"The Fist"

Monument to Joe Louis

At Woodward Avenue and Jefferson

Detroit, MI

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

Most cities around the world have statues of various founding fathers, dignitaries or war heroes.  Detroit has those type of memorials also.  What Detroit has that no other city has that I am aware of is a monument of a man's arm and fist.  It is not just anyone's arm and fist, it represents Joe Louis', Boxing's longest running Heavyweight Champion from 1937 to 1949.  

Although not born in Detroit, Joe Louis moved with his family to Detroit when he was 12 in 1926 during the Great Migration from the South.  He made his amateur boxing debut at age 17 and his record as an amateur was 50-4 with 43 knockouts.

Joe Louis turned pro and compiled a 69-3 record with 57 knockouts over his career.  The two major bouts of his career was against Max Schmeling during the late '30's.  At the time, Schmeling represented Nazi Germany while Louis represented the U.S.  The two bouts took place just prior to WWII in 1936 & 1938 and had social/political implications between the two nations.  Schmeling won the first bout and Louis the second after only 2 minutes and 40 seconds of the first round.  This second win presented a major propaganda victory for the United States and African Americans at the time. Without going into additional detail in this post, one can review Joe Louis' life and career at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Louis .

The monument was erected back in 1986 and was commissioned by Sports Illustrated magazine.  Besides paying homage to Joe Louis, the 8,000 lb., 26 foot long sculpture, over the years, has also been a symbol of Detroit's pride and defiance.

The statue is best viewed early in the morning on weekends as both Jefferson and Woodward are the two major streets in Detroit and are quite busy during the week.  As an example, the photo above was taken around 10:00 AM on a Sunday morning.  Also, viewing during the weekend mornings allows one to park close by and walk to the statue.  Although not a major attraction in Detroit, it is still an interesting art form worth seeing. 

 

Motz's Burgers

 7208 West Fort Street

Detroit, MI
313-843-9186

http://www.motzs.com/Home.html

 Motz's Burgers Facebook

 

Motz's is located on Fort Street in Detroit about 1.5 miles east of the Ford Rouge complex.  Motz's is a family run business since 1929 and based on that it is one of the original slider establishments in the Detroit area.  

Like most slider establishments, there menu is pretty basic.  Hamburgers, Cheese Burgers, specialty Big Burgers, Fish Fry Flounder and Fried Shrimp dinners.  They also offer hot dogs and coney islands as well as fires, fried mushrooms and onion rings.  Beverages include coke products and coffee as well as vanilla and chocolate shakes.

I have only had the chance to eat at this establishment once, but I was very impressed with their sliders and fries.  They have a lunch deal where they offer two sliders, an order of fries and a pop for $5.00.  It's $6.00 if you want cheese with your sliders.  That's a pretty good deal considering their sliders are on the large size, over twice the size of a White Castle.

I found the servers, as well as the patrons, to be very friendly and accommodating.  While I was there for lunch, I had a lively conversation with one of the waitresses.  We were comparing notes on other slider establishments as well as discussing Motz's recent review on the PBS 'Under the Radar - Michigan' TV show.

I plan on returning to Motz's frequently this summer, both to sample their fine hamburgers as well as experience their friendly waitstaff.

 

 

Bates Hamburgers

 33405 5 Mile Road

Livonia, MI 48154

 734-427-3464

http://www.batesburgers.com/ 

The next two posts will focus on a couple of  locations that specialize in the classic hamburger 'Slider' . 

Bates Hamburgers is family owned and has been located at the 'Downtown' intersection of Livonia (5 Mile and Farmington) since 1959.  They also have a location on Middlebelt south of 9 Mile in Farmington Hills.

I have been going to Bates since moving to Livonia back in '86.  As the photo above shows, Bates Hamburgers has the classic hamburger grille restaurant architecture similar to the old White Castles.  Although they offer a breakfast menu, and judging by weekend morning drive bys, they have a  brisk morning business, Bates menu is basic hamburger fare.  In fact all of the main food groups are represented; hamburgers, cheese burgers, chili burgers, hot dogs and coney islands.    They also offer french fries (crinkle cut), soups of the day and soft drinks and chocolate shakes.

