Thursday 6/09/16

State News The

The Cure for Hunger The guide to answer the age-old question: “Where should we eat?”

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: CARLY GERACI AND EMMETT MCCONNELL

FO O D E D ITI O N

FO O D E D ITI O N

FO O D E D ITI O N

WHY RESTAURAUNTS COME TO E.L.

“There’s a reason they came back... because this was their place.”

NEW ORLEANS CUISINE

From the atmosphere to pricing, see why E.L. attracts its food

Alex Vanis, owner of The Coral Gables

PAGES 4 - 5

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T HU R S DAY, JUN E 9, 2 016

@THESNEWS

The Lansing area has a vibrant market for New Orleans cuisine with three different choices in the Lansing area PAGE 12

STAT ENEWS .COM

Food edition

The legacy behind East Lansing’s oldest restaurant, The Coral Gables BYSASHA ZIDAR SZIDAR@STATENEWS.COM

Between East Lansing and Meridian Township lies one of MSU’s historic hidden gems, The Coral Gables, East Lansing oldest restaurant, located on 2838 E. Grand River Ave. When walking into the doors of The Coral Gables restaurant, cutomers are greeted by the famous MSU duck statue made by WWII Veterans who visited the famous roadhouse in the early ‘30s and ‘40s. During this time, Gables’ roadhouse was filled with some of America’s greatest bands including Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, Duke Ellington, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, The Four Freshman and the Ink Spots, to name a few.

During the 1920’s there weren’t many places for MSU students, professors and MSU athletes to go drink and have a good time with friends, until The Coral Gables restaurant opened. History is written all over the walls of The Coral Gables and is filled with rich stories from decades of Spartan alumni.

In 1968, owners Alex Vanis and George Tesseris bought The Coral Gables from Tom Johnson. Vanis and his family have turned this once rock ‘n’ roll bar into a family and banquet hall restaurant.

However, the spirit of the Gables’ still lives in East Lansing today. Stuart Vanis, who helps run The Coral Gables with his father Alex, said Gables’ roadhouse was the first restaurant in East Lansing to serve pizza.

“In the ‘50s, a high school girl’s father came home with something she had never seen before, and it was called pizza,” Stuart said. “She and her family still come here till this day.”

With surviving two big fires, one complete-

ly burning down Gables’ in 1956, MSU Alumni athletes still turn towards The Coral Gables to show them a good time.

“All the players from the ‘66 and ‘65 football championship team came to The Coral Gables restaurant last year because thats where they went when they attended MSU,” Stuart said.

Even though the demographics have changed towards a more family oriented restaurant, The Coral Gables was once MSU’s hottest spot on campus in the 1920s through late 1960s.

“Why did the football players come back here for their homecoming weekend? There’s a reason they came back...because this was their place,” Alex said.

Today, The Coral Gables serves authentic Greek food due to the Vanis family’s strong Greek heritage. They also serve fresh white fish, fresh turkey, homemade pies, ice-cream and deserts with an endless amount of specialities to choose from.

“There is a little something for everyone,” Alex said.

The Coral Gables has become a home away from home for many MSU alumni and their families. It reigns as the oldest restaurant in East Lansing not because of how long its been standing but because of its long lasting memories in the Spartan community.

“In the ‘50s, a high school girl’s father came home with something she had never seen before, and it was called pizza.”

Stuart Vanis, manager of The Coral Gables

The duck statue inside of The Coral Gables on June 8. The statue was built by World War II veterans. PHOTO: EMMETT MCCONNELL

E.L. ordinace leads to bars focusing on food

BY THOR MALLGREN TMALLGREN@STATENEWS.COM

TANK UP! FOR THE SUMMER HEAT Top Cash For Your Books Everyday!

Hours Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 Sun 12-5

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THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2 01 6

421 East Grand River, East Lansing

Due to the East Lansing City Council’s 50/50 ordinance passed in the 1980s, all area bars opened after the legislation passed must sell as much food as they do alcohol.

This ordinance has led to a downtown packed with bars, many of them taking their own unique spin when it comes to meeting the 50/50 quota.

Here are the East Lansing spots with the best food, according to students and alumni: Collin Banghart, a recent graduate in history, says that his favorite place for bar food is Hopcat.

“It has more of a restaurant atmosphere (than a bar), but they definitely have the best food,” Banghart said. “Especially the crack fries.”

According to Hopcat, the name “crack fries” is a reference to the illicit substance and its addictive qualities.

Alan Sulpizio, who earned his degree in biochemistry in 2015, said that Beggar’s Banquet is his favorite spot for bar grub.

“They have really good food so they’re more of a restaurant,” Sulpizio said. “It’s pretty pricey but when we ate the food there, it was awesome.”

Arabic major Nora Schultz also cast her vote in favor of Hopcat, saying she most enjoyed their jalepeno and bacon burger.

Under Hopcat’s menu, this entrée is named “The Cowboy Burger.”

Ethan Pogliano, who just finished up his economics degree, said that Crunchy’s was his joint of choice.

“They’ve got good burgers, a bunch of different appetizers– everything there has been good that I’ve tried,” Pogliano said.

Many students note the fact that their favorite bar food comes from establishments that seem more restaurant than bar.

This is no mistake at Crunchy’s, according to owner Mike Krueger, who said, “We’re a restaurant, not a bar necessarily. That’s more of our thing.”

Krueger, who also sits on the East Lansing Downtown Management board, said of the ordinance, “I don’t think getting rid of the 50/50 rule will necessarily help bring more business to downtown.”

The Tin Can bar perhaps best exemplifies the current conundrum of the 50/50 ordinance, having struggled to both open its doors and acquire an entertainment license all the while being questioned for its ability to sell enough food to meet the quota.

“I don’t think getting rid of the 50/50 rule will necessarily help bring more businness to downtown.”

Mike Kruegar, owner of Crunchy’s

Contents

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

ONLINE

Fire ordinance amended

Football season ticket plans sell out

Parking meter times extended

Police will now notify the person to leave the fire and allow time for them to do so

First-time season ticket buyers will only be able to purchase a six-game package

City Council approved a memorandum to keep parking meters in effect until 3 a.m.

BY T H E N U M B E R S

54 Businesses in East Lansing that are restaurants See pages 4-5

“This is what everyone says Lansing wants, just some good homestyle cooking.”

BY KORTNEY DENNINGS FEEDBACK@STATENEWS.COM

Mathew Spear, chef at Jumbeaux PAGE 12

Holt, Mich. resident Jacob Schopp transfers beer from a bucket to a glass to clean out any excess sanitizer on June 6 at Capital City Homebrew Supply at 623 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, Mich.

PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA

VOL . 106 | NO. 37 CONTACT THE STATE NEWS (517) 295-1680

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cameron Macko

NEWSROOM/CORRECTIONS (517) 295-5149 feedback@statenews.com

CONTENT EDITOR Rene Kiss

GENERAL MANAGER Marty Sturgeon (517) 295-1680 ADVERTISING M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

(517) 295-1680 EDITORIAL STAFF (517) 295-1680 ADVERTISING MANAGER Rachael Chapiewski COLOPHON The State News design features Acta, a newspaper type system created by DSType Foundry.

Letter: MSU shouldn’t charge employees for their parking

PHOTO EDITOR Carly Geraci DESIGN EDITOR Claire Barkholz Copyright © 2016 State News Inc., East Lansing, Mich.

The State News is published by the students of Michigan State University, Monday and Thursday during the academic year.

To Michigan State University concerning student and employee parking, As a full-time student and a part-time employee at MSU, I spend the majority of my time on campus, and after moving back home to save money from living in the dorms, I have noticed how corrupt, frustrating and ridiculous parking on campus truly is.

I became an employee at your institution in the spring of this year and when I asked at my orientation about employee parking passes I received a blank stare. I did my own research and I found your ridiculous rate of $42.50 per month for an employee-parking permit. That’s paying $510 per year just to go to work, on top of already paying your exponentially growing tuition rate, but that’s another letter to write.

Not to mention you pay a lot of your employees the minimum wage, a whopping $8.50 an hour, making the whole $42.50 per month thing kind of impossible with going to school fulltime, paying rent and only being able to work part-time if I want time to actually breathe, which I do.Luckily for me I work in the Brody neighborhood, and there are residential streets nearby that allow free parking during most hours of the day.

These are competitive, because who wants to pay to go to work? So getting a spot is not always guaranteed, but most of the time I am successful.

But then I think about your employees that work in other neighborhoods and probably are not within a ten minute walk of free parking and who cannot afford a parking permit, what do they do?

Especially the ones that work in the evening because a lot of us have to work until midnight, and walking around on your campus in the dark is not a favorable thing to do, considering sexual assault and robberies are not uncommon

at MSU. You should really value your employees’ safety more. We do more for your university than you’ll ever know.

So you’re probably wondering, “dang, how many tickets did this girl get if she is writing an entire letter complaining about it?” and the answer is one. I got it the day that I am writing this letter.

I was working in University Village, and there are no residential streets within a reasonable distance to park on, but there was a near-empty parking lot right outside of where I was working. I thought to myself, “hey, why don’t I park in a parking spot in my work’s parking lot like I should be able to, because parking lots are for parking,” so I did, and when I got out, I immediately regretted it.

Because there laid a ticket that would take away everything that I earned that day.

I didn’t take anyone else’s spot.

Barely anybody is living in University Village right now, so why can’t I park there?

What are those empty parking spots there for?

I know I am not alone when it comes to this issue.

I mean a girl did decide to graduate with her parking tickets from you glued to her head, and I think that really makes a statement.

Considering my friends that go to other colleges and universities get to park for free, I feel like the least you could do is provide free parking passes for your employees, as a lot of us are students and are already paying you heaps of money to go to school here, we shouldn’t have to pay to go to work too.

It is not only a financial issue, but a safety one as well. I dread those nights where I get out at midnight and have to walk a ways to get to my car, and I know others do too. You are liable for us and our safety.

Once again, it’s on you, MSU. Kortney Dennings is a women’s and gender studies junior at MSU.

Subscription rates: $5 per semester on campus; $125 a year, $75 for one fall or spring semester, $60 for summer semester by mail anywhere in the continental United States. One copy of this newspaper is available free of charge to any member of the MSU community.

Additional copies $0.75 at the business office only.

State News Inc. is a private, nonprofit corporation. Its current 990 tax form is available for review upon request at 435 E. Grand River Ave. during business hours.

Copyright © 2016 State News Inc., East Lansing, Mich.

Holt, Mich. resident Jacob Schopp screws a lid on a keg on June 6 at Capital City Homebrew Supply at 623 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, Mich. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA T H U RS DAY, J U NE 9, 2 01 6

T H E STATE N E WS

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Spotlight

From old favorites to new faces, a variation of food calls E.L home

BY STEPHEN OLSCHANSKI SOLSCHANSKI@STATENEWS.COM

Of the plethora of businesses in the downtown, 54 of them are eateries, according to the City of East Lansing’s website. From chain sandwich shops and faux-Mexican to labeled authentic Asian food and American delicacies of the cheeseburger, East Lansing provides a palate of ways to fix the hunger of its residents and students.

Though East Lansing’s reputation for plunging businesses under during the summer months there are establishments who have created a decades old longevity. But every mainstay was once new to the block with the same goal — to last.

And the success seems to come from genuine connection to the community it serves by providing unique atmospheres and above all, enticing food.

Out of the pool there are different restaurants and food stops at different levels of staying power. Seeing through their eyes what makes their longevity, how they hope to achieve longevity and how they intend to stay.

From the start The most well known burger joint in the city sits on the edge of the downtown strip. Painted green and with a newly affixed sign hanging above the patio it’s the first restaurant that catches the eye of a traveler on Grand River coming in from the west side.

Entering the restaurant through the side entrance the first glimpse of the establishment is a dimly lit bar with hanging lights with fixtures painted green. The small bar stretch might be the first inclination that this bar itself isn’t in fact a bar.

And the first thing owner Michael Krueger will say is to forget the word “bar” when Marty Zelt, visiting from Colorado, drinks a beer with his friends April 23, 2013, at Crunchy’s. Zelt wanted to specifically come to Crunchy’s while he describing the place. A push toward restau- was in town. STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO. rant is the focus and it’s plain to see if not told by a sign near the door with hands — one Even if food plays the starring role it’s the on the laurels that have made it famous but Mackinac Island, he knows a thing or two about labeled bar one labeled restaurant — shaking atmosphere which might have the sticking Krueger has the drive it seems to keep the place making it. He did it then and he’s doing it now. in partnership.

Velvet, the less than a year old candy shop, from reaching any level of being content. He’s “It’s certainly in my tenure here, something power.

“It’s sort of a welcoming spot where nobody pushed Crunchy’s to change in ways to adapt home to handmade ice cream, fudge, candy I’ve focused on,” Krueger says of being a brandand chocolate creations made on site is hoped a restaurant. “That’s the route we contin- really feels like they don’t belong,” Krueger to its market.

