Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Vortex Pins: Basement Burger Bar
Whenever I see a local TV station or newspaper naming their “Best Burger in Detroit”, I’m a little skeptical. Those are bought and paid for, says the skeptic inside me. Hey. That’s fine. And I’m not saying I haven’t visited a few of those places and that the burgers weren’t tasty – but I always come back to Basement Burger Bar.
Located in downtown Farmington, and in a basement, no less, this always feels like “my place.” As if I’m one of only handful of people who even know the Basement Burger Bar exists. The owner sees me and says, “hey, Don …the usual?”
I nod approval. I sit at the bar and an icy cold beer slides across the surface into my outstretched hand. A cute, but not too cute, waitress who’s worked there for going on 16 years walks up behind me and says, “hiya, doll. We don’t serve your kind, here.”
I turn. We laugh. It’s an old joke I’ve heard a hundred times. It’s like coming home for Thanksgiving.
OK. So it’s not that quaint. Maybe it was at one point, but not in 2014.
Note 1: The waitresses are both “cute” and a few are “too cute.”
Note 2: Nobody knows me there because I’m anti-social (hence I have a blog)
What you get is a magnificent burger. It’s the kinda place you take someone who’s visiting and staying with you from out of town. It’s where you go to have a burger and watch the first half of a Saturday night football game in the fall. Or where you take your kids special when they brought home great report cards. Or let’s say you go to church on Saturday …ya gotta do dinner after, right? How about a burger? Yum.
Basement Burger Bar’s claim to fame is “craft burgers” and “craft beers.” Some call it “craft” …I call them a work of art.
One more great thing …it’s located right next to the Farmington Civic Theater (my favorite theater on Earth) and if you bring in your ticket stub (maybe you skipped church, who am I to judge), they’ll give you a discount.
See? Quaint.
Out late? It’s also a great place simply to grab a drink, with 40+ craft beers on hand.
Let’s eat.
Don Kowalewski 