AdmVinyl wrote:Realizing that many people who go to "Detroit" never bother actually going to Detroit other than to drive through it on their way to the suburbs (although happily it seems some folks have made it to Mexicantown and elsewhere in the city proper), I'm still a bit surprised no one has mentioned Roast, Michael Symon's place in the renovated and reopened Book Cadillac Hotel. I can't be the only one on this board who has eaten there? Definitely recommended. Wasn't a miss in the bunch when my wife and I ate there, although since it was a year ago I can't recall exactly what was on the charcuterie plate at the time, and with the menu not being static I don't think the steak preparation I ordered is on there anymore either.

I am in the city of Detroit quite frequently. However, I prefer the neighborhood restaurants along the Warren corridor, the restaurants around Mexicantown, Greektown, and some of the other local joints.

The last place that I want to go is a downtown hotel, although I have to admit that I like the Book Cadillac Hotel, I furnished my house in Dearborn with stuff I bought at the liquidation sale in 1986. (Yes, the hotel was vacant for 25 years.)

jlawrence01 wrote:

AdmVinyl wrote:Realizing that many people who go to "Detroit" never bother actually going to Detroit other than to drive through it on their way to the suburbs (although happily it seems some folks have made it to Mexicantown and elsewhere in the city proper), I'm still a bit surprised no one has mentioned Roast, Michael Symon's place in the renovated and reopened Book Cadillac Hotel. I can't be the only one on this board who has eaten there? Definitely recommended. Wasn't a miss in the bunch when my wife and I ate there, although since it was a year ago I can't recall exactly what was on the charcuterie plate at the time, and with the menu not being static I don't think the steak preparation I ordered is on there anymore either.

I am in the city of Detroit quite frequently. However, I prefer the neighborhood restaurants along the Warren corridor, the restaurants around Mexicantown, Greektown, and some of the other local joints.

The last place that I want to go is a downtown hotel, although I have to admit that I like the Book Cadillac Hotel, I furnished my house in Dearborn with stuff I bought at the liquidation sale in 1986. (Yes, the hotel was vacant for 25 years.)

I'd hate to think people would miss restaurants like Mercat a la Planxa or David Burke here because they are "downtown hotel restaurants." The Eastern Market, Polish joints in Hamtramck, and other Detroit neighborhood classics have their place and can coexist just fine with the higher-end places, just like the neighborhood places of Chicago co-exist just fine with the "downtown hotel restaurants" and the other fine dining locations in the city.

Of course, the danger of enjoying some of those neighborhood places in Detroit is having your car stolen off the street when going there, as happened to us when at a place not far from Wayne State in the Cass Corridor back in the day (2004, if I remember right, and yeah, we should have known with the Cass Corridor that it was a distinct possibility since that area was notorious for it). At least there was almost no gas in the car at the time so they found the thing after whoever stole it joyrode for a bit and dumped it. Doesn't stop me from stopping by places in that area still though; Traffic Jam & Snug is I'm pretty sure the first brewpub in the state (and of course was open as a restaurant long before they were brewing), even if you get some rotten service there at times.

I'm not sure what to think about the "restoration" of the Book Cadillac. They did a nice job on the exterior and it clearly needed a lot of work given how long the building had been out of use (I believe trees were growing on and through the roof), but my wife (who is in historic preservation, and I think actually wrote a paper on the project when she was in grad school) didn't get much history at all in the interior and neither did I. It was pretty much just another Westin once you got in the door.

Just got back from visiting mom in Michigan, and enjoyed a new place that is worth visiting if you're near West Bloomfield: Stage Deli. It has been in business since 1962, so definitely well established. Amazing hot pastrami sandwich on onion rye. (Note: they offer both onion rye and an onion roll. I had the onion rye, which was lovely.) The meat was glorious -- lots of flavor and just enough fat -- and stacked high. Outstanding sandwich.

I know one visit doesn't guarantee excellence, but the fact that every seat was taken added to their longevity suggests this wasn't a fluke. This will be on my regular rotation now when I visit mom.

There is also a deli counter, where you can buy many of the sausages and other goodies they offer.

Stage Deli
6873 Orchard Lake Road
West bloomfield, Michigan 48322
http://thestagedeli.com/

Rene G wrote:an entire section of French-style pastries

All of which look beautiful and are a steal at $1.50 apiece. However, should you ever be tempted, I can almost guarantee that the item you have purchased has been sitting there for days. Stick to the more traditional stuff, such as the many varieties of amazing katayifs or the ice cream (especially pistachio).

