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.

This years reopening of the Michigan Central Train Station has drawn a lot of visitors to the area, and the local restaurants are reaping the benefits.  In the vicinity you have at least a dozen places to choose from.  Places like Slows BBQ, Takoi and Ima, Supergiel, Cork and Gable and Grandma Bob’s, just to name a few, all right there within walking distance . . . but this weeks adventure is taking us to Mercury Burger Bar.

Nothing beats the food and atmosphere of a small town diner.  You can always tell the home cooked, scratch made food that is from the heart.  Ma’s Diner in Onaway is no different.  They opened their doors in 2023 and are going strong today.  They open daily at 4:30 for all the early birds who want to get in before they have to get to work.   

What do Goodnite Gracie and D’Amato’s in Royal Oak have in common?  Well to start, they are sister restaurants, owned by the same owner, and both offer a superb happy hour.  Happy Hour is the same at both places, just with different hours. We’ll get into that later.  What sets these 2 places apart from the others is their longevity.  Not only have they been in business for decades, they are also off the beaten path.  These are not places you are going to just stumble by and stop in, they are “destination” places that people go to on purpose.

In 2011, in the height of the foreclosure crisis, Gary and Vicki Brown purchased this property, which at the time was a small landscaping company call Northland Gardens.  They already owned  landscaping and lawn service companies and thought it would be a nice addition to their businesses.  In 2012, they decided to add a little trailer, selling some smoked ribs, brisket and pulled pork, to attract some tourist drive-bys and people from the state park across the street…thus Lakeshore Smokehouse was born.  At first glance, this unique eatery might not catch your eye. In fact, you might have driven past Lakeshore Smokehouse during previous trips without taking a second look..

This week we are visiting the Side Hustle Lounge, a retro bar which is located and part of Mootz Pizza in Downtown Detroit.  Mootz Pizzeria opened its doors in late 2018 or early 2019 serving their authentic New York style pizza.  Shortly thereafter they opened their “side hustle”, which is a walk up “grab n go” pizza by the slice, for those who do not want to have a sit down meal.  It is designed to resemble a NY subway station.  Fast forward to April of 2024 when they opened The Side Hustle Lounge.

If you know us, you know we are suckers for good BBQ.  In the past 15-20 years it seems that a lot of BBQ places have popped up in the metro Detroit communities.  Some good and some . . . not so much.  The problem that most people have with BBQ is that it can be expensive, and nobody likes to pay top dollar for average food.  Well Lockhart’s BBQ in Royal Oak is far from average. 

C.A. Muer Restaurant Group was founded in 1965 by the legendary restaurateur Chuck Muer, which at its peak had 18 restaurants in 4 states. Charles Rachwitz, also known as Chuck or Rocky, worked for the C.A. Muer restaurant group for 18 years. He served as their Corporate Executive Chef and was a mentor to many future chefs in the Detroit area. Rocky was a integral part of the Muer Corporation by creating and establishing many successful restaurants for his mentor and best friend Chuck Muer. A year before the tragic disappearance at sea, of Chuck and his wife in 1993, he helped Rocky turn the former Northville Charlie’s restaurant into Rocky’s of Northville and he is still going strong today.

The Brakeman, which is referred to as a “Beer Hall” on their website, was opened in March of 2019 by the NOHO Hospitality group. They operate many successful restaurants in New York and have cornered the market here with The Brakeman, also owning Penny Reds, Mister Dips and San Morello in the Shinola Hotel. 

While it feels more like a sports bar than a beer hall, it’s a cool place to stop in for a refreshing cold beverage and maybe play a game of shuffleboard, beer pong, foosball . . . or just watch your favorite team play on one of their many TVs. 

336 Main was a great martini and piano bar in Plymouth, featuring live music, great cocktails but lacked in the food area.  The owners had been looking to make a change, from a piano bar into a restaurant bar. But they had to wait until they had finished their work on another property, Center Street Grill in Northville, formerly The Starting Gate. In 2017, 336 Main was closed and 7 months later Park Place Gastropub opened its doors. 

After nearly 2 years of anticipation, earlier this week was the official opening of Portillo’s Livonia location. Portillo’s original Michigan location was opened 3 years ago in Sterling Heights. The Livonia location is quite spacious (7900 square feet) but is actually a bit smaller than their Sterling Heights location. But, it still offers seating for 175 plus 50 on their outdoor patio. And of course their food is just as delicious! You may also have seen the Portillo’s Beef Bus around which rolled into the area earlier this year.

Iron Horse opened its doors in 2015 and is one of Royal Oaks hidden gems.  If you are going to Royal Oak this is probably not even on your radar . . . but it should be! It is located right next to the Royal Oak Music Theatre. You might even think it is part of the theatre, since there is a door from the theatre for patrons to enter.  We had been here before, following a show, so we assumed it was part of the venue that was only open during events.  We never realized it was it’s own place. But now that we do, it has become a Royal Oak destination for us when we are in the area.

Eat Detroit 2024 is now just a memory, but we wanted to take a minute to highlight some of our favorite restaurants, and the food that we enjoyed, as we ate our way through the city.

If you are not familiar with Eat Detroit it is THE foodie event of the year.  It features numerous restaurants throughout the city, all offering a selection of small plates and signature cocktail. Some were created specifically for the event.  It is a great opportunity to get in and feel the vibe of the new places that have recently opened, or maybe reacquaint yourself with a place that has been open for a while.

Alinea, which means “beginning of a new kind of thinking” is located in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood just steps from the Steppenwolf Theatre. Alinea is in a modest gray brick building with no external signage other than it’s street number.  There is no bar, no lobby and only seats around 70 people in its 2 levels. The interior décor and table settings are purposely minimalistic. They don’t play music in the dining room, to keep your attention focused completely on its masterful food preparation.

This week we are enjoying happy hour at another one of Detroit’s fine dining restaurants: BESA.  BESA, in Albanian culture, is a pledge of honor and its literal meaning is ”to keep the promise”.  BESA opened its doors in November of 2018 and has been going strong ever since.