Home of the World Famous Ground Round.

George Motz wrote the following after visiting Miller’s Bar in Dearborn, Michigan. “The first time I visited Miller’s it was in the middle of a torrential springtime downpour. It was 11:15am on a Wednesday, the bar was packed and everyone was eating hamburgers.”
That in itself should speak volumes about the burgers at Millers. Quite often familiarity breeds contempt. A place can be great at first and without ever doing anything can fall out of favour. What seemed so unbelievable at the outset becomes the same ole, same ole. Clearly this is not the case at Miller’s.

Miller’s is an All Star when it comes to bars. Voted one of the best in the US by Esquire and one of the 20 Burgers you Must Eat Before You Die by Alan Richman of GQ. Quite simply, it’s a legend. (It’s often on a list of America’s best burgers.) Then there’s the little idiosyncrasies that just add to the charm. There are, for instance, no printed menus. The offerings are so few that the staff knows them off the top of their heads. Just ask your server and they can recite the entire docket in about 20 seconds. (Alternatively you can check on line).
More interestingly though, they are on the honour system. No tabs keeping track of what you ate or drank. Just tell them what you had and they'll tell ya what you owe. They trust you.

From the outside it's not much to look at. A decent sized red building with a big white Miller's on the side. It looks more like a warehouse than a bar. There is plenty of parking out back which is nice. All said, it's very unassuming.

Inside was rather nice. I'm not sure if it's freshly renovated given the 1970's lounge feel to it but it was clean, neat and tidy. There's lots of seating in booths and tables or belly up to the bar like we did. At one end of the bar is a small kitchen and flat top where the magic happens. Miller’s serves upwards of 1,200 burgers a day. So many that their butcher starts at 4am getting the patties made. I'm told the same lady has been cooking up burgers for nearly 30 years. So you know you’re in good hands.

So how were those burgers?? Well.........

The fries and onion rings are from frozen. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that. Good frozen food is good food. The rings were fine. Not great but certainly good enough to satisfy a ring craving. On the other hand I didn't care at all for the fries. I didn't find them overly potato tasting and as you can see by how blonde they are not nearly well done enough for me. I'm not much of a shoe string cut guy either. I like them to be beefier so all in all, huge fail on the fries. That said, I would order them again and ask for well done before condemning them all together.

Is it the best burger in America?? Well, maybe. This is a fabulous, fabulous burger. Instantly in my top 2 in the US. It's a 7oz burger which makes a little bigger than most patties of this ilk. The bun, while staying true and using a Wonderbread style, is able to hold up to the juiciness of the patty and the addition of Velveeta for the cheese just nicely pulled the whole thing together. It melts so well and added a creaminess to it. The whole package had an unctuousness (a trick word meaning greasy in a good way) that left me with a euphoric feeling when I was done. Just incredible.

So there you have it burger meisters. Sometimes you can believe the hype.

You can find Miller's Bar at 23700 Michigan Ave. Dearborn, Mi.

View Larger Map

You can also find them on the web.



Well that's all for now. See ya next time in the food court.

Go Blue

In 1817 the governor and judges of the Michigan Territory established the Catholepistemiad or University of Michigania in Detroit. The university would move to Ann Arbor in 1837 after the town lost it’s bid to be the newly minted state’s capitol. The land earmarked for the capitol would be turned into the Universtiy of Michigan’s Central Campus. The first graduating class in Ann Arbor consisted of 11 students. It has grown to include one of the largest alumni groups in the nation at aproximately half a million.

It was on these campus grounds that President John F. Kennedy first proposed publicly the notion that a group of "young college graduates would find a full life in bringing technical advice and assistance to the underprivileged and backward Middle East.” In 1961 the President would unveil, the Peace Crops.

Much like any college town Ann Arbor has a thriving food scene. As you know I’ve visited Zingermann’s Deli and Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger (among others) in the past. Mrs. Sippi also has a friend that works at the University. So with that and our love of food we have occasion to visit periodically. This particular trip saw a stop at Maize and Blue Delicatessen. A venue I recently saw featured on Man vs. Food.

