A weekend with Pops... 24 Grille, Detroit, MI
I've been sitting on the content for this post for a while. Dad and I were going to co-write a post (he is an established writer, after all!), but we both dropped the ball. As I was going through pictures from my recent trip to Singapore, I rediscovered some of the pictures from my night out with dad several weeks ago, and decided to bite the bullet and write this post.During the last weekend in October, my mom was going on a road trip with her cousin for the weekend, so dad had free time. The traveling Vietnam Wall ("The Wall that Heals") was fortuitously coming to Dearborn, MI, and since my dad is a veteran of the war, I thought he might enjoy (a weekend with his daughter, and) the opportunity to see the wall.Dad ("TK" to most of my friends), and Molly (my boys' younger sis) came in midday Saturday.
We needed lunch, so we grabbed a burger at Miller's Bar (a best in the nation burger <-- read about just how "no frills" this join is!), and then headed over to The Henry Ford Museum. TK LOVES museums, digs cars, gets caught up in history - and mom and I don't. That said, The Henry Ford is a cool museum, and I appreciate that Masco (my employer) provides us passes to visit the museum regularly. I'm also very excited to check out the Lego exhibition that is currently at THF.
After checking out the museum, we went over to the Ford World Headquarters building to check out The Wall that Heals. I have to say that Dearborn did not do a tremendous justice to the wall, in that it was set up on sand bags, in the parking lot. Despite the setup, it IS a moving tribute. Dad and I located the name of his neighbor and friend, who passed away just past the height of the war, at the tender age of 20. We talked with volunteers working the memorial and were advised that a permanent memorial is in the works, and that pictures would be appreciated. We're hoping someone in the family/friend network can find a picture of dad's friend.
After leaving the memorial, dad and I headed downtown to 24 Grille in the Westin. I had originally wanted to dine at Roast, a Michael Symon restaurant (since he's a big Cleveland chef and all), but even ten days in advance, I could not get a reservation for a table for two.I have no regrets in taking the recommendation of a coworker of mine. She told me that 24 Grille is great dining, and less pretentious than Roast. She made a very sound recommendation. 24 Grille is more of a bar-like atmosphere, which was perfect because we were there during game 3 of the (dreaded) World Series.Prior to ordering dinner, I had ordered a glass of the 2009 Newton Cabernet (Although this was prior to my vacation, I think Singapore drove home the fact that 2009 Cabs are amongst my faves!), which was quite a nice glass of wine.
Dad and I both perused the menu, and pretty quickly deduced that we would allow our server, Stephani, to choose our meal. She was cool about it! As my notes reflect, her response was "What?!? Okay! Any objection to seafood? A preference for short ribs over steak?" She tipped her hand a bit, but it was all good to us. Oh, and I did make one request...I wanted a side dish of the Brussel Sprouts. I know many people don't like Brussel Sprouts, but both dad and I do really like them.Shortly thereafter, we were served a basketful of warm deliciousness! Asiago cheese bread that was incredibly delightful.
Next came our delectable Brussel Sprouts (huge, flavorful and delicious!)...
and our meals...TK's: Filet Mignon with green peppercorn & ruby red glace de veau, spinach, braised parissiene potato, and herbs.
And my dish: North Atlantic Swordfish with fall corn reduction, autumn relish, and a potato crisp crust.
TK and I both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. Thoroughly! Such flavor in each of our dishes...we each got lost in our dinners.We allegedly cleaned our plates. :)
And, then...dad ordered dessert! Mind you, his preference for dessert is something light, and if possible, fruit-based. No triple chocolate decadence for him! Although I might have ordered something different (had I been hungry enough), the trio of gelato he ordered was quite tasty. The plate contained scoops of lemon, chocolate, and peach (as seen below). I was most partial to the peach, which surprised me! I typically wouldn't reach toward peach. As I recall, TK was most partial to the lemon gelato.Geez...what a wonderful finish to a spectacular day!
Stephani was sweet enough to take a picture of dad and me at dinner. (check out the caption, and feel free to chime in!)
After dinner, TK and I decided to walk downtown for a bit. We were only approximately 1/2 mile from Comerica Park (a fantastic ballpark (that Detroiters call a stadium - grrr...it's a ballpark, not a stadium!)), so we walked in that direction and checked out the incredible energy surrounding the Detroit Tigers in their quest to win an MLB title in 2012. Dad was amazed at the number of people out in the streets, at the infrastructure in the city (the People Mover), and the bars/restaurants in the area. Clearly, news of the "good stuff" in Detroit has still not made it outside of the city limits.Dad's words were something like "Why do people say Detroit has nothing to offer, this city has it all!"In fact, we have giant Tigers!
And, lighted baseballs... in Tigers' mouths!
Dad also dug the mounted police that were on duty during the World Series. This poor woman had SO MANY pictures snapped!
The next morning, we headed back downtown - toward the DIA district - to have breakfast at Good Girls Go To Paris (which I first chronicled here). My dad really enjoys breakfast, but I'm not sure he'd ever choose a crepe place.To quote Taylor Swift - "like, EVER." When all was said and done, he really did enjoy the crepe - we both enjoyed our breakfasts!
I'm so glad that my dad took the time to visit, share some history, personal experiences, and plain-ol'-simple-QT with me. In my book, it was a great weekend. I'm also thrilled that he, an architectural influencer, saw the current delights, as well as the potential, of Detroit.I'm sorry it took weeks to write this post, because it truly was a lovely weekend with my Pops.If you're in Detroit, 24 Grille rates up there in my recommendations!Cheers!Ker