116. Benstein Grille – April 13, 2015 – Commerce Township, MI

Last week I took the voyage out to Commerce Township to visit a new restaurant that I was especially excited about trying. One of my favorite former bosses, the until-recently general manager of a restaurant that I worked at as a second job for years, just opened his own place. The Benstein Grille is a small, gorgeous establishment offering an upscale-affordable menu – lamb chops, steaks, pastas, gourmet burgers, signature drinks. It’s the kind of place that offers a versatility that I appreciate, one that you can count on to serve you a nice meal and give you attentive service, but where you can also kick back with a beer and watch a game. And I like places like that. So come out and support the Benstein Grille!

All bias aside, the food and drinks are great, and you will be treated with care here.

2435 Benstein Rd.

Commerce Twp., MI 48390

115. Mount Clemens Bakery – April 11, 2015 – Mount Clemens, MI

The lethal sugar-coated fried croissant

I have a weakness for old-school local-institution bakeries – especially if they are right on my way home from workout class. Yes, I did go right from my calorie-burning session at CC Plus at the Center to Mount Clemens Bakery – sounds like a pretty balanced Saturday to me!

If you go here, and you should, you need to get one of the fried croissants. They are huge – bigger than a baby’s face – and coated in sugar. And they are absolutely delicious. And you will tell yourself that you are just going to eat half before lunch, and you’ll eat the whole damn thing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

95 N. Groesbeck Hwy.

Mt. Clemens, MI 48043

http://www.mtclemensbakery.com/#

114. CC Plus at the Center – April 11, 2015 – Mount Clemens, MI

This was not my first visit to CC Plus at the Center, the awesome community fitness center in Mount Clemens. I actually first visited it back in February, but I didn’t immediately think to write a post on it. And then I kept needing to get a photo of it. So here I am now – better late than never!

CC Plus at the Center is a really gorgeous facility that offers a variety of fitness classes – yoga, zumba, pilates, 20/20/20, to name a few. The classes are drop-in, meaning you can go whenever is convenient to you; a $28 10-pack of classes is available to new learners, which is what initially helped to lure me in. Every instructor I’ve had has had a really good energy, and the desk staff has been very helpful in giving me background information on all the various classes. Check it out if you live in the area – it’s a great place to get in shape for summer!

300 N. Groesbeck Hwy.
Mount Clemens, MI 48043

http://www.ccplusfitness.com/

113. Bangkok Café – April 8, 2015 – Ferndale, MI

I’m one of those people who always order pad Thai at Thai restaurants. Yes, part of me worries about being seen as unoriginal and boring, but ultimately I figure, why mess with a good thing? A visit to the Bangkok Café yesterday, however, compelled me to step away from my little safe zone. The chicken panang dish, with its spicy coconut-milk curry sauce flavored with lime leaves, sounded too delicious to pass up. So I gave it a try – and it was awesome! I can’t see myself deserting pad Thai permanently, but it was nice to change it up a bit. And it was nice to visit Bangkok Café, with its quick, friendly service and very affordable prices.

323 W. 9 Mi. Rd.

Ferndale, MI 48220

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112. Satay House – March 28, 2015 – Madison Heights, MI

Pineapple chicken with rice – yum!

My lunch at Satay House Saturday occurred amidst bummer circumstances. I had asked a friend that morning if she’d like to meet me at this Malay-Thai-Chinese restaurant for an impromptu lunch – and then she got in a car accident on the way there! She was okay, fortunately, but her car was not. So I ended up eating lunch alone, and I couldn’t shake the sadness regarding what had happened to her. At least my pineapple chicken with rice ended up being excellent. It took quite a while, but when it came out piping-hot and delicious it was worth it. My friend and I will have to stage a do-over and come back here. Thank God she was okay!

31101 Dequindre Rd.

Madison Heights, MI 48071

http://www.satayhousemadisonheights.com/