[Real Detroit Weekly] Orleans Billiards Cafe

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

"Downtown Mount Clemens has seen plenty of change over the last two decades. Before it was the charming, somewhat quaint brick-paved hub of independently-owned businesses and outdoor art installations that it is now, it was ... well, NOT that. When Orleans Billiards Café opened 15 years ago, it was right at the beginning of downtown Mt. Clemens' transformation, and the place is still evolving.

''We have to keep it fresh,' says Paul Boone, who owns Orleans with his brother Mark. 'We have to do something new every year. I want people coming back asking, "what's he done now?"

'His latest change will be a revamping of the menu. Wait, what? What's that you say: Menu? They serve food in a pool hall?

'First off, DON'T call it a pool hall! Yes, there are six pool tables. There are also three shuffleboard tables, three dartboards, 27 plasma TVs (32''-63''), 10 LCD TVs, Keeno, Quizzo, even beer pong on Tuesdays (and starting in August, Thursdays too). There's also a nice outdoor patio. So it's not a pool hall. It is the watering hole equivalent of an everything bagel..."

Read the rest of the story here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

Halal [HOT LIST]

Chicken Tikka Pizza from Halal Desi Pizza. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

Sunset today marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, and the beginning of Eid, the two-day Muslim holiday following Ramadan. Here in metro Detroit we have an estimated population of over 200,000 Muslims, and we also have the highest concentration of ethnic Arabs outside of the Middle East. To honor our Muslim friends (truth be told, Dearborn is one of our favorite cities in metro Detroit), we bring you this Halal Hot List.

Halal means "lawful," referring to food (and other items) that are permissible in accordance with Islamic law. Islam forbids the consumption of pork, alcohol, carnivorous animals and birds of prey, and blood, as well as any food that may be contaminated by these products. "Halal" also refers to a specific method of slaughtering (the Jewish "kosher" is very similar to the Islamic "halal"). A restaurant that is certified halal will serve none of these outlawed items and will prepare everything in accordance with Islamic law.

There are certified halal restaurants all over metro Detroit, from Dearborn to Garden City, Hamtramck to Sterling Heights. They are Iraqui, Yemeni, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Lebanese (we'll look specifically at these ethnically distinct restaurants in future posts). The five restaurants featured here specialize in five very different kinds of foods. "Halal" doesn't have to mean Middle Eastern or Indian food ... it also means burgers, tacos, pizza, and rotisserie chicken; a little something for all palates (including wholly Midwestern American ones). And to our Muslim friends during this holiday, Assalamu alaikum.

#1 Halal Desi Pizza (Hamtramck)
If you've ever driven down Caniff off of I-75, you've noticed Halal Desi Pizza. It's a box of a building at the corner of Lumpkin and Caniff, covered in signage announcing their pizza, gyros, burgers, chicken wings, Chinese food, and Mexican food. Yes, all of those things. This Bangladeshi establishment serves a variety of popular catch-all American fast food items, and every last one of them is certified halal. The pepperoni for their pizzas is made from beef and they also serve a lot of lamb (their New York-style gyros are a bestseller, and they also have a lamb burger for only $5). But the chicken tikka pizza makes a journey to Hamtramck for pizza alone entirely worthwhile. Chicken tikka (marinated and seasoned tandoori chicken) baked crispy on the edges and bright red with seasoning, along with green peppers and onions on chewy, traditional round crust (do yourself a favor and say "yes" when they ask if you want the crust buttered and sprinkled with parmesan). Alhamdulillah, we love a good melting pot!

#2 Al-Ameer (Dearborn, Dearborn Heights)
We couldn't NOT put a straight-up Middle Eastern restaurant on this list, and this is the most famous of all. At Al-Ameer, you get the full Lebanese-Muslim experience: lamb, lamb, and more lamb; skewered, marinated meats (like lamb; also chicken); and also plenty of light, flavorful vegetarian dishes like fattoush salad, hummous, baba ghanouge, tabbouli, falafel, labneh ... and then lamb. "He don't eat no meat? That's okay. I make lamb." Etc. The baked kebbie is tasty, but the raw kebbie is where it's at. (Hint: it's lamb.) But if you only ever order one thing here, the buttery-tender stuffed lamb with labneh should be it.

#3 Fuego Grill (Dearborn)
There is perhaps no other country on earth that loves pork more than Mexico. Except America. So opening a certified halal Mexican restaurant is certainly not without its challenges. Fuego Grill is the only certified halal Mexican restaurant in the state of Michigan: that means no carnitas, no tacos al pastor, no tripe. But the food here is fresh, all made in-house from scratch, and they do what they can with what they have. They make a chicken-based chorizo with vinegar, cumin, and a dried pepper paste that could easily pass for "the real thing" (and even if not, it's still damn good). They also serve excellent tender, juicy steak dishes (like the braised beef tips).

#4 Zayeqa (Farmington Hills)
It's Chinese food done in Indo-Paki style, the end result of Chinese diaspora into northern India. What this means: it's spicy. It has flavor. There's a lot of curry. And it is better than most other Chinese places you will eat; spare us the almond chicken and egg foo young. The menu is a melding of Hakka, Indian and Pakistani items; we recommend the hakka noodles and every last one of the chicken dishes. But take note: this is legit Indo-Paki food, which means it is H-O-T. If your palate is most comforted by Choose-Your-Meins, this might not be the place for you.

#5 Golden Chicken (Dearborn)
You want chicken? They got chicken. Chicken shawarma, shish tawook, chicken and rice, etc. But if you order anything other than the rotisserie chicken you are doing both yourself and this restaurant a disservice. It would be like going to Roast and ordering a vegetarian dish. You haven't actually experienced this place and are out of your element in all discussions of it. Beautiful, golden, juicy chicken cooking on a spit until it's charred up crispy on the edges; this is what Golden Chicken is about.

Bubbling under Al-Ajami (Dearborn), Byblos Cafe and Grill (Detroit), Al Sultan Restaurant (Garden City), Tawaa Cuisine (Garden City), Najeeb Kabob House (Warren), Sheeba Restaurant (Hamtramck), Aladdin Sweets and Cafe (Hamtramck)

Read More

[EID Feature] Star Lanes Inside Emagine Theatre: It's a Restaurant, Too

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

I have a secret. This secret might shock you. Some of you might be disappointed. Others might even be so devastated they'll choose never to read this blog again as a silent act of protest. I accept these potential consequences because I feel that it is time to unburden myself so I can stop living this shameful, deprived lie. I love food, I do, OBVIOUSLY I do because I'm doing this, but there is something that has my heart even more than all the Neapolitan pizza, craft beer and raclette cheese in the world: movies.

I am a hardcore, unrepentant film and media uber-nerd. So when the $19 million Emagine Theatre in Royal Oak broke ground, as others bemoaned the "big box corporateification" of Royal Oak (something I am prone to do myself) I was silently rejoicing.

