Dining out with Edible Wow
The World at Your Feet: Multicultural Dearborn
Well known for having the largest Arab-American population in the United States, Dearborn is also home to a kaleidoscopic collection of immigrants from around the globe. One way to tap into the city’s cosmopolitan cuisine: Head to the intersection of Telegraph Road and Michigan Avenue.
Skip the usual fast-food chains to sample some family-run favorites. Dedicated to recipes handed down over generations, many of Dearborn’s beloved unique restaurants have been especially hard-hit by the 2020 pandemic in unexpected ways: Workers are hard to find, restaurants can’t operate at their normal capacity and, with so many customers working from home, even takeout business struggles. Help these treasures get back on their feet—as you discover some unforgettable new flavors.
Bangkok 96
In 1975, 9-year-old Genevieve Vang scrambled into the cargo hold of a plane airlifting people from Laos, her native home, to Thailand. “I ran so fast,” she says. “I was small, but lucky.” Unfortunately, no one else in her family made it aboard, and young Genevieve had to survive on her own in a refugee camp for a few days until they arrived. From there, the family emigrated to Paris, then New York, and finally—”my sixth immigration!” she says, a smile in her voice—ended up in Michigan. In 1996, she and her husband, Guy, opened Bangkok 96.
Just a couple of blocks south of Michigan Avenue, the restaurant dishes up award-winning Thai classics, including their variation of the popular dish Pad Thai, with bean sprouts, egg, green onions and peanuts served atop rice noodles. Fiery curries—you can have the heat tamed—are served over rice, with chicken, beef, pork or shrimp available to add.
Bangkok 96’s success has allowed Vang to open her second eatery, Bangkok 96 Street Food, tucked inside the Detroit Shipping Company in midtown Detroit. The mission for both: “To spread hope and awareness in cultural differences through food and community engagements one bite at a time.”
If awards are any indication, Vang is accomplishing that and more. She received the Reader’s Choice Chef of the Year award from Eater Detroit in 2018, and was a finalist for the James Beard Great Lakes Best Chef Award in 2019.
As for the pandemic, “It’s been a very strange year,” she says. “But I’ve been through a lot. We have to stay positive. We’ll get through it. We will.”
The Spot: Bangkok 96, 2450 S. Telegraph Rd., Dearborn; 313-730-8161; bangkok96.com
Don’t Miss: Hot and Sour Soup draws people back again and again, and BBQ Chicken features specially seasoned grilled chicken atop a mound of rice noodles with a sweet Thai chili barbecue sauce on the side.
Miller’s Bar
Back on Michigan Avenue, just east of Telegraph, Miller’s Bar is “a classic dive bar,” says Eater Detroit with love. The signature dish: its ground round burger, as simple as possible, yet memorable enough to make one of Food & Wine magazine’s Best American Burgers lists.
The secret, says co-owner Dennis Miller, is simply the exact right proportion of fat in the high-quality ground beef. “We don’t use any seasonings,” he said, “other than that grill. It’s been grilling burgers for decades now, so the grill is the seasoning.”
Miller and his brother Mark have kept the family business alive and thriving. Their uncle, George, opened Miller’s Bar in 1941, and their dad, Russell, introduced the burgers. Their clients are just as intergenerational; despite the “Bar” in the title, it’s very much a family operation on both sides of the house. “People get burgers for their kids, then those kids grow up and feed burgers to their kids,” he says.
Still, the pandemic’s been extremely rough. At time of writing, Miller’s was only doing burgers for takeout even though the menu, while limited, has a number of other offerings, including baked beans as a side and grilled cheese sandwiches. Miller looks forward to being able to expand the menu, but more than anything, to have people back in the restaurant at the tables.
The Spot: Miller’s Bar, 23700 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-565-2577; millersbar.com
Don’t Miss: In addition to, of course, the burger, Miller’s has “the absolute best tuna salad in town.”
Alcamo’s
One block south of Michigan, on Schaefer Road, Alcamo’s has been supplying Dearborn with scratch-made Italian specialties for over 55 years.
“When my family began the market, there weren’t a lot of imports from Italy available here,” says Manager Emily Chimento, the daughter and granddaughter of Alcamo’s original founders. So the family began to create their own sausages, sauces and pastas, and worked with vendors to get the best Italian goods to Dearborn.
“Our subs are famous,” says Chimento. She modestly doesn’t mention that they’ve won awards, including MLive’s Best Subs in 2017.
For novices, Chimento recommends a personal favorite sauce: amigilio. “It’s a classic Sicilian mix of tomatoes, garlic and parsley; I really think it’s a must. You can use it wherever you’d use marinara sauce.”
