Sunday, October 26, 2008

Palette in the MGM Grand - Detroit, Michigan

On the occasion of my birthday my parents decided to treat me to an experience that I would never treat myself to. It was a morning of gambling followed by Sunday Brunch at the MGM Grand Casino's buffet. Yes indeed I come from foodie stock just not budget minded individuals. I am indeed a genetic anomoly but in my defense I also make a lot less money too.

The MGM Grand is a lovely casino. They are also home to the foodie legend Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. I did admire the place but the prices there were something that did indeed make my heart race a bit faster. The menu though was utter bliss. It was hard to walk away but I did not feel I would survive the bill if indeed I did dine.

We chose to dine at Palette, which is one of my parent's faves. It is a very nice buffet indeed. They have just about everything one could hope to find in a top notch all you can eat atmosphere. I did a tour of the restaurant before I even started and was impressed with the array. It also helped me plan what to eat and what not to bother with.

I started at the seafood table. I quickly decided very small portions of everything was the order of the day in order to try as much as possible. The shrimp ceviche was fresh and had nice bite. The fried shrimp and catfish were fine but nothing super special, although they were refilled and piping hot so that is impressive. The lobster mac and cheese was rich but tasty. The tilapia was lovely with the crab topping, the cod was happy with its rich lemon butter sauce. The salmon was ok with the pineapple teriyaki glaze. The peel and eat shrimp and oysters on the half shell were fresh and had all the lovely accessories needed to fully enjoy them. The asian crab salad was a bit too veggie and not enough crab for me though. I was also sad no sushi, they really could use some.

I followed this with a half a fresh bagel with cream cheese, lovely smoked salmon with capers, eggs, onion, tomato and cucumber. They have everything you may need to go with anything, I was happily surprised. I also had a bite of the different types of breads dipped into special dipping sauces. The sauces were ok, the various bread was very nice indeed.

I moved on to more carnivorous fare next. The brisket was falling apart and just happy. The lamb was a bit tough but had good flavor. The pork was shredded and nice. The rotisserie chicken was lovely and fresh off the spit. I sampled a slider on a homemade roll that was awesome after I mixed up some ketchup, onion and mustard to put on it. They had four different types of sausage, kielbasa was my fave but I am partial. I swiped some excellent chicken and veggie dumplings from the Asian table too, unimpressed with the pink dipping sauce I found a good aged soy at the end of the line, definitely a good call there.

I cannot wax more poetically on the perfection of the bacon here. Thick sliced and pressed flat. Perfectly done, neither too crisp nor too floppy. I could have eaten a pound of it. Heavenly. It gets it's own section here as I was that enraptured by it.

Believe it or not I managed to save room for dessert. I must tell you I am not a huge dessert girl, particularly after I eat a big meal. That is not a problem for me here. Heck next time I may start with dessert, it is really awesome. I had a small ramekin of gelato, the to die for tiramisu variety and the merely dreamy vanilla. I also took advantage of the chocolate dipped treats. The fruit was amazing, except I did not care for the canteloupe with the chocolate. The strawberries and pineapple were more than acceptable though. They had cheesecake on a stick dipped in the same chocolate and it was utter bliss. I was over the moon to find chcolate dipped pretzels and a chocolate covered peanut butter bar too. I was sad the creme brulee had a butterscotch flavor but the delightful caramel flan satisfied my need for creamy.

Yes I did indeed make quite a pig of myself. I don't regret a bite. It was fun and frivilous and so perfect. The bonus of a buffet is if you do not like something you can move on until you do. There were way more hits than misses to be had. Nothing was glaringly bad and several things were simply fabulous. I will be back.

Besides I guess I am lucky. I hit for forty bucks on a penny machine (did you have any doubts I would be a cheap gambler too?) before I left ;).

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Bomber - Ypsilanti, Michigan

The Bomber is easily the best breakfast place in the area. Huge portions of fresh food, creative combinations and such a bargain for what you get! I ate breakfast here with my parents, needing an indulgent splurge of calories. Boy did I come to the right place.

I ordered a full order Cowboy Skillet, a huge bowl of hash browns with onions with bacon, eggs to order and cheddar cheese. There was an upcharge to cover it with country gravy but man was it worth it! The half order would have been enough for me, you could easily split it with a friend. The scrambled eggs were perfect. The bowl was just incredible, buttery potatoes, sweet onion, creamy lucious gravy and crisp but not overcooked bacon. Mmmmm. The rye toast that came with was hearty and thick, perfectly toasted with just a dab of butter. I took just over half home with me and it reheated well.

