|
|
Posted by  Jeremy, on February 12th, 2010 As a carnivore, I have much appreciation for the animals I eat and their overwhelming deliciousness. That is why an experience such as I had this evening pains me so. I went to dinner to celebrate a birthday for a family member at a restaurant in swanky downtown Plymouth, MI called Tavern 1999. I purposely left my camera at home so I could enjoy a meal without having to review or write about the food. I just wanted to enjoy myself and see my nephew and the rest of my family in a non-working capacity. And I would have been able to do that if Tavern 1999 didn’t destroy my pork chops.
I loooooove pork chops. When I make them at home I use Jamaican Jerk seasoning and they are mine and my son’s favorite. The pork chop is a forgiving cut of meat, season it well, and DON’T OVERCOOK THE MEAT OR IT WILL BE TOO DRY!!! Well guess what the barbarians at Tavern 1999 did? They overcooked my damn pork chop. Not just by a little, they sucked all the delicious pork juice out in a food faux pas most foul. I almost cried, not for me, but for the poor pig. This was a culinary crime, a pig died to be turned into a dry, overcooked piece of shoe leather. That ain’t right.
Doubly infuriating was that along with my pork chop flambe, Tavern 1999 served the most delicious cole slaw I’ve had in a long time. How do you fuck up a pork chop that bad but put so much attention into cole slaw? They used some kind of seedy stone ground mustard in the slaw dressing and it was outstanding. And in the interest of fairness I had a bite of the “St. Louis Style” Ribs and they were very good. As I am originally from the S-T-L, I felt they did justice to the ribs. My man Nelly would be proud.
In short, Tavern 1999 may be a decent restaurant, but my displeasure with them runs deep. Don’t overcook my pork chop, you amateurs. They need to apologize to all of pigdom for the way they treated the poor beast that ended up on my plate.
Posted by John, on December 19th, 2009 Greek Town Casino in Detroit doesn’t just boast some of the best drink specials in the city(4 bucks for a shot and a beer), good entertainment, and non-stop poverty creating gaming, they also slang some some serious prime rib. This is casino prime rib we’re talking about here. After hours of giving away your rent money, child support payments, and phone bill, the only thing that could possibly cheer you up is a giant cut of prime rib. They have people wearing chef hats and everything, because the only person I want cutting through my prime rib is someone with a chef hat on. I can’t offer any taste critiques because I just couldn’t get myself away from the table to pay 10 bucks for a cut of casino prime rib. I think they frown upon dripping beef juice on the blackjack cards anyways.
That lady in the last picture looks like she’s about to commit murder in return for her miniscule cut of prime rib.
Posted by John, on November 13th, 2009 
Put together a meat lover like myself and a vegan like Stephanie, and it gets a little interesting when we want to go out to eat. This past Saturday, we decided to head to Detroit to see Dan Auerbach at the Majestic Theater and required dinner and drinks before the show. Going to concerts on an empty stomach just isn’t an option for me. In fact, doing anything with an empty stomach isn’t for me. Normally in Detroit the obvious choice is either Mexican Town or Greek Town. Not an option anymore for this couple. Gotta find a place that has respectable veggie dishes. In our search for a joint with good food and beer we came across the Woodbridge Pub, which promises vegan friendly eats and quality beer. This place came through, for sure.
On the way, the neighborhood looked a little sketchy after we got off the freeway. The thing about Detroit is you can be in a very nice area, make a wrong turn, and you’ll find yourself right in the middle of the ‘hood. Turns out this place is in a pretty good area right on Trumbull av. across from Wayne State University. The Pub looks great from the outside. Huge windows on the front of the building make this place look very inviting, which is what Detroit really needs more of. Walking in, you notice the decor right away. It’s obvious the owner has really put a lot of time getting the place looking completely unique. The bar is all recycled hard wood from an old church, while the rest of the place is a collision of new materials and salvaged goods from other buildings throughout the Detroit area. It has all of the prerequisite amenities: the recycled materials, the awesome bar, good food, affordable beer, art showcase on the walls, and a TV. It’s only been open since September, but it has the comfortable feel of a place that I have been going to for years.
The menu had a nice range of items for both meat eaters like me and for Stephanie who only eats the green stuff. It focuses on salads, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and burgers, and offers a good variety of flavors to choose from. Before dinner, I had to grab a pint of locally brewed Ghettoblaster. From there we moved onto a bottle of house wine, which is only $10 after 5:00 PM on Fridays. Not bad stuff.
For starters I decided to go with the queso fundido dip which was pretty basic blend of cheese and chorizo, which happen to be two of my favorite things in the world. It turned out to be a very rich and delicious dip which came with tortilla chips from Mexican Town. A bit much for one person, but I’m not your average eater.