“I hoped to help when I took over to help ing to bring a little Mackinac to East Lansing. ue to go. Focusing on our food and craft beer said.

“The problem with Mackinac Island is that it’s Booths in the center of the restaurant feature increase sales some and increase our food sales, selection of course to compliment that, hopecarved up polls and frames etched in names that’s what my main focus was,” Krueger said. “I very seasonal,” Berakovich said. “We do a lot fully everything else will fall into place.”

When it comes to food it’s been Crunchy’s of patrons wanting to establish that they were feel happy that we’ve done but at the sometime of volume quickly but it’s about a four month version of burger which has made it famous. apart of the famous East Lansing spot. On the I don’t ever want to be content and knowing season and you get a couple shoulder months Garnering local awards and recognition from walls are posters of the Spartans who contrib- that’s all that we’ve done. So we got to contin- but we wanted more of a year round business national media companies for it’s craft in burg- uted to helping Crunchy’s decorate the wall in ue to strive to push forward and to stays on the where we can prosper from a holiday season er making, Crunchy’s knows it doesn’t need championship newspaper displays. Still further edge on the good quality food that is out there we don’t have up there.”

The winter months effectively shudder Mackmuch promotion. But Crunchy’s was never is a perhaps accidental ode to Oberon beer in and make sure to pass it along to everybody.” inac Island, stopping the throng of business the And the drive it seems to have paid off. intended to be the home of the best burger a line of beer advertisements.

“We’ll still get the old students and the old summer months entail. Missing out on ChristBut it’s that kind of shared feeling and atmobut rather an Italian restaurant.

Paul Grattarola, purchased Geno’s Restaurant sphere which make it a prominent spot and full professors who come back to an MSU game - a mas and Easter and other holidays for the canin 1982 and after a try at Italian, he thought to house for game day with the fight song pumped basketball or football game - and a lot of them dy store, which customizes orders of chocolates change the place to be more casual American throughout the place for Spartan touchdowns and they’ve told us specifically that they’ve and different varieties of candies for occasions, come in and seen the changes that have been was a loss in potential revenue. dining. Naming it Crunchy’s, after his college and wins.

East Lansing, nearly 300 miles from the “The community of East Lansing has been made over the years and it’s been for the betnickname Crunchy’s, the place took off behind the burger and Grattarola’s introduction of the very supportive of Crunchy’s,” Krueger said, ter,” Krueger said. “So now they’re continuing island, seemed enticing to Berakovich out who’s only owned the business for approxi- to come back more and more instead of just of towns he listed like Grand Rapids, Grosse bucket of beer to the East Lansing diet.

“I think it’s been food number one,” Krueger mately a year and been a part of it for six and having that one nostalgic trip. They’re actual- Pointe, Birmingham and Royal Oak. Berakovich, who attended MSU said she said of the Crunchy’s longevity. “Not focusing a half. “In that six and half years we’ve seen ly coming back and hanging out. I think that’s “liked the fact that it was a teaching universinecessarily on liquor but focusing on food and quite an increase in business and sales and I been big for our business as well.” ty town, that was one of our main reasons (for targeting not necessarily just one population. think that just keeping the bar clean, having coming to East Lansing).”

We don’t just target students, we don’t not tar- good clean food, good quality food, I think has Something new East Lansing, too he said lacked a business For Erik Berakovich, a life inside the candy get students though at the same time, we’re really been what has helped us maintain the kind of like a melting pot of everybody kin- crowd that we have and keep it coming back.” store and the ice cream parlor has been a con- like his and wife’s. He felt the town needed it After 34 years it would be easy to coax along stant. Having grown up around Mackinaw and too. And now a year in he feels he was right da comes here.”

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THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2 01 6

Spotlight

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

“Your staff is a big thing. If you have a staff that don’t care, don’t represent your brand well, you’re going to go down quick.”

Scott Rolen, General manager of Lou and Harry’s in his assumption.

“I think we’ve met our goal but I think we can do better,” Berakovich said, adding he thought they had done a good job with marketing but was looking to do even more.

When it comes to handmade ice cream, the MSU Dairy Store is perhaps first on the mind for residents. Berakovich though plans to change if he hasn’t already flipped some Dairy Store patrons to him. He went to the dairy store as student but like a good businessman, he thought he could do better.

“I thought ‘gee, I could do better,’” Berakovich said. “Not to slap on the dairy store cause they make really, really great products but I think I can do better and I think we’ve proven that.”

He also likens the thought of two homemade ice cream stores as having two favorite restaurants saying “you can’t always go to the same restaurant.”

The decor of the place he said was designed by his wife. What he calls a French and British inspired design, it’s reminiscent of Mackinac fudge shops which is a comment/compliment he often receives.

“We didn’t really envision that but a lot of people that come in say ‘oh my gosh it feels like we’re on Mackinac Island,’” Berakovich said.

Berakovich said he hopes to add more students to the customer base saying he wasn’t sure if many knew about the store. But for now as he continues to grow after just a year in, he hopes Mackinac Island can find a little niche in East Lansing.

A Comeback Lou and Harry’s, an upscale looking restaurant with a long bar and jersey’s framed, signed

Permits in East Lansing East Lansing boasts a number of different permits for both businesses and residents, including permits to have things like bar games and a permit to have no more than four chickens in a backyard. Check out some of the more interesting ones below:

Block Party Ordinance:

and hung on the walls looks relatively new.

And it is, sort of.

In 1992 the original Lou and Harry’s opened up at 245 Ann Street in East Lansing and, after 18 years of growth, it seemed only natural to expand. Wanting to try out a bigger location for live events and bigger environment were reasons given to the State News in 2010 by then-general manager Scott Rolen when Lou and Harry’s decided to check out of town.

But after a short time gone from the landscape of East Lansing it decided to move back. Buying up the space where the beloved Woody’s Oasis once stood and lodged between Verizon and Pitaya, the new location is one of three Lou and Harry’s operations in the Lansing area.

“When it didn’t work out the way we thought it would we just really wanted to be back in the downtown hub area,” Rolen said.

Now the 50-percent owner of the newest location, Rolen hopes to recapture some of what made Lou and Harry’s so popular in the past. A return to good food and good times.

“Obviously our food first and foremost but our service was always really good,” Rolen said. “We always treated everybody, we knew everyone’s name, stuff like that.”

For the longevity too is a factor for Lou and Harry’s, something Rolen contributes to that “family atmosphere.”

“I think just as long as you treat people right and good customer service, and your product is there and consistent, that’s what really matters,” Rolen said.

