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"I contain multitudes"
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Review votes:
171 Useful, 81 Funny, and 143 Cool
Roseville, MI
Yelping SinceMarch 2008
Things I Lovemy beautiful daughter Syliva, indie films, trash tv, Whiskey, cheese, good books
Find Me InCheckerboard slip-ons!
My HometownRoseville, MI
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...Spending time with my family or collecting stories
Why You Should Read My ReviewsThis is my town
My Second Favorite WebsiteSpecial Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessl
My First Concertsome grunge festival - Solid Frog, Smile,Tyrone's Powerwheel and others
My Favorite Movieright now... 500 Days of Summer is beating out the Fountain
My Last Meal On Eartha Cajun Mezza Luna from Paisano's
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I yearn for the coming zombie apocalypse
Most Recent Discoverylists are the most important thing I've ever written
Current CrushThe girl who my mixed tape works on
Date
Ferndale, MI 48220
(248) 546-8331
Danny's Irish Pub
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Downtown Ferndale
Danny's is the answer. Last time I was there I was literally told that "there's nothing you can do to get kicked out of here" by the chap behind the bar. This is good... because it was my birthday and I knocked a table full of drinks over. I don't think he even noticed.
That's what I'm talking about! Not necessarily a rowdy crowd... but a crowd that's over the posturing rubbish at other area bars and just wants to get down to business. Business I say!
Drinks are still cheap as hell. The stools are still wobbly. There's Bell's on tap. Emory who?
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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5/11/2008 First to Review
Danny's, like a lot of places in Ferndale, has character.
This past St. Patty's day, Danny's sponsored an official attempt at breaking the record for singing "Oh Danny Boy" for something like 3 days straight. So people of all kinds, men, women, boys, queens.... all came out and did it beautifully, or really badly. When I was there, an old queen turned Oh Danny Boy into a sort of burlesque routine... to hilarious results.
I guess that's what Danny's is about though. People are always having a good time in this place when I go there. There's few places around that I'd feel comfortable saying I could show up to alone, but never have to sit silent. There's always a conversation to be had!
They have a respectable selection of beers, and surprisingly a large selection of things on tap. (I can't help myself if they have Blue Moon!) If you're looking for well-mixed liquor drinks... this is the closest and cheapest place to get them.
I'm proud to say that my hometown still has the HANDS DOWN best microbrew in the state. There are old favorites that should satiate just about any snob on the planet (I think I mentioned Eric the Red in my original review. I'd like to add Dead Monk to that list!)
Also - they've finally begun to offer wines and, GASP, mead! Yes my dears, Dragon's mead is now on the list. I tried the sweet (to the scoffs of my cohorts) and it was extremely well-crafted - finished quite well, not that hint of funk you get from, well, Renaissance Festival mead. It's definitely worth a shot.
I'm pleased to also see that their "bring in any food you like" policy is still in place. As long as you clean up after yourself, this place doesn't really care what the hell you bring in! Which is good - Lazybone's is just up the road and... the idea of BBQ and Dragonmead, albeit a strange mix, seems to please my soul.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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4/19/2008
I absolutely love Dragonmead. It is the best micro brewery I've been to, anywhere!
The place is made to look like an old English pub - lots of dragons everywhere, coat of arms, and the like. It really adds to the atmosphere.
What I like the most about the place is the sheer volume of beers they offer; for ANY bar or brewery, they have the most drinks - dozens and dozens, all separated by the regional style of the brew (so, German, English, and so on). I'd recommend trying Eric the Red or Final Absolution!
This past year they started offering food - before then it was simply chips and popcorn. They now have a respectable food menu, which has what I'd consider typical brewery food: fried appetizers and finger foods. They have smoked venison jerky - give it a try, it's a great compliment to the awesome beer!
If you have the chance, try one of their sampler trays!
WAAAA smoky. Don't dig it? Go back west to your bike paths stupid-high taxes and robotic governor, hippie!
$4 pitchers of High-life. Beer snobs need not apply. Tired, Hungry, and Poor welcome.
I am so surprised that there is, GASP! table service. Granted, it was the wobbliest table I've probably ever sat at, but I really couldn't tell after pitcher #1.
Bathtub urinals just like at Joe Louis. Strange... and stinky. Ah well.
Do I really need to go on? It's the place to go when you have to pay in quarters... and I love that.
Birmingham, MI 48009
(248) 723-6230
Birmingham Theatre
Category: Cinema
Neighborhood: Downtown Birmingham
However, there are other annoying factors in my rating. The staff is a bit curt for my taste. Going there tonight for a screening was an ordeal. I don't appreciate being yelled at to wait for "the guy to check if there are seats", short man with the broken flashlight. You let a couple people go ahead because they had different color tickets than we did. BAH.
It seems weird to say this, but either the AC is broken or they're too cheap to turn it on. I was roasting through the entire movie. I shouldn't be sweating in a theater when I'm just in a shirt and jeans for Pete's sake!
So yeah, don't talk to the short guy and see a movie in your underwear and you should be good to go.
It feels... familiar. Only thing it's missing is latch-hook rugs and it'd definitely be my home away from home.
The beers are cheap and the mixed drinks are poured heavy. What more can you ask for?
The pizza isn't bad - about the level of Sgt. Pepper's at the Garden Bowl. I've had random other fried foods there... but I couldn't tell you what they taste like. I was way too drunk and probably waiting to sing the Doors.
Shuffleboard, yes. It's a HUGE board and well-tended.
Plus they have a redheaded bartender with a killer smile. So whatever the hell anyone else says, I'm in.
Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080
(586) 778-5999
Cedar Garden
Category: Middle Eastern
Neighborhood: Downtown Saint Clair Shores
I stopped by to get carryout a few days ago, and I'm glad to see that they're still open.
