The Undercover Divas on WINE!

Most people appreciate wine for its delicious and complex taste. Produced from grapes, fermented in cellars and sipped for its intricate flavors and food-pairing characteristics, puts wine in a league of its own. Everyone has a different palate and appreciates different tastes. Taste is the enjoyable part. Try more than one wine at a time for the sake of comparison. Take advantage of opportunities to taste a wine you've never heard of, it may prove to be delightful. Add a few friends to the mix for a truly festive time! Good wine is one of life's greatest pleasures.

Food and wine pairing work best when you understand the flavors of each type. A prime cut of steak tastes good with a Cabernet. The beef's protein and fat softens up the wine's mouth-drying tannins. This sets up the tongue for the wine's fruit and berries and forest flavors to complement the smoky, meaty flavor of the steak. Sparkling wines are a home run with salty, fried food. Salt is a principal flavor in seafood. With desserts, you must be certain the wine tastes sweeter than the dessert. Zinfandel can be quite wonderful.

Entertaining with a wine and a cheese plate can be impressive to your guests. It's fun to open a range of bottles to sample with your cheese assortment- but, if you only want one type of wine, try Riesling, especially off-dry. The wine is low in alcohol, but its acidity, sweetness, tropical fruits, and mineral backbone let it partner broadly. Sparkling wines, from dry to sweet, always work well. Their ample acidity and toasty, nutty flavors complement cheeses from fresh through aged. A mixed plate of cheeses is a great excuse to open a good bottle of Champagne (or the Spanish equivalent, Cava).

Glassware is an important part in appreciating wine. Each wine glass is specifically shaped to accentuate the defining characteristics of all the different types of wine. While wine can be savored in any glass, a glass designed for a specific wine type helps you to better experience its essence. If you plan on experiencing each type, it is a good idea to invest in a nice set of stemware, you will appreciate the rewards.

All wine can be stored at the same temperature, regardless of its color. But reds and whites are consumed at different temperatures. Too often, people drink white wines too cold and red wines too warm, limiting how much you can enjoy the wine. A white wine that is too cold will be flavorless and a red wine that is too warm is often flabby and alcoholic. A good rule is that white wines should be chilled before drinking and red wines should have time to rise in temperature. Reds should be somewhere between storage temperature and room temperature. The real enemy of wine is sunlight, so make sure to store away from light.

Preservation is important with leftover wine. As wine comes into contact with air, it quickly spoils. To slow down the deterioration process, use a quick vacuum pump to suck out the excess air. The less air in the bottle, the longer the wine's lifespan.

Researchers have found that those who drink 1 to 3 glasses of wine a day, regularly are healthier than those who drink none, and those who drink more. We should rejoice in the many fine benefits of wine that can be had by properly using wine as it was meant to be used – in moderation. Occasionally splurge on a truly great wine. It's an excellent way to reward yourself.

HomeTown Grill Restaurant in Clinton Township, Michigan - REVIEW

We stopped at a quiet little diner for lunch, and it was so good, we felt we must go again before writing a review to see if the food was always so right-on perfect. What a pleasant surprise to find out that it was. But just to make double sure, we went five more times to check. Always superb. The place is called HomeTown Grill and it is located in a strip mall on 15 Mile Rd. (next to Baker College at Little Mack) between Groesbeck and Gratiot. It's one of those places that you'd drive right by if someone hadn't told you about it.

Parking is conveniently right at the door. As we entered the restaurant, we noticed a chalk board with specials of the day and TEN different soup choices. They boast of at least eight fresh soups on the menu, daily. It's a small, busy place, and turnover seems to be brisk. We were given three menus. There was their regular menu that was huge, their “Specials” menu with their most popular breakfast, lunch and dinner choices, and then a one-sheet “Daily Specials” for that day. One of the other patrons sitting near us mentioned their excellent salmon with a lemon dill sauce as their personal favorite.

