Green Apple; Waterford, Michigan

Every family has a restaurant they can call their "regular spot", the one place they go to more then any other eatery.  For the Hendin family that place is the Green Apple restaurant located at 4780 Dixie Highway (just south of Walton Blvd/Williams Lake Rd) in Waterford, Michigan.  We have always loved the Green Apple, for their fantastic breakfast specials, for their great kids specials (kids eat free Mondays - Wednesday evenings with adults), and with their great food.

So it was just the other day that my good friend Cliff took me to lunch to try to get some food in me as I am still recovering from my recent bout of pancreatitis.  I was not sure what or how much I would be able to eat, but I did know that if I could eat anywhere it would be at the Green Apple.

As always, arriving at the Green Apple was arriving at a comfortable diner.  My family is known at this restaurant and Kolleen is actually on a first name basis with the owner.  Since Kolleen had her stomach surgery years ago she tends to eat little at meals so she has an agreement with the owner that she may order off of the kids menu.  To me that speaks of a friendliness to customer service.

Cliff and I arrived and sat down to order.  As we are both familiar wit the menu we knew what we were going to order.   For Cliff it was a Taco Salad and for myself it was going to be a Chicken Gyro with Fries and a side salad with ranch.

Though neither of us ordered it I do want to mention that the Green Apple does offer a wonderful lunch special.  They offer a daily choice of soups (all homemade) to be served in a bowl with a choice of sandwiches.  My favorite soups are the German Tomato, the White Chicken Chili and the Split Pea.  The sandwiches are also wonderful.  My favorite is their Egg Salad.

Cliff's Taco Salad arrived and it did look very impressive.  Cliff told me that everything on the plate tasted very fresh and nothing was frozen.  The taco meat had a wonderful seasoning to it.  There was an incredible blend of vegetables to the salad that did not end at lettuce, but included green peppers tomatoes and black olives.  There was also was an ample amount of a dual blend of Mexican cheeses.  The salsa was spiced nicely.  The tortilla bowl was fresh from the deep fryer and was not too greasy but crunchy and delicious.

My side salad that went with my Chicken Gyro platter does deserve some comment.  Unlike many side salads at various diner-like restaurants this salad had no wilted or brown lettuce.  I also appreciate the fresh tomato and cucumber slice that was added to the plate.  The ranch dressing was good, yet a bit watery, it could have been a bit thicker.

The Chicken Gyro was good.  The cooked chicken was fresh and that is what made the sandwich.  The pita was also fresh.  I personally would have preferred red onions to the white onions that were on the sandwich.  The tzatziki sauce for the sandwich was awesome and is what really made the meal special.  The French fries were also top notch, though there were not many on the plate.

Overall, I was satisfied with my meal at the Green Apple.  I have honestly been rarely disappointed from this establishment.

The cleanliness and decor are both good.

Overall:

Service:           ****

Food:              ****

Affordability:  ****

Clenliness:       ****

Decor:             ****

Overall:           **** (4)

Pita Way; Clarkston, Michigan

My wife Kolleen and I have always enjoyed Middle Eastern cuisine.  In fact, at another establishment we often frequent we would order a special Middle Eastern/Greek platter almost every time we eat there.  Today my wife surprised me with some take out from Pita Way, a small eat-in & carry out located at 6315 Sashabaw Rd (just south of I-75) in Clarkston, Michigan.  

As it often is  our restaurant choice today was aided by our membership in restaurant.com and the coupons they provide us for discount eating.  Remember, in addition to our medical  easting constraints we are also under the all too common financial noose that has hurt so many in today's economy.

As I was surprised by the food, I had no idea as to what food was coming, yet I was far from disappointed.

The first dish Kolleen ordered was my favorite of all Middle Eastern and Greek dishes, Grape Leaves.  These grape leaves were stuffed nicely with a cooked rice and meat and tomatoes; the flavor was delicious!  The grape leaves had the briny taste essential for all grape leaves, but it was not overpowering in any way.  The tahini sauce was also d-e-l-c-i-o-u-s.  I must be honest, I kind of think of myself as a connoisseur of grape leaves and I seriously have not tasted a better grape leave outside of Greektown in downtown Detroit.  The grape leaves may be ordered in one of two ways, meat or vegetarian.

