524. Supergeil – September 24, 2021 – Detroit, MI

Friday night in Detroit: my heart thrills at the thought! Though of course, I love Detroit any day of the week – and I know I would love visiting Supergeil any day of the week, too. With its fantastic food, drink, and ambiance, there was no way I wasn’t going to fall in love with it.

Supergeil is located in Corktown, just a stone’s throw from Two James. And that’s probably not a coincidence, considering that the owner of that magical bar/distillery also owns Supergeil.

According to its website, Supergeil is “inspired by the energy and food of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district,” where a prominent Turkish population resides. What does that mean for us here in Detroit? Delicious döner sandwiches and cocktails inspired by the flavors of that vibrant German neighborhood.

Even if Supergeil’s cocktails weren’t inspired by Kreuzberg, I know they’d be great, because Supergeil’s bar manager is amazingly talented. He served my friend and I during our visit, as we sat at the bar. When my friend couldn’t figure out what drink she wanted from the menu, he offered to surprise her with off-menu offerings based on her preferences; both drinks he made for her were phenomenal. I loved the drink I ordered from the menu, too, the I’ll Halva Mai Tai. It’s a dreamy concoction of Two James’ Grass Widow Bourbon and Dr. Bird Rum, orange liqueur, a tahini-and-pistachio orgeat, lime juice, a cardamom-and-vanilla tincture, angostura bitters, and baharat spice.

“Well-balanced” was the phrase that kept coming to mind as I sipped these drinks. Some craft cocktails are more a pile-on of liquor than expressions of flavor. But not Supergeil’s. They are potent, yes, but they don’t just taste like booze; they’re beautifully nuanced, a kaleidoscope of discernable flavors that play off and complement each other. They are wonderful! Though because they feature Two James’ spirits, they would likely still be wonderful even if they were all booze.

The food at Supergeil is just as delightful as those carefully crafted cocktails. Of course I had to have a döner during my visit. Having been introduced to that enticing sandwich by my visit to Balkan House in 2019, there was no way I was going to pass one up.

Supergeil offers three different kinds of döner: a lamb-and-beef, a chicken, and an eggplant. I got the lamb-and-beef version and relished its tender shaved meat stuffed in a pocket of fluffy pide flatbread and topped with crunchy cucumber, tomato, lettuce, purple cabbage, garlic sauce, and wonderfully spicy hot sauce. It was SO good!

Even more tasty were Supergeil’s fries, a basketful of which I totally crushed. Wonderfully crunchy, flecked with chilies and drizzled with aoili and scharf sauce (which, I gather from the internet, is a type of German hot sauce), they were utterly delicious and almost impossible for me to stop eating.

Can we talk about Supergeil’s ambiance, too? With its warm lighting illuminating the space of brick walls and peeling sage-green paint, profusion of hanging plants, and vibrantly tiled bar, it feels cozy yet contemporary. The young, hip-looking clientele populating the place on the night of my visit made it seem like the kind of bar where all the cool kids go – the cool cool kids, not the snotty ones. The vibes were good; the employees I encountered were friendly and welcoming. Supergeil is most definitely the kind of place you want to make your neighborhood hang – even if you don’t live in the neighborhood.

2442 Michigan Ave.

Detroit, MI 48216

www.supergeildetroit.com

458. Cork and Gabel – January 17, 2020 – Detroit, MI

Detroit jaunts warm my heart, even on the coldest of days. And a jaunt to Corktown’s Cork and Gabel on a Friday night in mid-January was no exception to this rule.

On ambiance alone, I was captivated with this place from the get-go. Opening Cork and Gabel’s big metal door (which is made from a recycled oil tank, BTW; the whole of the tank makes up a lobby area) and stepping over the threshold, I was greeted by a vibrant display of super-cool graffiti art – and THAT was just in the lobby!

The interior of Cork and Gabel is warm and inviting, a mash-up of industrial-chic and antique vibes with its minimalist light fixtures, brick walls, distressed-wood bar front, and repurposed elements such as the aforementioned oil tank.

According to a FAQ sheet put on the tables at Cork and Gabel, several of the elements that comprise the restaurant are recycled ones getting a new lease on life (which I LOVE). There’s a bell hanging above the bar from around the turn of the 20th century that used to belong to a Detroit business called Fulton Engine and Iron Works that is rung any time a round of at least twelve drinks is bought at the bar. We got to hear it rung while we were there! There’s fencing from Mt. Elliott Cemetery, and brick pavers that used to line the streets of Detroit now line the Cork and Gabel patio. There are former gas carriage lights from the mid-1800s that have been converted to electric lights. History reinvigorated!

The creativity and ingenuity doesn’t end with Cork and Gabel’s ambiance. The restaurant practices a type of repurposing with its food menu, too, melding Irish, Italian, and German cooking to form its cuisine, which is heavy on comfort fare (making it especially ideal at this time of year). Its dinner menu offers hearty salads, appetizers, and meat-centric dishes such as the Bangers and Mash, Schnitzel BLT, and Prosciutto Tortellini. A brunch menu is also offered on Saturday and Sundays and includes a most gargantuan Bloody Mary (the Ultimate Bloody Mary), a quart-sized portion loaded with foodstuffs (including meat, cheese, and a full-blown breakfast sandwich) that makes me wish I liked Bloody Marys (I love the whimsy of these loaded ones!).

But it’s not all meat-and-dairy-laden goodness at Cork and Gabel: vegetarian and vegan options such as the Mushroom Risotto (made with vegetable stock) and Meatless Sausage Pasta are available, too. It’s always good to be able to support veg friends!

