I'm Not From Around Here - I Need Some Restaurant Opinions/Reviews, Please (Detroit: hotel)

[gimpster]

I have a friend who lives in Trenton. When down here where I live (the deep South), he likes to eat barbecue and seafood, especially pan-fried freshly-caught catfish (in a cast iron skillet, of course) with cracker meal breading. I ship him our local sauces, rubs and crab/shrimp boil on occasion but I'd really like to send him a gift card to a good local (not chain) restaurant with really good seafood and barbecue. Can anyone help me out with suggestions of local restaurants that sell gift cards and why you think they are so good?

Thanks, I do appreciate it.

[rdub1968]

I heard Slows BBQ is real good. Great beer selections as well. Others can add more.
slowsbarbq.com/

[Coldjensens]

Joe Muer Seafood just re-opened in downtown Detroit (Ren Cen) It is supposed to be excellent. However you need to send your friend a very large gift certificate. It costs about $75 per person out the door. It smells really fishy, like being underneath a dock at low tide. I am not sure i could eat there. The smell is overwhelming.

Also Downtown and excellent: Andiamos (RenCen); Roast (Book Cadillac Hotel); Fishbones (Greektown); Pegasus (Greektown); and while not really exciting, a pleasant place is Joe's Oyster Bar (Joe's? Bob's? I forget. I can see it from my window, but cannot read the sign). It is especially nice in the summer when you can eat on the deck.

Bad food but stunning view is the Coach Insignia at the top of the Marriot in the Ren Cen. Detroit Princess Dinner cruises also offer mediocre buffet style food, but the cruise is neat.

There is a very nice steakhouse in a restored old house right in Trenton. I cannot remember the name, I will ask my wife if I remember (Savanna's maybe?). It is a good idea to hang out in the little bar before dinner and chat with locals, particularly the owners.

There is a good barbecue place in Trenton as well. I think it is called the Roundhouse. It is not fancy, very very good, but not as good as Slows.

Portofino in Wyandotte has pretty good fish, a great atmosphere. Sometimes they have local caught perch and walleye.

There is an Italian resturuant in Wyandotte that everyone says is great. I did not like it so I did not remember the name.

Sibleys Garden in Trenton is reasonably good. It is no where near as good as it it touted to be IMO. I had a horrible Valentines day dinner there a while back. I had to send back my wifes plate and several pieces of silverware that were visibly dirty. Then I opened my menu and someone had spit chewed up crackers all over it. I had a very disappointing steak but my wife's food was good (oh and I found a piece of food stuck to the inside of my wine glass after I had downed half of the wine.)

TV diner in Woodhaven is just a diner, but the food is excellent and they have some unique items. We eat there a lot and if my Dad visits, he always wants to go there even if we offer to take him anywhere in a 40 mile range.

Biroporettis on Fort Street is a nice fancy place with good food (Italian emphasis). It is pricey. They used to have a fabulous Sunday Brunch. We once wen thtere every Sunday untl we realized that we are not rich. I am not sure whether it is in Woodhaven, Trenton or some other town, they all come together right in there.

[gimpster]

thank you very much for the replies. sorry it took so long to acknowledge. had in-home accident that required a joint replacement and hospitalization - having to type one-fingered. will look into those places. thanks again.

[escilade18]

Originally Posted by gimpster

thank you very much for the replies. sorry it took so long to acknowledge. had in-home accident that required a joint replacement and hospitalization - having to type one-fingered. will look into those places. thanks again.

Hope you get better, if you are into sports a really good sports bar like restaurant is the Hockeytown Cafe. Right across the street from Commerica Park it has good food (they get a lot of ingredients from in state such as getting their cranberries from Traverse City so their food is fresh.) I ate their this may while watching the Tigers play (and beat) Kansas City. I hope that you enjoy your trip and best of luck with everything

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Biroporettis on Fort Street is a nice fancy place with good food (Italian emphasis). It is pricey. They used to have a fabulous Sunday Brunch. We once wen thtere every Sunday untl we realized that we are not rich. I am not sure whether it is in Woodhaven, Trenton or some other town, they all come together right in there.

Sorry. I was half asleep that day. Fratellos, not Biroporettis. Biroporetties is in a shopping mall in Orange County. I guess they are a little bit simlar since both have an italian orientation.

[gimpster]

I called or e-mailed many of the places suggested and eventually settled on Savannah's on West Jefferson. It's in an historic house (formerly known as the 1897 Smokehouse). I had a very friendly e-mail conversation with the owner (Cheryl) and then called Friday afternoon and spoke to Sherry (sp?) who was extremely friendly, polite and product knowledgeable. She helped me to select a denomination ($75) that would ensure my friend and his wife could order anything they wanted, including appetizer and drinks, and it was surprisingly reasonable. (For complete dinner for two, she suggested $50 on the low end and $75 on the high end.) A few minutes later, I've paid and my personalized gift certificate is on its way to my friend. I hope that his and his wife's dining experience go as well as my experience. He's been battling multiple myeloma for a couple of years and now that he is some better, I wanted to treat him and his wife to something special.

Thanks again everyone.