boagman

Glad you liked it. Just FYI to anyone else who might be interested: Lazybones is actually located in *Roseville*, MI, not Franklin, as stated. There's a second sit-down location in Clinton Township, as well, but the Roseville location is basically carry-out only, and is about half-a-mile or so from Dragonmead, which is also fantastic, and greatly encourages outside food. See you Saturday at the Feast!

Hi Tammy. My apologies for my tardiness in getting back to you. My friend Donna and I will be in for the feast, and if there's going to be a trip down to Dearborn, I'll be up for that myself. I'll ask Donna today if the bread workshop might interest her, but I don't honestly know. She does love to bake. Do you need more info?

I'm going to disagree with Alex here about Inn Season Cafe, and I'm going to disagree just AS HARD AS I CAN...it's a lousy place, and should be avoided at all costs. His others suggestions, however, are pretty good, though I can't say that I've been to all of them.

Well, thank you, Tammy. I guarantee you that I'm a good eater (though cultured dairy products and I really don't get along), and I don't mind *at all* contributing to the work, if at all possible, even if it's just washing dishes. It's funny. At church yesterday, my dad approached me with an offer to pay me to cut his lawn and other tasks in the weeks following his upcoming hip replacement surgery. I was unhappy that he would think that he'd have to pay me for such things (who would accept money from their father for something like this?), but he was rather insistent. I came up with a great, and very reasonable solution, especially with mom sitting right there: I told him that I didn't want him to pay me, but that I'd be only too happy to let them cook for me! My mom was *all about* this idea, since I tend to mooch a dinner once a week or so as it is. At 37, I have no shame! So as you can see: "Will work for (good) food!"

I should at least be able to partially attend, since I'm up in Waterford, and might bring a guest with me. Certainly I'd be in for the dining out, but I'd feel a bit bad going for the cooked-by-us meals, since I'm not that great in the kitchen, though I'm just fine with setup or dishwashing, or something like that!

Hey, Smitty, just exactly where in downtown Milford is Gravity? I was there about a week ago (trying [and failing] to have lunch at Cinco Lagos) and didn't see Gravity. Is it south of Cinco Lagos, or north of it?

Another great suggestion, that. Though, if I may, I've got to add this: the city chicken is pork only, not pork and veal, as I've traditionally understood city chicken to be. Nonetheless, it's still good, and if you're wanting a dirt cheap meal, this is your destination. Don't deny yourself the dill pickle soup, either: it's fantastic.

Adam...you lucky dog! Australia is so awesome, and I never even got to go down to Melbourne! I do have a Melbourne Storm jersey that I wear here around the Detroit area with pride, though. We're fat in Detroit for a reason: we like to eat! I'll recommend a couple of places, and if there aren't too many responses to your query, I'll add some more later. First, the Dearborn area is the highest concentration of Middle Eastern people in the entire world, outside of the Middle East itself. Most ME cuisine will fall under your "healthier side" mantra, and while there are *tons* of ME places in the area, I happen to be partial to La Pita in Dearborn. Last time I was there, I had the lamb ghallaba, and it was absolutely *terrific*, but I only ate 1/3 of it due to filling up on all the other wonderful things I had before that. Fantastic fatoosh salad, unbelievable bread, smack-you-upside-the-head garlic sauce (a minor upcharge, but totally worth it)...the whole meal was just a feast for the taste buds, and I took home enough food for another *entire* meal. Trust me, though: it's not a place that gives you lots of food to make up for the fact that it isn't *good* food; this food is completely top-notch. Second, Giovanni's Ristorante in Dearborn for Italian. Not too far from the Ambassador Bridge, this place definitely won't get defended based on its neighborhood. However, their Italian is unmatched. Their pasta, handmade by a woman named Irma in their own kitchen, will honestly redefine pasta for you. Never in my life have I understood that pasta could be as light and wonderful as this stuff is. It's not just that, though: the server's are completely concentrated on your needs, and the menu is just drool-inducing. That pasta, though...I just can't ever get it out of my mind. They're also known for their veal and their calamari. All entrees come with a side of pasta (unless it's a pasta entree, obviously), so even if you're not in the mood for an all-pasta meal, you'll still get to try this wonderful stuff. Any other specific food requests?

