Detroit's Best Coney: American vs. Layfayette

The rivalry between American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island has been going on in Detroit for decades. This “best Coney Island in Detroit” story was recently highlighted on the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food. However the shows host, Adam Richman, didn’t man-up and actually answer the question, “Who has the better Coney Island?"

American Coney Island & Lafayette Coney Island stand side by side.

I will answer that question. But first, the backstory.

For those of you not from the area, a Coney Island is a hot dog topped with chili, raw onions, and mustard. It’s what other people would call a chilidog. (Interesting fact: in Canada and upstate New York they call our Coney dogs “Michigans.”

Gust Keros immigrated to Detroit (via Coney Island, NY) from Greece in 1903 and founded American Coney Island in 1917. His nickel Coney Island hot dogs were a success and he brought his brother William over from Greece to help. William opened Lafayette Coney Island right next door.

Now it must be said that my husband, with all his British-ness, hasn’t been able to muster up the gusto to try a Coney dog. He likes hot dogs and he likes chili but he didn't want any part of the happy marriage of the two. We’d go to a Coney Island or I’d stop and bring some home and he would order a hot dog. I mean, who does that? It was embarrassing.

But he saw the Man v. Food episode and when we were walking past the neighboring Coney Islands on our way to Roast a few weeks ago he sprung it on me. He wanted to do a taste test.

Yay! He was finally going to try a Coney! 

We went to American Coney Island first. It was spacious and cheery with its red vinyl chairs and black and white tiled floor. 

The interior of American Coney Island

The order was the same at both establishments: two Coney dogs with everything and a side of fries. The Coney dogs were good at American but my husband kept saying something tasted bitter. I’m not sure what that was about. The fries seemed fine and the service was great.

Then we stepped next door to Lafayette Coney Island, which was quite dingy and cramped in comparison, and I immediately noticed a funky smell. I told my husband that I liked American better.

But then the food came! The chili had more substance and a slight kick. The hot dogs were perfect and slightly grilled on the ends. And the fries, oh the fries! They were cut thinner than American and perfectly golden brown.

At Lafayette Coney Island, with the Formica counters and tables, you felt like you had just travelled back to the 1950’s. The Coney dogs and fries were far superior to American Coney Island.  The service was just as great at American but at Lafayette they actually talked to us and made us laugh.

Inside Lafayette Coney Island.

I was quite amazed at the difference; I always thought a Coney was a Coney was a Coney. That is not the case. Lafayette Coney Island is the hands down winner in our little “Best Coney Island in Detroit” taste test.

The most fabulous part of our little Coney experiment? My husband is now a Coney-convert, he’s been craving them ever since!

Who serves your favorite Coney dog? 

If you enjoyed this check out Detroit Coney Islands: Wars & Feuds.

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Some weeks finding 5 great events in Detroit for the roundup is difficult. I mean, there are always things going on but sometimes they don’t excite me. This is not one of those weeks. Personally, I’m drooling over all of these events and wish I could fit every one of them into my schedule. 

The official lighting of the Campus Martius Tree is November 20th.

Weekend Roundup

1. Evil Dead: The Musical - The show is based on Sam Raimi's cult horror films and be warned there is a "splatter zone" so bring or buy a poncho. Tickets are still available for Friday, November 20.

2. Detroit Urban Craft Fair - The 4th annual event features the work of over 50 independent artists and alternative crafters. The Majestic Theatre, November 21st.

3. City of Detroit's Official Holiday Tree Lighting at Campus Martius Park - The tree will be lit around 8pm. Other activities include ice skating, carriage rides, entertainment, and food. November 20.

4. Ringling Bros. and Barnam & Bailey Circus presents Over The Top - Run off and join the circus or at least go see it! Witness flying dogs, skipping elephants, and daredevil feats. Through November 22.

5. Science Rocks! - Rock out at the Detroit Science Center. The evening includes live music by local bands, dancing, and free Michigan brewed beer compliments of Woodward Avenue Brewers. November 19.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us! 

How a Tweet Became a Photo

It all started innocently enough. I was on Twitter (you’ve heard of Twitter, right?) and I tweeted that I was in the market for a new camera. I’ve wanted a dSLR camera for a long time but even more so since I went on my first photo walk.

And then it happened. A friend of mine sent me back this tweet:

Later, another friend chimed in:

Pretty soon more people showed interest and Photo Walk Royal Oak (#photowalkro) was born. Our plan was to simply meet up with other twitter friends interested in photography and walk around Royal Oak, Michigan with our cameras aimed and ready to shoot.

We ended up with 15 people armed with a range of cameras including point-and-shoots, professional grade cameras, pocket Flip video cams, and a sophisticated steady cam.

Dave Peckens, Duane Orris, and Margo Davydova on the roof of Urbane Apartments.

It should be noted that although my camera purchase inspired the photo walk, Dave Peckens did all the heavy lifting. And by heavy lifting, I mean he organized the whole thing. Thanks Dave!

Royal Oak was the destination of choice for our inaugural photo walk both for its central location and its interesting downtown area.

Inside La Roche Artifacts International.

