Sherwood Forest Coney Island, 19700 Livernois Avenue, Detroit, MI. 7 out of 10.

Having a family and getting additional responsibilities at work has slowed me down a bit with the north Detroit restaurant reviews (and made me a better person!). However, in August I ate at Sherwood Forest Coney Island. I know what you're thinking....isn't Sherwood Forest from the Robinhood legend? You're right, and it's actually a large area in England. The Sherwood Forest area in Detroit began in 1917, and consists of two subdivisions of homes. More history about it can be found here.

I originally found Sherwood Forest Coney Island (restaurant) on Google Maps. When I arrived, I found it to be a really nice building inside and out, with nice stonework outside and and large windows that provide lots of light. The booths were also very nice, in addition to some tables. Oddly, the restaurant smells like a mcdonalds when you first walk in, but the smell goes away in the seating area. Unfortunately, there was no bar to sit at, so not a super-comfortable place to eat alone. The entry-way appears to be open late since the pick up order area is behind glass.

There was a large selection on the menu, including breakfast items as well as sandwiches and even a full rack of ribs if you're like Frank Underwood from house of cards. As an added bonus, my waitress told me, "I like your hair -- it looks cute like that." Free compliments -- can't beat that!

You don't often hear good news stories, so here's one for you....On his way in to the restaurant, a gentleman dropped some cash on the floor, and some other patrons told him so that he could know to pick it up! Really nice of them.

After a few minutes, I ordered a fish sandwich with swiss cheese. However, the fish taste reminded me of the frozen Van de Kamp's fish my mom baked when I was a kid. They didn't bring tartar sauce by default but they did ask me if I wanted any when they delivered the sandwich. The fish was really hot, which is good because it means it was freshly made or heated.

Overall I give Sherwood Grill a 7 out of 10. I would go back there again, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

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.

Hashbrowns Cafe again, 19458 Conant Street, Detroit. 9 out of 10.

Today I returned to Hashbrowns Cafe, even though I wasn't intending to. First I went to Beijing on 7 Mile, but the door was locked. Then I visited Aunt Bessie's BBQ Ribs and Soul on 7 Mile, but they don't have tables to eat at. Next, I went to Kam's Chop Suey on 7 Mile, but the sign said they don't open until 1pm.

Since I didn't have time to go anywhere else unfamiliar, I headed to Hashbrowns thinking it would be quick. The first thing I noticed was that water was leaking from the ceiling -- buckets were places strategically to catch the water dripping from the browned drop ceiling tiles. I ordered a turkey sausage omelette, but it took about 30 minutes to arrive. The waitress apologized and said it was because the cook had accidentally made it with regular sausage first.

Instead of the usual Wendy Williams Show, a show called Beyond Scared Straight was on. The premise is that kids who are at risk visit really scary prisons. Mostly scary because the prisoners threaten the kids from behind Plexi-glass walled rooms. Not very relaxing while eating lunch.

One thing I overlooked the last time was that the public restroom is kind of hard to get to -- you would actually have to walk through the kitchen to get to it. Because of this, I will lower Hashbrowns to number 3 the next time I post the rankings (behind Dakota Inn and Pete's Grill).

When the omelette finally arrived, it was delicious. But I had to scarf it down to get back to work for a meeting.

Rankings as of 02/28/2014

1. Hashbrowns Café @ 19458 Conant Street 9/10

2. Dakota Inn @ 17324 John R Street, Detroit 9/10

3. Pete’s Grill @ 1400 Outer Drive East 9/10

4. 8 Mile Grill @ 8003 W 8 Mile Rd, Detroit, MI 8/10

5. Marcus Hamburgers @ 6349 E McNichols Rd 8/10

6. Krakus Restaurant, 12900 Joseph Campau St, Detroit 7/10
7. Goldengate Café @ 18700 Woodward Ave, Detroit 7/10
8. Lou's Deli @ 8220 W McNichols 7/10
9. L.A. Coney @ 1700 E. McNichols 7/10
10. Nunn’s Barbeque, 19196 Conant Street, Detroit 6/10
11. Asian Corned Beef @ 2847 E 7 Mile Rd. 6/10
12. The Sandwich Shop, 19153 Van Dyke, Detroit 6/10

13. Kwong Tung Inn @ 3040 E 8 Mile Rd, Detroit 5/10

14. Sullaf Restaurant @ 814 W 7 Mile Rd 4/10  
15. Dennis Julian's Coney Island @ 5 W 7 Mile Rd 2/10

The Sandwich Shop, 19153 Van Dyke, Detroit. 6 out of 10.

Located on Van Dyke by 7 Mile Rd, The Sandwich Shop touts itself as Detroit's finest deli.  I paid a visit a few weeks ago. Parking was available just to the north of the building in a small parking lot. I couldn't believe how much traffic drives up and down Van Dyke Rd -- almost akin to Telegraph Rd on the west side of Detroit.

This was not an area characterized by blight -- lots of business and restaurants adorned the main road. At the particular time I was there, I was the only patron visiting The Sandwich Shop. As I entered, audio from the movie Rocky was blasting at me. A guy behind the Plexi-glass had turned the volume up so he could hear it. The menu featured a variety of sandwiches, and I decided to order a Philly Cheese Steak with no peppers. Unfortunately, it came in a polystyrene box, which isn't biodegradable. The sandwich tasted pretty good -- the steak on it was excellent. The cheese was a strange consistency, kind of like American cheese but white in color. I really liked the onions and mushrooms as toppings. Plus, the side of BBQ sauce they gave me was a nice touch.

After Rocky was over, Shipping Wars was on. One of the truckers was tasked with moving the world's largest drum set. It was specifically to be used for a Christian rock concert. You can read more about it here: http://blog.mydot.com/post/Worlds-Largest-Drum-Set-Plays-for-God.aspx

After visiting, I tried their website (Thesandwichshopp.com), but it doesn't appear to be up and running at the moment. Overall I give The Sandwich Shop a 6 out of 10. The food was pretty good, but I felt kind of awkward sitting by myself while the cooks were on the other side of a Plexi-glass wall. Other deli's like Lou's and Bread Basket are just as good in my opinion.