In search of Soul (Food)

If Navin R. Johnson was born a poor black child, then I'm his cousin. Watchin' Navin and his family eat dinner in that broken down shack always makes my cornbead hole drool. I've been jonesin' for some Southern soul or Cajun Creole food ever since I passed by Louisiana Creole Gumbo's (LCG) restaurant after an Eastern Market foray. By law I'm forced to go to Supino's on Saturdays, so on that day my belly was full of their special deliciousness.

So on a Sunday morning, still suffering from a solid late night bender, my official taste tester and I jumped on the bike and headed South down 75 for what I hoped would be a transcendental trip back to New Orleans. What I got was a big fat mouth full of disappointment. Whaa whaa whaaaaa. (cue the deflating balloon video)

LCG opens at one on Sundays. We got there at 1:01 pm and there was already a line of folks in shiny suits and patent leather shoes who had just left church. Now, I'm not gonna tell ya that the stares me and my very blond haired friend got were hostile, because they weren't. But I will say it was a little uncomfortable. I mean haven't they ever seen a pretty white girl and a wanna be boy of the South ordering up soul food before?

The menu posted on the wall looked like the real deal. All the Creole classics were there, gumbo, jambalaya (Jambalaya! just had a Seinfeld/Newman moment), etc, as well as a full compliment of Southern Classics like smothered pork chops, fried catfish and mac n cheese. Resisting the urge to order each side of the menu and showing great restraint I settled for the combo; shrimp gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice plus a side of collard greens.

Excited like a boy on prom night, I approached the bullet proof glass and ordered up lunch. We slipped into one of two tables and waited with anticipation and all the patience of that teenage boy and the end of the prom.

Our order was called out and I retrieved my brown paper bag through the portal in the protective glass. With excitement mounting we pulled styrafoam bowl after bowl out of the bag and spread them out over the table. Opening each one I grew suspicious. In front of me in place of gumbo or jambalaya was essentially, a stock based soup! Where's my roux? I wanna see a dark smokey roux with an almost gravy consistancy. I wanna smell file powder and wanna taste spice! Not soup! I don't want soup! Now to give you some background. I know gumbo. I've eaten gumbo cooked by Creoles with light rouxs, dark rouxs and filled with critters most people consider to be garden pests. This WAS NOT GUMBO! Don't get me started with the jambalaya! Jambalaya is essentially a wonderful rice dish filled more akin to paella than to soup. My jambalaya looked liked SOUP! It hardly differed from the impostor gumbo. Brokenhearted I turned my attention to the red beans and rice. Suprise, Suprise, Suprise! (think, Gomer Pyle) these were really good. Full of flavor and oddly enough slightly sweet, though in a good way. I really enjoyed the cornbread and the collards, as well, though to be fair, my blond haired official taste tester didn't care for it.

Out of six total items on the table, I enjoyed three, the beans and rice, collards and the cornbread. Much like that boy on prom night, I was sorely disappointed (the boy is a completely fictional character and bears no resemblance to this writer, seriously, don't give me that look).The main players, gumbo and jambalaya were barely recognizable. I read up a little on LCG before I went and the reviews I read were positive. Hell, I even read a prominent restaurant critics' take and she couldn't say enough good things. My guess is she has no idea what gumbo is or things have drastically changed since the review.

So what's the cousin of guy who was born a poor black child to do? I wants good soul food. The only choice I have is to start my search for the best soul food joint in the D. Look forward to my upcoming series on "Finding my Soul (Food) in the D". Over the next few months I'll be stopping in high brow and low brow joints all over the city in a search to satisfy my soul.

While I wasn't impressed with LCG, I was still digesting detroit and discovering my city one drink and one bite at a time.

PS, In case you were wondering, yes we were down there when body parts were discovered near Eastern Market and no, we had nothing to do with it. We did however notice a foul odor.

Louisiana Creole Gumbo map

Gotta get my Korean fix

Years ago while living in Germany I had my first taste of Korean food. One of the perks of serving in the Army is that you're exposed to different cultures and their food. American service members go somewhere, fall in love or get trapped by an enterprising woman. They marry and bring their love child back with them. Near every Army base in the world you'll find Koreans setting up a business'. Hell, I bet you'll find a Korean barber or restaurant in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. My first taste was outside of a Korean church. Every weekend Korean women would sell bbq to raise money for the church. It never occurred to me that bbq was anything other than American, so interest piqued, I bought a Styrofoam container of smokey, sweet and dark beef. Holy kimchi it was good. I'd never had anything like it before. From that moment on I was in love with Korean food. From bibimbab, to bulgogi, to kimchi I swooned and was addicted to the "punch you in the mouth flavors" found in every dish I tried.

