Up North feel in Mid-Michigan: Leo's Spirits and Grub, Okemos

With two hours to ourselves while our kids are at a party, my husband and I join our friends at Leo's Spirits and Grub on the corner of Grand River and Okemos roads. The exterior looks like a log cabin and when you walk in the doors you enter a surreal place.  The walls are lined with the heads or full bodies of animals from deer to fish to the wolverine.   The lights are made of antlers and the booths are logs.  However, there are big screen TVs everywhere reminding you that you are not in a cabin up north but at a sports bar and grill in Okemos.  The placemats on the tables are paper with a picture of deer in a forest setting.  I love that!!!  This place is no frills which is great for a relaxing dinner with friends or dinner with the family.
They offer both, local microbrews and domestic beer as well as a full bar (and much to my friend's delight, they also had Smirnoff ice!).

The menu is super fun!  They have traditional appetizers such as mozzarella sticks and onion rings, their special spinach, artichoke dip or the nachos grande (you can order a mini version as well).

They have several interesting and fantastic items on their menu.  First, they have seafood nachos.  My son loves them!   Shrimp and crab smothered in pepper jack cheese with onions, lettuce and tomato.  They are part of the south of the border portion of the menu.   I first had these at Leo's outpost (located on Pennsylvania in Lansing).  This location is more like a traditional bar, with outdoor seating and is a great place to meet coworkers or friends!

Now if you are in the mood for a burger, you are in for a treat!   You can build your own burger, like my husband did.  He chose bacon and cheddar.  It is on a toasted bun with steak fries.   They fries are great!   Bonus: they give you mayonnaise with your burger!!   Very few places do that (I usually have to ask for it).  In my mind, it is the only way to eat a burger, mayonnaise and ketchup mixed up!

They have several types of burgers to choose from, but what makes Leo's special is that they offer Michigan made venison and buffalo burgers!!!   My husband doesn't hunt and sadly, here in MI, I do not have any friends who do, so venison is hard to come by.  The venison burger is amazing!  1/2 pound is moist, soft meat that doesn't leave you feeling greasy.  And they top it with grilled onions!  Heaven in my mouth.

That is just the beginning.  They offer dinners like fish and chips, steak and loaded macaroni and cheese (with blue cheese and bacon)!  Their roaster chicken dinners are very popular.  You can even go for a family chicken dinner that has 12 pieces of chicken with choice of potato, a pint of coleslaw, and four rolls.  

I can't forget about the pizza.  I have had their pizza on several occasions mostly from their Jolly Road location.  It is loaded with toppings and very fresh!!  They offer traditional, deep dish and thin crust.  You can choose your toppings or order the Super (Pepperoni, ham, bacon, onions, green peppers and mushrooms) or the Delux that is the super but with the addition of sausage and black olives!  

The menu is diverse but everything is great!  I have a hard time giving recommendations because I have never had a meal I didn't like here.  

I am a happy girl when Leo's is for dinner!  

A bit of the French countryside in Chicago-Bistro Campagne

My husband and I were in Chicago to see a concert at the Old Town School of Folk Music.  We were staying downtown, so we toyed with making reservations at one of the many restaurants on Michigan Ave.  Then I thought, maybe there is a good place right near the venue that we can go to so we could relax before the show.  I googled the area and found that there were many places right on Lincoln Ave., so we decided to wing it.  We got our tickets, walked a few blocks down and found a really cute place with seating next to open windows.  We went in to grab the last table, only to see the table being given to a women who entered seconds before us.  We kept walking, and were just about to settle on a bar and grill with outdoor seating when my husband looked across the street and spotted a tiny restaurant with a courtyard filled with plants and flowers.  PERFECT!!!  It was early in the night, so even though we didn't have reservations, they were able to seat us.  They took us into the back seating area that looked like a courtyard in southern France.  The restaurant itself is made of stone with several buildings connected to each other.  Vines and trees fill the space and tiny lights hang from the trees.  There was even a old mosaic on one of the walls that looked like it was once a fountain.

It was casual but classy.  The tables were dressed with linen and the wait staff was all in black.  The hostess handed us our menus, and after a minute I noticed that the wine, cocktail and spirits menu was four pages and the food menu was only one page.  This was my kind of restaurant!!!  Unfortunately, that meant I had to figure out what to drink!   Even though I drink my fair share of wine I am not very familiar with French wines so I asked our waitress to recommend a white wine on the sweeter side.  She suggested the Maison Foucher, LaVignedes Sablons,Vouvray, Loire 2011.  It was sweet but not too sweet for dinner.  My husband chose a Chicago brew.   When she brought out the drinks we also received a loaf of warm fresh bread.  This baked on site and has a multigrain feel.  It is dense and nutty and really good!!!!!

