For the longest time, my friend Sarah “Blacked Out” Caudill has been telling me about this down river restaurant that serves chili made with peanut butter and chocolate.  As someone who likes eating foods with strange ingredients, this had me interested.  I’ve made chili with all kinds of things, including chocolate and beer, but I had never heard of a chili made with peanut butter.  About a week ago, we finally got a chance to check the place out.  It involved going to Taylor, MI but I felt like it could be worth it. Hell, there was even a chance we would run into Steve Avery, who for some reason is not considered a hero in this city.  That baffles me.

I was surprised to find that the Matador, which is the name of the restaurant in case you were wondering, is actually a tiny Mexican joint. “Blacked Out” Sarah had only mentioned to me that the place serves peanut butter and chocolate chili.  Nothing about Mexican food.  She must’ve been blacked out every time we spoke about it, I guess.  The inside was small and dark, with no booths and a single TV hung from the corner of the wall.  I had no doubt that the waitresses were lifelong Taylor residents.

I gazed at the menu and saw the chili that I had come for.  It was described exactly as “Blacked” Out Sarah had described to me.  I demanded that the waitress bring me a cup of this black gold as quickly as possible.  Seeing the possibility that I had a career, a house and working plumbing, the waitress saw her opportunity to get out of Taylor and sprinted to the kitchen to retrieve my chili.  She brought it back and I thanked her for her kind service.  She stood there staring at me, which was a little awkward, so I had to tell her to leave for exactly 12 minutes while I enjoyed my chili.  She obeyed.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chili

The chili was actually incredibly delicious.  It’s not like the chili tasted anything like peanut butter or chocolate.  They both simply contributed to a chili that had a very unique taste.  It was a thick, dark chili and I have to come expect from Mexican restaurants.  Ground beef and cheese sat at the bottom of the cup, and when you mix everything together it lightens up a bit.  I was very impressed by the chili, but disappointed that I had only ordered a cup.  The waitress offered me a free chili refill, but I politely declined.  I told her that I would be having her finest Mexican sandwich for dinner. She sprinted off to the kitchen and I resumed eating my chips and salsa.

Mexican Sandwich AKA Pile of Slop

The Mexican sandwich is one of my favorite things to order at lesser authentic resutraunts.  It’s basically a pile of slop, layered throughout a few tortillas.  Matador’s Mexican sandwich certainly did not disappoint in the slop department. In fact, this is quite possibly the  biggest, sloppiest Mexican sandwich I have ever had.  The taste wasn’t too bad either. Their idea of a Mexican sandwich involved a pork stew that was poured throughout the sandwich.  The stew had large pieces of pork and was pretty flavorful.  Definitely more impressive than your normal shredded chicken or ground beef Mexican sandwich.

All in all, not a bad little joint.  Especially for Taylor.

Oh, and I married the waitress.

Since its opening a few years ago, Slows BarBQ has been one of the most popular eating destinations in the Detroit area. This is great for both Detroit’s economy and local business owners, but terrible for this guy named John who visited the place 5 times in hopes of eating delicious BBQ only to have his hopes smashed by an hour wait.  Don’t think just because I didn’t stick around those other 5 times that it’s not worth the wait.  It’s just difficult to justify that long of a wait when Mexican Town is right around the corner. If you’re going to give them a try, I strongly suggest going at an odd hour for late lunch/early dinner as there’s often a wait to get a table or even a lone spot at the bar.

You walk into Slow’s through a huge wooden door that doesn’t really even look much like a door.  I’m sure some of the general public has fits about where they enter the restaurant.  How inconvenient!  It’s a nice, artsy touch, I think.   We walked into a modern looking place, light wood everywhere and a hell of a bar that sits right in the middle of the restaurant.  The decor is upscale and offers trendy take on BBQ.  It’s a nice place in a rough neighborhood, just down the street from the old Tiger stadium site. It’s a pretty dodgy looking area, and parking is just on the street, but there’s little reason not to feel completely safe there during the day.  During the night time you may run into a character or two, but that’s going to happen in Detroit.

Service is laid back.  You don’t get the feeling that you’re being waited on by some college kid but they also don’t act like professional servers.  There’s no drink suggestions or a recommendation of a daily special.  They ask what you want, recommend something if needed, then bring you your food. It’s no bullshit service, which I can always appreciate.

The menu is divided between soups/appetizers, sandwiches, and actual BBQ platters.  There are many different appetizers that range from 5-8 bucks, the sandwiches are very affordable and usually fall in 7-10 dollar price range, while the BBQ platters are anywhere from 11-20 bucks depending on how much food you get.  On this particular visit, it was 11:30AM so I wasn’t exactly in the mood yet to start shoveling ribs into my mouth.  Looking back, I don’t think there is a bad time for that, but I just felt like ordering something different.

