Clubhouse BFD sports bar restaurant at M59&Crooks in Rochester Hills (DTW)
I cringed and forced myself into the relatively new Rochester Hills sports bar, named Clubhouse BFD, at M59 and Crooks, and impossibly it turned out to not be awful. Its neighbor is Eastside Mario’s, so whatever good came from Clubhouse certainly resulted not from local competitive pressures.
It was a typical looking Rochester crowd, and the crammed parking lot was suggestive of a waiting list, but inside the seating proved to be plentiful, and intimate if desired. There were thirty or so TVs lining the bar. The staff was VERY accommodating, even if arguably quirky.
My two favorite things about Clubhouse were that Happy Hour involves discounts on MICHIGAN beers (splendid idea!) and that the beer selection on tap well rivals One Eyed Betty’s. Oh, and there is a third thing: wait for it……this comment made my fellow diners gasp— The burgers are comparable to the Red Coat Tavern.
Granted, I am not someone who fully “gets” the hoopla over Red Coat. I’m happy that Red Coat exists, and I have nothing against it. Still, the thick, juicy, admittedly enhanced (worcestershire and dehydrated garlic?) flavor of the CAFO, custom chuck/brisket blend medium rare seared patty at
Clubhouse, in my mind, rivals that of Red Coat.
This is what I’ve gathered from my first visit. Surely there will be more to follow, from me or others, given the easily accessible location. http://chbfd.com/
-
Tried it, liked it, but thought that the price tag was too high for the burger, fries, and Coke (I added grilled onions for $1). At $16 out the door, that seems at least a couple dollars high to me. Then again, to be fair, I usually don't order fries when I'm at RCT, so there's that to consider.
Ultimately, though, for $16, I want my hunger to be sated...and it really wasn't. I wasn't starving when I was done, but I ate every morsel on that plate, and wanted more, but didn't feel like paying their prices. Plus, it was pretty loud (but not ridiculously so), and I felt like leaving and eating later (BLT at One-Eyed Betty's in Ferndale...not bad at all, and cheaper than the previous meal!).
Not bad (actually, in terms of taste, pretty good!), but not worth what I paid. It might be a while before I'm back there *unless* there are decent happy hour food specials. Oh, and parking is quite lousy. Too few spots for a shared two restaurant parking lot.
BTW: service was fine, and I know you only too well, VTB: you likes you your eye candy, dontcha?
You dirty old man. ;)
›1 Reply
