If you’ve been reading the Metro Times EAT blog, you realize we found a little trove of Detroit food heritage in a Hamtramck attic recently: A sheaf of brittle pages containing recipes from several well-known old-line Detroit eateries, all written out in pencil cursive in 1962. We have shared recipes from Schweizer’s Restaurant and Joe Muer’s. Ever since the moment we found this cache of recipes, we have been surprised at this neglected culinary heritage from the days when menus boasted steaks and chops and restaurants were so rich and dark they left you feeling around for your fork. The Caucus Club, which closed last year, was one of the most popular restaurants of its day. It opened in the early 1950s, and this recipe seems right from that era, featuring crowd-pleasing red meat given a tiki-style twist.
Caucus Club In the Penobscot Building, at 157 W. Congress St., Detroit.
Lunch and dinner served daily, 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Entertainment in the evening. Closed Sunday.
Brochette of Beef Tenderloin Polynesian
2 pounds of beef tenderloin, sliced
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sweet sherry wine
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of ground clove
1 teaspoon ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
Marinate sliced beef tenderloin in other ingredients 12-24 hours in advance of cooking. Broil beef on skewer with cubes of fresh pineapple. Serve with rice and mushroom caps. Serves 4.
