G I N.
Yelp
2024-03-10. The Lansing Shuffle. Lansing, MI
The Lansing Shuffle touts itself as a Social Club. It's a nice piece of property developed by the waterfront of the north-south section of the Grand River with I-496 to the south and M-43 (E. Saginaw St.) to the north. It's a scenic spot and there is a large outdoor seating area which would serve as a nice venue for social gatherings and hanging out with your friends. The western exposure is ideal for afterwork or afterschool as it will allow you to enjoy what is left of the day in the sun as it sets. Cornhole boards as provided as part of the social club setting, but being March, it was still a bit chilly to sit outside.
Inside, is a series of eateries with a wide selection of cuisines. Choose from Thai, Mexican, Nepalese (Indian influence), Middle Eastern, Italian, Caribbean, and American. The MO is food court style. You place your order, find your seat, pick up your food, and clean up after yourself. Most restaurants will give you an ETA of when your food will be ready or take your number and text you when it's ready. There is also a full bar if you're just looking for drinks and good conversation.
Perusing the menus from all the Shuffle had to order, nothing really stood out for me. I would have tried the Birria Ramen from Takitos AF, but I just had some while I was in Texas. I settled on Osteria Vegana (a Vegan restaurant) and ordered their Pasta Verde Pesto ($16). I was told it would take 15 minutes, so I also ordered some Truffle fries ($7.25) with Parmesan (+$1) from Browndog. If you notice I wrote Parmesan and not Parmigiana, and that's because the cheese was not fresh from the block. It was the processed grated kind.
Pasta Verde Pesto. This was a pretty big disappointment. The pesto flavor was very faint and the dish was missing more than 50% of it's ingredients. There was no garlic, tomatoes, or red peppers, and there was no cashew or basil flavoring at all. The dish had very little flavor as a whole. The bow tie pasta was cooked to a nice al-dente though. 1 star.
Truffle Fries. This fared slightly better than the pasta. They were straight cut, about 3/8". They were doused with truffle oil and salt, lots of salt! The parmesan was the Kraft kind. The fries did come with a side container of garlic mayo, but it too was nothing to write home about. 1 star.
Overall, both items were a bust, and I left the shuffle unsatiated and about $30 lighter in the wallet. In hindsight, I should have went Caribbean and got some Jerk Chicken and Smoked Brisket... next time... maybe...
Overall, the Shuffle is much better suited as a Social Club than an eatery. They do have one shuffleboard table inside (by the restrooms) as well as a private room you can book and have one of the food stalls cater. The room has a large screen TV as well as some table games to entertain you and has a door that leads out to the waterfront patio. Seeing as the Shuffle is touted as a social club, my rating is for the venue and not the food. 4 stars.
If you would like to experience more, come dine-with-me.yelp.com, I'd love to have your company... Cheers!