Drive-in dining

Nip-n-Sip serves up deep-fried memories

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When my Uruguayan dining companion requested an authentic American experience, I knew just the spot.

Nip-n-Sip in north Lansing caters to the automobile like no other restaurant in town. It has been parked by the side of North East Street (otherwise known as old US 27) for decades, pleasing transient gobblers in gas-guzzlers.

We pulled in next to one of many drive-up menus that surround the kitchen and server station hub in the center of the lot. At Nip-n-Sip, your car is your commissary, although tables underneath two metal canopies do offer an open-air alternative to vehicular dining.

If parking lot ambiance is what you’re looking for, Nip-n-Sip has it in spades. The red and white building and accompanying lot have plenty of character, with vintage advertising, oil spots freckling the pavement and a roof with ruffled shingles that look like they’re a few years beyond their intended lifespan. Engines grumble to life and tires crunch loose gravel as the slow spin of steering wheels signal a departing diner.  

I cut the engine and cranked the parking brake. The menu was filled with fried food.  Creatures of the land and sea were battered and tossed into hot oil. The remainder consisted of fare that could be grilled and assembled in under five minutes.    

We made up our minds, and I pushed the intercom button for service. Silence. After a few moments contemplating the operability of the intercom, I considered approaching the walk-up window. The experience revived drive-in movie memories, with scratchy, occasionally faulty speakers clamped to windows and the central concession station pumping out yellow popcorn and bubbly soda.

A pleasant voice pulled me back from the double features of my youth and asked politely for my order. I considered the Hammy Sammy ($3.78), based on both the whimsical name and obscure pricing. Instead, we chose the clam dinner ($5.50) and double burger combo ($5.45). Both came with French fries and cole slaw, and the combo added a drink. “We’ll get that right out to ya,” a voice from the speaker promised.

A young carhop soon carried out our meals on a tray with plastic-coated brackets that slid onto a sliver of exposed driver’s-side window.  

The clam diner came in one basket, breaded clams on top of fries. The fries were cooked well, without competing flavors from the fryer as I had feared, and, thankfully, not drenched in salt.

The clams were another story; a shadow of a hint of seafood was encased in what were essentially fried puffs of flour. The thick batter was dry and lacked any kind of seasoning.  Our choice of dipping sauce — tartar — redeemed the meal a tad, with a strong pickle flavor and nice cool, creamy texture.

The double burger, served with the same chili sauce that blankets Nip-n-Sip Coney dogs, came on a white-flour bun that was toasted a little too fast. The patties, cooked well done, appeared hand pressed. Mayo covered the bottom bun, chili sauce the middle and ketchup and pickles topped the burger, making for an eclectic mix.  

Until halfway through, I thought the cook had made a mistake and forgotten the chili sauce, which was hidden deep inside the burger’s layers. I peeled the burger open, spooned a bit out and thought the cumin-heavy sauce might have made for an interesting topping by itself. But in this kaleidoscope of flavors, it was difficult to sort out. 

The cole slaw, served in oversized condiment containers, was closer to cole soup and was vinegar-heavy, though the cabbage retained a nice crunch.

Homemade cookies and pie appear on the menu, but are unfortunately no longer available. I considered a Boston cooler (ginger ale with ice cream), but the thought of so much sugar after so much oil didn’t sit so well. Feeling extra American, I decided to double down and go with an order of onion rings for dessert.

The batter was crisp, visually delicious, but I knew I was in trouble when little amber pearls of oil speckled the wax bag that carried the rings. With so much oil, the onion flavor was completely dulled, along with my taste buds.   

Before pulling away, I imagined sitting there as a kid with my dad in his rusty Chevy pickup, listening to a Tigers game on the radio as we waited for mugs of root beer and a couple of burgers after a day of fishing the Looking Glass River, the smell of worms still clinging to my fingers. 

Nip-n-Sip sticks in your imagination, the kind of place nostalgia wanders back to. You may not remember the food, but the experience is unforgettable.

Nip-n-Sip
2603 N. East St., Lansing
(517) 372-3734
11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Noon-7 p.m. Sunday
TO, OM, $

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