A Program Developer's Take on Things (pg 2 of 5)

Disclaimer: Former BER program developer, Sandy Anderson, has kindly provided her list of favorite restaurants around the country and the following descriptions are verbatim from her notes with the addition of formatting and hyperlinks by myself. Enjoy!

Sandy's Restaurant Reviews - Updated Version for Fall 2000 (continued)

Cincinnati, OH

You might enjoy Champs in the Hyatt-Saks Square (map). Informal yet tasty. Other options include Sturkeys (map, now an Encore Bistro), Cafe Cin-Cin in the Crowne Plaza (closed) and Boca (map) - all eclectic menus.

Cleveland, OH

Harry Corvairs (closed) serves modern American cuisine. Also, you might try Moxie (map), an American bistro, or Lola (map).

Columbus, OH

I've not tried it, but Rigsbys Kitchen (map) comes highly recommended, so the next time I'm in Columbus I'll have to try it.

Dallas, TX

If you want to splurge, there's The Mansion on Turtle Creek (map) which is wonderful. If you want more reasonably priced and like Mexican, try Uncle Julios (map) near the Galleria.

Denver, CO

Z Brasserie (closed?) is a fun place in the heart of downtown. Situated in a former bank, the restaurant offers up a lively atmosphere with a stellar menu. Selections lean toward a New American bent, but you can find a wide variety of dishes to tempt your palate. The formal restaurant at the Brown Palace Hotel (map) is yet another classic on the Denver restaurant scene. The Beef Wellington is well worth the wait, especially as your server slices it tableside. A very formal atmosphere with first class service.

Detroit, MI

Some recommendations include French Asian at Tribute (map) in Farmington Hills and Duet (map) for French American.

Honolulu, HI

My two favorite places are A Pacific Cafe (map) for seafood and Alan Wong's (map) for the best Ahi I've ever eaten. Another to add to the list is Yanagi Sushi (map).

Indianapolis, IN

If you like Italian, try Benvenuti's (location unknown). I enjoyed it. The California Cafe (closed) also serves an eclectic menu with fresh seafood each day.

Southern Cookin' in Detroit

Yes, once again, I said Detroit.

Embassy Suites Southfield has become a bit of a home away from home for me, and the last time I was here, a participant came back raving about this amazing southern comfort food restaurant, Beans and Cornbread. With Rachel in town for a same city, we went to check it out. It's about a mile from the hotel on Northwestern Hwy, but it's tucked in a strip mall, so watch out for it or you'll miss it. U-turn and come back if you have to, it's a definite MUST EAT.

These truly tasty little morsels are sweet potato muffins. Rachel and I ate as many of these as our waitress would bring us (and she was definitely not stingy!). They also serve piping hot cornbread which is very tasty as well. But they were only the appetizer...

The entree options were mostly fried, but all looked amazing. I ended up with pork chops, "seasoned" (that means fried) and smothered in red eye gravy. Rachel had the roasted chicken, which was moist and amazing (and one of the not fried options!). We each chose 2 sides for our meals (you can also get them with 3 sides, or a vege plate of 3 sides, which I would definitely recommend!). The sides you see are: collard greens (the best I've had in a looooong time), country corn, mac'n'cheese (melt your brain good), and red beans and rice (again, eye-bugging amazing). See the pattern here? We have leftovers for lunch even.

Even if you're not in Southfield, this place is definitely worth going to. It makes everything about being in Detroit so much better!

Good Food in Detroit?

Okay, so I know it's hard to convince yourself to leave your hotel in Detroit. I hardly ever do it, especially when I get into town in time for the Embassy Suites manager's special (carrots and broccoli! free booze!!). However, I was in town with a presenter who wanted a real meal, was vegetarian, and didn't like the look of the mini corn dogs. So we went on an adventure. Turns out, on Orchard Lake Rd, between 12 and 13 mile roads (closer to the 13 mile side), there are a ton of ethnic restaurants. Primarily indian hole-in-the-wall joints, there's also an halal restaurant and the one we ended up at, Thai Peppers. It wasn't exactly knock-your-socks-off good, but it was decent thai food, in Detroit no less. If you're looking for Indian, your prospects look even brighter considering there were about 5 places tucked in the various strip malls.

So there you go, an option for Detroit especially if you're at the Embassy Suites Southfield.

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