Wyandotte Street Art Fair: Where to eat, drink
More than 200,000 people are expected to visit the Downriver community of Wyandotte through Saturday during the annual Wyandotte Street Art Fair.
The event, now in its 62nd year, is in downtown Wyandotte and features hundreds of artists from across the state, region and country showcasing art in all media. Visitors can stroll amid the art vendors and crafters up and down Biddle Avenue between Oak Street and Eureka and along several side streets.
Restaurants on Biddle and surrounding streets are ready to welcome fairgoers.
This will be the fourth street fair for David Wood, co-owner of H2O on Biddle, who says the event continues to expand.
"It's continually getting better," he said. "It's growing with new people (coming to downtown Wyandotte) and new artists. The word of mouth is that it's a very safe and fun environment. "
During the fair, Wood said, he typically sees triple the number of people he normally encounters downtown. Plenty of reservations are already in the books. His seafood-focused restaurant, known for its raw oysters on the half shell, will offer a limited menu during the fair.
Jeremy Sladovnik is gearing up for his 16th street fair. He's the owner of Joe's Hamburgers, which serves up sliders in the middle of downtown Wyandotte.
"It (the fair) means being able to be part of the community and install personality into the fair," Sladovnik said. "It's good for business and is busy for a place with one 4-foot grill and two deep fryers"
Having no beer garden where people are confined to an area is also different, Sladovnik said. (Wyandotte is one of many communities with a social district that permits people to walk around outdoors with alcohol. The district now includes more than 20 Wyandotte establishments.)
"People mosey through the fair, look at art, spend money and stop at any of the 25 restaurants in the district," Sladovnik said.
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Here's a roundup of restaurants on Biddle Avenue and their specialties if you're looking for a snack, a meal or a drink during the fair.
Angelina's Mexican Restaurant
3033 Biddle; angelinasfreshmex.com
Angelina's menu includes classics like nachos and botanas, enchiliadas, tamales and tostadas. Its full menu will be offered during the street fair. Items are also available a la carte and there's also a kids menu. From the grill, there are fajitas, steak and chicken entrees.
Brickhouse
2935 Biddle; brickhousebrands.com
Brickhouse, which opened six months ago, is one of the newer restaurants on Biddle. It's a spacious bar-restaurant that serves drinks and a full menu under one roof. There's a craft beer bar, a wine bar and a cocktail lounge. Its large outside patio stretches to the back of the building facing the Detroit River. It will be offering regular menu items as well as specials. Items include tenderloin tips and blackened salmon with a roasted red pepper sauce.
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Frank's Family Pizzeria
3144 Biddle Ave.; frankspizza1952.com
Frank's has been around since 1952, but new owners acquired it a few years ago. It serves several of the establishment's original pizzas as well as trendy Detroit-style pies. Frank's will set up an outside booth to sell pizza by the slice along with beer and cocktails. Indoor and patio dining will also be available.
H2O Seafood
3233 Biddle Ave.; h2oseafood.net
This seafood spot sources an abundance of fresh fish from all over the world, according to owner David Wood. Its latest offering is tuna from Hawaii. Its oyster program is well-known to Downriver diners. A limited menu will be offered during the street fair, and it includes tuna with Everything But the Bagel Seasoning, an heirloom tomato salad with burrata cheese and plenty of oysters. H2O also has an 80-seat patio that is shared with Gizzmos next door.
Iron Gate
3019 Biddle Ave; irongatebarwyandotte.com
Craft cocktails are one of the specialties at Iron Gate. Its food menu includes chef-curated small plates featuring appetizers, sandwiches, burgers and entrees. Desserts are made in-house, owner Josh Cade said. Iron Gate will have expanded hours during the street fair and will be open for lunch. An outdoor booth will be serving cocktails, including its popular carrot boi craft cocktail with vodka, pineapple, ginger lemon and carrot on tap.
Joe's Hamburgers
3041 Biddle Ave.; joeshamburgers.net
The basic slider is the Joe Slider, which comes with grilled onions, mustard, ketchup and pickles, The Chubby has two patties. Joe's is a small place but with a big menu of sliders, signature burgers, hot dogs and fresh-cut fries. For the street fair, it will set up a beer tent in front of the building.
Lunch Wyandotte
3050 Biddle Ave.; lunchwyandotte.com
This Italian sub shop is a walk-up window but has chairs and tables on the sidewalk. It offers a dozen subs, and its specialty is an 8-inch sub made with layers of Italian cold cuts, up to 18 layers, and cheeses. Subs are topped with lettuce, tomato, onions (optional) and a vinaigrette dressing, and served on Italian bread.
Next door: The owners recently opened Simply Hot Dogs and Ice Cream, offering hot dogs with a variety of toppings in a former Sanders location.
Nanna's Kitchen
2962 Biddle Ave.; 734-281-9093
Nanna's, at the corner of Biddle and Elm, opened in 1985 and is still serving classic home-cooked meals and its Mediterranean specialties. Its menu during the Street Art Fair will be limited. There's outdoor patio seating.
R. P. McMurphy's
2922 Biddle; rpmcmurphys.com
Known to many as R.P.'s, this longtime gastropub on Biddle Avenue offers classic comfort foods. A beer tent with a limited menu will be set up outside. The menu will include the Wyandotte griller sandwich and the chicken salad sandwich. The indoor bar and restaurant will also be open.
Whiskeys on the Water
2903 Biddle; whiskeysonthewater.com
The patio will be open, and the restaurant will have normal hours. The full-service establishment at the corner of Biddle and Oak offers cocktails, craft beers and a menu with abundant offerings. A selection of gourmet burgers includes its signature whiskey burger. It's smothered in Jameson whiskey glaze and topped with mushrooms, grilled onions, lettuce and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese.
OFF BIDDLE AVENUE
Bobcat Bonnie's
118 Sycamore Street; bobcatbonnies.com
This is one of several Bobcat Bonnie’s locations in metro Detroit. You'll find signature cocktails, weekly specials, burgers, sandwiches, salads and a shareable menu. Bobcat Bonnie's has expanded seating on its outside covered patio. There's comfy couch seating along with table seating.
Nearby: Grand Dad's Side Bar, Coastal Thai, Taco Bros.
Tacos and Tequila
166 Oak St.
Tacos and Tequila opened at the corner of Oak and Second just ahead of last year's street fair. Tacos, of course, are the specialty, including fish and veggie tacos. The menu has recently been revamped. The new menu features modern Mexican dishes, including burrito bowls, quesadillas and chilaquiles nachos.
Nearby: Captain's, Oak Barrel.
The Vault on First
3058 First St.; thevaultonfirst.com
The Vault on First is so named because the building was once a bank. It's billed as an American steakhouse with a menu of prime-cut beef, wild-caught seafood, pasta and vegetarian dishes. During the street fair, the restaurant will not be offering a happy hour, and it will be walk-in only (no reservations). Its full lunch and dinner menu will be available, and the patio will be open.
Nearby: Sushi Bar Japanese Cuisine, On the Rocks, La Creme Patisserie, Firehouse Pub.
The Wyandotte Beer Co.
3016 First Street; wyandottebeercompany.com
This newish spot in downtown Wyandotte is just off Biddle on First Street and offers a rotating menu of craft beers. During the street fair, there will be a limited food menu of sliders, tacos and loaded fries.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
Wyandotte Street Art Fair
10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Sat.
Downtown Wyandotte
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Wyandotte Street Art Fair: Where to eat, drink
