Bucharest Grill and Park Bar

The Bucharest Grill and Park Bar are a pair of harmonious roommates, sharing a lovely ground floor residence located at 2040 Park Ave.  Step up to the Bucharest Grill counter to order your food then take a seat in Park Bar, order a beer and wait for your meal to be served.

Bucharest Shwarma!

I will start with the shwarma.  In my opinion, one of the most crucial elements of a tasty wrap, shwarma, rollup, what have you - is certainly the pita.  Bucharest just knocks it out of the park.  So starchy and soaked with delicious shwarma juices, the casing for this tasty treat definitely exceeded my standards.  The vegetables were all grilled and fresh.  The sandwich was absolutely packed with rice, fried potatoes, the juicy and delectable pieces of chicken breast along with the veggies, garlic and hummus.  Bucharest really knows how to pack a punch into a wrap. And the accompaniments were equally as satisfying...

Astro Coffee

Get on your tight jeans and thick rimmed glasses, we are heading to Corktown!*

Iced Mocha On A Hot Day

Astro Coffee on Michigan Ave. in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit is fresh, exciting and refreshing.  Both the coffee and the food!

Restaurant Experienced - Sala Thai

If you like a little kick in the mouth, Sala Thai will gladly humor you!

Mixed seafood and beef with shrimp in a red curry sauce!

If you are an adventurous eater, Sala Thai is a can't miss experience.  The entire meal is brimming with authenticity and love.  That is my favorite, when you can taste the love that is sprinkled into every dish at a favorite restaurant.  I was treated like a king and served enough food for the royal army.  The curry was phenomenally spicy and the seafood was extraordinarily flavorful.  The beef was a highlight to be sure.  Thinly sliced and prepared with not even a hint of chewiness yet rich with the aromas and tastes of the bountiful curry sauce! And these two dishes were not even the best part of the meal...
The appetizers that preceded were even more tantalizing!

Spicy Monster Roll

Muscles

The muscles were definitely the highlight for me.  So flavorful and well prepared.  Again, dripping with the most important ingredient of all, love.  Succulent hardly even begins to describe this dish.  Not overly salty or chewy and incredibly moist and tender, the muscles were served in a bath of intense flavor and spice that I had never experienced before.  Delicious!

Sala Thai is a must for any adventurous eater.  If you are not into spicy foods or trying new things, it might not be the right place.  But if you are, do yourself a huge favor and go to Sala Thai as soon as possible.

Eat well everyone!

What A Weekend!

Even though this is how my weekend ended, I clearly had to start off this post with a deep dish bang.

The Original Buddy's Pizza!

What a wild weekend!  With so many things going on in Detroit, it was hard to keep my head on straight. Unfortunately, the Tigers hosted the Yankees.  We had almost perfect weather for the Grand Prix all weekend on Belle Isle.  It was Pride Fest in Hart Plaza,  The Red Hot Chili Peppers were in town and we even paid homage to nature's most delicious menu item: Bacon!

Here is a list of what I did:

Exciting News

I have a GREAT interview lined up for Thursday evening. iEATdetroit will have the first installment in a series of interviews with active community members that envision a bright future for our city. Look for the most exciting post to date this weekend!


In other news...


--


Meet me in Midtown. It's going down.

Yelp!

I ran across Yelp's Passport to Midtown! on Dig Downtown Detroit and I was happy to find out that most of my upcoming extracurricular activities had already been planned out for me.  From May 14-23, Yelpers are being encouraged to explore one of the fastest growing neighborhoods of the city.


You want the gist?  I'll give you that gist:


Every evening for over a week, Yelp is promoting a special event.  Excursions will range in genre from bus tours to brewery and pub crawls and from art exhibits to mind, body and spirit classes.  At least we know that everyone will be able to find at least one event he or she can enjoy. Schedule? BAM.  


There are also a few participating businesses that will be offering special discounts all week.   After wading through all the free cups of coffee and 15% off vegan meals (thanks hipster Yelp community manager), I found a personal favorite.  Vino Dream will be offering a 1.5 hour wine training course for two for $99 (normally $199), or wine list planning for a special event for $69 (normally $115).  Overall, this looks like a hands-on way to build some positive energy and get people to Midtown.




Count this guy excited!  Eat well everyone!

Detroit Restaurant Week

Just a reminder that Detroit Restaurant Week is under way.  Started on Friday April 20th, 2012 and ending on Sunday April 29th, Restaurant Week is a favorite tradition of mine.  I always believe in trying new things... When better than now?  The deal is simple. $28 per person for a three-course meal at one of twenty-one participating restaurants.  Drinks, tax and gratuity are not included.

Check out the website for Restaurant Week.  Here are the participating restaurants.  Call now for reservations or book a table through Open Table.  It might be easier to find some openings during the week but I would not hesitate to make a reservation.
I tried to get to one of my favorite spots last weekend but there were simply no tables available at any restaurants.  Which made me feel like this:

The face of disappointment

If 1950s era settings and formal dining is what piques your interest, take an adventure to The Caucus Club.  Two beautiful dining rooms, classic booths and the incredible wooden bar set the mood.  Oh, and some awesome food.  At one time the host to many advertising executives, Motor City bigwigs and lawyers all trying to make deals, the Caucus Club was a men's only dining room until 1971.  It was also the first paying job of Barbara Streisand who used to sing in the back room starting in 1961. If you go, try the Bullshot, the house specialty drink. It is a mixture of beef broth, vodka and spices invented in 1952 and guaranteed to put some hair on your chest.  The Caucus Club, in the historic Penobscot Building, has some particularly tantalizing photographs of some of the Restaurant Week offerings online. Thanks to MLive.

