The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~It's National Pizza Month poll time! What is the best pizza in metro Detroit? A national publication asked me, and so I asked you. ***I DID NOT MAKE THIS POLL*** and yes I know Buddy's is missing and that they totally missed the mark with the Supino selection (though that didn't stop you from voting for them by a landslide} and I think we all had a swell time making fun of these stupid selections, so thanks for playing! [EID]
            *While in Auburn Hills last week, I stopped by Jo Angela's Pizza + Deli, one of the mystery pizzerias on the befuddling national poll (above). Solid round pepperoni pizza and cheese bread, a nice dining room with free Wi-Fi, overall a good experience. Best in greater metro Detroit? No. But a strong show for NoOaCo. [EID FB]

~The Detroit Bus Company has purchased a new 90,000-square-foot building in Hamtramck called Eight + Sand which will serve as an entertainment complex and business incubator with anchor tenant Fowling Warehouse, an event space for Pot + Box, and a 7-bay all-season food truck park with a commissary kitchen (coming in 2014). [Model D]

~Dine Drink Detroit started last week with 13 restaurants offering a variety food + drink pairings for only $15 including favorite local spots like The Sugar House, Mudgie's, Green Dot Stables, Woodbridge Pub, Traffic Jam + Snug and more, while also benefitting the Detroit Riverfront. [Model D]

~The numbers are in for the fall 2013 edition of Detroit Restaurant Week, sponsored by Shinola. Newcomers Guns + Butter and The Jefferson House killed it, as did the old favorites. [EID]

~I've written about Valentine Distilling Co. now (at best count) about a dozen times. The stories have ranged from short blurbs about the bar itself to longer interviews with owner Rifino. This most recent one for Real Detroit Weekly falls into the latter category, and if you'll excuse the quasi-Marxist intro (I was reading Matt Taibbi's latest for Rolling Stone at the time), the full-on "American manufacturing" angle is a fresh approach. [RDW]

~Who are Michigan's most dangerous chefs? Find out on December 8 as The Root Restaurant + Bar hosts their first-ever Young Guns Dinner featuring 6 of Michigan's up-and-coming chefs! Each Young Gun is overseeing one of six courses. Menus will NOT be posted in advance - if you have dietary restrictions, you're going to have to sit this one out. These guys are coming out with guns blazin'!
James Rigato | Andy Hollyday | Nick Janutol | Nikita Santches | Brennan Calnin | Michael Berrera [EID]

~CIDER MILLS! [EID]

~EVENTS! [EID]

Hey, you know how it's all, gee, I wish there were somewhere in Detroit (or in a city located completely within Detroit) that served ramen all the time? Well now there is! Check out Rock City Eatery in Hamtramck for late night ramen made with two-day broth, brisket, pork belly, scallions, roasted broccoli, Japanese noodles. Available Monday -Thursday 10pm to midnight. Friday and Saturday 11pm-1. No veg option for now; it's made out of bones. [EID / RCE FB]

Oh look, ANOTHER story about Two James Spirits, and this one is in Food + Wine! [F+W]

Dan Carmody of Eastern Market Corporation was honored with a Shining Light award for helping make the market possibly “the most inclusive, resilient and robust regional food hub in the U.S.” Congratulations, Dan, and thank you for everything you do! [Freep]

Another Michigander is appearing on a Food Network show! This time it's College for Creative Studies student Gabriel Vinas on a show called Halloween Wars, which premiered last week. [CCS]

Detroit Vegan Soul (D.V.S) opened last month with a line out the door. Here owners Kirsten Ussery Boyd and Erika Boyd share more about their concept and why they thought a vegan soul food cafe is just what Detroit needs in Urban Innovation Exchange. [UIX]

Have you been to the new Firebird Tavern in Greektown yet? The owners spent months renovating the 1880s building and it's beautiful inside. Also, good from-scratch bar food and good craft beer. [Detroit News]

Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro has been sold; previous owner Mindy Lopus is focusing on her Grosse Pointe restaurant Red Crown. [Freep]

It will be the end of an era if/when Harpos Concert Theatre closes (though I can't remember a time in my life when going there was ever considered "safe"). [Motor City Muckraker]

DONUTS! [Thrillist]

CIDER! [RDW]

I can't even keep up with all of the international press Detroit SOUP gets anymore, but here's another one. [DW.DE]

Freakin' Unbelievable Burgers isn't the only Flint-area-based burger joint staking its claim in SE Michigan: Halo Burger is franchising all over the place, with plans to open up to 25 restaurants in SE MI by the end of 2014 and expanding into other states from there. [Crain's]

