Metro Detroit Restaurant Bucket List

After reading this week's post on one of my favorite blogs, Eat It Detroit, about The Detroit Food Experience (TM), I thought I would pass it along as well as our selection of restaurants, bars, and food hubs in the city of Metro Detroit sticking as close as I can to Birmingham (and far from Ann Arbor, which I know probably could have its own list).  They may not be the "hottest" or "most-written-about", but then again, they shouldn't come as a surprise (and I did cheat on a few).

#1 Clubhouse BFD

One of three Michigan Draft Magazine's 100 Best Beer Bars.  Enough said.  Try a beer sampler and talk to their beer manager for his recommendation.  They tap new, unique beers all the time from all over the world up in Rochester Hills, MI

#2 Streetside Seafood

"An intimate 55 seat New York style seafood saloon located in downtown Birmingham since 1995.  Zagat-rated and recipient of Wine Spectator Award of Excellence."  Our top Birmingham restaurant. Intimate and lively.  Order anything off the chalkboard and you're assured a good meal! 

#3 Berkley Front

Before there was Clubhouse BFD, Berkley Front (in Berkley) was our top beer bar with over 50 taps.  What it lacks in modern decor, it makes up with its beer.  And they are generous with their samples!  

#4 New Seoul Garden

Our go-to for Korean food in Southfield and where we celebrated our rehearsal wedding dinner.  Consistently authentic, and if you've never experienced eating Korean BBQ, or the Korean Taco, then it's worth expanding your horizons!  Plus, if you stay there late enough, you might get to hear some Korean-style karaoke.  Good times!   

#5 Vinsetta Garage

This is owned by the same folks that own #7 but they did a fine job of repurposing an old auto repair garage in Berkley along Detroit's main corridor, Woodward Avenue.  The food is simple, local, but with its unique twists.  The beer and cocktail list will certainly keep you entertained.  But go here for the decor and atmosphere.  It bleeds red, white, and blue.

#6 Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen / Union Woodshop

"There's nothing in the Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen that isn't thoroughly real. The oak. The pews. The stained glass. The beers. The dressings," according to their web site. When it comes to Mac & Cheese, they're the best.  You'll find all this in an 1840's church on Main Street in Clarkston, Michigan.

#7 The Oakland

Ferndale's new, fancy, and exclusive nightspot with cocktails made like they were a piece of art.  "It was fashioned with inspiration from the Purple Gang, a 1920s mob that supplied alcohol to Detroit during the prohibition era. The crew used phony businesses named the Oakland Sugarhouse and the Art Novelty Company to sell bootleg spirits," according to Metromix.

#8 Commonwealth

Despite our love for Starbucks, we really do want the local coffee shop to come back.  Similar to Astro and Great Lakes on the Eat It Detroit list, these folks pour fresh (they literally grind the beans and pour-over while you wait) direct-trade coffees from Grand Rapids' MadCap Coffee Co. and the Stumptown Coffee Roasters in Portland, Oregon.  Their limited food menu is also fresh, tasty, and healthy!

#9 Red Coat Tavern

As Metromix describes this place, "Showing up at or after 5 p.m. on any day could mean a wait, but the food here is well worth it".  Known for the best burger in town, we simply cannot deny that they live up to that reputation.  Before we discovered Berkley Front and Clubhouse BFD, we would probably chalk up their binder full of beers as one of the best!

#10 Amici's Pizza

We're excited these folks expanded into Birmingham as they offer gourmet vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free pizzas.  "Amici’s is a Certified Green Restaurant," according to their web site.  Their pizzas are fresh, tasty, and healthy!

A list of 10 is tough, so I included some honorable mentions...

Asahi
This is another honorable mention Korean restaurant, but not necessarily for the Korean food, but for their sushi.  We ventured to a lot of sushi restaurants in Detroit and Metro Detroit in hopes of finding a decent spot, but nothing compares to our Chicago restaurants.  This places does it the best.

One-Eyed Betty's

Another beer bar with English pub style tables, DIA-exhibited reclaimed art, 44 available beers that are always available for sale at their neighbors' in Ferndale, 8 Degrees Plato, and a rich (and probably not so healthy) menu that includes oysters (from the Ferndale One Fifteen web site) .    

Bastone Brewery / Vinotecca / Cafe Habana 

An authentic and unique belgian-style brewery and restaurant, Bastone, shares the building with three sister-concepts; "Vinotecca is a stylish wine bar with 40 wines by the glass, hundreds by the bottle, and an exciting food menu; Café Habana is a casual café with a Cuban-style menu, great Mojitos and Margaritas."  The last is just a nightclub which doesn't need mentioning here.

Imperial Taco Bar
We recently dined here and were impressed with their cheap, yet flavorful tacos!  I love Mexican so I couldn't let this list go without adding at least one taco joint.  We'll see if this place can make enough money to stick around keeping their limited menu of just 7 tacos (plus a special), a torta, a hot dog (it is Detroit, afterall), and handful of sides unique!