Featuring a menu full of Greek flavors and the sports bar palate, Lou and Harry’s offers a little bit more and then some, having added

• • • • •

$50 deposit which can be given back depending on extent of damage caused by party No amplified music and music has to cease by 11 pm 5 people to host/be responsible for said party No advertising the party No open alcohol

Backyard Chicken Permit:

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$20 fee Five year life for permits, requires a renewal A permit issued to a person whose property is subject to private restrictions that prohibit the keeping of chickens is void. The interpretation and enforcement of the private restriction is the sole responsibility of the private parties involved.

No more than four chickens No rooster No slaughter of chickens

Dance Halls Permit:

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•

“No person owning or operating a restaurant or amusement center shall conduct or allow entertainment or amusement which shall include dancing by employees, monologues, dialogues, motion pictures, slide show, closed circuit television, large screen video or pay TV, contests, orchestra playing, piano playing, the playing of other types of musical instruments, singing, or other performances for public viewing on the premises without first having obtained an entertainment license from the city clerk and paying the license fee and bond as required by section 8-104 of this Code. $100 fee, renewed annually

Second Hand Dealer

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“No person shall engage in the business of secondhand dealer or junk dealer without first obtaining a license therefor. No such license shall be granted until the mayor shall find that the proposed business will not tend to create a hazard to the public health or tend to depreciate property in the area unduly, or retard the natural development of the area, or be a violation of any provisions of this Code.” $50 annual fee

The inside of Velvet A Candy Store pictured on June 8 at E. Grand River Ave. The store is coming up on their one year anniversary in July 2016. PHOTO: CARLY GERACI

T H U RS DAY, J U NE 9, 2 01 6

alcohol as well to the restaurant which none of the other locations currently have.

A large Lou and Harry’s sign hangs in the back of the bar. Leaving only a few feet of wall space the sign can be seen as a commitment to the brand if one is willing to brand it so large. It hangs a famed Pubs of East Lansing drawing on one of the walls, showing that feels like it belongs in East Lansing.

One key to becoming established in East Lansing Rolen said, is making sure the staff represents the brand well.

“Your staff is a big thing,” Rolen said. “If you have staff that don’t care, don’t represent your brand well they’re going to go down quick.”

As for changes, Rolen said everything food was is made from scratch but added recipes were still the same. The first three months of operation in the new location however were slow initially, said Rolen.

“About a month into it we started getting more slammed in here lunch and dinner,” Rolen said. “It’s been really well.”

As for the family atmosphere, when he finished the interview he got up, went to the bar, slapped some patrons on the back and shook their hands.

He then motioned over and said the guys he just greeted have become regulars.

In terms of the future of the Lou and Harry’s brand, Rolen said the goal is to open in other cities.

“Definitely would like to be a part of East Lansing for a long time,” Rolen said.

As with any business the goal is to last and last a while. And so they try.

TH E STATE N E WS

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Food edition

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

El Oasis brings Mexican food on the go to Lansing-area residents

Customers wait outside on June 7 at El Oasis at 2501 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, Mich. PHOTOS BY NIC ANTAYA

Lansing resident Donald Cruz reaches for a topping to place on an order of tacos on June 7 at El Oasis.

Assorted pieces of dough are fried in preparation for creating sopes on June 7 at El Oasis.

Delton, Mich. resident Ed Kellogg waits for his taco to be served on June 7, at El Oasis.

Lansing residents Donald Cruz, right, and Alma Lopez, center, prepare food while Mariana Meija handles customers’ orders on June 7 at El Oasis.

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THE STATE N E WS

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2 01 6

Food edition

Longtime employees and students, MSU Bakers rise early for diners

Lansing Resident Philippe Garza takes buns out of the oven on June 3 at MSU Bakers. Garza has been with MSU Bakers for 34 years and was a professional baker before that.

From left to right, Holt resident Danielle Stoney and Delta Township resident Selena Peeper tray frozen cookie pucks to be baked on June 6 at MSU Bakers. Cookie pucks for the dining halls are bagged at MSU Bakers and delivered to the dining halls where they are baked. PHOTOS BY EMMETT MCCONNELL

St. John’s resident Anne Wood decorates a cake on June 6 at MSU Bakers. Wood started work at 4 a.m. that morning.

Physiology Junior Nuraina Zakri moves frosting to a storage bucket on June 6 at MSU Bakers. Zakri said she started at MSU Bakers because she love baking, especially cakes.

Decorated cookies pictured on June 3 at MSU Bakers. Manager Cindy Baswell estimates that MSU Bakers makes 200 to 250 dozen cookies a day during the summer and 400 to 600 dozen cookies a day during the school year.

T H U RS DAY, J U NE 9, 2 01 6

TH E STATE N E WS

7

Crossword

L.A. Times Daily Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

Food edition

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

Tips and tricks for grocery shopping on a college budget Average Price of Common Grocery Items $6.00 per lb in the Lansing Area

$3.28 per gallon ACROSS

1 Single-celled lab specimen 6 Sultan of __: Babe Ruth 10 Machine-mixed ice cream beverage 14 Sun-bleached 15 Pass in soccer but not in football 16 Singer India.__ 17 Enter like a debutante 19 Debussy’s “Clair de __” 20 Focus of psychoanalysis 21 Toga party barrel 22 Vinyl collectible 23 Keep a lawn moist 27 Comedy duo Key & __ 29 Midday snooze 30 Ring-shaped fried veggies 32 __ on the back 33 Sting operation 37 Where Hillary was a sen.

38 Airer of old films 40 Round veggie 42 Best pitcher in the rotation 43 Shocked reaction 45 Brazilian port 47 Search __: online tool 49 WrestleMania venues 52 Electroshock weapon 53 Deflate the overconfidence of

57 __ of the Union address 58 Velocity meas.

59 Pilate’s “Behold!”

62 Georgia __ 63 New beginning ... and what the first words of 17-, 23- and 53-Across can literally have 66 Vicinity 67 Island party 68 Hog hangouts 69 Roast, on le menu 70 Shrill bark 71 “Peter Pan” girl

DOWN

1 Homes for mil. jets 2 Female horse 3 Flower in a “Sound of Music” song title 4 Bovine hybrid 5 Wood shaper with a broad blade 6 Slalom racers 7 Men’s dress shoe 8 Work onstage 9 Boxing ref’s ruling 10 Teen hanging out among shoppers 11 Netherlands Antilles resort island

12 Lucy’s blanket-toting brother 13 Swarms (with) 18 __ out: barely make 22 Ten-percenter: Abbr.

24 Circus covering 25 Unlikely auto trade-in 26 Lauder of cosmetics 27 Vintage video game 28 One-named Irish singer 31 Carpentry fastener 34 Engage in high jinks 35 Unpopular spots in school?

