Union Street - 4145 Woodward Ave. Detroit MI 48226 - Phone: (313) 831-3965

General thoughts - I've been there many times and have never had a bad meal there, I honestly don't know if it's even possible. The best thing about going the night we did was that they served $5 martinis and $5 appetizers. The atmosphere is very cozy, awesome place to go for a night on the town. And unlike a bunch of other restaurants in Detroit, this one does open on Monday nights.

Foods tasted - Mac & Cheese w/ Wings, Lobster and shrimp Casino, Blackened (Tilapia?) with Jambalaya

Thoughts -

1. Mac & Cheese w/ Wings - This was one of the $5 appetizers. Honestly, 2 orders of this and I would've been a perfectly happy camper. Their wings were not those scrawny little things and the mac & cheese was delicious and not over done where the cheese starts breaking down. Like the apptizer "menu" says, it came with a lemon tequila BBQ sauce. Couldn't quite taste the tequila or lemon distinctly, but the bottom line is that those 2 elements made normal BBQ sauce that much better.

2. Lobster and shrimp Casino - I honestly don't think I found any actual pieces of lobster, but it does come with a lot of shrimp. Perhaps they used the lobster in form of a lobster broth to cook the pasta in? I don't know, but either way, it was THAT good. I love cooking but there's no way I can imitate that. It had a lot of shitake mushrooms and garlic in it, that's for sure. The sauce was very buttery. It was well worth every penny.

3. Blackened (Tilapia?) with Jambalaya - This one isn't on the regular menu, it was a Chef's Special. It's not even on the website's menu anymore. There was a good amount of blackening seasoning on the fish, and the rest of the components in the jambalaya was very good as well. I'm a person that loves salt, but quite honestly, this dish was a bit too salty even for me. I'm sure for someone out there, it's just right.

Final thoughts - Was it Very Yummy In My Tummy? Yes. Will I go back? For sure. I really like the feel of the place. It's a great place to go before a Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert because it's right down the street. It's slightly dark in the restaurant, but not in a bad way at all. It's a great date place. As always, I'll put more pictures on this the next time I go.

Sticky Lips BBQ - 625 Culver Road, Rochester - (585) 288-1910

Sticky Lips BBQ menu

General thoughts - We went there in a group of 30, taking over the whole patio of the restaurant. The service was great, I can't say the same for the chefs/cooks. The food was great, but it took them 3 tries to get my order right. It was very clear at the time of ordering, but the first time it came with a wrong "meat" and the second time, came with the wrong sides. I understand the server was busy, but still, shouldn't she check the dish that came up against her order sheet to confirm it's correct before bringing it out to the guest? It would've saved her a lot of time if she checked it. Good thing that quality of the food made up for it. The atmosphere of the restaurant is cool too. It is covered with pictures and articles frm the 40's to 60's. Stuck on the ceiling are playing cards that have been signed by different people.

Foods tasted - the Lana Turner (Texas beef brisket, 1/4 Uncle Frank's chicken - leg/thigh, Chorizo cheddar grits, Collard greens), Mac & cheese, Pulled pork, sweet potato fries.

Thoughts -

1. Texas beef brisket - This is as close as it gets to the brisket I had in Austin, TX that I still dream about. Super tender, very succulent, and it tasted great with the Sticky Lips All-American BBQ sauce. Definitely a good choice. I was so excited as soon as I saw the neon sign for the brisket on the window, and they certainly didn't disappoint.

2. Uncle Frank's chicken - It was roasted and tasted excellent. It was well seasoned and tender. I was able to cut the beef off from the bones very easily. Also a good choice. I'm so glad I kept bugging them to get my order right.

3. Chorizo cheddar grits - It was very creamy and cheesy. I don't think I actually tasted a piece of chorizo, but I bet they cook the chorizo then use the oil leftover to cook the grits and so they get to call it chorizo cheddar grits. Regardless, it was delicious.

4. Collard greens - I love collard greens, and these were well made. They've obviously done this more than once or twice. No additional seasoning was needed.

5. Mac & cheese - It was ok. I'm glad I didn't get it or I would've been disappointed if I chose this when I could choose to eat the grits instead.

6. Pulled pork - Also very tender. I tried my brother's pulled pork and it was very good. I enjoyed it a lot but I love brisket so much more.

7. Sweet potato fries - I've never had sweet potato fries that are actually covered in cinnamon and sugar, which actually was a good idea. The chefs were smart to enhance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes by covering them with cinnamon and sugar. They could've easily over coat the fries with too much cinnamon and sugar, but I think they covered it with just enough to make it taste good without making me think it was too sweet and I'd have to scrape off some excessive cinnamon and sugar.

Final thoughts - Very Yummy In My Tummy? Definitely. Would I go back? Sure. However, I honestly don't know when I would be doing that since Petros has now graduated from RIT and who knows if he's be back to Rochester when he finds a job. It was definitely a good find, and I highly approve. I'm still hoping to go back to Rudy's someday, because their food is just that awesome.