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Rattlesnake Club – Detroit Restaurant Week Review
Our third and final meal for this year’s spring restaurant week is The Rattlesnake Club. It’s located in the Stroh’s 300 River Place building, which is a recognized historic site. The restaurant has been operating here since 1988 and is named for the buzzing energy of its kitchen. For this trip we took my parents out with us, as it’s not often the two of them get such an extravagant meal out. The handrails are a long rattlesnake. They have a great patio area available, which overlooks the riverfront. It was a bit too windy and cool yet to use though. We sat down and looked over the menu –…
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The Whitney – Detroit Restaurant Week Review
Last year I chose the Whitney as one of my DRW destinations, and enjoyed it so much that after seeing the menu this year, I decided to return. Take a moment to read over that review, and you’ll get a bit of background on the building’s history. This year we were seated in the Music Room. This room originally served as the Whitney family’s primary entertainment room. It boasts authentic Tiffany stained glass windows and a ceiling mural featuring cupids dancing on clouds. Today, the Music Room is The Whitney’s largest single dining room. © The Whitney While I wasn’t able to take a full tour, I did wander the…
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Restaurant review – One-Eyed Betty’s
Ferndale announced it was having a Restaurant Week, and since I only had time for one place during Detroit’s food showcase, I was determined to visit one of these places just a few towns north. Of all, the menu at One-Eyed Betty’s in particular caught my eye. In the future I’d like to see some of the other places with larger offering and or multiple choices for items but other than that it was a good start to a new tradition for the city. When we got there it was hopping – it’s very much a destination for those who like beer, and on top of that the Tigers were…
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Restaurant review – Vinsetta Garage
Built in a former service garage of the same name, this is the latest restaurant venture of Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson who operate the Clarkston Union and the Union Woodshop. Both are deservedly popular places that got even more so when featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, thanks to the glowing review of Detroit’s own Kid Rock. So I had high expectations of what I would find here. The Vinsetta opened to service Model Ts and other vehicles in 1919, before the road that became Woodward Avenue was even paved. The last owner to operate the full service garage decided he needed a career change and when none of…
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Restaurant Review – La Dolce Vita
I decided to have a mother daughter dinner out and have an excuse to try one of the places participating for Detroit Restaurant Week. My mom cares for my grandmother full time and does not get the opportunity for a nice evening out very often, so I was really looking forward to this (as was she!). Image courtesy LDV
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Restaurant Review – Small Plates in Detroit, MI
Today’s food review is of Small Plates on 1521 Broadway in Detroit. Located just across the street from the Opera House, this is a great place to grab a meal before a show. It’s also steps from the People Mover station and a perfect option for lunch when touring the city.
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Review: JOBY GorillaPod
From the first moment I saw it, I was absolutely smitten with the idea of the GorallaPod but I wondered if it could really deliver. I wondered if I would find as much use for it as I should for such a largish piece of accessory to lug around. In a word – yes! I’ve had mine for over a year now and while it doesn’t suit every situation, it suits nearly everywhere my current tripod doesn’t or cannot. I opted for the SLR-Zoom with Ballhead.
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Review: Rapid Strap RS-W1B
I have gone through quite a number of camera straps over the years – but recently a trip to DisneyWorld (where your camera is on you at all times trying to get every amazing detail before you have to leave) showed just how poor my current one was for long term use and how much I needed an upgrade. After lots of research and comparison I came across the Black Rapid line of camera straps. This was different….
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Review – Ajeeka
Recently I happened to hit my favorite grocery store (Hiller’s – a family owned Michigan chain) while a food demo was going on and decided to stop. It was for Ajeeka – a new condiment item consisting of red peppers and garlic. He had nearly packed up for the day, and so only had one jar and some water crackers out for sampling instead of the full variety of uses that he normally displays, but that was fine. It had a great boost of flavor! The peppers are very finely processed, almost pureed and the garlic is finely diced but still visible. Both are completely raw so retain all the…
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Lens review – Canon 70-200 mkII
I recently had the pleasure of renting the Canon 70-200 2.8 L IS MK II from BorrowLenses.com. Like all their rentals – they try to provide everything that would have come with the item had you bought it. In this case that means a lens case, hood, front and rear caps, tripod mount ring, and they also throw on a UV filter for those that prefer them. The very first thing you notice upon taking the lens out is the weight – a hefty 3+ pounds! My current heaviest lens is at a paltry 1+ pounds, so it was quite a dramatic difference for me. This was especially notable as…
