Thursday, November 22, 2007

Aleko's

We made an unplanned and unscheduled stop last night at Aleko's Restaurant & Tavern. So, since this visit has now knocked them off of our list of non-chain restaurants, I felt it was only fair to give them a review.

Aleko's is supposedly known for their ribs and pasta. My son vouches that their ribs are very good, but given our appetites the night before Thanksgiving we settled for a smaller items. I had their Cajun Shrimp Club. This was very tasty and spicy - just like I like it. Ira had their burger and said it was pretty good. We enjoyed our sandwiches and fries with a beer each and were pleased and full. The atmosphere was very nice and I can say that their parking lot is usually packed if either one of us drives by on the weekends. Since this was just a quick stop, we did not try any appetizers or desserts. But, since we enjoyed what we did have I will give them a 4 stars out of 5. I am sure we will go back and after a more thorough visit I may re-rate them at that time.

Aleko's Restaurant and Tavern - 7476 M-36 (Hamburg Plaza) Hamburg, MI 48139

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Bugsy's Sports Pub

This weekend was not supposed to be Bugsy's Sports Pub, it was supposed to be Bella Luna, but to our surprise Bella Luna is closed on Sundays. So, we will be saving that dinner for the end of December. Due to a matter of location, we chose Bugsy's Sports Pub. Now, I like a sports bar more than the average female, but let's be honest it is not exactly the place to expect fine dining, but here is the review...

Bugsy's Sports Pub - CLOSED
106 S. Lafayette, South Lyon, MI 48178

As for decor, it was modern and represented Michigan and Detroit sports. However, it is a pub, so it was smokier than I like. Most sports bars do at least have a non-smoking section, but if they had one I didn't see it.

The menu had a lot of variety - pizza, pasta, burgers, salad, wraps, mexican, seafood, steaks, and burgers. Whatever you have a taste for they should have it or something close. We started with cream of mushroom soup which was very tasty. I don't necessarily agree with serving the soup before the appetizer, but I think it was to space out the courses since the dip needed to be warmed up while the soup was already ready. Our appetizer was spinach and artichoke dip. I will just say better than Applebee's, but my homemade dip and The Blarney Stone still reign at the top. So, it was better than average, but not superior.

Lastly, our meals, which both get an average rating at best. My boyfriend had ribs with fries and I had fried walleye with a baked potato. While both the meals were okay, we agreed that they both lacked flavor.

All in all, I would give it a 2 1/2 out of 5, but in reality it's a sports bar, so it is what it is. The bonus of our unexpected and unresearched dinner is that our Blue Moon's were $1.50 each. I am not sure if this was a mistake, but if it wasn't, that alone would make me visit Bugsy's again just for the beer.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Mariachi Mexican Restaurant

Mariachi Mexican Restaurant - CLOSED
1759 N Canton Center Rd, Canton, MI 48187

My first thought when we walked in was...small. However, once we were seated for dinner we forgot how small the place is. The menu has a lot of options from fresh guacamole to burritos to carnitas to shrimp. The staff is superfriendly and because the restaurant is small they are easy to find. The free salsa and chips are fresh and fabulous.

We had the appetizer of chorizo con queso which was fantastic. I had the chicken burrito which was wonderful and my boyfriend had the pork carnitas which he could not stop eating. We ended our dinner with the fried ice cream which we may have finished in record time. Summary - 100 different tequilas ($4 - $35 per shot), various drink options, friendly staff, and great food. We will definitely visit this restaurant again.

I give it 5 stars.

Menu - http://www.mariachimexican.com/menu.html