It opened on May 16. I saw X-Men: First Class there on June 3. I fell in love immediately. DBOX motion effects! Luxury seating with bar service and 56'' of legroom! Digital posters that play the trailers! Sparkly! SPARKLY!!! Emagine is a movie palace, a SHRINE to movie worship, the Taj Mahal of Michigan movie theatres. It is majestic. And shiny. The 71,000 square foot 10-screen sparkling cinema masterpiece pays homage to the magic of the movies with its grandiosity, and grandiose is certainly nothing new to the Emagine chain: this was the first movie theatre chain in the world to offer all-digital projection, and the first chain in Michigan to offer all-stadium seating (Metromode recently ran this fantastic piece on the chain and its ambitious owner Paul Glantz so you can read about all of their innovations in movie-watching). The chain is also known for offering a full bar at each location (can't really go wrong there), and supporting the local film industry by hosting premieres and screenings of Michigan-made films.

The Royal Oak location is the fifth in the Emagine chain, but it is the first to introduce Star Lanes, an upscale 16-lane bowling alley with three enormous projection screens at the end of the lanes and three flatscreen TVs on each lane (there are over 70 flatscreen TVs throughout the complex, playing everything from Tigers games to PGA tournaments and anything else you might request). And located in Star Lanes is a restaurant, a full-service restaurant with a full bar offering upscale tapas-style bar food. And upstairs is the Skybox Lounge (overlooking the lanes) which can hold private parties for up to 250 people with full sit-down meals, staffed bar and live entertainment, as well as the High Roller Room, which can accommodate up to 50 people with four private bowling lanes, a pool table, shuffleboard, full catering and a private bar.

When you think "bowling alley restaurant" you're probably thinking pizza, burgers, etc. And, yes, you're on the right track ... but how many bowling alleys boast an American Culinary Federation-certified Executive Chef?

"When you go to a bowling alley its greasy burgers and hots dogs. We wanted to get away from that stereotype," says Executive Chef Matthew Johnson. The operation is a full banquet facility which can cater to ANY request. Johnson most recently came from Great Oaks Country Club in Rochester, and if there is one thing a country club chef knows how to do best it's everything (a recent soul food party paired with the film The Help was a huge hit). "We have the chance to 'wow' everyone who comes in the building." Kids' parties, corporate functions, wedding receptions - they can (and do) do it all.

Johnson was recently certified as an Executive Chef through the ACF. He says his has been a "storybook career," starting out as a dishwasher at the Farm in Port Austin and working his way up from there. "I was 16, my parents said 'If you want a car you have to have a job; you can either find a job or we can find a job for you," he explains. "Me being a lazy teen I said, 'Go ahead and find me a job.' They found me a job as a dishwasher at their favorite restaurant in Port Austin."

He remembers the very first day he walked in and instantly knew this was his life's calling. "Sean Loving was there working on his menu" - for what would eventually be the Loving Spoonful in Farmington Hills - "I saw him and the chef who owned the restaurant, I saw the way they talked and acted and lived their lives, how much fun they had cooking ... it was meant to be. I could never imagine myself having as much fun doing anything else."

Loving would end up being Johnson's Intro to Cooking instructor at Schoolcraft College. He would also be Johnson's coach in culinary competitions, and is now a consulting chef for Star Lanes. "It's cool to see it go full circle," Johnson says.

At the Farm, the tiny Port Austin restaurant owned by ACF-certified Executive Chef Pamela Mary Gabriel-Roth, they have a 1-acre produce garden where they grow the majority of their vegetables. "I think that’s a great environment for a chef to grow up in," says Johnson. "If I had to make pesto I had to go and pick the basil!"

He completed his Culinary Arts program at Schoolcraft in 2006. "I would gauge it as one of the top two culinary schools in the country," Johnson proclaims. "The classes only have 16 people so you get more hands-on training with certified master chefs than anywhere else in the world." After the Farm and while attending Schoolcraft, Johnson worked at Great Oaks for almost seven years. With his varied background ranging from remote farm-to-table restaurants to massive country club banquets, Johnson takes his professional training and personal ethos to define the kitchen at Star Lanes.

Johnson demands his vendors source as much from Michigan as possible for him. In the kitchen they make about 80% of the food from scratch - they make their own short ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken wings, pizza dough, soups, potato chips, dipping sauces, guacamole, even desserts (like warm chocolate chips cookies served with milk!). The tortillas for their nachos are bought pre-cut and raw from Michoacana in Mexicantown. They have a $40,000 wood-burning oven ("I call it my Ferrari") for their pizzas, and use recipes from Crust Pizza and Wine Bar.

The menu boasts items like Thai Sweet and Spicy Calamari, cheese fondue (win), baked brie (win!), and a variety of hearty salads, but their signature items are the wood-fired pizza and the nine "Celebrity Row Sliders," mini gourmet burgers made with items like Angus beef, crab and shrimp cakes, tuna, BBQ pulled pork, and portabella mushrooms. But the REAL star - the Marilyn Monroe of sliders - is the "Paparazzi:" a hand-packed Angus beef patty stuffed with a braised short rib, covered in Gruyere cheese and their secret-recipe "galaxy sauce," served on a bun that I swear was dipped in butter and grilled up crispy. This burger is AMAZING. As I sampled/inhaled it I could only grunt and moan. "If I can give someone a culinary orgasm, that's what it's all about!" Johnson laughs. Well Matt, it was good for me, thank you.

Coming for a movie? Great; eat here. Just want to bowl? Great; eat here. In Royal Oak and hungry? Great; eat here. You don't have to be bowling or about to watch a movie to enjoy the food; they're open 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. seven days a week, with happy hour specials 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you bring your same-day movie ticket stub, you'll save up to 25% off food and drinks from their "Why Go Home?" menu. This fall they'll also be participating in the Royal Oak Restaurant Week Fall Harvest with a three-course seasonal Michigan-themed prix fixe dinner menu. So it's not JUST a movie theatre. And it's not JUST a bowling alley. It is a welcome addition to Royal Oak's dining scene, and a progressive Michigan-owned chain that thinks outside the big box.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

[Real Detroit Weekly] Wolfgang Puck Grille

Sauteed Alaskan Halibut. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

There is no doubt that "foodie culture" has gripped the nation with the kind of obsessive, feverish madness reminiscent of family fallout shelters in the '60s and the Great Bottled Water Rush of Y2K. This has led to the rise of the Food Network and the celebrity chef (an exquisite irony for most of these so-called "celebs," who started their careers when the idea of being an American chef in America was a joke – much like looking classy while smoking, it was something only Europeans could really pull off). Any major city you visit now – Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, L.A. – is populated by an ever-increasing number of celebrity chef ventures.

Chicago has Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz and Charlie Trotter (and a few DOZEN others). In Detroit, we have Michael Symon, Michael Mina and Wolfgang Puck.

