all's fare '401' ' USC S rikesk r9ed Agiet Open-Air Delicious Summer in the city means a new destination. do BY ANNABEL COHEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT MOUNTAIN CHOICE BEEF SUPERIOR MARBLING EXTRA TENDERNESS MORE FLAVOR See our Expert Meat Cutters to get the perfect steak for any occasion! Busch's has been known for our quality beef cuts for 35 years. Our Premium USDA Choice Beef is selected from the top 20% of all USDA Choice Beef, ensuring exceptional juiciness and flavor in each tender bite. WEST BLOOMFIELD FARMINGTON HILLS 14 Mile at Farmington • 248-539-4581 ® PHARMACY • 248-855.1745 Grand River Avenue at Drake Road 248.427-7400 Visit us at www.buschs.com to find all of our stores. Hidden Treasure Discovered in Oakland Count!) 4 • 4 4 r degant estate jewelr9 anJ beautiful one of - a Kind pieces can - - - be flours for le5s tkan tjou would imagine r Estate Buyers 35700 Woodward Ave. • Between H- Mile & Lincoln • Birmingkam 2- 4-3-64-1--350• WNW .at,60ttscorp.com P6 • AUGUST 2010 • EN platinum highball On a sun-drenched afternoon, the best seats and lunch fare in Detroit are al fresco at the new Fountain Bistro, opened just a couple of months ago in the space formerly occupied by Au Bon Pain, overlooking the stun- ning fountain at Campus Martius Park, where Woodward and Michigan Avenue meet — the new (yet old) heart of the city. On a particularly glorious week- day afternoon, my compatriots and I sat at a table under a shady umbrella watching many of the city's workforce relaxing on the lawn in front of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and being ever-so-lightly sprayed by the park's dazzling fountain. There are 50 seats inside the restaurant and about 50 outside, so they fill up fast at lunchtime. At Fountain Bistro, don't expect food even remotely French. It's basi- cally a casual breakfast and light-eat- ing spot that's really very American and not too gourmet. There are cold salad sandwiches — tuna, chicken, egg. There are salads — garden, Caesar, Caprese, Cobb and spinach. Among the few menu diversions from the usual are the flatbread pizzas. It was a warm day so we bypassed the signature broccoli beer soup (which comes highly recommended by all in the know), and we didn't order the cold soup offerings — gaz- pacho and vichyssoise. Instead, we chose other items from the limited yet perfectly sufficient menu. Our gor- geous Cobb salad was fresh and crisp with lots of the appropriate toppings. The sandwiches are served on your choice of several breads. Our chicken salad sandwich, served on thick slices of good wheat bread, was light and delicious — chunks of chicken, with yellow raisins and red apple. The Detroit sandwich, on marble rye, included warm corned beef and atypi- cal sauerkraut spiked with ale. Our Alaskan flatbread pizza came with creamy dill spread, topped with both finely chopped Bermuda onion and lox and sprinkled with capers. Also quite flavorsome. Desserts come from Detroit's own Avalon Bakery, so you know they're organic and good. We ordered blue- berry buckle, a homey coffee cake. We gobbled it up in seconds. Since it was past 10:30 a.m. when we dined, we weren't in time for breakfast (though the offerings of fresh hot waffles, quiches and break- fast burritos and sandwiches were very appealing). It's difficult to not use the word "fresh" to describe the food at Fountain Bistro. In a world full of fast food, junk food and chain fare, it was refreshing to eat real food in a real res- taurant and for not a lot of money. Fountain Bistro at Campus Martius Park 800 Vloodward Ave Detroit, MI 48226 (313) 237-7778 HOURS Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Breakfasts: 53.50-54.25 Soups: cup 52.50, bowl $4.50 Menu Items: about 56-59 Desserts: $1.95 - 55