China Chef

China Chef

803 E. McDevitt Ave

517-788-9966

The Chinese restaurant in Vandercook Lake finally opened on Thursday, December 26th 2013. The former site of Mellinger's TV is where the owners set up residence. We've been watching the progress for months, patiently waiting for our opportunity to give it a try.

 Saturday lunch seemed a good time to stop in and sample the menu. We arrived at about 12:15pm and parked in the empty lot. We entered and  immediately noticed how clean, new and roomy the order counter, kitchen, and dining area was. My family and I were the first diners, but not the first customers, as they were bagging up to-go orders already. There were menus to order from at the counter, which showed a pretty typical selection of entrees, sides, and appetizers. The prices were very reasonable and the man working the counter was friendly and helpful. We found a comfy booth in the roomy dining area and waited for our food to arrive. In the meantime, there was a steady stream of patrons picking up orders and filling the dining room. It's a bustling place!

Seafood Flower Basket

My wife ordered an entree called "Seafood Flower Basket" which had shrimp, imitation crab, scallops, lobster, and lots of veggies in a lobster sauce accompanied by fried noodles and white rice. Everything tasted very good, other than the lobster being a bit tough. It was waaaay more food than one person could eat, so the leftovers went home with us.

Sesame Chicken

My daughter decided on an old stand-by, "Sesame Chicken with White Rice". The chicken was crispy and tasty, the rice was light and fluffy. Her biggest issue was that the pieces of chicken were too big to eat, and the only utensil we were given was a chintzy little plastic fork. She really enjoyed her meal though and had a lot of left-overs, even though this was the lunch portion.

General Tsao's Chicken

I went with one of my favorites, "General Tsao's Chicken with Fried Rice". I also got some fried dumplings, which were different than others I've tried, but good. The "General" was spicy without being too hot, crispy, but not overcooked. The chicken fried rice was very good. This was also the lunch portion, which was too much to eat in one sitting.





Summary: We are very excited to have a good quality, inexpensive chinese restaurant in Vandercook Lake. China Chef looks very promising; maybe more so as a take-out than a dine-in choice. They didn't seem particularly well set up for dining at this point, but there is definitely promise in the spacious dining room if they choose to improve that aspect.
We welcome China Chef to our neighborhood and wish them much success!

Copyright 2013 Leif Borreson 

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to family and friends! May the season find you happy and well. 2012 has certainly been an eventful year for our family.

 Callan finished up first grade, performed in a dance recital, continued violin lessons and began second grade. She enjoys all of her activities and tries to make room for friends as well. 

 Bobbi is busier than ever with work at Sparrow Hospital including being the go-to person for speech pathology for the new electronic medical record project, leading the Worship Committee at Brookside UMC, mastering second grade homework, and keeping up with busy family activities. A shiny new blue bicycle didn't get the workout that we hoped for over the too-hot summer, but hopefully that will get remedied this next summer.  Bobbi's Mom has had some significant ups ands downs in the last year.  She is currently home, but has spent a great deal of time in the hospital and the sub-acute rehab settings.  We are hoping and praying for continued healing for her.

 Leif has been busy as well. Work at Comprehensive Speech and Therapy Center has kept him out of trouble and off the streets. Golf has become his new passion, taking up much time and resources. Where has this sport been keeping itself?? Best game ever! Once in awhile, he has even been successful in dragging his two favorite girls along with him.

 It has also been a difficult year, with many challenges involving sickness and loss. Leif lost his oldest brother Fred in April. It was an unexpected and difficult time for all of us. Bobbi lost her Aunt Vicky this Spring after a long and hard fought battle with illness. 

 On a lighter note, we added two puppies to our household this summer. Delphi and Adonis(Don) have been active, joyful, infuriating and  lovable all at the same time. Don spent two months in a leg cast after breaking his leg, perhaps the longest two months that Bobbi and Leif have ever experienced. That dog was pampered more than any dog should ever have to be pampered. Thankfully, both dogs are now healthy and back to normal activities again! Our cat sure has his hands full with those two.

                                               With love,

                                                   Bobbi, Leif and Callan        

Night Light Restaurant

Night Light

145 West Pearl

Jackson, MI

“Pub Grub” is a term thrown around quite often. It refers to the food “grub” that is served at a lot of taverns or “pubs”.  Most people think of pub grub as simple, unsophisticated food, such as sandwiches, burgers, or maybe some Mexican food. Night Light has a different idea about what constitutes pub grub.

