FOOD: Hold On The Brits are Coming ... With Their Scotch Eggs

Think about stereotypical British food and scotch eggs may top your list, or at least come close, perhaps alongside pork pies, fish n chips, sausages rolls and even mushy peas. Surprisingly, scotch eggs are making a fast experience in pubs and eateries in Metro Detroit of all places outside of your British themed pubs. 

I have to be honest here, from leaving the UK to this March, I haven't eaten a scotch egg (or sausage rolls, bakewell tart .... it's an endless list). Hearing about the tend, reading all the restaurant reviews, well it was making this Brit hungry. 

But what on earth is a scotch egg I hear you non British folk cry?! Well take a boiled egg, wrap it in sausage meat and breadcrumbs, fry away and there you go. One scotch egg. Typically us British eat it as is hot or cold. It's often considered a picnic food, a snack or have with your lunch. Here in the US it's appearing more and more on menu's as an appetizer, a snack to have with your beer often served hot with a dipping sauce - think ranch, a hot sauce or mustard.

While the history of the scotch egg is a little up in the air - no ones really too sure of it's origins. Fortnum & Mason, the London department store happen to lay claim to them having invented them back in 1738. Others argue they have a more Indian cuisine background. Either way the British have laid claim to them and we just love to eat them.

Scotch eggs have become so much of a popular, perhaps we could say hipster food that Eater dedicated an entire list to finding them in Metro Detroit. One such place was One Eyed Betty's - a gastopub with lots, and lots of beers, pinball machines and as it happens awesome tasting food - including their scotch eggs - yippie! (they even have crispy Brussel sprouts as an appetizer too - apparently loving their random British foods). Served with a hot sauce, they were everything I could have wanted and hoped a scotch egg could be, and more.

Whether this is a growing tend across the US, who's to say? Maybe it's because they are a kinda quirky hand food, great to share, easily eaten and enjoyed with a beer and kinda like an all day breakfast food. I've personally seen them pop up on a menu while eating at the British (no surprise there) themed Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh, PA. Back in January 2014 the Chicago Tribune published a piece on the scotch eggs increasing menu presence with the rise of the small plate restaurant. But I'm just happy they're more readily available on my doorstep.

So I guess alongside my adventures in hunting out fish n chips, I have another British food stuff to eat, enjoy and as always, compare.

Any excuse for eating out ... any excuse ...
 
Places mentioned:

One Eyed Betty's: 175 W. Troy St, Ferndale, MI, 48220
Piper's Pub: 1828 E. Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Rachael

FOOD: From Tarts to Tacos

Moving to America opened up an whole new world of cuisine, especially Mexican food. Whether it's cheap and cheerful fast food or authentic dishes from Mexicantown, Mexican food has found a special, and happy place in my stomach. 

We were looking for a new place to try out for date night and the idea of platters of tacos I admit was what won me over in trying out Ferndale's Imperial a fully serviced bar and all things Mexican restaurant.

To picture Imperial, think of California street tacos in a bar playing Johnny Cash.

It's bare bones, it's simple, it has a touch of rock n roll.

And tequila. Lots of tequila.

Hot dogs and tacos.

Up front you're greeted with a communal seating arrangement, with long wooden tables to share, make new friends and chat the night away. If a more private, darker feel is your jam there's the same but small wooden tables over looking the patio.

Food is presented family style - everyone's order on the same place adding to friend making atmosphere. Perfect too for a date night, perhaps a little awkward those not too comfortable with sharing their grub off of the same dish. 

While the menu is on the small side, what they do do, they do it well and also have separate menus for late night and brunch. The Sororan hotdogs (particularly the Bakersfield being my favorite bite of the night). While many may be put off paying for chips and any of the salsas they do, for around $2 - $5) they are well worth the pennies.

Detroit Tart (left) & Whiskey Sidecar Cocktails

In comparison to their food menu, they have an extensive drinks list particularly when it comes to beers and liquor. But with a great selection of $8 - $10 cocktails I was happy to try them out. And if tequila is your liquor of choice, you'll find some great picks. My favorite being the Detroit Tart - great in name and taste.