Our favorite menu items are the double cheeseburgers, the fries and chocolate shake.  The double hamburger helps equalize the bread to meat ratio.  Of course, one must include the grilled onions.  The other menu item we purchase frequently are the coney islands.  They are very good and on Wednesdays, Coney Day, they are only $1.15.  

As one can see when reviewing the menu, Bates offers an economical meal that tastes great.  Bates offers both inside dining and carryout.  The inside dining features a lunch counter atmosphere.  Carryouts are ordered and picked up in a small enclosed area adjacent to the main diner.  It is suggested that for carryouts, you pre-order over the phone as the carryout area can get quite cramped with people placing and awaiting for their carryouts.

If you are in the Livonia area and are hankering for a slider and fries, give Bates Hamburgers a try.

 

 

Detroit Eastern Market

Part One

http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/ 

For those who are not familiar with the Eastern Market, it is a historic commercial district located just east of downtown Detroit.  The Eastern Market has been in it's current location since the 1850's.  The main section of the market contains both open and enclosed pavilions where regional farmers, butchers and budding product entrepreneurs can sell their products.  As a side note, Detroit also had a Central and Western Market, however, both have been closed for several decades.

 

The pavilions are open year round, but are most active during the spring through fall months on Saturdays. Besides the pavilions, there are several restaurants, bars, butcher shops, fish markets and special product stores in the general walking distance area.  One can spend several hours exploring the Eastern Market and discovering interesting sites and things to purchase.  Visit the Eastern Market website to view their calendar of events. 

 

This post is part one of several future posts focusing on the Eastern Market area.  Note that one of my earlier posts was on Supino's Pizza which is located on the western edge of the market.  I will provide more Eastern Market stores/shops/attractions in future posts.  Here are my first two local Eastern Market attractions.

 

Signal - Return

 1345 Division St.

 Detroit, MI 48207 

 (313) 567-8970

http://www.signalreturnpress.org/ 

 

 

 

Signal Return is a printing shop that offers, to anyone interested, workshops for the learning of printing and typography methods.  After completing two of their classes one has the opportunity to enroll in open studio time at Signal Return and start work on your own printing projects; business cards, posters, invitations, etc.  

 

When I visit the Eastern Market, I often walk over to Signal Return to see what type of printed material they have for sale.  Several of the available printed artwork has a Detroit theme to it and in my opinion, they are very well done.  I especially like their Eastern Market and Masonic Temple posters.  This past Saturday, when I last visited, they had for sale a cool poster featuring the early '60's Detroit Tiger head logo.  Over the last several months, I have purchased various Detroit themed post cards and coasters from Signal Return that I have framed and displayed in my man cave.

 

If one is visiting the Eastern Market, take a stroll over to Signal Return on Division Street.  One may find something of interest to purchase or even be enticed into signing up for one of their workshop classes.

 

 The Detroit Mercantile Company

3434 Russell Street

Detroit, MI 

(313) 831 - 9000

https://www.facebook.com/TheDetroitMercantileCo

 

 

 

Detroit Mercantile Company is a store on the northern edge of the Eastern Market that specializes in products about or made in Detroit.  DMC offers apparel, t-shirts, artwork, food products for sale from local companies such as Carhartt, Detroit Denim, and Better Made Potato Chips :).  

 

I liked their large variety of photo books that feature the architecture of Detroit as well as Detroit history.  Detroit Mercantile has a good selection of locally themed t-shirts and outer ware some which include the logos of the early 20th century Detroit breweries and the old Tiger Stadium/Briggs Stadium/Navin Field.  I'm going to need to buy an Auto City Brewing Company t-shirt.  While I was there, I had to pick up some of their line of vintage Detroit postcards. 

 

Saturday was the first time my wife and I visited Detroit Mercantile Company and it won't be our last as we plan to return in the near future to purchase more of their products.  The Detroit Mercantile Company is a short walk up Russell from the Eastern Market pavilions.  I recommend visiting DMC and looking over their Detroit themed products.  You may just find something that perks your interest. 

  

 

 

 

The Centaur

2233 Park Ave.

Detroit, MI   48201
313-963-4040

 http://www.centaurbar.com/welcome.html

The Centaur is a martini bar that is located behind (west of Woodward) the Fox Theater.  It is a short walking distance from, besides the Fox, the Fillmore, Cliff Bell's, Comerica Park and Ford Field.  

