Super Detroit

Super Sunday is the day of my son's 18th birthday, so we are going to the Super Bowl. A memorable birthday I hope, fun for Dad, too, and an enjoyable way for him to spend time with me.

Staying in Ann Arbor Saturday night, so we will try Zingerman's, if they are open.

What should we do in Detroit? I looked at the parties and brunches I could find, and aside from being outrageously expensive (and I am not going to spend $1,000 so the two of us can gawk at Jenna Jameson with the thrilling knowledge that real professional athletes and other celebrities might be hidden behind some door), they did not seem that exciting. Old rock bands, other C-list entertainers, overpriced food and drink... That is my read of the public ones anyway.

Okay, if someone has free party tickets they are not using, I would gladly debase myself and take them, but I am not expecting that. So - what should we do Saturday evening if we go into Detroit, and Sunday before the game?

Thanks in advance.

Dickson, as a person fortunate (or not) enough to have attended 3 of the past 5 SBs, all I can say is forget about eating anywhere upscale and remarkable. Do try to get into the league party if you can, if only for the overwhelming excess. Food's us. pretty good too. You are right to skip all of the you're-invited-if-you-pay-enough parties thrown by Maxxim and whatnot. And Windsor is to Detroit as TJ is to San Diego, sort of. I say you go all in for the lad and see what exotica one of North America's top three countries has to offer.

As for food, you might do well to stick with Dearborn Lebanese

http://www.guidetodetroit.com/diningethnic/medi.html

Yes, Dearborn Lebanese is a must-do. La Shish has a lot of outposts and a lot of space, and there should be no problem even with the super bowl chaos.

Note that since son is turning 18, not 19, most of Windsor's TJ-style benefits will be unavailable. Drinking, strip clubs, gambling, etc, are all 19+ there if my memory is correct. And the food in Windsor is not particularly wonderful, although there are some gems.

Make sure you get into Zingerman's, also, though. It's a truly overpriced place, but it's a markup I'm willing to pay. Some of the sausages they sell, like the fennel salami or the black pepper soppressata or the bilbao chorizo, are tremendous, and their equivalents are difficult to find here. The breads are also top-notch, besting F&O/Red Hen/Medici to me.

19? Damn those Canadians.

I'm on the record as not being overly impressed with Zingerman's fresh (deli sandwiches, bakery) stuff, but the import and dry good selection runs deep and it is a go-out-of-you-way destination, no question.

It's all packed in there pretty tight and the place gets crowded, so some preliminary research online is a good idea. Hard-to-find Spanish rices and Calabrian canned/jarred stuff really stood out for me last time I visited.

Just to clarify on Candian drinking ages, while it is 19 in most provinces (including Ontario, where Windsor is located), the drinking age is 18 in Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. That won't help you on this trip but I thought it was worth making clear that the law is not uniform across the country.

A coney from American Coney Island would be on my list of Detroit experiences. For no other reason than to compare them to New York and Chicago's version of hot dogs. Right next door is the Lafayette Coney Island, their competitor.


Traffic Jam & Snug was a great place to eat when I lived there many years ago. I doubt if it would go down hill. Very creative with one of the first micro-brewerys in Detroit.
The CARLOTTA CHOCOLATTA Ice Cream Cheesecake is outstanding.
Double chocolate cheesecake wrapped in coffee ice cream, coated w/bittersweet hot fudge & sprinkled w/ground espresso.

Roma Cafe in the Eastern Market area is an excellent old style Italian Restaurant. I've enjoyed many fine meals there.

All three of these places are within a mile of the stadium. I would almost say walking distance if it wasn't February.

See, my experience at TJ&S was really mediocre. My salmon dish, which sounded fine on paper, was coated in a sweet glaze and served over sweet basmati rice with a sweet apple compote. It was a little too sweet. The calamari app was overcooked.

The bread, which they make themselves, was OK, but it'd be better if they got it from Zingerman's

I might have been there on a bad night, or we might have had a bad choice of dishes, but it wasn't enough to make me go back.

So, just where is Jenna Jameson going to be?

Bruce said:

A coney from American Coney Island would be on my list of Detroit experiences.

Nope, Lafayette is the superior coney.

Most cities have a couple of places like this--each place will have its partisans, but people who frequent one place wouldn't be caught dead in the other. In Chicago, I think it's Jim's Original/Express Grill. In New Haven, it's Pepe's/Sally's. [/b]

Evan B. Druce wrote:Bruce said:

A coney from American Coney Island would be on my list of Detroit experiences.

Nope, Lafayette is the superior coney.

