Well, this is it.  The end to Mid-Michigan Dining.  My last day of scheduled work in East Lansing has come and gone.  I have no idea when or if I will be back in the area, so I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to update here. 

It’s been a fun couple of years.  A lot happened to J and I while we lived in Lansing.  Of course, there’s the big one.  We got engaged and married while living in Mid-Michigan.  J told me the other night that while we’re long gone from our apartment (that we don’t miss at all), we still have the kitchen table where you she found a diamond ring hidden behind a card when she got home from the gym.  I was told we can never get rid of that table. 

There’s a lot I’m gonna miss about Lansing and, of course, a lot I’m not. 

As far as what I’m going to miss, just the location in the state.  I loved that we were pretty centralized to most of the big metro areas.  We were closer to Detroit and Ann Arbor than we are now.  I was much closer to work opportunities at Michigan State.  I spent a good portion of this basketball season at the Breslin Center and I loved every minute of it. 

One of the restaurants we’re really going to miss is Andy’s Deli in Holt.  Not only was there great food, but Andy was a good guy.  I never identified myself to many people, but Andy was one of the few who did know who J and I really are.  The only other people that I’m aware of that know my true identity is Runs With Spatula and her boyfriend.  One of these days, we will hook up with them for drinks or dinner.  Everytime it’s been brought up in the past, J and I have been busy.  We always felt horrible because we never really made any real friends in Lansing.  J’s job wasn’t conducive to socializing outside of work and since I didn’t work with the same people everyday, I didn’t really meet anyone either. 

The one semi-regular job I did have was working for the Lansing Lugnuts last summer.  It didn’t pay worth a crap, but it sure was fun.  I’m glad J and I do alright for ourselves and I was able to do something that I enjoyed doing even if I did only make barely enough to pay the rent.  Before the season started, I considered getting season tickets.  This way, I got to go to every game and actually make a little cash.  Can’t complain about that. 

I enjoyed living in a state capital.  When I worked in the media, one of my favorite things was covering politics.  I looked for whatever reason I could to get sent to Springfield.  Since I didn’t work in the press in Lansing, I didn’t have that same opportunity here, but I loved driving down Michigan Avenue and see the Capitol building in front of me. 

One of the things we both really miss is being close to a couple great outlet malls.  For a while, we made bi-monthly trips to Howell and just discovered the UnderArmour and North Face outlets in Birch Run right before we left.  We’ll probably make a trip there next summer anyway, but now it’s a 2 1/2 drive instead of an hour. 

We discovered Cottage Inn which, even though it’s technically a chain, became our go-to pizza.  We still order from Cottage Inn here in Kalamazoo. 

MIS.  I got J into NASCAR when we started dating and through her work, we were able to get hot passes for NASCAR weekend at MIS.  How close were we, J almost got ran over by Juan Pablo Montoya.  Seriously.  She jumped out of the way at the last minute.  he didn’t slow down at all trying to get back to his garage during Happy Hour. 

As for the bad.  Well, the job situation, obviously.  When I quit my job in Peoria to move with J, I never imagined I would still not be employed full time two years later.  I was told by more than one person that I was over qualified for the few jobs that I am qualified for.  No one wants to hire someone with six years experience when they can hire a kid from MSU for five dollars an hour cheaper.  I was seriously offered a part time job for four dollars an hour less than I was making in Peoria…doing the exact same job.  I was fortunate enough that I had a back-up freelancing.  It’s worked out pretty well, but, like everyone else, I’d like to do better. 

One of the big things I will not miss is the traffic lights in Lansing.  I hated driving around town.  It’s like all the traffic lights are temporary hanging over the middle of the intersection.  When you pull up to the line, you can’t even see the damn things.  You had to stop five feet short and hope it wasn’t sunny.  I was so happy to see Kalamazoo has permanent fixtures.

The Cedar Street exit.  I hated that thing as well.  I lived right off Cedar so I took that ramp all the time.  Someone was seriously drunk when they put that design on paper.  It got worse in the spring when the entire roadway was a series of giant potholes. 

I could go on and rail against our apartment complex who charged us the equivalent of four months rent to break our lease.  Who never fixed lights in the parking lot.  Who blamed us for our cars getting broken into….twice in four months…and when they broke into J’s, they didn’t take anything.  They just smashed the window for fun.  And who we’re pretty sure screwed us over big time on the water bill.  We were getting bills for $40-$50/month for water in Lansing.  Our most recent bill here in Kalamazoo, $5 for an apartment the same size. 

