102 replies to this topic

[Gary]

Alright, so I finally heard back! We'll be in the Plymouth/Northville area. Again, I'd love any good neighborhood eats suggestions! thanks in advance

I'm a Northville native and can provide a few ideas:

Northville:
Emily's - Hands down the best in town. Rick Halberg's menu and presentation are terrific.

Little Italy - OK Italian food. Fun atmosphere in an old Victorian house.

Plymouth:

Cafe Bon Homme - Nice french restaurant. Haven't been there in a few years. Good location in the center of the downtown.


If you want an out-of-the-box culinary idea, try the restaurant at Schoolcraft College. It's called American Harvest. Supervised by several CMC instructors and run by students in their culinary arts program. Supposed to be very good. Dinner only.


Dress warm. It's gonna be cold here for a while!

Gary.

[Alex]

Alright, so I finally heard back! We'll be in the Plymouth/Northville area. Again, I'd love any good neighborhood eats suggestions! thanks in advance

I'm a Northville native and can provide a few ideas:

Northville:
Emily's - Hands down the best in town. Rick Halberg's menu and presentation are terrific.

Little Italy - OK Italian food. Fun atmosphere in an old Victorian house.

Plymouth:

Cafe Bon Homme - Nice french restaurant. Haven't been there in a few years. Good location in the center of the downtown.


If you want an out-of-the-box culinary idea, try the restaurant at Schoolcraft College. It's called American Harvest. Supervised by several CMC instructors and run by students in their culinary arts program. Supposed to be very good. Dinner only.


Dress warm. It's gonna be cold here for a while!

Gary.

What he said.

Also, M-14 gets you to Ann Arbor in 20-25 min., so go to Zingerman's if you get the chance. This and other threads have more info about A².

You mentioned Dearborn in your first post. If you're there for some reason, maybe around lunchtime, I second La Shish.

[aaustin]

Thanks! Emily's---can you suggest some dishes and tell me how much dinner will cost?

[Gary]

Thanks! Emily's---can you suggest some dishes and tell me how much dinner will cost?

They serve this pureed sweet potato side dish... cream & vanilla & magic. Yum yum. It's usually paired with a meat (duck??).

I've had the sea bass and it is terrific too.

Salads/Appetizers: $5 - $9 (plus an optional $16 fois gras option)
Entrees: $20 - $38 (top price for some kobe beef dish)
Desserts: $7
Wine: ???

Rick Halberg is a "slow food movement" sort of guys... at least that's what he said in his cooking class I attended. You will not have a bad meal at Emily's. Also, you won't have to deal with overbearing waitstaff and a temperamental chef. Rick is laid back and his restaurant is better because of it. No compromises on the food. Just a great experience w/o attitude. Refreshing ain't it?!?

I have a menu at my house. I'll try to post some items/prices tomorrow.

Happy eating!

Gary

ps. When are you coming to town?

[aaustin]

we'll be there all next weekend. I think we're being taken out to one of the Italian restaurants next Friday...I would guess it's Little Italy. Any suggestions for what's good there?

[Gary]

My recommendation is the pumkin ravioli with gorgonzola cream sauce. Nice size serving. Not too overwhelming.

Meals always start with a nice antipasta tray of olives, lupini beans, mortadela, salami, bread and a tomato/eggplant sauce (for the bread). I can't restrain myself and alway seem to eat too much of these treats.

Hopefully your host's idea of Italian food in "Northville" isn't the chain restaurants (Bravo! or Papa Vino). They don't have small-town Northville charm like Little Italy.

Am I to understand that Emily's is out as a candidate for dinner?

[aaustin]

Thanks for the recommendations! I appreciate it.
As for Emily's, I really don't know. As it is now, it's not looking likely. I think we've already got plans for the other nights, but I think I'll be back in the future and if that is the case, I'll make sure to go to Emily's....after checking here of course!

[foodieherb]

I have to put in a vote for Villegas in Okemos. Consistently excellent, innovative specials, featuring a revolving foie gras set. I once asked my server if Chef Eric could explain what "sous vide" was, after having read about it in the forum here. The server returned to our table with two books entirely devoted to the subject; one of them was written in French.

www.restaurantvillegas.com

There's also an excellent Indian place in East Lansing called Sindhu.

http://www.restauran...ants/profile/96

My favorite sushi spot is in Livonia: Akasaka

http://www.metrotime...iew.asp?id=2490

Although Miki in AA is also great. Great to see a Michigan thread!