But the real celebrity at the Wolfgang Puck Grille inside the MGM Grand Detroit is not Mr. Puck himself. It's Executive Chef Marc Djozlija, who has worked for Puck for nearly two decades and has opened all of the eponymous Grilles. Lucky for us, Djozlija has stuck around for awhile, and the Detroit dining scene is all the better for it.

Read the rest of the article here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

[HOT LIST] Hot dogs

"The Frenchy" at Rosie O'Grady's, Ferndale. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

No, NOT Coneys ... we'll get to that eventually, but Detroit's Coney dog scene is well-documented enough already. What isn't well-documented is the quietly-growing gourmet hot dog trend. It makes sense: Detroit is so close to Chicago and Toronto (Chicago, where hot dogs are SERIOUS business, and Toronto - even Windsor - with the best damn street hot dog vendors in North America) that their cosmopolitan processed meat influence had to take hold eventually. Unfortunately some of the budding flowers of the metro Detroit gourmet hot dog scene have already been stomped back into the ground before they were able to fully bloom - the owner of the building that housed Gourmet Hot Dogs on John R (where a certain crepe stand once called home) decided the space would be better served as an ATM, while legal woes with investors have temporarily closed the brand-new Big City Dogs in Clawson - but the desire is still strong here for a hot dog with anything other than chili. We shall overcome, etc.

The truth is, gourmet dogs are in Detroit's blood. With local meatpacking companies like Koegel Meats (those Viennas in natural casing with the signature SNAP when you bite into them is the stuff Coneys are made of), Dearborn Sausage Co., and Kowalski Meats, it's kind of a shame these tasty dogs get buried under all that chili and onion. Don't worry, there are still hundreds of Coney Islands where hot dogs come no other way and WE'LL GET TO THAT ... but for now ... here's something a little different.Whether loaded up with toppings or so good you want to eat them plain, here's some of our favorite local weiners. (*snicker*)

#1 Hippo's Hot Dogs (Troy; Clinton Township)
There's really only two things Chicago does exceedingly and consistently well, and that's steakhouses and hot dogs. Chicago is a meatpacking town, and as much as it's now trying to all fancify itself to compete with the coasts, it can't, it doesn't, it won't. But. They have some good goddurn hot dogs. Maybe you've heard of Hot Doug's? Hippo's has been doing the Chicago-style dog since 1988. What makes a hot dog Chicago-style is "dragging it through the garden:" chopped white onions, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, neon-green sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard and celery salt (or some variation of that). Here it's just called the "Hippo Dog," but it doesn't stop there. Hippo's has about a dozen other gourmet dogs including the "Polish Hippo" - same thing, only with charbroiled all-beef Polish sausage.

#2 Bucharest Grill (downtown Detroit)
There is a temptation to call Bucharest Grill the best-kept secret in Detroit, except it's not much of a secret and no one's keeping it. Their garlicky chicken shawarma is legendary in late-night and lunch circles (being essentially inside the favored local hangout Park Bar has certainly helped that reputation along), but they do serve other food. Their "Gourmet Dog" menu offers six options of knockwurst, bratwurst, and kielbasa dogs, which include the knockwurst-based Coney-style "Detroiter," as well as the "Hamtramck" with kielbasa, braised red cabbage, bacon and grainy mustard on a sesame seed bun. For funsies try the simple 1920 Red Hot, a spicy "old school" dog with grainy mustard.  Do this while drinking a full cold beer.

Best damn ballpark mustard, period. Served at Ford Field.

#3 Rosie O'Grady's (Ferndale; Sterling Heights; Chesterfield)
The 10'' USDA choice beef dogs in natural casings are custom-made just for Rosie O'Grady's, as are the artisan buns steamed to order. Choose from over a dozen "special" and "super special" dogs, including the Frenchy with sauteed mushrooms, Swiss cheese, bacon and Dijon mustard; and the New Yorker with sauerkraut, yellow mustard, and onion-spiked ketchup. For $3 add a side of their garlic parmesan French fries or their homemade onion rings, which are basically like pillowy deep-fried doughnuts with onions inside.

#4 Zack's Hot Dogs (Clinton Township; Warren [coming soon])
Zack's Hot Dogs differentiates their dogs by "snap" and Kosher-style skinless - an important distinction to make for the serious hot dog connoisseur. The "snaps" are natural casing dogs; Kosher are those beautiful all-beef, plump, juicy dogs - your classic ballpark frank. We could start getting into the specifics of Vienna vs. frankfurter vs. weiner which refers to whether they are beef, pork, or a mixture, but that's a whole lot of extra hot dog etymology. For our purposes, Zack's - a Baltimore-based chain that gets its dogs from Chicago's century-old Vienna Beef - covers the major bases, serving only all-beef regionally-inspired dogs.

#5 Tortitas El Rojito (Southwest Detroit)
Who loves gas station food in Southwest Detroit? We do. For as much lip service as Southwest's taco carts and taquerias get nowadays, the happy hot dog seems all but forgotten. Luckily the folks at Tortitas El Rojito haven't forgotten the joys of this Anglo-American treat, and they've added their own Mexican spin; they wrap it up in bacon, cover it in grilled onions, add tomato, ketchup, yellow mustard, and two kinds of homemade salsas.

Bubbling under The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village (Dearborn), Ford Field (Detroit), Lowe's and Home Depot (various locations throughout metro Detroit), Motor City Franks (Ferndale, mobile cart), Detroit Underdog (Ferndale, mobile cart)

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

Read More

[Real Detroit Weekly] Steve's Backroom

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

"Steve's Backroom started as a back room in Harper Woods: in the early '80s Steve Khalil opened a bakery and deli on Kelly Rd. then decided to open a little restaurant in the – you guessed it – back room. The St. Clair Shores location is their second location, owned by Steve's cousin Charlie Raffoul.

'The general concept is essentially the same, but this restaurant and deli serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, has a full bar and is also about to expand with a brand-new upscale 50-seat bar and dining area. This renovation and expansion will also include an earthstone oven in which they'll bake their own pita bread, which means that now everything will be made from scratch in-house..."

Read the rest of the article here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

[Real Detroit Weekly] Snacks from the Mitten

All photos taken inside Holiday Market in Royal Oak by Nicole Rupersburg.

We Michiganders don’t screw around when it comes to our snack foods. Some of our all-time favorite snacky-cakes and cheesy poofs (etc.) are made right here at home and they’re some of the best products on the market. We love to support local, but we love it even more when our local products are better.

Kelly’s Karamels
Kelly’s Karamels, based in Troy, are a long-held family tradition. The recipe used for these traditional soft caramels is the same one Grandma Renie used decades ago, using only six ingredients. These slow-cooked, all-natural caramels are soft and chewy – no hard edges, no strange textures, just mouthfuls of beautiful buttery caramel that melt in your mouth but don’t stick to your teeth. Old-fashioned is so nouveau.

