Detroit Rec's needed Shopping & Eating

I will be spending a week working detroit very shortly. I havent been there for any length of time since the early 90's. I am being set up in a suite with full kitchen and would prefer to cook some of my own meals while I am there. So I need some recommendations for a grocery/butcher and supermercado/carcineria as well as recs for some of the local chow. I do remember a place called Mikes Fine Ham or something with great ham off the bone so that would be a plus. Also if I recall the jewish deli scene was like chicago with few and far between. I will be staying in Dearborn and driving downtown but am willing to go out of my way for a real find. Thanks for any suggestions

bob kopczynski wrote: I will be staying in Dearborn and driving downtown but am willing to go out of my way for a real find. Thanks for any suggestions

You should definitely hit La Shish in Dearborn. Phenomenal middle eastern.

http://www.lashish.com

La Shish Headquarters
13250 Rotunda Dr. (Near I-94)
Dearborn, Michigan 48120
313-441-2900

La Shish East (Near Oakman Blvd)
12918 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, Michigan 48126
313-584-4477


La Shish West (Near Monroe)
22039 Michigan Avenue
Dearborn, Michigan 48124
313-562-7200

Talal's Mediterranean Eatery
22041 Mich Ave (By La Shish)
Dearborn, Michigan 48124
313-565-5500

Just north of downtown is Eastern Market Well worth a visit.

I posted a reply on Friday night but the software dog my homework ... and the post is not here.

I lived and worked in Dearborn in the late '80s and frequently visit the area every two orthree years. A visit means stopping at each of the various food places. I think that Detroit/Windsor, ON is one of the most underrated food towns in the country.

First, the best Italian market in the area is Alcamo's. They make some great homemade sausage. They also will cut the meat the way that you want and will prepare special orders. They have a huge selection of Italian meats and cheeses and make a wicked sub. They have a wide variety of imported goods.

I did not do much of the Middle Eastern food scene as I had a lot of Arab scenes. In fact, back then, we did not eat out that much as the stuff that I could get from various purveyors was a strong incentive to eat at home. (My job responsibilities had me buying $25-30k in food a week in Detroit).

Eastern Market is a must. It is a REAL farmers' market where you hvae a lot of the larger family farms from SE Michigan and SW Ontario selling their fresh goods. I would say that about 75% of their produce in the summer is farmer grown and the other 25% is what you would call salvage. I tended to shop there later in the day. You could pick up cases of squash, asparagus, etc. for under $5 a case. Also, lots of flowers.
There are three-five large buildings of vendors selling produce, eggs, honey etc. depending on the season.

The Detroit food wholesale district circles around the market. At one time, I could give you the block by block run down of who had the freshest meat, lambs, ducks, etc. What I would recommend is walkign through the ones open to the public. Some are better than others. Some of my favorites are gone.

There are a number of purveyors to check out at Eastern Market. R. Hirt sells a variety of fresh cheeses and grocery items. Rocky Peanuts has a lot of spices and bulk foods. There are also a number of vendors in the Gratiot Central Market which is adjacent to these two purveyors. Cost Plus sells a wide variety of fine wines and their expertise is very strong.

Also, go across the river to the Windsor Public Market. I wish I had the address but you can get it at the visitor's information. The old market sat where the casinos are now. They have a new building and some great meats at very reasonable prices. I could buy many UK and Australian products at about 50% of their Detroit prices. And there is generally no hassles in bringing the stuff back.

In Dearborn, I liked Bartz Bakery and think that they are pretty good. There are a lot of vegetable markets along Telegraph heading north of Dearborn.

There is an interesting store called Cattleman's. It is located at the fringes on the market off of Mack St. and there is a location off of Telegraph Rd. The front part of the store is a produce stand. The back part is a meat cooler. Pick the meat that you want cut and the staff will cut the meat the way that you want. They offer good quality and a good price.