Rene G wrote:One significant problem with Shatila is their coffee. Their espresso-style brew is sour and unpleasant. Such works of pastry art deserve better accompaniment.

And the tea is a bag of Lipton. Not unusual, but still a shame.

Cynthia wrote:I know one visit doesn't guarantee excellence, but the fact that every seat was taken added to their longevity suggests this wasn't a fluke. This will be on my regular rotation now when I visit mom.

There is also a deli counter, where you can buy many of the sausages and other goodies they offer.

Stage Deli
6873 Orchard Lake Road
West bloomfield, Michigan 48322
http://thestagedeli.com/

The Stage was a favorite of my youth. They were located in Oak Park, then. Glad to know they're still going strong.

Another favorite was the Bread Basket Deli, which apparently has now expanded to 10 locations. This is the original:

Bread Basket Deli
29920 Southfield Road
Southfield, MI 48076
248-569-DELI
http://www.alsfamousdeli.com

Every trip I take to Dearborn is better than the last.



Most recently I made it out to Al-Ameer for a nice lunch with my dad. Everything was great The baba ghanoush was smoky and creamy, the fattoush had plenty of crunchy pita croutons and the right balance of sumac, and the koftes were grilled to perfection. The star, unquestionably, was the kibbeh nayyeh. Their rendition is pretty spicy with good balance between the raw meat and the bulgur. They served it with raw onions and jalapenos, making for a memorable treat.



From there we headed over to Lebon Sweets for the knafeh sandwich. I'd never heard of this preparation before, but it was a masterpiece. The knafeh itself was particularly fluffy with lots of cheese and only a little syrup so it was still pretty savory. The bread is a hollow ball that they cut open and stuff with knafeh. The bread is loaded with sesame seeds and it's pretty chewy to provide contrast to the gooey cheesy dessert. The result was a superbly satisfying and delicious dessert that my dad and I were talking about the entire weekend. They found a way to elevate one of my favorite desserts into something even better.

Whenever I visit my parents in Detroit, Dearborn is an absolute must visit stop.

http://www.alameerrestaurant.com/

http://www.lebonsweets.com/

turkob wrote:From there we headed over to Lebon Sweets for the knafeh sandwich.

at the end of this month, Mrs & I are driving from Toronto back to Chicago, I think I just found a must stop during the road trip back home!

turkob wrote:Most recently I made it out to Al-Ameer for a nice lunch with my dad. Everything was great

Another report on Al-Ameer here.

turkob wrote:

From there we headed over to Lebon Sweets [in Dearborn MI] for the knafeh sandwich. I'd never heard of this preparation before, but it was a masterpiece. The knafeh itself was particularly fluffy with lots of cheese and only a little syrup so it was still pretty savory. The bread is a hollow ball that they cut open and stuff with knafeh. The bread is loaded with sesame seeds and it's pretty chewy to provide contrast to the gooey cheesy dessert. The result was a superbly satisfying and delicious dessert that my dad and I were talking about the entire weekend. They found a way to elevate one of my favorite desserts into something even better.

While buying a few of these little sesame rolls at Al-Khayam Bakery (4738 N Kedzie) I asked their name.



"Knafeh bread," I was told. So far, I've only had them with labneh (very nice) but next time I'll try to use some for their intended purpose.

In case you guys don't know, you can get this at Taza Bakery. Perhaps not as good as what's pictured (I don't think Taza makes its own knafeh), but I still like it quite a bit.

...wonder if there is any connection here to cemitas/semitas ("Semite") bread used for the Mexican sandwich of the same name and purportedly a product of Leventine immigration to Mexico?

I'm going to be in the Detroit suburbs over the coming week and would like to check out some of these places in Dearborn. Is there an area comparable to our Devon where you can walk around and window shop and experience the neighborhood or is it all cars and parking lots?

bw77 wrote:I'm going to be in the Detroit suburbs over the coming week and would like to check out some of these places in Dearborn. Is there an area comparable to our Devon where you can walk around and window shop and experience the neighborhood or is it all cars and parking lots?

Well, sort of.

Dearborn is a very walkable town but you won't really want to walk everywhere as the restaurants can be spread all over the place.

First, I would park you car near the vicinity of Michigan Ave. and Schaeffer Road, near City Hall.