Most cities have a couple of places like this--each place will have its partisans, but people who frequent one place wouldn't be caught dead in the other. In Chicago, I think it's Jim's Original/Express Grill. In New Haven, it's Pepe's/Sally's. [/b]

I would eat one at both. That way I can get some aerobic walking in while going next door.

YourPalWill wrote:So, just where is Jenna Jameson going to be?

This is a family site, so I will not provide a link, but if you search for the words Vivid and Super Bowl together, you may find some, umm, satisfaction.

to visit in the detroit vicinity is the Red Coat Tavern... its probably the best burger i've ever had.. its in Royal Oak.

reasonably priced, lots of options.. the only downside is its not that fast... not that the service is bad, its just not as fast and rushed as some people hope.

http://detroit.citysearch.com/profile/5 ... alty_id=73

if you want something more upscale, birmingham has some options... though a lot of places in Detroit tend to think they're hoity toity, but when it comes down to it they wouldn't last 3 months in Chicago or New York. I've had some pretty mediocre "high end" food places there... Probably the best place I've been to in Birmingham (and Detroit in general) was at City Cellar. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R ... higan.html

I strongly urge you to get to Ann Arbor early enough to pick up some smoked salmon at Durham's Tracklements. I had not tried it till this last weekend. We got there (just around the corner from Zingerman's) only a few minutes before their 3 p.m. closing (and the only other day they're open is Wednesday, also for short hours) (look for the windsock to tell you they're open) (can't I think of something else to put in parentheses?). The only freshly smoked salmon they had left was their warm smoked miso/mirin/tamari so that's what we bought. It was simply the best salmon I've ever had. They threw in a complimentary small jar of wasabi-lime mustard which was the perfect condiment with the salmon.

You can't exactly say something is undiscovered when Marion Burros has rated it the best smoked salmon in the country in the New York Times, but I think it is new to this board. And, for the occasion, I persuaded Tom Durham to pose for a photo.


Enjoy.

I also have a new favorite sandwich from Zingerman's. It's number 68, the Hot BLT. Described here as

Applewood-smoked bacon, avocado spread, spicy fire-roasted new mexico green chiles, lettuce, tomato & hellmann's mayonnaise on jewish rye bread.

It's a mighty fine sandwich.

Note that you'll have to figure out whether you want to head to Zingerman's Deli or the Roadhouse. Choices and directions are here

Ann,

(I am confused). What days are they (Durhams) open? The web site did not help much. I got Wednesday, but what is the other day?

Sorry for the confusion. I was there Saturday. My recollection of the hours on the door said they were only open Wednesday and Saturday, and only from late morning till 3 p.m. those days. But the website says here

When we’re open, the giant brightly colored fish windsock hangs in front of our door. Regular hours are Wednesday 10 to 3, Friday 9 to 5, and Saturdays 9 to 4. Best selections are late Friday and Saturdays. Other times by appointment.

and I can't swear that that wasn't also what they had on the door.

Since you asked, you might want to consider spending your Saturday evening in Ann Arbor. Great listing of events on this site*. You could go to a Bob Marley Birthday Bash, a U of M hockey game, the new Jeff Daniels' play, a tango dance party, lesbian theater, or, my favorite, "Big Rack Night" where white-tail deer hunters strut their stuff.



* Mandatory disclaimer. arborweb is a project of the Ann Arbor Observer, for which my brother is editor-in-chief.

Ann Fisher wrote:Sorry for the confusion. I was there Saturday. My recollection of the hours on the door said they were only open Wednesday and Saturday, and only from late morning till 3 p.m. those days. But the website says here

When we’re open, the giant brightly colored fish windsock hangs in front of our door. Regular hours are Wednesday 10 to 3, Friday 9 to 5, and Saturdays 9 to 4. Best selections are late Friday and Saturdays. Other times by appointment.

and I can't swear that that wasn't also what they had on the door.

Thanks, Ann. Nice navigation - to find hours one must go to ordering and then find a small link on that page called "How to find us" - intuitive, indeed! I was in a rush yesterday, so my search was home page, about us, and then a dead end.

Yes, we may spend the evening in Ann Arbor, since no Detroit entertainment has panned out. We do have to go into Detroit mid-day on Saturday to pick up the tix, it turns out, but then who knows? Will report back on the experience, and use some of these recs.

Well any of the restaurants in Greek Town will be an excellent choice, or The Parthenon in Ann Arbor. They have some great Greek food, and it's reasonably priced. Hope you have fun in Detroit...I'm originally from Flint, and I miss Michigan.

