Chick-fil-A - @@@

First Chick-fil-A in Michigan at DTW. Had a few chicken sandwiches on Thursday as I got back from Rhode Island. They taste the same as in other locations which is a good thing. Best quick serve chicken sandwich in my opinion. If possible try a direct comparison between this and another quick serve - I did at ATL and noticed the difference immediately.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Terminal A by gates 70+

O Dinis - @@@@

Honestly this beef "stew" wasn't even that good. It's chunks of top round or something cheap, potatoes, and linguisa/chorizo thrown in a pot with this non-thickened liquid (can't even call it a gravy) and presented as stew. Really?? Carrots...Nope. Onions...None found. But then a 4 of 5?? How and why?

The reason is this liquid of the stew was so flavorful I can't describe it. When you dip the Portuguese bread rolls into it, there is some weird flavor transformation at work. I tried the liquid by itself...its not that special!! But it is. When asking the waitress what's in it, she replied "it's Portuguese and takes a long time to make". Well that helps none at all. I can't place the flavors. I can see oil from the sausage and probably some olive oil in there. It's heavily red tinted so guessing some paprika or slight tomato derivative. I think tomatoes are too acidic usually so I would doubt there is much of that there. What little herbs appeared to be somewhat fresh parsley that I don't think would contribute much. A very slight and subtle spicyness but would surely pass as "mild". To me it does taste like a liquid Portuguese sausage I would imagine. I just don't know. I do know though that the bread and liquid is an amazing meal all by itself. I guess that's why I didn't think the meat and potatoes were that good, and this is coming from someone that is all meat and potatoes all the time. They were just overshadowed by the star.

Otherwise this neighborhood Portuguese restaurant is the place to be. Packed on a Wednesday, the food is served rather slowly but amazingly hot. It took upwards of an hour to get my food but I think it is worth it. They say this beef stew special is every Wednesday but I want to come back for their bife a casa as well (I had it a while ago and remembered that I thought it was better than Madiera). I am picturing a small kitchen with food cooked to order. This is my current pick for best Portuguese in RI and will surely be back. Careful though as they are closed on Tuesdays.

579 Warren Ave
East Providence, RI 02914

Schoop's - @@@

Just wrote up the review of the hamburger at Schoop's which I thought was really good. I also had another sandwich and some various sides that I figured I would write up separately.

I actually first ordered the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich as I was instantly intrigued by it. This curiosity started earlier in the year when I read a serious eats article about the origins in the Midwest. When I saw it on the menu, I couldn't help but order it to try. It is this massive breaded tenderized piece of pork which to me tasted more like the loin rather than tenderloin. I say this because I thought it was a bit dry and tough, and also due to the size it would be hard to get the tenderloin that large. Obviously could be wrong but that was my impression. It was topped with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; reading some comments in the original article it sounded like mustard is the more traditional condiment. Also due to the somewhat perfect round shape, I am wondering if it was a premade patty. Because I thought it was a bit dry, I would give it a @@ with the complete disclaimer of no other baseline.

Also pictured are the fries which were decent but nothing to write home about. Thus I will not write about them; they are standard restaurant fries that were served fresh out of the fryer (a good thing).

Not pictured was the meal-capper...a salted caramel ice cream sundae. This was quite good, creamy and no doubt unhealthy. Handmade in front of you, the small was pretty large (20 ozs maybe??) and they had a large 32 oz monster that would be completely crazy. I had a 3 hour drive in front of me and didn't even finish the small. That's a lot of sugar!! The only bummer about the shake was that I was hoping it would keep me awake on the drive home but still had to stop at two rest stops on 94 for a quick nap. I would give it a @@@ with an extra point maybe for the size.

Overall would recommend the hamburger with fries and a shake. Solid combo and served hot and quickly if you are in the need for a quick bite. Also good to hang out at as they have little jukeboxes at each booth and seemed like a good local joint.