[annarborfoodie]

We had a great meal at Loving Spoonful in Farmington Hills last weekend. Chef Loving trained at Schoolcraft and I don't think he gets as much "talk" as he should. They really do a nice job.

[paul o' vendange]

OK, in the hope you Southerners venture further afield in joining us North of the bridge, a first swipe at our newly minted website:

Waterstone

Cheers!

Paul

Edited by paul o' vendange, 01 February 2005 - 03:24 PM.

[Alex]

OK, in the hope you Southerners venture further afield in joining us North of the bridge, a first swipe at our newly minted website:

Waterstone

Cheers!

Paul

Looks great, Paul! Perhaps you could start a separate thread about Waterstone.

We trolls don't get to Marquette very much; Ms. Alex journeys there every 2-3 years for a good friend's family gathering. I'm sure she'll pay you a visit next time.

Obviously you did your research and concluded that Marquette could support a place like yours. Are you counting on regular business from the university community?

[ronnie_suburban]

OK, in the hope you Southerners venture further afield in joining us North of the bridge, a first swipe at our newly minted website:

Waterstone

Cheers!

Paul

Looks great, Paul! Perhaps you could start a separate thread about Waterstone.

Congrats on the launch!

I agree that the site looks great and it would be wonderful if you were to start a dedicated thread for discussion of Waterstone.

=R=

[paul o' vendange]

Will do, gents, thanks for the support!

So far, outside of some post-new years doldrums, we have been graced, especially given a low (read: zero) advertising budget; the university, the rather large medical system (a regional draw), the fact that Marquette is the economic hub for the area, coupled with a growing body of repeating regulars, all have kept us relatively busy our opening months. We were also blessed by a good amount of publicity on local T.V., Mining Journal, Business Journal (U.P. Business Today). Our only mission is to keep our heads down and keep to work. We love this community and are really happy to be here.

Will post thread in heartland...thanks again!

Paul

[planojim]

And, there are at least three solid actual butcher shops in the city. (Did you know that Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan?)


what are the three? when I go back to Michigan to visit dear ol mom, we normally go to Franks market on Fulton. Which ones am I missing?

[Alex]

And, there are at least three solid actual butcher shops in the city. (Did you know that Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan?)


what are the three?  when I go back to Michigan to visit dear ol mom, we normally go to Franks market on Fulton.  Which ones am I missing?

I think that Matthew's on sabbatical from eGullet, so I'll take an educated guess about the shops he was referring to. I'm sure that one of them is Van Ball's Prime Beef, on Plainfield between I-96 and 3 Mile. I imagine another is Kingma's Meats, inside Kingma's Market on Plainfield between Knapp and 3 Mile. The third might be the meat department at our local supermarket, Forest Hills Foods, at Cascade Rd and Forest Hill Ave. There's also Sobie Meats, on Remembrance Rd between Leonard and Kinney, which opened just last year. He also mentioned Heffron Farms Market (Plainfield just north of I-96 and Clyde Park north of 54th). The "near-organic" meat is pre-cut and frozen, but I've been happy with the quality.

[ronnie_suburban]

And, there are at least three solid actual butcher shops in the city. (Did you know that Grand Rapids is the second largest city in Michigan?)


what are the three?  when I go back to Michigan to visit dear ol mom, we normally go to Franks market on Fulton.  Which ones am I missing?

Van Ball's?

=R=

[aaustin]

Well, I'm checking in after my weekend in Michigan.

We didn't get to check out too many places, but we did have a couple of good meals.

First we went to La Bistecca in Plymouth for a big steak feast. The owner suggested the filet mignon but I always feel disappointed with a skinny steak (give me the marbling!) so I went with the rib-eye and was extremely pleased. It was a damn good steak. Good service, good food....we enjoyed our dinner.

Next up was a Korean diner in Ann Arbor (used to be Steve's, but I can't remember the new name). Good bi bim bop and decent ramen. A nice change of pace from the usual offerings we saw around town.

That night we went to Atlas Global Bistro on Woodward. It was very good, though not exactly great. I had the lamb shank which was fine but should've been more succulent...it was a bit dry and served over dry, semi-cold mashers. I did, however, love the radicchio, blue cheese, pecan salad. Excellent.

Oh, and we did go to Avalon Bakery on Willis Street. The baguettes and molasses-ginger cookies were good, not great, but we LOVED the vibe here and it smelled amazing. So nice to see a neighborhood bakery in that neighborhood.