So, that’s pretty much the good and the bad.  It was a helluvan experience for the two of us.  When we left Peoria, we had just started dating.  It had only been seven months or so which surprised so many people.  By the time we left, we were married….only by a few weeks, but still married. 

For the wedding, J bought me cuff links.  One had a map of Peoria on it.  The other a map of Lansing.  Where we met and where we got engaged.  We always knew Peoria would be special to us.  Now Lansing will be as well.  We’ll always have the stories about how we moved together for the first time.  Braved a snowstorm in Indiana that dumped 19″ of snow in a couple hours to get home for a long weekend.  Our trips to Traverse City and Mackinaw Island.  Taking my parents to Canada to gamble.  Tigers games.  Spartans games.  And of course, that Friday morning in May when J’s mom thought she found a mouse because she was screaming incoherently in to the phone, but really, she was trying to say I had just proposed….in my own way

With that, I’m closing up shop.  The site is not going anywhere.  I still get just about as many hits now and I did when I was actively blogging and I’ve linked to this site from my new blog, SW Michigan Dining.  If you come here for the narrative, move over to SWMD.  And if you’re ever in our neck of the woods, you know where to go to find good eats.

101 E. Grand River Ave.

Well, it only took three months.  For three months, I’ve been trying to stop in to the place that used to be Johnny’s Lunch in downtown East Lansing.  Their open hours always seem to elude me.  They say they’re open at 11:00 AM during the week, but I’ve tried to stop on several occasions and found the doors locked. 

Anyway, Conrad’s College Town Grill is right on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Abbot Road.  When J and I first moved to Lansing, it was the 50’s-Style diner Johnny’s Lunch.  That closed up some time ago and we never did stop in to try it out, so I have no idea if much has changed since Conrad’s moved in.

I never could figure out from the street if it was a fast food place or a sit down restaurant.  It’s kind of a cross between the two.  There is a fast-food style order counter near the back of the space with a giant menu board hanging from the ceiling. 

I found burgers on the menu, so I put in an order for the BBQ Cheese Burger and added on an order of fries for a buck.  I didn’t go for a pop because they had Coke and if I’m going to drink a no calorie Coke, I’ll just stop at gas station and get a bottle of Coke Zero (which I did after I left).  The sandwich and fries only cost little over six bucks.  I opted to just eat it there. 

I wouldn’t call Conrad’s fast food because all the food is cooked to order.  There’s a cooktop right behind the order counter where a cook was already working on a delivery order when I got there.  When he got done with that, he started in on my order.  They offer free wi-fi (but who in downtown EL doesn’t), so I played on my iPod while I waited.  About five minutes later, the cook brought my food out in a paper boat and set it down in front of me. 

I chose to sit in a booth along one of the walls.  I was the only person in the shop at the time, so I had my choice.  There are a few tables, but the space is a little bit sparse.  There’s a lot of open space and the trash can is right in the middle.  There’s a lone HDTV hanging on the wall which was tuned to ESPN so I could watch Georgetown beat up on Duke. 

Everything in front of me was steaming hot.  I grabbed one of the fries right away because they looked so good.  They were skin on and fresh out of the flyer….and really hot.  I had to wait to dig into those as much as it pained me to do so. 

The burger was pretty good.  It wasn’t gourmet by any means, but it was a solid college town burger.  The bacon was a little limp, but it didnt’ bother me.  It’s the kind of burger I would want late at night after throwing down a few beers….and I’d be in luck because Conrad’s is open until 3:00 to serve just that crowd.

I’m happy I finally found Conrad’s open.  It’s the perfect place for a college town.  It’s fairly quick and pretty cheap.  Like I said, it would be a place I would be hitting up after the bars close.  The fries were delicious and the burger was solid.  Can’t ask for much more than that. 

 

1500 W. Lake Lansing Road

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a women’s The North Face jacket right now?  J’s been wanting a Triclimate jacket, but she’s already got the color picked out.  There aren’t a lot of places in Kalamazoo that sell them and the ones that do, don’t have it.  Since I was in Lansing for a couple days, I decided to check out the Lansing stores that had them which led me to Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Eastwood Towne Center. 

