I believe that we need more moderately priced restaurants in Birmingham. I can appreciate a great steak and an impressive wine list, but I also enjoy the casual things in life as well - It's a balance and Birmingham is not balanced right now with its choice in dining. I think a restaurant like Sagebrush Cantina would do extremely well in downtown Birmingham.

And another one bites the dust. When is Birmingham going to learn that we really don't need $15+ a plate restaurants? Four steak houses? REALLY? Places like Chen Chow and Social where the theme is "pick place." This is supposed to be a walk able community. Where do families eat in this town? Oh wait, they don't. They go other places like Ferndale and Royal Oak. Where are the places for the young teenagers to go and hang out instead of on the street corners? Where do these same kids take their dates? There is no place for families to eat anymore. There are no places to take their young kids except pizza joints with no indoor seating or over priced sandwich places like Panera or Cosi. Oh wait, there are the competing Coney Islands, but really how many gyros or chili dogs can one family eat? Maybe the town council needs to take a closer look at what restaurants they really want here in Birmingham before they leap for the money...

The food just wasn't good. Someone bring El Barzon to this village!!!

This was a groovy place owned by groovy people that was intended for the groovy crowd. I will not miss it a bit. I hope the Hamilton Club goes next. Ugh.

Dick O'Dow's should not be lumped together with all these cheesy fern bars. It attracts a very diverse local crowd.

Birmingham doesn't attract what Birmingham residents think it needs. It attracts and sustains profitable businesses. Among restaurants, there are many diverse business models. Putting Greek Islands into the same category as Fleming's Steakhouse into the same category as Dick O'Dows doesn't make sense. Greek Islands' market is the roughly 40,000 people who live and work in very close proximity to Birmingham. Fleming's, on the other hand, draws on a population of literally hundreds of thousands. Whatever the case, America is a wonderful place where anyone with a really good idea and the energy to make it happen can probably find investors and make a go of it. And our free market system pretty much allows for equilibrium. Birmingham is a mature enough market, with enough market freedom, that what you see is pretty much what you're going to get. My opinion: You ought to count your blessings.

Of course it's a free market. Save your lecture for someone else.

So Clinton, I should count my blessings for living in a city with restaurants that I can't afford to eat in nor take small children to? I should count my blessings for living in a city that the only places for teenagers to go are the street corners or shops where the owners brag that they supply conduits for kids to get alcohol? Gee thanks for the reminder...

Barrios was a decent place. I thought that $10 was a little high for the guacamole, but I don't mind telling you that it was some REALLY GOOD guac !! The entree list ran anywhere from $17 - $24, which for Mexican is a bit pricey. It is the price of doing business here, unfortunately. Zumba could have been saved with a little forethought from our commission, but that is history now. I agree with much of the comments above, and have said it before, the number of average priced / family places (e.g. Max and Erma's) in Birmingham are becoming extinct. The economy of our town is the driving factor of who can afford to do business here, and the right side of menu is the evidence that is is costly.

There are plenty of places in Birmingham to dine with children at an affordable cost. Common Wealth, Peabodys, coney islands, deli's. Panara and more.. Why are you so negative? You live in one of the best places in Michigan. Try enjoying what you have around you rather than speaking negatively.

Maybe take your kids to McDonalds

Stella - perhaps you should read ALL comments made above. As for being rude and saying to go to McDonalds - as part of a family of former owner operators in the Metro area, mind your manners.

I was the original chef at Barrio and also heavily involved in the development of the concept. i did leave after the first year, as it was going in a different direction than I would have liked, but to hate and wish ill will on an establishment in Birmingham is outrageous. Barrio, although lumped together with Hamilton Room and Chen Chow, was a different venue. It did not have many of the problems associated with the other two & really strived to be more of a family friendly crowd than the others, just ask Metro Parents magazine. I get that Barrios food was not for everyone, nor was the cost, or portions and I personally cant speak on the last year, as I was not a patron, but seeing all these negative, hateful comments is staggering. The closure of both Barrio and Hamilton Room cost many many people their jobs, and once again, we have empty storefronts in the largest building in Birmingham. There were many people who will be affected by this, some customers who happened to like things other than steakhouses, coneys, and bistros, which are typically very pricey. The atmosphere was definitely to draw a crowd whom likes a energetic atmosphere, but as a restaurant owner, we go into a concept knowing its not for everyone, but try our best to do something cool and unique. i guess the safe choice would have been a steakhouse or some crappy joint, like a Fridays. Im not sad that it didnt work, Im bummed that good people lost jobs, and theirs more empty spots in Birmingham empty.

Nobody likes to see people lose their jobs; but we all have a stake in what this town is and what it should -- and shouldn't -- be.

We don't need to be the night club capital of Michigan. And we don't need to be a repository for teenagers from every other town in the tri-county area but our own.

As far as the Palladium, someone earlier said we often have empty storefronts in the largest building in Birmingham. Hmmmm. I wonder what the common thread is?

Let's hope they never get Play Birmingham off the ground. Remember that concept? Play Birmingham was going to be a massive multi-bar nightclub masquerading as a family entertainment complex. If the development is truly focused on families, would the owners would find it acceptable to have the place shut down at eleven p.m. every night? Don't count on that every happening.

