Cicero’s Pizza (Interlochen)
Welp. It took two years, but it finally happened.
L had a figure skating competition in Traverse City a few weeks ago. It was supposed to be a family trip. We had rented an AirbNb and we were going to stay a few nights and enjoy Northern Michigan.
That was the plan anyway.
I spent the week in Mackinac Island for work. Thursday morning, J texted. She didn’t feel well and the COVID test came back positive. She isolated as much as she could from the kids, wore a KN95 around the house and cleaned everything.
Obviously, the trip to Traverse City was a no-go for her but I was gone all week and the kids had just got their booster shots two weeks prior so we were hopeful the rest of us could avoid it. We tested L every morning and no one else showed any symptoms.
We had made the plan that I would still take the kids and keep testing them. We really didn’t want L to miss this competition.
J’s mom ended up asking if we’d like to leave B with them. That way he could still go to his T-Ball game. I didn’t mind taking him but he’d have more fun with Nana and Grandpa at the lake. We told him he could take his Switch so he could play Fortnite so he was on board with that too.
As soon as L got home from school on Friday, her and I jumped in the car and started driving north. I had already booked a cabin in Interlochen when I thought it was all four of us and since it couldn’t be cancelled, she and I headed that way.
We got to Grand Traverse County around 7:30. L was in the backseat with her earbuds in not paying attention to me when I asked if she was hungry. I didn’t care what she thought anyway. I was hungry and I pulled off the road to look up pizza places near Interlochen.
I found a couple and since we were about a half hour away, I called the one closest to our cabin in hopes it would be ready when we got there.
My choice was Cicero’s Pizza right on the southside of this small unincorporated community. The restaurant is a standalone building on M-137 (J. Maddy Parkway) just north of Railroad Street. M-137 is still a pretty fast road and I almost missed it, but there’s a sign out front and a pretty large parking lot next to the building that caught my attention.
Read more…Mighty Mac Hamburgers
7315 Main StreetI don’t typically eat on Mackinac Island unless I’m staying on the Island. Restaurants are a little more expensive on the Island and I’m typically running to a ferry trying to get back to the City at a decent time.
I had some rare downtown on my last day working on the Island this spring. I’m typically pretty busy from the time I get off the ferry to the time I get back on, but this day was different.
I haven’t actually walked around Mackinac Island in quite a while. J and I went over a decade ago right after we moved to Michigan and that’s the only time I’ve been there for pleasure. I’ve stayed on the Island a couple times for work but I’m usually too exhausted to do any exploring once I get back to whatever hotel I’m staying at.
I was working at the Grand Hotel so I walked down to Main Street just before noon. I kind of had an idea of where I wanted to go. I was looking for quick and as cheap as I could find on the Island.
I picked Mighty Mac Hamburgers on Main Street (Lake Shore Drive/M-185) right at the intersection with Astor Street in downtown Mackinac Island.
Read more…Hoppie’s Landing
1395 US-31All I wanted for dinner was a pizza.
I thought that would be pretty easy. There are two pizza places in Mackinaw City, Mama Mia and BC Pizza.
My plan was to put in an order while I was on the ferry heading back across the Straits of Mackinac but as I sat down and did a Google search, both places were closed.
Well, crap. It’s not like there are a lot of places around Mackinaw City and there really aren’t a lot of places that are open past 9:00. It was already 7:30 and I knew I was going to have to drive somewhere.
I quickly did a Google search on my way back and found Hoppie’s Landing in Pellston. They do online ordering and it was only about 20 minutes so if I left as soon as I got back to my hotel, I would make it with plenty of time to spare.
Hoppie’s has locations in Cheboygan (Hoppie’s Tavern) and Pellston (Hoppie’s Landing). I picked the Pellston location which is actually at the Pellston Regional Airport on US-31 just north of Pellston.
