Our main focus is The American Harvest Restaurant.  This is a full service, gourmet restaurant, that is open to the general public . . . but you do need reservations to get a table.  The restaurant, unlike the Craft Grill, is only open when school is in session.  They offer lunch Wednesday – Friday with seating ranging from 11:45 to 12:30. They offer an a la carte lunch menu that changes daily, offering freshly baked breads, gourmet soups, delicious salads, creative entrees, and an extensive selection of tempting desserts. Prices typically hover around $25-$30 per person.

Its week 4 of black history month and this week we are featuring Mike Ransom and his successful line of restaurants.  Specifically Supercrisp in Midtown Detroit at Warren and Cass. Owner/Chef Michael Ransom, who is a Traverse City native, first moved to Detroit in 1999.  He was roommates with a sushi chef and that is when he discovered his passion for the delicacy of Japanese food and his culinary flame was lit. 

It’s week 3 of Black History Month and this week we are featuring 2 of Midtown Detroit’s best kept secrets: Jolly Old Timers and Café Sous Terre.  What makes these places cool is that they aren’t big and flashy. Honestly, if you aren’t aware of them, you would walk or drive right by without a giving it a second thought.

In May of 2021, Danielle “Margo Moon” Bigham and Cedrick Andrews founded the pop-up taco shop called Shell Shock’d Tacos.  One of the places they would do a pop-up at is the Bagley Central Bar at 2545 Bagley Street in Detroit’s Southwest neighborhood.   (Bagley Central Bar has closed, and now the space is used as a “pop-up bar space” and is home to the ever so popular pop-up bar Blitzen’s On Bagley, during the holiday season.) They started with a Blackstone grill, a couple tables, some coolers and a tent serving up Detroit-style, Latina Inspired street food.

20 years ago, Charles (Chuck) Nolen bought Joey’s Meatcutters Inn . . . a bar located at the corner of Orleans and Division streets, just outside of Eastern Markets main drag.  It was originally a butcher shop turned bar, owned by Joseph Gajewski, which was known for their gigantic burgers. Charles renamed the bar to be just Cutter’s Bar & Grill . . . but kept the gigantic burgers on the menu along with other favorites.  The bar has some deep rooted history.  In the late 60’s and early 70’s it was owned by the infamous Purple Gang, one of Detroit’s most notorious organized crime gangs dating back to the 20’s and 30’s. 

Grandma Bob’s, in Corktown, was opened in 2019 by brothers Dave and John Kwiatkowski.  John founded the Detroit Optimist Society in 2014, as a parent company to his growing number of hospitality businesses. His first was 2011 when he opened the Sugar House, a nationally recognized craft cocktail bar, on Michigan Ave right next to Slows BBQ.  In 2014 they signed the lease to occupy the 2nd floor of the Wright Kay building at 1500 Woodward and Wright & Company was born.  Since 2014 his empire has grown to 8 of the most popular bars and restaurants in the city: The Sugar House Wright & Company Honest John’s The Peterboro Bad Luck Bar Mutiny Bar Time Will Tell Grandma Bob’s

Grandma Bob’s may seem like an odd name for a pizza place . . . but of course when there is an odd name, there is usually a good story behind it.  It is actually named after John & Dave’s grandmother Roberta.  She was nicknamed Robby, and their grandfather affectionately called her Bobby and the grandkids always called her Grandma Bob.

Growing up, we remember mom and dad taking us out for pizza at the local pizza place.  This was back before there was a carryout pizza place on every block. To get good pizza, you had to go to an Italian restaurant like Mama Mia’s or Corsi’s. These were the 2 that were the “go to places” where we grew up.  When we bought our first house in South Redford, we had the Mama Mia’s on Plymouth Road. But we quickly became fond of DeLuca’s in Westland.  We moved to Livonia in 2001, and of course you leave a lot of your local favorites behind and find new local favorites.  Well we recently made a special trip to get back to DeLuca’s and we are so glad we did. 

Downtown Detroit is going to be hopping with the Lions Playoff game starting at 8PM this Saturday, January 18th. Detroit has a lot of great restaurants . . . but maybe you don’t have the time to sit down for a meal.  Well, you are in luck because this week we are focusing primarily on locations throughout the Downtown area which are great places to grab something while on the go. 

This week we are in Eastern Market, at Frank’s Deli & Grill, enjoying breakfast after a great morning at the Saturday Market.  We have been coming to Eastern Market on a regular basis, 15-20 times a year, for the past 10 or more years.  We know all the places to eat and drink and have featured many of them in this blog. Frank’s is one place that we have known of, but never stopped in to eat until just recently.  The truth is, no one goes on and on about it like they do Vivio’s, Zeff’s or Farmer Frank’s.  Maybe it’s because it is not in the “actual market area” like the rest of them. I think it is what kept us from getting here sooner . . . but we finally did!

The Brentwood Grill has only been around for about 18 months . . . but it has much deeper roots than that.  If you have never heard of the Brentwood Grill we wouldn’t be surprised. You may know it better as Steve & Rocky’s.  Steve & Rocky’s, which was owned by Steve Allan (Steve) & Charles Rachwitz (Rocky), since around 1998 was a staple to the Novi area.  Last year, when Steve & Rocky decided to step away from day to day operations, their General Manager Bob Loomis stepped in and purchased it from them.