Bruce wrote:

Evan B. Druce wrote:Bruce said:

A coney from American Coney Island would be on my list of Detroit experiences.

Nope, Lafayette is the superior coney.
[/b]

I would eat one at both. That way I can get some aerobic walking in while going next door.

While Ameican Coney has its web site - Lafayette has a post on CH, with photos: http://www.chowhound.com/midwest/boards/midwest/messages/23954.html

Tough call, but I think the son & I may be in for the comparison-test, in the name of science.

Tough call, but I think the son & I may be in for the comparison-test, in the name of science.

That's the only way to do it.

I still want to know where jenna Jameson is going to be.

YourPalWill wrote:I still want to know where jenna Jameson is going to be.

Not with me

Super Bowl weekend is not the best time to explore Detroit. we did make it to American Coney Island, after a 10 minute wait, and the dog was okay (neither the son or I were impressed by the addition of the meat chili to the dog). Dog had nice pop, and it was filling. Given that, and the illegal parking spot we were in (aside: I believe the NFL is, in fact, a fascist state operating within the US - the city was occupied in the military sense, and I was afraid of what they might do if I violated their rules), we opted not to wait the added half hour to try Lafayette. Next visit.

Zingerman's - good. Picked up some bread, sausage, cheese, essence of tomatoes and very old balsamic. Plus the son bought the house brand graham crackers, which are a confection with little relation to any other graham crackers I have eaten. Excellent. Should have hit the road house and bakery, too.

I probably need to loosen up, but I did find it distressing that the two ladies buying bread ahead of me purchased crusty loaves sliced. This offended my bread sensibility.

Durham's was closed.

Did consider some of the places in the Detroit Eastern Market area earlier, but the timing was bad - parked there for the game, tho, and that was perfect. Had a truly lousy Italian meal at Palio in Ann Arbor. Ended up there after attending a UM - OSU hockey game (great!) and because the brand new Ann Arbor La Shish which was across from our hotel did not open until the day after we left . Another cruel conspiracy.

Wandered thru Dearborn, and managed to not find any of the local Middle Eastern spots. Heading toward downtown, finally ran across Opa Opa Coney Island Restaurant, which really is a family restaurant doing a big breakfast business on Sunday morning. Ordered a couple of shish kabob sandwiches to go - one lamb, one chicken. The lamb was pretty good, and the yogurt sauce was very good; chicken was dry.

Not worth a detour, but could be a decent breakfast or lunch dive if you are in the neighborhood.

Opa Opa Coney Island Rstrnt
(313) 359-2700
17445 Hamilton Ave
Allen Park, MI 48101, United States

Oh, and the game was fun. The Stones were good, particularly given my low expectations. May try to add a picture here later.

Thanks to all.

Thanks for the report. I ate lots of coney islands when I lived and worked in downtown Detroit (I preferred American to Lafayette). But I must say that after I'd tried my first Chicago hot dog I never yearned for a coney island dog again.

I thought you might bite on the hockey game teaser. Glad you enjoyed it. Too bad about La Shish. You need to do what I do when you can't remember a restaurant's address or recommended dishes. Call my kid from the speed dial on your cell phone and have him look it up.

dicksond wrote:Had a truly lousy Italian meal at Palio in Ann Arbor. Ended up there after attending a UM - OSU hockey game (great!)

hmf. did no one point mr dickson to Blimpy Burger? The most chowish joint in all of Ann Arbor? Coupled with Zimmerman, you would've had the town covered.

** someone mentioned Ann Arbor Observer? Both my ex-fiance and I worked for Ann Arbor News about 10 years ago, their site is http://www.mlive.com

TonyC wrote:hmf. did no one point mr dickson to Blimpy Burger? The most chowish joint in all of Ann Arbor?

** someone mentioned Ann Arbor Observer? Both my ex-fiance and I worked for Ann Arbor News about 10 years ago, their site is http://www.mlive.com

That was me mentioning the Observer and that's me hitting my head and saying "duh" when you mention Crazy Jim's Blimpy Burger, recently featured in, of all places, Saveur

Honesty forces me to confess, however, that I haven't actually eaten there since 1969.

If in the NW burbs of Detroit or simply in the Detroit Metro area and are looking for an excellent corned beef or pastrami sandwich (both are homemade from what I understand), I propose making a trip to Steve's Deli

Steve's Deli
6646 Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301
248-932-0800
Open 9 am- 8 pm every day

--

Steve's Deli is opening a Chicago location right by East Bank Club. I think Hubbard and Kingsbury. I can't actually vouch for Steve's Deli. I grew up in Bloomfield Hills, but I always seemed to prefer Breadbasket.