Town Pump Tavern

100 W. Montcalm

Detroit, MI  48201

(313) 961-1929

http://www.thetownpumptavern.com/TownPump/Welcome.html

 

The Town Pump Tavern is located on Montcalm street one block west of Woodward behind the Fox Theater.   With the ivy covered front facade, the Town Pump is one of the coolest looking bars in downtown Detroit.  The Tavern has a good selection of burgers, sandwiches and their specialty; hand tossed pizza.  They also feature18 beers on tap, which include several Michigan craft beers.  So far I have eaten here just once; I sampled their Hipster pizza and my wife enjoyed the Cowboy Chicken sandwich.  

The Town Pump Tavern is located within walking distance to the Fox, the Fillmore, Comerica Park and Ford Field, so it is a favorite locale prior to or after a concert or sporting event.  We visited on a Saturday evening and it was very packed with Red Wing fans prior to a Joe Louis home game.

Although I have only visited once, I plan on returning for a chance to sample several of their menu items.

Just a note; the immediate area just west and north of the Fox & Comerica Park has several establishments that I will write about in future posts.

The Sugar House

 2130 Michigan Ave
Detroit, MI 48216

http://www.sugarhousedetroit.com/

The Sugar House is a craft cocktail bar located next door to Slow's BBQ on Michigan Ave. in the Corktown area of Detroit.  They feature high end cocktails, a variety of beers from around the world as well as a natural wines.  This is not your neighborhood pub and it is nicely decorated and has an ambience of a high end bar from the early 20th century.  By the way, in keeping with the speakeasy theme, there is no external sign on this establishment.

The cocktail menu features about 12 different unique cocktails.  Sugar House changes the cocktail menu seasonally.  As an example, one of the drinks that I had in the late summer, the Leather Bound Book, was not available in January.  The bartenders at the Sugar House spend a lot of time creating or crafting you cocktail order.  The first time we went, my wife and I sat at the bar (recommended) and were able to watch the bartender create our drinks.  It was entertaining to watch as the bartender prepped the cocktail glass and added the drink's ingredients in exact proportions and sequence.  Cocktail prices range in the $7 - $14 range.

Every time we have visited the Sugar House we have found the staff very helpful and accommodating.  If you don't find anything on their menu to your liking, tell them what you would prefer and they will develop a cocktail for you.  The last time I was there, I asked for a drink featuring Traverse City Whiskey and they created an outstanding Old Fashioned.  I found that the staff really knows their mixology; as an example, during our first visit, we obtained a quite extensive background on the what and why of bitters.

As I have focused initially on establishments in the Corktown area for this blog, the Sugar House is another example of an excellent establishment in this area of Detroit.

Atwater Brewery

237 Jos Campau

Detroit, MI  48207

  http://www.atwaterbeer.com

Photo Courtesy of Michael 'The California Kid' Richardson

The history of brewing beer in Detroit goes back to the mid-19th Century, when immigrants from England, Germany and Poland brought their craft over from their home countries.  By the late 20th Century, there were over 25 brewers in the city of Detroit.  Up until the late '70's, a national brewery, Stroh's, was still brewing beer in Detroit.

Since the closure of Stroh's, there have been several micro breweries that have started up in the Detroit area, at least four are located in the city of Detroit.  Atwater Brewery is one of the largest and distributes their beer to several Midwestern and Eastern states. 

The Atwater Brewery is located 1.5 miles east of the Renaissance Center a couple blocks off of the Detroit River.  The area is called the Rivertown district and although there are several empty lots, there are still buildings that have architectural cues from the late 19th/early 20th centuries.

Atwater brews about 20 brands, of which 10 are their standard brands and 6 are seasonal.  Visit their website for a detailed listing of each brand.

The brewery features a tap room.  The uniqueness of the tap room is that it is right in the middle of the brewery.  The bar and tables are located among the brew kettles and fermentation tanks. While you partake in sampling Atwater's finest, you take in the sites and aromas of the brewing process.  I find that this is a very interesting atmosphere.  If you plan on visiting during the winter months, just realize that since it is a large open area, the ambient temperatures are on the cool side.

Photo Taken With My 8 Year Old Motorola Rasr :)

I recently visited the Atwater and found that both their Dirty Blonde and Purple Gang Pilsner were outstanding.  As a point of historical reference, the Purple Gang was the prominent gangster organization during the 20's in Detroit and were rumored to be heavily involved in the St. Valentine's Day massacre.

Besides drinking at the tap room, one can also purchase 6 packs as well as growlers of Atwater's products.  If you plan on visiting downtown Detroit, Atwater's is a great place to sample some of Detroit's finest beers.  

 

Ford Piquette Avenue Assembly Plant

 411 Piquette Avenue

Detroit, MI  48202

 http://www.tplex.org

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piquette_Plant

Located near the northwest corner of the intersection of the I-94 and I-75 expressways, the Ford Piquette Plant was the first assembly plant where the Ford Model T was built.  Built in 1904, one year after the founding of the current Ford Motor Company, several Ford models were manufactured at this location including the B, C, F, N, R, S, as well as the first two years of the Model T.  This site was added as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

The plant is now a museum dedicated to the initial years of the Ford Motor Company.  The museum encompasses two of the building's floors and has several artifacts and automobiles on display.  The cars and trucks on display include early Fords, but also other Detroit produced cars from the very early 20th Century.  When I visited the museum, there was also one unique vehicle on display.  The youngest by 80+ years, the car was a 2005 Ford GT test car that was used to certify the GT's maximum speed. The cars are not roped off as in typical car museums so the you can walk up close to the cars.