The food there is dressed in a little nicer clothing than the standard fare found in most pubs. The kitchen seems to take special pride in using better ingredients, which of course results in a better final dish.

Sandwiches and burgers are a big part of the Night Light menu, and I’ve always felt that the bread is where a lot of restaurants fall short. A good hamburger bun can really set off a burger, and Night Lights recognizes this. They use nice large light and airy buns, which complement the burger, not detract from it.

The last time we stopped in, my wife ordered the grilled cheese sandwich. We were surprised when it arrived at the table and noticed that it was made with flat bread, which gave it a very unique twist.

I ordered the “Big Chief Burger”, a very generous burger with bacon and cheese. This was the second time I’ve ordered this one, and neither time have I made it all the way through.

As usual, the staff was friendly and helpful. Night Light has such a cheerful atmosphere, and always provides a nice relaxing dining experience. 

leif.borreson@gmail.com 

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson

Leif's Literary Log: Night Light Restaurant

Leif's Literary Log: Night Light Restaurant

Lone Oak Vineyard Estates

Lone Oak Vineyard Estates

February 18, 2012

Lone Oak Vineyard Estates  http://www.loneoakvineyards.com  is a new discovery to me. It’s located east of Grass Lake at 8400 Ann Arbor Road. I ran across it while looking for entertainment on http://www.mlive.com/.

It caught my attention because they were advertising their Saturday Night Dinner Concert. The featured entertainer was Herbie Russ, which piqued my interest. Herbie is known to us as a fabulous musician and singer. My wife has known him for many years, and we were lucky enough to catch a performance a few years ago.  We had been looking for opportunities to enjoy another of Herbie’s shows, and this seemed a perfect setting.

At $25.00 per person including dinner, I jumped at the chance to see Herbie again. Saxophone is his specialty, and he didn’t let us down! Tenor sax was his weapon of choice through most of the night, but he broke out the alto sax at times, which made my wife happy, being an alto player as well. Herbie is a versatile performer, being comfortable across several genres of music.

We arrived just before 6pm, and found a smallish room, mostly filled up. The tables were set up to seat four, and we were seated with a pleasant couple who lived just down the road. We had a nice chat with them and ordered a glass of wine, Merlot for my wife and Riesling for me.

There was an opening set of music before dinner was served. We got to hear Herbie for an hour or so, before our entrees of chicken (for me) and salmon (for my wife) arrived. They were both served with rolls and fresh steamed green beans drizzled with butter and toasted almond slivers. The chicken was excellent, while the salmon was good, without really standing out.

With dinner winding down, we ordered a glass of white merlot http://www.loneoakvineyards.com/semidry.html , a semi-sweet wine that really hit the spot for both of us. Lone Oak has a nice variety of wines to choose from, which should please any wine lover.

Herbie started up the second part of his performance, and wasted no time in getting us into the music again. During this portion, there was more audience interaction, with requests from his extensive repertoire. After his last number, the owner of Lone Oak came up front and asked Herbie to do his version of “How Great Thou Art”. He blew us all away with this and caused a lot of facial moisture. This night was a memorable one for my wife and me; especially since my wife knows Herbie from days past. The venue was nice, the service was excellent, the company was superb, and the night’s entertainment was second to none. Thank you Herbie- and Lone Oak Vineyard Estates. We will see you both again!

Leif Borreson

leif.borreson@gmail.com

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson 

Joyful Cafe

Joyful Cafe

February 10, 2012

Joyful Café is on Francis Street near Vandercook Lake. It occupies the building that was most recently Mars Avenue Grill and for years was Bill’s Coffee Manor. I feel that this is an important location for a café in our area. The previous owners didn’t find success here, but I have high hopes for Joy and her crew.

We stopped in for breakfast several weeks ago and were very happy with our meal. At first, the café was only open for breakfast and lunch, but recently they have advertised a Friday night fish fry. My wife and I are big fans of a good fish fry, so we have been trying to work it out to get there on a Friday night. Well, after a long week of work and no motivation for cooking supper, it was an easy decision to try out the fish fry!

I got home and gathered up the girls and off we went to Joyful Café. We got there after 7 o’clock, so business was winding down a bit. We were greeted warmly and invited to seat ourselves. After a moment of deliberation we found a table and settled in.

We got our drink order in and studied the specials board for the fish choices. My daughter was pretty geeked to see that one of the sides offered was mac and cheese. Bobbi and Calli decided on the pan-seared cod, while I stuck with batter-fried. Baked potato was the side choice for the grown-ups, while Calli was having nothing but that mac and cheese!

