Can you keep a secret? We found a hidden gem of a restaurant in Howell (emphasis on the "hidden"). There is no store front for ths place: You have to go down an alley way and down some stairs before you arrive in this basement restaurant. It's called 2FOG's Pub.
"The rumor is it stands for two 'funny old guys,' 'fuzzy old guys,' 'fat old guys'... it's none of those," explained owner Joe Parker.
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We can't actually tell you what it stands for, so you will just have to go to the restaurant and ask them yourself. While you are there, you can take in their cool, speakeasy atmosphere, complete with booze hidden in an old electrical box.
"It just suits the brick and the fieldstone that this is all made of, you know, the exposed woodwork, and ... the 1930s chandeliers," said Parker.
So how did they end up with a restaurant in the basement to begin with? Well, Parker and his wife were buying up buildings in downtown Howell to open a co-working space. As they were renovating the 1870s buildings, people started getting curious.
"So we would come in here at night, sneak in some beer and wine and stuff and take tours of the buildings, and we would come down here and people would always say, 'Oh, you ought to put a bar down here,' and we would always laugh at them and make jokes, but eventually that is what we did!" said Parker.
In terms of food, they have elevated bar food. You can still get classic dishes like sliders, but they also have char-grilled ahi tuna; scallops and pork belly; and marinated, char-grilled lamb lollies.
2FOG's Pub is located at 118a W Grand River Avenue in Howell. The entrance is off the alley in the back.