36 Social equal 39 Wisc. neighbor 41 Not in favor of 44 Asian dish topped with crushed peanuts 46 Cereal served hot 48 Texarkana daily 50 Fish eggs 51 Absorbs with bread, as gravy 53 Certain red giant 54 In __: not yet born 55 “Be silent,” in music 56 “Be silent!”

60 Rep on the street 61 Website featuring handicrafts 63 Angler’s lure 64 Deeply regret 65 NNE’s opposite

Level: 1

2

3

4

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO SATURDAY’S PUZZLE

Get the solutions at statenews.com/ puzzles

8

© 2016 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.

THE STATE N E WS

$2.00 per 12 $2.00 per .5 liter

$0.59 per lb

Cheese

Milk

Bread

SOURCE: NUMBEO.COM

BY ANTREONA MERIDITH AMERIDITH@STATENEWS.COM

Get the solutions at statenews.com/puzzles

6/6/16

$2.19 per lb

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2 01 6

With many students living off campus during the summer, affording food is something that many struggle with. Having a list of necessity items and strategies to grocery shop more efficiently is the best way to get a bang for your buck.

Grocery shopping is about pre-planning and being able to see ahead of time. Meals have to stretch especially when on a budget, and certain items can make numerous different meals.

“Budget money on what stores you will need,” Qihao Shentu, a junior at MSU, said. “So for salmon fish I come to Whole Foods, and say for watermelon I’ll go to Meijer.”

Grocery shopping on a budget is about thinking wisely and not wasting money. It’s easy to get into habits and want to purchase all items on the shopping list from one grocery store, however, variety is key. Finding the best deal might mean going to more than one store and comparing prices at each one. An easy way to do that is looking through weekly advertisements and coupons for the best grocery store deals. It’s important to know what stores are best for selling which kinds of items. "[I] look up things before coming” Kayla Morrison, a medical school graduate student, said.

Weekly advertisements show all the for deals for food that week, so it’s a smart way to see which stores have the best deal for that week. When it comes to reviewing advertisements from grocery stores, more is better.

For example, one might discover that the East Lansing Food Cooperative has the best deal on wheats and grains for the week, while Meijer has the best deal on proteins and meats, Kroger has great deals on dairy and so on.

Knowing which stores have which deals allows cheap-

Eggs

Beer

Bananas CHART: CLAIRE BARKHOLZ

er prices and more quantity of certain items.

“Bulk items can be ones that are items that are purchased regularly,” Bruce Grambau, General Manager of East Lansing Food Cooperative, said.

Buying in bulk means buying an item in a large quantity that lasts for weeks or even months. For instance, sugar, normally 10 pounds, can be bought in bulk at 25 or 50 pounds. These kinds of items save money because they do not have to be bought as often.

Coupon clipping is another grocery shopping hack that is becoming more popular among younger people.

Many people use coupons through earning rewards with mPerks from Meijer, ExtraCare cards from CVS Pharmacy and other reward specials and privileges that come with signing up for a membership at a store.

Another useful tip to use when shopping at stores such as Walmart, Meijer and Target is price matching. Price matching happens when a rival company offers the same product for a lower advertised price than the competitor.

In this case, the competitor company will either match the lower price or refund the difference if the customer has already purchased the product from it.

Buying food does not have to be stressful or hard due to financial reasons. There is always a way to save while grocery shopping. Some stores offer specials for students like the East Lansing Food Cooperative that has discounts on Sundays for students or give out coupons after purchases are made that can save the money for another day.

“Bulk items can be ones that are purchased regularly.”

Bruce Grambau, general manager of E.L. Food Cooperative

Food edition

Apps make life easier ordering food delivery

BY DEVAN PENNINGTON DPENNINGTON@STATENEWS.COM

When ordering food for delivery online there aren’t always discount deals that are easy to use on the restaurant’s site. Another problem could be the specific restaurant may not deliver. With these free and easy apps found right in the app store, these two issues can be easily solved.

“For food apps, I use Hooked and GrubHub,” Mark Feather, an employee at The Peanut Barrel, said.

Hooked is free and available for Apple and Android devices. On this app one can find a list of discounts and coupons from food places near them, and once he or she finds the deal or food they would like, they can then to the establishment, click “Use it now” in the app and show it to the cashier to get the listed deal. Deals on the app last no longer than five hours, so Hooked is consistently updated with new deals.

“I use Hooked because it’s local and GrubHub is an app that’s commonly used to order food, so I use that for low prices on food I order,” Feather said.

GrubHub offers its users free pickup and delivery for several restaurants. On the GrubHub app, users can find reviews on restaurants, which helps if it’s their first time ordering from that establishment. Users enter their location and what they’re craving, then GrubHub supplies them with a list of what they’re looking for in their area.

The Yelp app offers reviews on local food businesses and lets users search for restaurants that are nearby. Through Yelp it is possible to view photos of the restaurant and its food, and users can get directions to where they’re trying to go as well as make reservations. Yelp is free and available for Apple and Android devices.

“EatStreet gives me the best deals, I use that to order food when I’m on campus,” media and information junior Temia Gaines, said.

EatStreet gives users many options when ordering food. When placing a big order over the phone it can be difficult splitting the bill between a group. With EatStreet that problem is resolved, with its “split the bill with friends” option. It’s as simple as selecting your food and then having friends join with their order, to make it a group order.

EatStreet also offers deals, and the more you order through the app the more coupon deals it sends back in return. This app is available to Apple and Android users.

College students now have a food app catered just to them. EnvoyNow is an app that delivers food from restaurants that don’t offer delivery service to college campuses. Through this app students can order food like McDonald’s and Chipotle from 6 p.m. until midnight Monday through Sunday. There is a delivery fee of $2.99 when ordering through Envoy to pay its student drivers. EnvoyNow is available to students in the Apple app store.

