For the first time ever, St. Clair Shores is hosting Nautical Mile Restaurant Week with eight restaurants participating.  The entire list of participants runs down this way - Fishbone's, Pegasus, Waves, Brownie's, Rojo, Steve's Backroom, Pat O' Brien's and Beach Grill. Each restaurant will present a unique menu that allows diners to choose an appetizer, entree and dessert for just $20 (exclusive of gratuity).   I was lucky enough to sample a couple dishes from each participant. Here are few of the stand out dishes: Camarones ala Dibla at Rojo is a huge portion of succulent shrimp topped with …

I've lived in the St. Clair Shores area for all of my life, but I haven't ever visited the Sports Channel. Admittedly, I may have been a little skeptical given that it is attached to Harbor Lanes, a bowling alley. My skepticism was cast away on my first visit, however. Upon walking in, I was surprised at the woodwork and overall feel. It may sound strange, but Sports Channel is somewhere between a classy sports bar, rec hall and family diner. There's nothing inherently wrong with that combination, but it did make me wonder why I'd never been in prior to this. The menu is typical of what you'd…

Sometimes there's no need to change what has worked forever. In most instances, family dining restaurants are not going to transform the culinary landscape. Charlie's Family Restaurant is about as straight forward as you can get. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, the menu is typical diner/Coney Island fare. Breakfast options are plentiful with omelettes, waffles, pancakes and even crepes gracing the menu. Charlie's Skillet has bacon, sausage, ham, onions, green pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes piled on potatoes covered in cheese and topped with three eggs. Not for tiny …

As any St. Clair Shores resident knows, the Nautical Mile is the place to be during the summer. With the plethora of restaurants along Jefferson, it's almost impossible not to have a "go to" place.   Located on the other side of Jefferson, meaning not on the water, Waves has been serving its unique style of cuisine since 1997.  The menu is all over the map with dishes from Cuba, Spain, Hawaii, and, of course, good old fashioned burgers.   Before jumping to the entrees or even the appetizers for that matter, make sure you have room for the house salad. Yes, I'm telling you without a doubt that…

For my entire precollege education, I went to Catholic schools. Where I went doesn't matter, but what should be noted is the Catholic tradition of fasting during Lent, but feasting before. Paczki (pronounced 'poonch-ki') have a special place in my heart. I'm not referring to the physical place in my arteries each cholesterol laden dough ball calls home. The anticipation of the delivery of the Polish pastries was similar to Christmas morning. Paczki were delivered to school by Hamtramck's Sweetheart Bakery. We'd buy them by the dozen. Raspberry. Strawberry. Custard. Lemon. Prune. In grade …

First let me define late-night eating. Any time you are looking for food after midnight, you have entered the realm of late-night eating. I am not condoning late-night eating on a regular basis, but if you have a craving, who am I to tell you no? After visiting Travis Coffee Shop last week, I started thinking about late-night eating. There have to be other options. There's nothing wrong with Travis, but their menu doesn't stray much from classic diner fare.   What if pizza is on your mind? Travis doesn't have it, but have no fear. A journey north on Harper will satiate your pizza craving. …

St. Clair Shores has a multitude of pizza places. Most of them are chains, but there are independents as well. It's not easy trying to figure where to spend your hard earned pizza money.  Paisano's Pizza & Restaurant, on Harper north of 12 Mile, has been around since 1955. Any place that has been around more than 50 years has to be doing something right. By no means ritzy, Paisano's interior is inviting. The employees are also incredibly nice. My waitress was helpful and attentive without being overbearing or annoying.  Dishes were served in a timely manner and always with a smile. The focus …

There are a few things you will rarely (if ever) hear me utter.   One of them is "let's hit a drive-thru." Nothing against those who enjoy a Big Mac or Whopper, it's just not for me. It is hard for me to deny the convenience of the drive-thru concept, however. The quality of the food is sketchy. My drive-thru rules fly out the window when it comes to El Charro's. El Charro's is an upscale fast food restaurant. Much of the food is already prepared and is warmed up prior to being served. That might sound like a negative thing, but El Charro's food tastes good, and they are open until 3 a.m. …

