Flint, Michigan
August 11th, 2010
My friends "Nick" and "Rose," whom I met while out in grad school on the frozen prairie of Minnesota, are from Flint, and they never shut up about the coneys.
Back then, I was only acquainted with coneys of the Cincinnati variety, and the idea of coneys sans cheese, served in not Skyline but a greasy diner, didn't sound quite right. Nick and Rose insisted, sometimes violently, that I was mistaken. True coneys were Flint-style, ordered "up" and washed down with coffee, preferably at 3 or 4 or 5 a.m., after
Now I'm older and wiser, and I know a lot more about coneys, and I'm here to say that Nick and Rose were right. The coneys in Flint are very, very good coneys.
ordered: two coneys, up
winner: my digestive tract, which had been fed the best Buffalo wings for breakfast and authentic coneys for dinner. Hey, it was a road (food) trip.
please note: In Flint, you'll have to choose between Tom Z's and Angelo's. I went with Tom Z's because I didn't feel like being punched in the face by Nick, who has strong feelings on the subject*. But the story of the Flint Coney Island feud is a good one to hear over a plate of coneys at either location.
And if you're lucky enough to eat coneys with Nick, ask him to tell you the story of the time his friend went out to Tom Z's for post-bar coneys and was awakened three hours later by the waitresses during their shift change. Tom Z's is the sort of place that will let you sleep it off in front of a plate of half-finished coneys.
Sounds like my kind of place.
*I'm just kidding about the face-punching, Nick. I know you're a gentle giant.
