Reporter Food: Mac Shack Papa Smurf and More at Detroit Fleat in Ferndale

(Crystal Proxmire, Aug. 29, 2017)

Ferndale, MI – Fleat is a unique place that combines a restaurant and bar with a food court with a variety of ever-changing food trucks.

I went there with Sheri Gibson recently to give it a try.  Apart from getting trapped by long community style tables too close together, it was a good choice.

Fleat itself has a menu with sliders and other options.  Sliders come in pairs, which made it easy for us to share.  First was the House Veggie slider, which is a buffalo chick pea patty with lettuce, tomato and blue cheese sauce.  Second was the Whiskey and Bacon slider, which came with cheddar, sauteed onion and Michigan distilled whisky BBQ glaze.

The sliders were good, but my favorite thing was the Papa Smurf mac n’ cheese from Mac Shack. It’s called the Papa Smurf because it’s topped with wild mushrooms.  It also has caramelized onion.  Mac Shack was one of the food trucks in the courtyard that evening, and I’m told that it will be a regular.

Drink-wise I surprised myself and expanded my palate.  I ordered the Bourbon ‘n’ Cream based on the name and did not realize it was made with coffee.  I don’t normally like coffee, but mixed with booze and nutmeg, the Chazzano Cold Brew was quite refreshing and sippable.  Chazzano (who is a sponsor of Oakland County Times) is located right across the street from Fleat and it makes me happy to see that they collaborated.

For those who don’t know Sheri, she’s a super tough boss lady/mamma who I got to know when I did a story about her standing up for her son’s right to wear an earring to school. Her fight for dress code equality made a great story and prompted lots of community conversation about how dress codes should be.

At this dinner she talked about volunteering for FernCare, which is a community-supported free health clinic located in Ferndale, but serving anyone who comes.  Sheri helps people navigate the sometimes confusing task of signing up for insurance.  She does this in addition to working full time, running a business of her own, and raising a few kids.  She’s a great example of how to be involved in the community, and I’m glad we got to go support this new local restaurant.

Detroit Fleat is located at 1820 E 9 Mile Rd in Ferndale.  Check them out online at http://detroitfleat.com/.