Many times I have lamented the lack of a microbrewery in LA. Sure, I’ve heard there’s one in Eagle Rock, but in 3+ years of living in LA I haven’t set foot in Eagle Rock and probably couldn’t point it out on a map. Plus, that’s one (allegedly good) brewery for a city with a metropolitan area of just under 18 million. Blech. But Michigan is another story, with plentiful great microbreweries. One of these is CJ’s Brewing Company in Commerce. And while I’ve had some delicious beers there, as with most microbreweries, the food is just as good.

And it’s not just about burgers and wings. No, CJ’s is known throughout the metro Detroit area to have the greatest jambalaya my step-mom has ever eaten and the best BBQ chicken pizza my dad has ever had. Not in the mood for jambalaya, I decided to give the BBQ chicken pizza the old college try. This pizza is topped with their hickory BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, bacon and red onions. Plus, it’s offered as both deep dish or round. I ordered a personal-sized deep dish, without the onions for a whopping $6.99 (insert sarcasm here).

After a short wait, the supposedly amazing pizza was brought to me. I was delighted to find that CJ’s deep dish was Detroit-style like you would find at Buddy’s, which means square, thick crust and big, rectangular slices. With four slices, this was a personal pizza not likely to leave me hungry. I dug in and found that yes, CJ’s had achieved BBQ chicken pizza perfection. The crust may be thick and deep, but it’s hardly noticeable because a thick crust is almost necessary to balance out the massive kick of flavor that this pizza delivers. The BBQ sauce was ideal for pizza, being both sweet and smoky. A desire for regular tomato sauce never crossed my mind after digging into the hickey BBQ sauce. The shredded chicken was tender and surprisingly not too prevalent for a pizza with chicken in its name. It actually took a back seat to the bacon, which was at the perfect crispness for pizza and added an additional smoky, salty flavor. This pizza really could have been called BBQ bacon with chicken and the name would have been more accurate.

Accuracy aside, this was one BBQ chicken pizza not to be messed with. And even more amazing is finding something like this at a microbrewery. After three of my four slices, I was tapped out and had to take the final slice to go. California Pizza Kitchen may have put BBQ chicken pizza on the map, but CJ’s has perfected it.

With nearly every visit back to Michigan (time permitting), there is a requisite stop at a Coney Island. You can’t drive more than a few miles in the metro Detroit area without hitting a Coney, and I’m pretty sure they are all awesome. My go-to Coney growing up was Leo’s, but sometimes convenience outweighs loyalty. So last time I was back in the homeland, we went to Lulu’s Coney Island in Walled Lake.

Lulu’s is a relative newcomer on the Coney scene. If my memory serves me, it’s only been around for the past 5 years or so and the Walled Lake location is the only location. But just like all Coneys that have come before it, they serve a mix of Greek, American, and my favorite Coney specialties, the Loose Burger and the Coney Dog. The Loose Burger is a ground beef that never made its way into a patty. Instead, it has been loosely tossed into a hot dog bun. Then, just like the Coney Dog, it is topped with Detroit-style chili. This runny, flavorful and beanless chili can only be found in Detroit (to my knowledge) and is some of the best on earth. It’s so good that even though my weekend in Michigan was 85 degrees and about 85% humidity, my craving for Detroit-style chili did not subside. Some like to eat their dogs and loose burgers with onions and mustard on top, but I like mine just the way nature intended. Just chili, meat and bun. These beauties, if prepared right, can’t be eaten by hand. Instead, they require a fork, knife and a few napkins.

On top of those, I like to get a side of cheese fries. These do a great job of rounding out a deliciously meaty meal. Another thing that distinguishes Coneys from other restaurants are their unbeatable prices. A Coney Dog runs about 2 bucks, a Loose Burger is about $3 and the cheese fries are are $2.50. Great prices, great food and a taste you can’t find outside of Michigan make Coney Islands a necessary stop for any traveler to the area. Lulu’s is no exception to that rule.