Due to the pandemic, “We’re struggling,” admits Chimento. “Fortunately, I have a great crew, even though we’re down to just a few people.”
Her top advice: “Come hungry.”
The Spot: Alcamo’s Market, 4423 Schaefer Rd., Dearborn; 313-584-3010; facebook.com/alcamosmarket
Don’t Miss: “Our homemade, from-scratch lasagna; people love it. And take some fresh meat home.”
M Cantina
Back in New York City, Junior Merino “cooked for the 1 percent. Now, I can bring high-end 1 percent flavor to the 99 percent,” he says.
Merino grew up in Puebla, Mexico. He lived and worked in the Big Apple en route to Detroit. His company there, The Liquid Chef, served as a consultant to top chefs. But he jumped at the chance to bring luxury taste to a casual atmosphere. M Cantina, created with his business partner Stephanie Villa, is the result.
“People think that the chains are serving Mexican food, but the real cuisine of the country is much richer, more complex,” says Merino. He urges people to start with something simple and familiar. “If a lot of care has gone into the pico de gallo and guacamole and chips? Those are small things. You know that a lot of care will go into the big things as well.”
Top-quality ingredients are essential. “Everything is prepared fresh daily. I don’t want people eating a ton of chemicals. We use organic ingredients, halal meat. The real food of Mexico is amazing. I want people to experience that as closely as possible.”
The Spot: M Cantina, 13214 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-399-9117; mcantina.com
Don’t Miss: “Tlayuda is basically a Mexican pizza. We take a Oaxacan-style flatbread, cover it with mole, cheese and crispy onions. It’s amazing fusion food.”
Taystee’s Burger
Up for another burger? Head one block north of Michigan to Ford Road, then look for the place attached to the gas station between Miller and Wyoming.
Family-owned, Taystee’s has been pumping out award-winning burgers and hand-cut fries since 2014. Founder Ali Jawad uses halal meat to make a slate of unforgettable combos. While many swear by the Original—with lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese and grilled onion—adventurous eaters can fill up on everything from the Hawaiian version with grilled pineapple and Taystee’s Teriyaki to the Mac Attack, which features macaroni and cheese bites.
Leave room for fries—though deciding between ranch, curly, cajun or onion rings may be difficult.
The Spot: Taystee’s Burgers, 10419 Ford Rd., Dearborn; 313-724-6535; taysteesburger.com (A second location is in Dearborn Heights.)
Don’t Miss: Once you’ve tried the Original, dare-eat the Volcano Burger, featuring jalapeños and jalapeño poppers. And definitely order a drink to tame the fire.
Shatila
Just north of Michigan, Warren Avenue offers over a dozen Middle Eastern options (see sidebar). Should you choose to fill up on falafel, shwarma or baba ganoush, head to Shatila afterward for classic desserts.
“My dad, Riad, grew up in Beirut,” says Tania Shatila, who, with her sister Nada is co-vice-president of the company. “When he arrived here 40 years ago, it was before so many people from the Middle East came here, so he started making the pastries from back home.”
Of course they have superb baklava, which they ship to fans around the United States. There’s also knafeh, a shredded dough pastry stuffed with sweet cream or cheese and topped with sugar syrup, and a variety of other lesser-known but equally addictive Lebanese classics.
Given the French influence in Beirut, the family also bakes a variety of pastries that you wouldn’t be surprised to find in Paris. Another unexpected delight: Superb ice cream, made from scratch and featuring a high milk fat content and no preservatives.
The Spot: Shatila, 14300 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-1952; shatila.com
Don’t Miss: “Our mango ice cream is the most popular flavor, but our pistachio ice cream is amazing. And for something really unique, try the rosewater flavor.”
The Dearborn Souk
A stroll down and around Warren Avenue allows for sampling from a dozen different restaurants representing multiple variations on Middle Eastern classics, from no-frills to deluxe.
Lebanese-owned options, all on Warren, include Cedarland, Hamido, Tuhama’s and Al Ameer, winner of a James Beard America’s Classics award. Also try Golden Chicken, which has both classic flatbread and French bread to soak up tasty sauces.
For Syrian food, spiced up with aleppo chilies, try Al Chabab. Iraqi Kabob features that cuisine’s special tangy amba sauce.
Stock up on your own supplies at the Dearborn Meat Market, a quick turn onto Schaefer Road, the street that’s also home to Rafic’s Falafel.
All restaurants are open for takeout during the pandemic and are opening more as mandates are lifted. Support these small family businesses. They—and your stomach—will be grateful.
In each issue, this section spotlights one community in Wayne, Oakland or Washtenaw County, featuring restaurants and food-related businesses we think our readers might enjoy. To recommend a neighborhood or area for an upcoming edibleWOW, please let us know at info@ediblewow.com.