Like most of the dishes at Pita Way the grape leaves may be ordered as a sandwich on pita bread or as a meal with yellow rice.  Extra meat is available.

The second meal that was ordered was the Chicken Kafta, which was ground chicken mixed with onions and parsley.  This meal was served as a sandwich.  The flavors of the chicken mixed with the taste of the  tahini worked well together.

The affordability of the meals was truly worth it as sandwiches ran at $4.99 and meals started at $5.79.  The cleanliness of the store was top notch.

Overall:

Service:                           ****

Food:                               ****

Affordability:                  ****

Cleanliness:                     *****

Decor:                             *** 

Overall:                           **** (4)

Bread Basket Deli; Waterford, Michigan

It has been a rough few days in our household, especially when it comes to eating.  I have been dealing with my chronic pancreatitis, my wife has been in the hospital with a back injury and it is Pesach (Passover), which means that I am not eating anything with leaven in it.  So my daughter and I were on the way to see my wife at the hospital when I decided what could be a more perfect place to eat then a Jewish-style deli.  I first started eating at the Oak Park branch of the Bread Basket Deli when I was just a kid with my Bubbi (Yiddish for Grandma).  I remember eating all the classics, things like corned beef and chopped liver sandwiches, giant new pickles bigger then your forearm, and my still-favorite desert, 7-layer cake.  So I was excited for my daughter to experience some of the food of my youth.

We arrived at the deli, which is a converted Taco Bell and walked to to a huge menu.  I, of course, was completely disappointed, since I shouldn't eat anything due to it being Passover and my having an angry pancreas.  Sarahfay had her favorite, a hard salami and cheese with mustard sandwich.  Of course, she loved it.  I do applaud Bread Basket Deli on their quality of salamis.  In fact, they offer three different grades of salami, each varying on hardness...impressive.

Bring Pesach I ordered Matzo Ball Soup.  Now I must be honest from the onset, I judge all matzo balls from my Aunt Sarah's.  I like my matzo balls to be rock hard and dense.  The deli's were huge and so fluffy they fell apart at the merest touch.  The flavor was so bland it was as it was not there at all.  The soup broth on the other hand was simply horrible.  I attempted to add salt and pepper to flavor the soup, but I just could not stomach the soup.

For my wife I ordered a Jewish deli classic, corned beef on rye with swiss cheese and Russian dressing.  On her first bit she was not sure, but with each bite she grew further impressed with the sandwich.  I did order the small sandwich and as such I was impressed with the amount of meat that was given.  I have to say that as I watched my wife eat that sandwich I did wish Passover was over.

Overall, I did find the Bread Basket Deli to be a classic deli.   The incident with the soup did seem to fill the employees with concern.  I tried to explain that I was a bit of a nit-pick when it came to my matzo balls, but they were insistent on a soup refund, I find that to be managers who listen to their customers.  

The restaurant was extremely clean.

The decor was as it could be for a tiny deli in a converted Taco Bell.

Ratings:

Service:                          *****

Food:                             **1/2

Affordability:                 **

Cleanliness:                    *****

Decor:                            **

Overall:                          **1/2

Copperstones; Waterford, Michigan

I have always been a fan of going out for breakfast.  There is just something comforting about a nice plate of eggs, toast and coffee.  My family and I formerly had a usual breakfast stop, one right by the house.  I do not want to drop their name, but we had thought that they were "the bomb" of the morning meal.  With a great breakfast special and free coffee, we figured that no one would be able to top them.

But then came Copperstones...a restaurant that is a Waterford icon.  I heard of Copperstones breakfast first from my church pastor who had mentioned that this eatery had served turkey sausage.  This was a huge hit with me as I am not a pork eater.  Thus my family and I chose to give Copperstones a try.

