‘detroit’

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The Redcoat Tavern is Coming!

September 16th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Wait, this doesn't seem dangerous at all.

Once upon a time, Paul Revere rode through the streets of Boston, warning all patriots by shouting, “The redcoats are coming!”  These redcoats, of course, were the British soldiers and the Americans knew that danger was coming.  But when Redcoat Tavern came to West Bloomfield, Michigan, the people did not sense danger.  No, they embraced it.  That’s because the original Redcoat Tavern in Royal Oak had been serving up some of the most delicious food in metro Detroit for years.  Yet, while I embraced the branching out of Redcoat Tavern, like the Founding Fathers, I also prepared to do battle against its famous burger. Continue Reading»

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A True Detroit Experience at Coney Dog

June 20th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

At home on the Sunset Strip.

We Detroiters (or metro-Detroiters in my case) are adamantly defensive and passionate about our Detroit roots.  Ask one of the thousands of Detroit expats what they miss most about their homeland and they will give you answers ranging from the lakes to the sports to awesome summers.  But there is one thing just about all of us can agree upon: we miss coney.  In LA, we are about as far from Detroit as possible in the lower 48 and absence truly makes the heart grow fonder.  Just about every conversation I’ve had with a former Detroiter in the 3-plus years I’ve lived in LA has led to a “wouldn’t it be awesome if we opened a coney restaurant out here?” moment.  Yet, while all these conversations were taking place, a few people were making it happen. Continue Reading»

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Eating Old School at The Whitney

June 9th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

A historic meal.

While Detroit may be experiencing some of a resurgence (perhaps wishful thinking), it is still a rough city with a small number of little islands of brightness.  One of these islands, which has been afloat since 1890, is The Whitney.  This former residence of David Whitney, Jr. was converted from a mansion to a restaurant in 1986 and has flourished ever since with some of the best food Detroit has to offer.  In Detroit, The Whitney is not exactly an everyday type of restaurant.  The prices are pretty steep for the local standards, but are they worthwhile for the food or simply the price you pay for getting to eat in a Michigan Registered Historical Site? Continue Reading»

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Justin Verlander: Unvegan Hero

May 12th, 2011 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Keep eying that steak.

On Saturday, May 7th, Justin Verlander pitched the second no-hitter of his career.  It’s a hell of an achievement and certainly one to be proud of.  And sure, it’s cool that he is now one of only 30 pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball to throw multiple no-hitters, but the way he celebrated is even cooler. Continue Reading»

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A Taste of Home at Upper Deck

October 27th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

If you hail from the great state of Michigan, you know why I took a picture of this.

A couple weeks ago I headed to Phoenix with the girlfriend for a wedding.  But this wasn’t just any weekend, it happened to be the weekend of the Michigan-Michigan State game.  It’s usually a pretty big game, but with both teams undefeated (at the time), it was a game I couldn’t miss.  Fortunately, said girlfriend found an interesting bar for me to watch it at in Old Town Scottsdale.  It was called Upper Deck Sports Grille and was dedicated to Michigan and Michigan State fans.  You would think Phoenix would be big enough to host ex-Michiganders at more than one bar, but you would be wrong. Continue Reading»

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The Original Coney Dog at Lafayette Coney Island

September 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The Original?

Just before my last visit to my Detroit homeland, I happened to watch a TV show called Food Wars.  This show goes all around the country and pits local restaurants against one another.  In this particular episode, Detroit’s Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island faced off.  The two Coneys were founded in the early 1900s by brothers from Greece and both claim to be the originator of the Coney Dog, a Detroit staple.  On the show, American (powered by their sweet Vidalia onions) edged out Lafayette by a vote of 3-2.  But how would they fare with the Unvegan?  Fortunately an impromptu tour of Detroit with a last-minute visitor brought me to the corner of Lafayette and Michigan Avenue.  Wondering which Coney Dog was the unvegan king, I stepped into Lafayette Coney Island. Continue Reading»

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The Original Coney Dog at American Coney Island

September 16th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

The Original?

Just before my last visit to my Detroit homeland, I happened to watch a TV show called Food Wars.  This show goes all around the country and pits local restaurants against one another.  In this particular episode, Detroit’s Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island faced off.  The two Coneys were founded in the early 1900s by brothers from Greece and both claim to be the originator of the Coney Dog, a Detroit staple.  On the show, American (powered by their sweet Vidalia onions) edged out Lafayette by a vote of 3-2.  But how would they fare with the Unvegan?  Fortunately an impromptu tour of Detroit with a last-minute visitor brought me to the corner of Lafayette and Michigan Avenue.  Wondering which Coney Dog was the unvegan king, I stepped into American Coney Island. Continue Reading»

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Thinking Outside the Box at Village Grille

July 9th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pizza! Nachos!

Although I grew up in Michigan, I can’t remember ever setting foot in Grosse Pointe.  I guess it was just too far outside the bubble of Farmington Hills/West Bloomfield.  Fortunately, my buddy decided to marry a Grosse Point native, giving me my first chance to see what food was like on the other side of Detroit.  We headed to the nice little downtown area of Grosse Point and got ourselves a table at the Village Grille. Continue Reading»

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To the Salt Stick, With Love

July 1st, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

It may be phallic, but it's the best kind of phallic.

To many people, the bagel is the king of breakfast.  It’s like an evolution of toast, similar, yet greatly superior.  And the best of those who love the bagel bow down to the salt bagel, the king of all bagels.  It adds a perfect amount of flavor that goes great with cream cheese, especially strawberry cream cheese.  But why strawberry cream cheese?  Well, combining the sweet of the cream cheese with the salt of the bagel creates a perfect balance unparalleled by any other food in the world.  Ever.

But is the salt bagel perfect?  No, far from it.  While bagels are delicious, they have one major flaw.  That flaw is obvious to anyone who has ever attempted to shmear cream cheese across the surface of the bagel.  The hole.  This hole sucks up perfectly good cream cheese, rendering the bagel an imperfect medium for shmearing.  Enter the Salt Stick.  Continue Reading»

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Folding Over at Pitfire Pizza

April 20th, 2010 Tweet Facebook Digg Stumble Reddit

Pit Firing Away

Although I work like literally right next door to the Pitfire Pizza in North Hollywood, I was somehow compelled to pay a visit to the newer Culver City location.  The set up of the place is actually pretty cool and somewhat industrial-looking.  Orders are taken at a counter that has a nice blackboard behind it showing off the current specials.  None of these looked too interesting to me, so I took a look at the regular menu and found something interesting. Continue Reading»

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Going Global at Plan Check

Fries of the world.

A couple of weeks ago, The Backyard Bite invited me to The Burger Culture Clash, sponsored by Stussy (which apparently still exists) and Plan Check. Plan Check, by the way, is a sort of new (since February) restaurant in West LA with Chef Ernesto Uchimura of Umami Burger fame. As my love of burgers, especially those of the umami variety, I jumped at the opportunity.

Although I arrived alone, I was not the only lone eater. Just next to where I was seated, I met e*star LA and we decided to share a meal called loneliness, because it’s better than eating alone. We made quick friends over our respective blogs and Midwestern roots, then got to work at dissecting the special menu, which Plan Check will be featuring for the next month if anything tickles your fancy.

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It doesn't taste like wool.

What is this?»

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