Tigris Restaurant, 620 W 7 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI. 5 out of 10.

I feel bad for Chaldean town (part of Detroit on 7 Mile Rd by Woodward). The neighborhood seems to be disappearing, with fewer and fewer restaurants each time I go there. And the worst restaurants I've ever been to in my life happen to be there (Sullaf, Dennis Julian's). And since it's so close to Woodward, I can see the neighborhood being gentrified over the next 10 to 20 years as Woodward gets developed and eventually adds a light rail up to 8 Mile or further (I hope). Not to say all the restaurants in that area are bad, though. I went to one a few years back called Royal Kobob that was really good and has since been firebombed (see photo below).

This trip I decided to give Tigris a try. For how few restaurants were left, there were a ton of cars parked on the street. As I entered, I smelled cigarette smoke -- I won't specify the source. What I saw was a room full of men playing cards. This was not a restaurant. It was more akin to a casino. I asked a guy behind a counter if I could still order food, and he said yes, so I went for it.

I sat in the non-smoking section, which had fans to circulate the air. The gentleman brought a menu, which was a good sign. I ordered something like a chicken tawook sandwich, but I was paying attention more to my surroundings. Halfway through my meal a guy in a wheelchair stood up and slammed his wheelchair against the wall. Everyone else got quiet and the guy started yelling in a non-English language. People started waving bye to him, but he didn't leave. Then a few minutes later, another guy started yelling angrily back at the first guy and a third guy who was trying to mediate between them. Crazy stuff.

An Iraqi station was on the television. Text scrolled the opposite direction from that of an English news station.

I wondered if the yelling would escalate into violence, and whether the police would show up at any moment. Next thing I knew, a police officer came in the back entrance -- what a relief! But instead of arresting anyone, he took a seat and ordered his usual.

Overall I give Tigris a 5 out of 10. The food was good and the atmosphere was entertaining -- I was on edge the whole time. However, I felt really out of place, and the smoking could turn some people off from eating there.

Vernors!

Chicken tawook sandwich, or something similar

A restaurant that closed

Cars lined up and down the street

Almost got my tire stuck in this manhole

Place I ate at years ago that burned

Tigris from the street

Open late!

Tigris menu

Buddy’s Pizza, 17125 Conant St, Detroit. 9 out of 10.

Most of you have probably been to a Buddy's Pizza before, but how many of you have been to the original location in Detroit? At the corner of McNichols and Conant stands one of my favorite places in Detroit, located in what is now a largely industrial area. Each year Buddy's emails me a coupon for a free 4-square plain cheese pizza, so I decided to use this coupon at the original Buddy's. I had been there once before around dinner time, but the place really comes alive at lunch time. The place was really busy for a Thursday. Way busier than most other places I've eaten.

One of my favorite parts of eating lunch there (by myself) was that there was a bar to sit at. I got the last seat available. Not sure if it was just the time of day that I was there, but Wendy Williams wasn't on TV. Instead, a show called Right This Minute was on, a talk show that critiques viral videos from the internet. I thought it was a local show based on the quality, but it turns out it's filmed in Phoenix. They showed a video of a controlled avalanche, then a lady getting pepper-sprayed. Another TV had ESPN on.

The restaurant was decorated with Christmas lights and Easter eggs throughout. It was April.

I opted to add black olives to my free pizza, which I think cost a little extra. From the time I ordered, it took 20 minutes for the pizza to arrive (timed with stopwatch app). I told myself I was only going to eat two squares and take the rest home, but, needless to say, I left without a to-go box.

I don't remember the specifics, but the waitress was really nice, and she had worked at Buddy's for many years.

I give Buddy's a 9 out of 10 overall. The food was great. I loved the atmosphere. There is a safe, secure parking lot, with police actually eating at Buddy's while I was there. There is a little room for improvement, but overall really good.

Whatever photos I took got lost, but the following image is from Google Maps.