Every so often my skin begins to itch and I know I gotta have my Korean fix. Which is how I found my way to Shilla's on Maple Rd, in Clawson. I was heading out with a novice and not wanting to scare her with the "punch you in the mouth" part of the cuisine, I thought bbq would be a good introduction. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was a huge party of Asian folk. Now I don't know if they were Korean or not but using the "One of these does not look like the other" test, I deducted that I was the one that did not look like them. A good test and a good sign at any ethnic joint.

The menu was well represented with dishes I recognized and some I didn't. We opted for the kalbi beef ribs. A few minutes later our table was covered with seven or eight little salads or condiments which you are supposed to eat with the main course. These are my fav part of Korean dining. No matter which Korean joint you go to, one of the salads is always a spicy, pungent kimchi. Now, it's not for the faint of heart. But once you've let the fiery chilies burn your tongue and the fermented cabbage fill your nostrils a couple of times, chances are you'll be hooked. The rest of the dishes you may see again but no guarantees. Salads made of seaweed, daikon radish, tempeh are common. Some tasty, some not so much. The point is, try em'. Don't be the kid that only orders chicken fingers. Try them more than once, you'll be surprised how the flavors, once foreign, now are welcomed.

As we waited for the ribs we watch the big party share huge "hot pots" which are communal pots filled with spicy broth. Diners take vegetables and meats from the table and drop them into the broth to cook. By the end of the nite the broth is infused with all the flavors from the table. Make sure to save room cause that's when it gets good.

Finally, after suffering through the smells and sounds of the hot pots, our kalbi ribs arrived at the table. Beautifully marbled, raw red beef cut off the bone in one long sheet as you would peel an apple in one long peel. Using scissors our server cut the meat into almost bite size pieces and dropped them onto the grill which is built into the table. Our server was in a hurry to attend to something else and told us he would be right back to finish cooking our ribs. "Don't bother, I've got it", I told him. I thanked the bovine gods because I was sure he was going to overcook the beefy goodness now sizzling in front of me. Two or three minutes on each side was all they needed. I pulled them off the grill. Beefy, sweet, salty and crazy tender, was what flashed across my thoughts. Yeah, these are tasty. My Korean novice nodded and pushed my chopsticks away as she reached for another slice.

The great thing for American's wanting to try to eat Korean food is Korean's love beef. This gives us something we can relate to and understand. It's a great way to introduce yourself to a completely different style and way of thinking about beef. My evil planned worked because my friend is more than willing to go back. The next time we go, I'm going to order her Japchae, which is a wonderful glass noodle dish unlike Thai, Japanese or Chinese. Although it's different, it's familiar enough not to intimidate a newbie.

Bottom line, I enjoyed Shilla's. It's authentic without going too far to scare off neophytes. For reals, if you haven't tried Korean before, you gotta go. For me it ranks right there with Thai and Vietnamese for Asian supremacy. I know this isn't the only Korean joint in town, but for years I was terrified that I wouldn't find one in Detroit that I liked. Now I'm I can sleep at nite knowing I can get my fix, while digesting detroit, one drink and one bite at a time.

Lupita's, Mex as it gex.

About 12 years ago I stumbled upon this small, kinda crappy looking Taquiera down in Mexican Town, called Taqueria Lupitas. At that point in my life I had been to Mexico a few times. Now when I say Mexico, I should clarify. I had been to what I call Disney Mexico. That is Cancun and all the fake silliness that goes with it. On the few occasions we veered away from Senior Frogs or the "Stupid Gringo, we really don' t serve monster burritos in Mexico" Restaurant, I really dug what seemed to be real Mexican food. It's been 10 years since I last ate at Lupitas and I've gained much more Mexican food experience. I've traversed the country and have eaten off of street carts in every city. I've fed my bean hole from every Economica Corrida I could find and I've swallowed Tacos al Pastor from Nuevo Laredo down to Palenque. I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I know Mexican food as well as I know any other cuisine. It was time to go back to Lupitas and see how they measure up.