We frolicked in traffic, crawled on the ground, straddled train tracks, and even climbed up to the roof of an apartment complex just to get a good shot. After roaming the streets of Royal Oak, we ended our afternoon at the Royal Oak Brewery for some food, drinks, and conversation.

The bright yellow Wellies Margo was sporting became the subject of many pictures.

A few things I learned:

• Each and every one of the people who went on this photo walk are fabulous and I wish I could have talked to each of them more.


• After all the angst I had before my first photo walk with a point-and shoot, I am humbled. The photo walkers who had point-and-shoots delivered some great shots. It’s not the size of the camera, it’s the minds eye that captures the images.


• I have a lot to learn about photography.

So that tweet, that simple innocent tweet, became a photo. Actually, it became thousands of photos. And I find that awesome and inspiring. You can view some of the photos from the walk in this Flickr group.

Thank you to all who participated!

Detroit Moxie's Weekend Roundup

Christmas decorations? Already? Yep, it’s true. I guess Santa wasn’t happy with his 15 minutes of fame. So here we are, six weeks from Christmas and the decorations are up and the carols are playing. Me? I can’t do that stuff until after Thanksgiving. Ignore the holiday mumbo-jumbo and go out and enjoy yourself this weekend.

Weekend Roundup

1. Fall Family Night Campfires at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve - This installment is all about superstitions as it is Friday the 13th. S'mores and a campfire? Sounds good to me! November 13th.

2. Snowboard Rail Jam & Swap and Sale - Watch the Rail Jam and see the snowboarders perform tricks and wipeout. Or swap your used equipment. The Rail Jam is November 14, the Swap & Sale is November 12-15.

3. ARTIFACT: A Blending of Art and Artifact- The Detroit Institute of Arts, the College for Creative Studies, and the Ford Family celebrate the inspiration of the past and artists of the future. November 12-15.

4. Behind the Scenes Tour of The Parade Company - See the floats, costumes, and papier mache heads before they make their big appearance on Thanksgiving Day. (If you're interested in taking a tour Nov. 20 or 21 let me know) Tours are available year round except for November 23-30.

5. Alternative Christmas Fair - 45 non-profit agencies are gathered in one place to offer meaningful gifts that will benefit the charities. November 14th.

Do you know of a great event going in on Metro Detroit this weekend? Add it to the comments and share it with us! 

Bite into Cocktail Hour at Roast

You must go to Michael Symon’s Roast for Cocktail Hour. Seriously, doing this one thing will make you happy. Located in the newly renovated Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit, this meat-lovers dream launched their “Return of the Cocktail Hour” about 6 months ago.

Michael Symon's Roast on Washington Boulevard in Detroit.

I was so confident that this was going to be good that I included it in my 40 Things to Do in Detroit Before You're Dead post. What can I say? I had heard good things and those good things were true.

The $3 Bites menu consists of Roast Fries, 5 oz Roast Burger, Beast of the Day Taco’s, Stuffed Peppers with sausage of the day, Chicken Livers & Polenta, and Mac & Cheese. The English husband and I opted for 2 Roast Burgers, Roast Fries, and the Mac & Cheese. 

Our swanky cheap date night dinner at Roast.

The Beast of the Day was suckling pig and I really wanted to try the taco’s but I also assumed we’d be ordering another round of food. Let’s just say the husband is quite a big eater and I didn’t think anything you could get for 3 bucks would fill him up. I was actually wrong. (Shocking, I know.)

The burger may only be 5 ounces but don’t let this fool you. This is a lightly toasted English Muffin (which is just a muffin to my husband) topped with the juicy burger and cheese. But no, that isn’t enough. Everything is better with bacon, right? Yep, perfectly cooked bacon. 

Why stop with bacon? Roast then adds a fried egg, sunny side up, on top of the burger. Perfection. With the runny yolk, no condiments are needed. This burger was $3? Yes, and it was to die for.

The 5 oz Roast Burger. Simply perfect.

The Mac & Cheese is made with goat cheese and rosemary and topped with breadcrumbs. The goat cheese adds a lovely tang. I order mac & cheese whenever I see it on a menu. And usually my husband tastes it. And he has never been impressed, until now. The creaminess of the mac & cheese at Roast won him over. 

The fries were of the shoestring variety and nice and crispy with an herb seasoning and a thick tomato dipping sauce with a kick.

I almost forgot to mention the drinks. I know, that’s really not like me. $4 for select drafts beers, $4 for select wines (one red and one white), and $5 on select liquor pours. I didn’t really inquire much on the selections, as I knew we were having beer. 

This is a cheap date night gone swanky. We had the food I mentioned above plus two Stella Artois and our bill was just under $21. Seriously! It should be said that the portions aren’t huge but for $3 you can order everything off the menu and it won’t break the bank. 

Also, the burger and fries wouldn’t have been enough for the husband and his large appetite. He also finished my mac & cheese and a small portion of my burger. The portions were plenty big enough for me.

So, next time you’re in downtown Detroit between 4:30 and 6:30, Monday through Friday, stop in at Roast. If you’re disappointed call me up and I’ll eat your burger.