Stahl’s Famous Original Bakery
Stahl’s Bakery has been hand-baking in New Baltimore for 78 years now. Their famous “Belly Button Cookies” started as a baking mistake and have since become a Detroit favorite for the past 30+ years. These chocolate and walnut praline-style cookies are delicate and break easily, but their buttery crunch and explosive flavor is addictive. You’ll eat them like chips and, much like Lay’s, you can’t eat just one.

Garden Fresh Gourmet
Garden Fresh Salsa is the number one salsa in North America, racking up numerous awards over the last 13 years. But this Ferndale-based company (in wide national distribution) makes a variety of other fresh products, including our favorite: Garlic Lover’s Hummus. It is exactly what it says it is, and you should be exactly that to fully enjoy it. Their unsalted tortilla chips are some of the best you can buy in stores.

Sanders Candy
Sanders has been around since 1875, so it is with utter and total assurance that we say that no one can remember a time when an ice cream sundae with Sanders hot fudge wasn’t the grand dame of local desserts. Their signature Cream Puff and Bumpy Cake are classic (if you don’t know, you’re not from around here), but it’s the jars of hot fudge we know you stash in your fridge for late-night spoonfuls while your sig-o sleeps. Don’t lie. We’ve seen the morning-after chocolate stains.

McClure’s Pickles
Pickles as a snack? Hell, these pickles could be a full meal. Great Grandma Lala’s old pickle-making recipe has created a whole new legion of devotees. The Spicy Pickles and Garlic Dill Pickles are so packed with flavor you’ll eat them straight out of the jar. Their Bloody Mary Mix is agreed by 10 out of 10 people who know what they’re talking about to be the best Bloody Mary Mix possibly in all of history and the world. Their brine is even used in shots called a “pickleback.” And have you ever had one of their pickles deep-fried? (Go to Rosie O’Grady’s if not.) We rest our case.

Koegel Meats
Since 1916 Koegel Meats in Flint has been making some of the best hot dogs in metro Detroit. They make a wide variety of processed meat products – all kinds of franks, sausages, bologna, brats and loafs – but it is the signature snap of those classic natural-casing Viennas that we always go back to.

Charley’s Ballpark Mustard
And no proper hot dog can be served without mustard. Just ask Charley Marcuse, the infamous Singing Hot Dog Man of Comerica Park, he of the additional “There is no ketchup in baseball” fame. He is so passionate about the mustard-only hot dog that he made his own – and it might just be the best damn mustard you’ll ever taste.

Thomas Organic Creamery
The all-natural, organic ice cream from Thomas Organic Creamery in Henderson starts with their 35 grass-fed Jersey dairy cows. The milk from these cows is rich in butterfat, which makes for a decadent, richly-flavored ice cream. Every item they use is certified organic and the highest quality they can find, from the mint in the Michigan Mint Chocolate Chip to the Madagascar vanilla.

Better Made Potato Chips and Snack Foods
With over 80 years in business, Better Made’s potato chips might be the snack food Michigan is best known for. But what makes a potato chip “better” made? They use locally-grown potatoes and trans fat-free cottonseed oil to produce their slightly thicker, slightly less greasy, slightly potato-ier potato chips. Could this be the reason Detroiters eat on average 7-lbs of potato chips annually, compared to the rest of the country’s 4-lbs? We’re not fat, we’re husky.

Faygo
Vanilla Crème Soda. Grape. Orange. The appropriately-named Red Pop. (And yes, it’s POP.) The transcendent Rock and Rye. A whole world of fun, colorful flavors (Jazzin’ Blues Berry! Pineapple!) including 6-packs in glass bottles of the original flavors, made with 100% pure cane sugar. You almost have to feel bad for people in other states who don’t understand that “red” is a flavor and “pop” is soda.

Germack Pistachio Company
Since 1924, Germack has been an artisan roaster of a variety of nuts including pistachios, cashews, walnuts, almonds and pecans. But the red pistachios – red for no good reason other than that they can be – is what sticks out in the hearts and memories of Detroiters. As you break open each nut your fingers turn a progressively brighter shade of pink, which is why they’re also called “red lip” pistachios – for obvious reasons. Visit their retail store in historic Eastern Market, or order online at germack.com.

Good People Popcorn
Good People Popcorn is a family-owned gourmet popcorn shop in downtown Detroit. They make their popcorn fresh daily and offer the standard butter, caramel and cheese flavors (try the caramel and cheese mix for the good ‘ol sweet ‘n salty combo), as well as seasonal flavors such as the bacon cheddar made with cheddar popcorn and bacon seasoning.

A slightly different version appeared in print and online, view it here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

[HOT LIST] Raw | Vegan | Organic

These should really all rightfully be their own separate categories, but this ain't California and we ain't dreamin'. For a person adopting the raw and/or vegan and/or organic lifestyle, the options in metro Detroit are just a wee limited. BUT! They do exist, and that's why we're here, so here they are.

Photo courtesy of Detroit Zen Center, Hamtramck

1) Living Zen Organics Hamtramck
The Detroit Zen Center, in what is probably the most ethnically diverse (and more significantly, integrated) square mile of Michigan lovingly referred to by locals as "Hamladesh," is a residential community of Buddhist monks and students who practice the Zen Buddhist lifestyle of daily meditation, manual work and arts. Living Zen Organics is their on-site raw vegan cafe and store that is used to support the Center. They carry local and organic products and also sell their own goods at Eastern Market on Saturdays (and Tuesdays through summer). They're only open on weekends; check out their Facebook page for the weekly menu. The kale chips and their Sunday brunch are the must-haves.

2) Harry's Health Bar Livonia
This raw/vegan-friendly spot inside Zerbo's Health Foods store is a real find. Raw tacos, anyone? Wash them down with some "Green Energy:" strawberries, pineapple, apple, kale, spinach, dandelion, ginger, raw power, coconut water and agave nectar (the fruit overpowers the greens; it's much better than it sounds). All raw juices and smoothies are made with certified organic fruits and vegetables, and all other ingredients are carefully "screened and researched to assure you of optimal benefit." We appreciate the looking out!

3) The Treehouse for Earth's Children Farmington
The Treehouse is a health market that sells vitamins, organic bulk herbs, organic produce, natural remedies, biodynamic gardening preparations, alternative therapy books and other resources. They run Sunday health seminars, workshops led by health consultants, and have an on-site massage therapist. They also have a vegetarian deli and a raw food buffet Sundays from 1-6 p.m. Raw carrot cake, please!

4) Sprout House and MacRobiotics Grosse Pointe Park
An organic grocery store and vegan/vegetarian cafe that serves over 50 different antibiotic-free foods, including homemade soups and sandwiches. Order something fresh from the counter or grab something pre-made out of the cooler for lunch on the go. Try their Mediterranean Tofu Sandwich, packed with spices and leafy greens on hearty whole grain bread. For those on board with "the whole raw thing" but not on board with giving up certain animal byproducts, check out their raw cheese counter.