I certainly agree that we should not be the nightclub capital or Michigan, but how about any nightlife? We dont want kids coming here from anywhere but here? Really? Should we put up gates and check ids? Ive got 3 of my own, and do i like the downtown vibe when its filled with hundreds of kids? No, but wouldnt it be nice to go out to a grown up place with friends from time to time? If I recall, Play, had certain requests/restrictions put forth by city and that made it hard to do business. I doubt thatll ever come to fruition, but if all we have are expensive bistros, which by way, i like, then family friendly places wont work, and if all we have are family friendly places, then how are we supposed to rid ourselves of all the kids on streets? Will you go to a loud rambunctious establishment filled with kids for a date night? See my point? We want more of this, without the kids traffic. Sounds like the old adage, We cant have our cake and eat it to. Like I said, I am not sad to see Hamilton, SOuth, or Barrio gone, but where is the spark that makes Bham unique?

I agree with Hammond on just about everything. Play Birmingham's proposal was just about as deceptive as South's. Play would be a night club with VIP rooms for table service. Ick! Glad Crave never got setup here.

I believe Birmingham is unique as is. It can be fun and attract a nice mix of residents and guests without having a bunch of cheesy night clubs.

Waho waho waho I think before we close the door on nightclubs in Birmingham we should note that if done correctly and tastefully they can be a great source of revenue for the city.(Tax rev) and a needed break from the week. I believe what a lot of people are upset with is 1. The price of cover to see washed up Dj's put on sub par set. 2. No night club in Birmingham has truly had a theme. There have been said themes but they does not make them themes. You can put neon paint on your event flyer and call it a 90's party but that does not mean that is how the night will turn out. Will people come dressed the part out side of a Halloween party? My guess is probably not. 3. The promoters who charge $20+ for a weekly event and play the same records and serve the same drink specials, and feel just because they know how to use Photoshop and can create a flyer they are lords of the nightlife. I believe these reasons are the reasons why people are fed up with nightlife in Birmingham. Above all else you have to have good crowd management. No one wants to attend events with ghetto people or people who cant behave them self's. Fix that, venues will thrive, and people will be happy when you notify them about your next event.

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i used to be an owner of the city cellar and the blue martini........ that being said. you have no idea how hard it is to do bizz in that city based on the rent structures... because it is birmingham the rent is thru the roof which coupled with the restaurant bizz is a very tough thing to do unless you have a chain behind you to help when it is slow. just to clear things up... i have read so many comments on here that in the past said goodbye to us when they have no idea what we went thru. when we first opened we had a great vibe and a great crowd. after two years bham opened over 1000 new seats of dinning within a half block of us. no way to compete with that when your rent is that high and your landlords have no interest of restructure. then the blue started attracting a crowd that drove alot of our good clientele away. the city council was calling for our heads. we were finally forced to shut our doors because the council said to much stuff going on there. so what do they do?????? they allow the same thing to open in the same space. when it was all said and done the place that replaced us had double the amount of calls to the police then we could ever imagine. i will never do bizz in that city again due to the city counci there who think they are god and have no clue. ok now that i have that off my chest i go back to the beginning. in the food bizz it is really hard to do bizz with that high of rent. i wish you all the best truly i do. good luck with your city council

I'm certainly glad the city commission chased off Crave. But we ended up with South, which, in the end, was just as sleazy! Lower rents for business owners would be a good thing.

The South owners were active in the business. Crave held lingerie parties and "phuq you" parties -- not the kind of place I would like coming to this town. I remember laughing when Crave's front-man (Khalil Ramadan?) talked at the City Commission meeting about how he was bringing such a cultural, artistic and sensual dining experience to Birmingham. His pitch didn't go over too well

It's all about the FOOD! Great food good prices... Don't pay the landlords what they want.. They will come down when no one will pay there greedy prices.love bham miss city cellar sham they couldn't stay and just blue martini go...

P.s Toasted Oak from novi would do perfect in the old barrio spot

I get a real kick out of these comments, it seems that everyone knows how to run a business except for the entrepreneurs that make an attempt at it.
I'm kidding [somewhat], however there are a lot of reasons behind a business owner's choices, successes and failures, it''s not as simple as people that have not tried it think!

I see this discussion as more about community standards than how to run a business. There are probably lots of topless joints, tattoo parlors and pawn shops in metro Detroit that are entrepreneurial in nature and have overcome many challenges in becoming successful. That doesn't mean I want a strip bar at the corner of Ferndale and Hamilton.

Our family will miss Barrio - looks like we'll be going back to Monterey in Royal Oak for Mexican.

it looks like you're one of the few families that will miss Barrio. It's too bad Zumba didn't make it in Birmingham.

Seriously? People have families in other places, too. Not just wealthy two-zip code suburbs. Birmingham exists as an ersatz downtown for Detroit. Where do you think the customers are coming from? A village with a population of 20,200 cannot support 75 restaurants. And since Detroit already has many superb Mexican food establishments....Barrio closed.

Salvatore Scallopini is a great family restaurant and has succeeded in Birmingham for over 25 years!

I like Salvatore Scallopini -- I think they do a good job.

My fault for not speaking up. Overall, not bad and place was extremely busy.