And I would have explained to him where he could stick his 20%. As would I. They would have heard, in no uncertain terms, what I think about them telling *me* how *I* should tip. Did I have any input as to how much they charged for items on the menu? Did I have any real control over the service level I was given? You can believe that my CC bill the following month would have been *very* well scrutinized, and if the charge was *anything* more than what I'd authorized (seen it done), Mastercard would have been all *over* their butts. I'd have demanded *all* the money back.

My first thought was spicing up the typical pot roast with, well, spices! By that, I'm referring to the hot variety. Of course, then you'd have to not trim the fat as much, but for someone like me...awesome. The spiciness could also really jazz up the typical served-with veggies that accompany a pot roast (potatoes, carrots, onion, etc.). I tried currying-up a pork roast not too long ago with some pretty good results. In terms of casseroles, what about a different take on Shepherd's Pie? I'm really at a loss trying to think about the sandwiches at lunch...except that a prime rib sandwich can be just fantastic, and they're hard to find. Couple that with a *actual* horseradish-type spread, and that's pretty darned efficient. Don't go all mamby-pamby on the horseradish spread, now. I realize that prime rib might not fall under your "cheap ingredients" idea, but it honestly is cost-efficient, as well as kitchen efficient.

Now, see, my memory is that Lou Malnati's is far closer to Gino's East than Due's. In fact, if I'm grading Chitown 'za on *purely* the pizza alone, I'll give the nod, ever so slightly, to Gino's East. If, however, the entire experience is being weighed, then the nod goes to Lou Malnati's without a doubt. Better (nicer) atmosphere at Lou's, better non-pizza offerings (such as chocolate chip pizza for dessert), and just a better overall experience there. With the pies being so very close in terms of quality, though, it's hardly that big of a difference. Due, though, I remember being a decent bit different from the previous two, though.

This obviously wouldn't be applicable for a busy commercial kitchen, but I like to keep an aloe plant growing in my kitchen window. Easy-to-maintain, cheap, adds color, and when you *do* happen to burn yourself, after putting the burn under running water, it's time to snap a part of one of the branches off for the medicinal effects of the aloe! I can see doing this before putting on the cling wrap, but I've never done the cling wrap thing before, so I'll have to think about that! But yeah: aloe plant. Works for me!

It's the law in the state of Michigan, though there's no law against adding text to the end of it to point out its absurdity. Saw it just a couple of nights ago at Redcoat Tavern in Royal Oak, Michigan. "As well, eating solid food greatly increases your risk of choking, and we'd also like to remind you that walking upright greatly increases your risk of falling." I really, *really* enjoyed that little tidbit.

In the vein of this thread, I thought I would copy-and-paste my thoughts on my special occasion dining experience last weekend at Detroit's Restaurant Week: Yes! My friend Donna and I went to Iridescence at the Motor City Casino hotel this past Saturday, and had a fantastic time. The food really was great, though the dessert was slightly less so than the roasted shrimp app and the salmon main. Trust me, though: the app was sheer A territory and the salmon was B+/A- territory. For $27 per person, we ate very, very well. In addition, we tried a cucumber and ginger martini, which was quite different from what we were used to, and we greatly enjoyed it. Hit several different places on the tongue, which is always a plus to us. At $10, we split that, so we were about $80 out the door with tax and tip. Service was very good, and the First Asst. Manager, Sharon, was a true joy to speak with. Very personable, friendly, and food-knowledgable. Our server, Moisi, did a fine job himself. They serve only bottled Mountain Valley Spring Water (no tap here), and my glass never emptied, to my knowledge. The room has a *FANTASTIC* view of the Detroit River, the Ambassador Bridge, Windsor, and the Ren Cen. When darkness came, the view was far more enjoyable, too. The room itself is very nice, and I enjoyed myself immensely, as did my friend Donna. The only caveat is that they did lose my reservation, which surprised me, since they had to call me back and confirm it. Weird, that, but it didn't matter: we were seated quickly, and got the window seats we'd hoped for. Fortunately, most were dressed as we were: to the nines, and there were very few casino casual-wearing idiots...but there were some. Still, didn't take away from the place at all. *Highly* recommended.

I take it, then, that the current menu(s) online are outdated? No deconstructed carrot cake on there currently.