The dinner menu is short but creative and strong.  There were chicken, beef, lamb, fish and vegetarian options.   Additionally, there were also two specials that the waitress described beautifully!
They offer appetizers, salads, entrees, sandwiches and sides.  All the food was truly French so there was no cheating for those who do not like French food.  Seeing I have not had escargot for about 20 years, I opted to order them.  They serve them in a garlic Pernod butter.  This not only flavored them beautifully but softened them a bit so they were not rubbery.  I was so proud of my husband for trying them again!!!  Lucky for me he is still not a fan so I got to eat them all!!!!
I ordered the Bologaise d'Agneau, braised lamb shoulder, with carrots, spinach and beet greens over home made pasta.  The lamb was so moist and the portion perfect!  I loved the combination of carrots, spinach and greens!  The sauce was light but rich and I ended up soaking the remainder with my bread.   Wow, was that a fantastic meal!!!!  It was such a pleasant surprise!!!   I did not realize it would be like a soup, but that presentation allowed all the flavors to combine and enhance the overall meal.
My husband ordered one of the specials, a steak with potatoes d'au gratin.  He ordered it medium well and it was cooked to perfection!!!  The potatoes were soft but not mushy and still formed covered with a tangy, rich cheese blend.   We both cleaned our plates!!!  We opted to have another cocktail instead of dessert and I decided to try one of the sweeter champagnes.  Again, I went with the waitress's suggestion.  When she brought it out she joked that the color of the champagne matched my outfit.  It was true but the color wasn't the only selling point.  It was sweet, but not sickeningly sweet and it was smooth and fruity.  A perfect ending to a fantastic meal!!!  What a wonderful surprise this restaurant was!!  Bistro Campagne is a true gem!  As you can see I was a very happy girl!

HopCat, East Lansing: A great night out on the town, fantastic food and a lot of beer

In my desire to show two single guys a fun time (my brother and his business partner), the kids and I decided to take them to campus to eat.  We chose HopCat, the new bar and grill on Ann, in the restaurant area of East Lansing.  We went early because children are only allowed in before 8pm.  My brother-in-law and sister-and-law and their kids joined us too.  I am going to write about this restaurant from two different fronts:  night out on the town and family dinner.

Night out on the town:  This place is fantastic!!!   To start you off there are 100 beers on tap!  The largest amount in the state, check it out!  There are also two other HopCats, one in Detroit and one in Grand Rapids so we can share the fun!

They are all microbrews including the Michigan local brews.  Don't ask for a Bud Lite here, you will be disappointed. However, if you love beer this is your place!

I went with the local, of course, a  Shorts Brewery Heifeweizen, the Beach Wheat.  My sister-in-law got a grapefruit ale.  Super yummy!   Another fun part is that they are actually served in the proper beer glasses. We all had a different glass based on the type of beer we ordered, either a pint glass, weizen, lager or tulip.

Family dinner:  pop, juice and  lemonade are the choices.  Because it is a bar don't ask for milk!  And sadly for my daughter, they did not have root beer.  Her response was,"but they have beer here, why not root beer?"



We ordered their pretzel nuggtz for an appetizer.  They come with honey mustard and  cheese.  The cheese was so good!!   We had an issue with double dipping on the kids end because they loved the cheese so much!  There was also quite a bit of grabbing when it came to the last few nuggtz.

Their menu is simple but creative.  Traditional bar food with a flare!  For appetizers you can go traditional with the pretzel nuggtz, the secret recipe beerbar cheese or wings or you can go crazy with sausage chipotle Munster cheese dip, bruschetta or even mussels!   They also have soups and salads for a meal or supplement.

The meal menu is so fun, I had a very hard time deciding what to order.  They have Spicy BBQ Pulled Pork, seen here with their loaded "crack" fries (of course my brother had to get them loaded).

Spicy BBQ Pulled Pork

The "crack" fries have a special blend of seasoning on them.  I have to say they are very good and even my picky eater couldn't get enough of them.  You can also get them with chili or sloppy with their signature sloppy Joseph and cheese.
My sister-in-law ordered the quesadillas, that are not your ordinary variety kind, they have chicken, chipotle black beans, spinach and cheese.  Served with pico and sour cream.   SO good!!!!

Quesadilla

My brother- in-law got their Grand Royal Sandwich.  Their Sloppy Joseph meat with jalapenos, and beer cheese sauce topped with crack fries in a brioche bun and smothered with more beer cheese!!! WOW is all I can say!! That is one crazy good sandwich!

Grand Royal Sandwich

I was so busy taking pictures of everyone else's food before they ate it, I forgot to take a picture of my own meal.  So you will just have to take my word, that it was well presented and super yummy.  I ordered the Porter Braised Beef, beef braised in beer and topped with haystack onions and a blue cheese, black pepper mayo.  I took a chance on this one out of sheer curiosity.  If you know me, you know that I am not a fan of blue cheese (one of the only things I really don't like) but sometimes you need to see what a good culinary mix can do.  I was very happy with my decision.  This sandwich was awesome!!!  The meat was tender and the blue cheese gave the mayo tanginess that added just the right amount of flavor for the beef. And of course who doesn't love haystack onions.  I was a very happy girl!  

They have many other great options such as the HopCat BLT, Bacon , lettuce and tomato with the blue cheese black pepper mayo on lite rye (my choice at the next visit).

