Suddenly... Lansing

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
The latest spin of the Random Customer Dial has me going to Lansing, MI for 2-5 weeks starting on Sunday Jan 7.

I've been told by a friend that Lansing has diddly but Ann Arbor is not far and is much more charming.

I think Grand Rapids is about 45 minutes away but Detroit is well over an hour. Probably hard to do on a school night.

Anyone have recommendations for wine shops and good eats?

Thanks.
 
Both A2 and Grand Rapids are about an hour away from Lansing. Detroit a bit more. If you don't want to go anywhere, the best spot in Lansing to eat is probably Red Haven, which is on the east side of East Lansing, just past the edge of the MSU campus. I haven't been anywhere else in years though, so there could be other interesting things happening.

But if you're game for that commute and you head to Ann Arbor...

Spencer: Cute spot, communal seating, short menu, very "natural" focused wine list heavy on Massale and Dressner IIRC. This is the only one of my suggestions that I've been to in the last 3 years.

Aventura: Spanish tapas, mostly. Food was, in years past, solid. The big advantage here is that they have always had a large selection of wines from one of our Michigan-based importers, Vino Vi & Co, which has some really great small Spanish producers in their book. I've seen a few of their wines show up in Chambers St mailings of late, but many of the wines are only available through her in the US, so a good chance to maybe try a few things not widely available outside Michigan.

Last Word: Cocktail spot. If you go on certain weekdays, they run particular deals. Used to have a half off night for whiskey pours on Wednesdays, which makes some pretty outstanding, expensive things a more affordable proposition.

Kosmo's: Small Korean bibimbap spot in a little cluster of shops near Zingermans Deli.

Everyday Wine: Across the hall from Kosmo's. Value focused, but they usually have a few interesting things, and Jackie and Mary are just two really nice, wonderful people.

Zingermans: If you haven't been, you must go. Especially if you want to browse olive oils, vinegars, cheese, etc to kill some time. Legendary for a reason, though you'll pay for the pleasure.

Tomukun: Noodle bar w/ some Korean. Closer to campus and usually quite busy at lunch.

Comet: Good coffee spot in a little covered outdoor mall area called Nickels Arcade.

Lab Cafe: Coffee, tea, and better-than-Comet's pastry selection. Next to Tomukun.

There's plenty else, of course -- especially if the college town vibe is appealing to you. Most of what I listed above is mostly a bit off campus but walkable if the weather cooperates for a stroll around town.

Not walkable would be the other wine shop recommendation, which is Morgon & York, probably about a 5 minute drive from downtown.

If you wanted a single recommendation, I'd probably say Spencer on the merits of the simple, delicious menu. But Aventura is a very quick walk, so it'd be easy to hit both if you had some time.

If you are at all entertaining the idea of coming to Detroit, there are quite a few options. Not sure how often you'll make it out during your stay, but if you think you might come this far, let me know and there's a much bigger, more interesting list than there would have been even 2 years ago.
 
I was in Ann Arbor last month. I also spent four years of college there. AA is about an hour from Lansing.

Village Corner used to be an outstanding wine store, especially for the environs. I don't know if it still is. The on-line inventory did look good, but I was not able to stop in when I was there last month. As I became interested in wine my senior year, I purchased my first bottle there. Unfortunately, it was wine made of cherries from Michigan.

Much of the charm of AA is as a college town, a liberal one at that, with plenty of good, low key restaurants, especially ethnic restaurants. Pacific Rim is reputed to be the hot place of the moment, and I have not tried it, but it strikes me as akin to Tao here in NYC. I did try Fritabatidos and I probably wouldn't go back. The Earle was an epiphany restaurant for me years ago, and it had a great wine program. I noticed it is still around, but I'm not sure whether it is still good. Gandi Dancer and Gratzi were the kind of places to dine when one's parents came to visit, and they are still around, but again, I can't speak to their current merits.

You should check out Zingerman's deli and Angelo's for breakfast or lunch. I can attest that they are still very good.
 
originally posted by Asher:
I also spent four years of college there...Village Corner used to be an outstanding wine store, especially for the environs. I don't know if it still is...
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Indeed. I spent a month in Ann Arbor during grad school (for stats camp) and remember being downright giddy at their selection. Aged German wines at fair prices. What was not to like!

Of course that was almost 15 years ago...
 
Village Corner moved and is a pale shadow of its former self. (I was there a couple months ago.) I wouldn’t bother. (It was depressing.)

Morgan & York is a better choice, but you won’t find anything unique. It is pretty Kermit heavy. They used to have Raveneau seriously undermarket but not that I saw recently.

The Earle (a restaurant/bar) still has a good list of older bottles at fair prices. I think it closes pretty early, so give yourself time. Last time I looked at the wine list online, one could get 2002 Abtsberg Spatlese at a good prIce. It also used to have a stash of old Burg, Bordeaux, N. Rhône, and Cal Cabs.