After perusing Cork and Gabel’s craft cocktail menu and ordering a drink from our awesome server (the fantastic The Southwest, which was right up my alley with its ancho-jalapeño-infused tequila, lime juice, and honey-habanero simple syrup), I studied that food menu and opted for the dish that I’d kept coming back to: the C&G Burger. Based off of the ingredients listed on the menu – lettuce, tomato, bacon, Guinness-caramelized onions, and TWO kinds of cheese: a black pepper-infused mozzarella and what was described as a “crispy Dubliner cheese” – I suspected this was going to be one hefty burger.

I wasn’t mistaken in that assumption. The C&G Burger was indeed a hulking display of comfort-food decadence, comprised as it was of a big beef patty on a toasted brioche bun and loaded with that glut of toppings, accompanied by a slew of French fries.

The meal did not disappoint: it was rich, satisfying tastiness! My favorite part of the C&G Burger was that crispy Dubliner cheese, which turned out to be wedges of cheese that were breaded and deep-fried into extreme YUM-ness.

From ambiance to service, from food to drink, the whole of my visit to Cork and Gabel was a super satisfying one – one that warmed my heart on that chilly winter’s night, for sure.

2415 Michigan Ave.

Detroit, MI 48216

(Closed Tuesdays)

www.corkandgabel.com

454. The Balkan House – December 30, 2019 – Ferndale, MI

Look at you, The Balkan House, coming in at the 11th hour in 2019 to infuse my gastronomical-year-that-was with some WOW!

I had the first döner kebab of my life at the Ferndale-based restaurant, and I’m OBSESSED.

I hadn’t heard of this Turkish pita sandwich that’s popular in Germany until I stumbled across a Detroit Free Press article on The Balkan House last month. My mouth watered as I read about the restaurant’s signature dish, consisting of a Balkan pita bread called lepinja stuffed with gyro meat, onion, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, and purple cabbage and slathered in a garlicky yogurt sauce. Yes, yes, and yes, screamed my taste buds: this was a dish I had to try!

Fortuitously, I would be in close proximity to The Balkan House’s recently-opened Ferndale storefront a few days after reading that article. The original, Hamtramck-based location opened last summer, offering classic Balkan fare such as grah (bean soup) and cevapi (Bosnian sausages), plus that döner kebab, which people apparently went crazy over (how did I miss that???) – leading The Balkan House owner to expand operations.

Stepping inside the interior of the long, narrow restaurant on the afternoon of my visit, I queued up to the counter, scoping out the menu above it. My choice was easy: I was there to try that döner kebab, which is served at The Balkan House with lamb-and-beef-based gyro meat (my choice), chicken, or falafel. It also comes with a side of fries.

I gave my order, paid, and took a seat at one of the tables in the restaurant. My food arrived quickly, a hefty pita sandwich accompanied by an ample serving of fries.

I took my first bite of that döner kebab, and O.M.G., was I greeted by EPIC DELICIOUSNESS!!!

The lepinja bread was so soft and pillowy, the gyro meat both tender and crispy and so well-seasoned – by far the best gyro meat I’ve ever had. And that garlic sauce, and those fresh, crunchy veggies . . . all I can say is WOW, WOW, and WOW! I can’t use that exclamatory word enough here – The Balkan House’s döner kebab warrants the excitement.

I practically inhaled that döner kebab and the perfectly soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside French fries that accompanied it. I ate the whole thing then and there and left feeling full and satisfied. It was one of those “Now THAT was a meal!” moments, a moment that I live for and love to savor afterwards.

I’m sure the other items on The Balkan House’s menu are wonderful, and I’d be curious to try them; I’m not well-versed with Balkan food (despite being of Croatian descent), and I love experiencing new-to-me cuisines. But I have a feeling The Balkan House is going to be one of those places where I return and order the same thing over and over again, because how will I be able to resist the sweet siren call of that döner kebab??? It’s a special dish indeed, and I’m glad I got to add the act of eating it to my collection of magical culinary experiences of 2019.

314 W. 9 Mile Rd.

Ferndale, MI 48220

(With an additional location in Hamtramck)

www.balkanhouse-restaurant.business.site

408. Jacoby’s – May 18, 2019 – Detroit, MI

Jacoby’s, my brush with you was much too quick! A revisit to this Detroit-based German biergarten – one of the oldest bars in the city – is DEFINITELY in order.

After several years of wanting to visit Jacoby’s, I suddenly found myself there on a Saturday afternoon in mid-May during a whirlwind jaunt of bachelorette party revelry (Jacoby’s was one of two stops on a super-fun pedal bar excursion with The Michigan Pedaler; the other was Old Shillelagh).

According to Jacoby’s website, it’s been serving up brews since 1904! While the bar has changed ownership throughout the years, it maintains its heritage, offering a variety of German beers and German food specialties, such as wiener schnitzel (described on the menu as a breaded pork chop accompanied by potato cakes and red cabbage), spaetzle noodles, and knockwurst.

For those who prefer more traditionally American bar fare, Jacoby’s has that, too; its menu is loaded with such munch-worthy appetizers as fried pickles, chicken wings, and jalapeño poppers, and it also offers soups, salads, sandwiches, and burgers, some of which sport German flair (the Famous Corned Beef Reuben with its made-in-house sauerkraut is calling my name!). A selection of locally-made craft beers and ciders are also served at Jacoby’s.

I don’t know when I’ll be back to Jacoby’s, but I hope it’s soon. I look forward to trying its German cuisine and soaking up its grand antique-saloon vibes (its interior, with its warm wood and golden ceiling tiles, definitely feels like a portal to an older era). We’ll be reunited after our chance encounter, Jacoby’s – I’ll make sure of it!

624 Brush St.

Detroit, MI 48226

www.jacobysbar.com