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all's fare
Woodbridge Pub to es lg ter fare to a healthier level.
BY DAVID MOSS I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BRAN
On your next trip downtown for a Red Wings game,
consider Woodbridge Pub. Already a favorite of Wayne
State University students, locals and nearby office
workers, this popular hangout features burgers, salads
and sandwiches with a healthy twist — fresh local
ingredients; and there's no deep fryer in the building.
Owner Jim Geary is a Woodbridge Historic
District resident and spent two years renovating the
old building. Set just off the Wayne State campus,
west of its football stadium, Woodbridge Pub features
a beautifully restored tin ceiling, huge picture windows
and a bar pieced together with wood salvaged from an
old church. The atmosphere is fun and friendly, and
there are menu choices to appeal to everyone.
Consider the juicy half-pound Black Angus Burger.
I ordered mine with white cheddar, haystack fried
onions and a tasty BBQsauce. If you're not in the
mood for meat, try the delicious Black Bean Burger,
featuring a large patty topped with avocado slices and
drizzled with a balsamic reduction, served on a warm
ciabatta bun. My recommendation is to eat this with a
fork. Picking it up gets a bit messy.
On the lighter side, the menu features a traditional
Caesar salad and the Cheery Cherry, a salad with
Michigan cherries, goat cheese, grilled chicken, toasted
pecans and a cherry vinaigrette. Side salads abound:
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DECEMBER 2008 • EN platillUM
featured are a tasty cucumber, tomato and mozzarella
salad with olive oil or a broccoli, raisin and peanut
salad with creamy dressing. Both are portioned gener-
ously. Paired with a bowl of soup, they make a nice
meal.
And speaking of soups, they are excellent here. The
hearty vegan Harvest Grain and Portobello Mushroom
is served daily. There are rotating soups, including the
Beer Cheese. Unlike some cheese soups, which resem-
ble a warmed-up chunk of Velveeta, this actually had a
soupy consistency, as well as a pronounced beer taste.
It was delicious.
Four pastas grace the menu, as do thin-crusted
white pizzas with goat, Brie and other fancy cheeses,
topped with ingredients like artichoke hearts and wild
mushrooms. For a sandwich, try the S.U.B., a stack of
portabella mushroom, goat cheese, roasted red peppers
and carmelized onions on warm ciabatta bread.
For dessert, we tried the decadent chocolate layer
cake, as well as the daily offering, a Tin Roof sundae.
Ghetto Blaster beer is served on tap, along with several
other choices, including Michigan microbrews by the
bottle.
Speaking with Chef Jeff Tatum, I learned that
Woodbridge Pub looks for fresh, locally grown pro-
duce whenever possible. Some of the fruit and veggies
are grown right in the neighborhood. Bread and most
desserts are house-made, and there's a decided empha-
sis on eating healthy and on green living as seen in the
biodegradable carryout containers.
Woodbridge can get a little noisy. The diverse and
enthusiastic crowd of regulars and newcomers makes
for fun people watching, which you'll be doing as you
wait for service that is sometimes a little slow. But
Woodbridge Tavern is a fun and healthy change of
pace — and well worth the drive.
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Woodbridge Pub
5169 Trumbull,
Detroit
(313) 833-2701
Soups/Appetizers: $2-$5
Salads: $8
Sandwiches: $8
Hours:
Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Sunday brunch (with bottomless mimosas),
11 a.m.-4 p.m.