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A friend of mine asked me if I had heard of a new Hungarian restaurant in SW Detroit that recently opened. She said the reviews have been excellent and she was wondering if I knew where the place was.
I have not heard of a thing, but I told her if it's true that someone on Detroityes would know about it.
Anyone heard anything?
I'd love to know too!
Do you mean this place? Hungarian Rhapsody?
Rhapsody has been there for a long time. Not likely the place they're talking about.
I asked her about the Rhapsody, but she thinks she heard about a new place and that it was SW Detroit area.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive
I wonder if she is getting the Rhapsody confused with some other place? But, if there's a new Hungarian place, I would love to know and check it out.
I know this doesn't help, but it reminds me of this restaurant we went to when I was a kid. The owner and his wife and little boy travelled for three nights through the forest, hiding from the Russians, to escape to Austria, and then to the west.
He didn't play up the Hungarian thing, it was a typical burgers and shakes mom & pop kind of place, but there was plenty of goulash and such on the menu. The father was very upbeat, good humored, and outgoing and loved this country, but the little boy grew up shaky and damaged, those three nights in the forest did a number on him.
That place is good :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by jh0
Would love to find a place closer to downtown that I could hit up for lunch!
How about Kovacs?Quote:
Originally Posted by guito13
I would love to find out about a new Hungarian place in SW! We actually went to the Rhapsody on Sunday...delicious but pricey. I love their cauliflower soup, cucumber salad and pineapple lemon cake. Most of the Hungarians I know [[my husband speaks Hungarian and worked in Hungary for years although he was born in Romania.) do not live in SW Detroit any more. I even asked the pastor of the Hungarian church we sometimes attend if any church members still live in Delray and he said no..the last few passed on within the last few years. If there's a new place down there, I would gladly support it, so please let me know!
Are you guys talking about the Hungarian American Cultural Center in Taylor?
There dining room is open to the general public and you do not need to be a member to enjoy the food there.
We go there several times a year and when our friends from Chicago [[he escaped communist Hungary in 1956) come to Detroit they insist on going there.
http://hungariandetroit.com/index.ph...mid=50&lang=us
If there is another place that has opened, then I'd like to know.
I'd love to hear about another Hungarian place too. There's the Rhapsody, the El Dorado, the Cultural Center, and the Strudel Shop in Allen Park. That's about it for Hungarian, as far as I know.
Is the Hungarian Kitchen still around? Wyandotte, I think.
@Downriver Gal: +1 on the Strudel Shop in Allen Park.
during the holidays they can run out of strudel so it is best to call ahead and guaranty your order. Eat it fresh - the best or next to best is to buiy it frozen and then bake it yourself. Trick is to put it in the oven frozen rather than letting it thaw out first. That way the pastry crust stays nice and crisp and flakey. It is the genuine article, NOT pie crust that is passed off as "strudel" crust. Magyars [[Hungarians) prefer cherry.
Long gone. Tore it down years ago. Too bad. The food was excellent.Quote:
Originally Posted by gazhekwe
Kovac's hasn't been a Hungarian restaurant for many years, if it ever was at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Hungarian Kitchen in Wyandotte closed about four years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive
Are you thinking about Al's Hungarian Lounge on West End/South St., across from Szabo's Market. They had great food. It closed around 1993, the building burned before too long, the building was torn down, there is just a grass lot there now.
Al's had live Hungarian music, with a beautiful Cymbeline [[or something like that) in the performers corner. Al took a trip to Hungary in post-Soviet days and was very pleased with the changes, he came back to Detroit, shut down the place and moved back to Hungary. That's the story I heard.
There is a little place in Berkley MI that serves some hungarian food too.
Ellie's Grill & Coney
[[248) 691-4441
2033 Coolidge Hwy
Berkley, MI 48072
Its a tiny place just south of the Little Ceasars.
What about this? Hungarian-American Cultural Center Goddard Rd. Taylor
Holy smokes has it been that long since I've been there? They used to have great chicken soup and Hungarian fare for lunch.Quote:
Originally Posted by 1KielsonDrive
DP, Kovac's is still open. My comment was though Kovac's served some Hungarian dishes, it was never truly a Hungarian restaurant. You actually found more Hungarian dishes at a Polish owned, roadhouse-style, restaurant down the street - Joey's Stables. And then, of course, at Al's on West End. Al's was fortunate to close when it did. The food and service had degenerated in their last few years. Hungarian Village on Springwell, off of I-75, was a good place also. It closed many years ago. I'll let someone else here date its closure. I've lost track of the years.Quote:
Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner
Kovacs had sandwiches and soup when I used to go there in the early 90's. Nobody made better soup than Steve's mother. Steve was 75, his mother was the cook. That was the cleanest bar I had ever been in when he was alive. The food wasn't actually Hungarian as much as sandwiches and soup with a Hungaian touch. Like a whole slice of onion on the sandwiches, etc.
I haven't been to Kovacs in a couple of years, did it finally sell?
No. The Evans from River Rouge still own it - for about 15 years. As often happens with Detroit business owners, they're waiting, and hoping for a buy-out [[much like during the proposed casino and pipple mover days) should the bridge project be approved. As is Les from the Delray Cafe.Quote:
Originally Posted by kryptonite
^^
Does the Delray Cafe have good food?
We have the same decline in Hungarian chow in Montreal which used to be concentrated on "The Main" for sandwiches and cold cuts and Stanley street for sit down lunch and dinners. There are happily more polish restaurants left and really good ones too. I love the hearty food which is well suited to our colder seasons. We need more of that kind of food and a lot less of the franchise crapola...
I've eaten there a few times. Tasty stuff. They also carry Macedonian and some really good Polish food too. As to its authenticity, I couldn't tell you since I'm not of that descent but as a diner I liked the food, presentation and dining experience. It's not a huge place; a counter and a few booths but it's cozy and quaint.Quote:
Originally Posted by amika
Went there last friday after my mother's fureral. The food was excellnt, although nobody was really in the mood for eating. Was there a place Downriver called The William Penn Club?
Yes it was in downriver - the william penn was a club that also had a restaurant for its members. My grandparents used to take me there frequently as a child. I believe the william penn closed about the same time that the Rhapsody opened.
The guy who ran the restaurant in the william penn [[Steve) eventually left & opened the Rhapsody in Southgate on northline.
On many occasions my grandmother would say that losing Steve was their biggest mistake at the William Penn.
I don't believe it's opened at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Downriver Gal
I've eaten at The Rhapsody on a few occasions, banquet style as well as main menu, ala carte. The food was very good.