Restaurant Name	The Lodge
Address	2442 Orchard Lake Rd
City, State ZIP	Sylvan Lake, MI 48320
Phone	248 683 5458
Website	http://www.thelodgeol.com/
GPS Coordinates	LAT 42.609869 LONG -83.332810
Restaurant Atmosphere	Sit down bar and grille
Chili Heat	None
Chili Flavor	Some
Chili Texture	Soupy
Chili Prices	$4 for a bowl and a hefty $6.50 for chili served in a bread bowl.
Chili Fixin's	Onions and cheese included.
Comments by Matt Fuerst Rating: 3	Another risk and another disappointment. Since we were out east of our workplace for yet another disappointment, Rocket Eddie's we decided to head out east again and distribute the little Thumbtack things on the cool Google Map on our front page. We both knew of The Lodge on Orchard Lake road and decided it would be a good place to try. Everest was even thorough and called the place to make sure they didn't have coney dog sauce being served as chili. We were both pretty excited and hopeful when we spotted Chili in a Sourdough Bowl on the menu. I like chili and I like sourdough bread. This is a can't miss proposition. Sadly the price made me flinch, a full six fiddy, which I consider to be the price of a whole lunch generally. But I have trouble considering chili to be a standalone (though I value it's presence highly in a meal rotation) so we split some chicken fingers (new information has led to the understanding that it's embarassing for two grown men to split such an item, but I feel a weight already lifted off my chest from admitting my shame, or lack thereof, in a public manner). The chili arrived and while being pretty good, it was not good enough to warrant the majority of a Jefferson. There was a good amount of beans intermingled with some pretty good flavorings. But the chili really didn't standout amongst the crowd, it didn't have the freshness of a CJ's or the secret Asian herbs and spices of a Dandee Donuts. As a side note, our waitress was pretty cute. The Lodge is now in the annals as the most expensive Chili Trek visit to date (it was something like $28, yowza!).
Comments by Mark Everest Rating: 5	Wow, I barely remember going to the Lodge it's been such a long time. I've been patiently waiting for Matt to enter this on the site so I could make my comments. This trip is that last of what became known as our Man Dates. The problem with ordering a bowl of chili is that it's not quite enough for a meal but it cost too much and you get too much food if you order a big fat burger to go with it. The solution in the past - Matt and I split chicken fingers. You just can't split a burger. That's over the line. Anyway, my wife, Judy, put an end to that. She told me I couldn't split a meal with Matt. I was told to just bring the leftovers home to give to our starving children. Anyway, I called to make sure the Lodge served chili and not that coney crap either. The woman informed me that yes they do and they even offer a bread bowl. Sold. We both ordered a sourdough bread bowl of chili and split the chick strips. The chili was 6 bucks which is currently the most we have ever spent. Matt complains to this day about the Woody's experience because of how outrageous the prices where. "..going to set me back over 5 bones". The chili started off good and got better as I went. It had chunks of veggies and meat but the flavor was pretty bland. There was no hot sauce at the table that would help it out. The bread bowl really helped the overall taste. After the meal, the waitress asked if it was us that called earlier to ask if they carried chili. I said yes and she almost apologised that it wasn't coney dog sauce. She said that on certain days during football games they served that. Pretty weird. Matt and I talked about it afterwards and agreed that any rating from 4 to 7 would be fair based on the high price but nice overly experience. I give it a 5. It was pretty good but I don't think it deserves a $6 price tag.