This museum is still under development, but the volunteers who run it are very passionate about this facility.  In fact, although one can view the exhibits at their own pace, it is highly recommended that you take a guided tour with one of the volunteers.  Their enthusiasm really shows when they walk you through the displays and discuss the early history of not only the Ford Motor Company, but also Detroit during the turn of the 20th century. The tour takes about 1 hour.

Although their website has yet to be updated for 2013, the museum is open from April through the end of October; I would call them up prior to visiting to verify their hours.  The admission is a nominal $10. 

If you are a fan of Model T's, the Ford Motor Company, or the early auto industry in Detroit, this is a nice, quaint museum.to visit.

The Mercury Burger Bar

2163 Michigan Ave.

Detroit, MI 48216

http://mercuryburgerbar.com/

Located in the Corktown area of Detroit, in the shadow of the monolithic Michigan Central Station, the Mercury Burger Bar has been opened less then 1 year.  In my opinion, although new, the Mercury is one of my top 5 burger bars in the Detroit area.  More on my other top 5 in future posts.  

Although they serve the classic bar burger, they also offer several other varieties of burgers including the S.W. Burger (Mexicantown themed) and the Local (a salute to Slow's BBQ that is across the street).  Besides the 12+ burgers, you can also elect to customize your burger with an extensive choice of toppings.  Also offered is a large variety of sandwiches and salads.  During future visits, I plan on sampling their grilled bologna sandwich and the NY NY and Chicago style hot dogs.  

The Mercury has an extensive craft beer selection and feature shakes and drinks based on the two classic Detroit pops, Vernor's ginger ale and Faygo orange.

One nice feature is their wood fenced 'Biergarten' created from the vacant lot next door.  This area, open during spring - fall, expands the Mercury's seating area in addition to their main floor and basement seating areas.

The Mercury Burger Bar is a great place to stop by, either before or after a local sporting event or concert or if you just want to hang out in Corktown for a few hours.

The Heidelberg Project

 3600 Heidelberg St  Detroit, MI 48207

http://www.heidelberg.org/ 

 

The Heidelberg Project is located off of Mt. Elliot about 1 mile south of Gratiot.  It was started over 25 years ago by Tyree Guyton, a local urban artist.  The project covers about 3 city blocks and is constantly evolving by Guyton and his associates.  Although the general neighborhood is in decay, the project is in an open area and it is not uncommon during the day to see people leaving their cars and looking at the details of the exhibit.  I find this living art display very unique and make a point of showing it to my out of town guests.  If you plan on visiting this eclectic area of Detroit, I suggest you go during the day and take Gratiot to Mt. Elliot rather then taking side streets to Heidelberg street.

Supino Pizzeria

 2457 Russell St 

Detroit, MI 48207

http://supinopizzeria.com/

Supino's Pizzeria is located in the Eastern Market of Detroit.  Supino's has become a very popular pizzeria over the last couple of years.  All I can say is that everything that has been written in the local papers about this establishment are true.  Supino's features thin crust pizza similar to NYC style and is outstanding.  They truly craft their pizzas as, depending on how many people are at the restaurant, it may take over 30 minutes for your pie to be baked.  Seating is limited, but they have purchased the old Ethiopia restaurant next door and will expand their serving area.  Of course, eating your pizza on the outside picnic tables during the Spring/Summer/Fall is an excellent option.

 The tech tip here is, order your pie, then walk across the market and drink a couple of cocktails at Vivio's.  More on Vivio's and the rest of Eastern Market in future posts.

Green Dot Stables

 2200 West Lafayette

Detroit, MI 48216

 http://greendotstables.com/

Located on the southern edge of Corktown a couple blocks from the Detroit River, the Green Dot Stables is a throw back bar with an interesting food menu and a decent selection of regional microbrews, imported and standard beers.  I have eaten here twice and the atmosphere has that early '70's coolness, when horse racing was still popular among the Rat Pack wannabes

Green Stables food specialty, the only food they serve, are gourmet sliders.  Although they serve sliders that you would find at Bates or the Hunter House, they also serve more interesting versions.  Their menu has over 20 varieties of sliders, from the standard slider to their mystery meat version that changes regularly.  I have tried their Cuban, Ham and Cheese, and Cheeseburger sliders.  I have also sampled their Korean slider which is beef, Kimchi (Korean spiced fermented cabbage) and peanut butter.  The spiciness of the Kimchi mixed very well with the sweetness of the peanut butter.  The second time I went, I sampled their mystery meat of the day which was kangaroo.  Kangaroo tasted very gamey, I am glad I tired it but not sure it will be a regular meat on my personal menu.

If one has Poutine on their bucket list, you can sample Green Dots version.  A slight revision to the Canadian Poutine as Green Dot uses cheddar cheese versus cheese curds.  Still a nice deviation from standard fires.  

Located in a industrial complex with the Michigan Union Station in view from the parking lot, the Green Dot Stables is a nice urban oasis.