Let’s Eat, Ferndale!

Back with another feature for the ‘Let’s Eat, Let’s Drink!’ series this time featuring one of my favorite areas to frequent in the metro Detroit area — Ferndale! Ferndale is definitely coming up on the food scene with some really good spots to try.

PUBLIC HOUSE — 241 W. 9 MILE ROAD

I fell in love with Public House about three years ago and let me tell you – it’s the one of the things I’m willing to break my pescetarian diet and eat chicken for. They’re known for their variety of sliders and small bites, which I’ve had in the past . But I always, always, alwaysssss go back for their Country Fried Chicken with jalapeno biscuits topped with chorizo verde gravy. The flavors are amazingggg & it’s enough to either be a shared plate or to have leftovers. I also enjoy their flight of deviled eggs + hushpuppies, which come with maple butter.

VOYAGER — 600 VESTER AVENUE

Well before I was a pescatarian my favorite food has always been seafood. Opening up last year, Voyager feeds my seafood soul. From fresh oysters ($1 during Happy Hour T-F from 4-6pm)  to catch of the days – you’re sure to leave full and satisfied. I’ve had their Chili Crab Spaghetti and when your waiter tells you it’s really spicy, please believe them! Portions were designed to get multiple plates – so I would suggest starting off with some oysters before getting at least one item off each section of their plates menu. I’ve never tried them, but I’ve heard raves about their Peel n’ Eat Shrimp. The last time I went I had one of their special dishes (curated by @brucelbryant_) which was a Curry Crusted Sea Bream with Sea Island Red Pea and Cabbage Raita. Let me tell you…  it was amazingggg! I shared it with a friend, along with the hushpuppies (delish!) and left STUFFED!

IMPERIAL — 22828 WOODWARD AVENUE

Tacos! Tacos! Tacos! Oh, and hot dogs! Yep… Hot dogs at a Mexican-inspired spot. Imperial offers a variety of street tacos and I’m so lucky I didn’t have to give them up when I went pescatarian because they offer vegetarian options. I can still remember the amazingness of a sweet potato taco I had last summer. They also offer Sonoran hot dogs (the Bakersfield one is lit!) which are lowkey bomb + also avail in a vegetarian option. Imperial gets pretty busy sometimes so expect a wait. Also – it’s family style seating which I’m starting to fall more in love with. Don’t forget to get their elote + a margarita to really set your meal off!

OTUS SUPPLY — 345 E. 9 MILE ROAD

I’ve been meaning to check out Otus Supply for a couple months now and finally got the chance last week when I met up with an old college friend. I know this is a food post, but the interior of Otus is superrr dope. It has this rustic, hip feeling & I loved it. Bonus – they have a separate space for live music & you know I love live music! Now for the food… I didn’t have a large appetite during my visit so just ended up ordering their Filthy Animal (mozz, parm, guanciale-I opted out, pesto, + pinenuts) pizza. It was pretty good and is the perfect food to have with a glass of wine from their selection while catching up with friends. I really wanted to try their beef short rib, but pescatarian, because both of the tables next to me ordered it and it looked amazingggg! Otus is another one of those small plates/shareables restaurant so go with an appetite!

ONE EYED BETTY’S — 175 W. TROY STREET

Ky Fact #15: I love to brunch! Ask me if I wanna go to brunch + I’m downnnnn – probably because it means I can still have breakfast without waking up so early LOL If you’re bruncher like me, you should definitely check out One Eyed Betty’s on the weekend for their breakfast/brunch specials. This is another place you’ll need to prepare for a wait. I had one of their delicious egg scramble specials before and I need to take a trip back. One Eyed Betty’s isn’t just a brunch spot, they’re open M-F (4pm-2am) offering you dinner + drinks plus open SAT-SUN (9am-2am). I’ve never had theirs before but my sorority sister raves about their brussels sprouts! Another fun fact: I used to hateeeee brussels sprouts until about 2-3 years ago.

TOAST — 23144 WOODWARD AVENUE  

Toast has two locations in metro Detroit; one in Birmingham and one in Ferndale. I recently went and grabbed a very late brunch at the Ferndale location and fell in love with their eggs benedict. As mentioned in my Let’s Eat, New Orleans! post, I love bennies! I ended up getting their Nova Scotia which includes poached eggs, smoked salmon, spinach, heirloom tomato (I didn’t get tomato because according to an allergy test I took two years ago, I’m allergic *rolls eyes*), dill hollandaise and orange-balsamic drizzled on top of an english muffin (you can opt for a biscuit instead). I ended up getting also getting a side of home fries. Either I was reallyyyy hungry or it was reallyyyy good or a combo of both because I cleaned by plate COMPLETELY. If you’re going to Toast on a weekend, I would suggest going later in the day (we went an hour before closing and sat right down) or be prepared for a wait.

TREAT DREAMS22965 Woodward Avenue 

I scream for ice cream! We all scream for ice cream! End your night with dessert by heading over to Treat Dreams (they have an additional location in Midtown Detroit) that has weekly innovative ice cream flavors, sorbets and even vegan flavors! My favorite flavor that I’ve tried was their Green Tea Shortbread. It was sooooo good after I had a scoop of it I ended up buying a whole quart of it. They change their menu every Sunday so you’re always in for a treat. They also have four flavors always on their menu — Kooky Monster, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean, Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip and Vanilla Bean.