In all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, and of life in general, we have become accustomed to certain things. One of those things is the caffeine kick of a hot cup of coffee or latte to get over the morning hump. The problem is with a Starbucks on every corner, we are inundated with opportunities to visit chain coffee shops while mom and pop coffee shops are pushed to the side.  Caffe Far Bella is quite literally off to the side of Mack Avenue. On Nine Mack Drive behind Harper Sport Shop and Connie's, it is easy to let Far Bella go unnoticed, but that would be a mistake.  Owners Jack …

There are few places in St. Clair Shores with as much history as Bommarito Bakery. Since 1925, Bommarito has been serving the metro Detroit area.  More specifically, Bommarito moved to its Greater Mack location in 1961.  Bommarito's is a large space, but can feel crowded especially at certain times of day. Not only is it a bakery, but there is also a huge selection of wine and Italian groceries.   Coming up on their 50th anniversary in St. Clair Shores, there's no sign of popularity waning. Many of us know that you should avoid Bommarito at lunch time because there is always a wait. There is …

One of my favorite things about going out to eat is the prospect of meeting someone new.   Whether it is a waitress, a restaurant owner, or a fellow diner, dining out is a great way to engage with people.   Shogun Japanese Steakhouse makes meeting new people easy because unless you have a party of 10, other diners will be joining you for dinner.   Shogun is comprised of three parts: a teppanyaki style restaurant, meaning your food is cooked in front you on a hot iron griddle; a Chinese section; and a sushi bar. This review will focus on sushi and teppanyaki. A Japanese steakhouse like Shogun …

It's Thanksgiving week! Time for family, friends, food, and fun. Maybe a little bit of stress, too, trying to get all of the food on the table and keep everyone happy. Sometimes you want to push aside all of the stress and let someone else prepare a Thanksgiving feast for you. If you are eating Thanksgiving dinner at home, we'll also talk about a carry-out option and where to get seasonal wine and beer to help with all of the stress. Fishbone's will be open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. serving their full menu along with a traditional turkey dinner. Dinner will include soup or salad, turkey with gravy…

There's nothing fancy about Sahara. Unassumingly positioned on Harper between 8 and 9 Mile, its plain outer decor is matched by its less than elegant interior. While some might see this as a negative, I see it as charming.  There's no showiness to Sahara. They're serving fresh, healthy food in a simple, welcoming fashion. Sahara opened on July 5, 1968, in Detroit at Outer Drive and Warren. In 1994, the restaurant moved to St. Clair Shores into the building where it still resides. Owned and operated by the Hammoud family, all food is prepared in house with most of the cooking overseen by Walid…

Chinese restaurants usually take one of two forms. Either they are specifically interested in catering to American tastes i.e. almond boneless chicken, crab Rangoon, and cloyingly sweet fortune cookies; or they are a "bistro" that still caters to American tastes but charge more per dish because they have added "bistro" to the name.   Sure, there are a few authentic Chinese restaurants around, but they are few and far between. Gim Ling Restaurant attempts to straddle the line between Chinese-American and bistro, but seems stuck in purgatory rather than blossoming in paradise.It had been years …

For nearly 30 years, Pegasus Taverna has been the "go to" place in downtown Detroit's Greektown. Their mix of friendly atmosphere, made from scratch cooking and affordable prices attracts families, couples and folks just hanging out in Detroit. That's a difficult mystique to recreate, but Pegasus has brought its unique menu and atmosphere to St. Clair Shores. With its bright and welcoming interior, St. Clair Shores' Pegasus is decorated in a similar fashion to the downtown location — only newer.  The ambiance is simultaneously elegant and warm.  While we visited, there was a couple on a date…