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Detroit Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

ChocoKitty

By ChocoKitty
in The Heartland: Dining

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

La Shish is always good, of course. Another time you might want to consider Steve & Rocky's, on Grand River just east of Novi Rd. Here's an excerpt from a report on gayot.com:

"... a dining room with walls painted in contrasting shades of vibrant magenta, lime green and teal blue, with Japanese kites strung overhead and tables finished in high-gloss green. Typical dishes include spice-rubbed pork loin with apple cider-mustard glaze and roast duck with wild rice, lentils and bacon. Seafood selections outnumber meat choices on most evenings, however. At lunch, sandwiches and salads include such items as chicken salad on sourdough rye, and the house Caesar, a clever variation on the classic. Hearts of romaine are criss-crossed on a white plate and surrounded by little heaps of roasted garlic, pepper, tapenade and a crouton spread with cheese. Breads and desserts, all made in-house, include a wonderful made-to-order flourless chocolate ganache cake."

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

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  • 2 weeks later...
ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted

From the article linked by HeatherM above:

Sweet Georgia Brown, a restaurant with the mantra of "fine food and all that jazz," has been closed because of unpaid taxes, Local 4 reported.

State authorities padlocked the doors to the restaurant and issued an order that an auction be held for the items inside the establishment.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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tammylc

tammylc

Posted
Posted

Thanks to everyone for the Annam recommendation. We went there for lunch yesterday, and it was quite good. It was a bit of a trial getting there from the airport because Telegraph was closed, but we managed.

We ordered two appetizers, and our server suggested that we should get the sampler instead, since it was just a few more dollards and we'd get to try everything. Being the "try everything" types, we said yes. Everything on the sampler plate was really yummy - fresh and crispy spring rolls, a crab wonton sort of thing, two different marinated beef items, and some chicken satay type things.

We got two mains, chicken with Annam sauce - mild curry, basically. And shrimp with chayote and tomato sauce. Both of them were good, but subtle - the chicken especially tasted pretty generic on first bite, but then some interesting flavors emerged. The shrimp was even better - chayote was really nice - what is chayote anyway?

We were too full to think about dessert.

Don't know when I'll have a chance to get back there again, but I'd definitely make another visit.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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Alex

Alex

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Posted
We got two mains, chicken with Annam sauce - mild curry, basically.  And shrimp with chayote and tomato sauce.  Both of them were good, but subtle - the chicken especially tasted pretty generic on first bite, but then some interesting flavors emerged.  The shrimp was even better - chayote was really nice - what is chayote anyway?

It's in the squash family. Here's some info.

I think there's an eG regular who uses a funny picture of a chayote as an avatar, but I can't remember who.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

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ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
We got two mains, chicken with Annam sauce - mild curry, basically.  And shrimp with chayote and tomato sauce.  Both of them were good, but subtle - the chicken especially tasted pretty generic on first bite, but then some interesting flavors emerged.  The shrimp was even better - chayote was really nice - what is chayote anyway?

It's in the squash family. Here's some info.

I think there's an eG regular who uses a funny picture of a chayote as an avatar, but I can't remember who.

That would be SethG

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

LTHForum.com -- The definitive Chicago-based culinary chat site

ronnie_suburban 'at' yahoo.com

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icecreamparty

icecreamparty

Posted
Posted (edited)

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?

Edited by icecreamparty (log)
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gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted

Can anyone recommend a veg/fruit club or coop available in the Detroit area ? Some time in early summer I caught part of a program on NPR about local organic farmers offering this service, but at the time I didn't bother taking notes since I can't partake, unfortunately (I'm in Windsor.) However, this past weekend I was talking to a friend from Detroit (Eastpointe) about these clubs and he expressed a great interest in purchasing local produce in this manner... so here I am, hoping one of you knowledgeable folk can help us out :smile:

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

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tammylc

tammylc

Posted
Posted
Can anyone recommend a veg/fruit club or coop available in the Detroit area ? Some time in early summer I caught part of a program on NPR about local organic farmers offering this service, but at the time I didn't bother taking notes since I can't partake, unfortunately (I'm in Windsor.) However, this past weekend I was talking to a friend from Detroit (Eastpointe) about these clubs and he expressed a great interest in purchasing local produce in this manner... so here I am, hoping one of you knowledgeable folk can help us out  :smile:

Not sure if this is what you're referring to, but I think you're talking about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm shares. You pay a certain amount of money, and once every week or two get a big box with your share from the farm. There are a bunch of CSA farms around Michigan - not sure which are local to that area. At this point they'll be winding down for the year - next spring would be the time to buy in. If there's a natural foods store near him, they might be able to connect him up to a CSA.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted

Tammylc, thank you, that is exactly what I was referring to. Is there a web site, organization or other source besides natural food stores, just in case there isn't one near him?

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

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gourmande

gourmande

Posted
Posted

To answer my own question... :rolleyes:

I found this site CSA and sent him the link. I also passed along your suggestion re Natural Foods stores as possible sources for connections with local growers/producers. Thanks again.

Cheese: milk’s leap toward immortality – C.Fadiman

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  • 3 weeks later...
AmyinMotown

AmyinMotown

Posted
Posted (edited)

Some friends did a CSA share a couple summers ago--I think from Bro. Rick Samyn's Capuchin Soup Kitchen garden? I'll ask them and report back--they loved it. I know they split the share with another couple, as they are both two-person households. And the Freep food section had a story awhile back on something similar, but I recall no details. You'd probably get some help from the Features desk clerk if you called.

ETA: Also, the Cas Corridor food co-op had fresh produce in summer for awhile. Might still. http://www.geocities.com/casscorridorfoodcoop/

Edited by AmyinMotown (log)
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icecreamparty

icecreamparty

Posted
Posted

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--

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annarborfoodie

annarborfoodie

Posted
Posted
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--

A few ideas -

Sweet Lorraine's in Berkley (I think - if not Berkley then somewhere close to that)

Vining's Bistro on Woodward

Hong Hua on Orchard Lake - upscale Chinese

Loving Spoonful on 12 Mile in Farmington Hills

If the timing is right - American Harvest at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute - best bargain in town

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icecreamparty

icecreamparty

Posted
Posted

thanks a lot for the prompt response :) i would actually love to try the american harvest place @ schoolcraft however i thin k they are only open for lunch adn then the occasional dinner?? has anyone been and can verify? also, no weekends, right? ive never heard of vining's...hmm .

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--

A few ideas -

Sweet Lorraine's in Berkley (I think - if not Berkley then somewhere close to that)

Vining's Bistro on Woodward

Hong Hua on Orchard Lake - upscale Chinese

Loving Spoonful on 12 Mile in Farmington Hills

If the timing is right - American Harvest at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute - best bargain in town

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Alex

Alex

Posted
Posted

Dinner is Wednesday through Friday, 6:00 to 7:45. Here's their web site.

thanks a lot for the prompt response :) i would actually love to try the american harvest place @ schoolcraft however i thin k they are only open for lunch adn then the occasional dinner?? has anyone been and can verify? also, no weekends, right? ive never heard of vining's...hmm .
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--

A few ideas -

Sweet Lorraine's in Berkley (I think - if not Berkley then somewhere close to that)

Vining's Bistro on Woodward

Hong Hua on Orchard Lake - upscale Chinese

Loving Spoonful on 12 Mile in Farmington Hills

If the timing is right - American Harvest at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute - best bargain in town

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

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icecreamparty

icecreamparty

Posted
Posted

wow, i did not know that they open for dinner wedn-fri!! great! i will have to try it out some time soon. :) thanks guys, for all the suggestions.

Dinner is Wednesday through Friday, 6:00 to 7:45. Here's their web site.
thanks a lot for the prompt response :) i would actually love to try the american harvest place @ schoolcraft however i thin k they are only open for lunch adn then the occasional dinner?? has anyone been and can verify? also, no weekends, right? ive never heard of vining's...hmm .
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--

A few ideas -

Sweet Lorraine's in Berkley (I think - if not Berkley then somewhere close to that)

Vining's Bistro on Woodward

Hong Hua on Orchard Lake - upscale Chinese

Loving Spoonful on 12 Mile in Farmington Hills

If the timing is right - American Harvest at Schoolcraft Culinary Institute - best bargain in town

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annarborfoodie

annarborfoodie

Posted
Posted

They're actually open most Tuesdays too - but they serve their International Dinners then, which are prix fixe. I have taken a bunch of classes in their continuing ed program and I'm always drooling over the stuff that is being served at the restaurant.

