Travel -: Don't doubt Detroit's dining chops

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Don't doubt Detroit's dining chops Jul 21st 2011, 07:00 DETROIT â€" Stand in Roosevelt Park in front of the empty Michigan Central Station, a hulking train depot that once was one of the biggest in the world, and you could find in its broken windows and decaying facade a metaphor for a dying city. Feel pity if you want, but Detroit and its residents aren't asking for it. They're across the street, literally, eating some of the best barbecue in the country at a place called Slows. And that, in a nutshell, is the dichotomy of downtown Detroit. While the rest of the country has written it off, the city has quietly been building a great food scene replete with star chefs, old favorites and an open-air market that would be the envy of any city. That ethos is exactly why chef Michael Symon opened Roast here three years ago. With a budding empire of restaurants in Cleveland, Symon could have easily ridden a great reputation and an "Iron Chef" title into New York. But he went west instead. "My father was a Ford guy. We were in Detroit quite a bit," Symon said. "We were very familiar with the city and the plusses and minuses. You know, there's something very endearing about the people. They're kind of fierce and bold and very proud of their city, and they want to see it come back." So he opened a place that would feel very at home in New York with its sleek design, a menu of high-end comfort food with Midwestern prices (only a couple of items more than $30) and a lack of pretense. This place toggles easily between a brilliantly finished pork shank and a $4 happy hour burger (which receives near-universal acclaim among locals). If Symon's venture represents the top end of Detroit dining, the bottom, but no less delicious, is a half block south. American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island have been engaged in a more than half-century war for hot dog supremacy. Run by the offspring of Greek siblings, the two share ancestors, styles and a wall â€" they're side by side on Lafayette Avenue. But that's all they share, and diners must choose sides. A Coney is a specific breed of hot dog, covered in cumin-rich ground beef chili, onion and mustard, generally cooked on a flat top. We tried a Coney at each place. Both were fresh and had a good snap to them, and each was served within about 2 minutes of ordering. Which one was better? If I had to choose, I'd say American because of the chili. I just alienated half of a city â€" natives make the decision early if you're either an American or a Lafayette person. Occupying the middle ground is Slows, which began showing up on the national radar a few years ago when Bon Appetit called it one of the best new barbecue joints in the country. That is apt praise for a place that does the big three â€" pulled pork, brisket and ribs â€" exceptionally well. The side dishes of mac and cheese and dessertlike mashed sweet potatoes might be even better. The thought of taking some of the barbecue sauces (especially the apple) home was tempting. Still, as well as you can eat, the most impressive piece of Detroit's food scene is at Eastern Market on a Saturday, when growers fill five mammoth, open-air sheds and sell to a daylong stream of customers looking for fresh produce, flowers, baked goods and more. It seemed like half of the farms in the nearby Thumb region were there selling fresh strawberries, asparagus, greens and potatoes. Mennonite families sold fresh baked goods (including some excellent rhubarb pie, and I don't like rhubarb) while beef and pork producers hawked grass-fed and heritage breed meat. The market area is ringed by butcher shops and seafood sellers, dry goods and restaurants. The thousands there for shopping descend on places like Bert's for ribs and outdoor karaoke or Supino's for pitch-perfect New York-style pizza. The sandwiches at Russell St. Deli inspire lines out the door and onto the sidewalk. To think all of this would be missed if one only thought about Detroit as lost cause instead of a place to be savored. If you go ... Eastern Market 2934 Russell St. 313-833-9300 Michael Symon's Roast 1128 Washington Blvd. 313-961-2500 Slows Bar-B-Q 2138 Michigan Ave. 313-962-9828 Lafayette Coney Island 118 W. Lafayette Blvd. 313-964-8198 American Coney Island 114 W. Lafayette Blvd. 313-961-7758 scavendish@tribune.com

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