Metro Detroit: Ferndale’s Little Ghost

Little Ghost is the 4th location in the 4 Man Ladder Hospitality Group’s line-up. If you follow us regularly, you know that they are the talent behind Grey Ghost, Second Best and Basan. Little Ghost is a tiny carry out “burger and sandwich spot” in Ferndale that is serving up the food made famous at Grey Ghost and Second Best.

We will say they are definitely worth the trip . . . but you need to know about them before you go.

If you are looking for a boring/overcooked burger, this is not the place for you.

If you are adventurous and like good quality food that takes your taste buds on an adventure Little Ghost will not let you down.

Their burger is one of the best cheeseburgers in town, and has been since Grey Ghost opened over 8 years ago.

It was crafted after the ever so popular Au Cheval burger in Chicago.

To start, they use quality beef sourced fresh from a local meat company. The burgers are cooked to a medium internal temperature, as to not dry them out, and finished with American cheese, lettuce, and ghost sauce (mayonnaise based pickle sauce similar to a tartar sauce) They come 2 ways: a single 1/3 pounder or two ¼ pound double burger (the way it is served at Grey Ghost) That’s it, simple and tasty.

Next is the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich, a Second Best staple, which has the perfect blend of flavor and spice. Once again, it is not your typical chicken sandwich, it is a crispy chicken thigh, not a breast which can cook up to be dried out. It is topped with their Nashville hot chili oil, and served with ranch, celery root slaw and pickles. Some may think it is too spicy but we think it is perfect.

If you know of Grey Ghost, you will know another thing that made them popular was their Fried Bologna appetizer. Homemade bologna (also known as mortadella if you are Italian) pan fried and topped with pepper jam, cream cheese and peppers. Well Little Ghost doesn’t have the ability to make the homemade bologna so they opted for the next best thing . . . a hot dog. The gourmet hot dog, which was my favorite, is their take of the way they used to serve the fried bologna years ago. Let’s start with the bun which is cheese crusted before aging in all the toppings. It is topped with whipped cream cheese, pickled jalapenos and pepper jam, the sweet and savory toppings all blend together so well, but the cheese crust was my favorite.

They also offer fries with their “fancy sauce” which is a ketchup and mayo based sauce.

For the kids they offer chicken tenders, plain hotdogs, and plain cheeseburgers. And if you are looking for a vegetarian or vegan option you can try their Quinoa burger. And lastly dessert. They have mini doughnuts coated in cinnamon sugar and served with a dulce de leche (loosely translated it means sweet milk) dipping sauce. These are a spin off of the tofu doughnuts served at Basan.

We are fans of Grey Ghost, 2nd Best and Basan, always have been and always will be. Little Ghost is no exception. They are not in our back yard but we will definitely be making the trip when we get the craving for a good burger. Keep in mind that this is not your typical "burger joint" so don't expect typical when walking in.

Thanks to our nephew Wesley Stone, and brother Don Becker for joining us. Food is kind of in our family’s blood!