Pesto grilled chicken breast over vegetable marinara on the Restaurant Week Menu

"Detroit is a city that has seen many changes. The Caucus Club is a tribute to history. A place that is consistent on quality and service. A great place for business lunch, romantic dinner or a stop before the theatre, opera, sporting events or a night at the gaming tables." -- Tribute to the Caucus Club website.

Eat well everyone!

And so it begins...

Last week I found myself asking a lot of new questions:  What is going to move people?  Get them excited?  Where do I begin?  Where can I find the epicenter of Detroit culture, movement, history and food?  Can the Tigers be taken seriously with a player batting .056 in the lineup?

Tag the leading runner? Why?

All good food for thought.  And just like most people (I hope), thinking gets me really hungry.  So, I got in my car and headed over to the Eastern Market on Saturday to see what trouble I could get myself into.

If you have never been to the Eastern Market on a Saturday I can honestly tell you that you are missing out on one of the most inspirational, historically significant and sensory-overloading experiences our region has to offer.  Detroiters have been flocking to the corner of Russell St. and I-75 to buy the freshest produce that Michigan, Ohio and Ontario, Canada have to offer since 1891!  One of the longest enduring traditions in the city of Detroit, Saturdays in the Eastern Market are exciting for the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.  Six city blocks reserved for farmers, cultivators, chefs, restaurant managers, bakers, gardeners, singers, food enthusiasts and political activists of all kinds.  This is the pulse of Detroit on Saturdays, this is where the people are.

 Up to 40,000 people swarm the Eastern Market every Saturday

The Market is encircled by a litany of incredible eateries as well.  Supino Pizza, Russell St. Deli, Bert’s BBQ Pizza and Soul Food and the Farmer’s Restaurant (yelp) to name a few.  Over 90 businesses choose to make the Market their permanent residence in order to attract customers.  The culture of Detroit fills the air and it is so thick, you can almost feel it as you inhale the smells and imbibe sounds. 

Saxophone and drums on a beautiful Saturday afternoon

Every Saturday, Uncle Tony sets up his grill and his smoker in front of Bert’s and cooks some of the most delicious chicken, pork and beef that the world has ever had the pleasure of more-or-less digesting.  All day people can walk up to the cash register, buy 2lbs. of ribs for $10 and enjoy them at the outdoor seating or through the doors of Bert’s Jazz Lounge and Restaurant.  Inside, people can sign up to take the open mic and belt out some of the greatest hits that helped establish Detroit as one of the most important cities in the global music industry. B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Boy George and Betty Carter are just some of the names that have taken the stage at Bert’s to swoon the guests.  Berry Gordy himself would have been impressed with a couple of the people who sang last weekend.  Big old crooners, Whitney Houston wannabees and even a Prince impersonator dawning ass-less chaps were all pleased to entertain the patrons of Bert’s.  Everyone was feeding off of the energy of the food, the nice weather, the music and each other.  Feeling the love.  That is what its all about.  Bert himself even made time to talk with me amidst a crazy Saturday afternoon.  He told me he would be happy to let me do a piece about him for iEATdetroit.  (Obviously that got me pumped! So stay tuned.) 

Left: Uncle Tony loads up some rib tips. Right: The sign outside Supino Pizzeria! 

Overall, the experience of taking a day by myself and strolling around the Eastern Market was as heart-warming as any weekend I have had all year.  It made me feel great to see a party downtown.  Good hearted fun, welcoming people, diversity, music and food.  That is what I want out of life.  That is what makes people grow.   It makes sense that I am from a place that feels the same way!

Quick Re-cap(s)

Slice of the day

SUPINO PIZZA.  I said it.  It’s so good that you almost feel dirty letting the words out of your mouth.  As creative as it is delicious, Supino Pizzeria lives by the code of Owner and Founder Dave Mancini who wrote on his blog, "if you have good crust you can tr just about anything on top of it."  I tried the Slice of the Day: the Srping Sprung Early.  A white pie with roasted asparagus, Porktown coppa, chèvre and rosemary. Earthshattering.  I'll never be the same.  As people kept flooding the small store front with a hand written sign on the door stating, "One hour wait MINIMUM!" I couldn't help feeling like the one slice, so flaky, doughy, cheesy and light, was not enough! Want to learn more? Check out some reviews from Hour Magazine and Detroit Moxie. 

Rib tips

BERT’S BBQ, PIZZA AND SOUL FOOD. Ribs, chicken, brisket, pulled pork, Polish sausage and hot dogs so good you will not be able to stop eating it.  I mean, my stomach kept saying, “Hey, Adam, stop.  You are full.  No need to eat the last four rib tips!”  Needless to say my tongue won this battle in the never-ending war between taste and hunger!  Not a lot of reviews out there.  Check out yelp.  But seriously, just go there and eat the food, I promise a religious experience!

Dave of The Brinery

FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF THE EASTERN MARKET. If you are interested in learning more about the people who help stock the 5 Sheds at the Saturday  Eastern Market, what they are selling and how they are using Detroit soil to help grow and cultivate crops, I urge you to check out the website for the Detroit Eastern Market!  Here is a link to their blog, which is very interesting, giving direct insight to the people that are turning the gears of our city.  Without people like them, our city would have a lot less flavor, flowers, coffee and Zen Buddhist Collective kale salads (version 1 and 2). 

This has been a lot of fun!  Please follow me on twitter for updates (@iEATdetroit), like the facebook page and spread the word by good old fashion word of mouth!  Thanks everyone for the support.  Also, if you want to comment on the page and tell me how much you like the blog and what I need to change, I would appreciate it.  

Eat well everyone!

Raymond kitchen mgr. Russell St. Deli

Monk from Detroit Zen Center

Some of the many flowers 

The Zingerman's crew from Ann Arbor

Whitney?