Bobcat Bonnie’s is one of the latest additions to Detroit’s expanding dining scene. Located in the old site of Oblivion’s Corktown Cafe, Bonnie’s has a great corner location, a spacious atmosphere, a nice bar set up, and just a touch of hip décor for the kids.
There is some mellow indie-rock playing in the background but you don’t need skinny jeans and a sidebuzz to eat here. It’s a place for everybody, the food is real and good. It’s also decently priced, catering more toward families and the general population.
We’ve been joking about how every new place we go lately is organic, hyper-locally sourced, made-from-scratch, fair-trade, yada yada. As if the right combination of buzzwords automatically makes a place good. Those things are great, don’t get me wrong, but what makes a place have good food is… the food. One test is better than a million buzzwords. We went with the recommendations from our waitress.
The first dish was a shareable – the Captain Crunch Chicken Fingers. They are breaded in cereal batter and deep fried. Crunchy, sweet and addictive, they remind me a little bit of Chik Fil-A in the best way. The honey mustard sauce brings them full circle.
Then came the Fried Bologna, which was simple, solid, and good. It was comfort food done right. Two pieces of high quality bologna, yellow mustard and american on a pressed kaiser roll. The dill potato salad with a touch of mayo paired nicely.
The Bobcat Burger is like a Rodeo Burger from Burger King on steroids, but even better and made with higher quality ingredients. Cheddar, bacon and a big fat semolina battered onion ring is plopped right on there and drizzled with barbecue sauce.
I had it my way with a side of arugula salad topped with goat cheese and balsamic fig dressing.
It’s also a good place to get a slice of Sister Pie without having to go to the east side and the buns are fresh and Detroit-made from Brown’s Bun Bakery.
Bonnie’s is refreshingly normal and welcoming, the menu is creative without being pretentious, and the pricing is in the right zone. It has all the fixings to be a great neighborhood spot where everybody knows your name, and you can still pronounce the items the menu without feeling like a poser.
You can find Bobcat Bonnie’s at 1800 Michigan Ave in Detroit, it’s on Michigan Avenue between Rosa Parks and Trumbull.
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