Despite the extended hiatus that occurred on this blog, due to school situations, economic issues, and a whole host of other Michigan-related maladies and problems, the burger club has not stopped. We still strive to try out new burgers around the area, and our base is ever-expanding. We've gone from the Eastern-most part of East Lansing to the Wild Wild West of Potterville, learning as we go.

Our trip to Leo's Outpost was right in there, nestled perfectly amongst the other burgers of Lansing, and with a lot of its own unique surprises. This was our smallest meeting EVER, with only three members- Dave, Michelle and myself. Luckily, it was a trip that was packed with flavor and unique experience.

The outpost is going for a lodge feel, with a cabin-style building filled with taxidermy. The log cabin that is Leo's fits strangely and nicely in the depressing Lansing neighborhood that envelops it, a counterpoint to the city. This theme holds true for all of Leo's amenities. The railroad tracks running right next to the restaurant also provide a reason to take shots, named after locomotive lingo. Nature scene placemats set the mood as you find your table and prepare to order. Deer heads, a fox and even a black bear occupy the outpost and keep its patrons company. Although this is a nice touch, there was one issue- sitting in the third booth from the back of the restaurant puts you in direct line of sight with a deer- staring directly at you. Although the modernity of the BWL Chili cook-off posters that adorn the walls offsets the dead animals, this deer was a little unsettling.

While the crowd that occupies the restaurant may not be who I want to hang out with on a Friday night, the quiet family atmosphere helps the flow of good food. Teddy Roosevelt look-alikes come with their families for an after-church meal or drink, middle-aged Lansing regulars are everywhere and probably do the majority of the business for the restaurant (but only because others don't know about it).
Much like Reno's, Leo's has two locations in Lansing: Leo's Outpost on Pennsylvania, and Leo's Lodge on Jolly. The menus are the same, the atmosphere is the same, but the cabin on Jolly fits in with the surrounding area a bit better. In my opinion, this makes the outpost more of a diamond in the rough.

We had the pleasure of visiting on a Sunday, which features the Make Your Own Bloody Mary special ($3.50). This is the most unique bar offering I have encountered, and would travel back for these Marys specifically. You are given some vodka, some tomato juice, some pilsner, a glass to mix them in, and a whole slew of fixins (dill sauce, tabasco, lemon pepper, celery salt, worcestershire sauce, etc.). This presents infinite opportunities for making bloody marys. The only downside of this is that if you are unfamiliar with the proper proportions (or have already made two or three of these), you are likely to be left with an overly spiced glass of alcoholic tomato juice. This is not really a drawback- despite whatever slop you may be drinking the result is hilarious for your friends.

This fantastic special is in addition to their regular taps, which include Michigan favorites as well as domestic classics. I was excited to find Crooked Tree IPA on tap - one of my favorite Michigan Microbrews from Dark Horse Brewing in Marshall. This was a great follow-up to my bloody mary (and went well with my burger!)

Leo's offers five options to get a burger: their "create your own" option ($6.99 + $0.75 per item), which through experience tends to add up quickly and be costly, and four others: a patty melt($7.99), a venison burger($8.99), an olive burger($7.99), and the "houghton hancock" burger($7.99), which features smoked ham and cheddar cheese. All burgers are 1/2 pound. Leo's website offers this info about their burgers: "We use Montreal Steak Seasoning on all of our burgers, then they are chargrilled medium and served with French fries." Dave and I were both glad to see the venison burger on the menu- something we haven't seen on other ELBC excursions- and promptly ordered them up. Michelle opted for the patty melt (served on marble rye bread). Unfortunately for me, eating a venison burger whilst being stared at by a dead deer's head make the whole experience infinitely more awkward (but equally as tasty). My venison burger blew my mind. My first bite included the exclamation "holy shit", followed by far fewer words as I scarfed it down. They were served on ciabatta buns, toasted without our request (always an ELBC plus) with grilled onions.

The seasoning and chargrilling of this burger really made it as delicious as it was- the meat was good quality and the seasoning brought it where it should have been. I was skeptical about the venison burger mixture- I had never tasted a venison patty with as much juiciness, without any gaminess. Further inquiry to the waiters at Leo's revealed that it is in fact a 100% ground venison burger. Although the seasoning was a little too salty (as montreal steak seasoning tends to be) it really brought out the characteristics of the venison. Michelle was a little less happy with her patty melt- she found the medium that she ordered was a little bit overdone, and the onions lacked flavor. However, she enjoyed the seasoning as well as Dave and I both did. The fries were not especially notable - but Michelle liked to see that they brought out malt vinegar to serve with the fries, rather than requesting it.

These meals were filling - but eating the leaner venison was probably a bit better than the half pound beef patties. Our service was good, with no complaints, and our waitress friendly. Any special requests we had were taken care of without question- a good way to keep patrons coming back, and to create regulars.

All of us agreed that we will return to Leo's- for the burgers, the bloody marys, and the overall coziness of the restaurant. It should become a staple for most Lansing residents- good drink specials, good food, good service, cool decor. It really is balanced in its excellence.