East Lansing Farmer’s Market opened June 5 for community

RELIGIOUS GUIDE Look for this directory in the paper every Thursday and online at: www.statenews.com/religious

Ascension Lutheran Church 2780 Haslett Rd. E. Lansing Between Hagadorn & Park Lake Rds. (517) 337-9703 Adult Bible Study: 9am Sunday School: 9am Worship Service: 10am ascensioneastlansing.org Chabad House of MSU Your Jewish home, away from home 540 Elizabeth St. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 214-0525 chabadmsu.com Friday evenings: 20 minutes after sunset followed by Shabbat dinner Saturday: 11am, Torah reading at 12pm Faith Fellowship Baptist Church 1001 Dakin St. Lansing, MI 48912 (517) 853-9897 Sunday Morning Worship: 11am Wednesday Prayer and Bible Study: 6:30pm Van service available to church Campus Bible Study: Tuesday at 7:00 pm in Chemistry Bldg. www.ffbc.us First Baptist Church of Okemos 4684 Marsh Rd. Okemos, MI 48864 (517) 349-2830 www.fbcokemos.org/ worship Sunday worship: 10:45am Greater Lansing Church of Christ 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI (Meeting at the University Christian Church building) (517) 898-3600 Students welcome!

Sunday Worship: 8:45am Sunday Bible class: 10am Wednesday: 7pm - praise and worship Students please feel free to call for rides http://www.greaterlansing coc.org Hillel Jewish Student Center 360 Charles St. East Lansing, MI (517) 332-1916 Friday Night Services: 6pm, Dinner: 7pm September - April

Richmond, Va. resident Holly Hooper examines plants on display on June 5 at the East Lansing Farmer’s Market at Valley Court Park in East Lansing. Every food sold by vendors at the East Lansing Farmer’s Market is 100 percent homegrown. Vendors must grow their own produce or make their own products. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA 9

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Lansing Church of God in Christ 5304 Wise Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 http://lansingcogic.org/ Worship hours Sunday: 10:30am, 5:00pm Monday Family Prayer: 6:00pm Little Flock Christian Fellowship A Non-DenominationalEvagelical Church MSU Alumni Chapel (Basement Hall) Sunday Worship Service: 10am-12 Noon.

Fellowship Lunch after the service Weekly Bibly Studies & Students’ Meetings. littleflock.msu@ gmail.com www.littleflock.org Martin Luther Chapel 444 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-0778 martinlutherchapel.org Sunday: 9:30am & 7:00pm Wednesday Worship: 9pm Mini-bus pick-up on campus (Fall/Spring) Peoples Church 200 W. Grand River Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-6074 www.thepeoples church.com Sunday Worship: 8:30am Chapel, 10:30am Sanctuary Wednesday Night Live!: Community Meal at 5:30pm, Programs at 6:30 River Terrace Church 1509 River Terrace Dr. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-9059 www.riverterrace.org Service times: 9 & 11:15am St. John Catholic Church & Student Center 327 M.A.C. Ave. East Lansing, MI 48823 www.stjohnmsu.org Worship hours Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am, 12:00pm, & 7:00pm Monday, Wednesday, & Friday: 12:15pm

The Islamic Society of Greater Lansing 940 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 For prayer times visit www.lansingislam.com Trinity Church 3355 Dunckel Rd. Lansing, MI 48911 (517) 272-3820 Saturday: 6pm Sunday: 9:15am, 11am trinitywired.com University Baptist Church 4608 South Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-4144 www.ubcel.org 10 AM Worship Service 11:15 Coffee Hour 11:30 Sunday School University Christian Church 310 N. Hagadorn Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-5193 universitychristianwired.com Sunday: 11:15 am Sunday Bible Study: 10:15 am University Lutheran Church (ELCA) One Community: Lutheran/ Episcopal Campus Ministry 1020 South Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 332-2559 www.facebook.com/ onecommunitymsu Sunday Worship 10:45am University United Methodist Church MSU Wesley 1120 S. Harrison Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 351-7030 universitychurch home.org msuwesley.org Sunday: 10:30am 9:00am Garden Service in the summer TGIT: 8:00pm Thursdays Sept. - April WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry 704 Abbot Rd. East Lansing, MI 48823 (517) 580-3744 www.msu.edu/~weisluth 6:00pm Saturday

Religious Organizations: Don’t be left out of the Religious Directory!

Call 517-295-1680 today to speak with an Account Executive

Food edition

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

Worth the wait: Golden Harvest offers a unique dining experience

BY ANTREONA MERIDITH AMERIDITH@STATENEWS.COM

Golden Harvest: many have heard of it, and many desire to go. A unique experience over warm, fresh and creative food awaits in the cozy establishment of Zane and Marie Vicknair. Travelers from all around find themselves in Old Town, Lansing on the corner of Turner Street trying a breakfast special.

The cash-only restaurant offers a variety of breakfast and brunch foods that are made from locally grown and purchased products.

Unique specials, such as the peach cobbler French toast or the Cap’n Crunch French toast, are offered daily and always vary.

“I’m so jealous of the (peach cobbler French toast),” Lacey Galas, a customer, said. “I should have ordered that.”

Galas ordered pancakes, which still lived up to her expectations that came from recommendations and good reviews from others.

Despite the 15 minute wait outside of the establishment and a 40 minute wait for their food, MSU alumnus Miles Joyce’s Polish omelette was “definitely hitting the spot.”

The exterior of the restaurant is decorated with street signs, toys, vinyl records and painted phrases, all on top of a bright turquoise colored brick. The door of the establishment has a list of restaurant rules, as well as the infamous skull with fork and knife crossbones logo.

With random vintage knickknacks, posters and even action figures decorating the inside, the restaurant is a total contrast of the traditional sit down diner experience. A blank wall does not exist.

A variety of music pumps loudly through the restaurant along with conversation that’s overheard due to the intimate seating. Intimate meaning only 33 seats are available in the joint, which is why people stand in line 30 minutes before the diner opens. Wheth-

“The point of this place is to come in and be yourself. We are all equal.”

Jasmine Hughes, Golden Harvest cook er it’s raining or snowing, hot or breezy, customers always seem to have the “it was worth the wait” mindset.

So what makes this place so popular?

The food? The decor? Or is it the people who make it a community? Most people hear about the restaurant from word of mouth, and it may be popular from the curiosity of waiting in line for a diner.

But when it comes down to it, the food and service is what keeps Golden Harvest going strong.

“The point of this place is to come in and be yourself,” Jasmine Hughes, the four year cook, said. “We are all equal.”

The attitudes and energy that the staff has is reciprocated by the customers.

They aren’t just employees, but a family in an environment where they are appreciated by their bosses. The family bond is shown to customers as well.

“Everyone here is my best friend and customers I care about as friends,” Hughes said.

Having this mentality is what keeps people around and new customers coming in. The “come as you are” attitude appeals to many and it allows for people from different backgrounds to come in and be welcomed.

The establishment, which opened in 1951, continues to hold the same traditions and values of “have fun...definitely...us and the customers,” Steve King, a Golden Harvest server, said.

