McMillan’s Deli
908 E. Michigan AvenueAlright. Trying to sneak in a blog from Southwest Michigan. I’m not even close to done traveling this month. Jackson and Ann Arbor this weekend. Kenosha, WI next.
Since we’re traveling so much, I don’t have a lot of extra cash to eat out for lunch during the week when I am here so that’s why we’ve been pretty light on actual Southwest Michigan blogs the last month or so.
Work sent me to East Lansing earlier this week. We used to be able to expense meals when we went to Lansing but I don’t usually do that on day trips. Besides, I had a place in Marshall I wanted to stop at.
McMillan’s Deli is on the east side of Marshall on Michigan Avenue at the intersection with Green Street. The small deli is inside Marshall Liquor. It’s not really obvious when you drive by the solid red building that there is food inside other than a few banner’s with the deli’s name hanging on the siding.
That’sa Pizza (Hammond Road)
1110 E. Hammond RoadFriday was a really long day at the rink.
We were in Traverse City for the annual Cherry Classic at Centre Ice Arena. It’s one of our favorite competitions of the year just for the fact that it gives us a reason to go to Traverse City for a couple of nights.
L had five skates at this competition. Four of them were on Friday. B had three and two of his were on Friday as well. We were at the rink from about 7:30 AM until almost 9 PM.
I had performed my Dad Dash duties a couple of time making Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A runs and a taco run for myself.
J suggested we order a pizza or something and have it waiting in the car for when L got done with her last skate. We were going to be walking out of the arena after 8:30 and a lot of places were going to start closing around 9:00.
I had to get out of the arena for a while because the WiFi f’n sucks. I was trying to watch scores for events come in but my phone wouldn’t connect to the WiFi and there was no cell service. Instead of getting mad, I just went outside to the car.
About 45 minutes before L was scheduled to skate, I decided to put in the order for a pizza. There was a place pretty close so I could go get it and hoped it would still be fairly warm when we got to it a half hour or so later.
That’sa Pizza is a small chain of three shops in the Traverse City area. The closest one to Centre Ice Arena is actually right down the street on Hammond Road and Three Mile Road in East Bay Township. The small pizzeria is part of a shopping center that also includes an Oleson Food Store. That was clutch because I forgot to ask for plates. I just went next door and grabbed a cheap package of paper plates and a cheap roll of paper towels.
Read more…Taqueria TC Latino Dos
2101 N. Three Mile RoadI’ve mentioned it several times in the past. When we travel for skating competitions, the kids turn me in to Dad Dash.
Friday was a busy day for us at the Cherry Classic being held at Centre Ice Arena near Traverse City. L skated four times and B skated twice. It seemed like the longest break we had between skates was two hours so it definitely wasn’t long enough to leave the rink and go get lunch.
That’s where I come in.
When both kids got done with their first event (2 skates each) I had to run back to the hotel. I was trying to do some work while sitting at the rink but the WiFi was laughable at best. I was trying to upload some stuff to our server and it wouldn’t go through. I needed the hotel WiFi.
The kids were also hungry and they chose Chick-Fil-A….which is fine, but it’s on the other side of town. I told them it was going to take me at least an hour to get out there and back with food.
On an earlier Starbucks run, I stopped at a gas station on the corner of Three Mile and Hammond Road. I noticed a taco place just past the intersection. Chick-Fil-A sounded fine but tacos sounded better.
Taqueria TC Latino Dos is on Three Mile Road just to the north of the intersection with Hammond Road. The small building looks more like a house than a restaurant. There are a few parking spots to the south of the building in the parking lot for the gas station. I saw someone else park there and walk in so I did the same.
Read more…GJ’s Pizza and Market
2700 Holiday RoadBusy week.
I spent three days in Mackinac Island for work then I headed straight from Mackinaw City Thursday night to Traverse City. My kids had a figure skating competition so I just used a vacation day, drove my own car to Mackinaw, then headed straight from the Ferry Docks to my hotel in Traverse.