Edited by aaustin, 08 February 2005 - 09:34 AM.

[tammylc]

I'm going to Jeremy (in Keego Harbor, a Detroit sub) next weekend - anyone have anything good or bad to report, or am I the front line?

Here's the mini-review from the Freeps Top Tables 2005:

JEREMY | Keego Harbor

With its eclectic décor, bare black tabletops and savvy young waitstaff,
chef Jeremy Grandon's eponymous little place in Keego Harbor catches
first-time visitors by surprise with its cool, contemporary feel and modern,
innovative approach to food. Grandon prefers the fresh notes of
vinaigrettes, herb oils and broths to the heaviness of traditional stocks
and cream-based sauces, creating dishes that sparkle with clean, bold,
distinctive flavor. From the winter menu, don't miss the fabulous butternut
squash and apple risotto with leeks, chestnuts, pancetta and pumpkin sauce.
Equally delicious is the pan-roasted Maple Leaf Farms duck breast, above,
with creamed Swiss chard, roasted root vegetables and a grainy mustard
sauce. Though the menu is brief -- four or five salads and soups, four
appetizers and a half-dozen entrees -- it is well balanced, offering
outstanding fresh fish and vegetarian choices in addition to beef and other
red meat. The wine list offers more than 150 choices. Jeremy was the Detroit
Free Press Restaurant of the Year in 2004.

[Alex]

I'm going to Jeremy (in Keego Harbor, a Detroit sub) next weekend - anyone have anything good or bad to report, or am I the front line?

Nothing from me, unfortunately. Umpteen years ago I briefly lived within spitting distance of Keego Harbor, but when I visit the metro area now I stay with a friend in the east burbs and we're usually not inclined to drive to Keego for dinner. Still, I'm looking forward to reading your always well informed report.

[Devilkitty]

I'm going to Jeremy (in Keego Harbor, a Detroit sub) next weekend - anyone have anything good or bad to report, or am I the front line?

Ate there last year. Menu is fairly limited, though what's there is good. It's not Tribute, the Lark, or Emily's, certainly - but it's a darned solid effort. I did think some of the plates were a little "busy". The blue cheese-cake starter was nice, though much too big for me - I wound up having half of it packed up to take home.

Be warned, though - the tables are small, packed pretty tightly, and the room can get a little noisy. That's something I think they'll have to address to get to the level I think they're shooting for.

Edited by Devilkitty, 10 February 2005 - 05:59 AM.

[tammylc]

Thanks Devilkitty. I've read the critique about the tables before. My hope is that since they've just started being open on Sunday nights, it won't be quite as busy as it might have been otherwise.

Unfortunately, Tribute, Emily's and the Lark are all closed on Sunday. I was lucky to be able to find anything interesting that was open!

[Matthew Sievert]

Evans Street Station - Tecumseh, Michigan
Chef Kelly Johnson does a wonderful job of making you feel at home.

Lots of good American midwest food with hints of far-off places tossed in.

[TJHarris]

I'm going to Jeremy (in Keego Harbor, a Detroit sub) next weekend - anyone have anything good or bad to report, or am I the front line?

Well, How was it?

[tammylc]

I'm going to Jeremy (in Keego Harbor, a Detroit sub) next weekend - anyone have anything good or bad to report, or am I the front line?

Well, How was it?

Still don't know. We weren't up to making the 45 minute drive in freezing rain (would have been twice that long anyway), so we bailed. I can report that Dema, the restaurant in the airport Westin at the new McNamara Terminal is decidedly mediocre, though.

On that note - a question - is there anything interesting with 20 minutes or so of the airport? Anything worth eating in Romulus? Not that we would have ventured out in that weather anyway, but it's likely to become relevant to me again.

[annarborfoodie]

There are a couple of places in downtown Dearborn that are good if you get stuck with a delayed flight or have to kill time around the airport for some reason. Annam is upscale Vietnamese; La Shish is mediterranean. There's also Andiamo, but that can be quite slow and isn't as noteworthy.

[Sam Iam]

The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn, was the Free Press Restaurant of The Year a few years back. I haven't tried it recently, though.

http://www.ritzcarlt...ill/default.asp

[BeJam]

There are a couple of places in downtown Dearborn that are good if you get stuck with a delayed flight or have to kill time around the airport for some reason.  Annam is upscale Vietnamese; La Shish is mediterranean.  There's also Andiamo, but that can be quite slow and isn't as noteworthy.

