my roadfood discoveries--Great Lakes
Sat, 03/5/05 9:20 PM
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Over the years, and in my extensive travels, I have come to enjoy eating at some wonderful restaurants! In some cases they had the "best (fill-in-the-blank) I've ever had." A couple of these are seasonal things only, but worth checking out for roadfooders who happen to be in the area. As far as I can tell, all of these are places that have not been listed before.
TOLEDO, OHIO: (1) THE BUDAPEST, on Monroe Street. Totally down-home Hungarian food, melt-in-your mouth chicken paprikas, massive and wonderful breaded veal, homemade potatoes and yummy gravy, dumplings (samething as "spatzle" or "spatzen" in German places) to die for. It's in a "rough" neighborhood but certainly worth it. Closed Sundays. Detour worthiness: 100 miles.
(2) SCHMUCKER'S, Reynolds Road near Bancroft Street. Since 1948, it's a TIME WARP with the original booths and counter/stools, and even a vintage wooden phone booth. I usually get the chicken and biscuits..."the best I've ever had"...and their pies are usually quite excellent. Great fried chicken, daily specials, wonderful chicken noodle soup...never had a mediocre meal there! About as close to a "traditional east coast diner" as you'll get in the Great Lakes. Closed Mondays. Detour worthiness: 100 miles.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN: (1) BLIMPEEBURGERS, Packard at Division (south of downtown and SW area of U-of-M campus). "Ann Arbor's original hamburger stand - since 1953." You queue up and you are asked for your fry order first (fries, deep fried veggies or mushrooms, onion rings); somebody else asks for your hamburger order. Burgers are the only entree here, though perhaps their chili size (which I've otherwise never seen outside of California) may qualify. They fry right in front of you; there are multiple choices of buns (even the uncommon pumpernickel), condiments and cheeses, as well as number of patties. Mostly a campus clientele here, but I've been going to this place for nearly 40 years whenever I'm nearby. I think they're open on Sundays now (didn't used to be). Detour worthiness: 100 miles.
(2) FLEETWOOD DINER, downtown (Ashley at Liberty, I think). Open 24/7, it's always their heap-big breakfasts I go there for. Breakfasts and short orders served any time, and the postions are massive and homemade. Some of their busiest is around 3am when they catch the bar-crowd. The hash browns are fabulous...Detour worthiness: 40 miles.
YPSILANTI, MICHIGAN: HAAB's (20 West Michigan, at Huron, downtown) -another oldie but goodie, has been there since 1934. "The best fried chicken I've ever had" - they use a defunct recipe called "Chicken In the Rough" which used to be a licensed process into perhaps the 1970's; they have not wavered from the recipe. I always order that, and it comes with "shoestring" fries which are very fine-cut fries only about 1/3 centimeter wide. The steaks and prime rib (which the latter is only on weekends I think) are to die for, and a friend I took there still raves about the stuffed pork chops he had in April 2003. Detour worthiness: 100+ miles.
PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN: (1) Annual smelt fry. Held at the American Legion (or is it VFW? Always confuse those two veteran's org's) on the lake, on THE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AFTER EASTER. I am planning to go in 2005! It's been going on for 50+ years. In this case, it's the best SMELT I've ever had. Nothing much in the way of offerings for non-fish fans though. In true Wisconsin fashion, the meal comes with your choice of beer or other beverages. Detour worthiness: up to 300 miles (for this fish lover)
(2) NEW PORT SHORES. This is actually about one block from the above, also on the lake. I always go there for their succulent lake perch, and they are able to deal with a second "side" order of the fish (some places can't). It's a bar-cum-restaurant, and I think the other food is good too, though I haven't tried much. Detour worthiness: 30 miles or one county. (The relatively small distance is due to such a plethora of fantastic food in the Milwaukee area.)
(3) NOTE: Visitors to "Port" (as it's called locally) may get a recommendation for SMITH BROTHERS, downtown. Their food is OK, but only pretty ordinary, you'll probably do better at #2, or perhaps even at HOLT's if it still exists. BTW this is one gorgeous little town, with a huge Catholic or Lutheran church on a hill overlooking the town.
PEORIA, ILLINOIS: FAIRVIEW FARMS. I forget their address, but it's on the FAR west side, near the Airport. Pretty sure I saw that they have a website, with directions. Closed Mondays. This is my most recent roadfood discovery, only went there first in December. Chicken is their best thing there, I think (better than the Swiss steak which, itself, is good) and you can get it family style for about $10, including yummy side dishes, real potatoes, etc. (A friend I went with said they gave him the only cole slaw he has ever really liked.) This has newly become a stop for me. Closed Mondays. Detour worthiness: 80 miles.
MOORESVILLE, INDIANA: GRAY BROTHERS CAFETERIA. This has appeared on the roadfood lists repeatedly. It's apparently the closest place to me (270 miles) to have butterscotch pie. All the reviews I've seen about this place are right, I'd rate it worth a 100+ mile detour.
SAGINAW, MICHIGAN: HURON FISH MARKET. A fish market that fries their fresh catch, to-your-order. Once one gets out of the top ten or so, if I were to somehow compile a list of my Top Fifty favorite eat-out meals of all time, the Teens on down to about #30 would be clustered with stops at this place! Of any place where I regularly go, they have the best fish I have ever found. Closed Sundays?? Detour worthiness: 200 miles (for, again, this fish lover); when in Detroit or Ann Arbor I've been known to plan a "Saginaw trip" just because this place is there.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: HONG KONG RESTAURANT, north Clark Street near Pratt (about 7100 or 7200 north). Obscure hole-in-the-wall family run place with limited seating, one of those kinda places you have to live near to know about, everything I've ever had there was prepared fresh and perfectly! Detour worthiness: 40 miles (again, because of so much other competing food in the area)
BELLWOOD, ILLINOIS: GIOACCHINO'S PIZZERIA RISTORANTE. On St. Charles Road between Mannheim and Wolf Roads, north side of the street. Just simply a wonderful full-service Italian ristorante. Whatever you like Italian, it's probably good be excellent at this place. They also have the best calimari I've managed to find. Detour worthiness: 50 miles.
MACOMB, ILLINOIS: (1) FORD HOPKINS DRUG STORE, northwest corner of the downtown square. Yes, right here in this smallish town, they serve up the best milk shakes/malts that I know of anywhere! They also have a limited snack menu with short order entrees every day (only a couple of things per day), I usually will also get the taco salad though it's not really distinctive in any way. They stop serving around 3:30 or 4; closed Sundays. Detour worthiness: 50 miles.
(2) THE RED OX RESTAURANT: West Jackson Street about a mile west of the square. Just simply a full-service family restaurant specializing in steaks, and only moderately priced, and they knowhow to cook their stuff well! This one, about 4 miles from me, is a mile farther than #1. Closed Mondays. Detour worthiness: 60 miles.
which reminds me...
YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES: RED APPLE RESTAURANT. East side of town. This place might be long gone, but it was wonderful in 1986. Meals and sides were perfect. But how many of "us" are going to go there? Detour worthiness: N/A??
QUESTION: When people fill in surveys about how far it's worth driving out of the way to, is that ONE WAY OR ROUND TRIP? Here I am assuming that it's "round trip" extra mileage. However, though I live 330 miles from Port Washington WI, I often will plan one of my recurring "Milwaukee trips" around that smelt fry, and at least once I've made the 660-mile round trip when I otherwise had no other real reason to go up there (which, indeed, may be the case this year).
