Ferndale, MI — One of Ferndale’s newest restaurants has been generating quite the buzz on social media and by word of mouth for the past month. So, naturally, I had to embark on a foodie adventure, not once, but twice, to check out Ferndale’s new neighborhood eatery.
Before I started seeing Two Star shared around a few of the Meto Detroit foodie circles, I happened upon the new restaurant about two weeks ago as I was heading to Hazel Park to visit my former roommate and his cat, Javi. There was a grand opening sign still sitting near the entrance. As I slow-rolled by, I noted a rather packed patio yet relaxed neighborhood bar vibe as well. About a mile away from the hustle and bustle of Woodward Avenue and 9 Mile Road, Two Star sits along Hilton Road, just north of E. Cambourne Street. I swore then that once I finished the blog post that I was working on at the time (Rumi’s Garden in Grand Rapids), I would visit Two Star next as I worked my way down my current foodie adventure quest log (or list for the non-nerds).
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The first visit occurred on a Friday evening with my friend Vince and his wife, Kara, who also live very close to Two Star, about two miles away in Royal Oak. The second visit came only two days later for an early dinner with my ever-so-dedicated Foodie-at-Arms, Juan! I made sure between both visits to try as much of the menu as I could and shared appetizers with friends so I could showcase and recap as much as possible for those who are curious or eager to check out Two Star. So, let’s kick things off with the Friday night foodie adventure!
The Food
The first adventure was a beautiful summer evening. My friends and I arrived around 7 p.m. and snagged one of the few remaining tables outside in the far corner of the patio. It was perfect patio weather, with the temp sitting around 80 degrees as the sun began to set, its rays still fighting to peek over buildings along the west side of Hilton Road and between tree branches. My friends were in the mood for a classic pepperoni pizza and cheese bread, while I was inclined to try the two-slider special. After chatting with our server, I opted to swap one of my two sliders for a chicken slider and added cheese to both (obviously). I ordered a side of Breaded Pickle Chips, but more on that later!
While I didn’t try my friend’s pepperoni pizza, I will say from visuals alone that pie looked absolutely delicious and well assembled. My friend, who also spent a few years working for a pizza chain when we were younger, and I both recognized the iconic cup-and-char or mini pepperoni (Old World) that curls up into a crispy bowl shape. My friend snatched one seconds after the server placed the pizza down, even as his wife was attempting to separate a very cheesy slice from its neighbors. I ended up having to assist in the operation, because this pizza was cheeeeesy! The crust seemed like it had a good crisp to it as well, and I liked that Two Star gives the outer rim of their pizzas a considerable dusting of parmesan cheese — always a good call! My friends were ultimately big fans and said they would definitely order that pizza again.
I was, however, able to try two pieces of the cheese bread. Another similarly baked dough rolled out to the size of a medium pizza, this starter gets a considerable portion of cheese evenly spread across, ensuring every piece includes a bite of buttery ooey goodness. As a proud cheese enthusiast, a huge shout-out to Two Star for not shying away from the cheese on their bread or pizzas. The cheese bread was a bit light and somewhat airy, but dense enough to support the hefty cheese layer and dash of seasonings on top. Another fine dash of parm cheese around the outer edge and a delicious dunk or two in ranch had this appetizer putting out a strong opening performance.
My starter, the Breaded Pickle Chips, actually arrived first at the table. To be fair, pizza and cheese bread take longer to make due to their baking times in the oven. To my bemusement, Vince and Kara aren’t fans of pickles, so these chips were all mine! Which is great since I ended up really enjoying them. You could tell these were breaded in-house and came fresh right out of the fryer, with steam still emanating from the golden brown chips when first set down. These were delicious pickles, and the seasoning blend within the breading’s composition was notable and even stood out as a distinguisher. The breading was very light, even falling off or separating easily from the interior pickle, but not enough to the point where it was a nuisance or had an impact on quality. Paired with another cup of ranch, I ended up eating nearly every pickle chip!