Read more…Bridgeview Diner
110 W. Central AvenueWorld’s Best Burger. That’s quite a claim. I hope you can back that up.
My second night in Mackinaw City was a long one. I got back on the ferry from Mackinac Island at 8:00 after working up at the Grand Hotel most of the day. There’s not a lot of good food options in Mackinaw City that are open past 9:00 PM so I had been saving the one I knew of for the day I got back to the mainland pretty late.
I typically stay at the Best Western Dockside when I travel to Mackinac Island for work. The hotel is close enough to Shepler’s Ferry that I can walk in the morning so I don’t have to pay to park my car at the dock.
I headed back to the hotel after getting off the ferry to drop my stuff off then grabbed my car to go grab a burger.
I picked Bridgeview Diner this night for a couple of reasons. They’re open until 11:00 and they have a sign out front claiming to be the “Home of the World’s Best Burger.”
Bridgeview Diner is just outside of downtown Mackinaw City on Central Avenue. The restaurant is just past the overpass for I-75 and, as the name implies, within view of the Mackinac Bridge. If the large sign out front doesn’t catch your attention, the red and yellow paint scheme definitely will.
Read more…Courtyard Cinemas
248 S. Huron Street- Mackinaw City, MI 49701
- (231) 436-7890
- Website
Another year, another work trip to Northern Michigan.
It was time for the annual spring conference we go to every year on Mackinac Island. I decided to make the drive up on Memorial Day to avoid an early morning drive on Tuesday to get to the Grand Hotel when the conference opened at noon.
I checked in to my hotel around 4:30, had dinner at Keyhole Bar & Grill, and picked up fudge for the family at Joann’s Fudge.
It was still early and I knew there was a movie theater in town. When I was here in the fall, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Seven Rings was in theaters and I strongly considered going to see it before taking nap. This time, Bob’s Burgers had just hit theaters and I haven’t seen it yet.
I decided seeing a movie was better than sitting in my hotel room all night. I think I made the right choice.
Courtyard Cinema is in the Mackinaw Crossings shopping complex near downtown Mackinaw City. The address is Huron Street but you’ll never find it if you’re looking for it on Huron. The parking lot is on Mackinaw Crossings Drive. You can also enter the shopping center from Central Avenue and just park along the street.
Read more…Joann’s Fudge (Mackinaw City)
303 E. Central AvenueMy kids are catching on. They know I can’t actually go to Mackinac Island without bringing home fudge.
For a long time, I would actually buy the fudge on the Island but I’m always rushing to get back to the ferry. The last couple of times, I’ve bought fudge as soon as I’ve gotten to town in Mackinaw City.
The first thing I did when I got to town was pick up dinner at Keyhole Bar & Grill. After that, I walked around downtown Mackinaw City looking in shops until I found a familiar fudge shop.
Joann’s Fudge has two locations actually on Mackinac Island and one in Mackinaw City. I’ve been one of the Mackinac Island locations. They’re both on Main Street not too far away from each other. This is the first time I’ve been to the Mackinaw City location.
The Mackinaw City Joann’s Fudge is on Central Avenue right in downtown Mackinaw City. The shop is part of a long row of buildings on the very busy main drag through the heart of the city.
Read more…Keyhole Bar & Grill
323 E. Central AvenueBack to Mackinaw City for work. It feels like I was just here. I come up most years in the spring for a conference on Mackinac Island. Last year’s conference was in September due to COVID in the spring. We’re back on regular schedule this year with a spring conference.
I drove up to Mackinaw City on Memorial Day. I didn’t really want to get up at 4 AM on Tuesday if I didn’t have to.
I got in to Mackinaw City around 4:30 and got checked in to my hotel. I purposely didn’t eat on the way up because I had plans once I got to town.
I headed straight downtown to the Keyhole Bar & Grill on Central Avenue. The bar is kind of a dive bar. It’s been a year round staple in downtown Mackinaw City for over 45 years. It’s been suggested to me for years but I always seem to be in Mackinaw City during busy times. I’ve tried stopping in a few times over the years but there’s always a wait for a table.