A favourite of UM students and fans Maize and Blue has been around for almost 25 years. Opened by the Jordanian/American Sukkar family they’re serving up tall sandwiches and other deli favourites to Wolverine nation and anyone else who just likes great food. Started as a take out only sandwich shop they now seat 20 or so patrons in what was once the waiting area. Much like most deli’s these days they do not cure their own meats but do source them locally from respected vendors. They do however cook what they can in the tiny kitchen. 

 From the outside it’s little more than a store front on University Ave. On the inside is rather sparsely decorated. One thing that stands out though, the signature board. A large tribute to UM on one wall has filled up with signatures of guests and alumni alike. Among them are a multiple gold medal winner, a hall of fame coach and a 3 time Superbowl champion.

Both sandwiches came with a half pickle that’s as good as I’ve had. Sour and crunchy and excellent.

 

Mrs. Sippi tried to recreate her favourite sandwich from her days at Ole Miss and the Rebel Deli in Oxford, Ms. While she failed terribly in her attempt the result was one great sandwich. Smoked turkey and gouda on sourdough rye. It was fantastic. The cheese was a perfect match for the meat and deli mustard rounded it out nicely. 

My Triple Play Rueben was simply awesome. I’m more of a pastrami than corned beef guy but having both together between some great bread is the best of both worlds. Top that off with both Jarlsberg and Swiss cheeses and top that off with kraut and house made Russian dressing. How can you go wrong??

The chocolate chip cookie was a winner too. A Toll House style cookie with plenty of chocolate chips to keep those owing to the Dark Master happy.

The brownie was phenomenal. Chocolate with caramel icing, milk chocolate drizzle, dark chocolate shavings and pecans. Decadent.

Well there you have it folks. A little taste of the college experience from Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

You can find Maize and Blue at 1329 S. University Ave. in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 
View Larger Map

You can also find them on the web or facebook.
 

See ya next time in the food court.

DAVWUD

Urban Revival

Call it a sign. Call it coincidence. Call it dumb luck. Whatever you call it you have to admit there did seem to be some cosmic forces at work to point me in the direction of Slows Bar B Q in Detroit.

Less than a week before we depart on our Thanksgiving trip (which takes us through Detroit) I see Adam Richman and the Man vs. Food crew showing off the Triple Threat Pork sandwich at this down town Detroit establishment. As if that wasn’t enough to put it on my radar a day before we leave I notice someone hailing the TTP sandwich as one of Detroit’s top 10. It had to be a sign.

I always approach BBQ joints north of the Mason Dixon Line (or Ohio River) with trepidation. Far too many places up north don’t get it. Old school, down home BBQ is an art form. Something, sadly, most northern joints can’t seem to master. Part of that is simply experience. You don’t just pop a couple shoulders and a few racks of ribs into a smoker and poof!! Great BBQ. Nope, truly awesome Q takes years upon years to master. The big BBQ craze afoot has seen many Johnny Come Lately’s who figure mastering a grill is all the prerequisite they need. Top it off with northerner’s pension for wanting to “Upgrade” and it most often falls well short. Why try to reinvent the wheel, right?? But we feel the idea of three types of pig in one convenient package was enough to warrant a stop in Motown at Slows.

I’ve always viewed Detroit with both contempt and sadness. I’ve looked down my nose at the “Shit hole” I see from the interstate. Murder capital and all that it is, wondering why anyone would live there. The thing is, as I’ve ventured off the interstate and down to ground level sniffing out food, a different Detroit reveals itself. A once vibrant city sits in ruins yet those who’ve remained are voraciously proud. To people who’ve never been, I’ve likened it to Muhammad Ali. Once great now ravage by time and circumstance. A once hulking champion now regarded with sadness. Well enter businesses like Slows. Leading the charge in the rebirth of Detroit headed by part owner Phillip Cooley. Cooley has been named chairman of the mayor’s Detroit Works Project. Helping to map out Detroit’s potential future. Just one of several boards on which Cooley sits. He isn’t alone and his efforts to return Motown to it’s former glory aren’t going un-noticed. Slowly, very slowly people are returning to the city. They see bargains and find them a little too good to pass up. The architecture is beautiful albeit blighted. Nothing some TLC won’t fix though. Take the Michigan Central Railway station across the street from Slows as a microcosm. Majestic yet sits derelict. Waiting to be returned to its former glory. Much like the city itself.