They didn’t have it either.  They had it, but not in the right size, so I left empty-handed. 

I still had a little time before I had to be at work so I sort of took the long way back to downtown East Lansing by going through town.  I was looking for someplace to eat and right after I crossed over US 127, I found a sandwich shop that I didn’t even know existed.

Key West Cafe is in a little shopping center at the corner of Lake Lansing and Coolidge Roads.  The sign for the business had the words “wraps” and “sandwiches” so I figured I’d be able to find something to eat. 

The layout is a little confusing.  When you walk in, you notice the huge menu board right in front of you.  Problem is, that menu board is above the kitchen….not the cash register.  As I stood looking at the kitchen, a lady behind the cash register was asking to take my order.  I didn’t know it, but they did have paper menus I could have looked at. 

Once I decided on a sandwich, I walked over to put in my order.  I got the Chicken Parmesan Grinder.  I went with the half sandwich, chips, and a drink which cost a little over five bucks.  I grabbed a bag of Lays while the cashier was filling my Sprite.  After that, I took a table at one of Key West’s half a dozen or so tables and listened to a job interview at the table next to me.  I felt sorry for the guy….I hate that process, but at least he had a job while he was looking for a new one.  Oh, why was I listening?  Not intentional.  The tables are just really tight in the small dining room. 

It took about five minutes for my sandwich to come up.  I took it to go.  I figured I could just get to work and eat before I went in. 

The sandwich was what I was expecting for a grinder.  There were chunks of grilled chicken breast, a five cheese blend, and pizza sauce.  The sandwich also comes with mushrooms, but I left those off.  It was a pretty decent sandwich.  It was good.  The bread was nice and crispy, but there wasn’t a whole lot of filling.  You can see from the picture below that there’s about 5x more bread

The sandwich was alright and it was cheap, so I’m not complaining.  It’s what I was looking for.

  

1391 E. Grand River Avenue

Mmmmm.  Wings.  Man, I love wings.  For some reason, I had a taste after work and I went looking for some.  My original plan was to stop at Little Caesar’s now that they have Hot ‘n Ready wings, but I missed the entrance.  I pulled into a parking lot a little farther up and noticed the lights for Wings Over East Lansing were finally on.  It’s one of the places I have been trying to stop, but it’s never open.

Wings Over got its start at the University of Massachusetts in the late 90’s.  The franchise is pretty small with only 23 stores nationwide. 

Wings Over East Lansing is in a shopping center on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road a mile or so from campus.  It’s a small storefront, but they do have tables and a lunch counter.  Most of their business is carry-out or delivery though. 

Wings Over does encourage you to call in orders because they are all made to order.  Since I didn’t plan on stopping, I didn’t call in.  There was actually another guy in the store that was waiting, so I’m not the only one that walks in to order.

Wings were all I wanted, so I picked out the “Puddle Jumper” which is ten wings.  They have a number of flavors and sauces.  I picked West Texas Mesquite which is described on the menu as “Think of BBQ Potato Chips.”  The cost was a little over seven bucks.  I took a seat to wait and played with my iPod, but they didn’t have WiFi, so I was stuck just playing games.  Still, it only took about ten minutes for the bag to come up with my wings.

I took the food back to my hotel.  The smell coming from the bag filled my truck with what actually did smell like BBQ potato chips.  I was kind of amazed that they actually had that smell.

When I did finally get in my room, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found.  The wings were huge and very meaty.  As much as I say I like Buffalo Wild Wings, their wings are on the small side.  These were twice the size of B-Dub’s wings and, what do you know, they tasted like BBQ potato chips.  I’ve had a lot of wings and these were not like any wings I’ve ever had.  The seasoning was more of a spice rub than a sauce, so they weren’t super messy. 

I am so glad I screwed up and passed Little Caesar’s.  The wings at Wings Over East Lansing are great.  It’s the perfect late-night college town snack.

233 E. Grand River Avenue

The thing about college towns…..you never know when restaurants are open.  I’ve tried my last three trips to eat at one of three places.  Everytime I go, the buildings are locked up and dark leaving me to scramble to find something else. 

On my most recent trip to East Lansing, I just wasn’t in the mood to keep looking.  There was a perfectly good sandwich shop down the street and that’s what I was going to have for lunch.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop is a Chicago based chain that has been around since the late 1970’s…well, the original shop on North Lincoln Avenue has been anyway.   They’ve been in the expansion game for a little over a decade. 