Let me start with the coffee.  Y-U-M-M-Y!!!!!!!!  I am not sure what this place does to brew this hot drink, but somehow they have come up with coffee that has become an absolute nectar of deliciousness.  I would return to Copperstones for their coffee alone.  My wife was thrilled to find out that Copperstones offered Equal, Splenda and Sweet & Low.

The meals themselves did not disappoint us.  My family has a passion for poached eggs, and the cooks prepared their eggs properly.  The hash browns (ordered by Kolleen) and my American Fries (for me) were both delicious.  The turkey sausage was great!  I would not have been too upset to see an extra piece, but as I am not a big eater anymore because of my pancreatitis I was satisfied.  

The staff at Copperstones is incredibly friendly and is above and beyond efficient.  I have never seen a cup of coffee go below a fingers level deep before it was refilled.  

The cleanliness of the establishment was good.

The restaurant decor was that of a early modern coffee shop.  Late 70's-early 80's family restaurant...very comfy.

Ratings:

Service:                          *****

Food:                              ***1/2 (coffee 12)

Affordability:                 ***1/2

Decor:                            ***

Overall:                          ****

Wing Lauk; Waterford, Michigan

Today my wife and I took our daughter, our niece and our daughter's best friend Abby to a local Chinese restaurant called Wing Lauk.  There really should be nothing to surprising about the family going out to eat, but we had not eaten at this long established restaurant before as a family, nor as a couple.  In the past, Kolleen had quite a negative view of Wing Lauk in regards to their food.  But today Kolleen had pulled up a coupon on restaurant.com (we're big fans!) so we thought we would give it a whirl.


Walking in to the establishment I was hit with three things:  the first was with the overwhelming, but pleasant smell of plum sauce; the second was a sign showing that Wing Lauk was voted the "Best Chinese Restaurant" from 2005-2010 by the Oakland Press Reader's Choice Awards (impressive!); and finally, it seemed a bit dark for a restaurant, even with all the candles burning.  As the hostess approached she explained that the power was out, but they were still open for business since the gas was still on. They were expecting the power back at any moment.  Another important note, as we were passing the cashier I noted a sign reading that Wing Lauk offered a variety of gluten free dishes.


Now seated at our table Kolleen and I began to settle the girls in.  We knew we had our hands full as one of the three girls had never eaten Chinese food and was "picky" beyond belief.  So with the aid of a very helpful waitress with whom I was very impressed with we ordered our drinks.  Finally figuring our plan of action we decided to order three children's meals of sweet and sour chicken and almond chicken while I decided upon and order of scallops kow.  My wife and the children each had egg rolls while I had a cup of egg drop soup prior to the main entrée.

As for the soup I unfortunately for it to be a bit bland and tasteless.  A simple addition of scallions would have easily been a way to increase the taste.  The rice noodles/wantons that accompany the soup where also without flavor.


According to Kolleen the egg rolls where wonderful.  As she is severely allergic to shellfish she was great relieved to find out that these egg rolls were made with chicken and not shrimp.  She also said the plum sauce was great.


The arrival of the main entrées did not disappoint any of us.  The scallops kow were absolutely delicious.  As I had hoped for they were mild enough yet not so bland to remove the taste of the scallops or the Chinese vegetables.  The portion size was large and made up for the $10.75 cost.  The scallops were served with white rice.


The children's almond chicken was served to my daughter.  She did enjoy it to some degree, but she is a picky eater.  Her food was served fried rice.  I had the opportunity to taste her food and I must say that her almond chicken is truly one of the best almond chicken dishes I have had...ever!


The other two girls had the children's portion of sweet and sour chicken.  Just like my daughter the were both very picky eaters.  My niece refused to eat hers and a wonderfully aiding waitress brought her a replacement plate of almond chicken which she enjoyed very much.


Overall I must give high marks to Wing Lauk.  Though I was not thrilled with the appetizer courses of the meal I was in turn blown away by the almond chicken and the level of service we were provided.


Rating:
Out of 5 *
Service:                     *****
Food:                         ***
Cleanliness:               ***
Affordability:             n/a (used restaurant.com)
Decor:                       *****


Overall:                     ****