flavor, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Pizza Hut/WingStreet – Lansing

19 04 2009
  • 6200 S. Cedar Street
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 393-1565
  • Website
  • Menu
The Pizza Hut/WingStreet in South Lansing.

The Pizza Hut/WingStreet in South Lansing.

When I was growing up just south of Chicago, there was always a fight in my house about where to go for pizza.  I always wanted to go to Pizza Hut because I loved their bread sticks.  My dad and brother always wanted to go to Monical’s (a regional chain which I’ve blogged about before).  I usually lost. 

To this day, I still really like Pizza Hut’s breadsticks.  The pizza is alright, but nothing I really crave.  J and I have been saying for a year we needed to check out the Pizza Hut Italian Bistro on Cedar Street.  The commercials always made the pasta look really good.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed the “Italian Bistro” signs coming down and “WingStreet” signs going up.  I do like me some wings, so we finally got around to trying something other than pizza at Pizza Hut.

The Lansing Pizza Hut is on the south side of town on South Cedar across the street from Meijer.  It sits in the corner of a strip mall that also has an Applebees and Finlay’s.  We decided to hit up Pizza Hut for a Sunday night dinner.  It was about 5:30 when we pulled in to the parking lot.  That’s important to remember.

When you enter the store, you come in t the carry out counter.  There were a few people in front of us picking up pizza and we didn’t want to get lost in the shuffle, so J went right up to the hostess stand and waited.  Fortunately, we were noticed right away and taken to a booth.  Later in the night, we may have had to wait several minutes until someone noticed us. 

The dining room was much nicer than any Pizza Hut either of us remembered.  J can only faintly eating at one a long time ago, but what she remembers is that everything was red except for the lights which were green.  This dining room had a more intimate setting like….wait for it….an Italian bistro.  All kidding aside, the dining room was actually pretty nice and not what I think of when I think of Pizza Hut. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Lansing, Michigan, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Carrabba’s Italian Grill – Lansing

13 04 2009
  • 6540 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 323-8055
  • Website
  • Menu
Carrabbas Italian Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Carrabba's Italian Grill on Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

It had been a long weekend.  I had worked four days in a row (unusual for my line of work) and J had made a quick trip home to see a friend of hers who just had a baby.  We timed it out where she got home about an hour after I did on Sunday.  That gave me enough time to shower and have a little snack.  By 5:00, we were both pretty hungry.  She did brunch with her parents in Chicago, but that was at 10:00 AM.  We wanted to go out for dinner, but since it was Easter Sunday, we weren’t really sure what would be open.  I knew the chain restaurants would be serving, so we headed out to Delta Township.

We had our choice as far as chains go on that side of town.  I narrowed it down to Outback Steakhouse, Cheddar’s, and Carrabba’s.  J said she didn’t have a preference and since Carrabba’s is the one out of those three that I had never eaten at, it’s what we chose.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill is on Saginaw Highway in front of the Kohl’s in Delta Township.  Usually when we’re in this part of town, Carrabba’s isn’t open. They’re not the typical chain and they’re not open for lunch during the week.  They open their doors at 4:00 Monday thru Friday.  On Saturday and Sunday, they do open at noon, but they serve the same dinner menu.

We were met at the door by a waitress who welcomed us to the store as she stood holding the door for us.  We were then met by a hostess who showed us to a table near the kitchen.  The restaurant was surprisingly packed for a holiday.  The table we were seated at had a good view of the kitchen which was open and on display.  In fact, there was even a bar where you could enjoy your meal while watching the cooks prepare the evening’s meals.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Italian, Lansing, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

El Oasis Antojitos Mexicanos – Michigan Avenue

13 04 2009
  • 2501 E. Michigan Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • No Known Phone Number
  • No Known Website
  • Menu (sorta)
El Oasis Mexican stand on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

El Oasis Mexican stand on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

After a long day at work and only a few hours of sleep, I was on the hunt for something to eat quickly so I could get to bed as soon as possible.  The first thing that popped in my head was Mexican.  I’ve been wanting to try a new place in Holt located in Brower’s Hardware.  When I got there, there was a sign on the cash register that the owner had to make an emergency run to the hospital for a family member and they were not open.  I then drove back out to Jolly Road to try Julie Joe’s for a second time.  Note on the door that they were closed for Easter (this was Saturday, not Easter Sunday).  The last place I could think of where I could get Mexican food quickly was El Oasis on Michigan Avenue.  The thing that really sucks is that if I had just picked that first, I wouldn’t have had to drive all the way back out there.

El Oasis is a cart that set up shop in a parking lot on the corner of East Michigan and North Francis Avenues.  They have another location inside Tony’s Party Store on Cedar Street (review HERE)which we tried last summer and had some problems with.  They got our order totally wrong and J ended up with ground beef, which she doesn’t eat, on her tacquitos and I ended up with her chicken on my tacos.  We had to trade dishes and I’m not a fan of avocado, sour cream, or raw tomatoes, so, needless to say, we weren’t very impressed. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Lansing, Local Flavor, Mexican, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Quickie Burger & Dogs

11 04 2009
  • 800 S. State Street
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 222-4555
  • No Known Website
  • Menu

I’m going to be honest.  I had absolutely no intention of having a burger for lunch.  Hell, I was on my way to get “organic pizza,” but I got sidetracked by a sign in the window.  A sign that read “Voted Best Burger in AA 2009.”  They might as well have a 13 year old kid on the corner daring me to stop.  How could I pass up a chance to have Ann Arbor’s best burger.

Quickie Burger & Dogs is a really small corner shop on State and Hill near the University of Michigan campus.  I had passed the store a few times in the past, but I never gave it a second look until I saw the sign. 

The intersection at State and Hill is really busy on a Friday afternoon.  There is on street parking all around the area and I ended up going around the block to find a meter.  After popping in a few quarters, I walked back to my destination. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Burgers, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

Hooters of Lansing

8 04 2009
  • 172 E. Edgewood Blvd.
  • Lansing, MI 48911
  • (517) 393-7997
  • Website
  • Menu
Hooters of Lansing on E. Edgewood Blvd.

Hooters of Lansing on E. Edgewood Blvd.

I’m going to be honest.  I’ve never been a fan of Hooters.  Even as a horny teenager, I thought their gimmick was ridiculous.  The only Hooters close to where I grew was over an hour away and every time my friends and I were close to it, we’d have to stop.  They would all cover by saying, “but the food is so good.”  I disagreed.  I always thought it was overpriced for what it was.  It was fine, but it seemed like you were paying for something other than the food.  The only redeeming quality to Hooters for me was the hot wings.  At the time, Hooters was about the only place serving up chicken like that.  This was long before Buffalo Wild Wings and long before chicken wings became staples on sports bar menus. 

So, even though there’s a Hooters just around the corner from where we live now, it’s one place we haven’t really been itching to get to.  That is, until I saw a commercial for 10 boneless wings and fries for $5.99 on Wednesday’s.  I figured if nothing else, it was a cheap meal and it would give us an excuse to check out the Lansing store.

Hooters of Lansing is on Edgewood Boulevard in South Lansing.  It’s got the same design as every other store and the same decor and layout as every other Hooters.  They use wood paneling and bright orange colors to accent their waitress uniforms.  J called it an outdoorsy field.  It is a very vibrant atmosphere and one of the original sports bars.  The unique thing that I’ve always liked about Hooters is how they send orders to the kitchen.  Sure, they may use POS systems now, but they still put a piece of paper on a clip and send it along a zip wire to the kitchen.  When something is ready, the kitchen sends it back. Read the rest of this entry »


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

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