Restaurants in Lincoln Park

The Town Pump Tavern's menu boasts pint pairings such as the Black and Blue Bites (wonton-wrapped infusion of roasted red peppers, blue cheese, and blackened chicken served with a side of ranch and toughness, $7) or a refreshingly crisp order of fried pickles ($4). Heartier options include the toasted-rye Reuben ($7) or brow-dripping half-pound Firehouse Burger complete with Cajun seasoning and fresh jalapeños ($7.75). Come rain, meteor shower, or impromptu spelling bee, happy hour runs seven days a week with the exception of December 25. From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., guests can meet up with friends, enjoy dollar food items, and hitch a ride on the free Red Wings shuttle to home games.

Nestled amid Detroit's downtown art museums, this café holds its own with inspired European ambience and beautifully plated crêpes. The crêperie serves up nearly 50 predetermined combos of crêpes ($4.50–$8). Each warmly wrapped medley is bestowed with a name to match its distinct personality. Take Rachel, a s'mores-infused treat who likes long hikes through the forest ($6.50), or Dana, who embraces hearty chicken, bold brie, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes ($8). Vera garnishes her purse with glistening bacon, decadent boursin cheese, and green-leafed spinach ($6.50). Liz, a strawberry-infused blonde, picks blueberries by day and moisturizes with nutella each night before bed ($7). Good Girls Go To Paris Crepes evens out sweet teeth with bold-roasted Intelligentsia brews and other fair-trade coffees.

When door-to-door canvassing for the civil liberties of corgis leaves your midday mouth watering, make a pit stop at Mudgie's, where the menu boasts more than 20 specialty sandwich selections filled with hearty portions of house-cooked meats and local products. Stop by for a Madill ($9), the warm, open-face delight of roasted turkey, smoked bacon, veggies, melted pepper jack, and house-made garlic mayo that was crowned one of Detroit Free Press's Top 21 sandwiches of 2008. Or opt for the That's Jared ($8.75), a warm kaiser roll topped with corned beef and swiss cheese buried under a scoop of house-made redskin potato salad. Homemade soups debut fresh flavors daily ($3.75/cup), while fresh salads (starting at $2.50) and an abundance of vegetarian and vegan sandwiches round out the menu.

The green grocer sources local and sustainable sustenance from area farms and gourmet suppliers to offer locally harvested consumers from a new Midtown storefront. Local produce harvested bi-weekly from the Eastern Market is available for the picking or juggling alongside perishables and dry goods from local and socially responsible vendors. Stock up on organic spices to season your award-winning mole sauce, or gift a selection of gourmet teas and coffee beans from The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company to the chronically thirsty member of your acting troupe. Creamy confections and rBST-free dairy delights from Michigan’s Caulder Dairy will delight dairietarians and provide the perfect complement to the crunchy breakfast crumbles of Randy’s Granola.

Inside Small Plates’ villa of victuals, guests discover appetite-sating secrets on a menu full of tapas, pizzas, and sandwiches. Veggie spring rolls accompany a dippable trio of hoisin, spicy mustard, and plum sauces ($8), and the Broadway baguette joins boursin cheese and roma tomatoes ($8) in a union as deliciously destined as Henry VIII's 17th marriage to a bowl of pudding. Feed yourself a plate of baby back barbecue ribs with hand-cut fries ($16) or indulge in an 8-inch, thin-crust italian-sausage pizza fired in a brick oven with gorgonzola cheese and caramelized onions ($10). Once stomachs grow accustomed to their new houseguests, diners can squeeze in a signature chocolate-chunk-cookie sandwich ($7) or a cucumber-gin-fizz ($8) from the extensive drink menu.

There is perhaps no greater sign of Louisiana's culinary heritage than the mélange of aromas that wafts from a pot of simmering gumbo—a cornerstone of creole cooking from as far back as the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Nearly every recipe calls for some kind of roux, a traditional French sauce that consists of butter, oil, or some other fat mixed with flour. Beyond that, the specific spices and ingredients vary wildly, but most versions of gumbo fall into one of three general categories. Seafood gumbos feature oysters, crawfish, and other catches simmered with okra and vegetables, whereas filé gumbo uses a spicy herb made from ground sassafras leaves to highlight the savory flavor of andouille, poultry, ham, or smoked links. The third variant is known as gumbo z'herbes, a vegetarian recipe traditionally served during Lent.

Despite its indisputable creole ties, gumbo can't actually be traced to a single cultural tradition; the version using filé powder, for instance, originally derives from Native American cultures. Either way, the name itself comes from the West African term “gombo,” which means “okra”—a plant native to Africa that the French colonists of Louisiana likely introduced to North America in the early 1700s.