Walk south on Schaeffer for a block or two and you will get to Alcamo's, one of the finest Italian groceries that you will find in the Midwest. I have been buying Italian sausage from these folks since 1985. My friends in Cleveland USED to tease me that I would go to Detroit to buy sausages ... until I brought back 20# of their fennel sausage and a couple of their other sausages that they make on premises. When I was working in the kitchens at one of the Detroit Medical Center hospitals, These guys were my source for scallopines and stuff that I could not really produce in house with my staff.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/alcamos-market-dearborn

Then, I would walk up and down Michigan Ave. as there are still a lot of the old family businesses around. Also, I would walk the stretch of Schaeffer between Ford Rd and Michigan Ave. A lot of people swear by Kowalski's for their Polish sausages.

Then, I would drive up and down Warren Ave. as that is where the bulk of the Middle Eastern food and restaurants. Portions of Warren are in Dearborn and portions are in Detroit. It s not a street that I would walk - not so much for safety but some of the businesses are more spread out.

====================================

IMO, no trip to the Detroit area is complete without a stop to Eastern Market in Detroit and Public Market in Windsor, ON.

Eastern Market is NOT like Cleveland's West Side Market. It consists of three types of vendors. First, there are a LOT of actual producers (farmers) during the season. They draw their producers from as far away as Saginaw and Lansing in Michigan and throughout Essex Co. in Ontario. Look for herb vendors in season.

Second, there is an active surplus market. By surplus, I mean the "seconds" of the wholesale produce markets that line the area. There is NOTHING wrong with this as long as you look to use it quickly.

Finally, there are dozens of wholesalers that do retail sales in the area. Some of these guys are really great. Some of my favorites are:

Rocky's Peanuts - nuts, bulk products, etc.
Cost Plus - a wine seller that can be counted on to have a wide variety of wines from around the world.
E. J. Hirt Co. - this guy is a great cheese monger and general Gourmet shop. It's retail operation will remind you of the 1930s as they still do things the old way.

=====================

It has been a few years since I have been to Windsor's Public Market. I used to buy a lot of meat over there when I lived in the area. My problem with recommending the place is that it relocates every few years.

http://www.windsorontarionews.com/winds ... arket.html

turkob wrote:
That night we hit up a Detroit Classic: Buddy’s Pizza. This is a must try for any pizza lover. The square pizza comes with fresh toppings that are actually placed under the sauce. The highlight is the chewy square crust that is slightly charred and perfect for eating out of hand rather than with a knife and fork like many Chicago pizzas. Apparently they’ve been winning a lot of awards recently which made me very proud since they were my go-to pizza place growing up. I also love that they have a very convenient pick up window rather than having people awkwardly hang out in the front of the restaurant, though they really would benefit from getting into the delivery business.
http://www.buddyspizza.com/

I'm a bit late to this thread, and I know the most recent resurrection concerns Dearborn, MI, but I have to third this. Buddy's is on my must-stop list whenever I go through Detroit. In fact, Pequod's and Burt's styles of pizza remind me of a cross between Buddy's and Chicago deep dish. The pizzas have the same sort of edge caramelization (which is white cheddar, if I remember correctly), and they top their pizzas with a brick cheese blend [brick, asiago, and fontinella.] I love the Sicilian-style crust, which has a bit of a "fried" character to it, which I assume is from being baked in a well-greased pan. It's thick, but still somehow light in texture. One of my favorite pizzas in the world, even though I don't generally go for thicker styles.

A month or so ago I read an article about the Detroit renewal in the NYT found here and decided that I needed to return to Corktown, specifically Slows BBQ, to see if things had really changed for the better on Michigan Avenue as compared to the last several times that the NYT heralded a detroit revival, always mentioning Slows at the epicenter.

Certainly a few new shops, restaurants, coffee houses and bars have opened up in the immediate area, think a block or two, around Slows and the old train depot across the way. Maybe this rates as renewal, but do not confuse renewal of a block or two of urban decay with a revival. This area is as desolate as any that i have ever witnessed in America. I would actually describe it as spooky.

On to food, imho Slows would rate as second or maybe third rate bbq in any city that really cared about meat + smoke. I had a rack of ribs and some pork, sauce on side (there are 7) and was totally unimpressed. The meat was covered with an overly sweet rub that did nothing to enhance the flavor of the bbq. This is the first time in a long time when i can remember not finishing a full rack of ribs. This place really is about their sauces, all of which were overly sweet for my taste. Sides were a waste of 3 dollars. Cole slaw (my bbq side of choice) was absolutely horrendous. In short the food here hasn't much improved since my last visit 5 years ago which left me equally unimpressed.

