The Cruise Inn in Detroit

Posted on February 11, 2013 by thewineraconteur

In my old neighborhood, the main drag was called “The Highway.”  On the Highway was a very popular fancy restaurant and lounge called The Cruise Inn.  The restaurant was done in dark woods with a nautical theme.  There was a beautiful sailfish mounted over the center of the bar, which was caught by the proprietor.  On one half of the Cruise was the bar section and the other side was a very nice restaurant.  It was one of the premier restaurants in the old neighborhood.

 

 

It was also a haven for all of the Armenian men who grew up together.  If you ever saw the movie “Goodfellas” it had that same feel, as the lounges of that era all were of that genre.  There was always a crowd at the bar, and the tables were filled with other regulars that were there for the steaks and other basic grille dishes.  Also periodically there would be Armenian food offered, which upped the attendance.  As I said there were many regulars that hung out there for extended periods, as this was the norm for that period of time.  I think you could find a card game or two at some of the back tables to keep the men there a little longer.

 

 

It was all good fun, and I remember that at one time, they all started sported a baseball cap, way before that was a normal piece of headgear with TAC embroidered on the crown of the cap.  TAC was for “Thursday Afternoon Club which one of the wags of the group came up with, as a secondary alibi for where all the men would be.  It probably even sounded too good to the bosses at some of the local business that would have their employees go to their “club.”

Mouton-Cadet Boredeaux 1973

 

This period of time from the 1950’s to the 1970’s or so, was the period of cocktails and beers.  What would any man order to go with a porterhouse or rib-eye steak?  The cocktails were even manly back then, with no “frou-frou” type drinks, even for the women that were escorted into the Cruise.  There would also be a handful of assorted wines that could be ordered.  A few red wines and a few white wines were on hand, a few of them would be, whatever the current “hot” label was and the rest were basic wines that were just constantly ordered by the regulars.  One of the regular wines that I recall was Mouton-Cadet, a Bordeaux blend that was from Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Chateau Mouton-Rothschild fame.  This wine was a far removed relative of that classic wine, but it was a fine dependable red wine that suited the clientele and the cuisine of The Cruise Inn.

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Al’s Lounge in Delray

Posted on February 10, 2013 by thewineraconteur

I used to refer to Al’s Lounge as the classiest greasy spoon in America.  I know that it doesn’t sound nice, but Al’s was a great place for a quick dinner.  They had a nice interior, but what made me refer to it as this, was that the menu was a chalk board.  It was quite a gathering spot for the locals of this area, plus a lot of business men and people who worked in the area, when it was a bustling area.

There were always people dining there, and as I said, there were a lot of locals and regulars.  It was the type of restaurant where you would always run into people that you knew.  The menu had a lot of Hungarian dishes, as well as popular diner type food with a Hungarian twist or flavor to it.

I think of it, every now and then because my children would always want to go there.  They would inevitably order the same dish, as if it was an addiction.  I can still hear them say, that they wanted to have roast beef on an open sandwich covered with paprikash gravy.  If Al’s was still open they would still want to go there, just for that meal.

Al’s Lounge mostly dealt in beer and mixed drinks which was very common for the area and the times.  I would just get order a Bordeaux wine, normally as the wine selection was very limited and that would be the type of wine, they would have by the bottle.  Most of the wines were more of a jug type that would come out in a carafe.  Typically I would enjoy a bottle like a B&G (Barton & Guestier) Pontet- Latour which was a generic Bordeaux blend.  This was a good safe wine and would work very well with the dishes that we would enjoy at Al’s.

B&G Pontet-Latour Bordeaux 1972

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An Evening of Two Wine Bloggers and Their Brides

Posted on February 9, 2013 by thewineraconteur

As I started this blog, I had no idea what to expect, nor did I have any belief that anyone would read my recollections, other then perhaps my Bride.  Soon after I had begun, I had a gentleman that started to “follow” my blog and I in turn returned the favor.  We soon had a correspondence between the two of us, not only on our respected blogs, but also we became friends elsewhere as well.

