Jean’s Pizza Cafe
129 Edgerton StreetIt wasn’t supposed to be a two pizza weekend but that’s what ended up happening.
I was in Mt Pleasant for work on Saturday and ended up at the Central Michigan football game at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It was an afternoon game so I was on my way home a little before 5:00.
I had actually planned to stop at The Depot in Edmore to grab a sandwich but when I got there, I found their deli counter closed for the day.
I was a little bummed because I didn’t want to have to make another stop. I grabbed a couple of Pepsi’s and headed back to the car. Fortunately, I had a back up plan.
My back up plan was Jean’s Pizza Cafe in Howard City. The restaurant sits on Edgerton Street near White Road in the downtown area. The restaurant is one street level space in a large block long two story brick building. There is parking right in front but there was some kind of line dancing event happening as part of the Howard Cit Harvest Festival in the street so it was blocked off. I had to drive through a couple of alley’s to find a parking lot across the street and walk back to the shop.
There is no online ordering option so I had to call in my order. It took a few rings for someone to pick up. When she did, I put in an order for a 14″ sausage and pepperoni pizza. She said it would be a little over a half hour and that’s just about how far I was from Howard City as I was making that call.
The restaurant is a full service pizzeria with a few different seating options. There are a couple of larger pub style tables that can be used for groups as well was smaller family sized tables. The decor is kind of a blend of modern and a classic turn of the 20th century building. There is exposed brick and wood floors. The ceiling is exposed and painted black while lighting is achieved through single bulb fixtures hanging from the vaulted ceiling.
There’s also a bar type area near the back of the space. It’s not actual bar though. They don’t serve alcohol. It serves more as a lunch counter type of space.
The pick up area was back by this bar and that’s where I headed when I walked in to the shop. The waitiress was pretty busy with a large group who’s pizzas were just coming out of the oven so it took her a few minutes to get to me. When she did, she said the pizza was just about to come out of the oven and it would be just a couple of more minutes.
Probably five minutes later, she came out of the kitchen with my box. The cost was a little over $18. I paid with card even though they have a sign that says they prefer cash. I’m sure they do but I didn’t have enough on me so card it was.
I wasn’t going to be able to wait until I got home to eat. I still had an hour to go and I ordered a pizza because I was hungry now.
I got back to my car and popped open the lid. Inside was a pretty typical small town pizzeria pizza and I was all in for that.
The thing that really jumped out to me was the crust. It had a lot of flavor all the way from the middle of the pizza back to the outside edge. It had the fluffiness of a hand stretched dough. It wasn’t super dense but it really held on to the toppings. In ended up eating quite a bit of this while driving and I never pulled the cheese off on top my shirt nor did I drop any toppings on to my jeans or the crack between the console and the seat. It really held together well and it had a ton of flavor. The crust, the sauce, the meat. Every layer was delicious.
I had never heard of Jean’s Pizza Cafe and only vaguely knew where Howard City was before I stopped last Saturday night. The town a couple of miles off of M-46 and US-131. It’s worth a bit of a detour to pick up a pizza. It’s a pretty classic hometown pizzeria…and every town needs a pizza place like this.
SW Michigan Dining 