Each dinner comes with the option of soup, salad or coleslaw, and includes a home-baked bread basket, and a selection of homemade desserts. We Undercover Divas wanted to each order something different to compare. On this visit, Annod ordered the Sweet and Sour Chicken over Rice ($8.95) and Gini had the Turkey Dinner with Stuffing and Mashed Potatoes ($8.95).  I ordered the Stuffed Cabbage with Mashed Potatoes ($8.95)  I asked for extra sauce on the stuffed cabbage and the mashed potatoes and they were happy to comply and even brought me an  extra cup at no charge. Finally, I found a place that makes it "my way."

I had a side salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, and the other divas had a cup of Cheddar Broccoli soup. The food was spiced to perfection. Annod loved it and she is a spicy girl, I was very happy with my food and I'm not into spices, and Gini is into homemade, and she was very pleased. It was all amazing. Dessert choices were: Jello, ice cream, tapioca pudding and bread pudding with a vanilla sauce. The bread pudding was amazing, and homemade.

The owner of the HomeTown Grillhas been in the restaurant business for over 35 years. He is known for his family dining restaurants and his very successful catering business. He is the former owner of the Royal Cafe of Sterling Heights, HomeTown Grill of Warren and the Imperial House Banquet Hall of Clinton Township.

The HomeTown Grill serves breakfast anytime. Prices are very affordable (most dinners seem to cost around $8.95), and the food is definitely home style cooking. They welcome families as they do not serve any alcoholic beverages. Seating is all roomy, comfortable booths and counter service is available and very popular with customers. Servers are friendly and attentive. Even when they are extremely busy, food arrives without much of a wait, and piping hot.

The HomeTown Grill is busy at lunch and dinner times, but we have never had to wait.  Everything is cooked perfectly to order and there is enough food to take home for another meal. There are Polish meals, Italian selections, Mexican choices, Greek dishes, and lots of American favorites, all made fresh daily.

They are open seven days a week.  Breakfast starts each day at 7 am and they close at 9 pm. Their telephone number is (586) 791-4500.

Greektown, Hotel and Casino, in Detroit, Michigan - REVIEW

We, The Undercover Divas, want to tell you about our experiences at Greektown, in Detroit. Greektown has evolved over the years. Before the casino came to be, it was standing room only in any of the restaurants, any night of the week. Food was exceptional at them all. It was safe and fun. We would love to hang out there on the weekends. The casino came to town and it became even better.

But unfortunately, the area became a hangout for the troublemakers. So with time the casino addressed the issue by making it very difficult to go anywhere but their parking structure, the hotel, casino, their food areas and back. Unless you were aware, finding your way to Monroe St. (Restaurant Row in Greektown) was a bit confusing, and a long walk through a maze, as the established exits were mostly closed up. Restaurants on Monroe St. lost most of their patrons, and lost some of their "signature" dishes in the process. Parking all but disappeared except for the casino and hotel parking. 

Monroe St. is still worth a visit, but we do it during the day. If you like walking around at night, it is mostly bums and lots of cops (some undercover), and the great restaurants are empty. The exceptions are the days of Lions or Tigers ballgames, as the stadiums are just a few blocks away.  Detroit fans are the best and they know how to party!   If you are going to a Tigers, Lions or Red Wings game, or a follower of these Detroit teams, you will find the place packed with fans both before and after the games, dressed in team jerseys and having a ball.  

All the Greek restaurants on Monroe St. are good, but The Undercover Divas, after much research, feel that none are better than Pegasus, with their authentic, freshly prepared Greek favorites. Annod cannot wait to visit Pegasus again, soon.  Pegasus used to be lined up outside the restaurant to get a table, lunch or dinner, as were most of the other places. Unfortunately, parking has disappeared for these great restaurants, and they no longer have the crowds. Comps from the casino are not accepted at Pegasus.

The Greektown Hotel is one of the best we have ever been to. It is clean, cheery and the staff is very helpful. We have stayed here many times when we needed a mini vacation. On the plus side, it connects to the Greektown casino, which in our opinion, is the best for gambling in Detroit. But when we get hungry, this is not the place to be. Bistro 555 is overpriced and overspiced. Food is so-so. Unfortunately it is the only restaurant in the hotel.  

