Jim M's Profile
Upper Peninsula Road Trip
Yes, don't miss Harbor Haus! Last place you expect to find it, but I would say the best German food in the state. And kids would enjoy the waitstaff routine.
If you're in Sault Ste. Marie, no one would claim that the Antlers has great food, but your kids will love it.
Flint Style Coney Island's in Canton / Plymouth Area - need suggestions please!
Raises an interesting question: where is the southernmost Flint-style coney place (aside from Jackson)? Going north from Detroit, where is the exact dividing line?
Looking for restaurant recs in Detroit
If you want a great slice of old Detroit, walk over to the Penobscot Building, go down to the basement, and try the Caucus Club. Old-school power lunches galore. Also open for dinner, but I've never tried it.
http://caucusclubdetroit.com/
Taco King is now open in Tienda La Libertad [Ann Arbor, MI]
They've got breakfast now, too.
Taco King is now open in Tienda La Libertad [Ann Arbor, MI]
Tripe in Mexican Spanish—"pancita," I think.
Sharaku in West Bloomfield—anyone tried?
Huh. I guess I've managed to be in that area for work for most of the last decade and just never noticed it. I'll give it a try.
Sharaku in West Bloomfield—anyone tried?
This place is fairly new. The fish looks pretty good in the photos on their Facebook page (admittedly an unreliable gauge), and they seem to use suppliers other than the usual and somewhat hinky (Moonie-controlled) True World Foods. Anxious for reviews, or maybe I'll get up there myself and post one.
Downriver DTW
Haven't been there for a bit, but Sabina's in Melvindale has had good Polish home cooking.
Looking for restaurant recs in Detroit
Good recs! If you like Cuban and are searching on the web, note that it's Vicente's, not Vincente's. On Friday night, as unlikely as it may seem in the Midwest, you can see good Latin dancers there. For seafood I've also had some great meals at Streetside Seafood in Birmingham.
a facebook group i can really get behind.
This one is also intermittently useful, although nowhere near as active as EID.
https://www.facebook.com/GUDetroit
a facebook group i can really get behind.
Yep, she also updates the website, tweets. Not to mention appearing in print periodically in Real Detroit. Full service! And she's a heck of a writer.
Iraqi Restaurants in the Detroit area
The Iraqis in metro Detroit tend to be Chaldean (Aramaic-speaking Iraqi Christian). The one I used to go to, Sahara, has closed (it's reopened elsewhere, but I don't think it has Chaldean food anymore). Does anyone know of another one? I liked the food and agree with you that it's distinct from the usual Middle Eastern cuisine. One area to look around would be on and near Coolidge from 9 Mile to I-696.
You might also enjoy Haifa Falafel between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti—not Iraqi, but an Israeli-style restaurant with good falafel.
Help! restaurants? - last minute 40th anniversary dinner for 15 [Detroit]
Angelina downtown is a big place and matches your little-nicer-than-Andiamo spec. Last Restaurant Week I was there, and it had a decent crowd but was not packed. Worth trying for reservations, at least. Fairly novel Italian food but plenty of pizzas for the less adventurous.
new bakery in Chelsea, MI
Heehee ... you have just been victimized by Muphry's Law (public editorial corrections will themselves contain errors). It's "Koppel." I'm looking forward to trying out the bakery next time I'm out that way.
DTW - Oakland County recs for out of towners
In Farmington Hills, Pineland on 12 Mile Road is very good and cheap.
Trenary Toast [Trenary, Michigan]
Yes, if I'm driving from Marquette to Escanaba I usually make the detour to Trenary and pick a bag or two at the bakery. It's also available at groceries in the central U.P. and intermittently beyond that. It's a sweet twice-baked toast, sort of a Finnish version of biscotti (which means "twice-baked toast"), very crispy (don't eat it at your computer keyboard), and they use a high enough quality of cinnamon that it's got a good strong spice flavor. I believe they took the trans fats out several years ago, with the result that it is merely long-lasting rather than indestructible.
Ann Arbor/ Detroit Area Birthday Weekend
I would go to Kalamazoo and go to Bell's. It's an essential Michigan experience.The brewery has many Bell's beers that you can't get elsewhere, including a few real oddballs, and you can also buy them in the shop to go. Kalamazoo is a fairly small city, so there isn't a huge selection of gourmet restaurants, but there are several good places—Food Dance (one of the original local/fresh foods places in MI), Rasa Ria (Malay/Indonesian, not available in AA, cheap, hole in the wall), and a few higher-end places. The city has a nice small downtown with decent museums if it's rainy, or you can go over to the lake if the weather's nice.