I’ve eaten at other Potbelly stores before, but never the East Lansing location which is in the heart of downtown on the corner of Grand River Avenue and Mac.  The restaurant occupies the bottom floor of the corner building. 

The decor of all Potbelly Sandwich Shop’s is an homage to the original store which took over retail space formerly occupied by an antique store.  Many of the decorations were leftover from that store.  I always get the feeling that I’m in an old carriage house or something.  The floors are antique-looking wood and there’s a wood loft that runs along the outside walls that is home to antique signs and knick knacks. 

The order counter is a little wierd.  You have to go all the way back in the corner to place your order.  There’s a pop cooler on the wall and above that is the menu.  Like I already mentioned, Potbelly is a sandwich shop that serves toasted submarine sandwiches.  I ordered the Bigs Roast Beef.  You can get the sandwich either regular or “Bigs” which is 30% more.  You also get the choice of white or wheat bread.  I chose the wheat. 

The sandwich is piled up and toasted on a conveyor oven which makes the bread nice and crispy.  When it comes out, there are a few choices of toppings.  Not as many as some of their competitors, but they have one thing that really makes them stand out.

Besides the roast beef and provolone cheese that comes on the sandwich, the only thing I added were hot peppers.  If you know anything about me, you know my favorite food outside of burgers is a Chicago-Style Italian beef with hot giardiniera.  Potbelly was selling bottles of their hot peppers and while my sandwich was toasting, I picked one up and my mouth started salivating.  It was a true, Chicago-style hot giardiniera with carrots, cauliflower, peppers and all the goodness I crave when I go home.

My sandwich was wrapped up and tucked into a little paper bag.  I waited until I got back to my job site to eat.  I was actually really happy with the sandwich.  It almost tasted like an Italian beef.  The giardiniera was spot on and provided most of the flavor.  The other thing I really liked about the sandwich was the bread.  It was so nice and crispy.  There was a crunch in every bite which is something I really like.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop turned out to be a quick, cheap, delicious lunch.  It wasn’t what I was going for when I left and I pretty much avoided the place when I actually lived in Lansing because I had eaten at a Potbelly in the past, but I’m glad I stopped in when I did. 

401B N. Clippert Street

I’ve blogged a few times in the past about how much I love grinder’s.  I’ve also gone over the whole spiel about my Mancino’s memories.  For those of you joining me at SWM-Dining, here’s the short story. 

Growing up, a new pizza joint moved in to Bourbonnais, Illinois near where I grew up.  My family, not being very adventurous, almost always ate at  fast food and chains…actually, this is something they still do.  Anyway, a shop called Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders opened up.  We ate there often.  All four of us were fans of these new toasted sandwiches.  When I moved to Peoria, there was a store called Bellacino’s…..that served the same menu.  Again, I ate there a few times and loved every minute of it.  When we moved to Lansing, we found more stores with the Mancino’s name on them.

Now, I’m going to be honest.  I’ve never been able to figure out if all them are connected or, if they are, how.  They all have the same name, the same food, and the same menu, but I cannot find one stinking website that lists all three cities.  Hell, all three stores have a different name.

Now, enter a fourth store under the Mancino’s name. 

I was back in East Lansing for work again and I headed out for lunch.  The students still aren’t back, so the place I’ve been trying to hit up for lunch still wasn’t open.  I started driving down Grand River with no particular destination in mind.  When I got near Frandor, I remembered there was a Samuel Mancino’s nearby.

Samuel Mancino’s Italian Eatery is on Clippert Street in a strip mall that faces Sellers Avenue.  Now, again, I have no idea if this Mancino’s is related to the other two in town.  Heck, the menus all just say “Mancino’s Pizza & Subs” while the sign out front is the Samuel Mancino’s that seems to be more of an organized franchise. 

The shop is small with a few dine-in tables and an order counter.  Since I was eating lunch at about 2:30, I was the only person in the store.  I made my way to the counter to find the familiar menu with my favorite type of sandwich.  I ordered the 8″ pizza grinder.  I don’t know why, but this has always been my favorite Mancino’s sandwich. 

The bread is really what makes the sandwich in my opinion.  I’ve never really put much thought in to what kind of bread it actually is, but it’s yummy.  The sandwich is filled with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni then baked open face in a conveyor oven. 