5) The RAW Cafe Midtown, Detroit
Welp. If the raw movement is going to gain momentum anywhere in metro Detroit, it's going to be in Midtown. The RAW Cafe serves soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and all RAW (all caps, like the name, for emphasis). Owner LaKeta McCauley is passionate in her feelings that a raw, organic, vegan diet will nourish the body and even treat cancer; she should know, she went through it herself. She acquired certifications as an herbalist, blood cell analyst and natural health practitioner, wrote a book, and opened the Cafe where she serves unprocessed, untreated, enzyme-rich and nutrient-dense food. Everything is uncooked, organic and vegan; if you're a raw food n00b, start with their popular wraps.

Bubbling under  DROUGHT raw, organic, cold-pressed juice (Eastern Market vendor, Detroit) Inn Season Cafe (Royal Oak), Avalon International Breads (Midtown, Detroit), Om Cafe (Ferndale), Misho Juice (Dearborn), Mind Body and Spirits (Rochester), Cacao Tree Cafe (Royal Oak), Red Pepper Deli (Northville), Golden Gate Cafe (Highland Park, Detroit)

Read More

[EID Feature] The Root: Back to Basics

Pan-seared scallops. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

Earlier this week we gave you "The Best of Waterford," but there's one place we did not include. (a) Because it's not actually in Waterford; it's in White Lake (next door), and (b) save the best for last, right?

The Root Restaurant and Bar in White Lake has only been open two and a half months, but greater metro Detroit is already taking notice. They've got over 100 reviews on Open Table, more than 900 fans on their Facebook page, 16 glowing reviews on Yelp, and have also caught the attention of the Freep's Sylvia Rector and Crain's Nathan Skid. On weeknights they'll have anywhere from 70-150 covers (that's HUGE); on weekends they're booked solid for the night. You may find yourself asking, "What's a place like this doing in White Lake?" Newsflash: White Lake is not full of poors, and sometimes people who live here get sick of having to drive to Birmingham or Clarkston or West Bloomfield every time they want to have a fine(r) dining experience. "The food scene up here is a little insulting to the demographic," says 26-year-old Executive Chef James Rigato, who is so passionate about his food ethos you'll want to build a restaurant just for him to head ... not totally unlike how it actually happened, really.

Enter the Root, the BRAND-spanking new contemporary American restaurant located in a shopping plaza just off M-59/Highland Rd. The emphasis is on seasonal and regional cuisine, working with local farmers, growers and butchers on an ever-evolving menu in which everything - right down to the breads, pastries and ice creams - is made from scratch. "We smoke our own bacon, brine our own chickens...it's an all from-scratch menu. I'm very passionate; I'll fight over my food."

In the kitchen with James Rigato.

Four and a half years ago, James was a part-time personal chef for owner Ed Mamou while also working as a line cook at the Townsend. "I needed a creative outlet," he says. "They were telling me what to make at first and after a couple of months I said, 'Stop, just let me cook for you, don’t tell me what to make,' and they've never told me what to make since." The family was hosting a lot of parties which James was catering; this spun out into a catering company called Ripe, which gave them the opportunity to test recipes and see what they could do in the public once people had to start attaching value to the food. "It was our launch pad for the Root, our little test lab restaurant," James jokes. "It gave us good momentum."

James eventually told Ed that he was looking for something else besides the Townsend, so Ed said, "Come on full time." James told him that he would want to go back to restaurants; Ed said that he'd always wanted to own a restaurant. The two of them toured all over the States - Chicago, Las Vegas, Vermont - checking out the noteworthy restaurants and the chefs James most respects. Ed even sent James to an organic farm in France for three weeks to work and stage (a brief culinary apprenticeship) at various restaurants. This learning-by-observation helped James to understand what it means to cook versus communicate.

"My biggest learning curve came from the dining room – stop cooking senselessly and start communicating through food," he explains. "When I go somewhere and get a course-out from one of Robuchon’s chefs, there’s a communication there. That’s where I started picking up on the language of food; that’s what I try to teach my cooks - don’t just cook something because it sounds cool or you read about it, say something with it: what’s growing right now, what do people want to eat, what do people not know they want to eat?"

Everything you see on the menu is James's creation done the way James wants it done. "Ed really gave me freedom [here]; he knows I'm policed by my own career," James says. Good chefs, like good artists, know they're good and play to their strengths. Great chefs are constantly obsessed with how to be better. "I want good things. I want to be relevant in Michigan. Ed knows the more freedom he gives me the further I can take the whole restaurant. A lot of restaurants put up a glass ceiling; there is no creative restriction here."

James is a ferocious believer in quality and integrity. "There is no bait-and-switch here, no gouging," he says. "We’re set up to make less than Applebee’s. I charge what I pay for; it’s all about quality products. I love Michigan products. We're in the best part of the globe, surrounded by the freshwater - water is the key of life! Here’s Michigan sandwiched in all this fresh water, our natural resources are so beautiful ... there are plenty of chefs doing great things but this little pocket has been sort of forgotten."

He is referring specifically to White Lake here, a 37.2 sq. mile township with 21 lakes bordered by the equally serene townships of Waterford, Clarkston, Commerce and Milford with hundreds of thousands of total combined residents who are woefully underserved by their local food scene. "I looked at the houses, the local orchards and growers, the roadside food stands - people care about food up here but there's no venue for them to find it. I'd rather be the only restaurant in a needy market than another restaurant in a saturated market ... it's all supply and demand; people will never demand what they don't know about."

In the national "food scene," the hottest trend right now is sourcing locally. "A lot of people call local food a trend," James points out. "I’m doing what’s been done since the beginning of time. In the past 50 years with globalization all these things became available, but when gas prices are so high that New Zealand lamb chops are more expensive than Michigan lamb chops you won’t see them anymore; it will be necessary."  James gets all of his meat from C. Roy in Yale, spending what will be tens of thousands of dollars with this Michigan meatpacking company in a single year. "Now imagine there's a hundred of me." ...then ask why any self-respecting chef would continue to order meat from Sysco.

"Our grass-fed burger is really different; it's just as eccentric as rest of the menu. We're using as many local products as possible. Our concept is transparent all the way to our burger - it’s a cow in its normal state. I think it's a better way of doing things."

This concept even extends to the bar. "We make our own sour mix, simple syrup, we squeeze the lemonade, I make the raspberry syrup. There's no blender, no corn syrup, no mixes; if you taste mint it came from MINT. We make things from scratch or we don’t do it. If I can’t do it right I don’t do it at all." He speaks of some well-known, buzzed-about places that use products made everywhere but in their own kitchen: "If you eat a jam, I made it. From fruit!"

And he's just as passionate about their beer. "I’ll never not do Michigan draft. If I wanted to make money I will have all Bud and Bud Light; that’s how you make money," he says. "Michigan craft beer is doing more for the food industry here than the food industry." They are the first establishment in lower Michigan to carry Keweenaw Brewing Company handles (like the lusciously creamy Widow Maker Black Ale).  "I'm really proud of these handles; no one else is selling Widow Maker. The local markets around here are starting to order more Keweenaw because they’re selling more now; that’s exciting to me because that’s a small change." A change he helped initiate.

