NewbE

We are leaving Tuesday for a quick trip to Detroit, staying at the Dearborn Inn and taking in two Redwings games at the Joe Tuesday and Thursday nights, heading home Friday. That leaves Wednesday night for a really good dinner: we like just about every cuisine but are not big meat eaters, money is not really an object but we are not bringing "fancy" evening wear. Location doesn't matter a lot, either, as we'll have a rental car. Any ideas?

We also need lunch ideas, ideally one place in Dearborn for the day we're setting aside for the Ford, and another in the city for the day we're spending at the art institute and touring the Joe.

Your thoughts are appreciated!

NewbE

Having done some more research, I'm wondering if anyone has any input on the following:
Detroit Breakfast House
Tribute (where is Farmington Hills in relation to Dearborn, or downtown?)
Seldom Blues

I like the idea of a Middle Eastern meal in Dearborn, but the plethora of options is overwhelming! Ditto Greektown--is Cypress Taverna really the hands-down favorite?

starrsville

Where's Mamaw's restaurant?

iowamom

Depends on what kind of food you are looking for - we moved to small town Iowa from a suburb of Detroit and would do anything for a meal at the Stage Deli in West Bloomfield - a New York-style deli.

Traffic Jam and Snug was always a favorite of my husband and mine's, although not in the best neighborhood.
http://www.traffic-jam.com/

I don't know anything about places you listed... we mostly ate in the suburbs near where we lived and Dearborn where we worked (for Ford). Dearborn has a good assortment of middle eastern places.

Farmington Hills is a good 30 to 45 minutes from Dearborn or downtown depending on traffic. There are plenty of good choices in Dearborn or downtown.

cocontom

Bastone in Royal Oak was great. They brew their own beer, and they do it well. It wasn't expensive- under $50 for two with drinks and an appetizer and dessert, and the food was really good. You would be fine in nice jeans.

Saltwater is Michael Mina's restaurant at the new MGM casino- I know nothing about it, other than it's brand new, but it's at the top of my list to try.

As far as the Middle Eastern food, I would go to whichever place looks the most local. There are too many for anyplace that's really bad to survive.

How'd you pull off the Joe tour? We asked our friend whose suppliers suck up to him like mad (as in playoff seats directly behind the bench and batting practice with the Tigers), and he said it wasn't possible!

Mawmaw's is in Sterling Heights- it's a good 45 minutes from Dearborn.

cfntmpn

If you like Mideastern you MUST eat at La Shish - they have several locations in the Detroit area and a few in Dearborn. The BEST hummus you have ever tasted....and they have a vegetarian plate that can be shared by 2 that is scrumptious.

http://lashish.com/

Citylghts

I second La Shish. If you'll be at Dearborn Inn, the location at Michigan & Monroe will be closest. You could also try deep-dish pizza at Buddy's on Michigan Avenue.

For great Italian, try the Roma Cafe in the Eastern Market Area. It's been on the same corner since 1890 and is only a couple miles from The Joe. If you go there one of the nights you're heading to the game, you can leave your car at the restaurant and take their free shuttle.

NewbE

Awesome suggestions, you guys, thanks! And keep 'em coming, we don't leave until Tuesday morning...

Mamaw

First off, GO WINGS!

Too bad you couldn't make your way down to my restaurant for lunch. But, it is a good 45 minutes from dearborn.

I love greektown. My fav is Laikon cafe. They have the best Lamb Chops. And I second Roma Cafe at eastern market. During the day they do buffet for lunch and it's very good. As for dearborn, La Shish is your best bet. The bread is addicting and they do have the best hommus. My husband loves the rice and salad plate. I LOVE the spicy arabic sausage. It's good and hot. The restaurant at the Ritz is very good, but it ain't cheap. I really like the high tea there too.

Your in for a treat at the DIA. They just did a major renovation. A good friend of mine said it was amazing what they had done a fantastic job. Let us know what you think.

I don't know what seats your in at the Joe, but they have a good buffet downstairs. But you have to have club level seats to enter. Otherwise pizza and junk is your options there. You could eat at greektown, grab the people mover and go over to the Joe, in fact many bars/restaurants offer shuttle service.

The Ren Cen on Jefferson has so great food options. Andiamo's is one of my favorites. I'm sure you can check it out online. And it has a great view of the Detroit River. You could actually walk to the Joe from there. Well, as long as weather permits. And another option is Canada. Windsor Ontario is a tunnel/bridge ride away. And some of the best gyro sandwiches. Some of the places are open until 4 am.

Have a Great time in Detroit.

NewbE

Thank you all very, very much--your suggestions are on my list, we're off tomorrow, and yes, GO WINGS! I'll post a report when we return...

Sinagua

Don't know if you'll be checking this but you might want to check out Baile Corcaigh (pron: bal-ya cor-kee) means "Town of Cork". Corktown is Detroit's oldest neighborhood, taking it's name from the Irish emigrants, many from the county of Cork, who settled to this area in the 1840's.

1426 Bagley, Located at Trumbull & Bagley in Corktown, Detroit (2 blocks south of historic Tiger Stadium). http://www.corktownpub.com/
The food and atmosphere are great!

Mamaw

NewbE

Glad you saw a kick ass hockey game last night at the Joe. Sorry about the rain, it really rained hard all day. And today it seemed like the sun peaked out early it was kind of a blah day. Hope your day is going good. And I hope you found a great place for dinner.

And GO WINGS!!