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  • 1 month later...
cbarre02

cbarre02

Posted
Posted

Any foodie news on the home front... i know michigan is in a financial downfall right now. Is it affecting restaurants? Anything new opening, any interesting meal lately. I be visiting the area soon, is there any places that i just have to check out

Cory Barrett

Pastry Chef

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tammylc

tammylc

Posted
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Any foodie news on the home front... i know michigan is in a financial downfall right now.  Is it affecting restaurants?  Anything new opening, any interesting meal lately.  I be visiting the area soon, is there any places that i just have to check out

Let's see... after a great meal at Emily's earlier this year, I had a really disappointing one recently. Well, actually, my food was great, but my husband was disappointed. And I guess I agree with him that the value just wasn't there - not enough wow for the buck.

Hearing bad things about the change of chefs at Tribute, but I haven't been there, so I can't report firsthand.

There's a new restaurant in Detroit called Slows Bar BQ, that I've been hearing some good press about. Here's a link: http://www.metrotimes.com/guide/restaurant...iew.asp?id=9524

In Ann Arbor, the guy who opened up Mediterrano is opening up a new place on the west side - Carlyle's Bar and Grill. Classic American with an upscale twist, according to a recent article in the Observer. Since I live on the west end, I'm always happy when new restaurants open up, but Zingerman's is already doing upscale American food on this side of town - I'd have loved it to be something more interesting.

Also in Ann Arbor, I haven't been to the Quarter Bistro and Tavern yet, but the press is good. It's were Mountain Jack's and then Rio Bravo was, in Westgate Mall. Cajun/Creole/New Orleans food. Initial reports were that the food was great but the service slow, but its been a few months, so hopefully they've ironed out the bugs.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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annarborfoodie

annarborfoodie

Posted
Posted

We tried Quarter Bistro about a month ago. I wasn't that impressed; I think there are better options in Ann Arbor for that price range. We were there on a weeknight, and service was fine though a bit overly attentive. They were pretty busy - we had a short wait for a table and I think it was a Tuesday night.

In Detroit though, I think one restaurant to try would be Atlas Global Bistro. They have made great strides since they first opened, and just got a really nice review in the Detroit News acknowledging their progress. I haven't heard much about Mosaic, which opened recently in Greektown. It is owned by two daughters of Jim Papas, who owns much of Greektown. Seldom Blues and Andiamo Riverfront are two nice additions to the Renaissance Center.

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Alex

Alex

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Posted
Any foodie news on the home front... i know michigan is in a financial downfall right now.  Is it affecting restaurants?  Anything new opening, any interesting meal lately.  I be visiting the area soon, is there any places that i just have to check out

How soon is "soon?"

I'll be visiting the area in a few weeks and will be eating dinner one night at City Cellar in Birmingham. I'm not overly worked up about the menu and the web site is done in hugely annoying Flash, but the food is supposed to be decent and wines listed at <$100 are half-off on Mondays. I'll keep you posted.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  -George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman, Act 1

 

"Imagine all the food you have eaten in your life and consider that you are simply some of that food, rearranged."  -Max Tegmark, physicist

 

Gene Weingarten, writing in the Washington Post about online news stories and the accompanying readers' comments: "I basically like 'comments,' though they can seem a little jarring: spit-flecked rants that are appended to a product that at least tries for a measure of objectivity and dignity. It's as though when you order a sirloin steak, it comes with a side of maggots."

 

"...in the mid-’90s when the internet was coming...there was a tendency to assume that when all the world’s knowledge comes online, everyone will flock to it. It turns out that if you give everyone access to the Library of Congress, what they do is watch videos on TikTok."  -Neil Stephenson, author, in The Atlantic

 

"In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual." -Galileo Galilei, physicist and astronomer

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