Family Time in Flint, MI

Well we are reaching the final leg of our summer vacation and we are spending it hanging out with family in Flint, MI.

Our trip is turning into somewhat of a foodie road trip. I posted about the poutine earlier. Last night, we were treated to dinner at Black Rock in Davison, MI. There you can cook your steak on a 755°F stone. Yes, you can go to a restaurant and cook at the table.

My cousin Brian ordered the sirloin and it was served like this:

My aunt and I had soups. She ordered a lobster bisque.

While I had the French onion soup.

We enjoyed every bite and slurp. The manager stopped by and we tried to convince him to expand to Texas. He said they are going east first before they head south. Something about their beef supplier being in New York. I told him we have cows in Texas but it didn’t seem to influence him at all.

This morning on our way to brunch our car would not start. We have driven several thousand miles on our summer road trips. Our first summer road trip was to Sky Ranch’s Christian family camp in Ute Trail, Colorado via the Phoenix and the Grand Canyon. Our second was to Maine and our most recent completed trip included an Alaskan cruise from a Seattle, Washington port. We have been blessed to have this be our first and only car issue.

After a quick look under the hood, we could see that we needed a new battery.  Uncle Eddie made a few calls to get some recommendations on what to do, but for now let’s get back to the foodie experience.

We continued the foodie portion of our trip by visiting Tony’s in Birch Run, MI.

On our way, we were told that this restaurant was featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Here is why, their BLT:

That’s about a pound of bacon sandwiched with the classic mayo, lettuce and tomato.

But that’s not the only enormous serving. Here is their big breakfast that makes Waffle House’s All Star look like a nice snack:

Or what about a 12-egg omelet or the turkey club:

This is the perfect place to take your kid’s soccer team for a singular banana split after a big win:

We didn’t order all of this, I met some really nice folk who let us take pictures of their dishes.

Before we returned to deal with the battery issue, we made on more stop to Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store.

After walking through one of the facilities on the 45-acre property, Aunt Paulette asked what did I think of the store. I said it was too much to take in. You be the judge:

Evidently, if you have a passion, there is a tree ornament for it – cats, Disney princesses, careers, power tools, you name it.

After our journey into Christmas land, we retuned back to a waiting mechanic with a new battery for our Malibu. A few raindrops and $65 later, we are ready to be on our way.

We concluded our day with a visit from my cousin David. He was able to meet our children for the first time. Here’s a cousin pic for the books.