As the Free Press dining and restaurant critic, I eat a lot.
Some dishes fade to distant memories, satiating temporal hunger without truly satisfying my appetite. Others, however, linger longer, leaving lasting impressions that might summon me for seconds.
As we head into a new season, I’m reflecting on those standouts and interrogating what they say about the state of Detroit dining — and, I suppose, what they say about my taste preferences as I navigate the scene. The verdict: The most memorable dishes make everything old feel new again.
There are longtime menu items at longstanding establishments that feel just as spry as they seemed decades ago, and modern interpretations that breath new life into cuisine classics.
From takeout treasures to
white tablecloth wonders, these are the best bites I’ve had this year (so far).
Aloha Plate at Okika Hawaiian BBQ | Warren
A fall day in metro Detroit is a far cry from the idyllic, sunny disposition of a volcanic island in Hawaii. But a taste of Hawaiian cuisine from a new metro Detroit restaurant has the power to brighten your day. The Aloha Plate at Okika Hawaiian BBQ takes tender slabs of grilled boneless, skinless chicken marinated in a sweet barbecue sauce and lets it rest over sticky, steamed white rice. The plate is served with a simple crisp salad of lettuce and cucumbers dressed in bright ginger. Altogether, the dish is stunning, but it’s the flavorful chicken that delights in smoke and sugar and a glimmer of heat.
25381 Schoenherr Rd., Warren. 586-879-6263; okikabbq.com
BBQ Salami at Stage Deli | West Bloomfield
If you think you have your diner menu committed to memory, I challenge you to pore over the offerings during your next visit to find an intriguing item you may have missed. A recent visit to Stage Deli inspired this exercise when a friend introduced me to an dish I likely would have overlooked if not for his guidance. The iconic deli and restaurant has been in business with the same, minimally changed menu of Jewish staples, such as corned beef sandwiches, matzo ball soup and latkes, for nearly 65 years. But a plate of barbecue salami stands out. Thick hunks of salami, more like kielbasa medallions, are baked in an apricot glaze for a sweet, salty, smoky starter. It’s served with a sweet mustard dipping sauce, but the dish offers its own complexity of flavors that are independently satisfying.
6873 Orchard Lake Rd., West Bloomfield Township. 248-855-6622; stagedeli.com
Chewy Walnut Cookie at Nuvrei MC | Core City, Detroit
Once upon a time, the world’s best cookies were gluttonous. The cookies that got the most acclaim were gargantuan and chock-full of ingredients — think anything from Levain Bakery, which self-identifies as offering New York City’s most famous cookies, or Milk Bar’s Compost Cookie, packed with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, graham crackers and butterscotch. The chewy walnut cookie at Nuvrei, though opulent in its rich, chocolatey flavor, is the antithesis of cookies past. This one is as thin as a smashburger, crisp around the edges, and, as its name suggests, chewy at the center. Those crisp edges bite like a meringue, with pieces of walnut adding depth of flavor and soft crunch. In the days after I enjoyed the cookie, I’ve spent a significant amount of time debating a return visit for another, and questioning whether I might be able to recreate it myself with a spoonful of brownie batter on parchment paper at home. That’s to say, the cookie remains on my mind.
4884 W. Grand River Ave., Unit 1A, Detroit. 313-464-0253
Lobster Roll at Mink | Corktown, Detroit
A lobster roll is not typically my idea of a great meal in a landlocked metro Detroit. A skimpy amount of meat sandwiched between bread sounds like a tease — I prefer to work for my lobster, wrestling every bit of meat that I can out of the crustacean until all I want is to wash my hands of shells and flesh and butter, forgetting the reality that I might still be hungry. A $40 lobster roll, at that, sounds like a very expensive snack. But at Mink, the lobster roll is a $40 luxury. A hearty amount of sweet, supple lobster meat is poached in brown butter and stuffed between puffy, chewy, decadent housemade steamed brioche buns spread with a chili jam for a kick of heat. It’s served with crunchy kettle-cooked chips and snappy pickles for a beautiful arc of a very luxurious meal.
