Hank’s offers everything from ox tails to neck bones, chicken wings, gyros, corned beef, tacos and, on the weekends, hand-tossed specialty pizzas.

Emil's Italian Restaurant emphasizes its family heritage and calls itself a family-friendly eatery. With the soft lighting and intimate booths, many also consider it a romantic destination for first dates or anniversaries. Others liken the atmosphere to something out of a Martin Scorsese mob film, especially when entering from the back door.

Early on New Year’s Eve morning, plates of eggs, pancakes and bacon were stacking up at the order window for loyal patrons visiting Sawyer’s Gourmet Pancake House the day before it turned off its griddle for good.

Red Cedar opened earlier this year adjacent to the Brookfield Plaza, at the corner of Grand River Avenue and Hagadorn Road.

'euro;'I'euro;'ve been barbecuing all enough flavor from the rub (sans MSG and binders, Mendoza notes) all by itself, any extra sauce would be my life, doing brisket in the backyard since I was 5 years King of the Grill 4400 N. Grand River Ave., overkill in my book.

The name Grumpy s Diner conjures up a sour-faced old man waving off complaints as he barks at waitresses through an order window. I expected sassy service, brittle bacon and overcooked eggs.

Ice cases with assorted fresh fish line one side of the market/restaurant. Expressionless faces of ocean perch, catfish, white bass, walleye and cod peer out from the glass case. Some were apparently fresher than others plenty of the fish had sunken, cloudy eyes, a clear sign that the freshest days have passed them by.

A good New York-style pizza should be built to be held with three fingers: forefinger on top, pinching down with thumb and middle underneath, folding up the sides of large slices into a U-shape, toppings sliding down off the point as steam curls upward.

The ownership s new brick and mortar restaurant, at the point where Saginaw Street and Oakland Avenue converge, continues the excellence. See for yourself. Take a date, your parents, someone from out of town, a stranger it doesn t matter. Just go. And when you do, you ll probably understand the gushing.

Table service is well executed at Dusty’s. Clad in all-black, the serving staff is friendly, knowledgeable and purposeful.