If you live in the Detroit area, and have never been to the Whitney, it needs to be on your list! Not necessarily to dine, even though we highly recommend it, but just to see and maybe take a tour.    If you are not familiar with the Whitney, it is an old mansion on the corner of Woodward and Canfield.  It’s name is an homage to the original owner, David Whitney Jr, a lumber baron and the wealthiest man in Detroit at the time, who had the house built as a residence for himself and his Wife Sara. 

This week we are in Oak Park at Ernie’s Market to grab a couple of Ernie’s renowned sandwiches.  We heard about Ernie’s a couple of years back, through my brother Don, but were not able to get there until recently. In 1955, Ernie & Virginia Hassan (Ernie’s parents) purchased the local Austin Heights neighborhood market, at the corner of Capital and Republic, for $4000 (the equivalent of $50,000 today) but, according to Ernie, it has been in the family for over 100 years. 

This week we are visiting 2 places in New Buffalo Michigan, The Beer Church and The Stray Dog Bar & Grill.  Both of these places are a great place to stop if you are in the area.  We go to Chicago a lot and are always driving by the billboards on I-94 advertising these location in New Buffalo so we finally decided to exit the highway and check them out.  Both places have great history or backstories, both have wonderful food (though the Stray Dog has a more expanded menu) with full bars and they are literally 2 blocks form each other. 

This week we are checking out Sullivan’s Steak House in Downtown Detroit.  Sullivan’s is located on the ground floor of the Westin Book Cadillac, on Washington at Michigan Ave in the space that Michael Symon’s Roast used to occupy.  Sullivan’s opened the doors in Detroit on September 20, 2023, but nationally they opened in 1996 in Austin Texas with the commitment of big steaks, big portions, big drinks and big hospitality.  That theme has carried on to all 15 of their locations from Anchorage, Alaska to Raleigh, North Carolina.  The Detroit location, which has been open for a little over a year, is very spacious.  When you walk in, the restaurant is to the left of the hotel lobby.  It has 3 separate dining areas all set with white linens and white high back chairs.  

In 1936, Gus Guerra opened Buddy’s Rendezvous in Detroit, on Conant at 6 Mile. Originally is was a blind pig, since prohibition had just ended a couple years earlier.  The “Detroit-Style Pizza” legacy began in 1946 when Gus Guerra and his team made their first square-shaped pizza. 

They used square forged-steel pans, “borrowed” from local automotive plants that used them for holding automotive parts. 

They were able to produce a pizza with a very light cheesy and crispy crust, which is now known as Detroit-Style Pizza. This was something that had never been done before and was the first known square pizza in the country.  Now, more than 78 years later, the pizza style has become a national favorite to most people . . . unless you are from New York or Chicago.

Downtown Plymouth has become one of the hottest areas around for dining and nightlife and the Post Local Bistro is a popular location for good food and live entertainment.  Located at 844 Penniman, The Post, which was formerly The Rock Bar & Grill, was opened by Jim and Jennifer Dales in 2013 and have been going strong ever since.  The Dale’s were not new to the restaurant business, having owned a number of other Post Bar locations in Ferndale, Auburn Hills, Detroit and East Lansing until 2007.  While those locations were primarily bars first and restaurants second, they vowed to make this location a destination for all ages and they started with the name, Post Local Bistro.

In 2013 David Steinke (who also co- owns the Mercury Burger Bar on Michigan Ave) and Tim Springstead (who co-owns Nemos Bar also on Michigan Ave) had the thought of opening a new and exciting restaurant in Corktown.  The area was bouncing back and the building right across from Nemos, at the corner of 8^th St. and Michigan Ave, was available and turned out to be the perfect location for them to open up an Italian restaurant.  Ottava Via (pronounced O-Tava Via), which translates to Eighth Way or 8th Street was the perfect and most obvious name, and it sound cool.  The building, which was built in 1914, is the former home of Dime Saving Bank way back in the day and most recently a pawn shop before being transformed into what it is today.

It all began in 1929 when Joe Muer Sr, a cigar producer, decided to open his first restaurant in Eastern Market.  It was a small oyster bar, on Gratiot at Vernor, with only 7 tables and 5 employees.  As he gained popularity he scaled back his cigar production, to expand the restaurant.  The restaurant continued to grow and they kept expanding.  By the 1950s Joe Muer Seafood was one of Detroit’s top dining destinations and was known worldwide.  When Joe Sr passed away, he left the restaurant to his son Joe Muer Jr, who then passed it along to his two sons Joe Muer III and Chuck Muer, who also went on to become an icon in Detroit’s food scene . . . until his disappearance in 1993 while sailing through the Bermuda Triangle.

This week we are in Novi at Border Cantina for Happy Hour.  While we are not sure exactly when Border Cantina opened its doors, we can say it has been a long time.  We have been coming here for what seems to be over 30 years.