arts & life out to eat LEFT: Pop’s for Italian is designed for wine lovers. CENTER: Enjoy the warm, romantic glow at Pop’s. RIGHT: Entrance to the Daily Dinette. Ferndale’s Finest: Pop’s For Italian & The Daily Dinette I s there an Italian dish out pensing system easily visible from there more comforting than any seat in the house. homemade pasta with hearty While One-Eyed Betty’s caters bolognese sauce? How about to beer fans, Pop’s is designed for fresh donuts right out of the wine lovers. For those just easing oven, served with a steaming into wine, Pop’s extensive list even cup of aromatic coffee? describes whether each choice is Metro Detroiters are now full-, medium- or light-bodied. blessed with both Italian and One of the highlights are the $6 Allison Jacobs American comfort food in one 5-oz. glasses of keg wine, includ- convenient spot, thanks to one ing a Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio of the latest Ferndale restaurant and Prosecco. developments — Pop’s for Italian and its A wine flight is yet another ideal option sister restaurant the Daily Dinette. at Pop’s. Diners can select a $5 flight fea- The concept was brought to life by the turing three of the keg wines or customize Kramer Restaurant Group, which is also their own. the force behind the ever-popular Rosie The food menu is enticing, featuring O’Grady’s and One-Eyed Betty’s. slight tweaks on typical crowd-pleasers, Separated by just a small hallway, such as the calamari steak. As one of the diners have the freedom to sample most popular dishes on the menu, Pop’s dishes and drinks from both Pop’s and the calamari is char-grilled rather than flash- Dinette with ease. fried, seasoned with hot cherry pepper, Pop’s for Italian is the larger of the two, aioli, capers and lemon. with romantic, stringed lights and dimly Another must-try is the burrata and lit Edison bulbs casting a warm glow prosciutto appetizer. The burrata is throughout the space. creamy and luscious and is served with a The bustling kitchen is located toward side of pillowy bread for dipping. the back of the restaurant, granting guests The Neapolitan pizzas are another spe- a full view of the chefs as they toss salads cialty at Pop’s and are substantial in size. and roll pasta dough. Trained pizza chefs fire up thin-crust pies Its massive bar is a breathtaking sight, at an epic rate, offering both gluten-free with glimmering bottles stacked high and and standard flour-based pizzas topped a high-tech wine preservation and dis- with simple ingredients. 52 September 1 • 2016 Find a wide selection of donuts and great coffee at the Daily Dinette. Along with authentic Italian pizza, Pop’s recently changed its pasta bolognese recipe, swapping in thick, from-scratch pappardelle noodles and a more tradi- tional meat sauce. The gnocchi is another crowd-pleasing dish, served with rich cream, gorgonzola, crumbled sausage and just a hint of spice from red pepper flakes. Seafood-savvy diners should also keep an eye out for its rotating whole fish served at market price. While Pop’s recently began offering weekend brunch and lunch, the Daily Dinette has been dishing out diner-style cuisine since February. Its doors are open five days a week until 11 p.m., and until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for night owls. Easily accessible from Pop’s or Nine Mile, this charming spot has a playful vibe, with whimsical lamps and a retro pink backdrop along the community-style booths. The Daily Dinette has modern ele- ments as well, with bright screens at the front of the restaurant featuring the menu on full display. Bring some friends or a good book and start out with a Nitro coffee. Brewed inside of a keg and fueled with liquid nitrogen, the coffee has a texture com- parable to a Guinness, sans the alcohol content. For purist coffee drinkers, its brews and lattes from the Ann Arbor-based Mighty Good Coffee are sure to satisfy. The Daily Dinette’s freshly baked donuts are also displayed in a glass case at the front in full view, irresistible to anyone with even a slight hint of a sweet tooth. The Daily Dinette offers both tradi- tional and wacky donut creations, includ- ing the crowd-pleasing Homer Simpson donut that resembles its cartoon counter- part but tastes even better. Donuts clock in at just 99 cents for a single or $8.99 for a dozen, and most of their dishes won’t add up to more than $10. The food menu may be brief, but the dishes are filling. The breakfast bowls are cooked to perfection day or night, and the “taters” are just an extra bonus. Health-conscious folks can always opt for the Greek salad, but the extra fat content in their dishes is well worth the splurge. No matter which door diners choose, the Daily Dinette and Pop’s for Italian have a major commonality — comforting food at its finest. * The Daily Dinette (248-268-4783) and Pop’s for Italian (248-268-4806) are located at 280 W. Nine Mile Road (suites 1 and 2) in Ferndale.