The Skinny On Ethnic Food in Metro Detroit
Vince Schmidt
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Features
Many of you new to the area may not be sticking around after earning your degree. While briefly here, I encourage you to experience the area's treasured ethnic food stores and restaurants. The following restaurant selections should ensure your diversions are money and time well spent, and please see the MSJ On-Line edition for further details regarding ethnic markets, barbecue joints and for the more lukewarm recommendations. Note--Since your A2 peers more likely have already scoped-out the west metro digs, I'll more detail the east side offerings, except where the west side has THE best thing going.
Chinese Sichuan - Hidden Dragon at 15 W Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti serves the most authentic Sichuan food you'll find in Michigan, though that is not meant strictly as an accolade. They offer numerous versions of tripe, kidney, etc., but I find chicken meat to be a good bet. Watch out for bones because the cook doesn't aim for joints when swinging his dull cleaver. When their Sichuanese customers (i.e., everyone else but you) order a "variety" of dishes, each dish arrives looking strikingly like the other--- fried, with fistfuls of ruby peppers, and sufficient prickly ash to leave ones' lips unequivocally numb. Unfortunately, traditional hot pot and fresh pickles are not available, but the offerings still are enough to transport your imagination to a satisfying Chengdu or Chongqing food court. Ignore the overextended Chinese American menu selections. Aside: One of Middle Kingdom's (Main St., A2) primary chefs is from Sichuan, so if you know what you want and can deal with the prices/crowd, you may be able to get it, there, too.
Chinese, Dim Sum in particular - While it's not SF, LA or NY, weekend fans have plenty of comparably respectable area choices (listed in alphabetical order):
- East Lake, 5087 Rochester Rd, Troy
- Golden Harvest, 6880 E 12 Mile Rd, Warren
- Golden Hoy, 25333 W 12 Mile Rd, Southfield (the food is better than the sparse crowd would suggest)
Chinese Sichuan - Hidden Dragon at 15 W Michigan Ave in Ypsilanti serves the most authentic Sichuan food you'll find in Michigan, though that is not meant strictly as an accolade. They offer numerous versions of tripe, kidney, etc., but I find chicken meat to be a good bet. Watch out for bones because the cook doesn't aim for joints when swinging his dull cleaver. When their Sichuanese customers (i.e., everyone else but you) order a "variety" of dishes, each dish arrives looking strikingly like the other--- fried, with fistfuls of ruby peppers, and sufficient prickly ash to leave ones' lips unequivocally numb. Unfortunately, traditional hot pot and fresh pickles are not available, but the offerings still are enough to transport your imagination to a satisfying Chengdu or Chongqing food court. Ignore the overextended Chinese American menu selections. Aside: One of Middle Kingdom's (Main St., A2) primary chefs is from Sichuan, so if you know what you want and can deal with the prices/crowd, you may be able to get it, there, too.
Chinese, Dim Sum in particular - While it's not SF, LA or NY, weekend fans have plenty of comparably respectable area choices (listed in alphabetical order):
- East Lake, 5087 Rochester Rd, Troy
- Golden Harvest, 6880 E 12 Mile Rd, Warren
- Golden Hoy, 25333 W 12 Mile Rd, Southfield (the food is better than the sparse crowd would suggest)
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