The rebuild is taking place in the Corktown area where Slows has grown to the point of bursting. Long line ups are a common sight in the evening and on weekends. Arriving after 1pm on a Monday saw the place very crowded but no line. The smallish dining room has a nice warehouse feel to it with exposed brick and beams. Perfectly complimenting the late Victorian Era exterior. Opening the front door I was sadly not met with the smell of smoke hanging in the air. Boo. There was however the unmistakable smell of pig fat that I was more than eager to drink in. Yea!!

So how was it?? Oddly enough we stayed with the more traditional style offerings and we were quite pleasantly satiated. The more normal Q offerings would have to wait for another day.

First, let’s talk sauces. Slows makes 5 of them. All good but two really stood out. Although the Apple and Sweet were nice, the Spicy (while not very spicy) was even better. The NC and Mustard sauces were however the clear winners. The NC hinted strongly at Buffalo Chicken Wing sauce and seemed clear that it would be terrific on poultry. The mustard sauce had a nice honey like sweetness to it for great balance. Perfect for pork.

The Brisket Enchiladas were good but not the homerun that AR made them out to be. Not good enough for a second try but certainly satisfying. One criticism I have is that the beef had very little Q taste. It tasted like beef but no real Q hints.

You seldom see fish on a southern BBQ menu and certainly not battered and fried. But Mrs. Sippi loves catfish and tempura so she couldn’t resist. It was simply outstanding. Crispy on the outside with melt in your mouth fish inside. The lighter tempura didn’t over power the delicate flavour of the fish and the creole mustard remoulade was an excellent compliment.

Then of course there’s the whole reason for the visit. The Triple Threat Pork sandwich. Bacon, pulled pork and ham stacked on top of each other. Fabulous right off the line it was made even better with the mustard sauce. A truly outstanding sandwich worthy of the praise heaped upon it. 

I will point out a couple things about the pulled pork since a few large pieces fell out and were consumed al a carte. It doesn’t have the big smoke flavour that I prefer and didn’t really scream “Rub” or anything like that. What it did have was an incredible pig flavour. The meat itself was some of the best tasting pork I’ve had.

So all in all, my views on BBQ and especially northern joints has taken an uptick. Seems you can do this nouveau Q thing and make it work. As I’ve always said, taste trumps all.

You can find Slows in Detroit’s Corktown district at 2138 Michigan Ave.

View Larger Map

You can also find them on the web, facebook and twitter.
 

Well that's all for now folks. See ya next time in the food court.
 

Davwud

Coney Island Battle

No, this is not the Jets and Sharks duking it out on the mean streets of New York City. This fight goes on in the quiet downtown of Detroit. The birthplace and home of the Coney Island hotdog. Founded by brothers two Detroit icons boast the city's, nay planet’s best Coneys. The rivalry is as intense as one could imagine between siblings. Customer loyalty is solid as the bricks and mortar from which the restaurants are made. If you’re a diehard fan of one, you do not set foot in the other.


In this corner we have Lafayette Coney Island. The smallish cafeteria feeling restaurant keeps it’s vintage look. The hardworking blue collar town is mirrored in this blue collar setting. The walls are covered in awards and celebrities. Lord Stanley’s Cup has paid several visits.

Layfayette’s claim to the best Coneys in town is bolstered by Detroit Free Press and Click On Detroit polls. Runaway victories in both.

In the other corner we have American Coney Island. The older, bigger brother that seems to get more attention. Star of television it has more seating and much more square footage. The brighter, more modern interior reminds one of a carnival.

Padding their resume is national TV victories on Travel Channel’s Food Wars and FTV’s Food Feuds.

Both establishments serve Vienna style, natural casing dogs, done up on a flat top and served on steamed buns. Topped with chili and a host of garnishes.

So in my best Michael Buffer, LLLLLET’S GET READY TO RUUUUUMBLLLLLLE!!

The rules were simple. Both dogs were ordered identically, “With everything.” That means the dog on a bun with chili, onion and mustard.

The Lafayette dog seemed to spend a little bit more time on the flat top and as such the skin developed a little more taste.

The ACI dog seems to have had a slight bit more chili and a little more snap.