As I entered it was clear some things had change. Now there was silly faux stones on the wall and a monstrous ceiling light fixture which looked lost and out of place hanging from the dirty, stained and broken ceiling tiles. In some ways it reminded me of Mexico. Outside of your tourist areas, restaurants and business' are often cobbled together in a quaint schizophrenic way. A quick glance at the picture menu board put me at ease. Of the dozen or so items only one, the burrito, is the only one I've never seen in real Mexico. Things, like Caldo de Res, Ceviche Tostadas or the before mentioned Tacos al Pastor are very familiar to me. One other thing had changed as well, there were more white people (Guapos) getting their fill of authentic tacos. Nice to see this wasn't a Taco Bell or Chli's crowd.

The main menu brought back a lot of memories. Cabeza tacos in Guanajauto. Carnitas Tacos in Ciuad Mexico. Cocktail de Camaron in Vera Cruz. Or just about everything brought back some kind of food memory. Some people have memories of sights or what they bought when they travel, mine are almost exclusively memories of food. My gut is my souvenir.

Our waitress brought chips and four colorful salsas to the table. A tradition that is only found in the states. They are available but you have to ask and pay for Totopos y salsa. Tradition or not, each salsa was right on the money. Pico de Gallo, limey with an actual bite from the jalpenos, smokey dried chile salsa, creamy avocado salsa and a blended salsa which for some reason was my fav that day.

Hoping to relive those memories I order the Al Pastor dinner and two Ceviche Tostadas, which came out first. If you're not in the know, ceviche is any raw seafood marinated in citrus. The citrus actually cooks the seafood. Lupitas ceviche is made with mild white fish, lime juice and a little Pico. First bite, hooray!!!! Delicious! I've eaten these on both the Gulf and Pacific coasts and these are yummy.

My main meal came to the table with a mound of seasoned, roasted pork, charro beans, rice, corn tortillas (the only way to eat Mexican food) and condiments. So I don't bore you with a detailed description and the hyperbole I'm known for, let just say everything on my plate was delish and spot on. If I closed my eyes I might think that I was South of the Border. Even the Spanish spoken at most of the tables would lead me to that conclusion. Throw in blaring TVs and the odd stray dog and I'd feel right at home.

Lupitas is the real deal. You may find the odd Tex Mex thing on the menu but please avoid those. Go for the real thing. Eat your tacos with corn tortillas, eschew cheese and for the love of god, do not ask for extra sour cream!

Soon fall and winter will force me into pants and jackets and I'll move from tacos to caldo (soup), specifically caldo de res or caldo posole. When I do I'll let you know. Between now and then, I'll be rediscovering my city, one bite and one drink at a time. digesting detroit es divertido y delicioso!

Taqueria Lupita Map

Soul Food for my Inner Little Asian Dude.

I loves me some Vietnamese Food. Hoards of Vietnamese coming to America was the only good thing to come out of that war in SE Asia. I'm not of fan of why they came, but my inner little Asian dude is exceedingly happy they came with their woks.

For years now, I've been going to Thang Long on John R in Madison Heights. I've never had a bad meal or experience in all those years. I love this place and at Pee Wee Herman's suggestion, "Then why don't you marry it?", I just might. At least I know it can cook.

If you love food and you love Thai or Chinese and have never had Vietnamese, you're like a guy who loves football but have only watched Lions. I mean this stuff is yummy times 10. Think about it. You have all the influences of SE Asia, plus the infusion of French cooking courtesy of their colonial attempts which like all their conquests, ended badly.

Most people, including myself think Pho when they think Vietnamese. Pho is pronounced like fuck, without the ck on the end. So if you're very much like you were when you were 12 years old, you can have a lot of fun talking about Pho. "I love to Pho" or "Pho you" comes to mind. But I digress. Actually, I always do. When Pho comes to the table it always comes in a Jethro sized bowl. In it you'll find a mass of rice noodles so large that it would make an East side girl's "big hair" look like a crew cut. The noodles come swimming in a rich broth seasoned with star anise, ginger and all kinds of mysterious scary things that we Americans are happy not to know about. Generally, people prefer beef in their Pho but chicken Pho is worth trying too. Served on the side is your veg and herbs. Bean sprouts, cabbage, mint, chilies, basil, any all or all could come to the table. You throw these in and season with condiments on the table and strap yourself in for cosmic rocket ride of flavor. I likes to sear my tongue until tears roll down my pinchable cheeks so usually you'll find me suffering over a bowl of Hue soup. It's Pho that's been made to harm white people like myself. If I haven't made myself clear I LOVE TO PHO!