By supporting local farmers markets such as Horrocks, Golden Harvest continues to be proud of the fresh

Lansing resident Jasmine Hughes prepares french toast on June 8 at Golden Harvest at 1625 Turner St. in Lansing, Mich. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA

and locally bought food because it goes back into the community.

“The food is fresh, and it keeps people coming back,” Zondria Hoyle, a Golden Harvest regular, said. “A variety like no other is offered, and it’s different each day.

I came Sunday and got something off the board (of dai-

ly specials) and today (Tuesday) it’s all different, and that’s a good thing.”

A restaurant that is not just a business but part of a community that cares about the city and its customers is one that will always thrive. And Golden Harvest continues to do so.

Dining on a budget: five cheap and simple recipes for a full stomach and a full wallet

BY THOR MALLGREN

Fancy Ramen: 34 cents per meal

TMALLGREN@STATENEWS.COM

A sense of loss can hit many Spartans as they move off campus, away from their luxurious meal plans and into apartments.

The change from having well prepared meals available at anytime to having to cook your own food can be jarring to some, leaving students financially and nutritionally without a paddle.

Yet with the right mindset and, most importantly, the best meal ideas - any student can eat well without breaking the bank.

Rice and Veggies: $2 per meal Proof that you don’t need to spend big to eat healthy, this recipe requires only a bag of frozen vegetables and a box of white rice.

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Ramen, a staple food of any college student on a budget, can be made much more edible with a twist.

Cook your ramen like normal, then finish it with a fried egg and Sriracha. If you want eggy goodness spread throughout, mix it in with the ramen as it cooks! (Don’t forget to stir) Both ramen and eggs are available in packs of 12, so by in bulk to save extra cash.

Pasta with red sauce: 75 cents per meal If there’s any food to showcase the wonders of cooking in bulk, it’s pasta.

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2 01 6

One night of cooking can make 10 meals worth of food when purchasing bulk packages of noodles and sauce.

Yogurt and granola: $1.30 per bowl Not just a breakfast food, yogurt and granola is a cheap, healthy and flavorful option for any time of day.

Beans on toast: 36 cents per piece This budget meal is immensely popular in the UK and Australia. All that is required is to heat up beans, make toast and put one on top of another.

Popular toppings include cheese and Worcestershire sauce.

Food edition

Get the best deals for lunch spots to eat on a limited college budget

BY ISAAC CONSTANS ICONSTANS@STATENEWS.COM

For students in college, there’s a standard truism about food selection. Kids are cyclically broke a week after paychecks and incessantly famished.

And while Ramen Noodles are good for late night snacks, the repetitiveness can get a little bit old.

To keep both your wallet and stomach full, the State News has compiled eight of the best lunch deals in East Lansing.

Conrad’s: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday The epitome of a stumble-and-savor local favorite, Conrad’s brings more to the table than just a late-night haven. Some of those same popular indulgences are offered for nearly half price, and still taste pretty darn good. A solid option for a lunch/dinner around 3 p.m. $5 for the Number One, V’s Grilled Cheese, Cheeseburger, OGCT, T-tot Special or four chicken tenders. Prices for sides also reduced.

Charlie Kang’s: Monday through Friday Right on Grand River, Charlie Kang’s isn’t too far from anything. Once you get there, the lunch specials are usually quite appeasing from a price standpoint and are true entrees size-wise. With authentic Korean and Chinese food, it’s hardly a bad option for escaping a sandwich or burger.

Lunch specials start at $6.75.

Beggar’s Banquet: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., Monday through Friday Although most highly regarded for an impressive selection of brews and liquors, Beggar’s Banquet also serves food. An esteemed gumbo platter and a turkey melt will certainly do the job,

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or for the health-conscious a salad is a solid surrogate. All under $10 for a nice sampling of two meals.

Two half-portions of either a soup, salad or sandwich for $9.49 and includes a soft drink or coffee.

Peanut Barrel: 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Monday through Friday If you don’t quite feel like detaching yourself from the burger genre, Peanut Barrel is widely considered the best local burger joint in town.

Although debates rage on between Peanut Barrel and Crunchy’s, during lunchtime, Peanut Barrel has a deal that is hard to beat.

Burger or cheeseburger, chicken or chicken and cheese sandwich. The sandwich comes with chips, pickle and choice of pop, iced tea or coffee for $5.80.

Black Cat Bistro: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday A good spot for that special friend who you wish was more, the Black Cat Bistro is upscale and produces refined food for refined tastes. A soup and salad combo is a good way to keep the price manageable while still getting a tasty meal out of the deal, starting at $14.

Little Caesars: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., everyday Little Caesars might possibly be the quickest in-and-out vendor, and an important consideration for your precious weekday work break.

The lunch special varies the regular options, offering four large Detroit-style deep dish pizza slices and a 20-ounce Pepsi beverage, in the traditional Hot-N-Ready format. For one person, that’ll quench the cravings.

Four Detroit-style deep dish pizza slices and a 20-ounce Pepsi beverage are $5, Hot-N-Ready.

DIRECT CARE worker. Assist children/adults w/ autism. all shifts avail. High school diploma/GED, reliable trans. & valid driver’s lic. req. Call 517-374-7670.

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Taco Bell: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., everyday Taco Bell is serene during the day, satanic at night. According to Secret Menus, lunch is “happy hour,” when even the costs of fast food can be cut down. The burritos and its Taco Bell interpretations come in different flavors, including loaded potato, beefy nacho and chipotle ranch chicken. All are just a buck.

Multiple Loaded Grill flavors are just $1.

Sultan’s: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., everyday Just off of Hagadorn Road lies Sultan’s, home

to diverse and delicious options of Mediterranean dishes. Although tucked away in a parking lot, Sultan’s packs in a lot, like they do with their weekday to-go box. It’s $6, and includes all sorts of goodies. And Monday through Thursday, a chicken shawarma or falafel wrap is $3 from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

To-Go Shawarma Box with rice, hummus, salad and chicken shawarma for $6. Chicken shawarma or falafel wrap for $3 weekdays except Friday.

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East Lansing resident Sarah AbdMahmoud, front, and Lansing resident Saif Alfaoor prepare food on June 8 at Sultan’s at 4749 Central Park Dr. in Okemos Mich. PHOTO: EMMETT MCCONNELL

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NOW HIRING at Collegeville Textbook Company. Stop by 321 E Grand River to apply.

SEEKING RESPONSIBLE caretaker for husband w/ disabilities. Duties; monitoring/assisting with physical activities/mobility, ensuring safety in surroundings, assisting with medications, meal preparation, + basic grooming. Reliable transportation required. Valid driver’s license required.