All in all, I really couldn’t tell a difference. It’s not surprising really. The two establishments were, after all, founded by brothers. Brothers who once worked together. To suggest that the chili recipe is the same is not at all a stretch.
Mrs. Sippi gave the nod to Lafayette since they serve Coke products and ACI serves Pepsi. I’ll give the nod to ACI with it’s more airy interior. Not exactly a way to judge a Coney contest but IMHO in the end, everyone’s a winner here. You just can’t go wrong with either.

You can find the Coney Island battle ground on W. Lafayette Blvd at the intersection of Griswold Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan.


View Larger Map
Visit American on the web or on facebook here and Lafayette here.
ACI:
Lafayette:

Well that’s all for now fight fans. See you next time in the food court.

Davwud

Fill ‘er Up

In 1917 the Ford Motor Company began construction on the ambitious Ford River Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Upon completion in 1928 the mammoth 1 mile by 1.5 mile, 93 building complex would be the largest integrated factory in the world. Raw materials would be spun into glass, steel and anything else needed to manufacture automobiles in the mills and forges. At it’s height (in the ‘30’s), the plant employed more than 100,000 people. Still Ford’s largest industrial complex it’s currently being restored to it’s former glory and will be home to 9 different vehicle models.

In 1926 the Shell Oil Company opened a service station at the corners of Tenny and Monroe. Not too far down the street from the massive Ford Complex. The quasi Art Deco building still stands although it has long since been turned into a different type of filling station. The kind that fills humans up. 60 years after it’s birth it would begin life as one of the smallest deli’s anywhere. Mati’s Deli is a throw back to it’s roaring twenties roots. The old swivel stools and colours, long since retired harken back to the days of flappers.

The hat of the old gas attendant still hangs in the dining room along side a picture of the old station. A really nice touch.

In the kitchen, fresh soups and salads are prepared as well as home made deserts. All deli meats are cooked in house and are complemented on the menu with ethnic specialties. Fuel that’ll get you where you wanna go, it’s regarded by some as the best deli in the Greater Detroit Area.
 
Our visit was for lunch and we arrived just after it opened. A small crowd had started to gather with several “To go” orders keeping the place humming.


Time to roll out the food.


First up was a nice, thick,  slightly spicy, very meaty chili. A solid, well rounded chili all in all.

Mrs. Sippi of course had the Rueben sandwich. Again, a good solid offering. I prefer caraway seed rye which this wasn’t but the grilling of it worked really well.

I went with the pastrami with Swiss on rye. A great pastrami with a good kick from the cheese. The mustard was enough to provide a good flavour and not be dominate or be lost. The pickle was a little on the raw side. It tasted mostly of cucumber and not particularly for me.

For desert they offer an award winning chocolate cheesecake brownie that is absolutely terrific. Oddly enough my first couple bites were a little less that exciting but the more I ate the more it really started to grow on me. By the time I finished I wanted another.

All and all a fantastic visit. Food ranging from solid to very, very good is always welcome. I think it’s a good sign that you look back and remember it fondly. As I put the finishing touches on this review I have a sudden hankering for one of their pastrami on rye sandwiches.


You can find Mati’s Deli at 1842 Monroe St. in Dearborn, Michigan. 



View Larger Map
You can also find them on the web or become a facebook friend here.
 


Well that’s all for now folks. We’ll see ya next time in the food court.

Davwud

Welcome to Hell

Perhaps it was a German tourist who said "So schön hell!" ("So beautifully bright!"). Commenting to his travel companion. It may have been local wives who’d say “He’s gone to hell” when their husbands would get drunk on whiskey at the tavern. Maybe just maybe it was the hellish terrain and bug problems that plagued early explorers. No one really knows what made George Reeves tell the state “Call it Hell for all I care….everyone else does” when asked what he’d like to call his town. But on October 13th, 1841, “Hell” became the official name of the tiny burg in central, lower Michigan.

Settled by Reeves in 1838 around a mill and a general store on the banks of what is now known as Hell Creek, the tiny, blink and you’ll miss it town  has become quite legendary. (George would later add the tavern.) There’s car and bike rallies every year as well as plenty of weddings. Unofficially the population sits at 266 and about the only thing that’s changed since then is the height of the dam and the addition of electricity. Although Reeves businesses have long dried up.

Hell has only one industry now. Kitsch. They survive on the selling of all things “Hell.” Tee shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, you name it.  Letters are stamped “I’ve been thru Hell” and are singed before being postmarked.

