Earlier this week, I spent a few days in downtown Detroit for the media opening of the North American International Auto Show. One of the highlights of the week had to be our visit to a local watering hole called Cliff Bell’s. That’s right, a pub experience was well ahead of some of the automotive ones.
Having grown up as the son of a saloon owner in Cincinnati, John Clifford Bell’s family moved him to Detroit, where he began working his father’s trade. With the advent of prohibition, Bell opened a series of speak easies. At the end of prohibition, Bell opened a successful club that hosted some of the top acts from New York and Hollywood. In 1935, he opened Cliff Bell’s, a luxurious spot with lots of wood and brass trim, complete with modern refrigeration and air conditioning. Bell operated Cliff Bell’s until he retired in 1958. The club operated under a variety of names until 1985 when it was shuttered. The current owners undertook a renovation in 2005, bringing the spot back to its original glory and bringing back the original name.
An interesting side note to bar patrons everywhere is that legend has it that Cliff Bell was the very first barman to line up bar stools along the bar, in the Erskine Bridge Club at some point in the Thirties. Many drunkards owe old Cliff a debt of gratitude for giving us a place to rest our feet while quaffing a pint!
Today, Cliff Bell’s once again plays host to live music and BurleyQ shows, while the kitchen turns out food that might just be the best Detroit has to offer.
Many live music venues have a hard time getting the music mix and volume right. The tunes are often so quiet you can’t hear them, or so loud that conversation becomes impossible. The 3 piece group, Gerard Gibbs and ReORGAN’YZ churns out some wicked jazz, held together with the sweet, vintage Hammond A-102 organ. These guys are the real deal.
Often, dinner at the best places often becomes lackluster when the buffet stand comes out for a media dinner. This is so far from the case at Cliff Bell’s, as the kitchen is talented at feeding a group in style. Our meal consisted of red wine braised beef that was melt in your mouth and a pork loin roast that was surprisingly mild in flavor and paired nicely with a number of locally made mustards on offer. The veggie course was an incredibly cool individual mushroom pot pie, served in tiny ramekins and topped by a puff pastry that was close to and inch and a half high.
Cliff Bell’s left such a great impression that we’re planning a visit later in the Spring so that Sandy can experience the place too. It is worth the 4 hour drive from the FAB Whitby kitchen!
Lead in photo from the Cliff Bell’s website. All others by yours truly.
