Atlanta etc.: Marilyn Wolf's Food Blog and Restaurant Blog

Cadillac Square is a quaint, old-fashioned block of downtown Detroit. Inside one of its classic buildings I found Cadillac Square Diner offering classic, hearty breakfasts and a friendly cup of coffee. My omelet was generously filled with veggies. The rye toast was crunchy and buttery. And the coffee was plentiful.

I rolled out of my meeting hungry and with only a short amount of time. A meal at The District kept me going. The menu concentrates on bar food. I ordered a turkey burger bunless and it delivered on my meaty experience. You can see that these folks, like most restaurants, are a bit mystified by the bun option. I just ate all the pieces but a nicely trimmed lettuce wrap a la Inn-n-Out would have sealed the deal

I was in a rush with no time to stand for breakfast, let alone sit down for a plate of food. Desert Oasis came to the rescue with a ready cup of coffee... and this wonderfully soft, homey cookie. The staff greeted me with the utmost hospitality. Too bad I didn't have time to hang out in their hip space.

My colleagues and I convened at Ollie's for a very good dinner and discussion. Dearborn is a hub of Lebanese and Middle Eastern food. Ollie's is located at a mall very near Ford HQ. The bread was excellent: puffy, soft, aromatic. The bread was the perfect platform for these two appetizers: hummus and eggplant. The eggplant had a perfect spicy kick. My salad was coated in a light, flavorful dressing and felt very healthy. My chicken shawarma was very good and plentiful. We ended up with this baklava. It combined wonderful flakiness, honey sweetness, and nutty heartiness.

A trip to Micro Center allowed me to try The Telway location in Madison Heights north of downtown Detroit. This wonderful little place still sits among the modern suburban formularies. It has a walk-up window with people waiting patiently for their food; I chose a seat at the counter. Yes, I know the name is Telway Hamburgers but I went for a Detroit coney. It didn't seem to have the mustard stripe, although perhaps that was submerged under the chili. Nonetheless, it was excellent. The onion rings were good, too. The staff was very courteous and welcoming. They are supported by all the modern conveniences, including tablets and a Nest thermostat. The 21st century can improve our lives without being intrusive.

You can find my video report on the Detroit Coney Island, a.k.a Coney, a.k.a. Koney, at the Atlanta etc. YouTube channel right here .

I arrived at the airport in time to catch a meal. I generally find that eating on the ground is the safest choice for long flights. The food court outside of security at Narita provides a wide range of options, some better than others. I have always enjoyed their soba noodle restaurant so I headed there and enjoyed once again these delicious cold buckwheat noodles. But the siren smell of meat lured me to the restaurant next door for a second course. Their specialty is Wagyu beef. I enjoyed these slices cooked at my table on this skillet. My server added some sauce that was OK but the meat by itself would have been just as enjoyable. After two courses, I was ready for a long flight back home.

I ended my walk around Lake Hakone with a stop at Salon de The Rosage. I enjoyed a spectacular view of the hotel, watching the boats go by, as the staff welcomed me with grace. I ordered the apple pie, which turned out to be quite a production. Here is the assembly of my dish by my server at tableside. And here is the completed dish. The fruit jams were beautiful and also gave some nice flavor accents for the apples. The apple pie itself was beautifully made with a wonderfully flaky crust and tender, flavorful apples.

I saw this sausage restaurant as I pulled into town and it immediately zoomed to the top of my list. When I visited, I found a very complete selection of handmade sausages. For lunch, I ordered this bratwurst. It was very good with excellent meat and subtle but nice spicing. The mustard was similarly spicy and satisfying.

I enjoyed several meals at the Odakyu Yama No Hotel. My first was a sukiyaki dinner. It actually started with this nice sushi course. The sukiyaki course was smaller and more refined than I have seen in some other sukiyaki establishments. It was definitely hearty in taste with a nice dose of umami. My meal ended with this refreshing serving of fruit.