Although they have an appetizer menu, I have yet to sample their food.  Their menu looks interesting, especially their bacon wrapped dates.

What has brought my wife and me back to the Centaur are their martinis.  The Centaur offers a varied menu of martinis that changes on a seasonal basis.   One of my favorites is their Detroiter which features besides vanilla vodka and spiced rum, the best ginger ale in the world, Vernor's.  My wife loves their Lemon Meringue and Dirty Girl Scout martinis.  

I recommend Centaur as a place to grab a drink either before or after a concert or sporting event, or just for the sake of sampling their fine martinis.

Motor City Brewing Works

 470 West Canfield

Detroit, MI  48201

 http://www.motorcitybeer.com

Not one of my better photos, too much shadow from the adjacent building

The Motor City Brewing Works is located in the Mid-Town area of Detroit around the Wayne State campus, just off of Second Street on West Canfield.  The MCBW is actually located adjacent to the parking lot that services the Traffic Jam and Snug so be forewarned that there is limited parking available in front the brewery although there is additional parking one street over.

 

I have frequented Motor City Brewing about 4 times over the last couple of years and always enjoyed my experience, the last being about 3 weeks ago.  The times I have attended I sampled both their Pale Ale and Ghettoblaster products.  Both of which I found to have very good flavor.  In fact, Ghettoblaster is now one of the ingredients featured in my homemade chili.:).  Motor City also provides craft beer for the Greenfield Village in Dearborn of which I have sampled their Steam Station beer while visiting the Village.  If you review Motor City's web site, they offer several types of beers, wines, ciders and sodas (pops); several of their products are seasonal however. 

 

When the outdoor temperature allows, MCBW features a second floor outdoor sitting area.  I have not experienced sitting in this area yet, but plan on it this summer.  Great opportunity to sample Motor City Brewing Works finest beer and take in the sounds and smell of downtown Detroit.

 

Like several craft breweries around Detroit, Motor City Brewing Works features a limited menu featuring appetizers and pizza.  The pizza is a 10" round individual size and I found it to be very tasty and on par with the type of pizza Supino's (see earlier post) serves.  A pint or two of their beer and a pizza make a great meal.

 

The decor is recycled industrial and features a U shaped stone bar.  Although the bar counter is stone, it has that wrought, as cast, iron look to it.  I find the decor of MCBW to be very cool in an urban rustic way.

If you are in the Wayne State/Midtown area for an event or want to sample a craft beer before a Tiger or Lion's game, Motor City Brewing Works is a recommended stop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hermann's Olde Town Grille

195 W. Liberty Street 

Plymouth MI 48170
 http://hermannsotg.comI

Hermann's Olde Towne Grille is located about 2 store fronts down from the Liberty Street Brewery.  It is at the corner of W. Liberty and Starkweather Streets in the Old Village area of Plymouth.   Hermann's offers a great variety of bar food; burgers, sandwiches, salads and a very good pizza. We usually visit on either Friday or Saturday nights, and typically there is a 15 minute wait or more for seating.  

During the late spring to early fall, Hermann's offers outdoor seating along Starkweather Street. Eating outdoors is a nice feature, but the interior has an interesting decor to experience including a very large moose head above the bar.  With several TV's located through out the bar, Hermann's is a great place to watch the local college or pro team compete.  My wife and I with friends have frequented Hermann's several times to watch a Saturday night Red Wings game.  Just a word of warning for you MSU fans, Hermann's has a slight slant towards U of M. 

As mentioned earlier, Hermann's menus is quite extensive and one should have no issue with finding something they would enjoy.  For a bar pizza, Hermann's version is outstanding.  Their sandwiches and wraps are also very good. Hermann's bar also features a large variety of beers including Michigan beers like Bell's and Founder's.

We usually frequent Hermann's about once a month and have never been disappointed with their food or service.  It is not uncommon for us to start an early Friday evening at the Liberty Street Brewery, have a few pints, and then grab a bite to eat at Hermann's. 

As Plymouth, MI is known for their active downtown bar scene, you will not go wrong with traveling a little North to the Plymouth Old Village area and experiencing both the Liberty Street Brewery and Hermann's Olde Town Grille.