2 Bloggers and 2 Brides

My fellow blogger’s name is Oliver  and I have developed a strong admiration for his writing and his knowledge.  I also have to mention that his blog is called The Winegetter, a play on the Anglicized pronunciation of Oliver’s surname (http://thewinegetter.wordpress.com//).  I have found him to be very Continental in the classic sense of a well educated individual from the Continent, narrowing it down to Germany.  Oliver has a passion for the Riesling wines, especially from his Homeland and is very knowledgeable and words just flow from him about those wine, as well as all of the other wines that he has enjoyed.  I do believe it was Oliver that suggested originally that we get together to meet, as he is living in Ann Arbor at the moment, and I am in Livonia.

Nina and Oliver

As we started to communicate about possible restaurants that the four of us could meet at, I suggested a couple of ideas, because one always has to check if there are food allergies or potential problems, so as not to have any problems during the evening.  We settled on a fine little café called Amadeus in Ann Arbor, where my Bride and I have dined before.  I would say that the restaurant is more of an Austro-Hungarian themed eatery as there is an Eastern European flavor of the cuisine.  Oliver told me that the menu reminded him of comfort food, so we made plans to finally meet.

MI Amadeus BC

The restaurant is an old retail establishment and they have tables in the part of the building that would have been windows displaying the wares of the establishment in days gone by.  We all met and had a table in one of the windows, which was perfect as we could enjoy our conversations away from the other diners.  What wonderful conversations we had, talking of past trips and about wines, of course.

Lan Rioja Crianza 2008

We enjoyed appetizers and salads.  The dinner plates were very filling, plates of pork, salmon and beef with potato pancakes and more.  The food this evening was secondary to the conversation, as it was if we were two old friends that had found each other after years of separation.  From our writings, we were friends before we had even met.  The wine list contained about three to four dozen choices of wines to choose from, and it was a very eclectic mix of wines.  One would surmise that with the choices of the menu, that it would lean more towards French, German and Hungarian wines.  While all three countries had offerings, there were also wines from other parts of Europe as well as from the New World.  I was curious to see what wine Oliver would select, as I saw a couple of wines that I would have chosen.  He had selected a Rioja wine, and then we had to decide between two different Rioja wines, and our waitress said that the Lan Rioja was the proprietor’s favorite wine, so that made the selection for us.  The wine Lan Rioja Crianza 2008 was made exclusively from the Tempranillo varietal and it was subtle enough that it worked with the assortment of entrée plates that we were enjoying.

Tokaji Aszu 4 Puttonyos 2001

After dinner we also enjoyed a nice dessert wine a Tokay Aszu 2001 with 4 Puttonys which indicates the level of sweetness with 5 Puttonys being the sweetest.  It was a fine way to end the evening’s camaraderie, and we look forward to meeting with them again, and until then, we shall read each other’s blog.

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The Atheneum in Detroit

Posted on February 8, 2013 by thewineraconteur

There is something about the glamour and mystique of old Las Vegas and any of the old casinos of yore.  Unfortunately the modern edifices of Lady Luck may have the glitz and the bells and whistles, the aura is different.  Now I have been known in my youth to have made a wager or two, now a days I prefer to wander the casinos and people watch.  My Bride and I go to Las Vegas at least once a year these days, but it is to visit our immediate family rather then to wager the mortgage payment.

MI The Atheneum MB

 

Closer to home, there are now three casinos in downtown Detroit and they appear to be relatives of Las Vegas, but once or twice removed.  One of the casinos is located in the area know as Greektown, and this was an area that I frequented years ago, when it was “Greektown” and not a tourist trap, but that is another tirade.

Beaulieu Vineyard Chardonnay Reserve Carneros 1998

 

My dear Bride attends different board meetings and occasionally I get to tag along for dinner and some of the perks.  Once we went to the Atheneum Hotel and Conference Center which is the hotel part of the Greektown casino.  It is a hotel with the trappings of Las Vegas Detroit style.  It is very nice and I am glad to see that there is a renewed interest in people going downtown.

