Harvey’s Grill & Bar – Bay City
4000 Wilder RoadDay two of our tour of Michigan had us heading towards Birch Run. Sure, it was out-of-the-way since our next stop was Grand Rapids, but we had the time and J really wanted to check out The North Face outlet. There’s also an UnderArmour outlet that I wanted to go to plus the usual stores we hit up outlet malls for.
We figured we’d just eat on the way. If we waited until Birch Run, I would be too tempted to go to Tony’s and no one needs that much bacon. Instead, I started looking in the Bay City area and found a place that would suit us both.
Harvey’s Bar & Grill is right across from the Bay City Mall on Wilder Road and State Street. The building looks like a chain because, according to their website, they are trying to franchise the business under the name Hayden’s Grill & Bar. Add that to the fact it was a Fazoli’s in it’s former life. The building was remodeled into what the owner hopes to have a Applebee’s like feel. As it stands, there are two Harvey’s locations. This one in Bay City and another in Saginaw.
We got to Bay City right at 11:00 so we were the first ones in for the day. They have a pretty nice dining room centered around a bar, but there’s also an all seasons patio which is where we chose to sit. The patio has garage style door windows that open in the summer and heaters on the ceiling for the winter months. It was still a little chilly when we were there so the heaters were turned on. Read more…
Entertainment Hall at Soaring Eagle
2395 S. Leaton Road- Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
- (989) 775-7777
- Website
Right after J and I started dating, we found a weekend to get away. We found Rascal Flatts performing in St. Louis and since Peoria is only about three hours from there, we made our first get away together a weekend in downtown St. Louis.
The Rascal Flatts performance totally changed our mind about the band that night. Going in, we were both fans. Since then, I change the radio every time they come on. It was awful.
There was a silver lining though. Opening act Jason Aldean.
When we started looking for something to do this past weekend, I started checking casino websites to see if anyone was playing nearby. I found Jason Aldean at Soaring Eagle. We liked him last time, so an opportunity to see him again sounded like a good idea.
The performance was at the Entertainment Hall at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort. Most casino’s come up with a good name for a concert venue. Not Soaring Eagle. They just keep it simple. Entertainment Hall.
The auditorium-like room is on the south side of the Soaring Eagle complex. It’s right next to the gaming floor and there’s even exits that dump you right out to the slots.
We ordered out tickets online a few weeks ago. When I got on the Soaring Eagle website to look for them, I ran in to several pages that said “Sold Out.” I went to the Star Ticket Plus website to see what would happen and there were still several seats left. I clicked on two in the middle price range and had the held at will call. Read more…
Mountain Town Station
506 W. Broadway StreetWhen it came time for dinner, we decided to venture out in Mount Pleasant. We could have eaten at the casino, but the sit-down restaurants were a little pricey and neither one of us are big fans of buffet’s. Plus, there are still a number of restaurants I’ve wanted to try in Mount Pleasant and who knows how many opportunities I will have in the future.
We chose Mountain Town Station which sits on Broadway just west of the downtown area. The building is the old Mount Pleasant Railroad Depot and sits next to a set a tracks which the business uses to run special dinner trains. There is quite a lot of the building that is original even though it’s been covered. From the outside, it doesn’t really look like the historic building it is, but the inside still has the charm only an old train station could.
Mountain Town Station is not only a restaurant but there is a brewing operation that runs in full site of the lounge dining area and the bar. When you walk in, there’s even a little gift shop with an array of wines available for purchase.
The entire joint is smoke free (a moot point in a couple of weeks) but we chose to sit in the lounge which is really just a fancy name for the bar. We were seated at a pub table next to the bar. There are also a few booths in this area and a smaller dining area still in the lounge had some regular sized four tops.
The decor is not as cliché as I figured it would be. They did keep what appears to be the original wood plank floor and that theme is continued with distressed beams and dark-colored wood throughout. The floor has a feeling that would be impossible to replicate. It’s hardwood, but it’s soft and you can feel every step that anyone around you takes. It took a few minutes to get used to the fact that every time anyone walked by our table, our chairs were going to bounce a little. It’s not as big of an annoyance as it sounds. It’s just one of the quirks of the place. Read more…
Soaring Eagle Resort
2395 S. Leaton Road- Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
- 888-732-4537
- Website
When it came to try to find a destination for our mini-vacation, we turned to country music. I started scouring concert venues from here to Pittsburgh looking for a country singer we haven’t seen yet in concert or would want to see again. The list is pretty short. We’ve seen almost everyone we’ve wanted to see and there are only a few we’d like to see again.