The name "the Root" signifies the culture he is trying to create in his kitchen. "I kind of put my foot down. I wanted a singular name - it's metaphorical, lyrical, it sounds like destination – it’s the root of fine dining, stripped down to basics. There is no 'Oz' man behind the curtain, no dress code, no white linen.  We’re very transparent here: here’s my kitchen, my back door, you can hear my dishwashers running. We are who we are here."

James talks a lot of pretension in the restaurant industry and the intimidation factor involved in most fine dining. "It’s the one carnal pleasure everyone can afford that people do three times a day," he explains. "It can be an experience that will take you out of body. I’ll wear clothes from high school and won’t hold back on food; too many people treat their bodies like gas tanks." He recounts drastically different experiences he had at two of Chicago's top restaurants: one which wallowed in its own pretension, the other which celebrated "come one, come all." "I don't mind spending money for the right place. Our top restaurants [here] are mediocre but also alienate people. I wanted the fine dining experience in a casual environment; I don’t want you to be punished for wanting good food."

The fact that it’s in a strip mall further undermines the pretentious mentality of fine dining. As much as he loves local products he hates pretension, and so he quite conscientiously stripped away all those contrived trappings of "fine dining," focusing instead entirely on the food and the people ... and that is really what's at the root of cooking. 

“Intense” is the word almost every single person at the Root uses to describe him. We have a whirlwind conversation for over an hour about pretension in the restaurant industry, baiting-and-switching by top-tier restaurants, the unnecessary intimidation factor of white linen and the "man behind the curtain" mentality, the so-called local food "trend," our shared disdain for salmon and IPAs, our shared love of Michigan craft beer and McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix, our shared opinions on Michigan’s sorely lacking food scene and a few choice places that get a lot of buzz but aren’t worth the time or money. At one point his wife Jen comes over to tell him about a Patrick Swayze documentary she caught just before leaving for work (James loves Patrick Swayze).

"Intense, YES," Jen says when I repeat the oft-repeated epithet. "He'll jump out of bed in the middle of the night because he had an idea he has to write down; he'll be over there writing menus at 4 a.m.!"

Hearing him talk about food made a believer out of me all over again. It’s easy for me to get disheartened by the “fashionability” of the media-fueled food scene. I don’t work in a kitchen. I’m not surrounded by people every day who share the same beliefs in food democracy as me, who offer that little bit of us-against-the-world solace and solidarity. Instead, I spend my days fielding emails from over-eager PR reps and trolling Facebook and Twitter for the latest and greatest from people who think Slows is the only restaurant in Detroit, or who complain that Whole Foods is opening in the city because they are receiving a tax credit to do so, or who claim the title “foodie” as though everyone else who eats food is not. I schlup exhaustively for publications who cater to their advertisers (don't fool yourself: they all do) and I still don’t make enough money to eat at most of the places I’d like to, making me feel like a fraud in my own field most of the time. (Sylvia Rector has been to the Root five times. She also has an expense account and a 401k. And health insurance.) Yeah ... it can be pretty disheartening. But talking to James - seeing, feeling his excitement - reawakened my own passion for food and for this industry and made me remember why I loved it in the first place: because of people like him.

He tells me, "I love my vendors, they know I’m no bullshit. They're not trying to sell me stuff; they're trying to find me stuff." He describes Tom Justice from Eastern Market's R. Hirt as "the man." He refers to well-known Detroit bartender gypsy Lola Gegovic (who wrote their cocktail menu) as his "culinary sister." He calls Doug Hewitt, Executive Chef of Terry B's in Dexter, his "co-chef." He enthusiastically introduces his "protege" Jessi and excitedly tells me about how she's starting a culinary program and is one to watch out for. She beams. He does not place himself above anyone or separate himself from anyone - he sees himself as just one cog in a much bigger machine.

"I want to be the people’s chef," he says. "It's like going to the doctor and not seeing the doctor. You go to a restaurant, you should see the chef. I want to gain relationships, not customers." He calls his vendors his "life blood" and describes a trip he took to the Chef's Garden in Huron, Ohio where some of the country's most high-profile chefs source their microgreens (the photos in the dining room [above] were all taken here): "It's so cool," he says, explaining that his mom worked in greenhouses when he was a kid and the overwhelming sense of nostalgia he felt walking in. "This is the source of food. You smell the soil, you feel the moist heat - that's where food comes from. As a chef it's a tear-jerking moment."

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

Read More

[Metromode] What Food Trucks Say About Ferndale

Last month in Concentrate, the Ann Arbor-based sister publication to Metromode, we looked at the burgeoning food truck scene in Ann Arbor, with the arrival of the new food truck courtyard Mark's Carts. We also looked at Portland, Ore.'s successful "pod" model, groups of food trucks located in semi-permanent positions on privately-owned lots. The scene has been so successful that there are now over 600 food carts operating in Portland, and they regularly make national headlines in food, travel, and business publications.

This week in Metromode, we look to Ferndale to see how feasible a food truck scene might be here, and what it means for the greater community.

In terms of urban cred, Ferndale doesn't really have any one thing that makes it extraordinary. When considering the amenities that typically make a community stand out - rich history, impressive architecture, unique cultural heritage, major museums, exceptional restaurants - the city struggles to distinguish itself. And yet, distinguish itself it does.

What makes this inner ring Detroit burb so attractive is its energetic commitment to developing a vibrant downtown, nurturing local entrepreneurship, drawing young professionals, and facilitating the creativity of its citizens. The nickname "Fabulous Ferndale" isn't just a tongue-in-cheek response to the city's growing LGBT population. It's become a mission statement of sorts. And unlike many local governments, the city has political and municipal leaders willing to embrace the changes necessary to meet those goals.

"Ferndale is easy to work with as far as the city goes," says Chris Johnston, owner of popular Ferndale spots Woodward Avenue Brewers (WAB), the Emory and the Loving Touch. "A lot of other places seem to have red tape for no reason... it should be a given to not get in the way of people who have a lifelong dream of doing something and are willing to put money up to do it. [It almost seems like] some cities watch you do things the wrong way just to say 'Oh, you did it wrong.'"

As if to drive that point home, consider the New Theater Project, an Ann Arbor troupe that was recently driven out of its small space because of zoning issues. Despite a year of performing and renovating the space, the city demanded $1,000 to apply for an exception hearing or move out. The company ended up relocating to Ypsilanti.

Someone says, "I have an idea" and Ferndale answers, "Let's make it work."

Recently a brand-new mobile food truck called El Guapo made headlines for becoming the first fully-sanctioned food truck in downtown Detroit. It only took 60 trips to City Hall to make it happen.