The last arrival for this foodie adventure was my entrée, the two-slider special, which comes with an order of fries. The slider is common among many restaurants and bars around Michigan and the greater Midwest region, and is usually pretty straightforward in its presentation and delivery. So anytime a restaurant modifies and is able to add something unique to its rendition, I’m always more excited to try it. What stood out to me when reviewing Two Star’s menu was that the sliders include a special house sauce and are served up in a few different ways, from a deluxe offering to bacon, double, veggie, or the chicken options.
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I went with the regular slider and regular chicken slider, but added cheese to both. The fries were of the shoestring variety, slim but not as thin as the standard shoestring fry. As you can somewhat see from the photo featured at the top (sadly, it was the only photo I took of this dish because I was eager to inhale food), the sliders were of an above-average size, with both the beef and chicken patties commanding a considerable weight in the flavor profile until reaching the pickle and special sauce. The sliders were a solid choice in terms of taste, portion size, and a unique sauce that worked perfectly for both sliders. I would definitely order these again and perhaps try some of the other variations offered at Two Star! This is where the first foodie adventure concludes…
And this is where the second foodie adventure begins! A couple of days after the first adventure, I met up with my friend and former colleague, Juan, for lunch. I was even lucky enough that he decided to bring his new puppy since he saw that Two Star had a dog-friendly patio. Juan and I decided to split a Veggie Pizza, Epic Nachos, and Mozzarella Sticks. These Mozz sticks hit the spot, featuring a house-made blend of seasonings mixed into the breading. The sticks were fried to a light, golden crisp, which resulted in the breading being a bit crumbly at times but delicious nonetheless. The thick mozzarella was bursting at the seams through the panko, resulting in extremely perfect cheese pulls. With the occasional splash of ranch, these Mozzarella Sticks were a great kickoff to the second Two Star foodie adventure.
I finally got to experience Two Star’s pizza, and was very impressed right out of the gate by how perfect the crust and dough came out. This Veggie Pizza had a remarkably soft and squishy consistency, and still maintained a slight exterior crisp. The kitchen crew hit the timing and eye for this bake perfectly, and did a great job evenly portioning the toppings.
Two Star served this pizza very cheesy (as was Vince and Kara’s pizza), and having the extra parmesan cheese on the crust was everything. I really enjoyed this pizza and the fact that every bite had a bit of every fresh ingredient. Two Star pizzas, you can’t go wrong!
Not to be out-cheesed, the Epic Nachos arrived alongside the pizza. The Epic Nachos are a massive heap of tortilla chips, peppers, tomato, onion, and mozzarella. You can choose between ground beef or beans, as well as deciding between regular tortilla chips or nacho chips, and adding jalapeños and black olives. Since it’s for a foodie adventure, Juan and I decided to load it up with everything!
As beautifully displayed in the photo above, this serving size can definitely feed up to a table of four or five people and gets a lot of love with the toppings and cheese. And this wasn’t one of those situations where everything is just sitting on top with a bunch of dry chips beneath it all; the ingredients were layered methodically from the bottom tier of chips all the way to the top. These nachos earn the epic name, with amazing presentation and taste chip after chip. Juan and I barely made it halfway through, on top of a slice of pizza each. We had plenty of leftovers, and I was beyond thrilled to get to enjoy the nachos for a second round the next day. And they held together very well!
Both foodie adventures yielded very successful and enjoyable results. Two Stars was on point in terms of fitting the perfect vibe for a friendly neighborhood hang with all-around great food up and down its menu. The staff are very welcoming and treat you like someone they’ve known for years, even providing Juan’s dog with a bowl filled with water during my second foodie adventure. Between both adventures, I can confidently say that the pizza, sliders, and snacks that I’ve tried so far are all excellent choices and a great place to start if you happen to adventure to Two Stars in Ferndale. If you do, I hope you enjoy!
For more information about Two Star in Ferndale, click here.
MI Foodie Adventures 