Alcamos
4423 Schaeffer Rd (just south of Michigan Ave)
Dearborn, MI 48126
(313) 584-3010

R. Hirt Jr Company
2468 Market St. (in Eastern Market)
Detroit Michigan 480027
Ph 313-567- 1173 (800# from US)
Fax 313-567-8123
Web site RHirt.com
http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards ... 14343.html

Gratiot Central Market
1429 Gratiot Ave
Detroit, MI


Cattleman's Inc
1825 Scott St,
Detroit, MI
313-833-2700

New Yasmeen Bakery
13900 W. Warren, Dearborn, MI 48126,
phone: (313) 582-6035
5:30 A.M. - 10:00 P.M. Monday - Saturday
5:30 A.M. - 9:00 P.M. Sunday
http://www.yasmeenbakery.com/

Great Middle-Eastern deli, wide selection, fresh ingredients. I sure wish there was one near here.

thanks very much for the tips, I dont do middle eastern but will pass that on to my team mates that do. I am still ISO Mikes fine ham (or whatever it is called) , a jewish deli, and a carceneria. I forgot to add that we work odd hours on these trips and are also looking for 24/7 type places as well. As far as BBQ goes, any places to go after midnight that wont scare my colleagues? It has become custom for the team leader (me) to cook the entree for a team dinner on thursday night with other members bringing whatever they can beg, make or buy. Is there something I can make that says "detroit" ?? Thanks again for all the help

bob

Personally, I probably would not head into the city of Detroit for a meal at night unless you are pretty sure of the neighborhood - maybe Greektown or something like that.

I don't have any great Mexican ideas as what is now known as Mexicantown (16th St. and Vernor) near the Porter St. exit off of I-75 was in its infancy. The last time I was there, I saw perhaps 2-3 bakeries and perhaps 10 restaurants. The one or two that I tried (a few years ago), were pretty darn good.

I would strongly recommend that you head to the food section of the Detroit News website http://www.detnews.com and do a search. IMO, they do a great job of covering the various ethnic areas, especially Mexicantown.

Unless things have changed enormously, I would not expect that you will find a huge Mexican community. The INS office in Detroit has a history of AGGRESSIVE enforcement actions against businesses that hire illegal aliens. When I was working PT in the Eastern Market many years ago, you would see the INS in there all of the time checking records.

thanks for the tip on the mexican area, i am sure i will be there a lot. As it works out we will be finishing up each night in dowtown motown on fort street, near what i am told is ground zero for the nightly drug flea market. So we will already be downtown leaving for dearborn at midnight and probably hungry. I was not aware of a greektown and that sounds very plausible. What section of the city is it in? Is there a chinatown too or am i pushing my luck? many many thanks

bob

bob kopczynski wrote: Is there a chinatown too or am i pushing my luck? many many thanks

bob

Greektown is downtown. About 4-5 blocks north of the Ren Center. There are probably a couple of good bakeries and small Greek shops. As far as I know you are pushing your luck regarding Chinatown in Detroit. Some of the suburban areas may have something. I don't ever remember Chinese food being very popular or available in Detroit.

Windsor is a better option for Chinese food. I like Shin Shin's on University Drive.

Roma Cafe [url] by the Eastern Market is well worth visiting. Old style Italian and a Detroit institution.

If you are driving, you might consider Ann Arbor for some ethnic selections. Zingerman's[url] is also a good stop.

If you are heading around the city of Detroit at night, I would recommend that you "mapquest" your routes so that you don't get lost. Maybe Detroit has undergone a rejuvenation since I was there, but there are a lot of rough areas between downtown and Dearborn.

Personally, I have a few colleagues who stay over in Windsor when they are working in the Detroit area. I don't how that works with the new customs regulations.

I don't have any specific recommendations for Chinese in Detroit. My favorite haunt in Windsore - Wong's Eatery - closed 10 years ago. I will say that there are a number of noodle shops on University Ave. in Windsor. University St. is lies between the tunnel and the bridge and is a 10-15 minute drive from downtown Detroit.

Also, you mentioned BBQ. One local place in Windsor that is pretty popular is Tunnel BBQ which is right next to the tunnel. I have had a couple of good meals there. Now whether it is "real" BBQ or not ... I am nor getting into that conversation.

Bob- with each post you keep jarring some old memories ... Heck I think that I might just head back to Detroit for the Motor City Bowl in a couple of months ... (g)

My husband and I were in Detroit just last weekend and ate at a truly horrific Mexican restaurant called (I believe) Mexican Village. I realize that this is also the name of the Mexican neighborhood in Detroit. Anyway, one of the burritos came with a side of fries and chimichangas were prominently featured on the menu. The salsas were utterly bland with a distinct canned flavor. Chi-Chis would have been better.

I second the recommendation for La Shish -- really great middle eastern, much better than most I've had in Chicago.

There is also a good, somewhat upscale soul food place off of 39 in Southfield called Beans and Cornbread. Good fried chicken and macaroni and cheese.