Traffic Jam & Snug Restaurant

10/19/11

Used to be one of my fav's

by myrtletc at Citysearch

Four years ago I raved about the service and the food, well today dirty glasses and dishes, and sloppy waitstaff left me feeling like this place is going down. the salad was fresh and the white bean dip were very good but the overall uncleaness made me uneasy about eating there. Such a roomy and spacious building very unique the waitstaff needs to keep this in mind. Who is running this place?

02/17/10

Saucy Review: A hidden gem!

by The Sauced Chef at Citysearch

This is truly one of the hidden gems of Detroit. They make their own beer, cheese, bread and ice cream in house. Despite the name, it is all one place. Local lore (from the waitress) says that in the 70’s it used be separated with one part for the drinkers and the other for the kiddies.

Get Sauced: 4 out of 4

Wow, very impressive! This place made me wish that I wasn’t driving! They have a small but well-rounded wine list that fits. They also feature a German mulled or spiced wine with hints of clove and apple. The brewer had two beers on tap when we visited, an Altbier and a Pilsner (the Grand Theft Pilsner, to be exact). Naturally, I tried them both. With its hop-forward bite and subtle malt finish, the Altbier was my favorite, but the Pilsner was done well too. For those of you ready to drink hard, Traffic Jam has an extensive libation menu as well. From spicy classic like the “Red Eye Bloody Mary” to unique experiments like “Chai One On” (a vodka, milk and chai martini) this place overs a variety of ways to get sauced!

The Sauce: 3 1/2 out of 4

Yahtzee! This chef speaks my language! Every sauce I had was unique and delicious. We started with the egg rolls paired with a red pepper sauce. The sauce was fantastic! I immediately tasted the heat that lingered (but didn’t overpower), followed by a gingery-sweetness then finished with the subtle tartness of the red pepper! I couldn’t get enough of this stuff. I tried the vegan lentil soup and was blown away by the heartiness of it. The soup also had an understated tomato-curry flavor that was addictive. For my main, I had the meatloaf with the Cumberland sauce. The meatloaf was savory and had multiple notes of onion, carrot and currant. The sauce was sweet and deep! A true decadence of umami coupled with a light and airy currant sweetness. My only complaint was the quantity of sauce on the meatloaf, not enough! We also sampled 4 flavors of the homemade ice cream: coffee, mint chocolate chip, pistachio and vanilla. The vanilla was superb, as well as the pistachio and mint chocolate chip. I was disappointed in the coffee ice cream, it lacked a strong coffee flavor. It tasted like coffee with too much cream and sugar in it. I like my coffee ice cream to be have bitter strength followed by understated sweetness. This didn’t do it for me. Overall, the sauces at Traffic Jam are a force to be reckoned with.

The Reduction: + 1 Customer Service and + 1 Ambiance for 9 1/2 out of 10

If you live in Detroit or are visiting, go here! The waitstaff was friendly, funny and courteous. Our waitress had a mastery of the menu and made some educated recommendations tailored to our tastes. She also knew a lot of the history. This place is huge, btw! It has a real mish-mash of different designs and aesthetics that somehow work together in harmony. Its a fun place to sponge up the booze with a electric college atmoshphere on the weekends and a laid back vibe during the week. Traffic Jam also sells its products, stop by to pick up some rich and pungent bleu and asiago cheese or a gallon of vanilla ice cream. Either way, get your pampered little behind to the D and check out Traffic Jam & Snug!

Read more @ www.thesaucedchefblog dot com

• Pros: the sauce
• Cons: not many...

08/07/08

Unique (the good kind)

by andrewap at Citysearch

I've been a semi-regular at the Traffic Jam for about 3 years now and have only had good overall experiences. The atmosphere is cozy and relaxed and the wait staff has also been a pleasure. Sometimes the food takes a little while, but I have yet to be dissapointed by the taste. Their menu is unique and big enough to find something you'll like. I'll admit that it's nothing fancy, but the food is good, hearty, sticks to your ribs cookin' that's great after a hard day at work or for a lazy afternoon lunch.

• Pros: service, parking, food, ambience
• Cons: occasional waiting for food

05/02/08

No Longer the Favorite Spot in the City

by suzettamaria at Citysearch

I have tried hard to overlook to downhill slide in the food. Last Wed. was my last visit to TJ's. The potato soup was like something served in prison.Lox was hard and old, the "spread" was watered down sour cream that would not stick to crackers. I did enjoy the 2 strawberries on the plate. The stuffed potato was burned and embarrassingly small. But the biggest disappointment was the Carlotta. The small plate was mostly covered with ice cream with freezing cold sauce!!!!

Trying to save money is losing you the most valuable asset you have, the customers. Sorry to see you go.

• Pros: free parking
• Cons: food

01/09/08

flabbergasted

by sjdied at Citysearch

I went in a few weeks ago to have lunch. After being told my first two choices were unavailable, I waited 45 minutes for my third choice. It looked terrible. Poor presentation. When I brought it to my waitresses attention she hung her head. It seemed this wasn't the first time today she had this conversation. After apologizing multiple times she discounted my item. I wondered what she was apologizing for... did she make my food look like this? Did it take her 45 minutes to make it? I feel people should not critique the service so harshly. I would be lackadaisical as well if the food I ordered took that long and looked like that. If a restaurant doesn't take itself seriously, why would the wait staff?