[jbmcb]

How about a few city guides for tradstauf in different areas? Mostly stores and places to go with a classic style, either shopping, eating, etc... I'll start with Metro Detroit:

Shopping:
The Claymore Shop - Birmingham
Hickey Walton Pierce - The Village, Grosse Pointe
Van Boven - Ann Arbor
Harry the Hatter - Detroit and Hamtramck (Hats!)
Maison Edwards Tobacconist - Ann Arbor (Rediculous selection of shaving and grooming gear - Kent, Truefitt & Hill, Trumpers, Mekur, etc...)

Shopping Areas:
The Village and Hill - Grosse Pointe
Downtown Rochester Hills
Downtown Royal Oak - A bit trendier, but some nice stores and restaraunts, check out Metals in Time watch store and Deco Doug's art deco antiques
Downtown Birmingham - A bit of everything, probably the nicest area to shop
Downtown Ann Arbor - Loads of independant art and clothing stores
The Somerset Collection (mall) in Troy - Full-sized Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren stores, Lacoste, J. Crew, Lily Pulitzer, Nordstrom's, Nieman Marcus, Saks, Tourneau, Tiffany's, etc...

Dining:
Charley's Crab - Troy (occupies an old mansion, great seafood)
Webber's - Ann Arbor
The Gandy Dancer - Ann Arbor (in an old railroad station)
Boodles - Madison Heights (1960's style trad - the waiters wear sailor suits! Tableside cherries flambe...)
Rugby Grille - Birmingham (tableside dover sole, etc... one of the best restaraunts in the area, along with...)
The Lark - West Bloomfield (Not distinctly trad, it's decorated like a Portugese cottage, but the food and service are top notch, with an endless wine list - possibly one of the best restaraunts in the country)
220 - Birmingham (art deco bar and lounge housed in an old Edison Electric Company building)
Schuler's - Marshall (A bit of a drive from Detroit, but an institution in Michigan)
Maggiano's and McCormick & Schmick's - Troy (Faux trad as they are chains, but the decor, layout and menus are classic)

Sightseeing:
Edsel Ford Estate - Grosse Pointe Shores (An English arts-and-crafts style mansion on lake St. Clair)
Fairlane Estate - Dearborn (Henry Ford's estate with seemingly endless gardens)
Meadowbrook - Auburn Hills (The Dodge mansion, one of the largest in the country, with all original furnishings)
The Ford Museum and Greenfield Village - Dearborn (A Smithsonian quality collection of industrial artifacts and buildings, including presidential limos, working trains and steam engines, the Wright brother's bicycle shop and home, the homes of Noah Webster and Robert Frost, etc...)
University of Michigan Campus - Ann Arbor (A classic Ivy-League style college campus, right next to a great downtown area)

 

[bd79cc]

You left out some of my favorites:

Franklin Cider Mill/Franklin Village
Fox Theater
Comerica Park
Cass Corridor/Detroit Art Institute
Palmer Park
Wyandotte Rowing Club.

I'd have dinner at a place off your list if I were with a lady, but in Detroit - with all that great food of all different sorts - I'll usually visit someplace a bit more down home: the kind of place that, for instance, doesn't usually see the carriage trade or credit cards. . .

 

[jbmcb]

I'd have dinner at a place off your list if I were with a lady, but in Detroit - with all that great food of all different sorts - I'll usually visit someplace a bit more down home:

Fair enough

American or Lafayette Coney Island - Detroit
Small World Cafe - Basement of the International Institute, Detroit
Xochimilco - Detroit (Fattening, greasy, and totally incredible home-cooked Mexican)
Phonecia - Birmingham (Probably the king of Middle Eastern cuisine now that the legendary La Shish chain is gone)
Louis' Pizza - Hazel Park (Kitschy pizza joint, with absolutely incredible Detroit-style pizza. People have this stuff Fedex'd when they move out of town)
Sanders' Ice Cream - Grosse Pointe and Birmingham (Another Detroit legend reborn, the Sander's hot fudge cream puff is fantastic)
Toast - Ferndale (First rate breakfast, usually the line goes nearly around the block)
Salvatore Scallopini - Local chain (Simple, inexpensive, and very good Italian - they make most of thier own ingredients)
The Caucus Club - Detroit
Shiro - Novi (Asian fusion in a turn of the century summer house - wierd and excellent)

 

[Ron_A]

This is a nice effort. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor inclination to do something similar for Chicago (nor am I the expert on all things "trad'). However, I appreciate your contribution and will refer to it the next time that I head to the Detroit area.