Read more…Murray Street Brewing Company
57620 Murray StreetI had what I thought was a pretty great idea. Order food from Nonla Burger in Mattawan then head down the street to the brewery for a few beers. J thought it was a good idea too. The kids? They never like my ideas but they don’t really get a choice.
We had plans to go ice skating at Wings West Saturday night. L likes to take advantage of the open skate times because it’s cheaper than club ice. The further we get away from winter, the fewer people show up to Open Skates. That gives L quite a bit of ice to work with.
I asked J if she wanted to grab dinner before we headed to Wings West. I had an idea for burgers and beers. She was on board.
We headed towards Mattawan. I put in an order for Nonla Burger online. We made a quick stop there to pick up food then we headed down the street to Murray Street Brewing Company.
Murray Street Brewing Company isn’t hard to find in downtown Mattawan. The large red barn is located on Murray Street just to the north of front street. Before becoming a brewery, the building was used for an antiques shop called The Livery. I have a hunch this building actually was a livery many years ago.
Read more…Nonla Burger (Mattawan)
24050 Front StreetIt’s actually a pretty normal long weekend for me. I sort of get the whole weekend off…I have to drive to Mackinaw City on Monday but I can do that at my own pace.
The thing that’s different about this weekend compared to previous years is L. She’s gotten really in to figure skating and is preparing for a competition next weekend in Traverse City.
Instead of going to J’s parents house on the lake this weekend, we spent most of it at the ice rink. L skated Friday on club ice, Saturday at open skate and she had her coach and more club time on Sunday.
I spent a lot of the weekend unmotivated and laying on the couch. J usually takes L to the rink because she volunteers with the club so I stay home with B who locks himself in the basement playing Fortnite on weekends.
Open skate at Wings West is at 6:00 on Saturday nights. At about 4:30, I asked J if she wanted to go grab some dinner and a couple of drinks before we all headed to the rink.
My idea was to pick up burgers from Nonla Burger in Mattawan then have a drink or two at Murray Street Brewing. We were going to Wings West anyway so it wasn’t that far out of the way.
We started our quick dinner and a beer with carry-out from Nonla Burger in Mattawan. This is the third Nonla Burger in the area with the other two being in Oshtemo and Kalamazoo. The Nonla Burger in Mattawan replaces Nonla Vietnamese Street food on Front Street in the very small downtown area of Mattawan.
Read more…Stony Sub
8440 S. Stony Island Avenue- Chicago, IL 60617
- (773) 978-4000
- No Known Website
- Menu
J’s parents moved from the Chicago suburbs to a lake in St. Joseph County a few years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I love that they’re much closer and the kids can enjoy the lake all summer but I really do miss our trips to their house which would inevitably involve me finding a late night sandwich shop after everyone went to bed.
I was in Chicago this past weekend for a White Sox game. It was just me as I met up with my dad, brother, and a childhood friend. We do it every year and it’s typically a day trip for me now. My dad always wants me to drive back to his house after the game but it’s another hour south of Guaranteed Rate Field and with gas prices the way they are, I chose to just come home after the game.
I will take any excuse I can get to go to Chicago and when I’m by myself, I like to find food, especially on the southside, that my family really wouldn’t be interested in.
Pre-game, I hit up Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicastessen near the Loop for an amazing pastrami sandwich. Post-game, it was time to find that 24 hour sandwich shop.
I hopped on the Dan Ryan going south after leaving the game but instead of getting on the Skyway to head home, I stayed on I-94. My destination? Stony Sub.
Stony Sub is on Stony Island Avenue near 84th Place in Chicago’s Marynook Neighbrohood on the southeast side of the city. The small, 24 hour building has been a southside staple for decades for it’s sandwiches but their claim to fame is a sandwich that is so ridiculous looking that it shouldn’t taste as amazing as it does.
Read more…
SW Michigan Dining 