We found one of those at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant. J and I have been to the casino in the past, but we’ve never seen a show there or stayed at the hotel. This time, we decided to do both.
The hotel at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort is part of one large building on South Leaton Road just east of Mount Pleasant on the Isabella Indian Reservation. The hotel take up the north part of the building and there are actually two towers with 514 guest rooms. The resort is a AAA 4-Diamond property that includes a spa, a fitness center, pool, conference center, and Kids Quest which is an arcade to keep your kids entertained while you’re gambling.
There is a valet option, but there’s also large parking lots in front of both the hotel and the casino as well as a parking garage that is connected to the casino building so you never have to walk outside if you don’t want to. The property is set up with the large conference center acting as a buffer between the hotel and the casino floor.
4:00 PM is check-in time and everyone wanted to check in at the same time. We actually got there about 3:45 and we walked in the doors, there was a line at the reception counter that looked more like something you’d see at an amusement park. I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels since I travel a little for work and I have never had to wait in a line to check in at a hotel.
To their credit, they did have five people working the desk trying to keep people moving, but a late check-in time like that makes people antsy. Everyone’s going to show up right at 4:00 because in reality, most would have liked to check in much, much earlier. Read more…
OT’s Up-In-Smoke BBQ – Beadle Lake Rd.
20 Beadle Lake RoadA couple of months ago, J started making plans with her friends to take a girls weekend to Vegas. This must have been a buys Vegas weekend or something because airfare was insane. We looked for weeks trying to find something cheap.
The airlines didn’t want to cooperate, so J made the decision a few weeks ago to forego this trip again and hope things fall in to place next time. She still had the time off and wanted to do something. It seems like whenever we have free days, we head home to Chicago. There’s not many times where J and I take advantage of vacation time and just travel.
Last month, I won a free night’s stay at the Amway Grand in Grand Rapids. We decided to use that, but we still wanted to do something else. On a whim, I found a concert in Mt. Pleasant, so that’s where we headed.
We left for our trip that ended up crisscrossing Michigan just after noon on Friday. Since it was lunch, we had to eat before the two-hour drive north. Sure, we could have eaten sandwiches at home, but what fun is that?
Instead, I headed for a little barbecue shack on the corner of Beadle Lake Road and Main Street in Battle Creek. OT’s Up-N-Smoke has two locations in the city. There is a permanent building on Capital Avenue NE in the building that used to be Cliff’s Ribs & Seafood. The original location is nothing more than a lunch cart, but it’s anchored on a concrete pad in a triangle-shaped patch of land. There is a large gravel parking lot and a couple of steel tables, but other than a smoker, that’s pretty much it. Read more…
McDonald’s – Sprinkle Road
3900 S. Sprinkle RoadWho doesn’t like a cheeseburger late at night. No, I wasn’t on my way home from the bar. Just hungry.
Making a late night fast food run is not something I usually do, but J was getting up for work and she was hungry too. More importantly, she wanted a frozen coffee. As she was getting ready, she asked if I would make a McDonald’s run. I had nothing better to do at that time of night, so I obliged.
Normally, we go to the McDonald’s on South Westnedge, but J had stopped at that location yesterday and their frappe machine was down. Since that’s what she really wanted, I decided not to chance it and headed towards the location on Sprinkle between Covington and Vanrick just south of the I-94 Interchange.
I didn’t know if this location was 24 hours or not so I was taking a chance that could make me back track and find a different open location, but as I was pulling up, I saw the signs for the 24-Hour drive-thru.
