The 2009 Tastes of Detroit Food Tour - Tivoli's
primesuspect
Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
SATURDAY, JUNE 27th, 2009:
Tivoli's
Lincoln and I were tooling around town one day, looking for something new and different, and so I called my Greek friend Deana (You may know her as TequilaSunrise). The fact that she is Greek will become relevant in a moment.
She recommended a place I had never heard of. "Tivoli's", she said. "You'll love it. Trust me."
I trust her. We went.
Tivoli's is a small Italian bistro in a part of town that I don't normally go to. The reason I don't go to this part of town is because it is characterized by urban sprawl and row after row of cookie cutter McMansions and corporate chain food restaurants. Never did I think I would find a small, independently-owned restaurant of any noteworthiness in this part of town.
I could not have been more wrong.
When we pulled up to Tivoli's, it looked like it was closed. There were no customers, We tentatively walked in and were welcomed by a man with earrings, wire-rimmed glasses, an apron, and a flour-dusted shirt. He wiped his hands off on a rag he carried in his apron.
"Welcome, welcome. Come on in. Sit down, can I get you something? Make yourselves comfortable. Sit down!"
I said "You're open?"
He replied, "Of course, please have a seat! How did you hear about us?"
I answered, "Oh a friend told me about you."
His tone became slightly less friendly. "Who's your friend? What's his name?"
I faltered. "He... her name. Her name is Deana?"
"DEANA WHO?"
I said "Deana.. she's .. she's Greek." I was at a loss at this point; suddenly the proprietor sounded like a mobster and I was on the wrong end of an inquisition.
"Oh. Heh. HEY! Where do you guys get your pizza?"
Again, caught off guard, I didn't quite know how to answer this. "Uh.."
"What... What do you do? Get Little Caesars? Huh? You like that shit? What is it, Dominos? That shit ain't pizza!"
I looked at Lincoln for some help. He had nothing for me. "I uh.. sometimes we get Jet's... Uh...unmmm... Hungry Howi..."
"BAHHH" he cut me off with an emphatic hand gesture. "That's a bunch of crap. We got a real wood burning oven here. YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME? I'LL ****IN' SHOW YOU" As he points to what was, indeed, a real wood burning oven, replete with stacks of firewood piled next to it.
"Sit down, enjoy, I'll make you a pizza you're gonna change your ****in' mind on what pizza is."
We asked if we could sit outside on the patio. He became all graciousness again as he treated us as if we were in his own home and we were honored guests.
Turns out we were in his own home; he's the owner, and he did indeed change our ****in' minds on what pizza is. He sat with us, bragged about his salads, the fresh ingredients, and of course, the Real Wood Burning Oven.
Tivoli's is a pizza place that breaks every mold I know of; I'm pretty sure they don't deliver. They don't have typical pizzas on the menu, or typical toppings. They make pizzas with names, like Quattro Formaggio, Capricciosa, and Mare e Monte. Sure, you can get a "pepperoni, bacon, and green pepper" if you want, but you may get yelled at.
Their salads are out of this world. Giant slices of fresh Mediterranean olives, huge succulent red peppers, thick mushrooms. All real, all authentic, and all phenomenal.
Tivoli's
Lincoln and I were tooling around town one day, looking for something new and different, and so I called my Greek friend Deana (You may know her as TequilaSunrise). The fact that she is Greek will become relevant in a moment.
She recommended a place I had never heard of. "Tivoli's", she said. "You'll love it. Trust me."
I trust her. We went.
Tivoli's is a small Italian bistro in a part of town that I don't normally go to. The reason I don't go to this part of town is because it is characterized by urban sprawl and row after row of cookie cutter McMansions and corporate chain food restaurants. Never did I think I would find a small, independently-owned restaurant of any noteworthiness in this part of town.
I could not have been more wrong.
When we pulled up to Tivoli's, it looked like it was closed. There were no customers, We tentatively walked in and were welcomed by a man with earrings, wire-rimmed glasses, an apron, and a flour-dusted shirt. He wiped his hands off on a rag he carried in his apron.
"Welcome, welcome. Come on in. Sit down, can I get you something? Make yourselves comfortable. Sit down!"
I said "You're open?"
He replied, "Of course, please have a seat! How did you hear about us?"
I answered, "Oh a friend told me about you."
His tone became slightly less friendly. "Who's your friend? What's his name?"
I faltered. "He... her name. Her name is Deana?"
"DEANA WHO?"
I said "Deana.. she's .. she's Greek." I was at a loss at this point; suddenly the proprietor sounded like a mobster and I was on the wrong end of an inquisition.
"Oh. Heh. HEY! Where do you guys get your pizza?"
Again, caught off guard, I didn't quite know how to answer this. "Uh.."
"What... What do you do? Get Little Caesars? Huh? You like that shit? What is it, Dominos? That shit ain't pizza!"
I looked at Lincoln for some help. He had nothing for me. "I uh.. sometimes we get Jet's... Uh...unmmm... Hungry Howi..."
"BAHHH" he cut me off with an emphatic hand gesture. "That's a bunch of crap. We got a real wood burning oven here. YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME? I'LL ****IN' SHOW YOU" As he points to what was, indeed, a real wood burning oven, replete with stacks of firewood piled next to it.
"Sit down, enjoy, I'll make you a pizza you're gonna change your ****in' mind on what pizza is."
We asked if we could sit outside on the patio. He became all graciousness again as he treated us as if we were in his own home and we were honored guests.
Turns out we were in his own home; he's the owner, and he did indeed change our ****in' minds on what pizza is. He sat with us, bragged about his salads, the fresh ingredients, and of course, the Real Wood Burning Oven.
Tivoli's is a pizza place that breaks every mold I know of; I'm pretty sure they don't deliver. They don't have typical pizzas on the menu, or typical toppings. They make pizzas with names, like Quattro Formaggio, Capricciosa, and Mare e Monte. Sure, you can get a "pepperoni, bacon, and green pepper" if you want, but you may get yelled at.
Their salads are out of this world. Giant slices of fresh Mediterranean olives, huge succulent red peppers, thick mushrooms. All real, all authentic, and all phenomenal.
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