The woman working didn’t ask me if I wanted my sandwich to go or if I planned on dining in.  I figured I’d just let her decide.  If she brought it to me wrapped up, I would take it to go.  If not, I would eat there.  Simple plan, huh?

The sandwich was brought to me wrapped in foil and a paper bag, so I grabbed it to go.   The cost was a little over five bucks and that included only the sandwich.  No drinks.  No chips or side.  I’ve always thought the sandwiches were sort of expensive, but worth it in my opinion.

When I got back to the job site, I ripped open the paper and got to my sandwich.  My first impression was that it was a little dark.  That was confirmed when I bit into  it.  The edges were a little burnt.  It wasn’t too bad and once I got into the sandwich, I stopped noticing it. 

The sandwich was very substantial.  It really seemed pretty flat.  Still, it was really good and what I craved after I realized I was getting close to a Mancino’s

3000 Dunkel Road

So, I must be on a quest to eat at every Taco Bell in Lansing or something.  I got out of work around 9:00 and headed to my hotel.  When I stay in Lansing, I almost always stay at the Red Roof Inn on Dunkel Road.  The closest restaurant is either Taco Bell or Subway.  Both are right down the street as part of the Sunoco gas station just off I-494.  I wanted something warm, so I chose Taco Bell.

Even though it was only 9:00, the counter was already closed.  If I wanted tacos, I would have to go through the drive thru.  In order to do that, you have to go all the way around the building.  I’ve documented many times why I hate drive thrus and this expereience was no difference. 

I pulled up to the speaker and waited.  The girl working started talking before she clicked the button, so I only heard half of what she said.  I just wanted tacos, so I clearly belted out my order of five crunchy tacos.  What I heard back was, “Nachos supreme?”  No, five crunchy tacos.  The second time, she got it and told me to pull around. 

The total was just over five bucks.  I didn’t get a pop because I had actually planned to go back into the gas station and get a cheaper one from their fountain.  That never happened and I just bought one at the hotel.

When I got back to my room, I opened the bag and got really confused.  The taco shells were red like the ones used for the Volcano Taco.  It wouldn’t have bothered me if I had gotten five Volcano Tacos, but I didn’t.  Just red shells.  I’m guessing they just ran out of the regular shells and were improvising.  Not a big deal.  They taste the same.

Well, I polished off my tacos quickly and was still hungry.  It was a long day without a lot to eat.  I should have ordered a few more, but I didn’t and I didn’t feel like going back.  I have at least one more overnight trip to Lansing where I’ll stay at “my hotel.”  Probably go back then. 

3000 Dunkel Road

So, I must be on a quest to eat at every Taco Bell in Lansing or something.  I got out of work around 9:00 and headed to my hotel.  When I stay in Lansing, I almost always stay at the Red Roof Inn on Dunkel Road.  The closest restaurant is either Taco Bell or Subway.  Both are right down the street as part of the Sunoco gas station just off I-494.  I wanted something warm, so I chose Taco Bell.

Even though it was only 9:00, the counter was already closed.  If I wanted tacos, I would have to go through the drive thru.  In order to do that, you have to go all the way around the building.  I’ve documented many times why I hate drive thrus and this expereience was no difference. 

I pulled up to the speaker and waited.  The girl working started talking before she clicked the button, so I only heard half of what she said.  I just wanted tacos, so I clearly belted out my order of five crunchy tacos.  What I heard back was, “Nachos supreme?”  No, five crunchy tacos.  The second time, she got it and told me to pull around. 

The total was just over five bucks.  I didn’t get a pop because I had actually planned to go back into the gas station and get a cheaper one from their fountain.  That never happened and I just bought one at the hotel.

When I got back to my room, I opened the bag and got really confused.  The taco shells were red like the ones used for the Volcano Taco.  It wouldn’t have bothered me if I had gotten five Volcano Tacos, but I didn’t.  Just red shells.  I’m guessing they just ran out of the regular shells and were improvising.  Not a big deal.  They taste the same.

Well, I polished off my tacos quickly and was still hungry.  It was a long day without a lot to eat.  I should have ordered a few more, but I didn’t and I didn’t feel like going back.  I have at least one more overnight trip to Lansing where I’ll stay at “my hotel.”  Probably go back then. 

