The tides have taken the E.L.B.C. back into Lansing to sample one of the area's most timeless restaurants. Clara's Lansing Station was established in 1978, 6 years after the closing of the Union station upon which it is built. The owners strive to recreate a piece of Lansing's past by filling their restaurant with historical items to satisfy patrons aesthetically. This includes using an actual dining car as part of the restaurant, pieces of furniture from R.E. Olds' former mansion, and beautiful antique chandeliers hanging from the wood beams of the ceiling.

We strode in on a Sunday afternoon with new members Robert, Norah, and Moses(read his music blog for some funky tunes) in tow, looking for some delectable treats to tame our wild tastebuds. Passing the impressive brunch buffet, we climbed the stairs to the balcony seating where the sailfish and moose on the walls shared our vantage point above the brass railings and wooden floors. Overlooking the restaurant is quite a spectacle, and there are countless interesting things scattered throughout worth seeing.

We sat in the restaurant mostly alone, except for a few gangster-looking types in fedoras eating in the dining car. The created an aura of pleasantness, but the restaurant would be much different were it filled.

Right away, Norah was disturbed by Clara's chosen temperature: "It's too cold with a t-shirt, but too hot with a sweater on." However, she was pleased with the musical selection, enjoying the Beatles and Mamas and the Papas played throughout the restaurant.

Peeling open the menu gives you a wide choice of food items and historical photos from the Lansing area, enhancing the old-timey feel harbored by Clara's. We ordered our drinks from a slightly enthused waiter who was willing to help, but not more than he had to. I got a chocolate malt to start. It was tasty and quite chocolaty, but there wasn't enough malt- I would be hesitant to serve something like I received and call it a malt.

Moses, Norah and I ordered pints of Eliot Ness, an amber lager from Great Lakes Brewing Company with our entrees. Although the beer was tasty and accompanied the burgers spectacularly, each pint cost us five dollars! None of us were impressed with the price tag- Clara's would do well to lower their pint prices to push more regional brews and gain credibility with beer drinkers. We were all awed by the inclusion of Vernors, our favorite ginger ale (except for Dave, who for some sick reason prefers Canada Dry). Robert was ecstatic to find Mountain Dew, and tries to avoid restaurants with Coke products where he can't find the neon-yellow nectar. He fit right at home at Clara's.

The restaurant represents a bit of a higher price range than we have experienced yet- burgers varied around $8.99, including a choice of fries, fruit, black beans and rice, Clara's chips (which will be discussed later), or coleslaw. There were nine burgers to choose from, covering a good array of flavors including the Cowcatcher (smoked ham, bacon, cheddar) and the Philly (mushrooms, swiss cheese, onions, green peppers). Their largest burger, which Molly was brave enough to order for $11.99, is the King Burger. She claimed it was "HUGE!!!", noting the number of exclamation points. Weighing in at a pound of ground beef, it also holds American and Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing.

All burgers are half pound, charbroiled, and made from fresh patties. They cook their burgers medium well (a good level for most people) and include lettuce, tomatoes and pickles on all burgs.
They serve them on egg kaiser buns they ship in from Franklin Street Bakery in Minneapolis. The buns were definitely impressive, being more dense and more substantial to hold burgers than previous E.L.B.C. buns. They received high marks from everyone but Moses.

"Great top, sweet, toasted, weak bottom" He noted, pointing out the juices of his cheeseburger puddling to the bottom bun and possibly citing his last sexual experience. Molly disagreed, claiming the bun was "Sweet, crisp, with good contrast between inside softness and outside golden crispiness."

The burgers themselves were good, getting a 3.75 mark overall by the members. The seasoning used in the patties was not distinct, but flavorful. The meat really stood out as the predominant flavor in the burgers, which seemed to be unanimous. the toppings on my Philly burger were fresh, but didn't provide enough contrasting flavor to the powerful patty.

At one point, someone requested some condiments, extra mayo and malt vinegar. Then, something catastrophic happened. A bit of a derailing, if you will.

GFS condiments- In packets. We were all puzzled, and questions bloomed. Why would a restaurant striving for upscale quality be giving away packets of condiments to their patrons? If they do, why GFS? Is this just a lunch thing? Would we be served packaged condiments with a dinner? The packets are ridiculous- especially given the atmosphere and old-style feel that Clara's strives for. If I received a packet of mayo/mustard/ketchup with a dinner I ordered at Clara's, I would be immediately demerit the restaurant. Quality just can't be found in a GFS packet of mayonnaise, despite how cool the Blorange logo looks.

Back to Clara's chips - something the server tried to sell us on. Mostly everyone ordered them (I resisted the temptation and picked out some boring french fries) and nobody really enjoyed them.

"The 'Chips' were a disappointment," said David. "I Prefer a thin cut, wished for fries."

The "chips" consisted of a baked potato, cut about half an inch thick, and fried/baked. The skins were left on. I found it was like eating a crunchy baked potato- if I wanted a baked potato, I would have asked for one. I felt misled by the claim that they were "chips". If Clara's wanted to serve a thinly cut potato chip homemade, I would be all for it- but thick slices of potato don't quite do it.

We finished up our meal by sampling some of Molly's Blondie Sundae, which was wonderfully made. We all hoped for more room in our already-brimming stomachs to pack in this tasty concoction. Molly described it as "Ridiculously good", adding it was "Warm, fresh, and dusted with cinnamon sugar."

Overall, we had a great experience and a fun time at Clara's. The food layouts were appealing and colorful, the selection was great, and the burgers were well made in several respects. The ambiance stood out the most- I think we all will return for the experience that the restaurant provides. Save the condiments in packets, misleading chips and expensive beer, Clara's shines as a worthy restaurant in the Lansing area- a must-visit for any resident of Lansing or East Lansing, if not for the food than for the decor and history contained within. Satisfied and enlightened, the E.L.B.C. will keep on truckin'.

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Burger Math:

Doneness/Cooked to Order: 4.5

Freshness/Topping Quality: 3.5

Bun: 4.5 - I feel they would be even better were they toasted.

Price: 2.5 - Low marks due to high prices. Burgers with included sides were reasonable, but extras and drinks drove the price up far too much.

Patty Seasoning/flavor: 4

Speed: 3.5

Likability of Waiter/Waitress: 3.75

Accommodation of Special Requests: 4.5

Appearance: 5 - Moses:"Excellent decor, settled nicely between elegance and warm antiquity."

Ambiance: 4.75

Crowd: 3.75 - Moses: "Hardly anyone here, except for the gangsters."

Cleanliness: 4.5 - about 20 minutes after we arrived, Dave found a used toothpick on the table. Was it there the whole time? Did some ghostly apparition haunting the station leave it? We may never know.

My Overall Rating:4.5 - Great food, good presentation. I loved the things on the walls to look at and the historical feel of the restaurant. I hated the beer prices and the packets of condiments. I will be back.

Dave's Overall Rating: 4 - "Very good meat, bun, ambiance"

Robert's Overall Rating: 4 - "They have Vernors and Mountain Dew!"

Norah's Overall Rating: 5 - "The burger was good. I ate it."

Molly's Overall Rating: 4 - "Wish my stomach could handle this... until next week!"

Moses's Overall Rating: 4 - "I really enjoyed the decor and ambiance, with the exception of the packaged condiments. The burger was all-around good, cooked to order with a tasty though weak-bottomed bun. I thought the basic burgers were well-priced given the nice appearance, but I was put off by the price of extras and drinks."

Burger: 3.75
Service: 4
Restaurant: 4.5
Group Overall Value: 4
Group Overall Rating: 4.25

ELBC Official Rating for Clara's Lansing Station: 4.0/5