ypsi~dixit

I was at Miller's Bar in Dearborn just last night where they were bragging about being No. 8.

Yep, Miller's is on the list. Sidetrack is #19, but I'd say they're probably both equally good.

Tom: may I ask, what kind of place is Miller's? I've never been there.

Miller's is great. Little family place in Dearborn. Only one beer on the menu. Only two food items: burger or girlled chicken sammich. Fries or onion rings. That's it. Also, still has the original bar from 1941. Gold wood, dark, with soft light and a big frosted antler-head in the middle of it.

All these burgers taste the same but I am still swelling with pride!

Miller's sounds very nice. It's shrewd to pick your battles and just do a couple things really, really well, instead of trying to cover all the bases. Less wasteful, too. OK, Miller's is on my list.

Miller's has expanded their menu a little - you can get a grilled cheese sandwich (on wheat or rye!) too. They have one draft beer (Miller, believe it or not), but the usual selection of domestic bottled beers and Labatts.

The front room is smoking, the back room is non-smoking. I love that, I can go out and not smell like an ashtray at the end of the night.

No blaring radios, TVs or jukeboxes, so you can have a normal conversation.

Most unusual is that it operates on the honor system. You order your food and drinks, the waitress brings it to you, and before you leave you tell the bartender what you had and he rings it up.

Oh, and the burgers are great!

Sounds like a winner, especially the "honor system" part. I love stuff like that. It is run by a member of the Miller beer family (potentially dumb question).

As far as I know, the family is local Dearborn family, no relation to the Miller brewing company.

Ah. Thanks Tom.

If you go and want to sound like a regular, order a "shell". They will bring you a draft beer in a glass.

Hey, Miller's is right on Michigan Ave. This might be bikeable. It has high ratings, although it's rated "romantic?: no."

Ooh, insider tip; thanks Tom! Shell it is.

I see it's right past Telegraph.

It's kind of a hike from Ypsi to Dearborn, and Miller's is a couple of blocks east of Telegraph, just before you get into downtown Dearborn. Biking would be kind of dicey unless you could find some parallel routes to Michigan Ave, especially through Wayne, Inkster and Dearborn.

"Romantic?: no" is highly accurate :).

Dueling comments!

I'm sure there is a parallel route, though from what I've seen Michigan Ave is not the worst road for biking.

it's only 24 miles, via 94 anyway, I see. Eminently bikeable. At any rate, I'm glad to learn about a new thing to check out.

Yeah, it'd be a long haul on a bike. Great scenery, though, some wide open lots, some factories and shops. Place still has a "neighborhood" feel. Not at all like a bar (in my limited experience) a lot of families there.

Sounds very nice. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Laura - I dunno.

I admire your intrepid spirit, but a lot of Michigan Ave. is dangerous enough for driving, let alone biking.

Miller's does indeed make the tasty burgers. The last time I was there, they were still serving them on waxed paper which they laid right on your table. Fries, too.

No dishes to wash...

Point well taken.

Miller's has quite the following, I see--I'm surprised that so many people are familiar with what sounds like a smallish spot in Dearborn.

I grew up in Allen Park, the 'burb just south of Dearborn, and worked for a while at Ford, for which Miller's is a lunch and after work destination. So it was part of the landscape for me.

It's been around for some time, sounds like.

I hate to be Captain Downdrag, but you will get killed by a car if you try to bike there.

Other than that, it's worth a trip. Throwback atmosphere.

Ann Arbor doesn't have a slider joint like Bates or Bray's or Miller's. I think it would do a brisk business if someone opened one up.

Aye aye Cap'n. OK. That seems to be the consensus.

We have the White Castle at Packard--Carpenter...but I got a bit ill last time I was there, much as I love sliders.

Ahhh, Castillo Blanco

When I was a little girl I'd sometimes go with my dad to Taylor to "help" him fix printing presses at the Heidelberg headquarters there. On the way back we'd load up on sliders. That was a big deal and a special treat. Yum.

"Castillo Blanco" - I love it!

Sounds ritzy. :)

The thing I like about Castillo Blanco is that the entire dining area is covered in white tile, like a bathroom or an abattoir, so they can simply hose it down every so often...

It is, now that you mention it; optimal for hose-down purposes.

Sounds like journalism runs in your blood. Who did your dad work for?

Yeah, It's kind of cool; I feel like I'm continuing a tradition in a way. At work I have a bunch of big headline hand-set-type letters scattered over the computer--my dad started out in Baltimore with a hand-set-type press, back in the 40s.

He worked for Heidelberg his whole life; the last generation to enjoy lifelong employment. Retired now.

Pardon my ignorance - did Heidelberg manufacture presses or were they a printing company?

LF: This German-based firm made various printing presses; four-color, four-color with varnish, &c. I always admired my dad's ability to fix such complicated items and mill up replacement parts. He still has an elaborate workshop in his and Mom's home where he can whip up any sort of part you might desire, an enviable skill I respect.

A guy who worked sales in Dearborn introduced me to Miller's. I wondered why he called our beers "shells." We chatted with the bartender a bit, that's how I know the bar is the original from 1941.

Nice. It's on my list for sure.