The switch-over between burgers and breakfast takes place about 3:00 at most locations, so I was still ok to get myself a cheeseburger. I had to use the drive thru which I hate, but I can understand why they wouldn’t want people in the store at that time of night. Read more…
Logan’s Roadhouse – Portage
6701 S. Westnedge AvenueI was out of bed much earlier than usual this morning because some rodents did a little damage to the wiring in my truck. I had to make the trip to Vicksburg since there are no Chrysler dealerships in Kalamazoo (still weird to me). Not a big deal since it’s really not all that far from my place on the south side of Kalamazoo.
When I got home, I was starving, but tired and not in the mood to cook. I waited until J got home for work and threw out an option that is very unlikely. Let’s go to a chain.
I’ve had mixed experiences at Logan’s Roadhouse in the past. The first time I found the Nashville, TN chain was when they opened one of their first Illinois stores in East Peoria. We actually had a really good experience and like the joint. The next time we tried a Logan’s was in Lansing and it was the total opposite. Slow, rude service and sub-par food.
I decided to give it another shot after seeing commercials for their “2 Full Meals for $14.99.” They had some items that looked good to both of us, so we headed to lunch at the Portage store on South Westnedge next to the Target. I did double-check before we left to make sure this Logan’s was running that special as not every store is doing it. In Michigan, only the Portage and Holland stores are participating.
Logan’s is pretty stereotypical when it comes to chain “roadhouses.” The stores have a rustic feel with wood plank floors, tall ceilings, and a carpet of peanut shells.
We were met by a hostess right inside the large foyer area that divides the smoking and non-smoking sections. We took the non-smoking option and were shown to a booth along the outer wall. The booths are on a platform which puts the server a little closer to eye level and there are actually two rows of the booths. The second row kind of floats and is accessible from either side. Read more…
Cosmo’s Cucina
804 W. Vine StreetAnother nice spring day. Another great opportunity to eat outside. J got another suggestion from a co-worker about a great spot to diner outdoors in the Vine Neighborhood.
Cosmo’s Cucina is on the corner of Vine and Locust Streets in a 110 year old building that has housed a number of different businesses over the years. Cosmo’s is actually on the top floor of the building. The bottom is O’Duffy’s Pub.
Parking is at a premium near this neighborhood bar. There isn’t much of a parking lot, so most patrons will end up on the streets surrounding the business. We were lucky enough to find an open spot not too far from the front door.
The front door. I assume it’s the main entrance, but there’s a thick, metal gate that fences off a few outdoor tables on the ground floor. That’s not so odd, but the gate doesn’t open when you push on it. You have to reach around back and find the latch. We both entered and exited that way and both times I was wondering if we were going the right way.
You enter the business in the pub area. That space alone is really nice and a little out-of-place in the neighborhood, but that’s the theme for the both restaurants. We headed through the bar to a stairway in the back corner which leads up to Cosmo’s.
The upstairs space is pretty similar to the downstairs as far as decor. It has a natural wood floor that is probably original to the building. It’s one of those floors that have a lot of character. To get to the main dining room, you have to go up a narrow staircase and walk down a pretty narrow hall. When you get to the end, there’s a hostess station right next to the door that leads to the upstairs patio. Read more…
WZUU 2nd Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest
Noticed this on the marquee at The Root Beer Stand on South Westnedge then found this graphic on WZUU’s website
That’s TODAY!
Plumcrazzy Ice Cream Parlor
3710 S. Westnedge AvenueWhat’s a birthday without something sweet? Sure, I made cupcakes for J, but you got to have ice cream with cake, right?
After lunch and a quick shopping trip, J wanted to get some ice cream before heading home for the evening.
We’ve been talking about going to Plumcrazzy Ice Cream Parlor on South Westnedge just south of Pierce Avenue in Kalamazoo’s South Westnedge neighborhood. The stand-alone ice cream joint just screams happy. It’s painted with purple accents and the inside is well-lit with large windows letting in a lot of natural light.
Even though it was later in the afternoon, the place was empty. We were greeted by a man standing between two ice cream coolers as soon as we opened the doors.
Plumcrazzy does more than ice cream, but we had already eaten lunch. Their sandwich menu is mostly a build your own thing, but they also have BBQ pork, chicken salad, hot dogs, chili dogs, a reuben, a BLT, and chili.
J walked up and down the case looking over the Plainwell Ice Cream flavors. She settled on Peanut Butter Fudge and got it in a small sugar cone. Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 