6260 S. Cedar Street

I had a real hard time finding lunch.  It seems like everywhere I wanted to go decided to close.  My first attempt was Conrad’s College Town Grill.  Since the kids are on break, they weren’t opening until 7 PM.  My next attempt was Ramon’s, but they too were closed.  I was frustrated at this point and just started driving.  Somehow, I ended up in South Lansing near where we used to live.  I was just going to hop back on the Interstate and go find fast food or something back near MSU.  As I was making my way down Cedar, I noticed a new restaurant behind the Pizza Hut.  Yay!  New restaurant.

Scalawags White Fish & Chips is a small Northern Michigan chain.  They have three stores now in the Lansing area.  The newest location is on Cedar Street in the strip mall at the corner of Edgewood Boulevard.  It has to be a fairly new joint.  It wasn’t there when we moved from Lansing three months ago and there was no indication that anything was moving in to the space.

All of the other Scalawags locations have a pretty nice looking storefront.  The South Lansing location is in kind of a rundown strip mall.  They really stand out with the blue banner that boasts their logo and name that wraps around their corner of the building.  The inside of the store is actually pretty nice.  I don’t remember what was in the location before, but everything inside is new for Scalawags.  The feeling I got was sort of like dining on an old wooden fishing boat.  It was a pretty typical quick service restaurant set up.  There were booths and tables in the front of the store.  The small order counter was in the back.

As you can imagine, most of the menu is fish.  I don’t like fish, but I know fish places usually serve chicken.  That’s what I decided to stop.  I ordered the 8 piece chicken fingers basket which comes with fries and hush puppies.  It doesn’t come with a drink and since they had Wi-Fi and I could check my e-mail, I decided to dine in, so I added on a Pepsi. 

The bill was a little high at a little over ten bucks.  They were having problems with their computer system and it took a long time for my credit card to go through.  The lady working was very apologetic and swiped the card a couple times to get it to work.  While I was waiting, she told me to go get my pop and take a seat.  She would bring the copy to sign once it went through.  By the time I got my pop, the computer figured itself out. 

I took a seat while my chicken was being cooked.  This is no fast food place with food waiting under warmers.  In fact, they don’t even pull already cooked chicken out of a freezer to reheat it.  There’s a window that you can see through from the cash register and I actually saw the cook breading the fresh chicken before he dropped it into the fryer.  I was really happy to see this.  It’s a simple process, but it adds so much flavor to the chicken.  You know you’re getting a unique product and not something from Gordon’s.

It only took a few minutes for the chicken to cook.   The lady who was serving as cashier/waitress brought the food out and admitted to dropping a piece of chicken on the way.  I probably wouldn’t even have noticed, but she said she already had the cook drop another one in the fryer and it would be out in a minute.  Sure enough, a couple minutes later, another paper boat with a piece of chicken and hush puppies were set down in front of me.

Like I had hoped, the chicken was really good.  It was cooked nice and crispy.  The pieces weren’t huge, but I was surprisingly full when I left.  The breading was done really well.  Someplaces have a problem keeping the breading attached to the chicken when they bread it fresh, but not Scalawags.  The fries were pretty typical restaurant fries, but they were done right.  The meal also came with cole slaw, but I’m not a slaw fan, so I didn’t even touch it.  I’m also not a huge hush puppy fan, but they were good albeit really small. 

Overall, Scalawags surprised me.  I had always avoided the place because I don’t eat fish and even places that serve chicken usually have the problem of the chicken tasting like fish due to frying in the same oil.  I didn’t have that problem at Scalawags.  If we still lived in our southside Lansing apartment, I would bet that we would be hitting this place up for chicken quite often.  Too bad we don’t. 

2515 E. Jolly Road

Well, I made it to Lansing.  It only took me about 45 minutes longer than it normally does.  I left quite a bit earlier than I needed to….just in case.  I got to Lansing about an hour before I needed to be there, so I went looking for lunch.

For quite some time, I’ve tried to stopping at Julie Joe’s on Jolly Road near the Dunkel Road intersection.  It seems like every time I try, it’s closed.  They close for three and a half hours between lunch and dinner during the week, they don’t open until five on Saturday, and they’re not open on Sunday.  It seems like every time I’ve pulled into the small strip mall, it’s been one of those times. 

