Sliders from Green Dot Stables in Detroit, MI
(The better late than never edition?)
For the seventh year running, we are proud to announce the annual Tastes of Detroit food tour at Expo Icrontic.
The Tastes of Detroit Food Tour is a long-standing tradition. From the beginning, the goal has been to introduce out-of-towners to the unique, wonderful, diverse, and excellent food landscape here in the Detroit area. The Metro Detroit area is lovely in that we have a vast array of ethnicities and styles represented, and do not suffer heavily from the “national chain restaurant syndrome” that plagues much of this fine country (Macomb Township, Sterling Heights, Novi, Canton, and Troy are excluded from this statement).
In 2006, we went on our first food tour. It consisted of visits to a few of my local favorites (two of which are sadly out of business now), and a special visit from the former staff at Pi’s Thai in Hazel Park, where we were given a few gallons of soup for a hungry crowd (since the restaurant was too small to accommodate us). Since then, the Food Tour has been the single most requested and participated-in event at the Expo Icrontic. We routinely fill restaurants and spend hundreds of dollars at local businesses, all in the name of good eats.
As always, it gets harder and harder every year to find new places to accommodate our stringent requirements:
- The restaurant must be unique. It’s safe to say that if a restaurant has a “corporate office” somewhere, we’ll probably never go there.
- The restaurant must have some compelling theme or specialty that makes it truly a step above the normal establishment. This can be service, a menu item, decor, price, character, etc.
- The restaurant must able to at least try to introduce people to something they’ve never had before.
- The restaurant must be able to accommodate 50 or more people at once, as this is the average size of our group.
I try to accomplish these goals without any repeats, although tour favorites have made re-appearances throughout the years. Here’s the historical list of places we’ve covered so far:
2006:
- Raj Mahal (Indian), Sterling Heights
- Josephine Crepes (French), Ferndale
- Thang Long (Vietnamese), Madison Heights
- Pi’s Thai (Thai), Hazel Park
2007:
- Passage to India (Indian), Berkley
- New Seoul Garden (Korean), Southfield
- Red Coat Tavern (British), Royal Oak
- Thang Long (Vietnamese), Madison Heights
2008:
- Xochimilco (Mexican), Detroit
- Sala Thai Eastern Market (Thai), Detroit
- Hu Hot Mongolian Grill (Mongolian-style), Fraser
- Original Pancake House (American), Grosse Pointe
2009:
- Shilla (Korean), Troy
- Anita’s Kitchen (Lebanese), Troy
- Passage to India (Indian), Berkley
- Polonia (Polish), Hamtramck
- Tivoli’s (Italian), Utica
2010:
- Buddy’s Pizza(Detroit-style Pizza), Warren
- Taqueria Mi Pueblo (Mexican), Detroit
- Red Hot & Blue (BBQ), Sterling Heights
- Golden Harvest(Dim Sum), Warren
2011:
- Bostaan (Middle Eastern), Warren
- Noble Fish(Sushi), Clawson
- Lazybones Smokehouse (BBQ), Roseville
2012:
- Cafe Sushi (Japanese), Troy
- Tamaleria Nuevo Leon (Tamales), Detroit
- Amar Pizza (Bengali), Hamtramck
Since the logistics of moving 50+ people around the metro Detroit area have always been kind of a pain, we started a new trend in 2011 that worked out well: catered food. This year we’ll be introducing another awesome trend that is made possible by our move into the city of Detroit last year: Food trucks!
Without further ado, here are the 2013 Food Tour choices:
GREEN DOT STABLES
To say that Green Dot Stables is a “slider joint” is really selling it short. Very short. Green Dot Stables opened last year in Detroit and really shook up the scene: they have gourmet sliders, craft cocktails, and delicious craft brews, and it’s all super cheap and super awesome. It’s also the only place in Detroit (that we’ve found) that serves the horrid Jeppsen’s Malort, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that you can get things like Korean Kimchi Sliders, CAMEL meat burgers (it’s true, I had two), PB&J sliders, and other exotic fare. We will be ordering a selection of their best offerings (including vegan and vegetarian options), so you’ll find Korean Kimchi sliders, Buffalo Chicken sliders, Gyros and Tzadziki sliders, the “Hot Brown”, black bean, tempeh, and more. We’ll also have enough truffle and herb fries to choke a horse. The cost will be $15 per person and you’ll get to select 3 sliders and as many fries as you can eat. Please pre-pay cash to Lincoln.
THE GRINDHOUSE FOOD TRUCK
Have you ever heard of merguez langos? If so, you should be happy to try it again. If not, you’re in for a treat. The Grindhouse is a From Corridor Sausage Co., The Grindhouse is focused on quality and artisan crafted food. Everything from the sausage to bread to mustards are made in house or from local sources. It’s pretty remarkable. Our selection this year will be Apple Pork Sausage, Vietnamese Chicken Sausage, Fig Lamb Sausage, Merguez Langos, and Asparagus Langos for those veggies. What is a Langos, you ask? It’s sort of like a pizza, but a whole lot different. You’ll see.
This will be Expo Icrontic’s first food truck. It will pull up out front, and you can all line up and tell them what you’d like from the selection above. The cost will be $10 per person and you can give your cash to Lincoln beforehand, because we are pre-paying.
SUPINO’S PIZZA
In a recent Esquire interview, Christina Hendricks (we’ll forever know her only as Saffron) made the bold claim that she had found the best pizza she ever had in Detroit, and it was from Supino’s. While we might question her pedigree when discussing what is and is not the best pizza, we will agree that it is pretty fantastic, and is probably the best pizza within the city limits. It’s with zero regret, then, that we will be bringing in many boxes of this pizza for all Expo Icrontic attendees to enjoy. The cost will be $15 per person, cash to Lincoln beforehand.
By keeping all the food coming TO the event instead of wrangling everyone for hours driving around the city, we hope we bring added convenience while still enjoying the Tastes of Detroit. Bon Appetit!
Articles RSS