Friday, January 21, 2011
With an extensive menu and drink specials, Sugarbush Tavern is light on the wallet and heavy on good service.
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- Joe Hakim
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Friday, January 21, 2011
Sugarbush Tavern is a bustling bar that serves food. Nearly any time you walk through the doors, at least half the place is full. There's nothing flashy. Straight-forward woodwork, no ornate decorations or flashy gimmicks, Sugarbush is a neighborhood joint through and through. Just take a look at the monthly calendar. There's a special every day of the week. Happy hour is from 1-5:30 p.m. and includes $2 domestic drafts and $3 house margaritas. If alcohol specials aren't your thing, on Sundays deals are all-you-can-eat fried chicken or a complete roast turkey dinner, both available for under $10. Live bands and other special events are on the schedule, too. Waitresses are incredibly nice and helpful. A full bar is available, but …
Friday, January 7, 2011
J & V Mexican Restaurant is a tiny place behind J & V Supermercado. Only open on weekends, it serves traditional, made-from-scratch Mexican cuisine.
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- Joe Hakim
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Friday, January 7, 2011
Tradition and authenticity excite me. Slow cooking is no longer the norm; people are more concerned with convenience and speed. Taco Bell has become what passes for Mexican food in the American psyche. Not only is this wrong, but it is insulting. Insulting to places like J & V Mexican Restaurant, where they take pride in their food and are presenting traditional dishes made from scratch. J & V (behind J & V Supermercado on Gratiot in Chesterfield Township) is only open on weekends and is a cash-only restaurant. All of the food is prepared in-house, including the salsas. Two salsas—one green, one red—are served along with lime slices and thick flour tortilla chips. The red salsa is made with tomatillos and chiles de arbol. Smoky with a …
Saturday, January 1, 2011
A neighborhood bar with good food, charming Slippery Rock is focused on welcoming customers.
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- Joe Hakim
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Saturday, January 1, 2011
In the midst of downtown New Baltimore's renovation discussions, Jeff and Paula Kropiewnicki opened Slippery Rock in fall 2009. A spacious neighborhood restaurant with no pretensions, Slippery Rock is a place where you can sit at the bar with a cold beer or enjoy a meal at one of the booths. The decor is simple and inviting. Their bar stretches across the length of a building, making it ideal for communal conversation and drinking. My first question when I sit down at a bar is, "What are your Michigan beers?" Given the great beer state we live in, most bars will stock at least one local beer (on tap is a bonus). Slippery Rock has two on tap--Dragonmead's Lancelot Cream Ale (Warren) and Frog Island Amber Ale (Ypsilanti). Michigan beers …
Friday, December 24, 2010
Getting by with a little help from the Beatles and a love of strawberries, Fields serves homemade breakfast, lunch and dinner at an affordable price.
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- Joe Hakim
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Friday, December 24, 2010
I have a confession to make: large menus with lots of choices scare me. I find them overwhelming and they usually foreshadow mediocre food. No restaurant can possibly make decent tacos, home-style meatloaf, spaghetti, omelets and pancakes. It is just not possible. Imagine my horror when I walked in to Strawberry Fields and their behemoth menu was placed in front of me. All of these choices! A place that specializes in pancakes, burgers, Italian food and strawberry dishes cannot do them all well. Let's just say I was pleasantly surprised with Strawberry Fields. As the name indicates, the decor and menu have been inspired by the Beatles. Pictures, albums, and other memorabilia hang on the walls. The menu has sections like, "I wanna hold …
Friday, December 17, 2010
The Chesterfield Township tavern is family-friendly with something for everyone.
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- Joe Hakim
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Friday, December 17, 2010
Wintergarden Tavern is a huge place. Lots of televisions, video games, a large dining room, a big bar area make this a place for anyone. There's not necessarily cohesiveness between the sections, but there doesn't have to be. With its friendly servers and welcoming atmosphere, Wintergarden is a fun place to visit. Wintergarden boasts 15 flavors of wings. As a lover of bold spiciness, I gravitate towards words like "hot," "fire," and in the case of Wintergarden "volcanic." In theory, volcanic garlic cilantro wings sound pretty amazing. The possibility of incendiary heat with a garlicky bite and bright fresh cilantro makes my mouth water. Yes, these wings are hot, but the heat is as one dimensional as a stick figure. Using a word …
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Open for about a year, Bad Brad's BBQ focuses on homemade dishes and a family-friendly atmosphere.
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- Joe Hakim
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
It may be a function of the economy, but everywhere you look a new barbecue place is opening. "There's growth potential in BBQ," said Michael Pollard, general manager of Bad Brad's BBQ off Green Street east of Jefferson. "BBQ transcends economics." He tells a story about two men: one arrives at Bad Brad's on a bike, the other in a Bentley. Both sit at booths and order identical sandwiches. The men, from seemingly different economic places, enjoy the same sandwich at the same time. If that doesn't speak to BBQ's universality, I don't know what does. Pollard's background is in fine dining, but he knew better than to open an expensive establishment. A visit to the highly successful Slows Bar B Q in Detroit inspired him, and soon he was …
Gary Cook
12:35 pm on Saturday, August 18, 2012
Best ceiviche this side of PV Mexico. But where are you at now? Gary & Marge more ›