What a cool place! Located in downtown Detroit this was Michigan's first brewpub. If your sketchy about going downtown don't worry, there is a fenced in parking area with security guarding the entrance. Inside, the place is really nice with lots of brick, wood and fireplaces but it also has a funky edge with some strange decorations and diner booths. we started off by sampling the beer. They only have 3 different beers on tap at a time so we tried all 3. The IPA was hazy gold in color and although it didn't exhibit the blast of hops i look for, it was a nice dry hoppy beer similar to most brewpubs pale ale or gold selection. Next was the porter which had a nice roasted malt flavor with a decent hop balance. The last beer was just called an "English ale" and tasted to me a lot like an unfiltered ESB with less emphasis on the hops. Overall not a great beer experience but not a bad one either. Then again, beer is only a fraction of the story at Traffic Jam. They also make their own bread, cheese and ice cream! The menu was unbelievable with many eccentric selections and an abundance of vegetarian options. I got the Mediterranean crab cakes which were on special that night and they were great. Kim got their garden salad with smashed potatoes which are smashed with pumpkin above all things. Pumpkin and potato sounds strange but it was delicious. Traffic Jam is definitely a place you will want to check out.
Joe's review coming soon.