My father let me sample his Homemade Corned Beef Hash. Chunky with fresh corned beef, buttery potatoes, onions and green peppers. Mighty good stuff but not as much my thing. My mother's sunny side up eggs were picture perfect, in fact all the eggs were amazingly well cooked. They each had leftovers too, I think it's hard to avoid it here.

We split an order of Nature Lover's pancakes, full of pecans, blueberries and raspberries. Three giantic fluffy cakes. I could only eat half of one. They were so delicious they didnt even need butter and syrup. My father was in heaven, I was close behind. Words cannot do this big stack justice.

I pretty quickly decided that my husband needs to go here. Breakfast is his thing and the portions in here will make him smile. If it sounds huge, it is. They have a special breakfast here that would feed anyone's appetite called The Bomber. A pound of breakfast potatoes, a pound of breakfast meat, four eggs to order and choice of toast.

We saw lots of people getting the pancakes, a lot were getting the special of the day too, real turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy. The sandwiches are man sized and everything looked incredible.

The decor is all aeronautical, with planes and even bombs overhead and aviation themed memorabilia on the walls. Countryish decor fills in. Not unpleasant at all. The neighborhood is a bit run down but inside it is quite homey.

I highly recommend The Bomber. I can't wait to go back. Bring a big appetite or share.
Bomber on Urbanspoon

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Mexican Fiesta - Dearborn Heights, Michigan

I have pretty much a rave review on the Canton Mexican Fiesta but after a negative experience trying to get a table there tonight we headed off to the one in Dearborn Heights.

What a beautiful thing! The portions here are much bigger, the hot chips are totally free and the roomy Cantina area is perfect for watching sports. I cannot believe how quiet it was even on a busy night. The waitstaff is so friendly and speedy too. I think we found a new Mexican Fiesta!

All the food is the same although the chicken enchiladas seemed more stuffed full and as I said just bigger portions of rice, beans and coleslaw. The salsas were better too, the mild is chunkier and a bit perkier and the hot is actually quite spicy.

So if you feel like a bit more for the buck try Mexican Fiesta in Dearborn Heights, I know we have definitely made the switch!

Zingerman's Deli - Ann Arbor, Michigan

This place is no bargain. Trust me on this. There is plenty tasty to be had but I would skip the corned beef as I feel it is not their strong point. Better, more plentiful and cheaper is at The Bread Basket. If you get a sandwich here ask for fresser (large) rather than nosher unless you have a small appetite, for a couple dollars more just take some home if you must, noshers run 9-12 dollars, fressers run 12-15 dollars or so depending on what you get.

That being said they have amazing and fresh food here. They make everything they can and buy the best of what they cannot. This place is a foodie mecca, people from all over the country come here to worship.

My favorite things in here are many. I love the Chicken Soup with matzo ball. Perfect. My mom is a fan of the creamy tomato. The blintzes are sinful and rich with chestnut honey and mexican vanilla. The noodle kugle is just awesome too with the fresh farm cheese (happy sigh).

As far as sandwiches I like Chicken : the #44 Architect's Four Club has Amish chicken breast, Wisconsin muenster cheese & applewood-smoked bacon with lettuce, tomato & mayo on Margaret's sweet wheat bread from the Bakehouse, it is dreamy. The #85 J.V.W.'s Detroit St. BBQ has Zingerman's BBQ Amish chicken, Nueske's applewood-smoked bacon & coleslaw on grilled sourdough bread. Served with a side of applewood-smoked baked beans. Just amazing.

As far as fish I like: the #33 Benny & Zach's Bagel Over Tokyo has Stonington, Maine smoked salmon, wasabi cream cheese spread, tomato & mixed greens on a toasted sesame bagel from Zingerman's Bakehouse. Zippy and awesome. The Extra Special is great too Stonington smoked salmon & Zingerman's smoked whitefish salad, scallion cream cheese, tomato & red onion on a toasted sesame bagel. The whitefish and trout salads are both extremely good.

As for meat I like: #97 Lisa C.'s Boisterous Brisket has Hand-pulled beef brisket simmered in Zingerman's own BBQ sauce on a soft bun, served with a side of applewood-smoked baked beans, Oprah loved it and it's good but I prefer #34 Diana's Different Drummer that has Beef brisket served warm, Russian dressing, coleslaw & fresh horseradish on Jewish rye bread, deliciously different.

