Because I was in Detroit this past half week for such a short time, I was unable to indulge in one of my favorite meals of all time — the Detroit Coney Island hot dog. In fact, I had planned to stopping in for a coney dog on Thursday night after the Lenka concert in [...]
Because I was in Detroit this past half week for such a short time, I was unable to indulge in one of my favorite meals of all time — the Detroit Coney Island hot dog. In fact, I had planned to stopping in for a coney dog on Thursday night after the Lenka concert in Pontiac, MI but it was too late to do so. Thankfully, over the weekend, a Detroit-style, Detroit-owned coney island eatery opened on the Sunset Strip here in LA over the weekend! At last, SoCal can now enjoy a little taste of Detroit right in its own backyard now that Coney Dog is open on Sunset Blvd.
It was just before noon [Sunday], and a line of characters, many of them dressed in U-M, MSU, Red Wings and Lions and other Detroit-themed garb, were wrapped around the corner on Sunset Boulevard, waiting for a little Motor City flavor in the heart of movie-making country. The reason for the excitement was opening day for the 100-seat Coney Dog, a new Detroit-themed restaurant that has set up shop on one of Hollywood’s most well-known drags, next to Whisky a Go Go rock club and just down the street from the Chateau Marmont, a longstanding celebrity haunt. Detroit-styled coneys, loose burgers, Sanders, Stroh’s and Faygo are all on the menu, and before it even opened the restaurant became a social-media rallying point among former Michiganders now living in the Los Angeles area. Admitting to first-day jitters was Birmingham-born Mike Binder, the actor-writer-director who owns the restaurant with several other Michigan-connected big shots, including comic-actor Tim Allen, director Sam Raimi and Detroit Red Wing Kris Draper. “It feels like the night before I shoot a movie. I hope nothing goes wrong,” said Binder, who greeted restaurant patrons and made sure they were enjoying their dogs. “It’s like making a movie because of all of the attention to detail. I had bun steamers flown in from Michigan, I toured the hot dog factories … even got the right silverware. We wanted to do it right.” The inside will look familiar to ex-pats. The 100 seats are a mixture of booths, bar seats and long communal tables, a layout not unlike Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit. There are photos of famous Michigan coney locations. Four large flat screens hang on the walls — many in the opening-day crowd said they’d be back later this week to watch the Detroit Tigers, who will be in town for a series against the Dodgers … Dave Kensler, 33, of White Lake Township was first in line with his wife Tiffani Kensler, 30, of Detroit. The two have lived in Studio City for almost 8 years, and usually make a coney stop when they visit Michigan. They got in line almost two hours before the restaurant opened — Dave wore a Tigers cap and a MSU hockey T-shirt; Tiffani wore a U-M tee. They are alums of the rival universities and met and married in Michigan. “I love it. I miss coneys; I miss Detroit in general. It’s almost like a little oasis of Detroit here in West Hollywood,” Dave Kensler said. “It’s not only the coneys, but it’s the Vernors and the Stroh’s and the Faygos and people who are calling it pop.” And as for how they taste? “It feels like home,” Kensler said, piercing the air with his fist and talking around a bite of his coney dog.
I can’t even tell you what this Coney Dog eatery means to me and other metro Detroiters who live here in SoCal. To have a place to frequent that offers genuine Detroit-style eats is a DREAM come true. As happy as I am that I have access this delicioiusness whenever I like, I am really excited for the Los Angelinos who are unfamiliar with Detroit Coney Island hot dogs … because they are going to fall DESPERATELY in love. This is really the best news ever … I cannot WAIT to sink my teeth into my first “imported from Detroit” coney island hot dog :D
[Source]
Eliza Dushku
Adriana Lima
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