During our short wait for our food to arrive, I was able to take a look at our surroundings. There is a definite “homey” feel to the café. Homemade curtains adorn the windows, antique knick-knacks line the shelves and the paint is a warm welcoming shade of yellow. Overall, it felt clean, tidy and well lit.

…and now the food. It arrived quickly and looked great! I saw Calli’s first, with the pan-seared cod, mac and cheese and two hush puppies. The mac and cheese was clearly homemade and baked. The fish was cooked well and the hush puppies were a golden brown, and Joy (one of the owners) assured us, “we make those from scratch too”. It’s important to us that restaurants go to the effort in the kitchen to whip up their own recipes, so that was nice to hear. Our plates arrived as well, and we were similarly pleased. My batter-fried fish was nice and crispy on the outside, flaky and well-cooked on the inside. Calli, in particular, really liked her fish.

My wife and I were both really impressed with the friendliness of the staff. Joy was our waiter, and her Mom was on the till, as well as pitching in elsewhere. Joy’s husband was in the kitchen whipping up the food.

I would encourage everyone to give Joyful Café a try. The owners are local and putting forth a great effort to provide a great product in a friendly, inviting atmosphere. I’m a big believer in supporting our local establishments, and Joyful Café is a valuable addition to the south east side of Jackson. 

leif.borreson@gmail.com

http://www.facebook.com/leif.borreson

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson

City Crepes

City Crepes

February 4, 2012

After following the news of City Crepes opening, and then now being open on Saturdays , I decided it was time to give it a try. I can’t remember if I have ever even had a crepe. Being a veteran viewer of The Food Network, I am no stranger to the concept of crepes, but am still fascinated with the actual making of the crepes.

The family and I stopped into City Crepes at about 12:30 on Saturday, February 4^th. We brought a healthy appetite and curiosity to the little “hole in the wall” restaurant at 141 North Jackson Street in scenic downtown Jackson.

My first impression was how small the place is. It’s Definitely not a place to take a crowd to dine in. I think there were five small tables that looked like they would be at home on the sidewalk outside a bistro in Paris. The walls were newly painted in a pleasant hue, and the décor was very quaint and restrained. The owners did a really nice job with the decor!

But…let’s talk about what’s really important here. After all, I’m a heterosexual male; and I’m here for the food, not the interior decorating! I must say, If I had one concern about having lunch at a crepe place, it was whether they would provide me with a hearty enough meal. I needn’t have worried.

My wife, daughter and I perused the menu board and made our decisions. My daughter chose the “Main Street”, a crepe with cream cheese, bacon, turkey and fresh spinach. My wife decided on the “Farmer’s Market” with brie cheese, tomato, fresh spinach and herb de provence. She added some turkey to that as well. After much deliberation, I einie, meinie, miney, moed upon “The Barrio”, a crepe with Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese, Salsa and Tortilla Chips. Once we got our order in, we took a seat and watched our crepes being made on the skillet. If you’ve never seen this procedure, it is worth the visit just to see. The thin batter was ladled on the oiled skillet and spread out with a unique little tool. Toward the end of the cooking of the crepe, the fillings were added and the crepe was folded twice to a roughly pie shaped piece. It was easy to see the high quality of the ingredients that were used. We finally all had our crepes in front us. My wife commented on the wonderful smells emanating from her crepe, very herby. I didn’t bother with the smelling of mine, I just dug in! Our six year old wasn’t quite sure how to attack hers, but with a little guidance, she heartily began.

The talking quickly subsided as we each got a mouthful or two in and reflected a bit. Mine was cheesy, with a nice sweet salsa tang. The tortilla chips gave it a little bit of crunch. The crepes have such an interesting texture; not like a flour tortilla at all. They are crispy at the edges and soft and almost spongy in the middle. My wife really liked the herby flavor of her crepe, and my daughter remarked, “Daddy, you picked the best place ever!”

The menu at City Crepes has two sides: Sweet Crepes on the left, and Savory Crepes on the right. Obviously we chose from savory crepe side, but others had chosen some of the sweet crepes, and they looked SO good, so we decided to share one of those for dessert. We agreed on “The West Side”, a crepe with sliced strawberries, cream cheese, brown sugar and topped with whipped cream. It did not disappoint, to say the least! Everything was warm and sweet, without being TOO sweet.

I certainly Wish City Crepes success. As long as they keep up the quality and friendly service, they should do well. They make a welcome addition to the downtown area of Jackson, and we will visit again.

Copyright 2012 Leif Borreson

leif.borreson@gmail.com