There's much more to life than just Pho. Bun is another fav. The same noodles without the broth. I generally order number 74 or 75. Noodles with choice of meat and spring rolls. Make sure you order the pork. It's marinated and then seared over a charcoal grill. Order the pork or I will find you. The spring rolls are divine as well. Different from Thai and way different from Chinese I get a little woosy just thinkin' about them. So you got your noodles and pork and you've poured the liquidy sweet, sour, spicy sauce into your bowl and begin to pull at your noodles with your sticks and find lots of shredded veg hidden underneath. This btw is my Summer dish. It's lighter and served just warm but not hot.

The menu features a ton of Viet dishes. I've tried a few. Living away for so long I had to have my favs whenever I came to town. Now that I live here I'll force myself to venture outside of my love zone. Here's some of the things I've had, Todd Mun (Yum), La Lot Beef, Larb (different from most Thai, Larb but excellent just the same), I've made my own rolls and a few other things I'm forgetting. They've all been good. I'm looking forward to eating my way through the menu like Kwame burned through campaign donations.

One of the things you want to do when going to an ethnic joint is to play the Sesame St. game, "One of these is not like the other". Look around the room, if you're the thing that doesn't look like the other, then you're in the right place. Thang Long always attracts Vietnamese people. Or at least Vietnamese looking people. Don't call me a racist because I can't distinguish between a Cambodian or a Vietnamese person. Geesh, people get a grip!

I love this place. It's like soul food for my Little Inner Asian Dude. It hits every flavor note and the best thing is, I'm discovering my city one bite and one drink at a time. If you're in a food rut, my advice is for you to do the same. Soon, you'll be digesting detroit too.


Thang Long Map

Hilton Road Cafe

For the last few years whenever I'd roll into town, I'd pass the Hilton Road Cafe on believe or not, Hilton Road. For some reason it caught my eye and made me think that the place held promise of something good inside. The store front is simple. But still it speaks to my inner "greasy spoon loving gut".

One morning on a whim I stopped by. A few minutes before eight am (yes, I get up before eight sometimes) I pulled on the door. It didn't open. A few more tugs and the waitress unlocks the door and lets me in. "We open at eight, "hon". Odd time for a breakfast joint to open. This is not a good sign. A quick glance around and my concerns begin to be melt away. The place is small, three or four booths and about 10 stools along the counter. It's got that old diner look. Pie cooler on wall behind the counter, old school coffee warmer burning coffee that's been sitting too long, kitsch stashed necessarily around the room.

Scanning the menu raised my hopes as well. All the diner staples are there along with a few twists. I'm an absolute sucker for good corned beef but too often it's not made in house. It's not made here either, ugh. So now I'm worried again. "Everything else on the menu is homemade though", I'm reassured by the waitress.

I'm not gonna bore you with a detailed description of each dish. I've now been back several times and let me say that this is extremely good breakfast food. I've been blown away by the every potato dish I've had. The hash browns are grated every morning and the guy on the griddle top is a master of oil and spud. The potato pancakes are creamy and crunchy. In the middle of my farmer's omelet are more potatoes. This time cubed and browned. Amazingly, they too are crisp and creamy. Every thing I've eaten has been damned good, even reheated. Ever reheat an omelet? Usually it's, blech! With these omelet's I count the minutes until lunch before I can pop em' the nuker and mangia once more. One of the surprising little perks is their bread. Order a breakfast which comes with toast and you'll also be offered a mini loaf of banana, pumpkin, blueberry or some other sweet bread, baked that morning. My friend digs them so much they're now part of her diplomatic tool box, whenever she's in need of sweet talkin' or bribing someone.

I haven't been there for lunch or dinner but it's on my list. I've been enjoying cooking again lately so I haven't been eating dinner out much. Anyway, the lunch/dinner menu is made up of all the diner staples, sammies, soup, chili, salads. The specials board is where you'll find the real gems. Meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, pastichio, grilled lamb, etc.

So for reals, check out this little joint. It's a throw back, hidden in plain sight. One bite and one drink at a time I'm rediscovering my town. Digesting Detroit has never been so fun.

http://www.hiltonroadcafe.com/about.htm