Beaulieu Vineyard Merlot Napa 1998

 

The meeting was held in a banquet room, as opposed to a sequestered room in one of the restaurants in the casino.  It was a very nice affair with an appetizer, salad and a derivation of a “surf and turf” entrée, followed by a dessert and coffee.  It was a very pleasant way to spend an evening and to renew acquaintances.

Beaulieu Vieyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 1998

 

The planning committee perhaps working with the hotel banquet facility offered a choice of three wines for the evening and they were all from Beaulieu Vineyard of Napa Valley, California.  The winery is referred to as BV by a lot of people as a form of shorthand, which works.  The wines offered that evening were Chardonnay, Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon.  These are all good picks of the basic wines of Beaulieu Vineyard and I am sure that if I had been asked, I would have chosen the same three types of wine to offer as a variety.  After the dinner meeting, the majority of attendants decided to try their luck and I guess that I cannot blame them.  As the old saying goes “the casinos are not built off of the winners.”

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Vince’s in Detroit, Michigan

Posted on February 7, 2013 by thewineraconteur

Contrary to the old saying, you can go back home again.  Though the neighborhood has changed as well as the store fronts, one of the old establishments of my youth has still prevailed.  This establishment is known as Vince’s.  When I was a kid, they were a pizzeria on the corner, and I always remember going there to get a pick-up order and they would collect the money and deliver the pie through the top half of a screen door, where the screen had been removed.  There had always been a lively debate among the locals of who made the best pie, and Vince’s has been in the top two of that debate since I can remember.

MI Vince's BC

 

Over the years, Vince’s has evolved from the pizzeria to a little “Mom and Pop” restaurant, to today where there is a full restaurant with back rooms for groups and parties.  They are still known for their pizza, but they also pride themselves on their home-made pastas and some great veal dishes.  Even though the restaurant has changed over the years, they still have that great “Mom and Pop” feel to it, and have survived all the economic changes that has befallen the city of Detroit.  They proudly hang an autographed picture of “Old Blue Eyes” himself, Francis Albert Sinatra.  You really can’t get much more Italian then that.

 

 

I was just there for a planning meeting and we met in one of the back rooms.  Somehow I was bestowed the honorary title of President for this year’s reunion.  As funny as it may sound, we are planning the Third annual non-year reunion for Wilson Junior High School in Detroit.  I say funny because most people talk about their High School reunion, but Wilson Junior High School has more great memories for the alumni, then their assorted High Schools will ever have.

Bolla Bardolino 2010

 
While most of the committee ordered beers to go along with the two big party pizzas, I opted to order a bottle of wine with some extra glasses, but I had no partakers of my largesse.  I had ordered a bottle of Bolla Bardolino 2010.  Now Bolla is a big supplier of blended regional wines from Italy and this was a decent bottle of Bardolino.  This wine is the lighter wine from Verona which also gives the world Valpolicella and Amarone wines.  Bardolino wines have a majority of Corvina grapes, and then blended with Rondinella and Molinara varietals which produce this distinctive wine with its unique aftertaste that just seems to be enjoyable with traditional Italian food.

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The Old Fish Market in Windsor, Ontario

Posted on February 6, 2013 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I were in downtown Windsor one day just making a day of it, shopping and acting like tourists.  We were getting hungry for a late lunch when we wandered into The Old Fish Market.  The outside did not give the appearance of a sea food restaurant as there were emblems of a coach and horses and in close proximity to one of the establishments known in the vernacular as “The Windsor Ballet.”

 

ON The Old Fish Market MB

It was a summer afternoon day and as we walked by, there were very enticing aromas of prepared fish in the air, so we walked in.  The restaurant, more of what I would call a tavern, in Canada was a bar with a band stand and a nice menu that we looked at before we decided to go in and have lunch.

 

 

It was a more casual menu, but they proclaimed to be purveyors of fresh fish served properly.  I really got a kick out the slogan “Just for the Halibut.”   My Bride had halibut and I had some trout.  Since we were having a late lunch, we didn’t mind that this was more of a bar, then a restaurant, but the service and the food was very good.  The food matched that good aroma we discovered as we were walking by.

