NOISE: Dig In

NorthWest Initiative leading the way

Neighborhood… What? Creating Great Places is a conference designed to engage, inspire and inform residents to take ownership in making Lansing neighborhoods safer, healthier and more connected.

Click for more info or to register for this exciting opportunity coming up October 23rd, including guest speakers, workshops, and community resource exhibits.  This conference is just one example of the great work being done by local non-profit the NorthWest Initiative.

Among their many programs include the Food Systems Project, which is a huge undertaking unto itself.  The FSP supports a slew of nutrition and health education programs, and even got several local Quality Dairy stores to carry local fruits and vegetables when before their offerings for healthy foods were, well, slimmer pickings.  This Corner Store Produce Project is one of many inter-related efforts to improve our local food system here in greater Lansing.

 

Homemade and how much?

Since I spent most of last week nit-picking local breakfast restaurants, I figured I had better put up some home made goodness on the blog before I turned into an armchair chef.  

Breakfast Joints: The Lansing Lowdown

Going out for breakfast is a phenomenon unto itself. Whether it's a crew of road workers fueling up with 6:00 am bacon and eggs, or bleary-eyed party-goers lingering over a lazy weekend brunch, sometimes you're looking to get fed with no dishes to worry about as you start off your day.

Here's a look at some of Lansing's notable breakfast spots, with a quick-and-dirty take on what they're doing well and some friendly cautions.  Note that most of these places are not just for breakfast.  

Add your two cents below!

(in alphabetical order)

Coral Gables

The gist:  Solid traditional breakfast menu with reasonable prices.  Breakfast buffet on Sundays 9 am - 1 pm.

Gettin' it right:  Sleeper hits like the quiche special and oatmeal (yes, good oatmeal!)

Gripe:  Lacks the ambiance and personal service of some of the more 'hipster' breakfast spots around.

Fleetwood Diner

The gist:  Greasy-spoon style with no apologies.  Service is friendly and timely.  You might say 'no frills.'

Gettin' it right:  Hippie hash (veggie-and-cheese smothered hash browns) and Mac & cheese are legit.  Bacon lovers are usually satisfied with the swine here.  Your coffee will not get cold.

Gripe: Eggs are pretty unremarkable, except for how unremarkable they are.  Don't expect organic anything.

Golden Harvest

The gist:  There's a reason people plaster those knife-and-fork skull-and-crossbones stickers on everything from beat-up pickups to brand-new Volvos: Golden Harvest gives you what you want, if what you want is to wait a good long time for uber-rich breakfast fare (cash only).

Gettin it right:  The specials are on point.  The hand-made sausage (regular or spicy) is unique in the land.  If you're sick of your iPod playlists, come in just to soak up some eclectic beats at diverse volumes.  Looking for a spot where the staff has 'the love?'  Look no further.  

Gripe:  Music volume may be a nuisance to some.  Looking for feather-weight healthy eating?  Look elsewhere.

Grumpy's Diner

The gist:  The former Korner Kitchen location serves up generous portions of straight-forward diner food with a slightly old-fashioned flare.

Gettin' it right:  Prices are very reasonable and service is polite.

Gripe:  The food is just so-so.  If you like your meal, you won't leave hungry, but if you don't, you may wonder why you came.

Sawyer's Gourmet Pancake House

The gist:  Lots of local, lots of organic.  Preparations are reliably good, with intelligent, friendly staff.  Refreshing music choices compliment local artists' work on the walls.

Gettin' it right:  All the pancakes are stellar, and breakfasts here rarely miss the mark.  You may be tempted by the lunch fare if you show up closer to noon, but be sure to check the specials board for hits like the greek omelette.  Monday is Buttermilk Bailout, all-you-can-eat pancakes for $5.94.  Sawyer's has real maple syrup.

Gripe:  The prices reflect the selectivity of the sourcing, and popular specials often run out.

The Soup Spoon Cafe

The gist:  Traditionally-inspired breakfasts with gourmet flair, espresso bar and caring service.  Some ingredients are local.

Gettin' it right:  Any of the poached egg dishes are a good bet, each has a unique sauce to tingle your taste buds.  Pancakes are well textured and served with real syrup.  Lots of breakfast options.  Many custom espresso drinks can be concocted to your fancy, or try the house coffee from Rudy Baggs.

Gripe:  The french toast is a little more toothy than some might fancy.  

Soup to Nutz Bistro

The gist:  Not strictly a breakfast a spot, but with a very respectable Sunday brunch 9 am -2:30 pm.

Gettin' it right:  Both the Eggs Enchiladas and the Eggs Bonaparte are delicious.  Service is professional and the small dining room is usually pleasantly full but not too crowded.

Gripe:  Big eaters may not be satisfied with the slightly Europeanesque portion sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

Root Cellars: Anywhere, Anyhow

Whether it's home-grown food, a pile of produce from the farmers' market, or a snag from a road-side stand, keeping fruits and veggies harvest-fresh can be a fun puzzle.  Start by knowing what temperature and humidity your food prefers in storage, then check around for likely spots in and around your home.

Interested?  Check out the Root Cellaring/Cold Frame workshop at the Hunter Park GardenHouse on Saturday, September 18, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm.

For cool/cold and moist requirements, consider basements, buried storage (whether in garden soil or a buried cooler or other 'box'), or a cold attic.  Make sure there is some ventilation.  Keep in mind that temperatures may not settle to ideal levels for a few more weeks, so don't be in a rush to harvest food you plan to store for long periods--many foods keep best right where they are in the garden for quite a while.  These include potatoes, carrots, other root crops, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and more.

Pears and Hops: Picking and Packing

Whether hops interest you for potpourri, beer, or their attractive climbing habit, remember that the time to pick is before the hops become 'blown out' and dry.  Harvest compact, green hops with a springy feel when they come easily off the vine.  Hops can be used fresh or easily dried spread on a screen.  Once dry, the leaves make a great deodorizer or closet freshener.  If brewing your own suds, make sure to use fresh ("wet") or dry hops as called for in your recipe--the amounts are not interchangeable.

 

 Pick pears before they're fully ripe for better texture and storage.  Wrap individually in scraps of newspaper as shown below. (See, newspapers are still important!).  

The Good, The Zombies, and the Hairy

First the good: you can't beat the local-riffic tone in Lawrence Cosentino's recent article The Ripening in City Pulse.  It's like the doctors in Total Recall taking Arnold Schwarzenegger on a delerious ride to Mars, only Mars is the soaring Lansing City Market.  Get clicking!

Even better is the good the Zombie Walk is doing for local public service!

Come out for some Zombie action Saturday--over 1,000 have signed up.  Now for the hairy...