What are your memories of Greektown

[R8RBOB]

Back in the 90's, on a Friday or Saturday night me and my cousin would bounce from Athens Bar to Oyster Bar to Trapper's Bar to Marilyn's to The Detroiter and back to Athens or the Music Menu. The 90's was cool in Greektown.

Anyone know the name of the bakery that was on the corner on Monroe and Beaubien? That restaurant Mosaic now occupy the space.


http://r8rbob.wordpress.com

[bartock]

Back in the 90's, on a Friday or Saturday night me and my cousin would bounce from Athens Bar to Oyster Bar to Trapper's Bar to Marilyn's to The Detroiter and back to Athens or the Music Menu. The 90's was cool in Greektown.

Anyone know the name of the bakery that was on the corner on Monroe and Beaubien? That restaurant Mosaic now occupy the space.


http://r8rbob.wordpress.com

I think the bakery is the Astoria that's been mentioned here. Music Menu during that time was great, too. Thornetta Davis was there quite a bit. I liked how the bathrooms were covered with old ads for bands playing St. Andrews before they became big [[Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.)

[R8RBOB]

I think the bakery is the Astoria that's been mentioned here. Music Menu during that time was great, too. Thornetta Davis was there quite a bit. I liked how the bathrooms were covered with old ads for bands playing St. Andrews before they became big [[Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.)

I was wondering what the name was. I know there is another bakery down the street.

The Music Menu was unique in its own way. I think I left some graffiti on one of the walls years ago. I recall hearing Thornetta Davis on a couple of occasions at the Music Menu.

[EastsideAl]

I think I'm younger than some of the people here [[although the 20th century still seems very fresh to me), but I spent a lot of my childhood and adolescence in Greektown from the late 60s into the 80s and have a lot of memories of the place. I used to go to the Fleece a lot, and then the Olympia after I had an untoward incident at the Fleece and was 86ed from the place. I remember that picture of Telly in the Olympia very well, and trying hard with my friends to get the mostly dour waitresses there to crack a smile.

The first time I ever got well and truly drunk was at one of the Greektown street festivals when I was 16 or 17 years old. A somewhat older friend of mine who'd just had a little lottery win bought me about 18 shots of Ouzo. I don't remember anything from dancing in one of those circles in the middle of Monroe until I woke up lying on my front lawn with birds chirping in the dawn - and the mother of all headaches.

I was in the Athens Bar on the night the Tigers won the World Series in '84 when the police came through and cleared the place out [[so they could have it for their own party, perhaps? There were always a lot of cops in there). And we ran around the corner to LaMan's on Macomb before the drunk riot-stick wielding cops who were out of control busting heads in the street could crack us one over the noggin.

I remember going to the Grecian Gardens with my grandfather, which was elegant for a Greek restaurant, and seemed exotic and excitingly shady because of the rumors that swirled about the place about its involvement with gambling, the Giacalone brothers, and the Alex Karras gambling scandal.

We always went to the Stemma Bakery on Monroe, which pre-dated the Astoria by many years. It was run by 3rd generation proprietor Harold Stemma who my father knew from his childhood, and who always had a little extra treat of a honey-dripping pistachio birdsnest or something for us kiddies.

One of the places I remember best from that era, a place that was often a warm soup and bread stop for me on my way home from Cass, was a joint that Stella spent a lot of time in and one I know Lowell remembers well, the International Restaurant. It was a place for all kinds of people to go, but particularly writers, artists, musicians, etc. Just wonderful soup and other inexpensive home-made food in a very plain setting. My father, who worked a few blocks away, stopped in for lunch here [[and at the nearby, and long-gone, Sheik restaurant on Lafayette) every week for a couple of decades.

Here is a little tribute page on the International:
http://corridortribe.com/tribes/inte...nal/index.html

[kenp]

Nice pic of Stella in EastsideAl's tribute to the International [[3rd page of pics).
Great post

[carlscomputers]

I liked the Olympia back when it was a tiny dive with a picture of Telly Savalas over the jukebox. The gyro platter was great, and it cost about 4 bucks.

There was a short-lived restaurant in the late 80s - was it Lindos? They tried to do more authentic Greek stuff. It was quite good. One day my friends and I were the only people in the joint and we ended up dancing in a circle in the kitchen with the staff. Good times.

That was my favorite restaurant! I was making minimum wage working at Pegasus Wax Sculptures as an Urban Corps student & it was a dive, but the food was cheap, tasty, & plentiful.

[carlscomputers]

I remember when Trappers Alley was just that, an alley! we used to shoot rats with BB guns, & I even climbed the old water tower on a dare!!! Man! those were the days!

[Traveller1]

Does anyone remember exactly when Grecian Gardens closed? I'm pretty sure it was before the casino opened, I remember there was a jewerly store next to Grecian Gardens. I believe that Grecian Gardens and the jewerly store were both torn down when the casino moved in.

I remember the days when Greektown was actually 100% Greek. Every place on Monroe Street for sure was all Greek and many Greek establishments even spilled over onto Beaubien and the other side streets. Now most of the restaurants in Monroe are non-Greek the only ones left are Golden Fleece, New Parthenon, Cyprus Taverna, Laikon Cafe, and Pegasus. The other restaurants are American or some other type of bar, etc.

**Is there any Greek gift & souvenir shops left in Greektown? I want to take my nephew their in April but I didn't know if there were any Greek themed souvenir shops left where you could purchase a small Greek statue or something that he could have from there.

[xD_Brklyn]

Thanks so much for the link to the International tribute page. Some fine pix of Greektown back in the day. Also liked the comments there.