Imperial : 22828 Woodward Ave, Ferndale MI 48220 

Rachael

LIFE: Small Things

It certainly hasn't been a good couple of weeks for Michigan when it comes to the news what with the ongoing Flint water crisis and the Detroit Public Schools sick days. Winter has finally decided to make an appearance too - although much more on the chilly side than snow fall. So today, more than ever there's a need to look for the positive in life and the first small things post of 2016. 

• Getting my new specs - I can see (better) again!
• Speaking of new specs that means I can get back into sewing, although my return has been on the slow side. I've been working on a bookmark, stitching on perforated plastic for the first time which has been a fun little challenge.
• The slowness of my stitching has been the result of being overloaded with coloring books. And treating myself to a couple of new ones. The Vive Le Color series is ideal if you love patterns and small details from around the world - I'm working on the Japan book at the moment, which is full of fish and cherry blossom - beautiful!
• Then I happened to treat myself to the Dover "Cityscapes" publication, ooops.
• Oh and then refinding a 1970's Beatrix Potter coloring book I picked up at the end of last year at an estate sale. It had never been started and it's just full of all my favorite characters. It's the one coloring book i'm not rushing with! 
• Sharing some super yummy tacos and hot dogs from Imperial (review to follow).
• Putting up some new shelving for my office come craft room - finally getting a little more organised in the process.
• Then decorating the edges of said shelving with lots of pretty washi tape.  
• Finding a fantastic cheese grater lamp shade in a kitchen down in Hamtramck while at an estate sale - genius! 
• Those fish n chips from Scotty Simpson's - followed by a super yummy (and huge) slice of lemon meringue pie. Delicious!

BTW if you want to help Flint residents during this ongoing water crisis (long story short lead contaminated water) - Michigan Radio put together a great list of ways to donate. 

What's been rocking your world?

Rachael

FOOD: Toast

Walk into Toast, a breakfast & lunch diner in the Detroit 'burb of Ferndale, you'll be greeted to walls decorated in a funky street art style, old style tables and quirky vintage toasters lining the walls. Offering an impressive breakfast and lunch menu, Toast has become the toast (yes pun intended) of the town, even before being voted one of America's top 100 places for breakfast. 

Toast became our destination for brunch over my birthday weekend. We'd heard great things about it, but not being ones to dine out for brekkie, it had always passed us by. But anywhere with crowds and queues outside can only be a good thing even if you're lacking in patience like myself, so when the mother in law was in town, it was our brunch destination of choice. 

From waffles to burritos, all kinds of omelets to an ever growing adult drink menu (think cucumber mimosas and adult coffees) alongside the standard juices and hot drinks. The strawberries atop my waffle were fresh and sweet, and the thick slice of cinnamon bread a side to Joe's Petoskey omeltte (think dried cherries, brie, bacon and caramelized onions mmm) was delicious. The place is loud, it's quirky, it's full of personality and very charming in it's appeal. It's certainly popular with the locals, with a 20 minute wait outside for seating on a somewhat warm September morning it wasn't too bad, there's always mug fulls of coffee to keep you warm in your waiting.

For two people not really huge breakfast fans any place that makes us want to return surely as to be a hit.

View Larger Map  |  Get Directions  |  View Bird's Eye

Fancy checking it out for yourself? Well you'll find Toast at;
23150 Woodward Avenue
Ferndale, MI 48220

LIFE: Birthday Love From Detroit

Mid week birthday's give you the perfect excuse to drag celebrations out across two weekends. Fun weekends sandwiching your birthday from either end. While I'm not a big birthday celebrator, I'd rather not have all that attention, I don't mind using it as an excuse for some yummy food, exploring a couple of new places on our endlessly long Detroit visit list and spending some time with family who visited from Pittsburgh. From a mighty tasty blackened catfish sandwich followed by a huge bowl of the best mac n cheese Detroit has to offer in Slows BBQ, washed down with some handcrafted cocktails next door in The Sugar House. Capturing a sunset over the Motor City with our stomachs full and happy. A Sunday morning starting off with brunch at Toast down the road in Ferndale (review to follow) and a very delicious strawberry waffle and my new favorite place for breakfast. 

