Michigan - Summer 2022 (Part 2)
Spent most of the time in Michigan in the town of Ferndale.
Also known as “Fashionable Ferndale,” this suburban Detroit town is one of the epicenters for neighborhood revival. Sitting right on 8 Mile, the younger generations have slowly made this the place to be. Just north, the people have been priced out of Royal Oak. Ferndale itself has two hipster barber shops on the same block - it has that kind of vibe now. Probably says something that the city marquee shown above is plugging pot.
Detroit is slowly (painfully slowly) getting nicer as the downtown has been rebuilt with Quicken Loan money. The northern suburbs have always been wealthy but now the inner burbs are getting nicer. The revitalization process is now like a pincer movement from inner Detroit and the suburbs closing in on the outer city.
The kids who can’t afford anywhere else are now buying houses in the crappy areas of Detroit and hopefully eventually things will turn around for the area.
Chicken Shack
Chicken Shack is a local chain and one of my must stops when back in Southeast Michigan. The chicken is pressure fried to keep it juicy. You can see the pressure fryers lined up behind the counter. The chicken is very good but the ribs are just awesome. You can also buy the rib sauce in bottles as well.
Get the ribs - you’ll thank me later
Can probably skip the slaw - bit too watery
Tony’s Sports Bar - Oldest Bar in Ferndale (probably)
Stop #1 on the Ferndale dive bar tour. Tony’s, I believe, is the oldest bar in Ferndale. It has a sign on the side of the building stating the age so sounds good to me. Classic midwestern bar with the old school vinyl chairs and ancient school banners on the walls. Regulars come to snarf on the burgers while washing them down with drinks.
The Oakland Art and Novelty Company - Nicest Bar in Ferndale
When a proper cocktail bar opens in your small city’s old stale downtown, you know that the hipsters have moved in. Great drinks and 1920’s styling get my thumbs up as best in town. I also love how they have a “Unicorn List” of hard to find liquors that you can peruse if you are in the mood for something special. As it is everywhere now, the hard to find stuff is pricey but at least they offer them. Chill atmosphere as it is eternally dark inside even if it is bright and sunny outside, this is the classiest place in Ferndale.
Hambo Coney Island
Coney dogs are a thing here. Coney dogs are basically chili dogs and I’m not exactly sure why they are called Coney dogs. I don’t think they eat these on Coney Island. I used to make a royal mess while eating these things with my hands until someone this trip told me to knife and fork it. This was life changing - no more 50 napkin Coney dogs. Hambo’s is your classic local diner with their regulars going back several generations still hanging out and getting their dogs.
Sneakers
Stop #2 on the Ferndale dive bar tour. TVs everywhere make this a nice sports watching location. Standard beer and shot bar with a small kitchen area so you can get wings and stuff. Pull tabs available so bartenders have a lot to do with having to manage the payouts, food, and the drink pouring thing. Actually a pretty young crowd hangs out at this place right on Woodward.
Valentine Distilling
This is a fun little place that has popped up in Ferndale. The distillery has made an excellent space for a bar with inside and outside seating. The environment is very welcoming and they serve up great cocktails with their spirits. Their bottles are also for sale at the distillery.
New Way Bar
Stop #3 on the Ferndale dive bar tour. This place seems pretty popular and gets quite the mix of crowds in terms of young and old. They have a stage for music so that gets cranking on some nights. They also have a pool table in the back and on the weekday that we were there had free pool play on the slow day.
The Elks Lodge
This is not your usual stop but I included it here since we went like 4 times. It’s not an open establishment but everyone in town goes since everyone apparently has a cousin who is a member. It was open during the Dream Cruise for all. It is also not your typical stodgy Elks establishment. It’s pretty lively inside and the membership seems to have been infused with more people that are representative of the changing demographics of Ferndale.
Hunter House (not in Ferndale)
Ok - so this place is not in Ferndale but I wasn’t going to have a separate post just to include this place. This burger spot is actually in Birmingham, MI. A note about Birmingham - it might as well be Beverly Hills when you walk around town (except they have winter here). I think you can correlate the wealth of the community by the size of their Lululemon store.
Anyway - this is a solid slider burger. I got singles but the doubles seemed popular. These are not your White Castle burgers as they are more like real burgers. I recall reading about “Oklahoma Burgers” once and this is what I would guess they would be like. Hunter House also had a spot in Ann Arbor for a while but that didn’t survive the pandemic.
The place is very popular and attracts everyone. You can find the blue collar and white collar folks here on their lunch breaks along with everyone else young and old. This place and Chicken Shack are my go to eats when I am in Southeastern Michigan for American comfort food.