HopCat BLT

Or I might try the Damn Good Fish Sandwich.  House blended spicy seasoned tilapia on a brioche bun with house tarter (my son ordered this and so I got to try some).  I am a tarter sauce snob and I really liked their blend.  I also liked that they left everything on the side so the sandwich did not get soggy prior to eating from the tarter or the tomato.
Of course, all sandwiches come with the "crack" fries and you have a choice to add another side of something like the mac and cheese or a soup for an additional cost.

Damn Good Fish Sandwich

For family dinner night, you need to know that because they are primarily a bar, there is no kids menu. However, they have no issue with splitting meals and they have fantastic macaroni and cheese!  You have the option of ordering it plain as seen here (that is half the portion, the other half is on my other daughter's plate), or you can add additional items to it like chicken, sloppy Joseph, bacon, chorizo, pulled pork, or veggies.  (any two items for an additional $3).

Now don't worry they also have burgers, because there is no way to have a bar without a burger!!!  You can go with The Classic, with your choice of cheese on a brioche bun or you can try one of their signature burgers, the I Love Olive, which is topped with the special olive sauce, swiss and blue cheese, or the Cowboy, jalapeno, pepper-jack, bacon and BBQ.  They also have a turkey burger and a vegan patty.

There is a little for everyone here.  It is a great place to go on a date or out with friends.  I even think it is a good place for a family to go.  My kids loved it and it is not too noisy.  One thing I will say is if you have a son, you may want to encourage him to use the family restroom.  They Men's room is papered with Playboy covers.  That lead to quite a lot of laughing at our table after my son went to wash his hands. The Ladies room has Cosmo and Vogue instead.

We had a great night at HopCat and we were all happy!!!

Fantastic healthy fast food!!!-Leaf Salad Bar

I LOVE salad!  However, I am the only one in my house who does, so keeping the ingredients fresh is tricky.  So, I rarely make homemade salads.  Then, my friends tell me about a new restaurant off of Jolly and Okemos Road that is a take out salad bar!  Oh yeah!  Leaf first opened in East Lansing by partners Igor Jurkovic and Mark Sprinkle, both local business owners in the Lansing area.  The Okemos location opened a few months ago.  

You have the choice to take your salad with you or sit down in the dining room.  It is a wonderful place to meet up with friends, have a business lunch or a lunch date with your husband.  They are open from 8am-8pm which allows us to get your lunch before work or pick up something for dinner on the way home.  

The salad bar is immense and offers everything you could possibly want on your salad.  There are several kinds of lettuce (spinach included), veggies of all kinds, beans, toppings and meats.  They have 20 different dressings, from Italian and Greek to Southwestern Ranch.

There is also a fruit bar and Smoothie station.  You pick the fruit or veggies, the juice, milk or yogurt blend and additionals, such as flax seed or agave etc. and they blend it for you.    

There are usually 3 soups that rotate by days of the week.  

Leaf is a dream come true!

Here is a final product:

You can get a wrap as well and they offer rolls with each salad.  I could seriously eat here everyday!!!   

I am a very happy girl with Leaf in my life!  

Fantastic Mediterranean Food-Jerusalem Bakery, Lansing

I first saw the name Jerusalem Bakery on a package of pita at a local grocery store.  It was the "puffy" pita my daughter likes, so I picked it up and brought it home.  It was fantastic,  soft and fluffy.  I thought this was a mass produced product until I passed a store with the same name on Michigan Avenue.

Of course, I had to stop and check it out.  Inside, was a small store with shelves lined with pitas, olives, rice, and any other products you would need to cook a delicious Mediterranean meal.  There was a freezer with frozen pitas and vegetables, a deli counter with hummus, hashwi and other grab and go items, plus a refrigerated section with many kinds of cheeses.

Behind the counter was a very nice woman, who was addressing a young girl sitting at one of the three small tables in the center of the store.  The pita, I found at the grocery, originates from this family owned store.  They also have a full Mediterranean menu, that they offer for in house, take out or catering.
I noticed that behind the counter was a tray of fresh pita topped with cheese, meat, or onion (they call them pies).  I bought two of the cheese pies for my children for dinner that night.  They were thrilled.  Both pies were gone in a flash and they requested that I get more pies and the "puffy" pita.

So, when we had a pot luck at work, I decided to bring food from Jerusalem Bakery.  I called and spoke to the owner, the woman I had met on the previous occasion.  I gave her a price and she worked with me to figure out what I could get in meat and vegetarian options to please the group.  I chose the hummus and pita, chicken schwarma and rice, beef Kaftka, and falafel.

Wow!! I was loved at that potluck!!  The beef Kafta was amazing!!! It was garlicky and moist, and so  popular that I had to hide some for the guest of honor.  The schwarma was better than any I have ever had.  It had a flavor that was completely original and it had a kick to it as well.  The hummus was thick and flavorful but not to much as to over power the other parts of the meal.  Of course I LOVE the pita and usually eat it alone and dip the chicken in the hummus instead.  

Jerusalem Bakery is a great place to get food for yourself, your family or your office.  They have everything.  I am always a happy girl when I visit them!