Since the time of this ELBC visit, Michelle has sadly ceased to eat red meat. We have already mourned the loss of a fellow carnivore, and welcome her back to rejoin the ranks of burger-lovers any time. Despite this loss, Michelle has been an asset to ELBC meetings, and she is encouraged to come sit in on future meetings. Thanks also go out to her for the excellent photos and excellent company.

We've got a few more experiences under our belt that we have yet to write about - Art's Bar, Joe's Gizzard City in Potterville, Paul Revere's, Fleetwood Diner, Peanut Barrel. Anything in particular you'd like to see first? East Lansing staples like Peanut Barrel, or more unique adventures like Gizzard City? We are always on the move- whenever you eat burgers, keep your eyes out for us! We continuously lurk behind mounds of meat to taste and conquer- and are always looking for your feedback.

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ELBC Burger Love:

Doneness/Cooked to Order: 4 - Michelle: "Meat was properly seasoned, but overcooked"

Freshness/Topping Quality: 3.67

Bun: 4 - Ciabatta toasted without asking. Great meat/topping support.

Food Price: 4.33

Drink Price: 4.5

Patty Seasoning/flavor: 4.17 - Amazing seasoning, a tad too salty.

Speed: 4.33

Likability of Waiter/Waitress: 3.67

Accommodation of Special Requests: 4.5 - Michelle: "No questions asked when David asked for extra toppings on his burger."

Appearance: 4 - Taxidermy, log cabin, wood chairs and tables. Rustic.

Ambiance: 4

Crowd: 3.67

Cleanliness: 4.17

My Overall Rating: 5 - I found a lot of things here that I hadn't expected- Delicious burgers with good seasoning, a deer that wouldn't leave me alone, and some great drink specials. I am very satisfied.

Dave's Overall Rating: 3.5 - "I recall that the food was awesome, as was the drink. Venison was very well prepared, wasn't dry, perfectly cooked."

Michelle's Overall Rating: 4 - "Erik's Venison burger was fucking amazing- I'm definitely getting that next time. And yes, I will be back. Appearance of the plate was kind of disappointing, but the burger overall was great. Erik will be back, but probably not sit in the same seat. Rad placemats. Very comfortable restaurant- a little cold though."

Burger: 4.11
Service: 4.17
Restaurant: 3.96
Likelihood of Returning: 5
Group Overall Value: 4.5
Group Overall Rating: 4.17

ELBC Official Rating for Leo's Outpost: 4.17/5

Our adventures have taken us all around East Lansing and Lansing seeking whatever catches our eye and tempts our appetite. The countless unique restaurants that this area provides gives us a wonderful selection for comparison of the American staple that is beef, bun and beauty.

Despite the individuality the restaurants show, there also seems to be a lot of "sports bars". These can vary quite a bit, and their overall atmosphere seems to depend on the crowds that frequent them. Reno's East Side fits right in with the sports bar population. Reno's East Side is mirrored by Reno's West Side in Lansing, which has the same menu and look but in a bigger building. We may visit there later for comparison, but I suspect that food and service are relatively similar between the two restaurants... If you want to try out Reno's, you're probably safe going to either one.

The restaurant looks like a typical sports bar, with TVs wherever you turn and tuned to various sporting events. It is much more spacious than most sports bars, however. All the extra floor space allows Reno's to have pool tables, air hockey, and video games for patrons to use.

The large areas were a drawback for Molly, who thought that the dark and mostly empty side room we ate in was lonely. She described it as "sitting in your living room alone watching football."I echo the sentiment. Restaurants with wide open spaces make me feel like I am on display for others to watch (and vice-versa), and removes any kind of intimacy between people coming together. Except for potentially humorous people-watching opportunities, this is a bad thing. This problem really only affects one side of the restaurant, which is positive, because the other space is very nicely separated and filled with tables and games.

The Reno's crowd is mostly older than college age- they target middle-class males and their families over college students from East Lansing (despite proximity to Chandler's Crossings and other low-price housing). This turns out to be ok, as most are old MSU fans and don't mind sharing a restaurant with current Spartans. The atmosphere is pretty friendly and inviting, and a lot quieter than other sports bars in the area, even when it is packed during a basketball or football game.

Reno's has an impressive drink menu. Their 24 taps include micro-brews from Michigan as well as Strongbow cider and Uncle John's pear cider(Perry). Dave was especially happy to see the pear cider, which is a pretty rare drink to find in the States. In addition to a great beer selection, they have a huge list of mixed drinks and shots- Reno's clearly encourages eccentric ways to get drunk, which gets their support from me. Unfortunately, the beverage prices weren't particularly good, and you end up paying a bit more than other bars for the same things.


Besides the alcoholic drinks, Reno's also has the audacity to carry both Coke and Pepsi products! Harmony reigns in Reno's bar... Try asking for a Coke/Pepsi mixture and feel the world hug itself. Vernor's, the Michigan original, is also listed prominently among the other beverages, evoking respect from me, Carl, and other ginger ale aficionados.

Reno's provides free popcorn to eat as you wait for your food, which is... popcorn. It's what you expect it to be. You will eat too much of it. That being said, free food is always welcome, even in kernel form. The only other appetizer we saw was Molly's order of mac and cheese bites- pieces of mac and cheese breaded and deep-fried. Yes, they're as good as they sound- I actually think they're better. Molly thought they were "Tasty and fresh", and found that there was plenty to share. If you've never had these before, they're worth trying.