I started with the Brisket Enchiladas and man was this a good decision.  The corn tortillas, which come from Mexican Town, tasted incredibly fresh and were well stuffed with very juicy brisket.  They are topped with smoked Gouda and American cheese and finished with their spicy BBQ sauce.  This is serious.  I could have ordered an entire pan of these for my dinner.

For my main course there really wasn’t any choice other than the Triple Threat Pork sandwich, which was featured on Man v. Food.  The Triple Threat comes with apple wood smoked bacon, pulled pork, and a large slice of ham.  This combination is surrounded by two huge pieces of Texas toast.  This is some serious stuff.  The pulled pork is probably the most tender I have ever had in my life.  The flavor isn’t amazing, but it’s not bad either.  I’m very picky about my pulled pork and I would have to say this gets a solid B.  The bacon is perfection and that’s all I have to say about it.  The ham is fantastic, as well.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if you’re not a fan of pork products, then maybe this sandwich isn’t for you.

Just in case this meal didn’t make me fat enough already, I decided I had to have a side of mac and cheese.  Who goes to a BBQ joint and doesn’t get Mac and Cheese?  Come on now.  That would be terrible of me.  The mac and cheese was solid, but not great.  It’s more hearty than creamy and is heavy on the pepper.  It’s different than most mac and cheeses I’ve had.  I’m not saying it’s bad, just a little different than I expected.

If you’re in Detroit and have some time to kill, go check out Slow’s.  It’s a fun experience and the food is quite tasty.  Like I said, you may end up waiting up to an hour for a table, but it’s worth it to sample some of the best BBQ Detroit has to offer.

As I’ve stated before about a hundred times, Detroit is home to some fantastic food and history.  Any type of food you could think of can be found being served, in a respectable manner, somewhere in the city.  It’s home to fine dining, an entire neighborhood of all things Greek, Mexican Town, the best deep dish pizza being served outside of Chicago, and some of the finest Coney Islands in the country.   Specifically, Detroit is home to Lafaytte and American Coney Island. Deep in the heart of downtown Detroit these two historic spots, which just happen to stand side by side, have been serving up Coney favorites for over 70 years. The competition between Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island is fierce and there isn’t a Detroiter who hasn’t had to offer their dedication to one shop or the other.  The family’s friendly rivalry has allowed both locations to flourish through Detroit’s good times and bad.

Both establishments are incredibly special to the city.  Entering doesn’t mean simply receiving a simple meal, it’s an experience.  At both establishments, the food is being prepared in the front of the house with a window to the outside, which offers culinary entertainment to passing pedestrians and customers walking into the door.  All of the employees are older Greek men, who immediately come for your other after you’ve taken your place at your table.  Once you have told your server what you wish to eat, it is yelled across the restaurants to the cooks in their distinctive code, who often have your meal cooked and in front of you within one minute.  Both have something that most restaurants lack these days, which is character.  As long as they are standing, you can almost guarantee that children you see sloppily eating a chili dog will one day be doing the same thing with their children.

Growing up, American Coney Island was my go to stop before Lions and Tigers games.  This was mainly because my Father preferred Lafayette, which is how most people come to select their favorite.  I’m a habitual contrarian, but for some reason this tradition always stuck with me.  I won’t say that I completely pledge my allegiance to American, but I’ve always been one to visit that side of the block.

When I watched the first episode of the Travel Channel’s Food Wars and noticed that the two would face off later in the season, I felt it necessary to make a trip and give you a view from someone who has been eating at both locations and all food in Detroit for 20 years.

Yes folks, this is Food Wars, Epic Portions Style.

Opened in 1917, American Coney Island sits on the corner of W. Lafayette and boasts the larger location of the two.  It is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, businesses in the Detroit area and has been family run and operated at the exact same location for all of its 90 plus years.  The inside is vibrant and looks a bit like a 70′s cafe, with a black and white checkered floor topped with vinyl chairs and a large number of tables.  On the walls hang pictures of the many famous customers over the years, with an obvious focus on the recent visit by Adam Richman.  It still has the old time feel, but it has obviously been updated over the years.

Coney Dog at American Coney Island

The food at American Coney Island still stays true to the original, which isn’t much of a surprise since it has been family run since its creation.  The hot dogs are specially seasoned and cased naturally, while the chili sauce is specially prepared using the same recipe since the day it opened.  The hot dogs have a distinctive snap when you bite into them, which you simply can’t get at a Kerby’s or any or chain Coney Island.  They are flavorful, and perfectly cooked with a little bit of char on the outside.  They aren’t enormous, so it is easy to eat 2 or 3 in a single visit.  They are normally topped with onions, but I opted to go without so I could get a true taste of the dog and the chili.  You can also get them topped with shredded cheese, which one of my frequent toppings.

