icecreamparty

i knwo this is last minute, but im looking for ideas for a diinner place between novi and royal oak areas...anywhere in between, but it can also be in the said neighborhoods as well. i am pretty well aware of the offerings, but in general, im looking for something i perhaps have overlooked in the past. i am aware of all the good japanese available in novi...i know about emily's, bacco, il posto, etc, but it's beyond the price range righ tnow...anythign in farmington or southfield...livonia? something seasonal and nice and moderately priced would be great. even really highly recommended ethnic foods. just looking for ideas...because im out of them at the moment. thanks--

i must confess that i have found a good reason for waking up a bit earlier in the morning for work. and that is, the freshly baked brioches, croissants, chocolatines, and innumerable other french pastries at cannella patisserie. FINALLY a place in metro detroit that really knows how to do it right. they have long hours --> 7am-11p on most days (closed monday), and till midnight on fri/sat evenings, 9 on sunday. believe me, arriving early and biting into a perfectly browned and flaky croissant a few minutes from the oven, is well worth the detour. they recently were honored for having the "best baguette" in the metro detroit area.. the staff is genuinely sweet and very knowledgable. the patissier himself is a frenchman and during the day they also serve traditional french crepes. i believe they also carry his pastries at Portofino in ann arbor...for those for which this is a long hike. CANNELLA PATISSERIE HAMILTON ROW (further down the street from the Palladium theater) BIRMINGHAM , MI anything else exciting locally?? has anyone tried VICENTE's CUBAN CUISINE in detroit?

There are some suitable japanese places around novi-- probably the best in the area. AJISHIN for noodle soups (udon, ramen), as well as sushi selection. CHERRY BLOSSOM for authentic japanese appetizers, sushi and a full menu. they are both right near the twelve oaks mall off of 96.

if you dont mind crossing the river, there is a small quaint place in windsor that is great. i have only been for dinner though. it's asian-ish/latin-ish 'tapas' style small plates, and absolutely wonderful. it's called "three: a tasting bar". wah court in windsor is known for its dim sum and used to be a huge bargain (it still is cheaper than stateside) but the american dollar is relatively weak right now. i had a very delicious veggie sandwich on rye at the russell street deli in the eastern market. if youre craving ethnic, perhaps try sometihiing near mexican town, alhtough the ones directly 'in' mexicantown i have not been very impressed with. unfortunately i cant personnally attest to any specific place but i hear there is a great place away from teh main core that has a great menudo. i have been to el rincon taxacoco (sp?), which is primarily seafood. the seviche was great! i also hear that eph mcnally's in corktown serves up magnificent sandwiches.

How about any French patisseries? i.e. best brioche, best croissant, best cafe au lait/chocolate chaud, etc?

all i ve been able to gather on the ftgreene one is that you need to be invited. so im thinking that maybe u have to knw someone who knows someone who knows someone...and hence, get invited. i really like the very persona yet private nature of it (serving guests in one's home)...and being able to watch as the food is prepared.

thanks, devin. i will try this one the next time around...it seems the simpler, the better, for this one. what restaurant do you work at that serves this?

i know you've all probably read the article back in May's NYT regarding the secret supper club in ft greene. the concept is intriguing to me....has anyone here had the privilege of going? also, is anyone aware of others? the article also covered one in berlin and in buenos aires..and ive read about one in LA. Link to blogger's post

Here, Here!! Smashing good black sesame, ginger, and fortune cookie ice flavors. ← unfortunately i found the 'almond cookie' ice cream there to taste like a bottle of almond extract...nothing reminiscent of the more subtle and sweet flavor of the almond cookies i grew up eating. the black sesame had an interesting texture w/ the actual seeds, but i prefer the black sesame icecream that contains the roasted seeds, mixed with some sugar and perhaps a bit of fat...(i have had this in steamed wrapped versions in toronto..it was heavenly). this would be the black sesame flavor i seek in the ice cream. i was able to make something that was, IMHO, better than CICF, at home. i too found the texture a bit lacking.

mm..that yuzu mascarpone does sound good! ahh, now that you mention it, i knew i had forgotten something! the lemon juice! i know that it woudl cut the richness a bit, but i inadvertently left it out. next time. fyi, i put freshly grated nutmeg in my mascarpone and a sprinkling of buttered graham. i have not yet tried any eggless ice cream. what can you generalize about the difference in flavor/texture between those with eggs? lower fat content of course...