Salary; $15/hr; estimated 300 hrs/yr.

Contact: scullycat19@yahoo. com

1 BDRM, 1 bath, affordable luxury, downtown EL. Whirlpool, marble and granite. 517-204-7488

GARAGE/MOVING sale June 9 & 10, 9am-5pm and Saturday June 11, 9a - 1p.

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PRICE REDUCTION! Stellar views! Okemos, Minutes to MSU, highway + busline.

Spacious, beautifully appointed 2 bed 2 bath. Call now, It will not last (517)-648-5577.

PHONE SURVEYS, Nonsales position, flexible hrs, up to $10/hr, West Lansing location. 517-482-8884

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122 & 134 Durand. 9 mth lease. Heat/water incl. Good parking. hrirentals.com 517.351. 0765

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Couch, loveseat, dressers, desks, dining table and chairs, oak TV ent. center, spartan pool table, lamps, too much to list.

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Food edition

Rene Kiss Content editor rene.kiss@statenews.com

Three Lansing restaurants bring taste of New Orleans to the city

BY ISAAC CONSTANS ICONSTANS@STATENEWS.COM

There’s a place where the weather’s always sunny, the music’s always playing and the food’s always good. It’s called New Orleans, and it has caught the eye of Lansing residents.

Three restaurants of cajun or New Orleans-based cuisine have transplanted the popular style of cooking much closer than the 18-hour drive south. Mathew Spear, chef for Jumbeaux, a cajun restaurant on the west side of Lansing, said the food is naturally appealing to any sort of resident who just wants delicious food without having to go through formalities.

“All the food we make, it’s easy to make.”

Spear, rolling dough with a 28-ounce Rotel can, said, “It’s time-consuming, but it’s easy to make.

It’s not gourmet, it’s just good.”

Step into the kitchen of Jumbeaux before the dinner rush, and it’s a shambolic space of thick bouillabaisse-like sauces bubbling on the stove, flour and mixed powders blanketing the tile floor and jazz music blaring to the beat of the commotion. It’s all available for customers to see through a narrow window positioned directly behind the cash register.

“If it isn’t messy, you ain’t doing it right. That’s what my dad taught me,” Spear, a Baton Rouge native, said. “This is what everyone says Lansing wants, just some good homestyle cooking. Hell, if you Google ‘chicken and dumplings,’ only two places come up: [Jumbeaux] and Cracker Barrel.

“See you probably know how to make everything on the menu. It’s either you don’t have the time or the want to.”

Although some of Spear’s recipes have been mid-westernized, the essence remains the same.

For all of the clamorous clangs and controlled chaos in the kitchen, the result is one of precise and meticulous adherence to the southern standard of good food with a pinch of individ-

uality and bountiful flavor.

Jumbeaux is the oldest of three New Orleans-style restaurants that opened within a year of each other in Lansing. Nola Bistro, on North Waverly Road, and Creole, on Turner Street, joined the trend in May and November of 2015.

Nola Bistro showcases another side of New Orleans cooking culture with Vietnamese pho and noodles served a page-flip away from poor boys, a southern sub made with french bread and topped with overflowing sauces and meat.

Vietnamese cooking is a mainstay in New Orleans currently, after the fall of Saigon forced many refugees to scatter to Louisiana as a common destination. Nola Bistro accurately represents that aspect of the city’s culture.

The final ingredient of the New Orleans food scene in Lansing comes from Creole, consisting of separate fine dining and beignet-and-coffee branches side-by-side in Old Town. The title “Creole” actually came from the art gallery that occupied the plot before the restaurant moved in, and the transition seemed ideally continuous, according to assistant manager Roger Hayes.

However, despite its name, Creole doesn’t serve classic cajun entrees, but rather seeks to emulate the upscale fine dining one might find on a stroll into a Royal Street cocktail and dinner bar.

“I think that’s more of a thing right now, that there’s more of a straight cajun and creole type cooking,” Hayes said. “For exactly what we do, we’re kind of a standout for that. You’ll see pork belly, confit and shanks on other menus, but it’s how its presented.

“We’re a very French-influenced southern Louisiana and New Orleans style restaurant with a cajun and creole touch. But we’re definitely more on the classical French side of New Orleans cooking.”

Even for the decorous Creole, food comes foremost. For them, it’s the primary means of

“I think anybody who’s been to New Orleans wants to bring that here, experience that here, the cuisine especially.”

Adam Davis, MSU admissions counselor authenticity.

“We’re fine dining, but we’re casual fine dining,” Hayes said. “You can come in here in a t-shirt and a wife-beater, and you’ll still get fine-dining service.”

Other Lansing-area food vendors have popularized a New Orleans brand. Beggar’s Banquet serves a traditional gumbo that is well received, while the Michigan State University cafeterias actually offer king cake, crawfish and jambalaya, all converging on Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.

Adam Davis is an admissions counselor at

Michigan State and recruited southerners for many years to the school, although he now occupies an eastern route. According to him, New Orleans culture is simply infectious, as the Lansing renditions of New Orleans food reflect.

“Once you go there, you really like what you see and like what you eat, and you want that to come up here,” Davis, who is vacationing to New Orleans this summer, said. “I think anybody who’s been to New Orleans wants to bring that here, experience that here, the cuisine especially.”

Redefining the way you think about health.

Online Services http://healtheguide.msu.edu/ Reliable health information.

Formerly known as the Healthwise Knowledgebase, Health e-Guide is an online source of information to help you make better decisions about your health.

My Health Delivered http://health4u.msu.edu/hem/index.html Your questions deserve quality answers.

Healthy Email Service is now My Health Delivered. Evidence based health information designed to improve your health knowledge and enhance your ability to discuss health concerns with your health care provider. For a sample of what My Health Delivered can offer, check out our edition on Exercise Benefits.

http://thinkingaboutdrinking.msu.edu/ Facts about alcohol use.

Alcohol use is just one of many factors that can affect health status. This website uses evidence-based data and validated tools to help viewers decide if their use of alcohol may be impacting their health. Spend some time really paying attention to your own alcohol use, some time thinking about drinking.

All programs are open to MSU faculty, academic/support staff and benefits-eligible dependents. For more information or to register, please contact us by email health4u@msu.edu or by calling 517-353-2596

Portland, Mich. residents Terry Brown, left, and Craig Brown enjoy a meal on June 5 at The Creole at 1218 Turner St. in Lansing. PHOTO: NIC ANTAYA 12

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All p acad ble d regis heal