The carryout hummus I got was MASSIVE. I did a comparison to the usual grocery store stuff we buy - for the same price as the grocery store, Cedar Garden gave us TWICE the amount of hummus. Lordy!
And delicious as I have come to expect. Seriously, why haven't you been here yet?
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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6/21/2008 First to Review
Oh my God! I haven't reviewed Cedar Garden yet!?
This is my absolute favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in town.
They have an attractive restaurant here, a lot nicer than any of the really popular restaurants that do the same cuisine. Only thing I don't like is the front door. It's a bit noisy!
Everything they make here is delicious. The falafel is great, any of the schwarmas are fantastic, the hummus is perfect, and the pitas come to the table warmed. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!
They have a full takeout setup, which is just as good as dining in. There's a few places I've been that charge you the same price for takeout, but the portions seem... smaller. This doesn't happen here! What you get in the restaurant is what you bring home.
What else can I say? This is the best place for Middle Eastern!
Cici's will lure people in with their $5 buffet - but unlike other buffets, your beverage isn't included. 99% want a drink (especially after all that pizza!), so they jacked the price up to $1.75 for a beverage! So, expect to pay over $7 for a meal!
Compare that to American Pie, and it's roughly the same price for a much higher quality pizza buffet.
And yes, the pizza here is absolutely crap-tastic. If you can manage to get more than a single piece of a specific kind of pizza (because they'll let a single slice of pizza sit there because they're playing the cost-control game and don't want to toss it) expect it to be 25% crust. And this sort of thin crust is not that tasty-gourmet-posh-NYC stuff, it's the Detroit-too-cheap-to-give-you-more stuff.
The salad bar is maintained well. I'd suggest staying away from the soup and the pasta. The soup had maybe three noodles in the whole damn vat, and didn't have a lid. After imagining how many Ebola-infested troglodytes let fly their phlegmy breath into it... I decided to pass. I should have done the same with the pasta, but hey, I was hungry. It tasted like macaroni with ketchup on it. Couldn't finish it.
I gave them two stars because they kept the place clean enough. If they were just a notch sloppier in the cleaning department, they would've gotten one star.
Though, I only ate there a few hours ago. If I get food poisoning in the next couple days, you'll all know.
Go to American Pie!
Saint Clair Shores, MI 48081
(586) 774-5000
Luna Cafe
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Downtown Saint Clair Shores
WAAAAA it's smoky! There's plenty of NS coffee houses around - they're the big corporate ones with the muzak and lame idiots who pay for WiFi.
Word to the wise - find a Starbucks and quit bitchin' about teens and smoke. Music, fashion, film, and especially coffeehouses would be dead and gone without teens.
Without the smoke... well, Michigan would be Cali.
1 Previous Review: Hide »
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4/3/2008 First to Review
Luna's a great place to grab a cup of coffee and relax during the day if you're on this side of town, or happen to have grabbed lunch next door.
But it's not all lazy; I've been interested in seeing a show here for quite some time based on the sheer size of the stage they have - it is by far the largest stage I've ever seen in a coffee house! This place was built for shows.
I like that they have comfy couches, and that they have Guitar Hero hooked up in the front corner (if you're into that sort of thing. Beware! Guitar Hero is addictive!)
Prices are good, and the coffee is tasty. They have the standard food affair (bagels, cookies, brownies) and other little random nibbles. WI-FI!
I really wish I had more to say about Luna, but really I had no problems with the place; the staff is really friendly, the place has a real comfortable atmosphere, and the potential for a real rockin' night out is enough to make the trip to it!
Royal Oak, MI 48068
(248) 586-9602
Bean and Leaf
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Desserts
Neighborhood: Downtown Royal Oak
I like the fact that there are at least a few places in Royal Oak that are quiet and have free WiFi. The idea of Starbucks charging for their WiFi just disgusts me. Then again, so does Starbucks in general.
The WEP password for the WiFi cracks me up. I hope they turn it into a schtick every week that they change it. Next worker to make "cheese fish" the password will certainly get a tip!
I've heard that this place can get a little rowdy, but I saw no evidence of that. It's certainly quieter than Caribou. In fact, it seemed like we were the only people talking in the place. When I'm in town and need to study or want to read, this would be an awesome place for it.
I actually liked their coffee. I agree, theirs is a bit more expensive than I'm used to, but we're talking pocket change. A large steamer flavored for $3.25. House coffee is what, $2? I'll pay that for peace and quiet WITHOUT coffee.
There were at least 10 people on Mac laptops (not including myself), which struck me as odd. It's that sort of place.
No smoking, no hookahs. Lots of Kashi. Mostly high-backed wooden chairs, and possibly one couch. Keep that in mind.
My second-favorite coffee house in Royal Oak.
5 Lists
There are a few charming aspects of the place that haven't been discussed at length yet. I won't beat the psychedelic drum again - it comes with the territory of a restaurant and bar with "Baked on the Stone" as their tagline.
They have a surprising number beers - not just a half dozen imports and Budweiser, mind you. They have maybe two dozen or so in tap and more in bottle. One thing I enjoyed most was trying out new or local brews.
The pizza is pretty tasty. I'm most excited about the option of having breadsticks or baked pretzels, which are prepared with toppings like the sticks, and served with sauce just like them. Some may say it's just a breadstick twisted in a knot, but gosh golly gee, it caught me by surprise the first time and I've enjoyed them more because of the fact ever since.
I arrived during "lunch rush," which turned out to be not as crowded as I initially expected. Their estimated cooktimes outlined right on the menu were more or less spot on, give or take a few minutes. We didn't have to wait around for refills anything like that. We may have been lucky, but the service was just fine.
When I get back into town, I'll definitely be here again!