ice cream makers: i finally tried the flavor ive been daydreaming about for quite some time...and unfortunately, although the flavor is on point, the texture is not. ive been making ice cream all summer (some would say, obsessively) and have had for the most part, a pretty good success rate with both flavor and texture. having neither the time nor budget to do a true scientific analysis of differing proportions of milk/half&half/heavy cream/sugar/eggs, i have been sticking to a relatively simple formula of approximately equal parts h&h/heavy cream, or h&h/whole milk and then varying the sugar content in accordance to the other flavoring agents (less if the agent has some of its own sweetness that i want to be prominent, more if it requires, in my mind, a bigger boost). i usually use between 4 -6 egg yolks, and my final yield has been about 1.5 qts each time (i use the cuisinart machine). so, this i ask you seasoned veterans of ice cream: how do you usually decide which substrate to work with (milk vs h&h vs hc)? i am aware of the varying fat content. i am looking to make a rich ice cream...all top ingredients, where flavor is key. i have heard some correlation between fat content and ability to hold flavor during the scalding of the cream/milk. also, if i am using a high-fat flavoring, such as mascarpone, should i opt for a milk base? milk + h&h? some recipes call for scalding of the milk or h&h and then adding the hc right before chilling the mixture...why is this? sugar content: is there a general rule for this? also, what about vanilla? i usually use straight from the bean, however i have noticed that even a very little can go a long way, and next time ill opt to not use it because it ended up masking my intended flavoring agent a bit more than i desired. if i dont add the bean while scalding, and instead add a bit of extract after the custard has been made, does that downplay the vanilla? eggs: more or less. i hear that more gives it a richer custard-y texture. but when does the egginess interfere with the actual flavoring of the ice cream? is there a good rule of thumb to follow here? i have been in the practice of always using just yolks, but i hear there are benefits to using both eggs + soem whites... what can anyone suggest here? finally, has someone had success w/ a mascarpone ice cream? I have seen recipes for the sorbet (keller by way of ducasse), but what about an ice cream? thanks-- i really want to understand the role of each ingredient so that i can make good choices according to each flavor...i would love any insight! oh yea..and im probably not very interested in getting the 'chemical' stuff, i.e. powdered milk, glucose, etc...just want to use ingredients readily avail at the grocery store unless it lends a considerable improvement in texture and/or taste. thanks!

id like to report that yesterday i braved a relatively lengthy midday commute to pontiac to sample a place id only heard of via a random metrotimes article: andre's louisiana seafood. tired of the local offerings and anxious for a true food find, i knew not what to expect. what i did get, though, definitely will warrant repeat visits. pontiac in general is a bit run down, but it seems the downtown area is undergoing a bit of revival. andre's is located on w huron st, just down the street from the main "downtown" area. it is only a take-out joint and thus, it consists simply of a long wooden bench as a waiting area, television, and glassed-in kitchen, where andre and wife dorothy williams take your order, prepare, and package your meal as you wait. a note of caution: everything is prepared upon ordering, and thus wait times can be longer than your usual takeout (i waited 20 mins for my catfish po'boy, but alas i was not disappointed!). i am no veteran of cajun cuisine, but the sandwich definitely hit the spot...with the crispy spiced catfish, slight sour note of the pickles melded with a smear of mayonnaise, and accompanying crunch of the shredded lettuce, all presented on a soft roll (allegedly imported from Louisiana) more than justified the drive. it was a generous portion (i ordered the "half " sandwich, which ran me about $7 incl. tax), but i am not one to turn down dessert..especially when it promises to be all house-made by the motherly ms. williams. on offer were her sweet potato pie, peach cobbler, bread pudding w/ rum sauce, and pecan pie. all are a bargain at $2 each. being a true fan of bread pudding, sweet potato pie AND pecan pie, it was a tough call, but i opted for the bread pudding with rum sauce. dorothy surprised me by dishing out a warm portion of sweet potato pie as a "sample" and wow, it was good. not your traditioanl sweet potato pie, its crust was not the flaky variety..and the sweet potato portion of it tasted almost souffle-like in its lightness...she proudly informed me that it was low-fat and made with skim milk...which helped me justify following that up with a generous portion of bread pudding. the bread pudding was great, but again, non-traditional. it seemed the bread had been soaked for a long time (the best example texturewise that comes to mind is a baba au rum, where the dough has been soaked in liquid), and it was interspersed with raisins, pecans, and bits of peaches. it was good, but i would say, probably not the best bread pudding ive ever had. but still delicious, nonetheless. overall, i had a very enjoyable meal courtesy of ms williams, who in my mind, embodied what i would expect of true Southern hospitality (they came from down South)...she informed me that they will be having a booth in downtown pontiac during the wward dream cruise, so if you have a hankering for some cajun, it's definitely worth the trip. disclaimer: im no cajun expert...i cannot vouch for this food over say, true new orleans cajun, but IMHO it was good nonetheless. didnt get a chance to try the gumbo, jambalaya, etc. http://www.andreslouisianaseafood.com/

