I’ve heard so much buzz about Valentine Distillery in Ferdale, I knew we had to check it out. On Fridays, Ricky works summer hours, so we were able to hit the road by the early afternoon. The Motor City Casino Hotel graciously hosted our stay and provided us with a special anniversary dinner at their hotel restaurant Iridescence. Since we were only staying overnight, I didn’t want to jam-pack our schedule with too many activities, but I knew we had to hit up some landmarks like Eastern Market.

The food and beverage scene alone is worth a trip–so many tasty places to visit!

While there are some dicey areas, it’s truly the comeback city. You see the Anthony Bourdain special or Vice and think the worst of the city. Through media, I feel there is quite a misconception of the status of Detroit. We’ve been in Michigan for 5 years now and Ricky has never been to Detroit, aside from a Tigers game. Since our wedding anniversary was in May, we wanted to have a special overnight trip. From Grand Rapids to Detroit is just over a 2 hour drive–not bad at all. One of the many things I love about Michigan is how different the scenery is from coast to coast. Our 24 hour anniversary trip to Detroit, staying at the beautiful MotorCity Casino Hotel. There's also a good range of Michigan craft beers.Disclaimer: We were provided accommodations and dinner courtesy of the MotorCity Casino Hotel. The wine list is extensive and includes by-the-glass selections. Finish with such desserts as the Key lime custard, coconut cream and roasted pineapple gelée, or the peanut butter ganache with caramelized bananas with vanilla bean ice cream. Want something totally unique? Try the seven-course American kaiseki menu. Or go big time with Châteaubriand comprising a 16-ounce grilled filet served with château potatoes, glazed root vegetables and béarnaise sauce.

We like the cioppino Thai-style with its scallops, nishiki risotto, shrimp, watercress, Prince Edward Island mussels and treviso and the Atlantic Salmon via Southwest, a delight with salsa verde, polenta, cumin crema, avocado, black turtle beans, pepitas and cilantro. Iridescence not only offers a sky-high view of Detroit's cityscape, it maximizes the luxe experience with an exhibition kitchen, revolving wine carousels, soaring ceilings and a feeling of old-world elegance mixed with cutting-edge urban modernity.

Motor city casino iridescence