Black Tulip Grille, Wixom Michigan

Stopped in while driving thru Wixom, I'd heard about the place from a local friend and was curious.    The restaurant is in an office building, and the street signage is very visible when driving on Beck Rd.  There  are two menus - one for breakfast, and one for lunch.  I was in a breakfast mood, and asked for that menu.   It's always gives me a good feeling when I see a menu with a handful of interesting choices, instead of a huge menu with a bunch of predictable and boring offerings.   Black Tulip has some very nice choices, and none of the boring stuff.   Feeling like some sturdy fare, I ordered up the Corned Beef Hash breakfast.  Sure, it was late morning, but what the heck!  

What greeted me, upon being served was a very sizable portion of one of my favorite concoctions!    Apparently, the corned beef is bought locally, then prepared to order, and is very apparent since there were visibly  hand cut pieces in the mix - nice to see.   The hash brown bed was nice n' crispy - done to perfection, with that multi-layered golden brown flakiness that is ever so hard to come by.   Three perfectly done poached eggs perched on top of the layers of Corned Beef hash, and potato hash browns, with a slight sprinkle of melted cheddar over the whole lot.  

For fans of corned beef hash, of what I consider a delicacy,  Black Tulip's version is a major home run.   The crispy potato hash, the tender corned beef hash, and the perfect gooeyness of the the poached egg, all combine to elevate the dish to truly awesome proportions.   If one were hung-over, this would truly be a magic bullet of a cure.   However, I was not hung-over, andI really didn't want this meal to end - it was that good.   Chef Dave even brought me over a cup of Chai tea to try - he has a new machine that makes it.  I'm not really a tea guy, but the drink really was an eye-opener and could possibly be addicting!  I'll be looking for that one again.  Also,  the place should have a real bar opening up soon, so those after work folk can have someplace to have a beer/wine and some light chow, before heading home - that's cool.

Great place, and I can't wait to explore the menu a bit.  Czech em out on the intra-netz!
Black Tulip Grill 

Panache 447 - Plymouth, MI

Stopped in for a bite to eat on a Friday nite, with my wife, and inlaws.  I've been to Panache before, and have always wanted to try their Burger, but never got around to it.   They do have an interesting burger for "burger-fans".   If you look at the menu, they have about 24 options for toppings, and also states that you can order ALL the toppings on your burger if you so choose.   I've been wanting to do this since Panache opened, so this was the night!  Of course, my wife was horrified by my decision, and everyone tried to discourage me from this venture, fearing that I'd be plated with a heaping monstrous pile of burger buried by toppings - a sorta giant nacho platter gone horribly awry.......

Our nice waitress, took my ALL OPTIONS burger order, informing me that I'm only the third person to attempt such a feat.   That realization only served to further galvanize my tablemate's prejudice against my uber-burger order - ha ha!  I'll show them!    As I sipped on a pint of Palm Ale (nice option) in Panache's breezy outdoor street patio, I couldn't help but wonder how the kitchen would approach such a feat - pile tons of stuff on the burger, or parcel out each topping in proportionate amounts?

When my burger arrived, I was surprised by it's arrangement.  It was taller than it was wide, almost as if the Leaning Tower of Pisa was now transformed into a burger!   However, all the ingredients were artfully stacked, as to keep the prerequisite radial symmetry so critical in a proper burger.   I decided the best way to tackle the tower, was to just pick it up and dive in.  First bite - a little burger edge, then another small gouge at the upper topping level.  It was awesome....all those little flavors, coming online to my taste buds as I chewed.  Each subsequent bite, offered up a new mystery combination of flavors, all bolstered by a juicy, well grilled 'medium' burger.   The most surprising topping flavor, which I'd never thought would even be good, was the peanut butter - it goes remarkably well with the burger meat.

Ok, ok, no - I did not finish it, but I came darn close.  I could have finished it, but I wanted not to fall asleep when I got home.   All in all, Panache really has something incredibly unique and fun, with this burger.   If you are a burger fan, I encourage you to try this $12.99 wonder.....even if you only get one topping, it's still a well crafted burger.  Top Notch, Panache!