Where Does One Eat in the Detroit-Metro Area?

I asked myself over and over again when I moved here. So, nearly a year later, I know some places. My suggestions, should they interest you:

Breakfast:

Toast. Ferndale. Absolutely luscious breakfasts, very rich, kind of overfilling but it's worth it. The menu is genuinely creative (beets in an omelet? so good!) as well as delicious. And, as you might expect, the toast (or any breaded thing) is really, really good. Lots of veggie options. (Also, they do lunch too--I've just never had it before.) Most of the entrees I've ordered have been around $10. My favorite breakfast place of all-time. Way way crowded most all the time but terribly so on the weekends (over an hour's wait the times I've inquired).

The Flytrap. Ferndale. Also a fantastic breakfast. Diner-style but a more upscale and way hipper. They have lunch/dinner too; the fried rice is my favorite thing. Also the flying salmon burger. Their whole pasta menu is great (if sometimes too rich), and they have vegetarian biscuits and gravy on Sundays. Also killer milkshakes. This place is ridiculously crowded on weekends too; go during the week to avoid a wait.

Lunch/Dinner

Slow's. Detroit, in Corktown. Barbecue. Has vegetarian options, plus all sorts of meat (including really good fish). Pretty fantastic, good bar atmosphere too. And it's a beer bar. They have a great beer menu, many many things on tap.

Inn Season. Royal Oak. All vegetarian. This one I've only been to once, but I had amazing curry there the other night.

Tripti/Gandhi. Hamtramck. These are two Indian/Bangladeshi restaurants located side by side with a shared kitchen. The Tripti side is more run down and, judging by the spiciness, I suspect the food is more 'authentic.' Gandhi is a way 'better' atmosphere, but perhaps less interesting. Also, Tripti is CHEAP. Like, unbelievably cheap for some of the best food I've ever had. You should go there. Gandhi is a bit less cheap, but still the prices are fine. Do the okra masala, a mango lassi, and one of these awesome pink doughnutty things.

Tokyo Sushi. Royal Oak. Good sushi, affordable prices, and way more authentic and better than any other sushi I've had in this area. (I.e., not designed for people to go there strictly as some sort of conspicuous consumption and where stupid clothing and want stupid giant rolls are named after American cities).



Cafe-Style

MOCAD. Cafe inside the museum. Detroit, midtown. Simple sandwiches and soups, but really good. And they have yerba mate. And you can sit there and read, in the sun, with art right nearby.

Goldfish Tea. Royal Oak. By far the best (and only) real tea place around. Chinese tea only, so you miss out on Gen Mai Cha and the like--but the tea is really good, so, no matter. Wu Yi Yan Cha, Lapsang Souchong. Or anything really, they're all good. Or go for the Ki Dong if you're feeling adventurous.

Bean & Leaf. Royal Oak. Lots of laptops. Good enough tea. It's pretty much the atmosphere that sells it, I guess.

Avalon. Detroit. A bakery mostly, of really really good bread. You can also get sticky buns, cherry bars, all sorts of pastries. And tea, maybe coffee (?). Not really a place to study, but a place you should pass through all the time.

Pinwheel Bakery. Ferndale. It's a bit of a toss-up between here and Avalon, but nonetheless the fare ends up being a bit different. Pinwheel is full of cookies and cupcakes (though lots else too). Cheddar and dill popover is my favorite, along with rosemary shortbread and chocolate chip cookies.