It’s been a while since I posted part one of this, but here’s part two! After dinner we did what any sane person would do after dinner in Greek Town: We went to the Astoria Bakery. The Astoria Bakery was established in 1971 and is widely considered the best bakery in the metropolitan Detroit area. Enough of the talk, here’s the pictures.
Astoria Bakery
541 Monroe
Detroit, MI 48226
http://www.astoriapastryshop.com/
If you don’t know a lot about who runs this site, we are actually a two man team. John, who is currently writing this, lives in Ann Arbor, MI and Todd lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This past weekend we came together and decided to head to Detroit, which hosts many delicious restaurants. Our hotel was in Greek Town, so many of our adventures took place there. If you are not familiar with Greek Town, it is a district in down town Detroit that is home to over 20 great restaurants (ranging from fine dining to authentic Greek fare), pastry shops and the Greektown Casino. The New Hellas Cafe was once featured on Emeril Live. If you are ever in the Detroit area, I highly recommend stopping by and checking it out. I will be posting many pictures and stories from our stay over the next day or two.
Our first stop was Cyprus Taverna. This is one of the less touristy restaurants in the area, and is serving some great authentic Greek food for a very reasonable price. It was only right that we began our meal with Saganaki, or flaming Halloumi cheese. This always goes great with the bread, and is flambeed at your table by your waiter or waitress.
We then moved on to our appetizer, which was the fried calamari. I have a huge fan of calamari but it is difficult to find people who can properly cook it. Often you get a dish that is so fried that you can not actually taste the delicious calamari. Cyprus Taverna’s calamari is lightly fried which gives you a crispy exterior and a delicious interior. You can actually taste the calamari and the outside has a nice crunch. This was definitely some of the best calamari I have ever tasted.
We then moved on to our entrees. Our waitress was a delightful Greek woman who grew up in London and had many recommendations for our meals. Todd decided to go with the lamb, which Cyprus Taverna is known for. His girlfriend, Ghazaleh, picked a stuffed pepper and tomato, and one original John went with the Greek Trio with a spinach pie, Moussaka, and one other selection that I can not recall. Sadly I did not write down or remember what everything was served with so I can not explain our dishes in much detail.
All in all, Cyprus Taverna is definitely making some of the best food in Greek Town. It is reasonably priced, the service is great, and it is less touristy than other locations. If you are ever in Greek Town, Epic Portions highly recommends you stop in for dinner.
Cyprus Taverna
579 Monroe St
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 961-1550
The Detroit Free Press recently did a “six week study” on the best burgers in the Metro Detroit area. You can read the whole article here, but here are some highlights.
Miller’s Bar
23700 Michigan Ave., Dearborn
313-565-2577
Metro Detroit’s most famous bar burger is an undeniably delicious no-frills classic: a thick patty of fresh ground beef on an honest bun, brought to your table on a square of waxed paper. Help yourself to pickles from a jar on the condiment tray; sliced onion is served on request. Want cheese? It’s Swiss or Velveeta, sliced off long loafs and melted onto the patty into near-oblivion. You won’t get a bill; just tell the bar man what you had and he’ll tell you what you owe. For its fans, the bare-bones service and semi-divey setting only enhance the growing Miller’s mystique. Hamburger, $4.75; cheeseburger, $5.50.
Poole’s Tavern
157 E. Main, Northville
248-349-1715.
Burger lovers of several persuasions wrote to extol the hand-formed, half-pound, Certified Angus Beef burgers at cozy Poole’s Tavern in downtown Northville. You can keep it low-key and simple, or amp it up with add-ons like bacon, cheeses, mushrooms or grilled onions (75 cents-$1 each). The kaiser rolls are substantial, and the toppings are fresh and flavorful. Hamburger: $5.75
Vivio’s Food & Spirits
2460 Market, Detroit
313-393-1711.
Serving Detroit’s Eastern Market district for more than 30 years, Vivio’s turns out “beefy, moist burgers” that are “always cooked exactly to your order, and to perfection,” wrote major fan Dave Gohn. As promised, these Certified Angus Beef burgers are big, juicy and well-prepared. Price includes fries. Cheeseburger: $7.75.
Nemo’s Bar
1384 Michigan, Detroit
313-965-3180
The burgers at this legendary sports bar, a stone’s throw from old Tiger Stadium, are seriously savory, juicy and tender. Readers –and we — love the ones cooked behind the bar, with Worcestershire sauce and black pepper added while the beef sizzles on the grill. The grilled sesame-seed buns add great toasted flavor, too. Ardent Nemo’s fan Kelli Kavanaugh says, “My medium-rare always comes out medium-rare, and their own special blend of mustard sauce is wickedly good.” She’s right. That hot mustard rocks. Hamburger, $4; cheeseburger $4.50
Vinsetta Grill
28028 Woodward, Royal Oak
248-543-2626
Vinsetta’s Build Your Own Burger checklist lets you choose your burger size — up to a pound — and then top it with ingredients most of us have never thought of. Choose from 10 cheeses; 20 regular but interesting toppings; 11 premium toppings (from fried egg to Chablis mushrooms) and 18 sauces, including spicy sour cream, onion marmalade and peanut sauce. And the kitchen makes your creation look great, no matter how over the top you’ve topped it. Base prices include one cheese, four regular toppings and one sauce; additional charges for extra items. Hamburger (one-third pound): $7.99.