There's also Crave the new Pan-Asian fusion/sushi/martini bar. I haven't been in yet but need to hurry, the Freep said its geared to the 20s/30s crowd and I only have a couple of months left. I should say I haven't eaten there yet. I did stick my head in one evening but not before the dancing began.

La Pita (Lebanese) just reopened in a new building and the food, which was very good before, is now much better. Before I gush too long, Millers Bar which for some reason has a reputation for the best burgers, doesn't.

[tammylc]

There's also Crave the new Pan-Asian fusion/sushi/martini bar.  I haven't been in yet but need to hurry, the Freep said its geared to the 20s/30s crowd and I only have a couple of months left.  I should say I haven't eaten there yet.  I did stick my head in one evening but not before the dancing began. 

Thanks - after annarborfoodie mentioned Dearborn I was looking around at the Metrotimes reviews and saw Crave. Sounds interesting, although also like I might get sneered at for not being hip enough. Has anyone been?

[supercheesewiz]

I'm new, but i've been a food hound in the are for a long time. I'd thought i'd vent a little since many of you need some good tips. Obviously the area does have a shortage of mid to high range restaurants. This is painfully obvious coming back from trips to San Francisco and NYC. But, in my 10 years here I have found some little gems that stack up to some pretty good eats.

BTW, Crave is a great place if your pretending to be in South Beach and drinking martini's.

For japanese food, i'd go to where the Japanese go. Nobel fish (and it's sister store in Novi: One World Market) is my favorite sushi in the area. It happens to be very very affordable too. Just remember it's a sushi bar in a ethnic grocery store. Ajinshin, in Novi is great for Udon noodles and Japanese curry. (There's a fun japanese pastry store next door.) Izkakaya Sanpei Restaurant in Canton (near ann arbor) has a great mix of classic japanese, if you can decifer the menu. Matsuchan, also in Canton, is a cute little ramen noodle house.

In Dearborn there is are several interesting food finds. On Michigan there is the unique, but pretty solid LA Bistro. Best part is, you can bring in your own bottle of wine for free. The shrimp burger there is one of my favorite lunch treats.

Also on Michigan, near telegraph is the Millers bar. If you can stand the smokey windowless interior, you will be treated to one of the best burgers in the area. There's a reason why you have to leave for lunch at 10:45am to avoid a 30 minute line.

Also down Michigan near Shaffer is Liles. This wonderful spot from the 50s has 5 items on the menu. I like their corn beef, but their triumph is an amazing bowl of split pea soup. Rich, savory with fresh hunks of roasted ham floating in the mix. I take mine with a lot of pepper and hot sause. I've been addicted to their solid bowl of chili.

Further down Michigan, on Shaffer is a great italian market/deli that has great sandwiches that are 1/3 the price of Zingermans. (Gasp, blasphemy) For 15 dollars, you can get a bag of italain rolls, 1/2 pound of italain prosciutto, 1/2 pound of capicola, 1/2 pound of mortedella, 1 pound of provolone cheese, a large container of homemade sweet olives and calmatta olives. Go and build your own picknic for you and all your friends.

Where Outer and Southfield meet there is a average coney island/greek place that happens to have an amazing, steamy, tangy made from scratch bowl of lemon chicken rice soup. My greek friends tell me it's as close to grandma as you can get. Watch your eyebrows for the continual opa's and flaming cheese.

Finally, workers at the rouge plant have long known about the Dearborn Sausage factory. Hard to get to, but worth the trip. You can get fresh sausage, very excellent spicy hotdogs, and addictive hunters sausage. Get some polish keibasa, soak in beer, and toss on the grill. Your mouth will be very happy, happy!

In Ypsi, (again on Michigan) there is Gabriel's philly cheese steak. A couple of transplanted Airforce guys from Philly decided to start this place in the 40s when they couldn't find a decent cheese steak house in the area. Get double cheese!

Oh, and here's a bonus. Up in Troy on John R between 12-14 mile road is Thung Thang, a vietmenese place that is as close as you can get with out going to the west coast. Get the Pho' (With everything if your brave) which is a huge bowl of steamy broth packed full of noodles and rare beef. To this you add fresh basil and mint, jalepenos, brown sause and sirachi. AMAZING. Oh, and their spring rolls wrapped in lettuce are good too!

[sara]

I'm staying at the Michigan League Inn tonight, and will need to grab a quick dinner (preferably takeout) around 8:30. Any good places nearby? Sushi?