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