In Ann Arbor, where the city's mantra is "If it's not specifically permitted, it's forbidden",  Mark's Carts opened against all municipal odds. Given the constraints and requirements, it was the urban equivalent of lightning striking.

In contrast, two weeks ago the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority was approached with four applications for mobile vending permits (two push-carts and two trucks). Three out of four are already operating -- Underdog and Motor City Franks, both sidewalk hot dog vendors, and Jacques' Tacos, which is renting a space in the privately-owned parking lot of Ferndale Radiator. The fourth, another Mexican food truck called Taco Mama, is delayed only until an agreement on the truck's location can be reached and secured. Treat Dreams will also soon be operating an ice cream cart...

Read the rest of the story here.

Read More

[944] Director's Cut: The Toronto International Film Festival Travel Guide

View from the Thompson Toronto's rooftop infinity pool. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

For film aficionados and movie nerds, spending a few days immersed in back-to-back screenings of the outlandish, edgy, quirky, profound, and always wholly unique offerings of an international film festival is a sacred experience. But too many film festivals are more about celebrities and their seekers preening and neck-craning than about the movies themselves. Others are so under-the-radar that they only screen third-rate features and a LOT of local talent. A movie buff might feel like Goldilocks trying to sift through the available choices for cinema-tourism: this one’s too big; this one’s too small... But the Toronto International Film Festival is just right.

Since 1976, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has been showcasing some of the best films from all over the world during its 11-day run. The festival has grown to feature 300-400 films every year, ranging anywhere from Asian arthouse horror to documentaries on life as a woman in Afghanistan, and also has included such high-profile premieres as American Beauty, Slumdog Millionaire and Precious. It is considered one of the finest and most influential film festivals in the world, yet despite its reputability it still has been able to maintain its indie integrity as a film lover’s film festival (and not a PR machine for various celebs’ latest star vehicles).

In September 2010, the TIFF unveiled their new home in the Entertainment District in the King West neighborhood, the TIFF Bell Lightbox & Festival Tower, a five-story glass-encased complex with an atrium, five theatres, two galleries, learning studios and student centers, restaurants and a lounge. The heart of the festival is here, but screenings still occur all throughout downtown Toronto.
This year the TIFF will be held September 8-18. In between screenings, be sure to explore the vast cultural offerings this sparkling city has to offer – from haute couture shopping to gritty artist enclaves, Toronto has something to appeal to all tastes … kind of like the festival itself.

King Deluxe room at the Thompson Toronto.

Where to go:

King West
King West, home of the TIFF Bell Lightbox, is becoming a hotbed of youth-oriented urban chic with gourmet burger bars, high-energy nightlife and sleek hotels, while still maintaining a bit of the neighborhood’s independent grit.

The Brunch Burger at the Counter.

Eat, drink and sleep:
The Thompson Toronto The ultra-sleek Thompson Toronto features floor-to-ceiling windows, plasma TVs, and heated marble floors in every room. The design is plush contemporary, perfectly suited for the stylish, trendy traveler. While there, enjoy their exclusive rooftop lounge and infinity pool overlooking the Toronto skyline, as well as the Counter, a 24-hour “classic” diner with a sophisticated twist, serving artisanal cocktails and locally-sourced gourmet comfort foods (the “Brunch Burger” will change the way you think about burgers forever).

Grindhouse Burger Bar The trend of the gourmet burger bar is alive and well in Toronto, and the options are nearly endless. Grindhouse is a bit less flashy, tucked away in a modest-looking storefront, but inside you’ll find 12 options of top-quality burgers ground in-house that are free from refined sugars, hormones, preservatives, and gluten, making their burger an actual healthy option.

Crush Wine Bar This is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of your evening, with an extensive offering of wines by the glass and regionally-themed flights (including many of Ontario’s own wines, difficult to get in the States).

Also: TOCA by Tom Brodi (inside the Ritz-Carlton), Scarpetta (inside the Thompson), Lee Lounge, Le Sélect Bistro, Buca, Wvrst

West Queen West.

West Queen West
Don’t you just love the smell of fresh gentrification in the morning? This recently-revitalized neighborhood has seen some rough times in its past, but now – thanks in large part to the efforts of artists setting up shop and transforming the area – it is a funky, eclectic, artistic cultural hub filled with the largest concentration of art galleries in Toronto as well as independently-owned boutiques, hipster-chic gastropubs, rockin’ whiskey bars, risqué nightclubs and late-night indie rock venues.

Eat, drink and sleep:
The Gladstone Hotel This 132-year-old hotel is one of the major catalysts of WQW’s redevelopment. The goal of the Gladstone is to be a conduit for connecting artists with the public. Their ballroom is a live concert venue (hence why every hotel room comes with a set of earplugs) and they show over 100 art exhibits every year in their hallways and bar. The Gladstone Café also serves some of the best locally-sourced, sustainable foods you will have in the entire city of Toronto.

Also: The Drake Café (inside the Drake Hotel), Mavrik Wine Bar, Poutini’s House of Poutine, Nota Bene

Old Town

The Distillery Historic District
A huge undertaking in historic preservation and adaptive reuse, the Distillery District is a pedestrian-only arts, culture and entertainment destination located within 34 historic Victorian industrial buildings on cobblestone streets, filled with independent galleries, boutiques, restaurants, cafes and performance spaces. 

Eat and drink:
Mill St. Brew Pub Sample their award-winning beers (including their renowned organic lager) while noshing on their beer-infused comfort food (their poutine with beer-braised shortribs is outstanding).

Also: Balzac’s Coffee, Pure Spirits Oyster House, Soma Chocolate & Gelato, The Boiler House

St. Lawrence Market

The St. Lawrence Market is over two centuries old and is located in the heart of Toronto’s Old Town. There are over 120 specialty merchants located in the south building and the north building holds a farmers’ market every Saturday.
Eat and drink: Carousel Bakery, Origins

The Beaches.

Riverdale/Leslieville

On the east end of Queen Street lies these somewhat sleepier neighborhoods down by “The Beaches,” vast stretches of sand along the shore of Lake Ontario. Take a day to soak in the sun on these beautiful urban beaches and explore the cute shops and restaurants nearby.

Eat and drink:
Ruby Watchco Homestyle dining from Canada’s Top Female Chef Lynn Crawford; the menu consists of a single four-course tasting menu that changes daily.

Pic Nic Dozens of artisanal cheeses, meats, and garnishes like gherkins and olives to pair with your wine – this is definitely a grown-up kind of picnic!

Also: Bonjour Brioche, Lady Marmalade

The Royal Ontario Museum.

Bloor-Yorkville/The Annex
This ritzy neighborhood used to be the home of the TIFF, but now it is home to one of the most expensive retail spaces in North America. This exclusive shopping district is populated by some of the world’s most elite designer brands, including Prada, Gucci, Chanel and Hermès.