There’s the fictitious “Damnation University” (Damn U) from which you can get a diploma. The general store is named “Hell in a Handbasket” and the local watering hole is named “The Dam Site Inn” (also for its location right in front of the dam).

Opened in 1948 the Dam Site Inn is a nice rustic place with chains hanging from the ceiling and fake pyres throughout. Recently it was purchased by Jim Mills and his partner and they’ve pretty much kept the menu the same. Most things are made in house. A notable exception is the pizza dough made by a local bakery. They roast their own beef, make their own chili and hand form their own burgers.  All of this means nothing if they don’t deliver and deliver they do.

So lets give the Devil his due as it were.

We split a (pepperoni) pizza. I had the "Smitty" Burger and Mrs. Sippi had the Hot Beef Sandwich.

Mrs. Sippi’s sandwich was great. It came with mashed potatoes and smothered in a rich, home made gravy. The beef was tender and flavourful (leftover prime rib after all) and the potatoes came skin on and had a slight fruitiness to them.

My Smitty Burger is so named for the previous owner and inventor of the “Special sauce.” The burger came medium well without even requesting it and was very juicy. I wasn’t excited about the sauce. It was an amalgam of hamburger condiments (Ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, etc.) and truth be told, I’d just as soon have them put on, individually. All in all, a great burger though.

The pizza was really tasty. Thin crust, I kept it simple with only pepperoni. The best part was it had a great cheese taste. It also warmed up really well the next day which is always a good sign.

You can visit the Dam Site Inn at 4095 Patterson Lake Rd. in Hell, Michigan. (not to be confused with the Dam Site Inn in Pellston, Michigan)

View Larger Map

You can also visit them on the web.

Well that’s all for now. See you next time in the Food Court

Davwud

Lots of Good, Cheap Food…

…and Dozens of Beer.

Hailing itself as “Ann Arbor’s neighbourhood bar”, Casey’s Tavern took over the historic Washtenaw Lumber warehouse and opened for business in 1986.

In 1872 the Wood and Perrin company built a warehouse across the street from the train station. They sold pork, cider, apples and wool out of the building until the 1880’s when the former Underground Railroad slave runner , Sellick Wood, turned the building into a lumber warehouse. Wood ran the buisiness along with his son Frank until 1916 when it became the Washtenaw Lumber Company. Washtenaw operated out of the building until Casey’s took over and converted it into the homey bar and grill that it is today.

Featuring home made bar fare the smallish tavern does as much in house as possible. The beef is ground for burgers and corned for corned beef in house. Such commitment shows in the personnel and food. Some of the charter employees are still there. It’s also made Casey’s a perennial winner of the “Best burger” crown in Ann Arbor. High praise. Especially when pitted against one of my all time favourites at Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger.

Mrs. Sippi’s friend, The Wolverine, suggested a lunch meeting as we passed through the area on our way south. Casey’s did not disappoint. 

A collection of no less than 20 condiments are waiting for you on your table. They had some of the usual suspects such as Tabasco and Worchestershire but the honey mustard and a roasted garlic flavoured hot sauce were among our favourites.

We started with (battered) deep fried artichoke hearts. They were nicely done in an almost tempura batter. The “Dijonnaise sauce” was really nice. Kind of a cross between remoulade and thousand islands dressing. A good way to get the ball rolling.

The Wolverine took the simple tuna salad sandwich and added cheese. He had it grilled and elevated it to a terrific tuna melt.

The burgers are pretty much construct your own. We opted for the jalapeno chutney, cheddar cheese and chili. I’m not sure if the chutney even made it onto the burger but if so, it was lost. The bean laden chili was really nice although not spicy. The burger it’s self came with a nice tinge of pink to it and was moist and tasty. They may win best burger in Ann Arbor but my vote still goes to Krazy Jim. The accompanying fries were out of a bag and were okay.

The Reuben was flat out great. I loved the corned beef. Strong with allspice flavour, it was fantastic. The Swiss stood up nicely to it and the kraut added a nice secondary dimension. I started to add some mustard and then decided the sandwich didn’t need it.

You can find Casey’s across from the old train station on historic Depot Street (#304) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The old storage sheds, original to the building are still in the back parking lot.

View Larger Map
You can also find them on the web.
 

Well that’s all for now. See ya next time.

Davwud