Yes/No Detroit

*Disclosure: I was provided a free meal at The Morrie in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had been to The Morrie one other time before this dining experience, back in November for Royal Oak Restaurant Week, and that meal was great  (as was the ginormous ice cream cookie sandwich I had for dessert). When I was invited back as a blogger for a meal last week, I didn't hesitate to say yes to the invitation. We started off with drinks - a few of the other bloggers ordered the Train in Vain-B. Side martini ($11), so I did as well. The martini included pear-infused Hendrick's gin, allspice-cardamom-vanilla simple (syrup, I believe), and peach-pear La Croix. I wasn't the biggest fan of it (I didn't realize until later it had gin in it, which isn't my fave) but it started to grow on me after a few sips.

*Disclosure: I received a Chocotelegram for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. At BlogHer '16 this year , one of the yummiest booths as the expo was definitely the Chocotelegram booth. Upon my initial "pass-through" of the expo, I briefly stopped there to grab a chocolate sample, but then when I came back through the expo another day, I stopped and chatted with the booth ladies there - and I'm very glad I did! Chocotelegram is a neat way to send someone a gift in the mail, either in pictures or with words. I was able to choose a sample "word" one to send to myself, and because I'm a dork I chose to say "HI LIZ" on mine: To be honest, I wanted that square of white chocolate too, hence the space between the words ... 

*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.

*Disclosure: I attended a media/friends and family event at the new MOD Pizza this past week, in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. The new MOD Pizza is officially open today , November 14th, in Rochester Hills, and its residents are in for a treat: not only is the food great (which isn't surprising!), but the restaurant itself is very welcoming and area-themed. MOD has put some great Rochester Hills touches on the new restaurant. This was my second time visiting a MOD Pizza, the first one being its Northville location , in August, which also had area-specific touches. One of the first things you'll notice when you wait in line to order, here, is the huge ROCHESTER HILLS sign, to the right of the cash register; it's definitely location-specific!

Today I was able to attend a media opening for the new MOD Pizza, located in Northville near the corner of Haggerty and 7 Mile. MOD has a "fast-fired pizza" concept, where your pizza is ready in 5-7 minutes, and you can choose one of their nine classic pizzas or create your own. As you may recall, I visited Blaze Pizza (Novi, Royal Oak) in April of last year, and the concept of MOD is the same; however, it definitely has some menu items that Blaze lacks. The first thing you will notice when you walk in is the decor - I was told that it's specific to the area. When you walk near the back of the sitting area, you'll see some Northville-specific vintage pictures, like the Northville Downs one above; I love vintage stuff, so that was very cool. MOD Pizza Northville is operated by TEAM Schostak Family Restaurants (TSFR), and TSFR Brand Leader Jake Schostak was on hand today to answer questions and walk my parents and I through the MOD ordering process.

A photo posted by Liz Parker (@yesnofilms) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:25pm PST *Disclosure: I received Sartori products to facilitate this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. When I was attending the #EcoTravelwithadoba event in Dearborn last week, our hostess, Gwen, had some delicious treats for us in her hotel suite the first night we were there. We feasted on chips, pretzels, cookies, and more, and one of the foods I liked very much was Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese on a cracker, which I later found out was Sartori brand. The nice people over at Sartori were kind enough to send me a few cheeses to try! I love  cheese, although sometimes have issues with dairy, so a little bit of cheese with crackers is a good portion size for me. I received five different cheeses to try: Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago: This one continues to be my favorite. It goes well with just about anything, and it was the one I definitely dug into first when I received m...

*Disclosure: Sonic has sponsored this blog post. The opinions expressed, however, are my own. I'm sure most of you have been to Buffalo Wild Wings for boneless wings, as it's a national chain. And perhaps you've been to Sonic as well. But did you know that Sonic now carries boneless wings ? I decided to put my old standby, B-dubs, to the test; but first, I started with Sonic's wings. Although the closest Sonic to me is in Madison Heights, MI, I stopped by the Commerce Township location, as it's closest to my parents' place. I can vaguely recall doing drive-through there a while back, but I had not been to a Sonic in a long time. I decided to get two orders of the new boneless wings: BBQ (covered in a sauce made with brown sugar) and the Asian Sweet Chili, made in a soy sauce with ginger, lemongrass, and spicy red pepper flakes. I did not try the Buffalo boneless wings, as I dislike sauces that are very spicy or hot. I also got a "mini" s...