B&G Vouvray 2003

 

Since it was the summer time, I ordered a bottle of Barton & Guestier (B&G) Vouvray 2005.  This company has always been a safe haven, both as a distributor of single estates as well as a Negociants of fine district wines.  Vouvray is a district in the Loire Valley and they are known for a good dependable dry white wine made from the Chenin Blanc varietal and the chalky terrain that adds to the unique taste of this wine.

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L’Auberge de la Bastille in Windsor, Ontario

Posted on February 5, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This restaurant was owned by the same people as Ye Olde Steak House, but it was much more casual in atmosphere and it its cuisine.  I would say that L’Auberge de la Bastille was more of a bistro, before that word became bandied around.  They also were more French Canadian, then French in their cuisine.

ON La Bastille MB

 

The restaurant offered perch fillets done in wine, poached salmon and lamb dishes.  Since I had grown up eating lamb at home, I had an innate bias against trying lamb that was not prepared in the dishes that I was used to.  This was the first time that I had ever encountered crepes as an entrée, rather then as a dessert, which they also offered.  At that time, I had never tried salmon, which I later discovered can be wonderful, I opted for the seafood crepes, which were about as adventurous as I was to be at that young age.  As I look back I was very parochial in my views and selection of foods, and dare I say, I still am.

Veuve du Verney Brut Blanc de Blancs

 

As for the wine with the dinner I tried a sparkling wine from the Bordeaux district.  The wine is a non-vintage bottle of Veuve du Vernay Blanc de Blancs Brut.  There is no way the French would allow this wine to be called a champagne, as it is not from the proper area, and of all places Bordeaux, but it was a fun wine.  This sparkling wine is a combination of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Colombard varietals which were blended in a very flavorful way.  If you ever see this wine being offered, go ahead and try it, to discover a totally different wine offering from Bordeaux.

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Ye Olde Steak House in Windsor, Ontario

Posted on February 4, 2013 by thewineraconteur

As I continue my memories of that far and exotic land of Canada, another fine restaurant was Ye Olde Steak House in Windsor, Ontario.  I have always felt that Canadian steakhouses have a different feel about them then their American counterparts.  The old steakhouses in Canada were more genteel and had a charming “old-school” feel to them.  Ye Olde Steak House was no exception.

ON Ye Olde Steak House MB

 

Since my Father’s family had grown up in Windsor after moving from Hamilton, Ontario we spent time in Windsor.  I always felt that Windsor was more of a suburb of Detroit, then a city of its own, but that may have been because I remember Detroit in its hey-day and Windsor was still quiet and had not blossomed to the city it has now become.

 

 

Ye Olde Steak House specialized in steaks, of course, and they also had seafood.  They were known for their prime rib, and it was the first restaurant that I ever went to that wrapped fillets with bacon.  They had a classic shrimp cocktail and a good basic salad that accompanied their steakhouse menu.  The service was excellent, in that very “old school” tradition and it just helped with the feeling of elegance.  This was a restaurant to go to for that classic two to three hour dinner, and cocktails were king at the time.  They also had a stellar Black Forest cherry torte for dessert.

Ch Guiraud-Grimard 1975 Bourg

 

The wine list was not large, but at the time very few places had large wine lists, as it was not as popular as it has become today.  When I was there, in my youth I felt that French wine was the only thing to order, of course, to be truthful, that was what was usually carried.  The American wine revolution was just under way, and in Canada wine was not being produced like it is today as well.  I remember being proud of myself for trying a lesser know area of Bordeaux, the Cotes de Bourg.  The wine was listed under Bordeaux and even the label says Grand Vin de Bordeaux, because that is the type of wine produced from this area.  I had a bottle of Chateau Guiraud-Grimard 1975 and it was just a great choice to pair with a steak.  While the Cotes de Bourg is not as lush and bold as a First Growth, neither is it priced like one.  This area reminds one of a Bordeaux Superior or even some wines from the Medoc.  It is well worth the investment, I feel, as it is easy on the wallet and yet it still delivers that taste, one is looking for in a Claret.

