I appreciate everyone's suggestions!

Thank you for the suggestions! I don't expect Michigan to have all the options of a big food city like Chicago, but sometimes we have nice surprises.

My friends and I just finished reading My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster - an absolutely hilarious book by a great writer. In one chapter of the book the author and her husband go to Moto in Chicago and have a fabulous/crazy meal made with molecular gastronomy techniques. My friends and I would love to experience something like that in Michigan. Is there any Michigan restaurant that you think would show us some cutting edge food techniques? Recommendations appreciated.

Edmund's Pastime is a new sports bar in downtown Lansing (southeast corner of Washington and Michigan) in the old Troppo location. I haven't been to it yet, but have read that it's nice.

I think that if this was just a private party in my home, and not work-related, I'd feel more free to be explicit about my kashruth concerns. Here's what I worked out with the people at my employer who are actually preparing the invitation:

"Save your energy--tea cups, tea and treats will be provided by the host!"

If someone contacts me ahead of the event and asks what to bring, I'll thank them for their offer and explain that I keep kosher, so it's important for me to take of the food. If someone shows up at the door with something, I'll try to handle it the same way and can always leave the food in the box and put it on some paper towel and just "forget" to put it out. Ms. Manners always says that a host is not obligated to serve food that others bring as a gift.

I'm going to just do my best and hope that there isn't an undercover mashgiach in the crowd. Thank you for your ideas!

Thank you to everyone who has responded. You've been very helpful. I apologize if this was a little off-topic. I just figured that the folks in this forum would be acquainted with this particular dilemma.

I am planning to host a work-related afternoon tea at my home, which is kosher. Kosher is not a well-known concept where I live. The group often has members bring their own tea cups and food to share, which is a very nice idea, but clearly a problem for me. I know others on Chowhound must have grappled with this issue.

Here's my question:

Is there a nice way to discourage people from bringing food and their tea cups to my home on the invitation? If contacted ahead of time, I can handle the issue delicately on an individual basis, but an invitation should be brief and, because this is work related, I am trying to keep the tone warm and inviting. So far, all I've come up with is: Tea, tea cups, and treats will be provided. However, that doesn't really discourage anyone.

I would appreciate any suggestions you have for me.

Thank you all for your responses. I think it was Semar. I only wish I had discovered it sooner when I was in Boston. I'm hoping someone will see our posts and will bring Indonesian food back to Boston.

Fifteen years ago I moved away from Boston. The weekend before I left I took my dad to an Indonesian restaurant in (I think) Newton Centre. It was close to a stop on the Green Line and it was a real Indonesia restaurant where the waiters spoke Bahasa - not a pan-Asian restaurant with a few Indonesian dishes. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of this place. It's probably closed by now, but I thought that maybe some of the Chowhound die hards might remember the name of the restaurant or have a recommendation for where else might have good Indonesian food.

Thanks for your help!

Thank you for all the suggestions! I'll post again after I order.

Once in a while I get a hankering for a good corned beef sandwich, but I don't live near a city with kosher options (good thing I like to eat vegetarian food most of the time). I was wondering if you've had any good experiences with ordering lean kosher corned beef or pastrami from a business that offers overnight shipping on ice and which businesses you might recommend.

Thanks!

I hope you're well settled in by now and loving the Lansing area. Here are some places you may not have tried yet:

*Apple Jade - Chinese/Taiwanese in Frandor
*Altu's - Ethiopian on Michigan Ave. east of Frandor
*Cafe on the Grand/Sir Pizza - Pizza and sandwiches, but cool community of people in Old Town, karaoke or bands some nights
*Geno's - Pizza in downtown Lansing
*Omi - Sushi in downtown East Lansing (ignore the college kids, it's good food)
*Sawyer's Pancake House - Organic and natural food on Saginaw at Pine in Lansing (serves more than breakfast)
*Stillwater Grill - American food in Okemos near I-96
*Red Cedar Grill - American food in Williamston on Grand River
*Bell's Pizza - Grinders in East Lansing
*Tavern on the Square - Small plates/bar in downtown Lansing