*Disclosure: I received a meal at Bahama Breeze in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I am definitely no stranger to Bahama Breeze - I used to frequent the Livonia, MI location, and when I moved to Troy two years ago, I was thrilled to see that there's another location right down the street from me. I was invited to its Rumtoberfest last year , which was a great time, and this year they've outdone themselves with even more great rum-inspired dishes and drinks. L to R: Rumtoberfest, rum and Coke wings, strawberry mojito

*Disclosure: I received a Walmart gift card to facilitate this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Back in November, I reviewed Michael Angelo's single-serving meals, which are now some of my favorite Italian frozen meals. I was able to review their new family-size portion, and my family and I sat down last weekend to enjoy their Baked Ziti with Meatballs. Some facts about Michael Angelo's and their new family-size frozen meals: The new meals come in five sizes, are 100% all natural (no additives or fillers), and can be found at Walmart Varieties include Meat Lasagna (46 + 80 oz.), Baked Ziti with Meatballs (44 oz.), Eggplant Parmesan (44 oz. and 80 oz.) Michael Angelo's uses vine-ripened tomatoes, imported Italian cheeses, and fresh veggies and herbs sourced from the best farms in the world, and each ingredient is selected by Michael and his mom, Sara It's owned and operated by a third-generation Italian-American family, and its meals a...

The whole group - I am third from the right, in the purple shirt. Via: Metro Detroit Mommy I had the great pleasure of being able to sample the menu at Blaze Pizza Royal Oak  two days ago, thanks to a blogger meet-up that Amber at Metro Detroit Mommy  put together. I have had Blaze Pizza before, at the Novi location - Blaze has a tradition of doing a Free Pizza Day every time a new location opens - but had not yet tried out the Royal Oak location. The first thing you should know about Blaze is that they are very fast. It would indeed be possible to come here on your work lunch break and be in and out within an hour or less. The ovens are crazy hot , and because of this, your pizza is ready after only 180 seconds - yes, three minutes - in the oven.

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. When I'm not watching movies, I sometimes like to watch sports with my dad. We're big fans of Michigan football, especially since I'm a UM alum, and he sometimes convinces me to watch other football or basketball games with him too. UM played Wisconsin this past weekend, and we knew that we needed to head to Walmart beforehand to pick up some DiGiorno pizzas before game time. Hmm, choices ...  My mom and I headed to the Novi, MI Walmart location, and immediately found DiGiorno in the freezer case. Walmart currently has a Rollback  on DiGiorno, so it's only $4.50 per pizza - a great deal considering it tastes like delivery (it's not delivery, it's DiGiorno!) and some pizzas can range $10+  these days. The Novi Walmart advertised them as $4.97 each in the freezer c...

Michael Angelo's Chicken Parmesan *Disclosure: I received free product coupons for the purpose of this post. The opinions expressed  here, however, are my own. I had not heard of Michael Angelo's before this post, but it makes frozen dinners made with fresh ingredients. The company is currently running a contest over on their Facebook page where you can win an all-expenses paid trip to Italy - one of the countries on my "to visit" list - and the contest ends this Sunday, November 24th. I looked online and saw that Whole Foods and Kroger both carry their products, and I stopped at my local Whole Foods to pick up one of their frozen meals a few days ago. I chose the chicken parmesan, which normally I don't like, but it looked delicious in the package. Whole Foods didn't have many of their products, because they carry their organic varieties, but they had chicken parmesan, veggie lasagna, meat lasagna, and baked eggplant parmesan. ...

Bahama Breeze in Troy, MI I'm writing this blog post on a very full stomach, as I've just returned from the Troy, MI Bahama Breeze location after sampling their Rumtoberfest offerings. I first wrote about Bahama Breeze back in February , when they introduced their late-night happy hour promotion, which is ongoing. This month, the restaurant is celebrating Rumtoberfest with a great selection of rum drinks, two of which I was able to try. Bahama Breeze's signature drink for this month is called the Curly Tail, which is named for the colorful lizards that you can find in the islands ... and on my drink: Curly Tail drink. Check out the lizards! Bahama Breeze is also serving flights of "sipping rums," including Clément V.S.O.P. Rhum Agricole, Zaya Gran Reserva 12 Year, and Atlantico “Private Cask” Rum. In addition, each week on their Facebook page , the restaurant is giving away a trip for two to the Bahamas! You read that right - each week , a new winne...