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La Guardia in Windsor, Ontario

Posted on February 3, 2013 by thewineraconteur

Since I feel like being so continental and going to a foreign land, one restaurant memory recalls another.  One of my late Father’s favorite restaurants was La Guardia, which was located in downtown Windsor.  It was a charming Italian restaurant with dim lighting and tables a little crowded together.

ON La Guardia MB

 

We would start off with an Antipasto plate as this is my favorite type of an appetizer and I can call it a salad.  They make a great bowl of Pasta Fagiole which I always seem to request.  The first time we were there I was touted to have their Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp.  I was told it was the richest version of this dish that I would ever had.  I had to wait for another time to try one of the great veal dishes, as I ordered the fettuccine.  I have to admit, it was extremely creamy with a wonderful Parmesan cheese flavor.  So often I have had this dish where the cheese must be inferior and it hinders the taste of the dish, but not that evening.  The dish was so rich; I could barely finish my meal, so I was a happy camper.

Antinori Orvieto Classico Campogrande 1992

 

Since I knew that I was going to be having the Fettuccine Alfredo I wanted to order a white wine for dinner.  I settled on a bottle of Orvieto Classico Campogrande Secco 1992 by Antinori.  The Antinori firm is a large wine house of Italy and I have never been disappointed by their wines.  An Orvieto Classico is from Umbria in Italy and is known for its unique straw colored wine.  It is typically made from Grechetto, Procanico (Trebbiano), Verdello (Verdelho), Drupeggio (Canailo Bianco) and/or Malvasia Bianca varietals.  This wine can be found both secco (dry) and abboccato (sweet).  I was also very happy when this wine was presented in a classic wine bottle as opposed to the pulcinella, which is a straw covered flask.  This wine paired very well as it did not fight the richness of the dish.

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La Cuisine in Windsor, Ontario

Posted on February 2, 2013 by thewineraconteur

Be it ever so humble there is no place like home and that describes La Cuisine in downtown Windsor, Ontario.  The restaurant was located on the second floor above a retail shop and was probably the original shop owners residence in past days, when this was a common occurrence.  When we felt like having dinner in a foreign land where else but a quick trip to Canada.

 

The restaurant was in a flat that had been converted into a restaurant with seating in what would have been the parlor, dining room and one of the bedrooms.  Where the original kitchen was, had been maintained, but the wall to the dining room area had been removed so that you could watch the chef prepare all the meals.  The wall behind him was covered with assorted accoutrements of the trade, all neatly arrayed waiting for his hand to grab an item for the next dish.  The restaurant was a family affair, the chef was behind the stoves cooking and his wife was the hostess and also the waitress.  Such a lovely couple, they greeted everyone as if you were entering their home.  During one of our trips there we were informed that the Chef had at one time worked in early television in a soap opera, whether that was in France or Canada, I can not recall.  This may have been lore that they created for him, but he was quite theatrical and he would regale the diners if they were seated I the dining room area of the flat.  He would sing, tell jokes and stories all the time he was preparing the dishes.  Knowing this, we also requested a table in the dining room area to savor the experiences even more.

 

We always enjoyed starting of with a Foie gras that originated in Montreal and was served with very buttery covered toast points and a Madeira sauce.  We always diverged on the salads, because they were so different.  There was a Salade de Provence with a tarragon dressing and a Montmartoise that had a lot of “stuff” on the salad (my preference).  Over the years we had sampled his Bouillabaisse, which had his secret ingredient of a touch of Pernod.  There were times when we tried his Beef Marchads de Vin, a house Terrine and Lamb Provencal.  We also seemed to end our meal with a crepe of bananas and chocolate that was sinfully rich.

Chateau des Charmes Brut Niagara-on-the-Lake

The wine list was always small and selected by the chef to complement what he was serving and the list always was different.  I always felt that he shopped for the wines after he shopped for the daily ingredients as the menu always seemed to have something new.  One night we were celebrating and we picked a bottle of champagne that was from the Niagara Peninsula, made in the Methode Traditionelle by Chateau des Charmes in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  This was a non-vintage bottle of champagne, but it fit the bill as the evening was full of enjoyment, good food and great entertainment furnished by the chef and the waitress.

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