Nancy Whiskey Pub

2644 Harrison Street

Detroit, MI

313-962-4247

http://www.nancywhiskeydetroit.com/

Nancy Whiskey's is located on the far North side of Corktown.  It's North of I-75 which one would think that it is not in the Corktown area, but apparently it is.

Nancy Whiskey was first open as a bar in 1902.  It was also was a Speakeasy during Prohibition and had a significant fire in 2009.  

I have visited NW twice over the last 9 months; just for drinks.  It is a classic neighborhood bar albeit it's patrons are not local but from around the Detroit area.  They have a good selection of domestic and local microbrews as well as a Guinness tap which is a requirement for an Irish Pub.  I have found that the bartenders and waitstaff are outstanding.

I have not sampled their Fish Fry on Friday's yet, but they are significant enough to be featured in a Long John Silver's commercial :).  On Saturday's they feature live music.  I have not had the opportunity to witness the music, but I imagine the bands feature a mouth organ or a sax or both.

Since Whiskey Nancy is North of the central Corktown area of Detroit, I was told it was a good place to hang out during the St. Patrick's Day Parade festivities; crowded, but manageable.

Whiskey Nancy's is yet another Detroit bar that has well over a 100 year history.  Give it a try, just be aware that it is located on a residential street and subsequently there are not any other commercial establishments in the general area.

Ste. Anne de Detroit

Catholic Church

1000 Ste. Anne Street

Detroit, MI  48216

 313-496-1701

http://www.ste-anne.org/

Located on the southern edge of Mexicantown near the Ambassador Bridge, Ste. Anne de Detroit is the oldest Catholic parish east of the Mississippi and the second oldest Catholic parish in the United States.  Ste Anne was the first structure built in Detroit with construction starting on July 26, 1701 on Ste. Annes Feast Day by the first Detroit settlers led by Antoine Cadillac.  The current church is the 8th Ste. Anne's and was built in 1886. 

Like most Detroit church's built during the 1880's, Ste. Anne's has a very elaborate interior.  The stained glass windows feature several saints.  Each stain glass has a plaque which identifies the donator.  Famous Detroit names like Beaubian and Vernor are featured.

St. Guillaume with his foot on Satan's neck - One Tough Dude

Ste. Anne has a 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday as well as two masses on Sunday; 8:30 AM & 10:00 AM.  The 10:00 AM Mass is in Spanish.  Like most historic Catholic churches in Detroit, the Saturday masses are lightly attended.  Don't be surprised if Ste. Anne's priest gives you a warm welcome.

 

If you are in Mexicantown to enjoy the various Mexican restaurants and bakeries, cruise over to Ste. Anne's and check out the early history of Detroit.

Whiskey in the Jar

 2741 Yemans St

 Hamtramck, MI 48212

http://www.yelp.com/biz/whiskey-in-the-jar-hamtramck 

 

The Whiskey in the Jar is a classic corner bar located in Hamtramck, MI a half block west of Jos. Campau Street on Yemens Street.  The Whiskey is a Hipster bar and features a wide selection of beers and spirits.  Although it is a hipster hangout, the group I was with included 20 somethings as well as individuals that are in the senior stages of life and we were very well accepted by the staff and clientele. 

Whiskey in the Jar features several Polish beers either on tap or in bottles, plus a good variety of craft beers including ones locally produced.  They also serve Crabbie's Ginger Beer, if you have a chance, sample it...Crabbie's taste like Vernor's with an alcohol kick. Other beers that they offer are hipster favorites like PBR, Hamm's and Carling's Black Label.

The Whiskey in the Jar also has a standard bar pool table and an internet juke box that was never silent when we were there.  Nothing better then drinking a few adult beverages and listening to Motown.

The group I was with went to Whiskey in the Jar after attending Saturday afternoon mass at St. Florian's and before dinner at the Polonia restaurant.  When talking to the bartender, she indicated that stopping by the WITJ either before or after a local event in Hamtramck was a popular event.  

We were very impressed with this classic dive bar establishment and will add it to our visit itinerary whenever we visit Hamtramck.

St. Florian Polish Catholic Church

 2626 Poland Street

 Hamtramck, MI 48212

http://www.stflorianparish.org/en

St. Florian is a Polish Catholic church located in Hamtramck, MI.  The initial parish was founded in 1905 by the Archdiocese of Detroit to serve the Polish immigrants who were working at the Ford, Dodge & Packard auto plants in the local area.  

The current church was built in 1929 and was designed by Ralph Adams Cram using Gothic Revival architecture themes.  

Not unlike Sweetest Heart of Mary in Detroit, St. Florian has a very beautiful interior which is a tribute to the blue collar Polish immigrants who collected the $500,000 to build it in the mid 1920's.  Like most Polish Catholic churches in the Detroit area, St. Florian has an area dedicated to the Divine Mercy.  The Divine Mercy painting, shown above, also includes John Paul II.

On Saturday's and Sunday's, St. Florian celebrates mass at 4:00 PM (Saturday) and 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM and 6:30 PM (Sunday).  The 10:00 PM and 6:30 PM masses are celebrated in Polish.