This time, I made it in time for lunch, so I knew they would be open.  The previous business in this location was 2Fer’s.  I never made it there before it was closed, so I have no idea how much has changed.  Both on their website and on an insert in their carry-out menu, they make note of the fact that they used to be 2Fer’s.  I have no idea what that means or why, but since they make a point to mention, I thought I should to. 

The menu at Julie Joe’s is much larger than I expected.  As expected, they have tacos and pizza, but they also do deli sandwiches, salads, and soups.  The shop is not very big.  There are a couple tables, but I have a feeling not many people dine in.  There was a counter area that I assumed would be filled with pizza, but when I walked it up to it, there was no pizza.  They do have ads for pizza-by-the-slice at lunch time.  Not sure if they have it keeping warm somewhere else or how that works.  I wasn’t in to pizza, so I didn’t ask.

I decided to go with two tacos.  I knew it wouldn’t be enough to fully satisfy me, but I also knew I had a long lunch break coming up in just a few hours.  I didn’t want to spend a lot now and a lot then, so I went with something cheap that would hold me over just long enough. 

The two tacos cost a little ver $3.50.  I took a seat at one of the tables while I waited, but had no intention of actually eating there.  A few minutes later, my tacos were wrapped up and handed to me to take somewhere else to enjoy.

Julie Joe’s goes out of their way to make sure you know most of their food is homemade.  Vegetables are chopped in-house daily.  Ground beef is 90/10 and free of fillers.  Soups and salads are made fresh daily.  When I walked in, I wouldn’t have expected that, but after seeing the tacos, I’m a believer. 

They’re not huge tacos, but they are filled to the top with meat.  I just got lettuce and cheese on my tacos although they also offer onions and tomatoes.  You could really taste the freshness of the lettuce and the cheddar cheese had melted into the shell and meat.  They threw in a coupe packets of taco sauce.  I was a little disappointed these were prepackaged, but other than that, I was pretty impressed with the tacos. 

When it comes to price, Julie Joe’s is higher than the chains, so it’s not something I could justify eating all the time.  However, the price is justified with the quality of the food. 

I’m a little bummed it took me so long to find Julie Joe’s open.  It’s a quick, tasty lunch option that I only have a few more months to take advantage of. 

1167 E. Clinton Trail

Like everyone else, I seem to wait until it snows to get my truck ready for winter.  The timing was impeccable.  We’re under a blizzard warning and I had to drive to East Lansing for work.  I have four-wheel drive, so I wasn’t super worried, but like most people, I’m more worried about the way other people drive than I am about the roads or conditions. 

I made it to Battle Creek doing 45 MPH the whole way.  I got off to get a Pepsi, text J to let her know how far I had made it, and use the bathroom.  I didn’t need gas, but I pulled up to a pump to clean off my windows.  This exact same thing happened to me last December.  I had a long drive and I was out of windshield washer fluid.  I should have bought some at the gas station, but it never occurred to me, so I got back on the road.

By the time I made it to Olivet, the road was clear, but still a little wet.  By the time I got to Charlotte, the road was actually dry, but passing semi’s had done a number on my windshield.  It was getting to the point it was hard to see, so I had to pull off.  Lucky for me, I knew there was a Meijer at the next exit.

The Charlotte Meijer sits right off I-69 on East Clinton Trail.  There’s not much surrounding the store in the immediate area.  There’s an urgent care and a Meijer gas station, but that’s about it. 

The first thing I noticed about this store was the design.  I say all the time that Meijer’s always remind me of warehouses.  Usually, that’s because of the ridiculous size.  The Charlotte store actually looked like a warehouse.  I wouldn’t have guessed it was a grocery store if there weren’t large “Meijer” signs hanging from the facade.

The inside of the store was one of the nicer Meijer’s.  Immediately off to the right is the produce, bakery, etc.  I went to the left to try to find automotive.  I was again texting J to let her know I was making progress and she could stop worrying. Mid-text, I walked by some green bottles.  Luckily, I just caught sight of them out of the corner of my eye.  They had a mid-aisle display of the Meijer brand de-icer and windshield washer. 

I grabbed a bottle and headed towards self-checkout.  The big bottle was just a little bit over three bucks.  I probably should have went looking for new wiper blades too, but I didn’t and I’ll have to take care of that on my next Meijer trip…..and you know there’ll be plenty more.