Regan Bloom and Elaine and Maurice Ltief

Their stylish menus are enticing enough to attract a loyal clientele of discriminating diners, but no matter how expert they are, restaurant people like to take a break from their own kitchens for a taste of someone else’s cooking
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Regan Bloom and Elaine and Maurice Ltief
Crabmeat Benedict at Atlas Global Bistro, a favorite brunch stop for Elaine and Maurice Ltief.
Photograph by Joe Vaughn

When Regan Bloom was expecting her first child, she says she would get away from Toast, the Ferndale restaurant she runs with her husband, Thom, “to my secret place. I’d go to the Onion Roll Deli, sit at the counter, and have corned beef. I’m a corned-beef addict,” she says. Now that the baby is here, when the couple gets a night out, they are likely to head for Mon Jin Lau in Troy “for its hip, fun, party atmosphere. There are always people celebrating something.”

This is a big month for Elaine and Maurice Ltief, celebrating 25 years running their M&M Café on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn. When they get away, which isn’t often, they might head for Atlas Global Bistro in Detroit. “We like going there for brunch and a good cup of coffee,” Elaine says. “I love Mark’s hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict.” Another fave is Nico’s on Erie Street in Windsor. “We’ve had a couple of really good dinners there,” she says. Taqueria Lupita in Mexicantown gets their vote for “real, down-home food, especially tacos filled with shredded stewed pork.” Much of the time, however, it’s family dinners at home with Elaine’s sisters. “We both come from a family of good cooks,” she says.