I got to town just before 8:00 and I was really hungry. I actually still had some work to do but my plan was to sit on the balcony of our hotel and watch the sunset, eat dinner, and finish my work.
J and the kids drove up after school so they were already in Traverse City a few hours before I got there. They stopped at a Culvers along the way for dinner so no one else was hungry.
That meant I could order a pizza.
I found GJ’s Pizza and Market not too far from my hotel on Holiday Road and Five Mile Road on the east side of Travers City in Acme Township. The small store is on the corner by itself and serves the area as a party/convenience store as well as a pizza joint.
O’Reilly’s Irish Pub
106 Langlade StreetI wasn’t really hungry when I got back to Mackinaw City Wednesday night. My original plan was just to go right from Shepler’s Ferry Docks to get dinner some place in downtown Mackinaw City but I wasn’t really feeling it so I headed back to my hotel for a little bit. Mostly, I wanted to shower and lay down for a few minutes so I did that.
My dining options got more limited the longer I waited.
I still wasn’t super hungry around 8:30 but I knew if I was going to eat, I had to go. There’s not much open late in Mackinaw City and I assumed I’d get hungry around 10:00 when almost everything is closed.
I decided just to hit up a bar for something to eat and there’s still one bar left in Mackinaw City I’ve never been to.
O’Reilly’s Irish Pub is on Langlade Street just north of Central Avenue. I actually parked on the backside of the restaurant which is where Central Avenue because Huron Street as it winds past the ferry docks. There’s an entrance from that side as well and some street parking. Just watch the signs because there is permit only parking on one side of the street and lots in that area belong to Shepler’s. Now that Shepler’s is charging for ALL parking…including day parking, people are trying to find free spots in the city and the city is cracking down as well. So really pay attention to where you’re parking in Mackinaw City.
Read more…Mukwa Bar & Grill
1080 S. Nicolet StreetI’m not eating exclusively at casino’s on this trip despite what it may look like.
I got to Mackinaw City around 3:00 and decided to head over to the Island to do some things before my job actually started on Wednesday. It was easier to get my equipment over there and leave it at the job site knowing I was going to have to hit the ground running Wednesday morning.
I spent a couple of hours on the Island and decided to come back to the mainland for dinner. There’s nothing over there that’s really unique and it’s all pretty expensive. Even when eating on the company dime, I don’t like over spending on meals.
I got back to Mackinaw City around 6:30 and decided to head out for dinner. I’ve been coming to Mackinaw for several years now so I’m running out of new places. I’ve kind of made it my mission to eat at every restaurant in Mackinaw City if I’m going to keep coming up here once (sometimes twice) a year.
I noticed last year when I was here there is a casino near the highway. Like I mentioned in my blog from Chicken Guy!, I’m not a gambler so that part really doesn’t do much for me but I noticed they had a restaurant so I decided to check it out.
Mukwa Bar & Grill is inside the Odawa Casino on Nicolet Street between the I-75 interchange and Old US Highway 31. The casino sits a little ways off the road past a huge surface lot that was 80% empty on this Tuesday night. Many years ago, this property was home to Thunder Falls Family Water Park but that closed in 2012 when it was bought by the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians and eventually turned in to a casino in 2016.
Read more…Chicken Guy! (Mt. Pleasant)
6800 Soaring Eagle BoulevardIf you’re thinking to yourself, is he every home? The answer is, it sure doesn’t feel like it.
Another year. Another trip to Mackinac Island for work.
We don’t stay on Mackinac Island though. Even with the obnoxious ferry prices, it’s still a lot cheaper to stay in Mackinaw City and commute the three days we need to go over to the Island.
In the past, I’ve always gone up on Memorial Day and kind of taken my time. My colleague said we didn’t have anything scheduled on Tuesday this year so there was no need to rush. I still needed to go to the Island for a while but there was nothing scheduled so I could take my time.