If I go veg I feel a bit guilty here as it is so spendy for veggies but I like: The#55 Gemini Rocks the House which has Zingerman's own handmade fresh mozzarella (which does rock), tomatoes & Italian pesto on grilled farm bread. Also, Sheila's Viva Las Vegan which is hummus, artichokes, roasted red peppers and baby spinach on grilled farm bread.

Get a new dill pickle with your sammie, crunchy and cucumbery but with a nice dill bite to it. It's free. You can also get an old dill but it is not as fun.

At any rate be prepared to spend a lot for what you get but to eat top notch fare. Tasty stuff but avoid corned beef and get adventurous in your deli selections. Oh and get some bread, bagels or sweets to take home. Yum.

Gabriel's Cheese Steak Hoagies - Ypsilanti, Michigan

This place is a hole in the wall. No atmosphere to speak of, it is slightly reminiscent of a bowling alley snackbar. The sandwiches are absolute heaven so I could care less. This is the best cheese steak outside of Philly.

There is no real variety at Gabriels. You can have a cheese steak hoagie, a plain steak hoagie, a lunchmeat special (popular) or a ham and cheese. They also have a garden salad or a ham and cheese salad. You can also buy assorted bags of chips and Pepsi products. That is it.

Really the only thing to order for my taste is a Cheese steak, I recommend extra cheese for sure, extra onions are great, mushrooms I can take or leave. The cherry pepper topping is a must. get it on the side and just sample it if you must. That stuff haunts me in my dreams I tell ya. They sell jars of it and I am tempted, GERD and all.

My husband is just anti-onion and hates it here. Spoilsport. I don't think they do cheese steak without the onions, I mean c'mon. This place is legendary at any rate and frankly my husband is just being picky as usual. The rest of my family adores it here.

No coupons but everything in this joint is under 5 bucks.

You have to try Gabriels, it's amazing.

Los Amigos - Ypsilanti, Michigan

This is the ugly stepsister of Casa Fiesta. Same food, less upscale atmosphere. Lunch here was actually a bit creepy honestly. They are owned within the same family but there is a totally different feel about them. Service is not as good and if you understand spanish you may get insulted as the staff makes rude comments about patrons in that language.

I am not recommending this one. I thought I would share at any rate.

Casa Fiesta - Westland, Michigan

Casa Fiesta is one of those middle of the road places I have ended up at. The food is ok, the drinks are cheap (happy hour and lunch margaritas, yum), the service is attentive and there are always coupons to be had, they can be found in a variety of places if you look. Get your own coupons online without the effort here: http://www.jmasavings.com/biz_default.php?auto_id=25. The one in the Entertainment book is better though, buy one dinner get one free.

I recommend the chicken chimis here. Covered in a white cheese sauce, they are very tasty. The fajitas are odd, more stirfry that what one expects as fajitas. The shrimp is the best variety in my opinion. Dinners are odd in that they do not automatically come with beans or rice, so watch for that when you order. I like beans and rice myself so this concerns me.

The medium salsa is zesty but if it is too much for you they have mild on request, I personally like it with the very nice chips that are of course bottomless. Guacamole is good, they also have it as a side with several of the entrees on a useless salad I cannot figure out.

The atmosphere is pleasant here. Clean and roomy. Light mariachi sounds in the background. Good for families too, you usually see a cute kid or two.

The dinner is mighty cheap and the staff is quiet and extremely efficient, but I never dine here without a coupon personally.

Aubrees Pizza - Ypsilanti, Michigan

I have to clarify I went to the Whittaker Road location and not the one in Depot Town.

I went to their website first at http://www.aubreespizza.com/ and they sent me a coupon for a free appetizer when I joined their e club. I would suggest doing the same. They also ask for important dates for all of the family, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I imagine you get freebies then too. We will see shortly as my birthday is on the 20th.

I like the look of Aubrees. We mostly went as they have NTN trivia which I am addicted to. If you are an NTN Fan, they have tables with mini tv screens just for you. My husband and I loved that as we could play and not have to look around to find a screen.

We decided on boneless wings for our appetizer as we planned on pizza and did not want to overload on starch. We got the chipotle barbecue variety and were quite pleased. It was a generous portion with carrot sticks, celery and ranch for dipping. As my husband loves celery and I love carrot it worked out nicely. The slightly smoky sauce was very tasty and the wings were small and crunchy yet still meaty and juicy inside.