[Bobl]

I thought that the name of the bakery next to Music Menu was Monroe St Bakery.
We would have gumbo and a side at Music Menu, catch the show, then my partner would go down the street to see Vassos at Cypress Taverna, order roasted hot peppers for me, then stop in at the bakery for dessert and bring the treats back to Music Menu for the next set. The staff never objected. I did drink a lot of beer there, though!
Great times, good music.

[R8RBOB]

I thought that the name of the bakery next to Music Menu was Monroe St Bakery.
We would have gumbo and a side at Music Menu, catch the show, then my partner would go down the street to see Vassos at Cypress Taverna, order roasted hot peppers for me, then stop in at the bakery for dessert and bring the treats back to Music Menu for the next set. The staff never objected. I did drink a lot of beer there, though!
Great times, good music.

I remember when they stripped the awnings off the building and I think I recalled seeing the name Monroe St. Bakery on the exterior above the doorway. I commented to myself how the bakery had a different name compared to the one that was on the awnings.

[Kevgoblue]

Can't belive no one has mentioned it. Trapper's Alley signature was the guys who would be singing while making fudge on that big marble table.

[R8RBOB]

Can't belive no one has mentioned it. Trapper's Alley signature was the guys who would be singing while making fudge on that big marble table.

I remember....

[Patrick]

Trappers Allley when I was a kid in the 80s and later on Golden Fleece with double saganaki. Guess the casino has or will be be wiping all those places away before too long. Everyone in Detroit that I know usually goes to the same Greek place. My mom''s side is a Parthenon bunch while my dad's is a Golden Fleece fanclub

[R8RBOB]

Did anyone catch this story in the News?
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...hanging-tastes

The word is out. Greektown is changing from being "Greektown" to just another area in downtown. I knew the Greektown most of us grew up patronizing would be never be the same once they put the Greektown casino in Greektown. Casinos are parasites that eat all the profit. A restaurant that doesn't participate in accepting casino comps is doomed and if they do they are forever depended on the casino to provide revenue.

BTW...could anyone tell me how long Marilyn's on Monroe has been closed? I was in Greektown recently and I noticed the old girl looked vacant.

[One Shot]

Greecian? Gardens-RIP, Trappers Alley with the escalators criss crossing the alley to get to the top. They always scared me. Yes the water tower I forgot about! I remember some club or bar that was upstairs to the left when you came in the front. Was too young in those days. I also remember the many shops that you could wind your way through.
We always parked at the church and walked down. I always remember being kinda nervous walking back to the car after you crossed the street by the church and left the main drag. That always seemed to be where th bums were. We never had a problem in all the years though.

[detroitbob]

Attic Theatre in Trappers Alley; being able to park on the street, The Blue Nile in the old fur trading offices complete with marble counters and teller's cages, being able to park on the street, the antique store on the Lafayette side, real Greek food and real Greek coffee houses, Stella [[of course), being able to park on the street, the Acropolis Market and $1.25 loaves of fresh Greek bread and the selection of imported foods, being able to park on the street. Did I "say being able to park on the street"? The "Greasy" Gardens and late nite greek red in a coffee cup...oh, about that parking. The Athen's Bar...and who goes back far enough to remember Delmar and Co...the great grocery at the corner where Mosaic is now located?

[jmpatrick]

Trapper's Alley had a great Harmony House.

[DetroitArmy]

Anyone catch this? Sad stuff.

"Vassos Argustis, owner of Cyprus Taverna, is closing his doors this month after struggling to make money for the past three years."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100...#ixzz0mQBI0kDk

[tammypio]

I used to go to Trappers Alley on the weekends home from college with my husband [[then boyfriend) and our best friend. We used to take the People Mover and would always traverse through the cool shops in Trappers Alley. I remember the fudge makers, a record shop and a very cool shop that sold mostly handmade items. I bought a very unique, very cool sit up Teddy bear that is made from purple tweed material. It's a treasure of mine since it cost a pretty penny for a struggling college student and I had my eye on it for a couple of visits. I told myself that if it was still available the next time I came that I HAD to purchase it! It now sits in my living room and has the nickname given to it by our good friend...who passed away about 12 years later way before his time. Everytime I look at my teddy, I think of Greektown in the 80s and my friend!

[Susan Messer]

When I was in high school in the 1960s, my friends and I used to go to Greektown for lunch on the weekends, as part of our downtown shopping expeditions. The restaurants [[Laikon, Hellas) had so much character. I remember this as my first taste of "ethnic" food and atmosphere. Going there seemed like a very bohemian thing to do, and I loved it.

[The Dude]

Maybe one of the Detroit TV news should do a special report: Greektown: Where have all the Greeks gone?

[BillRush]

I guess no one is old enough. I remember my nights at DGH as a Med Student[[48-52) when we would go for "Special" coffee at one of the Greek town dives and the creamer would be a generous shot of booze. Those were the days!

[dawn26]

I used to drive up to Greektown several times a month to eat at Hella's. The staff was always exceptional, as was the food, of course. Simeone's Bakery was excellent. Trapper's Alley for shopping. The old men playing cards in the carryout. Now its a soulless touristy waste of space, as far as I'm concerned.

[Fury13]

The store on the corner [[where Mosaic is now) was called Del Mar. It carried Greek grocery items, souvenirs, and even some clothing items. I believe it also had liquor, cigarettes, candy, etc.

I thought that Monroe Bakery was where the Redsmoke Barbecue is going in now. Or was that Stemma? That was certainly a Greek store/bakery back in the '70s.

Does anyone remember Mama and Daddy Coney Island, which was on Beaubien, around the corner [[same building) from where the entrance for Mosaic is now?

There was also a gyros place, kind of a Greek fast food/lunch place on the corner where Five Guys now operates.