Original serious eats article:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/01/best-breaded-pork-tenderloin-sandwiches-midwest.html

Schoop's Hamburgers - @@@@

Out in Chicago for the weekend and stopped on the way back to go out to eat with a friend who lives on the IL/IN border. I wanted a burger and she recommended a local spot called Schoop's that serves a thin, griddled burger and is an Indiana landmark.

Sounded good to me so we checked it out. It is a definite throwback style restaurant in that it has a few booths and a short bar area to sit at. Reminded me of a diner but cleaner. For the hamburger, it was really good. I only got the single with cheese but it was really beefy and served piping hot. Lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise were already added on and was between a soft toasted bun. As you can see, the patty itself was bigger than the bun which is always a good thing. It had a nice crust to it; and though a server didn't know for sure how it was made I am assuming it is on some griddle-like apparatus. The patty is also thicker than I would assume and balanced out the burger well.

I would recommend trying this burger place out if you are in the northwest Indiana area. Good, affordable burger with friendly and quick service.  Thanks Elizabeth for the recommendation!!

215 Ridge Rd
Munster, IN 46321

Paris Baguette - @@@

Who knew that this seemingly French bakery would be run by Koreans?? I guess that's LA for you. We went here for a brunch-ish activity while in town for a wedding and had some pretty good items.

I personally penalize it on the basis of not loving sweets and rather having savory foods especially for a meal. Nonetheless had some unique (for me at least) dishes. Besides the obvious cookies - which were a great touch on the day - I had some sausage roll (top left), cronut (top right) and my favorite some strawberry pastry with cream. Please note the grease from the cronut in the picture...I'm sure it was a super nutritious way to start the day!

For those that enjoy some good baked goods, come here if you get a chance. It is Asian style in that you grab a tray and the items are all in plastic self serve containers so you can examine and choose your selections as you wish.

1659 W Orangethorpe Ave
Fullerton, CA 92833

Moodaepo Fullerton - @@@@

Massive amounts of all you can eat Korean bbq in Fullerton. Went late at night and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of patrons. This is just an unseen phenomenon in Midwest places like Detroit. Quality was as good as I could've wanted and they did not seem phased at all by repeated orderings of beef brisket (left) and bulgogi (right). Also pictured is teriyaki chicken which was alright. Would take the beef any day of the week. Only bummer was the tiered pricing which limits the amount of kalbi to be consumed. Since I went with my younger cousin who had never been there, we stuck with the basics as at the end of the day it is "meat".

Only hesitation in returning next time I go out to the area is the numerous other Korean spots to check out. Again in Michigan I would be a repeat visitor.

Pro tip: if going to eat lots, make sure you go with a college track athlete that can consume the same if not more than you so you don't seem insane at your old age. Thanks Dave!!

1841 W Orangethorpe Ave
Fullerton, CA 92833

El Paisa - @@@

I'm torn between a 3 and 4. The good was pretty tasty, I mean by far the juiciest steak I have had at a South American restaurant. The other stuff was just so so though, I have had better chicharron, beans were not special and not enough rice.

This place got really good yelp reviews and with Colombia coming up I wanted to whet my appetite. I ordered the standard bandeja colombiana which has rice, beans, salad, potato, yuca, banana, fried pork, and meat. Oddly no fried egg or avocado sadly. By far the winner was the steak, a sirloin well worth the $1 up charge. Oh yeah, this was $14. The steak was juicy and seasoned well, and with tons of juice on the plate I wish there was more rice. Instead the rice was on the side plate with everything else. Nothing really stood out to me on that plate but overall was good.

I also somewhat foolishly started with an arepa de chocolo, basically a large yellow corn bread with Colombian cheese and a side of chorizo. The chorizo was clearly homemade as it did not have a ground consistency but rather "chunks" of stuff in it. Sounds worse than it was, and it was freshly grilled to burn my mouth. The corn bread, not cornbread, was alright but much better than the dry arepas I have had in the past.

All in all, so full. Food was left on my plate and that is kind of rare. Would definitely come back, maybe to look for just the sirloin, rice and bananas. Good nonetheless and tons of food.

598 Dexter St
Central Falls, RI 02863