Michigan: Best Eats
 

By skchin

Japanese Restaurant: a small favorite in Novi - Ajishin

Thai -in the historic Detroit Eastern Market - Sala Thai

Statewide, you hsve to include Tapawingo In Ellsworth as one of the best fine dining restaurants. And the best cherry pie is at Grand Traverse Pie Co. in Traverse City (but they now have several stores around the state).

Here in the Detroit area:

Corned Beef sandwich - Star Deli in Southfield

Traditional Italian - Roma Cafe in Detroit

Southern/Soul food - Beans & Cornbread in Southfield

Thai - Rexy's in Royal Oak

Mexican - Xochimilco in Detroit

La Shish for Middle Eastern in Detriot, fresh made bread. MMMMMM

Miller’s Bar in Dearborn for a good burger

Some fellow FT’ers had discussed Annam’s for Vietnamese – located in Dearborn: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=359919

Steve’s Deli in Bloomfield Hills

Chris Marshall's BBQ in Detroit

Weber's in Ann Arbor just off the interstate - great food with local ingredients, and an excellent wine list.

What about Win Schuler's in Marshall and the chicken places in Frankenmuth? Are they good? Or simply tourist lore?

Dear Cliff Rock

To my mind the chicken places in Frankenmuth are tourist places, servings are hearty and family style, but the crowds and atmosphere give one a feeling of assembly line feeding. (A must visit place is Bronners, the year round Christmas ornament store.)

I like Sanford's Bar & Grill outside Midland on Highway 10 towards Clare, for great buffalo wings and other specialties.

In the land of pizza Buddys is the best.

Two of the best restaurants in the world are located right in Ann Arbor:

Red Hot Lovers

Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers ("Cheaper than Food!")

I'll second that! (The original Buddy's on McNichols, especially.)

Like Sweet Willie said, go for great, inexpensive burgers (usually two!) at Miller's Bar on Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. Half a pound of carnivore bliss!

30 to 40 years ago Schuler's was a great place to eat and they had several locations around the state. Their gimmic then was they had things like cheese, garlic toast and meatballs on the table when you go there -- these days you can still order them.

We ate there a couple of years ago and the service was slow and the meal so so.

If you're in that part of the state, try Turkeyville off of I69 -- not very fancy (think fast food) but a great fresh turkey dinner for about $10.

Bob H

We should mention Poppycock's in Traverse City. Nothing fancy but conistently very good.

Michigan Best Eats:
 

Heck! In Southern Michigan:

Zingerman's in Ann Arbor just off Exit 172 on I-94

Food Dance Cafe in downtown Kalamazoo

:)

Picano's Italian Ristorante in Troy is very good, as are the metro-Detroit Andiamo's.

And of course, there's Tony's Truck Stop in Birch Run!

Thank you. I was last there as a child in the late 70's or early 80's, and I remember the treats, and my parents liking the food, but I am never sure whether a stop now is justified.

I agree with the choices mentioned throughout this thread. I like Piper's in Brownstown for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Same people opened up a fine dining place called "The Big Bear Lodge". I still like Piper's, just ate there last week and the food is always good.

Just a warning, this place is VERY VERY VERY small and gets packed VERY VERY VERY easily :D

It opens at noon on Sundays and sometimes people can be waiting outside at 11.30am:D

Folgarelli's - Traverse City. Imported food market, and deli - so take out, but in the summer they have a little patio with tables. Does some of the best sandwiches I've had. A luch time thing.

Moomers. Ice cream joint, in a small village somewhere to the west of Traverse city. www.moomers.com On a dairy farm, the cows that produce the milk in the ice cream are in a field right next door. One of those off-the-beaten-path unique places.

Can anyone recommend a good bakery in Detroit?

What kind of bakery - birthday cakes or pastries? And in Detroit-proper, or extending to the suburbs?
In Detroit, I would say that Astoria Bakery in Greektown is the best bet.


I just ate at Schuler's for the first time last Sunday night. We were driving from Ann Arbor to Illinois after my husband's graduation and decided to give it a try. I was impressed. We had a really good meal, with excellent service. It's nothing fancy food-wise, and pricier than I expected for a place that has billboards on the highway, but we were happy we stopped.

Frankenmuth is a tourist trap, but one that should be tried once.

Schuler's has excellent food. Great prime rib, and a Michigan Cherry Cobbler that will make you and your cardiologist moan (for different reasons).

I, too, have great memories of Win Schuler's and would like to go back as an adult. My dad would take us there for special occasions and all my high school buddies had a final dinner there before we went our separate ways. But of course, my family's idea of going out to dinner back then was HoJo's and Ponderosa!

Steve

I was thinking more about bread, either italian or french, in or close to Detroit's downtown.

Defintely go to Avalon! It is on Willis, just west of Cass near Wayne State. IIRC, Willis is one block south of Canfield. Their Italian bread is excellent. I could not find a website, but here is their listing on Citysearch:

http://detroit.citysearch.com/profile/5218850

Thanks David; I'll try it!

