With all the new chicken and rib places popping up all over the metro Detroit area, let’s not forget about the places that have been around “forever” and are still doing it right. Looking for some "Fun Food" for this weekend, give Mr. Chicken in Redford a try for some delicious broasted chicken and fall off the bone ribs.

As you know, we like to feature cool and unusual places. This week is no different. We are back at The Congregation which we featured back in 2021 when we first stumbled across them. A lot has changed since then and we wanted to bring them back to front and center, to highlight all the cool and exciting things they have to offer.

Many of us will spend time downtown at a ball game this season, and if you do you may want to visit one of Detroit’s many new exciting restaurants or bars or maybe one of the old time favorites.

Every now and then we are reminded that a place, that we have known for years, has really good food and a fun lively atmosphere. The Royal Oak Brewery is one of those places. We have known of their existence since they opened in 1995 but we rarely ever eat there, at least not in the past 10 years…until recently.

As we have mentioned in previous posts, there are so many cool, new and exciting things in Detroit.  It seems that between Downtown, Midtown, New Center and Corktown there are numerous new bars and restaurants popping up every month.  This weeks feature, which we featured back in 2019, is one that is not only creative but it has lot’s of space and something for everyone’s taste: The Detroit Shipping Company. 

Every March 17th we all get to be Irish for a day.  It’s a day that a lot of us flock to our favorite local Irish Pub (or any local bar) for some “good craic” (Gaelic for a good time) Guinness, maybe a shot of Jamison’s and definitely some green beer. It is also a day for indulging in some great Irish food like Corned Beef and Cabbage, Sheppard’s Pie or maybe a good Irish Stew with a hunk of soda bread.  We have family and friends in Ireland, and have had real Irish food from real irish pubs…..so St. Patrick’s Day is special to us even though oddly it is not celebrated in Ireland like it is in the states.

Have you ever said...”That place sounds familiar” or “I have heard of this place but I don’t know why” well that is how we feel about this weeks Fun Food Friday adventure Michigan and Trumbull. If you haven’t heard about Michigan & Trumbull, you have now.

We stumbled across Jezebel’s Saloon while walking back from a different destination in Brighton. We were walking back to our car and as we were walking by some people came out and we heard them saying how much they liked it so we had to go in and check it out. What we loved about this place, is just as much about the vibe/décor as the food and drinks that we saw. It was so cool we had to make a special trip to go back the following weekend.

We’ve heard from a ton of people that this place had the best Friday fish fry. Since it used to be Harold’s Bar, where our parents hung out when we were kids, living in Redford . . . we were a little skeptical. Turns out, they were right! AND this is not your parents dive bar any more.

When I am out showing houses, sometimes Teresa will join me when she can detach from her phone and computer. While I am driving, and in the houses doing my thing, she’s on her phone Googling to find a cool or unique location for us to stop for some food or drinks near where we are going. I will admit that with this one she outdid herself. She programmed the GPS to just give me directions. I had no idea until we were pulling in where we were going. We were in Roseville, so the options for places we’ve never been to before were endless, since it is not a city that we find ourselves dining out in regularly. Our destination? The World’s End Craft Burger Bar…she literally had me at BURGER!

The Super Bowl is this weekend, and of course we are making some of our favorite fun food. Who doesn’t like nachos? Traditionally nachos are chips, cheese, maybe some meat or chili baked and topped with lettuce, tomato, onions etc. Nachos don’t have to be tortilla chips, cheese and seasoned ground beef. They can be so much more than that, and in our house they are! We have a favorite saying that applies to lots of things, not just food: NO RULES!

Normally, we steer clear of “chain” restaurants and focus completely on unique, one of a kind, places to review.  However, this week’s Fun Food Friday is very cool chain restaurant that has ties to our area and the automotive industry…Ford’s Garage. We first came across Ford’s Garage in 2016 when we were staying in Cape Coral Florida, we didn’t know much about it so we thought we would check it out and we really liked it. 

We love the Speakeasy vibe in restaurants and bars.  We have been to several, (including some that are no longer with us due to COVID, and are always looking for new ones.  We had heard of this place, from many people, but since it is located in Howell it is not something we can just pop into.  We recently had a client that bought a condo in the Wixom area and the management company didn’t receive some of his paperwork so we offered to hand deliver it . . . and what do you know, it is in the same building!  We, we made sure to leave time to stop in and enjoy while we were in the area.  Located in the basement of the Heart of Howell building, this place with a serious Speakeasy Vibe, opened its doors in 2015. We are talking about 2 FOGS.

This week’s post has been quite the learning experience for us. Like so many other people that live in the suburbs of Detroit, when we are downtown and have a craving for Mexican food, we would end up at the usual suspects Mexican Village, Xochimilco or Mexicantown.

This week’s Fun Food Friday we are going to an old school steak house that has been going strong for over 60 years… The Clawson Steak House in, of course, Clawson. Voted best steakhouse in metro Detroit by Hour Magazine in 2014 and 2015.  Often referred to as a “Roadhouse-Nightclub”, Clawson Steak House opened their doors in 1958.  The entire restaurant seems like it has never been changed.

This week we are featuring one of those places that we have driven by 100 times and wondered “what’s that place all about”? We know it is a pizza place . . . but is it good? Well we finally decided to meet some friends for lunch in Royal Oak and this is where went. We are talking about Bigalora Cucina.

Is there is a bar or restaurant that whenever you happen to be in the area, you feel it drawing you in? With us that is Second Best, the most misnamed bar in the City . . . because, to us, it is the First Best! We find ourselves coming here all the time and we love sharing it with all of our friends and their friends. There are times when we are the only ones there, and times when we can barely find a place to sit. In the summer, they roll up the garage doors and you can enjoy the open air.

Christmas is always the time when families get together and celebrate and reconnect. For some, it may be the only time they see each other all year.  We all have memories of the Holiday season.  The lights, music, decorations, gifts . . . . and especially the food! Now, more than ever, we all need the warm and comforting feeling from past holiday traditions.

Ooops they did it again! The Four Man Ladder group, John Vermiglio, Josef Giacomino, Will Lee and Michael Gray, the talented crew behind Grey Ghost and Second Best in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood, have recently opened their 3rd restaurant…Basan!

What we love most about venturing out in Downtown Detroit, and sharing our fun food and beverage finds, is researching and finding out the history behind the buildings or businesses in the buildings. This week’s feature has been mentioned before, back in October of 2019, as a great place to go for a good pour of bourbon or craft beer . . . but not for their food: The Grand Trunk Pub.