Me with the Denny's sign - Novi, MI *Disclosure: I received a gift card to facilitate this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. When I attended BlogHer this summer, I stayed at the Sheraton, which was the host hotel, and we received "room drops," little gifts that were sitting on our beds when we returned "home" after a busy day. In one of the room drops, I received a Denny's gift card, and when Denny's contacted me to see if I wanted an additional gift card to try out their restaurant, I said yes. Before this time, the last time I went to a Denny's was about four years ago, in Ann Arbor. I think I got a breakfast meal and it didn't really agree with me; it was too greasy and buttery.  Denny's has changed a lot since then, however, and its menu has a ton of choices, including "Fit Fare" - meals that are both healthy for you and low in calories - and even a reduced-price 55+ menu for seniors.  ...

*Disclosure: I received product coupons to facilitate this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.  When I attended BlogHer this summer, Lean Cuisine was one of the brands featured in the expo hall, and I got to try their new Pomegranate Chicken. I'm a big fan of "the quick meal" - I work full-time, and I run this blog and my book blog . It also takes time to stand in line for movie screenings, and sometimes I rush home from work and want to eat something quick for dinner before I go back out again. My big problem with most frozen meals is that they don't fill me up. I usually stick to the pastas and individual-size pizzas, but even then I need to eat a side dish with it to feel completely full. With the Honestly Good  meals, however, I was full after eating, and they tasted pretty good as well. Honestly Good  is made with 100% all natural ingredients, and part of why its meals taste so good is probably because the sauce comes in a separa...

courtesy of Yasso.com *Disclosure: I received free product coupons to help facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. Instead of going out to the theater, I sometimes stay at home and watch DVDs, either with friends or family or solo. It's hard to find a good snack to eat while watching said DVDs, and popcorn can sometimes be either high-calorie or too messy. Choose a DVD from my vast and varied collection ... When I was in Chicago for a conference last week, I was invited by Yasso to attend a "Yoga in the Park" (Millennium Park) event. As much as I love the Millennium Park area, the event started at 7am (I don't usually wake up until 8am or so) and it was on the first day of the conference, too, so I politely declined. However, I'm very glad I got that email, because it then led to this post: movie night with Yasso! Raspberry flavor Here's a thing you may not know about me: I love sweets. And when I say I love  sweets, I ...

photo courtesy of LiveSmart's Facebook page *Disclosure: I received samples to help facilitate this review. No other compensation was received. Putting on my "Yes/No Foods" hat once again ... I received a big box in the mail the other day, and I found six bars waiting for me. I couldn't remember if I had won these or agreed to review them, and then I looked through my Gmail and found that the LiveSmart company had been looking for bloggers; therefore, these were mine to eat (yay!) but I would have to take some pictures first. The LiveSmart bar samples I received. I gave two to my mom who loves flax seed, but ate the rest of them. I am always on the hunt for new snacks and also new breakfast foods. I tend to not eat a big breakfast, choosing either toast with peanut butter or butter or cereal, like Cheerios, and for me, a fast breakfast is also a priority since I am usually rushing off to work during the week. Me in Ann Arbor with one of the bars ...

Credit: BahamaBreeze.com In case you didn't know, I have a spin-off blog called "Yes/No Dining" ... kidding. (but maybe someday!) Bahama Breeze is a casual dining restaurant that specializes in Caribbean food. It's currently February in Michigan - yesterday it was 40 degrees and raining out, and today it was about 30 with wind gusts - so to recreate an island experience is no easy feat. When I was invited to try Bahama Breeze's new drinks and appetizers in honor of their new late night happy hour   menu , therefore, I jumped at the opportunity. Bahama Breeze is located all over the U.S. but in Michigan they have two locations: Livonia (Haggerty Rd. between 6 and 7 Mile)  Troy (Big Beaver Rd. between Livernois and Rochester Rds.).  Two new happy hour drinks at Bahama Breeze The manager of the restaurant seated me and my guests and then our waitress came over to ask us what we'd like for drinks. She brought us the Yaka Hula Hickey Doola and...