1701 Trumbull St., Detroit. 313-690-4701; minkdetroit.com
Mangú at La Bodega | Lincoln Park
As an only child, there’s something incredibly heartwarming about a restaurant that makes me feel like I’m sitting at the dinner table of a friend’s home. Like someone beyond my nuclear family might love me enough to prepare a warm meal for me as if I’m one of their own. The buffet-style restaurant parked at the back of the Lincoln Park bodega, aptly named La Bodega, does just that. Here, Dominican staples are prepared daily, with a big-screen TV airing performances by amateur Latin musicians on YouTube on the wall. When I’m craving a plate of tres golpes, the Dominican dish of fried eggs, fried cheese and fried salami served with mangú (unripened plantains boiled then mashed into a savory side) and pickled red onions, I think of the mangú at La Bodega. Already a decadent staple, this one tastes of little more than butter ‒ and the server’s heavy hand makes the helping hard to finish. But you’ll make every attempt to scrape your plate. It’s that good.
880 Dix Hwy., Lincoln Park. 313-914-2070
Pepperoni Pizza at Amelia Street Pizza Co. | Hazel Park
As a native New Yorker, I approve the message at Amelia Street Pizza Co. It’s simple ‒ New York-style pies, one size only (18 inches), one topping only (pepperoni, aside from the occasional Monday special). Except Amelia’s makes things even more impressive, using a fermented dough for all pies and finishing each with a healthy amount of fresh grated parmesan on the crust, in the shape of a half-moon. Don’t take my word for it, look to pro pizza eater Dave Portnoy, who called the shop a “sensation” in his latest string of metro Detroit reviews.
951 E. 9 Mile Rd., Hazel Park.
Strawberry Cheesecake at e Fiori Ristorante | Birmingham
As a rule, I never order cheesecake on a dessert menu. Like panna cotta or crème brûlée, cheesecake is often the sign of an uninspired dessert program. At e Fiori Ristorante though, the Italian restaurant from veteran chef Luciano DelSignore, the cheesecake is deliberate. A goat’s milk dome is as smooth as a mouthful of suede, and buttery graham cracker crumbles outperform a traditional crust. But it’s the presentation of the dish that feels like a masterclass in branding. Served on a plate emblazoned with florals and topped with pieces of spongey, herbaceous basil cake, it brings dinner at the floral shop that moonlights as a restaurant full circle.
115 Willits St., Birmingham. 248-744-4000; efioribirmingham.com
Squirrel Fish at Trizest | Sterling Heights
Trizest has long held a reputation as one of the best Chinese restaurants in metro Detroit. And while it offers the usuals ‒ General Tso's chicken, beef with broccoli ‒ the Szechuan eatery excels at what might constitute as unfamiliar dishes for an unadventurous palate. Don't be deterred by the name, the squirrel fish is no descendent of the rodent family. Meaty white fish is merely fried crisp and cut into a painterly crisscross pattern. Served with sweet and sour or a savory sauce to drape over the crispy masterpiece, the fish is an excellent alternative to the standard go-tos in Chinese dining.
33170 Dequindre Rd., Sterling Heights. 586-268-1450; trizestrestaurant.com
Texas Flapjacks at The Pantry Restaurant | Sterling Heights
Pancakes are fabulous. A classic breakfast dessert and a vehicle for butter, maple syrup and your choice of fresh fruit, nuts or chocolate chips. A Texas flapjack at The Pantry, however, shapeshifts as a thin pancake with lacy crisp edges. It’s a mesmerizing golden doily and the cross between a pancake and a crepe. The flapjack is large, draping over the edges of your plate, but you’ll finish every bite of the chewy, doughy creation.
34220 Van Dyke Ave., Sterling Heights. thepantryrestaurant.com
Tomato Peach Sherbet at SheWolf | Midtown, Detroit
It's a joy to see chefs get creative with seasonal ingredients in unexpected ways. At the height of summer at SheWolf, tomatoes showed up in a stunning dessert. A tomato peach sherbet was a sweet nod to scorching days getting tangled in tomato vines, the aroma of herbaceous leaves fragrant and the tomato fruit sweet. The restaurant has since phased out the dessert, but its memory lingers.
438 Selden St., Detroit. 313-315-3992; shewolfdetroit.com
An excerpt of this article was featured in the Sept. 24 “Eat Drink Freep” newsletter. Subscribe to Eat Drink Freep today for once-a-week extras and insider scoops on Detroit-area dining.
Contact Detroit Free Press Dining and Restaurant Critic Lyndsay C. Green at: LCGreen@freepress.com. Follow @LadyLuff on Instagram and Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 10 of the best bites our critic has had this year
