Restaurant Experienced - Mercury Burger Bar

So, it has been a few days...  But I have needed every second to recuperate from this most recent experience:

A picture says a thousand words, and that's just the toppings!

Last week I went to one of Corktown's newer restaurants, the Mercury Burger & Bar.  Taking over where the Mercury Coffee Bar left off, the Burger & Bar has put together an intense recipe of rich flavors and creative menu items that will have you drooling!  The Mercury Burger & Bar was opened in March of this year on Michigan Avenue and 14th Street.  Originally named after the Mercury Train that traveled from New York to Detroit and on to Chicago, the Mercury Bar had long since closed. Today, The Mercury Burger & Bar looks to breath new life into a resurgent part of town, one wildly-filling burger at a time. More reviews.

Restaurant Experienced - Cass Cafe

The food at the Cass Cafe is as artistic as the works that decorate the dining room. Delicious and light, the menu has many options for all sorts of diets.  The house specialty is a lentil burger.  Though it seems quite simple, the consistency is incredible and the portion is perfect.  Normally, when I think of a lentil burger I imagine a dry patty that tastes like whatever spices are put into it.  The Cass Cafe has a different idea all together.  The burger was oozy but charred on the outside which provided a really unique and enjoyable flavor!  Still, there are many other highlights to the menu, like the wild mushroom tortellini with artichoke and sun dried tomato:

Delicious and lighter than expected

The food was fresh, well prepared and artistic; the whole dining experience was very enjoyable.  The bar serves beers from all over, including Motor City Brewing Works draughts to European and Asian selections.  The best part? The meal was quick and about $12 per person including drinks. Other dishes that looked wonderful coming out of the kitchen included the salmon blt and the burrito.  I highly recommend the Cass Cafe for those who have never been.  It is a quick and tasty way to spend 45 minutes if you are looking for a place to eat while in Midtown.

Restaurant Experienced - Iridescence

The crab cake.  Such a simple dish.  Some crab meat, some veggies, some starches, a little egg and some bread crumbs.  Mix it all together and fry it up.  Yet, somehow, it does not always come out looking like this when I try to make one:

Juicy, hearty and stunning!

At Iridescence, located on the top floor of the Motor City Casino And Hotel, the presentation of each dish is immaculate.  It feels like a crime to dig into each one.  The colors so vibrant, the garnish, decorative pieces, the dining room and the plates are all elements that make eating at Iridescence more than simply a meal.  Just as each waiter or waitress explains prior to taking orders, he or she is truly there to "guide you through the dining experience" that is refection at Iridescence...

Restaurant Experienced - Red Smoke Barbeque

If you are from the area and you consider yourself educated in the finer styling of barbecue in Detroit, then Red Smoke is a must-EAT.  As the city of Detroit begins to rebound, new restaurants like Red Smoke are going to open and challenge the status quo.  For five years, it was prudent to point beef brisket-seeking visitors to the city of Detroit towards Slows Bar B Q on Michigan Avenue.  With few competitors willing to stand in the ring, Slows has championed the most scrumptious compilation of barbecue flavors seen in Detroit since it opened in the Corktown neighborhood in 2005.  However, Red Smoke in Detroit's Greektown neighborhood is the new kid in town, and he is about ready for everyone to know his name!

Bringing with it a new flavor and a youthful spirit, Red Smoke has officially submitted a claim for the throne in the realm of Detroit barbecue.

Pictured above is the Triple Play, straight off of the Red Smoke menu.  The tenderness of the three meat dishes can be summed up quite simply: I did not need a knife.  By simply setting the side of my fork atop the tender breast of chicken and applying little more pressure than provided by the weight of my right arm, the delicious meat, wrapped tightly with sticky, crunchy skin, came melting off the bone.  The chicken was far and away the highlight for me.  The consistency of the pulled pork was almost incomparable.  I am not sure I ever really understood the notion of melting in your mouth until now.  The beef brisket had ideal texture and flavor to compliment the rest of the meal. In the end, the portions were too much for me to (def)eat in one sitting and I was forced to sacrifice substantial quantity in order to fight another day. 

OFFICIAL iEATdetroit BBQ POWER RANKINGS

Rank	Restaurant
1	Red Smoke

So, this marks the first entry into the Detroit BBQ Power Rankings.  Each time I review a restaurant, it will be inserted into the Power Rankings chart that corresponds to the type of food served at the restaurant.  Restaurants will be able to appear on more than one Power Rankings list.  For example, the Hamburger Power Rankings might include restaurants that will also be competing for the #1 spot on the Steakhouse Power Rankings list.  All aspects of a restaurant will be taken into consideration.  The food, the service, the atmosphere, location and price are all things that go into my decision.  As of today, there is one list, with one restaurant.  I guess I better get eating!