Stephanie had been looking forward to trying one of their vegan soups, so she was excited to see the harvest grain and portabella soup. From what we could tell, this a potato and vegetable broth based soup with lentils, corn, carrots, and chunks of portabella. Beyond that, it was a mystery to us. Honestly, this was some of the best soup I’ve ever had. They’ve really succeeded in creating a hearty soup using all vegan ingredients. It’s become our mission to try and re-create it. We’re currently plotting to break in and steal the recipe. Maybe writing that on a public forum isn’t a good idea.
For dinner I had to go with one of the pizzas which come on a 10″ extra thin crust. I said before that I was looking for meat but the artichoke, spinach, and brie just looked too good to pass up. There’s just something about creative uses of brie cheese that gets me every time. This pizza was solid, but not great. Definitely a good amount of food for one person, but it was missing something(chicken). The crust is good, the brie tastes fresh, the spinach was a little light, and the artichoke hearts were tasty. They drizzle a garlic infused olive oil over top which adds a little extra taste, but I think a little fresh garlic on top would’ve worked well.
Stephanie went with the “Stevers McFever” black bean burger, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite non-meat dishes. This was by far the most interesting black bean burger I have ever seen. The huge patty is surrounded by two giant pieces ciabatta bread, and topped with avocado, marinated tomato, caramelized onion, and a balsamic glaze. The combination of the bread, the vegetables, the spice of the patty, and the sweetness of the glaze really created an incredible flavor. I’ve only been eating black bean burgers for a few months now, but I will say that this is the best I have had. There may be a credibility issue here, but you’re just going to have to take my word for it.
It’s nice to find a gem like this in Detroit, especially one this accessible. I’ve written before about all of the great food in the city before, and this is a perfect example of it. Not only can you find great bars, authentic eats, and entertainment, but also a friendly neighborhood pub or two. Woodbridge Pub definitely gets a recommendation from me.
Posted by John, on August 31st, 2009 You’ve probably heard me say this many times, but Detroit is currently offering some of the best food in the country. I don’t think the city gets enough credit for the high quality cuisine that is available. I’m fortunate enough to be a 45 minute drive on I-94 away from a culinary goldmine.
I had the privilege of visiting Vicente Cuban Cuisine in Detroit this past weekend. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to find a good Cuban joint, but when Cuban cuisine is done right, it is easily among my favorite foods. The combination of Spanish, Caribbean and even some African influences make for some incredible flavors that usually come in plentiful, sometimes even epic, portions. I have eaten at Cuban restaurants in Key West, FL, which boasts of having some of the best Cuban food outside of the island itself, and I have to say that Vicente tops those easily.
Vicente was opened up by a family who immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in 1967. The decor and atmosphere is simple but perfect – not too overdone, like many bullshit ethnic restaurants, but not too simple, like many modern upscale restaurants. Vicente’s menu ranges from classic pressed Cuban sandwiches and home-style Cuban entrees to authentic Spanish entrees and tapas. Dine inexpensively or go all out and have Cuban or Valencian paellas. Unfortunately the paellas take 45 mins or I would have chosen that as my dinner.
We started out the meal with a pitcher of white Sangria. The waiter recommended the white over the red and I couldn’t thank him more. The white Sangria is the most delicious Sangria I have ever had. It is a sweet taste with peaches and apples with a cinnamon aftertaste that you can taste on your lips minutes after your drink. I honestly have never had anything like this, alcoholic or not. This stuff is legit. After two glasses we were both, as I like to call it, fuzzy faced.
For my starter, I couldn’t pass up on the lobster bisque. I can’t say more than this was rich and creamy with that great, subtle lobster flavor. No big chunks of lobster here, just brothy goodness.
It was rough actually choosing something for my main course. Everything on the menu was tempting. I ended up going with the Pato a la Naranja, which is a semi-boneless half duck which was roasted until golden brown. It was topped with a Grand Marnier orange sauce which was incredible. I could drink that sauce for breakfast every morning. The outside of the duck was crispy, and the inside was nice and juicy which is a change from a lot of tough duck I’ve had in the past.
Stephanie went with the Gratinado del Chef. This dish was by far the most interesting of the night. It contains shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms sauteed with shallots. It’s then Flambeed with Spanish brandy in a creamy tomato sauce and served in a puff pastry shell with sauteed vegetables and sweet plantains. When I saw it on the menu, the puff pastry scared me off, but it soaked up the sauce and went great with the fillings.
Rob went with the tapas menu, which turned out to be a good choice. On the left is the Tamal Cubano, which is a homemade Cuban corn tamale with bits of pork meat and topped with onions and garlic mojo, and I honestly can’t remember what the dish on the right is. Sorry to drop the ball on that one, but when you’re having a meal as good as this one you mess up a note every now and then. The Sangria could have played a part in that as well.
Lisa went with Comarones Crillos, which is Jumbo shrimp sauteed in olive oil, minced garlic, white wine, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and parsley flakes and served with white rice, sweet plantain, and avocado salad. I have a thing with shrimp, and it involves crying. Thankfully, Lisa took this picture because I was feeling a little emotional.
|
|
Comments