If you are looking for food, the casino is also not the place to be. The casino can be packed, but we noticed that there were very few people at the Market District. The DIVAS tried their food several times, bad each time.

Security warned us about walking outside on Monroe St. at night, alone, and they were right. Too many thugs hanging around. We went to Gini's favorite pizza place across the street (PizzaPapalis) at lunch time, only a few people inside. Now what we do for dinner is hail a cab and go to one of the other two casinos in Detroit for their buffet and usually come back to gamble at Greektown. Those other two casino buffets are both great.

As with any established, large city, one must always be alert.  Greektown is in the heart of Downtown Detroit and can be a great place to visit and we love visiting there.  Game days are party days, weekends are busy, but always be aware of your surroundings and hang out where there are lots of others having fun.  We really like the hotel and the casino at Greektown, but because of the food situation, it gets a lower rating.

 Special Attention:    Old St. Mary's Catholic Church (built in 1841) is located in Greektown and is worth a visit. It is known as the “Church of the Grottos” with three located inside and at the back of the church. The church is constructed of red brick in the Romanesque style with Venetian accents. The stained glass, architecture and artwork is breathtaking. It is the third oldest Catholic Church in Detroit and the First German Church. Daily mass at Old St. Mary's is at 12:15 in the afternoon.

AuSable River Restaurant, Mio, Michigan - REVIEW

We Undercover Divas were driving up north from the Metro Detroit area and stopped at the AuSable River Restaurant in downtown Mio, Michigan, (on M-33) for a quick lunch. This was not one of our wisest decisions. The outside of the Restaurant is quite pleasant, it has that country log cabin, rustic-comfort look. Inside wasn't bad, either. Restaurants in northern Michigan are much smaller than in the metro area, but make up for it with their cozy, homespun charm of clean, country living.

The AuSable River Restaurant was much larger than any of the restaurants we have visited on our travels in Northern Michigan. Upon entering, we first noticed a signboard listing daily specials.  So far, so good. Then we noticed how large the restaurant actually was. There was a salad bar at one end of the room, just outside the kitchen area, and it looked inviting. That was what I wanted!

Things went downhill from there. A cranky hostess showed us to our table. There was only one other table occupied in the whole area, but we were not given a choice. She gave us the menus and disappeared for quite a while. When she returned, we asked her about the specials on the board as we entered the restaurant. She said she didn't know anything about the board, and walked away.

Our travel schedule did not allow us time to spare, so we did not want to make a day of her coming and going without accomplishing anything. She came back to the table and just stared at us without a word. I ordered the salad bar and a chicken sandwich off the menu. The other DIVA ordered a club sandwich. The salad bar was not spectacular, but not bad either.

Much later, she came back with our food. The club sandwich looked good, but she gave me a salad with a few small hunks of chicken on top. It was not what I ordered. She said yes it was. I told her I would not order the salad bar and then a salad off the menu, that makes no sense. She said, yes it does, and walked away. I called her back, told her that this was not what I wanted, she again told me, yes it was.

I was upset, disappointed, and took the salad to go. We tipped out of habit. We will not be back.

The food was not our complaint here. It wasn't bad, but not impressive. Our server was not motivated and not friendly, knew nothing about the menu, and didn't even know there was a specials board when you walked in.  When asked, she just shrugged. Our experience was not a good one.

Christmas Holiday Favorites - Tortellini with Lemon and Brussels Sprouts and Pistachio Bundt Cake

We here at the Undercover Divas would like to share with you, two of our favorite Christmas Holiday recipes.  We have found these recipes to be as special as the holiday, itself.

 Tortellini with Lemon and Brussels Sprouts

 (For meat lovers, omit the butter and cook 4 slices of bacon in a skillet.  Drain bacon on paper towels, then saute brussels sprouts in the rendered fat.  Top pasta with crumbled bacon.)

Ingredients:

  1 pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered

  3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

  1 pound frozen cheese tortellini

  Zest and juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook brussels sprouts until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium, add onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes.

With a large slotted spoon, transfer sprouts to skillet.  Increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until sprouts begin to brown, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, in pot, cook tortellini according to package instructions, then drain.  Toss tortellini with vegetables.  Top with lemon zest and juice.