Actually, from what I've been told, this line is more attributed to Colonel Sanders than McDonald's. Apparently, he was an absolutely *miserable* old, um, "gentleman" to work for, and this was just one of many things he'd come up with over the years. Not that it's a bad saying, mind you, but the story goes that no one wanted to work when he did, since he was just so ornery. A great businessman? You bet. Great boss? Not so much, apparently.

If the policy is in place and enforced unilaterally, then certainly: a customer should *feel* compelled because they *are* compelled, if they choose to dine in said establishment. That being the key, there: "if they choose to dine". It's very much a choice, and a restaurant of any caliber, in my opinion, is allowed to set standards for what is or isn't allowed in their restaurant, so long as they're keeping within the law. That's another entirely horrible mess though, now isn't it? "Discrimination" is such a vague, knee-jerk buzzword in American culture, and there are just so many stupid lawyers willing to take on *any* case of supposed "discrimination" against any given establishment, that having any such policy in place can be asking for a world of hurt in the form of never-ending litigation. Believe me: I live in the Detroit area, and never has there been any greater a place for "discrimination" to be used in place of "I don't like this, and therefore what you're doing is illegal". That's a rather huge kettle of fish, that, so I'll just leave it there to boil. More and more in this area, fine dining establishments don't care how customers come so much as that they do come at all. Many places around here have restructured their menus to be more affordable, including many prix fixe menus at affordable prices to lure diners in...any diner at all. Honestly: do you expect them to turn away those who are cash-paying customers if they're not in jacket-and-tie? They're just happy to have warm bodies in the chairs, for heaven's sake. I can count on far less than one hand (and possibly no fingers at all) the number of establishments that would prohibit service to someone who was at least presentable, hygienic, and in their right/sober mind (and many times, not even that!). Myself? If I'm making an evening out of a dining experience, yes: I want to dress up for it a bit, and if it's a destination restaurant, then it's suit-and-tie for me. I truly hate ties, and the jacket won't stay on all evening, but the tie will. I appreciate those who make a concerted effort to contribute to the experience by doing the same, but I'm far, far, far, far, far more bothered by those who don't know how to conduct themselves via loud/inappropriate conversation, bringing their too-youg children/devil-spawn-of-hell along, having their cell phones ring, conducting said phone conversations at the table, getting drunk, et cetera. I don't care if you dress the pig up in a jacket and tails...it's still a pig, and there's nothing "stuffy" or "high-nosed" about calling a spade a spade. Rude is rude. I find it odd that one of the folks who condones strict dress in such venues felt it appropriate to be served at the bar in less than appropriate dress, though they weren't "doing them any favors". Being the black-and-white thinker that I tend to be, one can't have it both ways. It's all or nothing. I'm certainly not that entrenched in my dress policy (to me, what they did was okay by my standards), but when it comes to disruptive fellow diners, or staff, I'm not silent; first I speak up verbally, and then with my wallet.

Hmm. That actually sounds more like a Turkish doner to me, or something in that realm. Are there a lot of local places in Montreal to get those? The yogurt is especially what sets it up more like a doner. I personally haven't had one since I was visiting Germany a couple of years ago, and I really liked them! Your take on the dish certainly sounds like a winner to me, sandwich-wise.

Gotta agree with the Middle Eastern app suggestion here, too. Some good flat bread (uber-important), hoummous, garlic sauce, etc. is a great do-it-yourself app that people love to share, and then pseudo-fight over their favorite stuff! It's popping up in these parts (of course, Detroit is a very populous ME area), but it works well on a couple of different levels. Oh! And speaking of Middle Eastern, if you're able to pull together a better-than-average chicken shawarma sandwich (pretty basic, using marinaded/spiced thigh meat, garlic sauce, onion, tomato, and pickle slices wrapped together in pita-esque bread), you can please many people, again pulling double-duty with the garlic sauce. Here's the rub, though: it's *all* about the garlic sauce in this bad boy, so if yours isn't up to snuff, the sandwich, and possibly the app, won't fly. But when the garlic sauce is on, the whole thing covers a multitude of sins, so to speak. Make some extra scratch by offering a fattoush salad as a side *and* a main! All of the above appeals to the ladies, indeed.

