Detroit: MidTown’s The Eagle
The Eagle opened in Fall of 2023. It’s the 2nd restaurant in Detroit’s midtown opened by Cincinnati based Thunderdome Restaurant Group. Thunderdome was founded in 2012 by Joe Lanni, John Lanni and Alex Blust, when they opened the first Bakersfield in Cincinnati’s Over-The-Rhine neighborhood. (Over-The-Rhine, or OTR as it is commonly referred to, is located in the Urban Basin of Cincinnati and is one of the largest, most intact urban historical districts in the US)
The Lanni brothers spent their whole lives in the restaurant business, working for restaurant groups in Chicago and Boston, where they crossed paths with Alex. In 2005, the 2 brothers took off on their own and opened Currito. It’s similar to a Chipotle, serving wraps, bowls, salads and smoothies. By 2011, they had grown to 11 locations, and today there are 23 in 6 different states.
It was right around 2011 that the 2 brothers and Alex reunited and brainstormed the idea of opening a restaurant together and formed Thunderdome Restaurant Group . . . opening their first Bakersfield. Stay tuned, their blog is coming soon.
Today Thunderdome Restaurant group has 9 restaurant concepts, with over 50 locations in it’s portfolio, mostly throughout the Midwest including The Eagle in Detroit. They founded the group with these 5 Core Values:
Make a Memory - Seize the opportunity to go beyond what is expected. Brighten someone’s day. EVERYDAY!
Be Transparent – Be clear with communication and results. Keep it real, always.
Persevere – Be tenacious and have pioneering spirit. The strength of relationships comes through longevity.
Add Value – Take personal interest in communities, teams and guests. Make a positive impact.
Throw a Party – Collaborate. Be the best hosts you can be. Have a plan. Work the plan. GIVE A DAMN!
We have been to The Eagle a few times and our experience there as lived up to these core values. The restaurant is bright and welcoming, with good bluesy background music. The service has been extraordinary! We always sit at the bar and it’s always the same bartender. He must live there.
The food that we have had has been really good. The first time we were with another couple so we ordered a small feast.
A whole Fried Chicken which is served with spicy hot honey
BBQ Pork Burt Ends with house pickles and lemon thyme ranch
Sweet Potatoes with toasted mini marshmallows
Jalapeno Cheddar Hush Puppies with comeback sauce
Coleslaw and Biscuits with blackberry jam and honey butter
The 2nd time was just drinks and an appetizer where we had their Spicy Chicken Dip served with fresh tortilla chips.
The food was excellent both times we ate there and we got to try a good variety of their food. The Fried Chicken was crispy and juicy and the hot honey added that extra layer of flavor. We are suckers for burnt ends, even if they are pork not beef. These were nicely candied and very flavorful. We’ll definitely order them again next time. We also enjoyed the hush puppies, sweet potatoes and coleslaw and don’t forget the biscuits. How can you have a southern meal without homemade biscuits? Served with honey butter and blackberry jam…oh yeah!
We even turned our daughter and her husband on to them. It is now their go to place when they go to Red Wings games, since The Eagle is just a few minute walk from Little Caesars Arena. Happy hour here is a good deal with their $5 beers and $5 bourbons. We can have a couple of drinks, a chicken sandwich or appetizer, and get out for under $30.
The Eagle is located at 3461 Woodward Ave at the corner of Woodward and Stimson. They are open M-Th from 4PM to 10PM, Fri & Sat 11AM to 11PM and Sun 11am to 10PM. Happy hour is Mon-Thurs from 4-6PM.
Until next time . . . live well, eat well and enjoy life!
-Keith & Teresa Becker