really can't think of a better place to be than the Mitten State, but little did I know it was also home to some killer food in out of the way places. In all of my 22 years of living in Michigan, I'd never been to Ferndale--the polar opposite to Guy's hometown of Ferndale, CA--but of course that's what this show is all about, taking you to places you've never been, to experience food you'd never give a second thought to. Now, I must confess The Fly Trap isn't the first Triple D destination we've hit up in my home state, but it is the first that got documented (give us a few weeks and our official first will be made scrapbook official). Ferndale is a lesser known suburb of Detroit and about 45 minutes north of where I grew up. Luckily for us, it's actually only about 20 minutes from Lisa's sister's house, so we decided to take a day, go hang out with her adorable nieces and nephews and then roll into Ferndale to check out this self-proclaimed "finer diner." This was really only 2 days after we'd gotten back from Florida, so it was also marking the end of a pretty intense Triple D week, all that was left to see was how it compared to our previous two visits.The couple who opened up The Fly Trap were lookin' to do a diner their own way after years in the restaurant biz--hence the moniker "finer diner." They wanted to spice things up and have a menu featuring the food they really liked to eat, so they suckered Kara's brother into being their dishwasher and opened up this tiny little joint along Woodward Avenue. The name "The Fly Trap" came from the fact that this place really was a fly trap when they bought it. They had to completely gut the place and start over--and it was no easy task, there are pictures documenting the transformation on their walls and the place was definately not a pretty sight originally. Today the place is insanely cool--with bright colors on th
e walls and a specials board that's written out in different colored chalk everyday on the wall, and hey it doesn't hurt that the entire outside of the building is painted lime green, it makes it easier to spot. What surprised us about this place was that it was tiny--after seeing the episode it looked a lot bigger, but that is only because of the mirror running along the back wall which makes it look twice its size. In reality, its a small place with about 10 tables and a few stools along the bar. When I asked about a t-shirt, our waitress popped open a closet crammed with shirts and a vaccuum cleaner and told me to go nuts. The lights were funky shapes and colors and really just gave the place a feel of its own that's almost indescribable, unless you ask my sister who'd call it "kitschy." Now anyone who wanders into Michigan is usually expecting some good down home food--burgers, fries, etc.,--not exactly a menu dominated by Asian cuisine with a twist, but that's what you find at The Fly Trap. Sean learned all his recipes from the Mom of his Japanese-American college roommate, who would feed them on weekends when they'd visit. This place definately still holds the distinction of most unique menu that we've experienced thus far, and because of that we're already planning our second visit in August, the off-the-hook menu won The Fly Trap the coveted prize of being my restaurant of choice for my birthday, but before I start planning my second meal there, let's talk about what we had the first time.
e walls and a specials board that's written out in different colored chalk everyday on the wall, and hey it doesn't hurt that the entire outside of the building is painted lime green, it makes it easier to spot. What surprised us about this place was that it was tiny--after seeing the episode it looked a lot bigger, but that is only because of the mirror running along the back wall which makes it look twice its size. In reality, its a small place with about 10 tables and a few stools along the bar. When I asked about a t-shirt, our waitress popped open a closet crammed with shirts and a vaccuum cleaner and told me to go nuts. The lights were funky shapes and colors and really just gave the place a feel of its own that's almost indescribable, unless you ask my sister who'd call it "kitschy." Now anyone who wanders into Michigan is usually expecting some good down home food--burgers, fries, etc.,--not exactly a menu dominated by Asian cuisine with a twist, but that's what you find at The Fly Trap. Sean learned all his recipes from the Mom of his Japanese-American college roommate, who would feed them on weekends when they'd visit. This place definately still holds the distinction of most unique menu that we've experienced thus far, and because of that we're already planning our second visit in August, the off-the-hook menu won The Fly Trap the coveted prize of being my restaurant of choice for my birthday, but before I start planning my second meal there, let's talk about what we had the first time.It took us all ages to figure out just what we wanted from this menu, because honestly each of us had about 3 or 4 things in mind that we wanted to try, and we definately ran the bo
ard on diversity. Ben was the only one of us that stuck to the Triple D menu and got the Lemongrass Pho Bowl with chicken, which was described by Guy as one of the best bowls he's ever had. This thing was huge and the flavor was crazy, it had a lot of spice--courtesy of the jalapenos, and was definately one of the most unique things I've ever tasted. I allowed myself to branch away from Guy's specialities cuz I'm a sucker for a good mac 'n cheese, or as they put it 3 cheese 'n mac--an intense mix of smoked gouda, cheddar, and blue cheese. The serving size was huge and it was by far some of the best mac 'n cheese I've ever had. Jenn covered the sandwiches with their Chicken Charmoula (North African Spiced Chicken Breast, Jack Cheese, Caramelized Onion on Grilled Sourdough with a Lemon, Garlic Aioli) that she definately said she'd get again, and Lisa handled breakfast with their Cowboy Curtis, a seared ribeye with "wildwest sauce" and some of the best potatoes she's ever had. Then to top it off--mostly because I couldn't decide between it and 
the mac 'n cheese--we all split their famous gingerbread waffle smothered in apples and dried Michigan cherries topped with their cinnamon syrup (which is probably going to be the winner of the birthday meal). The waffle probably stands in the top 3 of things I've sampled thanks to Triple D, and trust me that's sayin' a lot! And if our assortment of menu items wasn't enough, we didn't even touch that day's specials which ranged from a pulled pork omelette to cheddar cheese biscuits and gravy (oh and don't forget that Flavor of the Day shakes, which just happened to be strawberry). Guy featured them on "Off the Hook Specials" and they more than lived up to that expectation--this place had a funky atmosphere, a crazy unique menu, and I gotta say they definately got it right when they call themselves a "finer diner."
ard on diversity. Ben was the only one of us that stuck to the Triple D menu and got the Lemongrass Pho Bowl with chicken, which was described by Guy as one of the best bowls he's ever had. This thing was huge and the flavor was crazy, it had a lot of spice--courtesy of the jalapenos, and was definately one of the most unique things I've ever tasted. I allowed myself to branch away from Guy's specialities cuz I'm a sucker for a good mac 'n cheese, or as they put it 3 cheese 'n mac--an intense mix of smoked gouda, cheddar, and blue cheese. The serving size was huge and it was by far some of the best mac 'n cheese I've ever had. Jenn covered the sandwiches with their Chicken Charmoula (North African Spiced Chicken Breast, Jack Cheese, Caramelized Onion on Grilled Sourdough with a Lemon, Garlic Aioli) that she definately said she'd get again, and Lisa handled breakfast with their Cowboy Curtis, a seared ribeye with "wildwest sauce" and some of the best potatoes she's ever had. Then to top it off--mostly because I couldn't decide between it and 
the mac 'n cheese--we all split their famous gingerbread waffle smothered in apples and dried Michigan cherries topped with their cinnamon syrup (which is probably going to be the winner of the birthday meal). The waffle probably stands in the top 3 of things I've sampled thanks to Triple D, and trust me that's sayin' a lot! And if our assortment of menu items wasn't enough, we didn't even touch that day's specials which ranged from a pulled pork omelette to cheddar cheese biscuits and gravy (oh and don't forget that Flavor of the Day shakes, which just happened to be strawberry). Guy featured them on "Off the Hook Specials" and they more than lived up to that expectation--this place had a funky atmosphere, a crazy unique menu, and I gotta say they definately got it right when they call themselves a "finer diner." And if you don't believe me about the insane menu check out "Blunch"
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