St. Florian is one of the classic churches of Detroit and if you are in the Hamtramck area to visit one of the local restaurants, stores or bars, drop by St. Florian for an architectural treat.

Ottava Via

 1400 Michigan Ave.

Detroit, MI 48226

 313-962-5600

https://www.facebook.com/Ottavaviadetroit 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ottava-via-detroit 

Ottava Via is located on 8th Street (Ottava Via is Italian for 8th Street) and Michigan Avenue directly across 8th from Nemo's.  Ottava has been open since the summer of '13 and is one of the newer restaurants in Corktown.  It is located in a building that used to be the Dime Bank and still features the bank's Loan sign.  

Ottava Via features moderately priced Italian fare including individual pizzas.  They also offer a good variety of craft and imported beers and wines.  I have sampled their Italian pizza, calamari appetizer and Carbonara entree and really enjoyed them all.

The inside features remnants from the bank as well as traditional Italian and modern decor.  It has a lot of open space and a high ceiling so it can get loud.  The two times that I have visited, it was very busy and we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table.  I found that the waitresses were very good and accommodating.

Ottava Via is yet another go to establishment that is part of the expanding Corktown scene. 

Nemo's

1384 Michigan Ave.

Detroit, MI  48226
313-965-3180

http://www.nemosdetroit.com/

Nemo's is located on Michigan Avenue 1 block east of old Tiger Stadium.  With the closing of the Lindell AC several years ago, Nemo's is probably the oldest sports bar in the Detroit area.  In fact, it may be the original sports bar in Detroit.  When both the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions both played at Tiger Stadium, Nemo's was the place to visit either before or after the game.  I had lunch at Nemo's prior to the 1984 Tiger opening day game.

Nemo's decor is standard sports bar but their memorabilia goes back 80+ years and features all of the Detroit area sports teams including U of M and MSU. 

I can't remember the last time I was at Nemo's so I recently visited it with Kathy.  They had a pretty decent crowd on a Saturday night considering the Red Wings were not playing and there was no other special events going on in downtown Detroit at the time.  I can tell by the interaction between the bartenders and the patrons that there were a lot of regulars that night.

Although Nemo's has a good variety of items on their lunch menu, their weekend menu is not quite as extensive....just Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers and Fries.  :)  We visited on a Saturday night and the cheeseburger that we had were OK, not in the range of Miller's, Mason's, Howell's or the Red Coat Tavern, but very good for a bar burger.  Also, they feature mostly domestic beer so don't expect any craft beers.

Beyond the food, Nemo's offers an outstanding Sports Bar atmosphere and because of how long it has been around, very authentic.  Although most sports bars have various sports memobilia, Nemo's can say it lived the events shown on their walls.  

Nemo's provides shuttle service to Tiger's, Lion's and Red Wing's games, so I imagine they are still very busy during game days.

I recommend visiting Nemo's for the sole purpose of re-living the eras when the Tigers, Red Wings and Lions were dominant in their leagues.  Plus, one can walk down to the old Tigers Stadium filed and pretend you are Al Kaline from the right field corner throwing a runner out trying to take 3rd base or Willie Horton at the plate driving a ball into the deep center field bleachers.




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Two James Spirits

2445 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48216
 (313) 964-4800

http://twojames.com/?age-verified=81d01d385c

Two James Spirits is located just west of the Michigan Central Train Station on Michigan Ave.  It opened mid-year in 2013 and is the first legal distillery operating within the city of Detroit since Prohibition.  Two James is located in a nondescript warehouse type building and it is easy to drive buy and not notice.  I think this is one of the attractions of Two James, a very understated facade sort of how one would envision a speakeasy from the '20's.

Once inside the tasting room you immediatly are focused on the circular bar made from poured concrete.  The decor also includes oak whiskey barrels and art work that is available for purchase.  Overall the decor is very warehouse loft looking.

The tasting room features cocktails based on the products that they produce:

28 Island Vodka

Old Cockney Gin

Grass Widow Burbon

Two James Rye Whiskey

Two James Bourbon

Two James 'Reserve' Single Malt Whiskey

 Of course you can order their products straight up.  The Vodka, Gin, Bourbon and I believe the Rye Whiskey are available for purchase by the fifth at the tasting room.  Two James features local ingredients in the production of their spirits.

The Two James drink/cocktail menu features most of the cocktail standards but it is not as elaborate of a drink menu that Sugar House offers.  Still I believe one will find something on the menu to their liking.  I myself usually order an Old Fashioned featuring Two James Rye Whiskey.  Overall, based on the four times I have visited Two James, they do change up their drink menu on a regular basis.  

Two James also offers tours for a nominal fee of their distillery that is located adjacent to the Tasting Room.  The tour includes tastings of four of their products.  Use their online booking system to register.

 Overall,Two James is yet another cool place to stop in Corktown, either as a final destination or as a starting point for other events/locales in the downtown Detroit area.  Their website also offers some interesting information on the production of their products as well as upcoming events. 

By the way, don't be concerned about the bikes in my photo above.  I took that photo during Two James opening celebration last summer.  The event featured vintage motorcycles as well as a very good Rock-A-Billy band.  :)