I much prefer to patronize local eateries over chain restaurants. Based on a select reading of my reviews, some may have a difficult time swallowing that fact. It’s just that I also prefer restaurants, local or not, that live up to what they say they’ll delver.

BACKYARD BBQ — Lawn chairs, potted sunflowers and wooden shutters give a backyard feel in a light–hearted atmosphere. Pork is smoked for 14 hours before being served in Backyard’s signature barbecue pork sandwiches. 2329 Jolly Road, Okemos. 10:30 a.m.– 7 p.m. Monday–Friday, 11 a.m.– 4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sunday. (517) 381–8290. Second location at 301 S. Washington Square, Lansing. 10 a.m.– 7 p.m. Monday– Friday (517) 853–2777. TO, P, $

The summer festival season is shifting into overdrive. One of the early big events was the annual Michigan Beer and Brat Festival on Memorial Day weekend, held at the base of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville.

Inside, the blue and white color scheme continues from where the marquee left off, a wall of classic car photographs makes it authentically Michigan, and there are plenty of fixed-bench booths, the kind of seating oversized guys like me squeeze themselves into.

Mert’s began shortly after the demise of L&L Shop Rite. Co-owner Shirley Decker, who lost her job in the L&L corporate office in March last year, joined her husband, Merton Prescott, a meat cutter who had been laid off from L&L a few months prior, in the realm of the unemployed.

HONEY-BAKED HAM — Stop by for a boxed lunch or shop for a few sundries at this deli/store hybrid. Specialty condiments are offered. Catering for parties and events also available. 5601 W. Saginaw Highway, Suite A, Lansing. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday. (517) 327-5008. www.honeybaked.com, D, TO, OM, RES, $

A small collection of cylindrical amber fixtures hang at one end of the dining room, bathing the space in an orange-hued light that highlights extensive woodwork, sage green accents and tables so clean they shine.

DIMITRI’S — The former stalwart of downtown Lansing now serves Delta Township with a full dinner menu along with familiar Coney dogs, burgers and fries. 6334 W. Saginaw, Lansing. 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Sunday. (517) 323-6867; TO

Old Town just keeps getting sweeter. In March, Neva Austin, proprietor of breads, pastries, cakes and all things irresistible, opened a new, stand-alone location of her Aggie Mae’s Bakery on Grand River Avenue.

The familiar “M-22” diamond-shaped sign appearing in hundreds of car windows seems to be as ubiquitous as “My child is an honor student at … ” bumper stickers. Highway M-22 is a wonderfully scenic road that wraps around the perimeter of the Leelanau Peninsula, showcasing picturesque vistas of Grand Traverse Bay, neighboring Old Mission Peninsula, islands and verdant vineyards as it darts through historic villages, such as Suttons Bay and Leland.