But that is just me. 

Happy memories, exploring a great city (yes really) and eating some great food.

DETROIT: Why Would You Come to Detroit?

Why would anyone come to visit Detroit? Why would I even move to Detroit (a question I get asked a lot). Surely it's that zombie wasteland we hear all about on the media, right?! There's even locals in the burbs that won't venture into Detroit proper (urgh pet peeve). 

But I mean it's not like we have; 

Fun places for big kids

Pinball machines (M-Brew) and skee ball (Marvin's) anyone?

 

An island park larger than New York's Central Park who are you trying to fool?!

Belle Isle - an island in the middle of the Detroit River, offering views of both the American and Canadian riverfront with museums, aquariums, gardens and beaches.

 

There's nothing to see here, literally 

Detroit is one of the few cities with a international river front - home to a river walk, a state park, a gorgeous view to special events. You can even wave at Canadians. It's not that 75% of the liqueur smuggled into the US passed over the Detroit River during prohibition or anything. 

 

Nor is it home to some important pieces in America's history

from the car JFK was shot in, the Lincoln's death chair, to the infamous bus Rosa Park refused to give up her seat upon, they both and more have a home at the Henry Ford Museum. 

 

Nor will you find America's oldest aquarium, nope 

The Detroit Aquarium, found upon Belle Isle (mentioned above) was opened in 1904 and was the oldest continually opened public aquarium in America. In recent years, it's been getting a new lease of life.

 

And the views aren't worth mentioning ... 

Whether it's driving along Woodward, from the 13th floor of the Greektown Casino or walking along the riverfront, Detroit has a pretty impressive skyline. 

 

It's not like there's anywhere decent to eat 

Be it great BBQ at Slows, a tasty burger at the Mercury Bar, to endless Coney's and diners, there's something for everyone. It's not that Detroit has it's very own style of pizza which inspired many of the big Midwest pizza chains or anything ... 

 

A market in the middle of an urban wasteland? What madness are you on ... 

Stock up on Michigan made goodies, vintage treats to thousands of with the sweet smell of flowers to food and street music fill the air around the Eastern Market. I'm personally super excited about stocking up on flowers once spring fully rolls around!

 

"Art" to spark a debate ... 

Whether it's a sly street cat in Corktown or a Chimera it all sparks that old graffiti verses street art debate. 

 

The buildings are nothing fancy either  

From big to small old buildings are finding new leases of life. Office buildings are being converted into apartments, new sports arenas are being proposed, new building ideas drawn up by the week. Old houses, long empty and trashed and finding loving new owners breathing new life into them. But it's about the small details as much as it is about towering skyscrapers, there is detail everywhere. 

 

They really don't know how to make doughnuts around here either

Dutch Girl Donuts at 7 Mile and Woodward - Best. Donuts. Ever. 

 

Everyone has a rival, even the food places ... 

Detroit is all about it's food. Everyone tries, everyone has their options it's either all about the American or all about Lafayette either way, you'll enjoy a tasty Coney dog or three. 

Because it's just a zombie wasteland right?!

Source

Yeap, there's nothing to see here, move along

But that's fine, I'm happy to enjoy this all by myself!

Detroit is all about misconceptions. Too many misconceptions that people believe to the point they avoid the city like the plague. Even locals.

For me, one of the reasons why I try and share positive Detroit posts here is to challenge those misconceptions. Whether you live down the road and get too scared to drive south of 8 mile or you live in the UK and all you see is the constant stream of Guardian articles about the city. Like seriously, the Guardian seems to be all over Detroit the last couple of months. The misconceptions need to be challenged, and often. But I always feel the need to justify why I like Detroit, why I would go out my way to share nice things, why would I stay in the area. If you follow me on twitter you know I'm constantly sharing Detroit related articles, sound bites - new places to eat, stores, things to do, things that are happening? Why (because it's somewhat of a bookmark for myself) but also because I'm proud to be around a city that's changing for the better.

Thanks for letting me harp on about Detroit all the time! 

