Battle of the Coneys - Detroit, MI

Lafayette Coney Island

Cash only

Hot dog, chili, onions, mustard, cheese. 

Crunchy outside, nice dog taste. Chili is outstanding. The atmosphere is the experience factor for this place. Nobody greets you…just find an empty stool or table, wait for someone to come over, and know what you want.  Here’s the breakdown…they serve hot dogs, burger dogs, fries, and coke.  Still need a menu?  If you get a seat next to the cook, watch this old man slingin’ chili and onions on the dogs.  He loaded up 5 before I could have done one.

American Coney Island

American Special Coney - hot dog with ground beef, chili, mustard, onion.  (*I forgot to take the picture before I bit into it.)

The hotdog was good, but the chili wasn’t the best.  The atmosphere was more of a sit-down restaurant with servers.

http://www.americanconeyisland.com/home.htm

The winner of the “Best Coney” goes to Lafayette Coney Island

 

Michael Symon's "Roast" - Detroit, MI

Dinner 9/19/12

Forbidden Fruit cocktail - strong, yet smooth. Has a crisp fruit initial flavor and a molasses aftertaste.

Fried sweetbreads - So me being the naive Southern boy from North Florida, I read this on the menu and thought I would be ordering "fried bread" Instead what I got were some fried, tender, and flavorful pieces of meat. I was not disappointed but I wanted to know what it was I was eating. After a quick Google search from my phone, I realized it was...

Scallops - large, sweet, tender scallops. Herby and bacon flavored cream corn.

Ribeye - Not your typical American ribeye. The meat was great, but the seasonings and toppings made it taste lighter than the butter topped Ruth's Chris steak. Ultimately, I think I like the buttered steak better....everything tastes better with butter!

Soft Polenta - made with cream, butter, milk, molasses, and honey. It was better than any southern grits I’ve ever had. Awesome!

Almond cake - poached pears and banana caramel sauce. Dense cake, Christmas tasting pears, and walnut brittle. The banana caramel sauce is laced with a liqueur.

http://www.roastdetroit.com/



Joe Muer Seafood - Detroit, MI

Dinner 9/17

With the complementary bread comes:

House smoked bluefish pate - gentle smoke and gentle fish flavor in this creamy pate.

And,

Northern white beans, parsley, red pepper, onions. Light vinaigrette and tender white beans. The onions make there presence known, but are snuffed with the vinegar.

Mazrick - – (Ketel One vodka, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Cointreau, Di Saonno, Galliano, and Angostura bitters) - orange and lemon, flavor masking a bold vodka mix. Smooth and Right!

Soups a la Muer (soup sampler):

Boston clam chowder - soft and creamy with hearty chunks of potatoes.

Manhattan fish chowder - Bloody Mary meets soup. Spicy tomato broth with a faint fish flavor.

Lobster bisque - deep roux flavor in the broth. Healthy portion of buttery lobster claw meat.

Oyster sampler:

Malpeque – Canada

Beausoleil – Canada

Kumomoto – Pacific – Very small and full of briny flavor

Rappahannock – East Coast (Chesapeake) – Large, plump oyster with mild saltiness

Well Fleet – East Coast (Rhode Island)

Stingray – East Coast (Chesapeake) - Large, plump oyster with mild saltiness

Dover sole - buttery, tender fish. filleted tableside. The most delicious fish I’ve ever had. If this had been a steakhouse, this fish would have been the filet mignon. (*the picture was taken after tehy filleted it tableside)

http://joemuerseafood.com/