In the grand war of restaurant styles, legions of drive-thrus with rock bottom prices — matching the quality of the food — stand on one side of the battlefield. On the other end stand the full service restaurants — with servers, hosts and bussers in tow — offerin...

You'd think a decent guacamole recipe wouldn't be that difficult to pull off — just smash an avocado, add a bunch of spices and dip your chip in, right? But oh man, is there ever some wiggle room for getting it so right and getting it so, so wrong.

CLARA’S LANSING STATION — Fun dining is the motto at this onetime railroad station with impressive decor and less-impressive food. Popular dishes include the chicken Hawaiian and dozens of sandwiches. Full review online at tinyurl.com/66g876o 637 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing. ...

There's really no need for a movie after dinner at Ukai Japanese Steakhouse—supper is the show. Arrive in any style, sit back and enjoy an evening of juggling eggs, flipping bowls and flying shrimp.

ALTU’S — Traditional Ethiopian food, including spicy shredded beef with jalapenos and ginger served with Ethiopian bread, yellow cabbage and a house salad.

German wines do not seem to fly off the shelves in American wine stores, which is a shame because the wines tend to be high-quality, versatile, food-friendly and crowd-pleasing. Perhaps one reason they are ignored by some buyers is that German labels can be confusing.

I've never been to Memphis or Kansas City, west Texas or North Carolina. So for those of you entering competitions with whole chickens, racks of ribs and a handful of butts, take my word with a grain of seasoning salt.

Washington Square, Lansing. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11-2 Saturday; closed Sunday. (517) 374-2784. www.ted-dees.com.

If there's a preferred dish for superheroes who have just finished saving the world, it's shawarma. (Need your proof? Sit through the closing credits of "Marvel’s The Avengers" again.)

Opening a new pizza place in town is like planting a tree in the forest: There’s plenty of competition, and even if you survive it’s tough to stand out.