"Theory of consumption" is the term I just coined as a fancy way to ask "how the heck am I supposed to eat this?" I have asked this question of myself before; it came up again when confronted with this dessert from Bakery & Table in Hakone, Japan. The dish combines ice cream and golden croutons. This is a clever way for a bakery to use up old bread. It also sounded pretty tasty. As you can see, the ice cream is piled up on top of the croutons. This brings up the question of how soft the croutons should be. Should I keep them away from the ice cream as much as possible? Or should I let them bathe in the ice cream for a moment before I eat? After experimenting with the dish---that is, eating it---I came to two conclusions. First, a very crunchy crouton is a nice textural contrast to the ice cream so keeping them separate as long as possible is a good plan. Second, this presentation isn't the best way to serve this treat. Separate dishes of ic...

I enjoyed several breakfasts at Vert Bois (French for green wood, I believe) at my hotel in Hakone. I was able to enjoy wonderful views of the green wood surrounding Lake Hakone as I ate. This omelet in the shape of an eye, with the seam underneath, seems to be a tradition in Japan. I'm sure it take a good deal of practice to do this even once, let alone time after time. The sausages were somewhat in the style of hot dogs and were excellent. THe bread was similarly elegant, along with two different preserves. (Ketchup makes the third item in the array.)

I was able to enjoy an excellent dinner at the Prince hotel in Hakone. The menu, as you can see, mixed French and Japanese dishes.

I arrived in Paducah on the evening of July 4 ready to eat. Unfortunately, not all restaurants are open on that evening. It took a little searching to find Longhorn Steakhouse. My salmon was satisfying and very nicely cooked. My bread was warm and comforting. This meal gave me everything I looked for and more and I am grateful that they were open on that holiday.

Mom and I wanted a relaxing break in our afternoon and Grounds for Celebration did the trick. Mom and I each ordered coffees. The coffee was excellent and the atmosphere was very relaxing.

Mom and I ventured out for lunch and had a very enjoyable meal at El Fogon. The restaurant makes its own guacamole and tortillas in booths right in the middle of the restaurant floor. The chips were nicely fresh and the salsa gave just the right amount of bite. My chicken mole was very good: moist chicken, smooth sauce. The mole had notes of spice, sweetness, and savoriness. My handmade corn tortillas were warm, soft, and wonderfully comforting. I guess we will have to come back for some of that guacamole.

I had seen Mi Patria on TV and looked forward to the opportunity to visit. Mom and I greatly enjoyed our lunch and the warm hospitality of the proprietors. We started with these fried plantain patties, which are wonderful comfort food. This is my fritada con mode. The pork was succulent and very porky. The white corn was delicious and something that I'm not sure that I have ever had before. Mom enjoyed a sandwich that she reported was excellent.

Mom loves the Dutch baby pancake so I made one for her on a recent visit. The apple version is her favorite so I poured the eggy batter over a sliced apple. About thirty minutes later, the pancake was puffy and soft. As always, it was tasty and very satisfying.

The family enjoyed another wonderful lunch at A Dong, Mom's favorite Asian restaurant and a Des Moines mainstay. This is my bone-in duck noodle soup. Every aspect was excellent: tender, rich duck; noodles; stock; table salad mixed in at the last moment.

A trip through Kansas City gave me the chance to enjoy an excellent meal at Gates, one of the city's best known BBQ emporiums. Gates has several locations throughout the metro area. I visited what I assume was their original location near downtown. The atmosphere is very gracious. You order and pick up your food at the cafeteria line, then proceed to the dining area. A hostess stopped by to remind me that she could pick up anything I needed from either the food line or from the well-stocked bar at the attached lounge. This huge assortment of food is the mixed meat plate: ham, pork ribs, brisket. My favorite was probably the ham, something that you don't always see at BBQ establishments. The sauce is subtly flavorful with a kiss of cumin. The fries were excellent and plentiful. I left very satisfied, moving a little more slowly than I came in thanks to the enormous meal.