The cup of coffee I had at Astro several doors down was a completely different story. Clearly these people care about coffee and it show. It doesnt appear that they source beans from local roasters but i heard that this soon may change.

A trip to Corktown is worth it more as a curiosity than anything else. Other than some stellar middle eastern food in Dearborn, I have found nothing to rave about in my dozen or so trips to Motown in the past 12 mod. For good eats i suck it up and drive to AA where thankfully they have shut down the abomination known as Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger.

Hi- They had something on 60 minutes this last Spring about Detroit, and I forget which company it was, but there was one well known company that bought a lot of property in that section of Detroit you are referring to, and opened up offices there. They did mention about the coffee place too. They also interviewed the guy who was appointed by the Governor to oversee Detroit until they get out of bankruptcy.

Three years after I posted about it above, want to say again what a great place Stage Deli is. I was there today and had their almost legendary mushroom barley soup. Hugely flavorful and packed with meaty mushrooms. Decidedly memorable. I've had a few of their sandwiches now, and while all are noteworthy, hot pastrami and corned beef still lead the pack -- and it was hot pastrami that I opted for today. Outstanding. So it's still a good choice if you're in this area.

Stage Deli
6873 Orchard Lake Road
West bloomfield, Michigan 48322
http://thestagedeli.com/

New discovery in Dearborn is a totally nondescript kebab joint just off Schaefer aptly named Dearborn Meat Market.



As any good kebab joint should, the experience starts off at the meat counter behind which the butchers are hard at work cleaning and cubing the meats to keep up with the steady demand. They offer the classics shish taouk, shish kebab (beef), and kofte, all prepped and ready to hit the grill. They also have kidney, liver, and heart, but I'm saving those for a future trip.



All the kebabs are grilled to order over charcoal. The mangal is in the middle of the dining room so the entire place smells like grilled meat. They emphasize that you have to put your entire order in at the same time since managing the throughput on the mangal is pretty tricky with everything hitting the grill at the same time.



No question these were the best kebabs I've had in Dearborn. The sides of hummus, baba ghanoush and parsley salad (and of course lots of garlicky toum) were the perfect balance to the juicy kebabs. The shish kebabs in particular stole the show.

This is at the top my list for future visits. A quick stop at nearby Lebon Sweets for a kunefe sandwich sealed the deal.

Dearborn Meat Market
7721 Schaefer Rd
Dearborn, MI 48126

JeffB wrote:...wonder if there is any connection here to cemitas/semitas ("Semite") bread used for the Mexican sandwich of the same name and purportedly a product of Leventine immigration to Mexico?

While ogling those delicious kababs, I happened to notice this proposition. Who knows, but you may be on to something as the Turkish name for the round, rather bagel-esque bread is simit. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simit

I was in the Detroit/Windsor area this week and finally got to try Buddy's pizza. I was at the original location on Conant and it was great. The brick cheese was really tasty - buttery and nutty, along with a sweet sauce and their great dough. Totally worthy of being as famous as it is. I ended up having it a second time at the Dearborn location which I felt was every bit as good. I also stopped at Mike's Famous Ham Place for a sandwich. I never was a big fan of hot ham (I prefer thin cold cut), but it was good. My girlfriend on the other hand really liked it. I also want to recommend the poutine I had at Frenchy's Poutinery in Windsor.

Just recently I was visiting family in West Bloomfield, MI and I passed a bakery by the name of Lily Sweets on Orchard Lake Rd. We decided to try it and boy were we impressed with their Baklava. Not only was it the best Baklava I ever tasted but it was fresh and with the best walnuts and pistachios. We were so impressed that we decided to take back with us two large trays of Pistachio and Walnut baklava from Lily Sweets back to Utah with us.

Not sure how long Lily Sweets have been in business, but they truly are the best bakery making Baklava in Michigan. I have ordered online at http://www.lily-sweets.com and the order was received within 3 days in Utah.

Really impressed and you would too. I wish they had a store in Salt Lake City. Boy you guys in Michigan are so lucky.