I'll pile on the food:

Star Deli in Southfield for amazing tuna fish
Steve's Deli in Bloomfield Twp for hot Pastrami
Loui's Pizza in Madison Hts for great pizza and the "Loui's special" sandwich
Millers Bar -another vote for their burger.
Checker Bar downtown Detroit-another great burger
Cameron's Steakhouse in Birminham for, yes, steaks.
Roma cafe in Eastern Market for great Italian.
and last, but not least:
The Lark in West Bloomfield-for the finest dining in the area. And prices to match!

Is Ajishin known for anything in particular?

--

Best burger in the D
 

Red Coat Tavern on Woodward between 13 and 14 mile in Royal Oak. Red building on the East side of Woodward.

Load the burger up with whatever you want, but make sure to order the Piedmontese Beef - it's well worth the coin. Also make sure to order a side of the burger dipping sauce.

Bring sunglasses - no windows in the place, and if you walk out on a sunny day you'll blind yourself.

Just had a Miller's burger yesterday for lunch, damn good and they actually cook it to one's specifications, in my case a medium rare, which many places seem unwilling to do. Details: http://www.millersbar.com/

Moomers and Pizza Papalis
 

I will 2nd moomers for its unique environs.

I also love the deep dish pizza at Pizza Papalis in downtown ("Greektown") Detroit.

My favorite restaurant anywhere is Angelo's in Ann Arbor -- amazing sandwiches on thick, thick slices of fresh homemade bread, or homemade raisin bread with breakfast. Plus, fish and chips on Friday, and half the price of Zingerman's!

Angelos is indeed very good, but I don't know how you can compare it to Zingerman's other than on price. They are on two completely different levels in terms of depth of offerings. Angelos is a basic restaurant with a great breakfast. Zingermans is a world renown bakery and deli and more. They ship worldwide and supply baked goods and pastries to corporations everywhere in the States.

I do love Angelos french toast, though....(without the raisins)...^

I just did Millers for lunch today and took a couple of guys from Minnesota and Edmonton. They couldn't believe that such a good hambuger came from such a non-descript place. I warned them beforehand of the "limited" menu!!

I just learned today that Grand Traverse Pie Company now has a store on Maple Road in Troy. Great cherry pie!

FWIW Gourmet magazine listed the Cherry Hut restaurant in Beulah to have the best cherry pie. Located at 246 Michigan Ave, Beulah, phone: 231-882-4431

As far as Traverse City, they recommended Cousin Jenny's for pasties (basically stew inside a pastry crust) Located at 129 S Union St in Traverse City phone 231.941.7821

I can't believe this thread has gone on this long without a discussion of the relative merits of a Flint style Coney Dog versus a Detroit Style one. If you are passing through Flint on 495 make sure to stop at Angelo's Coney Island. It is in a bit of a scenic neighborhood, but during the day it is basically all right.

I have always been hesitant to try Cousin Jenny's, since the best pasties I ever ate were my mom's and grandmother's. The ones I ate in Cornwall while visiting relatives were pretty good too.

I've lived in this area my whole life. What is a "Flint" style coney and how is it different from the real thing?:D

Let me add a couple of my faves into the mix. This thread has popped a number of the places I usually like to go. And maybe we should have a Michigan FT meet at Turkeyville :)

In Saline, Mac's Acadian Seafood is TERRIFIC. I've eaten there 10 or so times a year the last five or six years. It's replaced Weber's as my favorite Ann Arbor place. They have gumbo to weep for, etouffe, a great house salad. Lots of different fresh fish with a variety of presentations, including non-cajun. They are the one place that I can reliably get Malpeques (my fave oyster).

Angelo's...great place but a bit hectic. I like the Northside Grill on Plymouth(next to the St. Vincent DePaul). Great french toast...and a wonderful meat lover's breakfast.

Weber's....has my vote for the best regular restaurant "prime rib." I don't think the Schuler's in Marshall can hold a candle to Weber's.

A hole in the wall from the street...Knights Restaurant on Dexter Ave, adjacent to Vet's park in A2. I think they make the best hamburger in A2. Not quite as good as the already mentioned Red Coach Grill (Royal Oak) burger but CLOSE. Great comfort food at Knight's.

Both Zingerman's are terrific. And I love Red Hot Lovers. Argiero's does super pasta. And for sushi, I like Yotsuba(sp?)..the folks who used to own Miki. I think they also have another restaurant in Southfield.

Closer in to Detroit, I agree on the Lark...and also like Tribute, every now and then. The Grill at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn also does a fine meal.

In Birmingham, I like Mitchell's Fish....the Oxford Inn in Royal Oak, Pronto's.

Now, I have to go find a snack <G>.

Best non-Detroit pizza: Brooklyn Boyz on Midland Street in Bay City. Surprisingly spectacular.

Best after-bar food in Michigan: The Big Burrito in Kalamazoo, open most nights til 4am. Also nearly edible sober and/or during daylight hours.

IMHO Schuler's in Marshall is not worth the trip (and I used to live 10 miles from there). The Sunday brunch is way over priced for the quality of the food. The regular menu is just about average.