Duffy’s Den: Determined to be Delicious

In times that might feel overwrought, too political, too stressful, we often revert to the things that comfort us the most. A warm sweater, a classic rock record your parents used to play, a bowl of soup. It’s totally natural to crave those old senses of comfort, tied together by sounds, smells, feelings, and sights. Our brains are great at tricking us into thinking we are in a different place, in a different time, with a (hopefully) more pleasant feeling.

These warm positive nostalgic feelings often come from memories of childhood, but they also stem from what we think as simpler times (Even when they most assuredly were not). My memories of Sunday nights at Crunchy’s in college, football on a cool morning, and not having to worry about anything except how to pay for my next cheap beer really resonate with me – and Duffy’s brought them out.

Duffy’s Den is a old school dive sports bar. They’re everywhere, with their exteriors not looking like much, and the interiors with all of their own quirks, but the sum of their existence feeling like something outside of themselves, an entity existing everywhere and nowhere in the universe – much like Douglas Adam’s restaurant at the end of the universe, or Neil Gaiman’s World’s End Tavern – the location doesn’t matter, and the stories within these pubs pass freely between them. It’s something about that feeling of being out of place while also being in exactly the right place that evokes memories of an idyllic world that doesn’t exist.

In the real world, Duffy’s is in Detroit, just a couple blocks outside of Redford. It doesn’t look like much, of course, but based on the slightly worn awning, mid century brickwork, and a notice of their ‘giant plasma TV’, you’d expect a pleasant time or at least a cheap beer and an interesting conversation with the bartender. We had a smaller group than usual, but a host of our Burger Club regulars came with us to evaluate the scene. The bar was half full at this point with regulars, family, and folks watching sports or having a meal. It felt welcoming immediately, and the server/bartender went out of her way to come set us up at our table right away, despite our obvious newness in the environment.

IMAG0980 — This is what the Last Supper would look like if it took place at a Midwestern Bar.

There’s a jukebox, there’s darts, a pinball machine, and there’s some interesting older hybrid urinal toilets in the bathroom. All the quirks you want, and most of the amenities (though I wouldn’t mind a shuffleboard table). Their drink list is simple but has some Michigan drafts on it – and an Oberon or a Two Hearted never let anyone down. I was surprised and happy to see that they have Molson on tap for cheap which provides a simple, sweet and crisp mouthfeel that accompanies a burger and fries perfectly. I’ve only seen this one other place – Motor City Sports Bar in Hamtramck – which deepened my feeling of being at home.

The menu has a lot of pub food – and only pub food. Simple sandwiches, fried sides, burgers, and chili (which I didn’t try, and seems to be a specialty here.) They use Wigley’s corned beef for their reubens and corned beef sandwiches, and tout their use of Dimaggio’s breads baked just down the street in Redford for their sandwiches. They only list the ground round (1/3 lb patty, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle) and the St. Patty melt (with swiss cheese and grilled onions on rye) as their burger selections.

It’s a bold move to be so simple with only two burger options – it means that the cooks either don’t care about what is put out, or they are entirely confident and unashamed about what their product is. With simple ingredients and toppings, you can’t hide a poorly cooked burger. This is the opposite route of places like Taystee, who use so many flavorful ingredients that you could put anything vaguely beefy between the buns and end up with a decent meal. Duffy’s doubles down on their menu choices with a low price point – six dollars for a basic burger, 50 cents for cheese, 75 cents for bacon. two dollars for onion rings, tots, or fries, and you’ve got a filling meal for 8 dollars or an extravagant one for 12.

Of course, this low price could go either way, towards burger bliss or towards oblivion. When many pub burgers can sell for up to twenty dollars in some places, it can give you pause to expect a good meal for this cheap. Fortunately, Duffy’s pulled it off. They cooked our burgers mostly as we ordered (my medium rare turned out pleasantly pink in the center, despite the relative thinness of the patty) on simple, lightly toasted buns with fresh ingredients. The patties had plenty of flavor, simple seasoning, and weren’t oozing juice everywhere.

I’d guess that the patties are relatively lean, especially if they are actually ground round as advertised. Round tends to be around 85% to 90% lean, compared to the 80% lean of chuck steak, which is more commonly seen in cheap burgers of this type. That small difference in fat content can make a big difference in a ground meat patty. Round contributes a bit cleaner of a flavor, while chuck meat can give a stronger savory and fatty punch. The presumed round works well in this burger to complement the other ingredients as a whole. Tomatoes, lettuce and onions working as a group with the freshness and lean beefy notes of the ground round to provide a good overall experience.

Erik proudly shows off his newborn burger.

Clean, tasty, cooked right.

Alongside these clean, beefy fresh burgers, duffy’s served some of the finest sides I’ve had – perfectly cooked waffle fries, onion rings that had the right amount of crisp without any onion worm syndrome, tots with a nice crisp on the inside and softness on the inside. I can’t really say too much beyond that. They were what you want when you order these things, and hardly anybody could be disappointed by them.

They look greasy but they taste perfect. Gimme some ranch.

Crisp waffle fries with just enough seasoning.

I have no qualms about Duffy’s. I admit I was skeptical to hear of another place recently pop up on the burger radar after being open for so long, because a lot of hype goes into some small places without any backup sometimes. But I was happy to be there with my friends, happy to be among a friendly crowd, and happy to get the chance to eat something perfectly familiar while totally new in a place outside of time.

I’ve written a lot about nostalgia and memories on this blog, because a lot of positive feelings that we evoke come from meals we’ve eaten, the people we’ve shared them with, and the belief that breaking bread with someone is the best way to equalize everyone. But it’s also often the reason that a restaurant really strikes me in a way that makes me feel good. Duffy’s hits all the nostalgia check marks for me. A Lions game on TV, some old friends and some new ones, a simple burger and a cheap beer. They hit the spot.

IMG_20190908_163120 — The remnants of a solid meal.

Ratings:
Music Report: Not bad! Pretty much what you’d expect at a dive bar.
Burger: 4.038
Service: 4.653
Atmosphere: 4.275
Value: 4.186
Overall Rating: 4.235 <—- Our new Second place!

Alex – “I feel the location is a determining factor in not returning, but if they were in Hamtramck I think we’d come every Sunday.” 3/5
Alice – “One burger menu
Fast service and perfect sides
And the Lions game” 4.5/5
Carl – “One third pound ground round
Hamburgers make me happy
Duffy’s Den is Zen”4.2/5″
Erik – “I’m very impressed
By simple and good burgers
Everything is good” 5/5
Brett- “The pickles are great/
I cant get enough to eat/
the burgers are fine”4.2/5
Sean – “Tasty Tater Tots
Carl is giving me five
Cause Lions are bad” 4.5/5
Michelle – 4/5
Scott – 4/5