Again I was visiting my family in W Bloomfield, and I was told about a new Middle eastern restaurant in City of Farmington in down town area. It was not easy to find but it was next to the post office if I remember correctly. The name of the place was Laziz Cuisine. The Hummus was truly the best I have ever tried anywhere, even my grandmother did not make that good Hummus. Bless her heart, I would not dare tell her that, but that is the truth. The meat in their kabab sandwich almost melted while eating. You should not miss this location. You should also try their lemon juice with mint, this was something new to me, but tasted very fresh with strong mint sweet bitterness to it.

we were there on the weekend, and there was some farmer's market sale going on there too. So it was a little difficult to find parking space, but the strip mall has decent parking spaces in the back of shopping area.

Just curious if anyone has any more current recommendations in Detroit?

Last summer we encountered an Indian-esque Restaurant we really enjoyed-
"Fist of Curry" in a really "cute" old-school style Bohemian diner.....playing looped-Bruce Lee videos as a backdrop to
a very nice Coconut Crab Curry and,
a Curry Fried Cauliflower with a Rice Flour Breading and a Manchurian Glaze,
with soft-serve-dessert, with flavors like Roasted-Banana + Dusted 'Nilla-Wafer Dust.
Sadly- they've already closedhttps://detroit.eater.com/2018/7/2/17525170/fist-of-curry-restaurant-closing-detroit-inlaws-hospitality[/url]

So if anyone has any other reccs for a Motor-City-esque
Pilsen/Logan-Square/Humboldt Park-ish and/or Windsor,CA.
type of place - I'm all ears.

Over the holidays I had the best XLB I have ever had at a place called Jeff's Kitchen in Walled Lake. Shanghaiese cuisine. You must order a day in advance and reservations are limted. When we were there only one other table was being served. Helps a great deal if the person ordering can speak Chinese. In Farmington Hills there is a good Peking Duck place called Hong Hua.

I really like Spago in Caesars Windsor for Italian.

I travel to Detroit frequently for work. I try to stay in Birmingham as I have found that the hotel there, The Townsend, is very good and you can walk to a whole bunch of nice places (not great, but nice) to eat. I really enjoyed my latest meal at Streetside Seafood on Pierce St. around the corner from the hotel. I always eat at the bar. My prior experience in Detroit has caused me to keep my expectations low. Others may disagree. Streetside is on the better side of what I've encountered.

After asking for some reccd's for Eating/Drinking in Detroit, on a rather cold January weekend these are a few spots we discovered.....in Corktown (just west of Motor City) and Ferndale, another vibrant, hip-'n-happenin' area of The New Detroit.
Detroit by R. Kramer, on Flickr

In Corktown- whilst waiting forever for breakfast at a place, that had too few tables to support their "love" on EATER Detroit-Corktown- Detroit by R. Kramer, on Flickr


I scouted out a place that was kitty-corner (or do you say "catty-korner" )? called Lady of The House.

Lady of The House >Corktown Detroit by R. Kramer, on Flickr
To say I was intrigued by the exterior Architecture is an understatement- I mean who builds a entrance like this anymore? It, for all intents and purposes looked like a rePurposed Lodge, or an-Ex-Funeral-home.
What was inside was a very warm and friendly "American" restaurant- James Beard nominated in fact.....
Detroit........ Michigan by R. Kramer, on Flickr
that didn't have an immediate Table for a Party of Three- but there Stainless Steel Clad Bar seemed cozy enough- and- they did make a very tasty Bloody Mary as well.
We shared a plate of the wonderfully prepared Pancakes- sent over the TOP- with an in-house smoked Maple Syrup- (genius)- topped with a big-ol-slab of melting butter- who couldn't resist sharing that dish.
Lady of The House > Corktown Detroit by R. Kramer, on Flickr
The dish I ordered KEDGEREE- didn't quite add up to the Sum-of-its-Parts
as described on the menu.
"Salmon Tartare • tobiko • house pickle
Rice, Salmon and Caviar all "<i>sounded" good</i>-
but at $16.99 this dish left me felling........."
Breakfast dish I was duped into by R. Kramer, on Flickr

There's lots more we didn't have time to explore- and, can't wait to return
for a warmer weather view of Detroit/Windsor/Bloomfield Hills,etc.
AND-
if you decide to go to Detroit- I highly reccd checking out The Guardian Building- a MAYAN influenced Art Deco GEM- that has tours on The Weekends, you can thank me later....
Monel Metal Clock-by Tiffany Studios, in the Grand Lobby oh The Guardian Building in Detroit Michigan. by R. Kramer, on Flickr
&
Detroit’s Guardian Building-1929 by R. Kramer, on Flickr

Great photos!