Foodie Night in Detroit

I told you recently that I had just about the perfect day/night at the Bon Jovi concert.  I figured things like that only happen every now and then.  But it turns out, anything is possible, especially in nice weather.

Last weekend, Mom, Dad, and I met up with Dad’s boss and her husband, Jana and Steve, whom we have become friends with.  We had a blast with them last year at the Detroit Athletic Club and this most recent outing may have been even better.

We began our evening with dinner at the London Chop House.  It was popular back in the day, had been closed for a few decades, and was resurrected five years ago.  We hadn’t been and it sounded like the place to go.

Unfortunately, the service and food were far from the high expectations we all have when dining at a steakhouse with prices to match.  The most glaring errors were bones in Jana’s fish and Steve’s forgotten entrée.  That’s pretty unacceptable no matter where you dine.

Dad was fine with his filet and sides of macaroni and cheese and a stingy portion of fries.  Mom’s entrée the Hamburger Steak was again, fine.  My food was probably the tastiest.  I ordered the tuna appetizer and fried Brussels sprouts.  You can never go wrong with Brussels!

Dessert was just as strange.  Housemade blueberry gelato had a strange nut/coconut thing going on that none of us liked, the crème brulee was not fully set and warm.  Dad’s carrot cake was the star of the whole evening.  I may have eaten more than my fair share.  Oops!

Despite the odd food and service experiences, the company and conversation were great and more than made up for it.  I won’t be going back to the Chop House though.

From London Chop House, we walked to Bad Luck Bar.  I have been DYING to go to Bad Luck since it opened in December 2016.  It is known for pricey craft cocktails and is something totally different for the Detroit area.

Though the evening was a bit brisk, the walk was nice.  We made it a bit after our designated time and were thrilled the bar sat us anyway.  It is teeny tiny and has a speakeasy vibe.  We were presented with menus and given an amuse bouche: a warm pisco beverage with cinnamon and honey that was pretty much EVERYTHING!

We each ordered a drink after carefully going through the menu.  I had the Tower and loved every bit of it.  The complex flavors went together perfectly in this smooth cocktail.  I also tried Mom’s Past Lives, a tequila and rum based drink that was fruity and sweet and went down super easy.  Steve also had the Past Lives, Jana had an Old Fashioned, and Dad’s drink was something with citrus and good too, but I don’t remember what it was.

The vibe of the bar was awesome, as were all the drinks and the people who work there.  They were knowledgeable, friendly, and happy to explain all about the bar and deal with our slightly tipsy attempts to set me up with one of the workers.  #sorrynotsorry – he was cute and nice … and not single 🙁

On our way to the bar, we passed the recently opened Shake Shack and joked about stopping on the way back to the restaurant to pick up our cars.  As we neared leaving the bar close to ten pm, it wasn’t a joke.  Not only did I FINALLY get to go to Bad Luck, but I FINALLY got to try Shake Shack.

It’s so not like me to get a burger at 10 at night, but with our lackluster meal, we weren’t that full and it sounded fun.  I let go and went and it was awesome.  Shake Shack wasn’t very crowded, thankfully, and we pretty much walked right up.  Everyone there was so nice!

The fries were fine, though I bet the cheese fries might be better.  But the Shack Burger.  Let’s just talk about that Shack Burger.  It isn’t too big or too small and has just the right bun to meat to cheese ratio and the sauce is good and it’s all-natural, non-GMO, and it’s just great.  I’m not the kind of girl who eats a whole burger, but I would have eaten that one and hope to go back for another very soon.

We walked back to the restaurant for our cars and five and a half hours after our evening began, I didn’t want it to end.  It was an evening totally unlike me.  Yes, I love going to dinner, but not typically dinner and a bar and an almost midnight snack.  It felt good, like a preview of the life I want in the midst of times that are often stressful and disappointing.

Nights like that remind me that I am very lucky and I need to appreciate all I have.  They also remind me I need to keep fighting for my dreams and goals, because I can and will reach them.

Also, when can I go back to Bad Luck and Shake Shack????