For our dinner we wanted completely opposite pizzas so we ordered two. Our waitress kind of acted like we were being piggish which pissed me off. We were taking home major leftovers but at any rate it was just none of her business.

I had the Chicken, Goat Cheese and Mushroom bistro specialty pizza on a whole wheat crust. It has roasted red peppers, sundried tomatoes and red onion on it also. I asked for pesto rather than tomato sauce and they were nice enough to make the switch for me. It was lovely but the sundried tomatoes got a tad burnt on top, they should have stuck em under the cheese. The pizza other than that was perfect. I could only eat three pieces and took the rest home.

My husband had the Mighty Mighty Meat pizza, featuring chunks of italian sausage, bacon, spicy pepperoni, ham and ground beef. He was not a fan of the big chunks of sausage but I like that sort of thing personally. Other than that he thought the pizza was good. Not nearly as good as Toledo pizza, but that is what he says about everything up here. He ate about half his pizza and took the rest home.

We will be back as I liked the place quite a bit food and trivia set up wise. My husband is thinking of choices other than pizza after I pointed out he never likes Michigan pizza at any rate. I want to go on the weekend as they have tailgate buffet for just 7.99 with a variety of 'za, brats, dogs, chili, potato and macaroni salad and the like. What a bargain.

So give Aubree's a whirl. It is tasty.

Added 10/17/08 : We went back tonight as my birthday gift was a free large specialty pizza. We had the Big Kahuna minus onions (James is a baby) and man was it awesome! The Frog Island BBQ Sauce is just yummy. The chicken is in good chunks, slices of nice ham and nice accent of bacon. His half also featured pineapple chunks. Pizza bliss, free trivia, even live free trivia woohoo and all we had to pay for was drinks. I really do love Aubree's now!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Dos Pesos - Belleville, Michigan

Dos Pesos is not huge food, neither is it all that spectacular a bargain. It is worth a trip though as it is amazingly fresh and tasty.

Dos Pesos has single handedly the best guacamole I have ever tasted. It is served as an appetizer on a big plate with a load of equally excellent pico de gallo and is worth the trip to this place alone. The chips are fresh and neither too oily or too salty. Mmmmm. It is definitely big enough for three or four people.

Another item I am quite hooked on here is the Quesadillas. The cheese variety are nice with their guac accent but the shrimp variety are even better. Not greasy at all. Just perfect. The Wet Burrito is a hugely popular choice, saucy and big. The Chicken Chimi was good but honestly I just can't think past the Quesadillas. All entrees come with nice beans and rice.

The service is efficient yet not friendly and there is just not an air of fun here but it doesn't stop my enjoyment of the food. A word of warning though, you will be nickled and dimed on anything extra here, even lettuce. That makes me a bit sad.

You do need to visit here at least once. Try the guac appetizer and some quesadillas and you will be very happy.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Oslo - Detroit, Michigan

Oslo is a nice place around the corner from where I work. They have a big menu of numerous Asian dishes from various countries of origin as well as a sushi bar. I stopped in with a co-worker to have a peek as she got takeout sushi and returned the very next day to try it myself.

As you know if you read this blog on any type of regular basis, I am a sushi fan. I'm not hugely picky which works for my wallet but I can indeed tell good from the merely mediocre. Oslo is very good indeed but not stellar. The prices are about what you would expect, a bit higher than my bargains in the burbs but not anything too out there by any means.

The sushi chef is very nice and was more than happy to demonstrate for me as he made up my to go box. He works efficiently and tidily, as all good sushi chefs do. I was sad not to see knife work but I enjoyed myself at any rate. His fish was already beautifully sliced and he made quite nice tight rolls.

I had the Oslo sushi combination B which features your choice of roll (spicy tuna, spicy white tuna, california or avocado and cucumber) plus 6 pieces of chef's choice nigiri sushi for 16.00. I added a salmon roll because I was starving. It made quite a lovely array.

The spicy tuna was quite zesty, I liked the heat a lot. The salmon was fresh, rich and buttery and a perfect foil for the spice of the tuna. The nigiri was a solid combination including salmon, tuna and shrimp. I felt quite piggish but happy at any rate.

They gave me plenty of wasabi, soy sauce and ginger with the requisite chopsticks, sending along a little cup for dipping, packing me off on my merry way. Very nice to go I must say.

Now if they had better deals or a coupon I would be here all the time.