OT - New Silverdome Sports Bar

Submitted by umhero on

This may be off topic but since it's the slow time of year I thought I would share.  

The Silverdome has opened a high end sports bar in what used to be The Main Event Grill.  My brother and I went there tonight to watch the Wings game and we were both impressed.  

For those of you who remember the Main Event, the place still has an interior window running the length of the club that overlooks the field.  While we were there some guys were playing soccer down on the field and it looked really cool.  

According to the bartender, they've only been open a couple of weeks so they're still putting things together (they haven't hung any memorabilia nor have they filled an empty trophy case they have near the door).  She said they will be expanding the beer selection soon.  I can't really give you much of a food review, but we did have their Ultimate Fries which were tossed in parmesan and garlic and they were good.  The menu was extensive but mostly typical bar food.  The place is pretty large (I remember being pressed against the glass in that place watching a Lion's game back in '91).  It has a couple of pool tables and a Golden Tee machine.

We had the place pretty much to ourselves.  Aside from us there was a bartender, a cook, the owner of the Silverdome, and some friend of his.  The bartender pointed the owner out and we considered saying hello, but decided  we didn't really have anything to say to the guy so we left him alone.

So if you're looking for a place to watch the Wings, Tigers, or NBA in Oakland County, you probably won't have to fight a crowd.

 

umhero

April 13th, 2011 at 11:52 PM ^

I read somewhere that in their proposal to MLS they will remove the Dome, build an outdoor field at what is now the third level with 30,000+ seats, and the area below the field will be a multipurpose arena.  It sounds a little far fetched, but it would be cool to have a double-decker stadium.

aaamichfan

April 13th, 2011 at 11:31 PM ^

I find it hilarious that there is still an 80,000 seat stadium in metro Detroit that is virtually unusued, but with no plans for demolition. To be honest, I wish the Silvderdome was located in downtown Detroit, and the Lions still played there.

The Barwis Effect

April 14th, 2011 at 9:25 AM ^

Same problem all modern day stadiums have ... you're too far away from the action.  You felt like you were on top of the action at the Silverdome.  Granted I'm not as high up in the air as I was at the 'Dome, but I sit in the front row of the upper deck in Ford Field and I'm farther away from the field than if I were sitting in the last row of the 'Dome.  

The other issue is atmosphere.  Not that there's been many opportunities to really get excited at Ford Field, but it is a far quieter stadium than the 'Dome.  I've been to approximately 20 pro and college football stadiums.  The only one that even comes close to comparing to the 'Dome for crowd noise is Ohio Stadium for a U-M game.

st barth

April 14th, 2011 at 11:11 AM ^

I completely agree.  Back in the day when Barry Sanders was drawing sell-out crowds, the dome was rocking.  Loudest place I've ever been.  Literally couldn't hear the person next to you even if they were screaming.

Michigan stadium was closer to the quiet of the Law Library than it was to the deafening roar of the Silverdome.

I wish I had seen one of those monster truck rallies there...that probably would have been loud too.  Man, I miss that place.

umhero

April 13th, 2011 at 11:55 PM ^

We were drinking Corona's at $3.00 each.  They only had Bud and Bud light on draught and a limited selection of bottled beer.  She promised the selection would increase in the next week.

JoeBlue18

April 14th, 2011 at 12:27 AM ^

"nor have they filled an empty trophy case they have near the door"

Empty trophy case huh? I guess the lions must have taken their trophies with them...

pkatz

April 14th, 2011 at 8:39 AM ^

he's going to take a bath on this investment - if they can't get a real team in there to generate cash flow, how will the owners bring in any consistent revenue? How many people are going to drink at a stadium bar overlooking a bunch of weekend warrior soccer players?
<br>
<br>I say it's shuttered in less than 12 months.

st barth

April 14th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^

...but I believe the winning bid for the Silverdome ended up being in the neighborhood of $500K.  Considering that it cost more that $50 million to build, that's nearly the equivalent of getting it for $1.

Even without the dome, the 127 acres would probably be worth much more than the $500k paid for it.  It could end up being the real estate steal of the century.