Did I miss it, or did you not mention any salads (for mains) whatsoever? Salad is a *very* high profit margin item that usually doesn't tax the kitchen that much at all. It's practically a no-brainer to have some kind of grilled chicken Asian salad, and perhaps a Mexican salad of some sort, in keeping with your tavern crowd. Keep in mind that a good salad can, indeed, go a long way. I'm a bit hesitant to agree with your idea of a black bean burger. Turkey? Yes, perhaps, but satisfying the vegan/vegetarian crowd at a tavern isn't the biggest priority in the world. Of course, I say this *after* I've told you to include salads as mains, but I've at least encouraged proteins in those. If you can do them well, pot stickers can be a wonderful appetizer that people can share, wings-style, that also don't tax the kitchen that much. Those Asian dressings/sauces can pull some double-duty, here. One last suggestion: I don't see any pork on your menu, and a good BBQ pulled pork sandwich is always welcome on such a menu, and a BLT, of course. Hope at least some of this helps a bit.

The operative words in this paragraph being those in parentheses. I live in the Detroit area (Chicago, however, was where I went to school, and I love it there), and the OPHs in this area have basically caused me to almost swear off of all high-end breakfast places, period. There are exceptions (Frittata in Clawson, MI and Pancake Pantry in Nashville, TN among them), but OPH seems to think that they're some kind of nirvana for breakfast, when in fact they can't do the basics, such as eggs and bacon, correctly. And they charge a metric *ton* for them, too. Sure, they might have a nice setup, but at the prices they charge, they'd *better*...they can *afford* to. Too bad the food wouldn't be acceptable at 1/3 of their prices.

A local successful chef/owner despises raisins. And you guessed it: you won't be able to find a single item, on the menu or otherwise (they do catering/take out as well) that contains raisins. Their carrot cake? Nope, none there, either. I understand it's akin to my disposition towards most every cultured dairy product. "None shall pass."

OK, Ann Arbor is starting to sound better and better. A charcuterie workshop with Polcyn would be awesome. ← Or how about a wonderful meal at Diamond Jim Brady's? Mary Brady would surely be a wonderful choice to reach out to, and I'm sure would be able to accomodate us with something special. Regarding Roast: it would *have* to be a dinner (they no longer offer lunch), and on a weekend, Roast tends to be full of reservations, and walk-ins fill whatever else they have left. Plus, it's not like you'd get to meet Michael Symon or anything like that...he's hardly ever there. That being said, I kind of like the limited experience I've had at Roast, though I've only been there for Cocktail Hour, with reduced prices on some things. Brian Polcyn may be pretty busy these days, what with The Forest Grill up and running and he's redoing his Five Lakes Grill into a Mexican restaurant up in Milford. Still, he's a Detroit dining icon (along with Rick Halberg, who's at Eve now), and he's pretty accessible from what I understand. His charcuterie is legendary, for sure. I've got lots of other ideas, too! If the Detroit area is being considered, I may want to do my part to help out.

I think that the MSP suggestion is a good one, if there are sufficient members there able (and, of course, willing) to do the necessary organization. Of course, that's no small task, and I'm not trying to minimize it at all. I've heard great things about the food scene in MSP, and it'd give me a solid, real reason to finally get out there and visit a friend of mine who's been badgering me quite a bit to make the trip. While I hate to even bring *up* the idea, does Des Moines have anything to offer? Trying to keep the idea in the Heartland, and different from the gatherings previously known. Seems like I've read some good things about the up-and-coming food scene in that little burg, too. But I do truly despise Iowa.

Yes indeed, I have sir! 2-3 times in the past month or so. Still very, very good. If they have their mulligatawny soup, do *not* miss it. The trout that they nearly always have is very good, and I always like their cranberry turkey sandwich. Better yet, get yourself a soup-and-half-sandwich combo, and be very happy indeed. Oh, and dessert? Save room if Ed's got one of his homemade cakes, or if it appeals to you, he does a three nut pie that I'm told he's quite well known for. I really love this place. You should be safe going there for lunch, but if you want dinner, *be there* by 6:15PM to order the full menu. If not, the grill will probably be off. I'll be back in the metro area for a couple of days next month, and my schedule will finally allow me an opportunity to hit Weekday Cafe for lunch. Has anyone been there recently? ←