I left Kalamazoo after getting B on the school bus around 8:30. I had to make a stop in Grand Rapids to pick up some gear then I headed towards the Straits of Mackinac.
I don’t know why, but my GPS took me across the state to Mt. Pleasant this year. As soon as I figured out where I was heading, I knew there was some place I wanted to stop for lunch.
Chicken Guy! chain of quick service chicken restaurants from Guy Fieri and Robert Earl (the man behind Planet Hollywood). The restaurants are about a dozen restaurants and most look to be in food court or entertainment venue settings. There was a stand alone store in Livonia and a plan to open 20 stores in Michigan but that seems to have gone away when the store on Plymouth Road closed last summer.
There is one Chicken Guy! left in Michigan. It’s at Soaring Eagle Casino in Chippewa Township east of Mt. Pleasant. You park in the main parking areas then head in to the casino just like you would to do some gambling.
Pam’s Sugar Shack
217 W. Main StreetThe start of summer.
J and I both had long weekends so we headed to J’s parents house on the lake near Centreville. We typically go through Mendon on our way down instead of Three Rivers just because it’s the way we’ve always gone.
Last fall, we noticed a new ice cream place opened up in Mendon. We never got to it before it closed for the winter.
We had to make a trip back to Kalamazoo on Sunday because the kids had to skate. Sure, we could have stayed home, but we decided to go back to the lake. Everyone is more relaxed at Nana and Grandpa’s and we all really needed a weekend of relaxing.
On the way back through Mendon, we saw the open signs for the ice cream place in Mendon. We weren’t going to get ice cream then because we hadn’t eaten dinner yet but I said if it was open when we came back through on Monday, we’d stop.
It was open on Monday.
Pam’s Sugar Shack is on West Main Street near Portage Street on the west side of Mendon’s downtown area. The small brick building used to be the Bluebird Cafe but has been empty for a while now. It sits right next to Main Street Smokehouse backing up to the St. Joseph River. There is some parking along the side of the building but we just pulled in to the Outdoor Market across the street.
Wesco (Plainwell)
551 W. Allegan StreetSo, I’m clearly a sucker for gas station food.
I’m on the road a lot and a lot of times, it’s just easier. I can get gas, use a bathroom, and get a Pepsi plu something to eat all in one stop.
I was in Plainwell a couple of weeks ago and I saw a sign at the Wesco gas station advertising their Wesco Specialty Pizza for $5. I figured that sounded too good to be true but I had to give it a shot.
Last Thursday was a little bit of a hectic day. I had to do a job with my usual Kalamazoo colleague, then run to Holland to do a job with a different colleague..plus, I had to get home by 7:00 because J had evening plans and I had to pick the kids up from the rink.
I knew I was coming back through Plainwell so I decided to see about this $5 pizza.
Wesco is a chain of West Michigan gas stations that I usually stop at for popcorn. The majority of the stations are along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The only one really close to us in Kalamazoo is this Plainwell location on the corner of Allegan Street and Prince Street on the west side of Plainwell near the US-131 Interchange. It’s a pretty small lot that’s hard to get in an out of. It kind of shares a lot with the Hardings next door but even that is a tricky lot to navigate.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken (Gobles)
101 S. State StreetLet me know if you’ve read this one before. I’m traveling through a small town and I come across a gas station with Krispy Krunchy Chicken.
I stop for lunch.
I blog about it.
What’s that? You’ve read that one before?
Well. You’re gonna read about it again.
I was in Gobles early last week by myself on a job assignment. It was only going to take about an hour then I’d have the rest of the day to catch up on some things. I know there’s not a lot to eat in Gobles but I’ve had luck at a few places. When I did a search to see if there was anything new. I found something familiar.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken is inside Woodies Goodies on the corner of State Street (M-40) and Van Buren Street in the center of Gobles. The small store is a pretty typical convenience store with gas pumps out front. I’ve stopped in this place before but back then, they didn’t have chicken.
SW Michigan Dining 