Category Archives: Food

Food

Farmers Market Benefit and Deep-Fry

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It would be a huge personal favor if you would stop in to throw a few dollars in the jar and eat some deep-fried pickles with us. (I might also have some frozen Snickers to throw in there.)

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This Thursday, Skipper of Skipper’s Hamtown Bar and Hillary Cherry of Open Kitchen are hosting a deep-fry party to benefit the Hamtramck Farmers Market.

Beginning at 5 p.m., we will serve deep-fried vegetables from the market, including garlic scapes, pea pods, and kale, and there will also be a tray stocked with a wide variety of pickled Michigan fruits and vegetables if you prefer a lighter snack.

The Hamtramck Farm Market is preparing to apply for 501C3 status and needs $400 for the application fee. Please put $5 (or more) in the jar at the door to help with this expense. The market will receive 100% of the proceeds.

Lenten Fish Frys

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Lent will be over before you know it, so get to a fish fry while you still can. There are 3 special events in the city this year. (Please let me know if I’ve missed one!)

  • PLAV Post 10 has the widest selection of offerings, both of fish and Polish fare: Fresh lake perch, cod, shrimp, pierogi, potato pancake, and combination plates, cooked to perfection by Wally Tripp. Starts at 4 p.m..
  • Hamtramck Moose Lodge – I haven’t been there yet this year, but they usually put out quite a spread. I heard rumors of blackened fish and orders of butterflied shrimp big enough for 3 meals last Friday.
  • New Dodge Lounge – Lenten fish is new this year at New Dodge, courtesy of Fred Zajdel. Last week, he served Manhattan clam chowder and cod. I don’t usually eat clams or fish, but it was delicious. Food will be available from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m..

Hamtramck Food Blog

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[lightbox http://defcode.com/wiki/images/thumb/1/15/Gallon.jpg/800px-Gallon.jpg][/lightbox] Hamtramck never ceases to amaze me with it’s diversity and abundance of interesting, inexpensive, high-quality food. Right in our neighborhood, for sale are big bags of whole cardamom pods, locally smoked turkey, $60 tins of caviar, bulk pickled herring, vimto, kefir, and sweet paan.
A neighbor is always cooking, baking, boiling, smoking, or grilling some awesome-smelling home-cooked meal. I’ve seen neighbors from various parts of the world roasting whole goats in their yards, smoking huge cuts of pork, or drinking tea on the sidewalk.
A trip down any alley exposes our city as avid gardeners. Bushels of squash, greens, peas, herbs, and tomatoes are hauled from our tiny back yards every summer. Seeds from almost every part of the world are grown in Hamtramck soil, the same soil tilled by German immigrants until the industrial revolution.
All this great access to food demands it’s own publication. We’re calling ours Hamtramck Food: Journal of the First Monday Club. So far contributors are Hillary and our neighbors Barb and Tim, all members of the First Monday Club, which was created to celebrate, discuss, and promote Hamtramck food.
You can visit the new weblog here: http://food.hamtramckstar.com.
On the sidebar here, below the recent comments, are links to Hamtramck Food posts, family recipes, fermentation experiments, and garden updates. You’ll also find photos and accounts of The First Monday Club’s visits to area restaurants.
We welcome and encourage readers to contribute. Send your submission, with a photo if you like, to food@hamtramckstar.com
Extra points for using locally obtained ingredients. Perfect English is not a necessity. We would really love to be joined by people who specialize in cooking some of the more exotic ingredients at the local stores.

First Monday Club June Dinner on Tuesday 6/2/09

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Join First Monday diners in supporting Hamtramck restaurants at Bosnia Specialities on Tuesday the 2nd. Appetizers at 6:30; Dinner at 7:00. Followed by drinks at a local bar.
Date: Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009
Time: 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Bosnia Specialties Restaurant
3028 Caniff St Hamtramck, MI 48212
Time: 6:30PM
R.S.V.P. by sending your name and number of guests to: food [at] hamtramckstar [dot] com or through our June Facebook event.
Diners are encouraged to document their meal in some way.

Why the local bacon is better

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For some reason, bacon is a common topic of conversation amongst our peers in Hamtramck. The September/October issue of Cook’s Illustrated includes an article about the differences between artisanal and mass-produced bacon that I thought some of you, both for and against bacon, might be interested in.
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Where to get your paczki

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Paczki Day 2006 (a.k.a Fat Tuesday) is February 28th. You’ve got less than a month to place your paczki order.
New Palace Bakery
9833 Joseph Campau St
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 875-1334
New Deluxe Bakery
11920 Conant St
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 892-8165
New Martha Washington Bakery
10335 Joseph Campau St
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 872-1988
Bozek’s Meat & Groceries
3317 Caniff St
Hamtramck, MI 48212
(313) 368-6752
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Aladdin Sweets & Cafe

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11945 Conant Ave
Hamtramck, MI 48212
Aladdin Sweets & Cafe 11945 Conant Ave [map]
This great little neighborhood restaurant is fast becoming our favorite. I recommend it to anyone who likes indian and thai food. I should also mention that they’re open nearly every time I drive or walk past, even as late as 11. Also some of the dishes are incredibly spicy so ask your waiter if you don’t enjoy the burning.
Appetizers: The Singara is wonderful. Crispy and baked on the outside, soft and aromatic vegetables on the inside. The chicken rolls are addictive with the light green spicy sauce served on the side. An instant hit.
Dinners: My favorites are the Shag Gosth and Dopeaza. It was just the other night that I tried the Shag Gosth, which is simmered goat and spinach. This dish is wonderful and simple. Their goat dishes simmer for no less than two hours before they’re served which makes them amazingly tender.
The crew that runs Aladdin Sweets are super friendly and always tell us to bring our friends. They’re Bangladeshi by way of New York and warmly welcome all their neighbors to share their food prepared “like we make at home”. We’re happy to hear they’ll be soon expanding their operation into an adjacent space so check it out while you can still get a table.

Extra points: On the way out, I dare you get one of the sweets wrapped in a green leaf. Pay your bill and then put the whole thing in your mouth.
Detroit News Artcile
Free Press Article