(Based on a recipe by Martha Stewart)

                      

Pistachio Bundt Cake

Cake Ingredients:

2 packages Pistachio Instant Pudding

1 White or yellow cake mix (without pudding best)

1/2 cup corn oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

5 eggs

Mix and pour into greased and floured Bundt pan.  Bake 350 for 50 minutes.

Filling:

9 oz container of Cool Whip

1 pkg. Pistachio Instant Pudding

After cake has cooled completely, cut into 3 layers.

Mix together and spread cool whip combination on each layer.  Sift powdered sugar over cake when finished.

(Recipe from the kitchen of Mary Pyler)

The Haunted John A. Lau Saloon in Alpena, MI - REVIEW

Our travels took us to the northeastern coast of Michigan for a visit to a restaurant loaded with personality and historic character. The Undercover Divas stopped by the “haunted” John A. Lau Saloon in Alpena, alleged to be the most notoriously haunted place in Alpena, if not one of the most in Michigan, itself.

Entering this restored, historic Alpena saloon, past Indian Bob, your attention is drawn to the bar that looks like it came out of the Old West. There is even the portrait of a lady from the past, hanging behind the bar in a gilt-edged picture frame. This is the original section of the saloon. From the life-sized model Indian nicknamed Indian Bob, to the lady in the bathtub and large moose head on the wall, the atmosphere is fun and funky. Fortunately, it still has this historical theme.

A young German immigrant by the name of John A. Lau opened the John A. Lau Saloon in the late 1800s to supply the liquor to the lumberjacks and longshoremen from the Alpena forests. John and his wife, Agnes, ran the saloon for many years. Today, many people believe it is Agnes' spirit that haunts the restaurant. If she doesn't like an employee, they are in trouble. She has been known to throw things and make employees drop their trays.

According to Mid Michigan Paranormal Investigators, restaurant customers and employees have seen a woman move up the stairs, felt cold spots, and smelled unusual odors. Most things seem to point to Agnes, but the haunting could be from one of the former customers of the Owens Funeral Parlor, which is now part of the restaurant. It is in this space that many sightings of a woman dressed in period clothing have occurred.

To the right of the entrance, the area that is now the restaurant's banquet room, is where the Owen's Funeral Parlor was located. The basement is where the embalming took place more than a hundred years ago.  Antiques, local photographs and trophy mounts highlight each of four dining areas, The Main Room with an overlooking loft, the Pub, the outdoor Beer Garden, and the warm, private dining area, the Antler Room.

Like the people inside, the restaurant's menu is diverse and casual. One DIVA had the Blue Babe ($10.99), an excellent blue cheese burger. I had the Porker ($9.99). The Porker is a pulled pork sandwich with home-made chips. It was also very good. Saturday Night features the Prime Rib of Beef, ranging in price from $19.99 to $26.99, depending on size. The John A. Lau Saloon serves six Michigan Micro Beers on Draught. They open at 11:30 a.m. for the lunch crowd.

The John A. Lau Saloon's fascinating history takes us back to Michigan's early lumbering days and a very colorful period in our state's history. The region, known as the "Sunrise Side" from its location on the east shoreline of Michigan, was first a site for commercial fishing activity, and is still home to much of those same commercial fishing activities.

The John A. Lau Saloon is loaded with personality and historic character.  We may never know all the violence or tragedies this saloon and town have seen.  Their food is good but a bit pricey. The servers were friendly and delivered the food in a timely manner. Although it is a saloon, they are family-friendly at lunchtime. The next time you are in Alpena, stop by the John A. Lau Saloon. They are located in the “old town” section of Alpena at 414 N. Second Ave.  Phone:  989-354-6898.  You may get lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the ghost of Agnes or John.