nice to see that this thread is at the top of the list for activity for once ...even if it can be attributed to just a few of us for the most part hmm..that mention may warrant a trip down to ohio...any other notable food places down south along the way to make it worthwhile ? ((of course i know cleveland has some..ive read about symon's lola/lolita...anyway, i know ill have to enquire into the cleveland/ohio threads for an answer to this). would prefer it to be a 1-day trip but i think the drive to columbus might be long for that (not sure). funny that you mention eve! i am all too familiar w/ their ice cream..as a matter of fact, i had a brief stint workingi there last summer, when they served a spectacular assortment of rose, rum raisin, vanilla bean, and my all-time favorite, pistachio w/ cardamom & saffron (like kulfi)... i know i forgot one or two. all but the vanilla bean were from toronto. at any rate, due to the border rules tightening, they now serve zingerman's gelato, including the said burnt sugar. sad that that had to go because i was much anticipating my scoop of pistachio w/ c+s on my last visit.

zing's gelato is probably the finest frozen dessert ive had locally. in fact, the aforementioned ''event'' may involve them as well. the best/most interesting ive had thus far within a 4 hour driving radius (note that i havent checked out chicago's ice cream scene) is in toronto's kensington market. it's called kensington organic ice cream: here's a photo, and features the spicy side of ice cream: think rosepetal vanilla, chocolate ginger, chocolate w/ coffee and cayenne, vanilla & cardamom....(note these arent the sexy names they use, but rather just meant to explain the ingredients). he may be participating as well. i made a burnt sugar last week...and a black sesame..yum! im wondering if any detroit restaurants have any interesting ice cream? housemade or imported into their kitchens from some enterprising ice cream maker..? since i dont fine dine alone so often here, i havent checked on that...although i do know my friend duc tang at pacific rim (ann arbor) makes some good stuff..last time i checked, a very banana-y walnut...any others u guys know of?

Wow, thanks for the welcome. i actually had meandered over to this board and read the thread about the gathering and that alone spurred my membership...but for whatever reason, was unable to commit for that weeekend..hopefully there are more to come! speaking of events, refer to my listing re: ice cream further down. no responses as of yet..

greetings metro detroiters: im new to this board, and i couldnt help but notice that about 7 or 8 cleveland threads popped up in the course of a day, whereas our board hardly got any action...let's bring it back! im fairly new to the area [metro dtw], but no stranger of course, to ann arbor, where i schooled for 4 years. i have found such a dearth of great food (particularly in the cheaper end) in the area, and im always on the prowl for something new. has anyone been to a cajun joint up in pontiac? i have heard about their gumbo and po'boys, but always from the same source (i believe it may've been metrotimes or freepress) and havent yet committed to making the drive from royal oak. any tips? has anyone been to the banh mi place on 13 mi & dequindre?? ('cyber cafe'...cheesy name, i know) id have to say one of my all-time favorite places is across the river in windsor. it's a place called the cook's shop / the pasta shop. very dark, old-world european feel...all house-made pasta, and the best caesar salad ive had...AND reasonable prices to boot! other favorites: noble fish, vietnamese in madison heights (john r/dequindre), zingerman's (ann arbor), kosmo's (ann arbor), JEFFERSON MARKET (!ann arbor!). i also had a really tasty "chef's mood" (tasting menu) at three: a tasting bar last winter, although i havent been back since. but still, where else is there, metro detroit?? of particular interest: moderately priced-cheap, really great food...i welcome all ethnic foods. i have to wander down to dearborn b/c i hear good stuff, as well as check out the polish cafe in hamtramck. ALSO...another thing i dearly want....PASTRIES PASTRIES PASTRIES. i live for pastries. there is nothign more divine than a french patisserie. i have yet to find someothing to satify my sweet toooth. charlie's in birmingham has some decent stuff. hte new pastry place in birmingham across from the theater has been just OK in my opinion...what do u guys think? jefferson market in ann arbor comes closest, as well as zingerman's. but how about oakland county? le petit prince was passable but not divine... help? Best ice cream?? (you knew i had to ask) most unique flavors? homemade? i was excited to see a new place open down the street from me (frostbites, 9 mi & woodward), but alas, i was so disappointed!!!!! help!