Chili at American Coney Island

The chili is dark and bolder than most chili out there.  It’s obviously a chili “sauce” meant to top hot dogs but is absolutely delicious in a bowl by itself, with a Roloids desert.  It’s some serious stuff.  Combined the two make a pretty tastey coney dog, but I truly believe the chili tastes better by itself.   The bill for a chili dog, a bowl of chili, and a large drink came out to about $7.00.  It’s a little pricey for the amount of food you’re getting, but it’s worth it to experience such a historical location and eat some good old fashioned Coneys.

Lafayette Coney Island, which sits next door in a much smaller building, first opened in 1929 and has also been family owned ever since.  Their location is much less updated, and greatly resembles an old 1940′s cafe.  The kitchen is located in the middle of the restaurant, with seating along the sides and a small dining room in the back.  Their location allows about half as many customers as Lafayette, which makes usually makes it a more crowded establishment.  Come during lunch or dinner service and you may find yourself sharing a table with a complete stranger.  Even though service is much more chaotic than American Coney Island, the employees make it work.  You are often required to yell your order across the restaurant to your server, who yells it to his cooks in their own code.

There are several differences from American Coney Island.  It stands in stark contrast to the American Coney Island next door, a larger, cleaner, more decorated and stylish venue.  Lafayette may not be as clean, but it’s still nothing terrible.  If you’re looking for an eating establishment that has a completely clean record, I don’t think you would have much of an interest in either of these places.  They also do not accept credit cards.  In fact, the cash register looks to be the exact same one the place opened with.  Make sure you bring cash, or you will be taking a talk across the street to find an ATM.

During this particular visit, Food Wars was filming additional footage including extreme close ups on the food.

The hot dogs at Lafayette Coney Island have that exact same snap as American Coney Island, which is caused by the natural casing and a perfect char from the cooking.  The skin breaks when you take a bite and it explodes with flavor, just like a good hot dog should.  The difference is the hot dogs at Lafayette seem to have a much better flavor.  I’m not absolutely sure what it is, but the hot dogs at this place are unbelievable.  They come straight off of the grill steaming hot and need to sit for a minute or two before consumption.  This was impressive to me.  I don’t remember the last time I ate a hot dog at a restaurant that had come straight off of the grill.  Usually the hot dog you receive has been sitting in a warmer for some time.

The chili complements the hot dog perfectly.  Lafayette seriously has some of the best coney dogs I have ever had.  The hot dog gives you that nice snap and delicious flavor, while the chili offers a delicious accompaniment, rather than overtaking the entire dog.

Coney Dog at Lafayette Coney Island

Like I said, the chili is less of a “sauce” and more of an actual chili here.  It is far less bold than American Coney Island’s, and has a more complex flavor.  It is lighter in color and flavor, and won’t require you to drink a half bottle of Pepto-Bismol afterward.  It’s almost a blend between coney chili and a pot of chili that you would make at home.  It was amazing to me how the chili could have a somewhat subtle flavor when eaten by itself, but accompany the chili dog so well.  After tasting the coney dog, it’s very surprising to taste the chili and realize just how much flavor the hot dog offers.

The chili and a coney dog will cost you around $4.50, which is much more affordable than a trip to American Coney Island.

Chili at Lafayette Coney Island

And now.. The results.

I don’t want to sound cliche or anything, but this is seriously as close to a push as you can get.  Both offer very similar menus and takes on Coney style food.  Both have some things things that are better than the other, that cancel out other options that are not as good.  I though the chili at American Coney Island was much better than at Lafayette.  That bold, dark flavor is so delicious and unique.  The coney dog was better at Lafayette, mainly because hot dogs at Lafayette are far superior to those at American Coney Island.

If I had to pick a winner I would have to go with Lafayette Coney Island, simply because it is more of a Detroit experience.  If you’re looking for authenticity, then you’re going to want to go to Lafayette.  It may have been established at a later date, but you can get a sample of how the place has always been.  American Coney Island is still incredibly authentic,  but it has obviously been updated throughout the years.

The price at Lafayette is also far superior.  You can eat more for less, and experience more of their menu.  You can eat multiple coney dogs and still keep your lunch, dinner, or midnight snack under $10.

My advice to you is to do exactly what I did and try both places.  Get a coney or two at American, then walk right next door to Lafayette and eat some more.  It’s a fun experience and offers a great look into the history and culture of the city of Detroit.

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.

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.

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.

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.