 

[stfu]

I think this has been done before

I think there is a thread with this type of info in it already, for various cities (and it is a good idea). If/when I locate the thread I will post it.

EDIT: I was slightly mistaken, this is the city guide post on the 'fashion side': https://askandyaboutclothes.com/community/showthread.php?t=69501

 

[bd79cc]

First Topenka's, now this:

https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFDA133AF932A15755C0A967958260

I ate there recently, not knowing it would be the end.

Nice list, jbmcb. And one hell of a follow-up! Thanks.

 

[Jovan]

I'm curious, how can a restaurant be "trad" within the definition I've seen here? What constitutes trad food anyhow? I admit I'm just a little confused.

 

[wnh]

I'm curious, how can a restaurant be "trad" within the definition I've seen here? What constitutes trad food anyhow? I admit I'm just a little confused.

From jbmcb's first post:

Mostly stores and places to go with a classic style, either shopping, eating, etc...

Seems simple enough.

 

[Jovan]

But what do we specifically define as trad eating? Some would consider classic food the hamburger and Coca-Cola, others clam chowder and red California wine. For example, the clothing style of trad is generally defined here as three button sack jackets, oxford cloth button down collar shirts, non-pleated pants, wingtips, ribbon belts and watchbands, repp neckties/bow ties.

Just trying to get a general idea of what I'm in for.

 

[wnh]

But what do we specifically define as trad eating? Some would consider classic food the hamburger and Coca-Cola, others clam chowder and red California wine. For example, the clothing style of trad is generally defined here as three button sack jackets, oxford cloth button down collar shirts, non-pleated pants, wingtips, ribbon belts and watchbands, repp neckties/bow ties.

Don't put too much thought into it. It's really not worth it. The idea--and I think it's a reasonable one--is to make a list for various cities of classic things to do, classic places to shop, classic restaurants to eat in, etc. "Classic" is certainly subjective, but I think the average active member of this forum has a pretty good idea of what the point is. If you don't get it, you don't get it, and that's fine.

 

[Jovan]

Sure, I have a fair idea.

I guess what it comes down to is... I would really like examples of WHAT to try in the restaurants being listed. What dishes make them great and always a sure hit when travelling in Detroit. So for example, when I recommend Leonardo's 706 in my town, I'd say that the personal California style pizzas with gorgonzola, fontina, smoked gouda, and romano cheeses as well as their shrimp scampi are worth a try.

 

[jpeirpont]

But what do we specifically define as trad eating? Some would consider classic food the hamburger and Coca-Cola, others clam chowder and red California wine. For example, the clothing style of trad is generally defined here as three button sack jackets, oxford cloth button down collar shirts, non-pleated pants, wingtips, ribbon belts and watchbands, repp neckties/bow ties.

Just trying to get a general idea of what I'm in for.

There is no such thing.

 

[jbmcb]

I was aiming for places that have been around a while, with an established reputation for good food and service. A couple violate those rules, but, at least, *look* like they've been around forever. Places with a timeless atmosphere.

I think Charley's Crab is a good example of this.

It's a Chuck Muer restaurant, which has quite a bit of cachet in the Detroit area. All the Muer restaraunts are really good, and this is probably the best. The inside is the rescued interior of the mansion the original restaraunt started in. The food is outstanding. The service is perfect (tableside torched creme brulee, lobster cracked at your request, etc...) It's the kind of place you could drop $200 at and feel you've gotten every penny's worth.

It's comfortable. It's classy. I think it's trad.

 

[rojo]

the clothing style of trad is generally defined here as three button sack jackets, oxford cloth button down collar shirts, non-pleated pants, wingtips, ribbon belts and watchbands, repp neckties/bow ties.

What about broadcloth shirts with plain forward-point "tennis" collars, captoe oxfords, leather belts, and foulard ties? Are they not trad?

 

[Jovan]

Just giving examples, sorry. I should have said "includes" rather than "defined as."

Sounds good, jbmcb. Do you ever get on MSN? I'd love to talk to you in real time.