Now we come to the main event: the burgers. Dave and I ordered "Dave's olive burger", Molly had miniburgers, Carl ordered a cheeseburger with gouda, and Amber had the Westsider (BBQ sauce, smoked bacon, onion rings, jalapeno jack cheese). These are among the eight choices of burgers provided by Reno's menu. They are all around $8.00 and include french fries ($1.00 extra for onion rings or waffle fries, $1.50 to load the fries with bacon, cheese and green onions) as well as lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mayo. Something they also include on their menu is the ability to substitute a Boca burger or chicken breast for a beef patty on any burger for free.

The patties are black angus, and although their method of cooking isn't described (I would assume they're grilled) the half pound burger patties were not overly greasy or juicy, and they were seasoned mildly. The seasoning wasn't exquisite, but it wasn't bad at all.

The burgers are served on a kaiser bun, which is generally a good choice. These buns had a hint of sweetness to them. They were definitely substantial to hold the burger without crumbling into oblivion, but some of us weren't happy with our level of toasting. Further toasting would have improved the burger and maybe evened out the strange gum-like texture of the kaiser bun. Mediocre ratings prevailed for the bun, but I personally congratulate Reno's for even trying something different.

Topping quality alone cannot make a hamburger. However, Reno's received unusually good ratings for their topping freshness, which is a sign that they are using good produce. Further investigation of the site includes this disclaimer: "We pride ourselves in buying locally grown and produced products. Many of our breads, produce,dressings, dairy, meats and paper goods are purchased from Michigan based businesses." This is a bit unexpected, and much appreciated. A little bit of support for Michigan and local businesses can go a long way in gaining customer loyalty.

Dave also found that his namesake olive burger was a good choice for another reason: "Olive placement was superior- under the cheese, with relish on the bun" The two-olive punch provided by Reno's Olive burger was surprising to me at first, and the mixture of texture between the olive relish and the actual olives melded with a good dynamic of flavor. Accompanied by the other fresh toppings of the burger, the flavors stood out as unique.

The service that we got at the restaurant was good. This may be attributed to the lack of patronage on a Sunday at 2:30 pm, but nevertheless we got fast and friendly service. Whatever problems that I had with the restaurant came from the kitchen, not the server. My burger was definitely overcooked, and Amber was the victim of a cheese switcheroo: "I don't think I got pepper Jack- I think they gave me mozzarella, but it was still fantastic."

Molly was disappointed as well with her food: "Too well done, no pink whatsoever, and fries that were much too crisp" she vigorously exclaimed. The loaded waffle fries that she had opted to pay extra for were not quite what she wanted. Luckily, the rest of us avoided the waffle crisps and chose the regular fries, albeit loaded. There were no complaints from the rest of us about the fries.

We all finished our meals feeling satisfied and full (albeit dizzy from being surrounded by televisions) , but there are quite a few things that Reno's could do to step up its game. Lowering the prices would be one step- another would be to hire cooks who actually try to cook to order. Overall, I would go back for good drinks, games and games, but at this point it is not a contender for any regular visits.

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ELBC Burger Happiness Analysis:

Doneness/Cooked to Order: 3.5 - I feel like the cooks ignored how I ordered my burger. Other members were happier.

Freshness/Topping Quality: 4.5

Bun: 3.5 - Supposed to be toasted- but were they really?

Price: 3 - David: "You get what you pay for."

Patty Seasoning/flavor: 3.5

Speed: 4 - Molly: "Appetizer and burger timing were spaced properly."

Likability of Waiter/Waitress: 4.5

Accommodation of Special Requests: 3.75

Appearance: 4 - Carl: "Lots of TVs, though all were tuned to NFL (ew.)"

Ambiance: 4

Crowd: 3.5

Cleanliness: 4.5

My Overall Rating: 3.5 - Pretty cool place, and the food was mostly solid, but the cooks failed to deliver what I really wanted, despite the intention of our server. The prices are a bit much, but I'd come here again for a good meal, some pool, and a mug of cider.

Dave's Overall Rating: 3.39 - "Popcorn is cool, Uncle John's Perry is delish- Big variety of food and drink, I will come back for other foods."

Carl's Overall Rating: 4 - "Gouda cheese on a burger? Never heard of it, but they have it and it was good. Toppings were real fresh and the bun was good, yet could have been toasted more. Good beer selection on tap. Overall, the burger was so good, I didn't want to put it down at first."

Molly's Overall Rating: 3.5 - "I appreciated the choice of Miniburgers when that was exactly the dish I was craving; however, I feel like I missed out on a lot of the appeal without being able to drink the beers and numerous fruity drinks- that would have pushed ratings from good to great. Ask me again in a year."

Amber's Overall Rating: 5 - "My burger and loaded fries accompanied by Strongbow were excellent. The ranch dressing was homemade and AWESOME on my fries. I like it, and I feel confident enough to express that."

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

ELBC Official Rating for Reno's East Side: 3.75/5