Check out: The Royal Ontario Museum, Bata Shoe Museum, Casa Loma
Eat and drink: Caren’s Wine & Cheese Bar, Insomnia

Chinatown (Dundas and Spadina)

Toronto’s Chinatown is nestled between the Frank Geary-designed Art Gallery of Ontario, the eighth-largest gallery in North America, and Kensington Market, a multi-cultural market filled with bakeries, cheese shops, ethnic clothing stores, pupuserias and taquerias, and a host of countercultural boutiques and head shops. Chinatown itself is actually one of six such areas in Toronto, but the one located around Dundas and Spadina is one of the largest in North America. Here you’ll countless restaurants, bakeries, markets and shops selling pork buns, dim sum, dried fish and various trinkets.

Yonge-Dundas Square
It is Toronto’s answer to Times Square, and it is the heart of the city’s action. This is the most “touristy” spot in Toronto, but the flashing L.E.D. screens and dynamic art installation comprised of 600 water jets are a sight worth seeing. This is the playground for the young and trendy…especially at night.

Original link here.

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

Read More

[Real Detroit Weekly] Pancho Villa's

(All photos by Nicole Rupersburg)

"Pancho Villa's has been the home of the flaming fajita for 12 years now, but they can also lay claim to being the home of something else: the Margorona.

'"It all started with a customer who ordered a margarita with a Corona and said, "This is gonna sound weird but can you dump the beer bottle upside-down inside it?'" explains co-owner Nick Hartigre. This customer had recently been down South and a popular way of serving frozen margaritas was with bottles of beer upside-down inside of them. The density of the ice keeps the bottle from emptying out and overflowing, essentially refilling the drink AS you drink it. Genius, no?"...

Read the rest of the story here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Read More

[HOT LIST] The Best of Waterford

"Covert" camera phone shooting inside Calabrese's Pizzeria

Waterford. It is the Macomb County of Oakland County, the bastard child of Pontiac and White Lake, the butt of all local hillbilly, redneck and white trash jokes. And yes, Waterford isn't all hoighty-toighty like Birmingham, and the people are decidedly blue collar (however, there is also a lot of money out there on the western and northern borders of White Lake and Clarkston, FTR). The watering holes are exactly that, and the dining scene is pretty humble. But Waterford is also full of natural beauty, with 34 lakes surrounded by forests, several state and county parks, and protected wildlife habitats. The roads all wind around the lakes and the drive is serene; seeing geese, deer, rabbits and all forms of lake and forest wildlife is very common. And despite their simplicity, there are some fantastic restaurants out here (if you can break out of the white tablecloth mindset). From classic American coney islands to Lebanese cuisine, Waterford has a little of everything.

#1 Calabrese's Pizzeria II (4668 Dixie Hwy.)
Is it possible that one of Detroit's best pizzas is way, waaaaaay up here, hidden in Waterford Township in this tiny little pizzeria with about 11 seats all decorated in retro kitsch? For over 40 years, Calabrese's has been one of Waterford's best-kept secrets. The pizza is excellent, without a doubt; but the piece de resistance is the mozzarella bread. "Can mozzarella bread ever really be that good?" you may wonder. It's really just dough, cheese, maybe some butter and garlic salt...surely nothing terribly different from one place to another, right? Words cannot accurately depict the superiority of this humble-looking bread. It starts with the dough - soft, tender, but baked crispy to the edges...just the slightest crunch, nothing dry, just enough. The dough itself is infused with garlic flavor - we know not how, nor do we ask. Surely garlic salt would be obvious but the flavor wouldn't be so infused, and garlic butter would make it greasy...but there it is, defying immediate explanation. Then, it is covered in mozzarella. The mozzarella doesn't bubble and brown: it liquifies, becoming a glassy coat of cheese covering the bread. The flavor: mozzarella-garlic-dough magic. This is not something that can be described. It must be experienced.

#2 Taqueria San Jose (4550 Elizabeth Lake Rd.)
There is no shortage of places in Waterford and Pontiac where you can stuff your face full of Mexi-Merican fare; it's really kind of the Southwest Detroit of the northern suburbs. But places where you can get more Mexican Mexican food are in much shorter supply. Taqueria San Jose is about as fancy as a mess hall, but the food is hands-down some of the best Mexican you will find in metro Detroit. Not Waterford; not Oakland County - metro Detroit, including the city. Tacos come in all the delicious flavors you'd expect from a proper Mexican joint, including tripe and tongue. Order the three taco entree with al pastor (marinated, slow-cooked pork), chorizo (Mexican sausage) and carne asada (grilled steak). They come on corn tortillas with diced onion and cilantro - wedges of limes and radishes are already at your table, as well as homemade tortilla chips and salsas which include a runny, spicy brownish-red salsa made from roasted chiles that is addictive. The entree also comes with Spanish rice and homemade refried beans; even the beans are outstanding. And all that for $6.75. The horchata (sweetened rice milk with ground almond and cinnamon) tastes like homemade rice pudding.

#3 Heroes Bar-B Q + Brew (998 W. Huron St.)
A no-frills family place by day and boisterous bar by night, Heroes serves up hearty Midwestern food like fall-off-the-bone ribs, juicy burgers and steaks, and planked whitefish. Locals love this place because of the consistently friendly staff who will make you feel right at home (they like to say that "you're only a stranger once"), the lively energy (the place is always busy), and the solid food. Nothing fancy, but a reliable stand-by.

#4 Irish Tavern (4703 Elizabeth Lake Rd.)
Nicole remembers when this place opened several years ago; it was the best bar in the area and also happened to be one of the closest to her apartment. She became a regular pretty quickly. The IT has changed quite a bit since it was one of Nicole's old haunts, but all for the better: they added a kitchen after their first couple of years in business, and a recent remodel has made it look more like an Irish bar and less like a Waterford bar. This is simply a great place to go drink, with a more polished feel than most other Waterford dives. (Not that we don't love a good dive, and Waterford's full of 'em.)

#5 Village Place (4710 Cooley Lake Rd.)
What Lafayette Coney Island is to Detroit, Village Place is to Waterford. It's not that the food here is really so outstanding - and people, you really need to start accepting the fact that Lafayette's isn't either - but it's open 24 hours a day and it is a Waterford rite of passage. Anyone who has ever partied semi-regularly in Waterford, White Lake, Union Lake, Commerce Twp. or West Bloomfield has been here at 3 a.m. at some point. It is also located directly next to the IT (don't let the street names confuse you; they practically share a parking lot), so if you're hanging out at our favorite bar you don't have to go far to sober up. Nicole knows this from experience.

Bubbling under Hot Pepper Thai Restaurant (4212 Pontiac Lake Rd.), Walt's Original Coney Island (3425 Highland Rd.), Custard Corner (3005 Pontiac Lake), La Marsa (4240 Pontiac Lake Rd.), Sweet Water Bar + Grill (7760 Cooley Lake Rd.), Grand Azteca IV (2505 Pontiac Lake Rd.)

Read More