Why Would You Come to Detroit was written to link up with Something Beautiful and Reckless Blog to celebrate everything 313 - March 13th, Detroit Day. 

LIFE: Photo An Hour Feb 2015

Saturday became a Saturday without any plans. By the time Friday was upon us, Joe was sick and the forecast was suggesting another 3" of snow. But no snow came, and Joe was feeling (somewhat) better, but like January's #photoanhour, estate sales were bleak and few & far between, so we were a meh about them all. In the end our day ended up revolving around one of our shared loves - records. 

8 am // Saturday morning started like any other - snuggles and play time with teeny tiny (who actually turned four in the past week). Normally she has her butt up against the air vent in my craft room, then see's me and get's all "come and rub my tummy" but today she was all about owning a paper bag. 

9 am // After picking up a handful of cheap original 7" singles (think Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson, Motown) the week previous I decided it was high time I got around to decorating our single shelves in our record room. 

10 am // Some people read, some people poke the internet, I cross stitch to pass the time while we worked out what we were going to do, or think about doing. This Transformers piece is one I've been working on since Christmas, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with it but the end is in sight.

11 am // Because bacon and egg sarnie. Need I say more?!

12 pm // Getting out in the frozen tundra is an effort in itself with all the layers, boots, hats, and frozen snow, especially with it being -18C most of the week. Even Iceland has been warmer than Detroit. Brrrr. But I get cabin fever pretty bad so sometimes you just have to get out regardless.

1 pm // We ended up in Hamtramck. After coming across this Metro Times article about Detroit's best record stores and having not hit any for a while (plus we finally got our brand new turntable at the start of the week wup) we decided to hit Detroit Threads which is a mashed up mix of records (lots and lots of techno) mixed with vintage clothes and souvenir tees. 1 pm hit as we were making a chilly dash back to the car and this building caught my eye with it's old painted advertisement. Hamtramck is one of those places that is now firmly on my to explore list, with it's Polish heritage and now increasing Indian population, it's home to some great places to eat, or so I hear.

2 pm // By now we'd explored Solo Records (super friendly) in Royal Oak and were leaving Found Sound (super hipster) in Ferndale with a bag of records in tow. Horrid Michigan winter grey skies for added gloom.

3 pm // New records means an afternoon listening to them. Like we need an excuse.

4 pm // Finally got around to sorting out some threads and starting off those first stitches of a new cross stitch project. This'll end up as a group of daffodils i'm going to stuck upon and use for a greetings card, much like I did with the ones at Christmas. It's actually a free chart from DMC - yey.

5 pm // Weakness of living near a Taco Bell is that I can't turn down a trip, smothered burrito for tea it is then.



6 pm // Pretty much starting the evening as we intend to go on - a date with the remote for Netflix and Hulu (gotta love how our DVD player has a Netflix button, oh modern technology). Between watching South Park, anime and old X-Men cartoons it was a night of catching up with the Metro Times and blog reading.

7 pm // Oh and drinking whiskey, because that's how I roll. I tend to call it a day at this point, because I run out of ways of showing blog reading, TV watching and whiskey drinking.

I guess you could say Saturday summed me up pretty well - whiskey, records, cats, cross stitch, Detroitness and food. If that sparks your interest you can always follow my day to day going's on over on my instagram if you haven't been inflicted with it all ready!

So that was my Saturday, how was yours?

FOOD: M-Brew

Alongside my hunt for decent fish n chips across the USA I'm always on the look out for other American versions of British foods, Cornish pasties being a great example. Cornish miners brought the tradition of the pastie when they migrated to work in the mines of Michigan's Upper Peninsular and they are still working their way throughout the state. 

Joe came across a recommendation for M-Brew, an eatery in Ferndale that offers the traditional Michigan take on a said pasty. They actually specialize in local Michigan beers and food - all Michigan sourced. It's in an old converted VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) building and from the outside, just off of Woodward looks just like any other house on the street. Climb up to the wrap around porch and you enter to a homely cabin feel, a fireplace to bare wooden beams. Step through to a back basement you'll find a cave of vintage arcade games (think pac-mac), pinball machines (Family Guy, Wizard of Oz, Star Trek etc), dart boards to a shuffleboard. 