Lakeside Family Restaurant, Polish Food in Sterling Heights - REVIEW

Hello my Undercover Divettes.  Hope everyone’s Thanksgiving was great.  I know we all were very happy to see our family.   Before the holiday we Divas had a pretty great food experience.   The place is called Lakeside Family Restaurant, with Polish-American Home Style Cooking.  They are located at 43734 Schoenherr Rd., just south of Hall Rd., in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

We have heard they had the best Polish food in town. The dishes they make are 100% genuine. We were known to visit Hamtramck (Michigan) when we needed a good Polish dinner in the past, but were looking for a place closer to home. Lakeside Family Restaurant fits the bill. The food is as good as the Polish grandmothers make in Hamtramck, and portions are as generous, too. We arrived about 7 pm on a Friday night and the place was jumping. We were lucky to get a table at the back of the restaurant so that we can get a full view of this place. Turnover is swift, so there really wasn't much of a wait.

I was anxious to see the menu and I wasn’t disappointed. Shellie was our waitress and she was all smiles. Suse ordered Dill Pickle soup (her favorite). Gini and I had the Chicken Dumpling soup, loaded with spaetzle (German egg noodles). The soups were $2.69 for small and $3.79 for the large. You can also order soup to carry out. We enjoyed our soup with their great fresh bread. Since we ordered an Entrée the soup prices are .89 or large $1.39.

Lakeside has quite a few specialty dishes, from homemade pierogies, city chicken, stuffed cabbage or just go with the Polish Combo, so that you get a taste of everything. Suse ordered the Cheese (Nalesniki) Crepes ($6.69), they can be filled with your choice of cheese, apple, strawberry, cherry or blueberry. She wasn’t disappointed with her decision. Gini had the same as myself because of course it was our favorite. It's called the Lakeside Combo. This consisted of one stuffed cabbage, three pierogi, one city chicken, kielbasa, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes ($11.99).

Wow, I was surprised at the amount of food we received. I had to try the stuffed cabbage first because that is my favorite. It melted in my mouth, I was in heaven. Gini started out eating her city chicken and mashed potatoes, which is her favorite. I took a taste of the kielbasa and sauerkraut. The kielbasa had that snap when I bit into it and the kraut wasn’t so sour, which I enjoy. Gini was enjoying her potato and cheese pierogies and I couldn’t fit any more food in my stomach so I decided to take home the pierogies for lunch the next day.

Lakeside has more than Polish food. You can get chicken broasted, grilled, breaded or chicken tenders, breaded or grilled pork chops. As a side bar my pierogies were supposed to be potato and cheese but they were sauerkraut. I was a little bummed but I actually never tried it that way and they were still very good.

How can you go wrong with Grilled Tilapia, Fried Smelt or Liver & Onions. Prices range from $7.39 -$8.49. Those Entrees come with homemade mashed potatoes, and vegetable. If you want something light, check out the grilled or crispy chicken salad, tuna, Greek or chef salad, ranging from $5.99 - $6.49. The menu lists burgers and chick tenders for your kids.

The food was exceptional and the portions were generous. Our waitress, Shellie was the best. Prices were very reasonable and food came quickly from the kitchen. They open at 8 am for breakfast, daily. They close every night at 9 pm, except Sunday at 8 pm.  Phone:  586-262-4250.  The Undercover Divas were so impressed, we gave our first FIVE DIVAS review to Lakeside Family Restaurant.  It really couldn't be any better!

Our Favorite Spaetzle Recipe

1 cup plus 2 tab. sifted, all purpose flour

1/8 tea. freshly grated nutmeg

½ tea. Salt

1 extra large egg

6 tab. Milk

3 tab. Butter (unsalted preferred)

Combine flour, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl and make a well in the center.

Whisk egg and milk together, then pour into the well in the dry ingredients.

Beat hard with a wooden spoon until all is blended well.

Boil salted water in a large cooking pot. Keep water boiling.

Push the batter through a spaetzle maker into the boiling water.

(or use a slotted spoon or colander to drop batter into boiling water)

Cook spaetzle, uncovered, for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

With a slotted spoon, lift spaetzle to a large bowl of ice water.

Let stand until ready to serve but no longer than an hour or two.

To serve, drain spaetzle well in a colander, then warm in melted butter in a saute pan.

Serve at once when warmed. Four servings.

Can be used in place of potatoes, or in soups.