201 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-291-5295; theoaklandferndale.com

Before he was the toast of the town for his Detroit restaurant Chartreuse, Sandy Levine was better known as the guy who opened the first classic cocktail bar in town. This moody, atmospheric spot harks back to the 1920s, a decade Sandy calls "the most stylish period of time in history. It's timeless." And as soon as you enter, downtown Ferndale in the year 2016 drifts far, far away, and you find yourself in a more gracious era.