M-Brew has a coffee shop feel, the cosy seats in front of the fireplace, but a coffee shop that serves beer. Lots and lots of beer. 30 Michigan craft beers in fact to Michigan made wines, meads and sodas. To be honest it's a little all over the place, perhaps that's a good thing in this instance because it only does it make it fun, but because it can be what you want it to be at any one time. It's a place to grab a coffee and read, a place to play a couple of pin balls or somewhere to drink a couple of local beers and relax.

But to the important business, the pasties. The Bruce Crossing (a town in Michigan's UP) Pasty is crammed full of beef, rutabaga, potato, carrots and onion and can be served with gravy if that's you're thing. It's traditional to a T, even the way it's folded. Would it stand up in the UK? Most probably. Is it the best pasty I've had in Michigan (this being the third?! - the first being one from Cousin Jenny's Cornish Pasties in Traverse City which were pretty tasty) - why yes! 

We actually spent more time here then we would typically eating out, due to the games and pinball machines, the atmosphere is great, the staff are super friendly and having somewhere on the doorstep that serves Michigan made products - that's always a winner. We'll certainly be back, I have my eye on trying one of their Detroit pizzas next time!

View Larger Map

Fancy a pasty? You can find M-Brew at;

177 Vester St.

Ferndale, MI, 48220

LIFE: Photo an Hour Jan 2015

I was happy to hear that Louisa picked up the #photoanhour organizing baton for 2015 and it's a little mission of mine to hopefully take part in each monthly challenge throughout this coming year. This weekend marked our since Christmas of going out hitting some estate sales which, with the +2C "heatwave" (we've been stuck at -13C and colder for the last couple of weeks) it was a nice cure for the cabin fever of late.

 9am // starting the day right with a brew, i was actually aiming for an Earl Grey tea bag, turned out I picked a smokey tea. Took me about 5 minutes of drinking to realise this, well after Joe asking if I was drinking a smokey tea and I was like noooooo ... apparently I was after all. I guess I wasn't full awake. 

10am // driving to an estate sale we took I-75 which is basically a freeway to test your patience and humanity levels. Otherwise known as everyone forgets how to drive and does triple lane changes. But anyway we timed it well with seeing a train passing overhead, which being a train geek I am, is always a welcome sight (we can actually hear trains honking from our house - doubly awesome). 

11 am// third photograph of my day hit while we were at our second estate sale and sadly I couldn't take any fancy photographs of the mountain of tupperware in the basement, this old piano would do.

12 pm // prior to this estate sales were kinda lacking on the score front - actually this next estate sale where we found all these vintage cookbooks was the only decent one. Not only did we find a load of cookbooks but also a load of vintage crochet and cross stitch stuff too.

2 pm // quickly glossing over the fact I forgot about the 1pm photograph, well carry on. On the way home we popped into our favorite local liquor store and did some stocking up - some gin, vodka and rum. Stereotypical packaged in a brown paper bag.

3 pm // after getting home, sorting out a vinyl we found today. Boney M will probably go over most people's head but they were a German pop group of the 1980's. They are one of my first vinyl memories growing up as a kid, my dad pretty much had all their records and I always loved playing them. They actually weren't big in America - so it's probably quite a score coming across it, although their recording of Mary's Boy Child that gets played over the festive period that they became more known.

4 pm // I love pouring through cookbooks old and new for some new inspiration, we picked up these at the estate sale I mentioned before. A girl can never have too many cookbooks I reckon.

5 pm // It was still feeling a little spring like as 5pm rolled by and we were buying a parking ticket in Ferndale, the sky was looking rather pretty too.

6 pm // so the reason why we popped over to Ferndale was to try M-Brew - a little local cafe that specialises in Michigan made products - from food to drink (as seen in the photograph enjoying a local beer), while it has a cafe feel upstairs, down in the back basement they have a collection of vintage arcade and some pinball machines. I'm hoping to get around to talking about it more in a future post.

7 pm // home and my plans for the evening - netflix, the internets and a glass of whiskey.

So that was my Saturday, how was yours?!