We pulled into Detroit to watch a little baseball and a lot of rain.
Knowing that rain was likely certain to come I was hoping to find
some unique Detroit eats that might offset any disappointment that
comes with postponed entertainment. Before heading to the park we
decided to see for ourselves if there really is a somewhat friendly
rivalry between the two Coney Island dog shops which sit right next
door to each other. |
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They have been featured on both “war/feud” shows on the Travel and
Food networks with American Coney being declared number one on both.
I have wondered if there is actually any difference between the two
places or has this crafty Greek family found a great way to
manufacture some press and get people to buy twice the number of
dogs they would in a restaurant with one door. Time to find out. American Coney is much bigger and shinier than it’s brother next door and it is open 24 hours. We plop down at a table and our server was quickly table side. We went basic knowing we had another round awaiting right next door. Coneys, fries and an order of baklava. Turns out the two places are different and the division between Detroiters is not manufactured. |
The Dog Has a Heck of a Snap |
But the Rest...Ehhhhh |
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Chili Cheese Fries |
The Baklava was Easily the Best Thing We Tried |
To all in our party the pros on the food shows
got it wrong. In our opinion the flashier place actually wasn’t
anywhere near as good. To me, everything tasted like what I would
expect from a place that orders their Coney sauce in #10 cans.
Sorry, but it was plain and rudimentary. The dog itself had an
excellent snap but again the flavor was nothing extraordinary. The
fries were fine…pretty basic that got some help from a dose of the
sauce and cheese but since they had their own shortcomings I was
underwhelmed. The standout was the dessert. Tiny serving size but
way long on flavor the baklava was not overly sweet but the pastry
and the nuts melded into a wonderful crunch that had a satisfyingly
light sweetness. One of the best I have had. Unfortunately the
Coneys were not. If you’re curious about the other joint,
click here for Lafayettes. |
Ratings | |||||||
Food |
Service |
Ambiance |
What's Best |
What's Worst |
Overall |
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C | C | C | A | C- | C | ||
Baklava | Disappointing Sauce |