BY SYLVIA RECTOR

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Can the coney cut it in Hollywood? Will the loose burger find love on Sunset Boulevard?

Actor-comedian-director Mike Binder has no doubt they'll be a smash hit when he and several other famous Detroit ex-pat pals open a 24-hour coney restaurant late next month in the heart of Hollywood's nightclub district.

The 65-seat Coney Dog will serve natural-casing hot dogs and spicy chili inspired by Lafayette Coney Island, along with Faygo pop, Better Made chips, Stroh's beer and several Detroit-area microbrews, said Binder, a Birmingham native.

"We're doing it right," he added. Joining him in the project as investors, he said, are comedian Tim Allen, "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi, comedian Adam Sandler, Red Wings center Kris Draper and former University of Michigan football player Braylon Edwards, now with the New York Jets. All but Sandler have Detroit roots.

News of the project has created a frenzy on the restaurant's Facebook page, where more than 3,000 former Detroiters in the Los Angeles area and beyond have logged on to plead for a quick opening.


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