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Pickled eggs and bags of chips aren't necessarily the only food at Detroit-area dive bars anymore.
"The dive bar-pop up concept is taking off in Hamtramck," Tom Perkins writes at Model D.
At the end of 2016, nine pop ups are rolling in the two-square mile city's neighborhood bars and dive bars. The fare typically exceeds the surroundings in sophistication, and there's a surprising level creativity, competence, and execution in each operation.
The best part for customers, of course, is that it comes at a lower price than in traditional brick and mortar restaurants.
And it's even possible the trend will jumpstart the dining scene in Hamtramck.
Sweet potato and kale hash at Kelly's Bar.. (Facebook photos)
These are among Perkins' shouts to joints with fancier food than you'd expect:
► Kelly's Bar: Weekend brunch choices from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. include sweet potato and kale hash, bacon Benedict, cheesecake-stuffed French toast, Grilled Deux Fromage with tomato soup, pumpkin spiced pancakes and pulled pork Benedict. A sample menu is at the end of this article.
► Painted Lady Lounge: "Craft pierogi" are served on Tuesday nights by Erica Pietrazyk, a former bartender at the Jacob Street lounge. Her creations include fall harvest pierogi (sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, lemon, clove, Parmesan) and pulled pork taco pierogi that have onions and avocado. On Wednesdays and Fridays, pot stickers are available from Bomb-tons.
Metro Pub on Joseph Campau Street serves weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
► Baker Streetcar Bar: "One can find everything from lamb meatballs to ginger chicken quinoa bowls to Brussel's sprout slaw during Gingersnap at the Baker Streetcar Bar," Perkins writes.
► Bumbo's: "Experimentation and fusion is the name of the game, with Brian Krawczyk artfully building off a Polish base. The recent Polish-Hawaiian menu, for example, could've been a gimmicky wreck in the wrong hands, but Krawczyk is skilled enough to make spam pierogi topped with pineapple crème work. The beet-potato pierogi, or green potato salad (with spinach, peas, cucumber, scallions, dill, parsley, and a mustard vinaigrette) served last week were a little less adventurous, but still unlike anything in Detroit."
The post also mentions Metro Pub on Joseph Campau Street..
-- Alan Stamm
A recent weekend brunch menu at Kelly's Bar on Holbrook Avenue, where dishes may vary from week to week.