Pacific Rim was good last time I was there. It’s a nice sit-down Korean-influenced restaurant. And Kosmo’s does have good Bee Bim Bop. It’s basically a lunch counter. There are a surprising number of good Korean places in AA.

You can get the Robert Lambert grapefruit marmalade I have been kvelling about for the last couple years at Zingerman’s. And a lot of very good other stuff. I used to eat the hot sandwiches (pastrami when I still ate beef) and a delicious Potato Knish on a regular basis. Also it is an excellent cheese shop, bakes its own very good breads, and has a large selection of oils you can taste before buying. You can basically taste anything you want before buying. But, leave the lox because ...

A half block away from Zingerman’s is Durham’s Tracklements, where they smoke their own salmon. It’s really good.

I don’t know Spencer or Aventura.
 
Wow. Evan, Asher, Jayson, thank you!

The first question is: does the TSA have a problem with me carrying lox on the airplane?

I'll have to get my fingers on keyboard to check out all these places. The customer is in Waverly, slightly west of Lansing proper.
 
originally posted by Oswaldo Costa:
Wow, you guys could make even Peoria sound attractive.
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Let’s not get carried away...

Flyover country is a lot better to eat and drink in (even outside of major college towns) than it used to be.
 
Regarding The Earle in Ann Arbor... I don't know him personally, but the guy who handles the wine there (Steve, I think?) and I have several mutual friends. The cellar there is absurd. Absurd. Lots of interesting Bordeaux, Barolo, Burgundy, Napa cabs going back quite a ways. I've never partaken at the restaurant itself, and the food is pretty pedestrian, but I have benefited greatly from his collection in off-site tastings, etc.

I haven't been to Pacific Rim in over a decade, but I'll still second the choice. It was quite good, never overly flashy, with a burgundy and Riesling heavy wine list at the time. Used to be replete with Jacky Truchot and all sorts of what would now be considered pretty rare treasures. Not sure what it's like today, but I'd definitely second the idea of giving that a look.

Also...

You're also about an hour from Kalamazoo, which justifiably has a fraction of the food/wine scene reputation as the other cities discussed. But if you'll be here for a few weeks and are looking for another spot to get out to, you might consider this place: http://rusticakzoo.com/. I have never been and cannot personally vouch for it except to say that mutual friends and wine reps for local distributors speak highly of it and he's beaten me to the punch on a few interesting but low-demand wines that I've tried to grab for my own restaurant, so someone there cares quite a bit about their list. Figured it was worth throwing out there.
 
I'm sitting in an Ann Arbor coffee shop now, but have to leave tomorrow. Bummer; would love to show you the town.

What Jayson said about Village Corner. I dine out little, but one of the best retail selections I've stumbled across here is in the Plum Market on Stadium - I think the Rare Wine Co. does their wine department, though could not swear to it. Anyway, a reasonable selection for not-New-York-or-Berkeley standards. Alas no Dressner that I discerned. Pricing is acceptable, if not exciting. Morgan and York, likewise, had a reasonable selection the last time I was there, a few years ago; ditto on pricing.

Ann Arbor is a sweet little town: there are plenty of cute and trendy shops in the section to the south of the U of M campus, places to eat and work over a cup of coffee. The Whole Foods on Washtenaw has an unusually good hot bar, if you're looking for relatively cheap lunches, and it's next door to a mega Barnes & Nobles. The original Borders book store was here, on West Liberty Street; ancient history now, of course. The campus is a pleasant hike zone, as well, and there are a number of interesting churches to look at. Spend a little time at the Law Quad, too, if you have a taste for medieval-appearing architecture.

Don't overlook the Nichols Arboretum, down by the hospital, which offers a variety of convenient nature walks, if you feel like stretching your legs. It's especially pretty blanketed in snow. Earlier this evening, I ran across a crowd of 21 trumpeter swans there, socializing in the Huron River. What's the right word for a bunch of swans? Consider renting some cross-country skis for a morning traipse.

Anyway, it's a very livable place for a few weeks, hope you enjoy yourself. Putnam, I think, is out in Detroit. There are a couple of other wine folk in the area; you could try sending out a jeeb raven.
 
Oh, ye of little faith! One but needs meet an advocate for a town to find its tasty holes-in-the-wall. A Politburo mole lurker has de-lurked and declaimed and debriefed and de-, de-, de-... spilled some Lansing secrets.

It's really nice not to have to drive an hour each way for dinner.
 
De-briefed. Sounds intriguing.

MSU has one of the nations leading - I think - isotope accelerator programs. Not entirely clear, however, the role played by isotopes in oenology.
 
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