Thai in kzoo?
Are you sure Rasa Ria is closed? They're usually open Sunday evenings.
Everything is relative. Olive Garden can be the best you've got. Does it matter?
What Clams said. As someone pointed out above, where good Italian food is plentiful, OG does not thrive. I've lived in the Midwest for most of my life. There are exceptions, but a run-of-the-mill Italian place in the Northeast (or Olive Garden) would generally be the top Italian place in a medium-sized Midwestern city, at least until recently.
Everything is relative. Olive Garden can be the best you've got. Does it matter?
Good Italian food in many Midwest cities is still pretty rare. In addition, when I've eaten at Olive Garden I've had this reaction: it's a well-run chain. Everything seems to be a well-oiled machine, the staff is unfailingly friendly and efficient, and the aesthetics, as chains go, are really not bad. I've actually been primed to like the food, which has disappointed me every time. But if you experience all these things, without benefit of having had the real food, you're going to come out of there having had a positive experience.
Lunch & Late in Downtown Detroit
Bottom line for our original poster: if you want to try Slows out, try hitting it about 1:45, before your sports thing. I've had very good results at that time.
The fact that they didn't just have a host or hostess who could suggest their new Slows to Go place to Lyle does suggest the problem they have, though.
Had one lunch at 24 Grille, and it was a bit on the expensive side but worth it.
Lunch & Late in Downtown Detroit
BTW, this place is new. I haven't checked it out yet, but a few of the local food blogs have talked it up, and it certainly fits the bill for you. Hot Taco Detroit. Let us know how it is!
http://www.redthreadmagazine.com/eats/foodie-community/a-new-taqueria-in-motown/
Lunch & Late in Downtown Detroit
Note that Loco and Checker would be described as bars, which they wanted to avoid. Checker is a friendly spot that has the Detroit vibe, though.
Lunch & Late in Downtown Detroit
I like the "schwarma" from Bucharest as much as others here, but it's a little different from Middle Eastern shawarma. It is *very* garlicky. Another idea near the stadiums is Angelina, right on Grand Circus Park. Moderate-to-upscale Italian, very good pizzas, pastas. Open for lunch.
The new Hudson Cafe on Woodward looks pretty good for breakfast, but I have not personally tried it.
http://www.hudson-cafe.com/
UP: Best cudighi in Marquette?
That's it—Paisano's. Very pleasant spot on a summer day.
That Italian Place in Marquette has closed and been replaced by a Thai restaurant.
Trade Joe's Pine Nuts
I bought some pesto from Trader Joe's and came home, only to immediately read these warnings. Does anyone know whether the pine nuts in the pesto also causes the pine mouth problem? Thanks for any info.
high-end Mexican in El Paso?
I had a delightful time in EP and followed several of your recommendations! As with Middle Eastern in metro Detroit, I found it impossible to get a bad meal. Made it to Valentine's Kitchen on my last night and had bone marrow, pork belly, and barbacoa tacos; was delighted not only by the food but by the presentation too, especially for a place that's basically a lunch counter. A real gem that I would never have found on my own. Burritos Cristósomo was worth it for the fresh quesadilla, which was like a French crepe; I had it filled with chicken mole. Very tasty. Lucky Kitchen (for those reading this thread, Spanish is required at this place but not at the others) said I would have to come earlier for menudo or caldo de res, but I had tacos deshebrados and they were in every respect—meat, cheese, shell—a cut above the ones here. Went to Rainbow Fountain and especially liked the licuado; the carnitas torta was good, but this dish is done equally well by one place in Detroit. Went out to breakfast at La Malinche, and the waitress tried to marry me off. I was delayed getting back from Hueco Tanks State Park (worth it in itself) and thus could not get to Ciudad Juárez during daylight, so decided to forgo it; I was eating well on the U.S. side. Great place to get away from March in the Midwest for a few days!
high-end Mexican in El Paso?
Thanks again. Puedo hablar español. I'm going to chance it.
high-end Mexican in El Paso?
Thanks so much—these sound great. Some of these dishes are available in Detroit, but not consistently and probably not at their best.
Anywhere else to suggest in Juarez if I decide to brave the warnings and walk over there?
high-end Mexican in El Paso?
Michigan hound here. I'll be in El Paso for a few days next week and am willing to splurge on Mexican food. Good taquerías shouldn't be too hard to find, but I was wondering whether the city had a place with more unusual regional dishes of Mexico, or anything else out of the ordinary. Thanks in advance!