What are some other "fast food" places (aside from Moo Cluck Moo and their much-publicized $15/hour wages) that treat their employees well? Zingerman's Delicatessen gets named in Bon Appétit Magazine's list with shout-outs from Z's to Corridor Sausage Co., Brownwood Farms and The Brinery.   [Bon Appetit]

Such a bummer. Gilbert's Lodge is an east side institution that was gutted by a kitchen fire last week. [Detroit News]

We be jammin'. [Detroit News]

Great story on Theatre Bizarre from Metro Times Detroit. Seriously, this event is SO worth your time and money if you're into Halloween at ALL. [Metro Times]

Chef Michael Symon's cooking advice is less is more. [Freep]

Beerie
~Detroit Beer Week starts next Thursday! Participating venues include Foran's Grand Trunk Pub, Green Dot Stables, The Jefferson House, Mudgie's, Rock City Pies, St. Cece's Pub, The Sugar House, Traffic Jam + Snug, and Woodbridge Pub. Some really cool events coming up, check out the growing list here. [DBW FB]

~Congratulations to all Michigan Great American Beer Festival winners! New Holland Brewing Co. took home medals for Pilgrim's Dole (gold) and Dragon's Milk (silver), while Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official) scored a bronze for Sparkleberry and Detroit Brewing Company a bronze for XX Dwarf. Enjoy these award-winning beers during Detroit Beer Week starting this Thursday! [GABF Official]

~Atwater Brewery is getting ever-so-close to opening their Grosse Pointe brew pub and beer garden Atwater in the Park next spring, and are now hiring for this location. [Metromode]

~Ashley's Ann Arbor is still the beeriest bar in SE MI, according to the beeries of CraftBeer.com. [CraftBeer.com]

~The Detroit Free Press Film Festival will be held in March, but the launch party will happen on Nov. 7 at The Fillmore Detroit with a screening of The Michigan Beer Film. [Freep]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Detroit Restaurant Week has announced the lineup for the fall edition happening next month; new this year is a DRW series of the popular pop-up Guns + Butter being held at Shinola Store Detroit, but the reservations won't come easy. [EID / Crain's]
~No reservations? (And I'm not talking about the Bourdain show here, but he was indeed at Guns + Butter once IN CASE YOU FORGOT.) The first-ever #DineDrinkDetroit will happen October 7-13, featuring a combination of food and drink at 13 independently-owned Detroit restaurants for only $15, no reservations needed. It's kind of the un-DRW. [EID]

Dilla's Delights doughnut and coffee shop will open in Harmonie Park this fall in honor of the late Detroit producer J Dilla. There is a rap crossover joke in here. Also one about rappers making money long after death. Did 2Pac like tacos? I would really like to see 2 Pacos Tacos also happen. [Detroit News]

Dally in the Alley is happening next weekend. [Dally FB]

Check out the Batata Shop at Germack Coffee during Eastern Market Tuesdays through October. [TBS FB]

Kate Daughdrill - artist and farmer who was one of the founders of Detroit SOUP and more recently of The Edible Hut in Detroit's Osborn neighborhood - is also behind Burnside Farm in "Banglatown," a place where art and agriculture intersect. [UIX]

The new Firebird Tavern is a gorgeous space with good high-quality bar food (check out the menu and the dill pickle wings) and very friendly staff. Located right in Greektown by Old Shillelagh, perfect for pre-/post-gaming. From the former owners of Pulse. [EID FB / DBusiness]

Zagat has once again named their "50 states, 50 sandwiches," choosing the pasty for Michigan. Now, Detroiters might instinctively think it should be corned beef, what with because of ALL of the corned beef, but that's more of a (metro)*Detroit* thing. For the state of Michigan as a whole, the pasty (which is so much more than just a sandwich - it is a full meal in a beautiful buttery crust easy to carry and eat and brilliant in its simplicity) makes more sense. Though it is perhaps more closely related to the pie than the sandwich. Maybe it is a sandwich pie? [Zagat]

Food + Wine names the coolest crowd-funded projects in the country. Among them is our own Drought. Check them out at Shinola Store Detroit! [F+W]

Tommy's Bar is another local bar that served as a blind pig during Prohibition (with archeological evidence to prove it). [Detroit News]

Get punchy at The Oakland or The Sugar House, or do it yourself at home with these recipes. [Detroit News]

Luxe Secondsies. (Now open in GP.) [Detroit News]

Is our collective self-esteem really so low that we need constant validation from poorly-written copy+paste "travel blogs"? Because here is another one. [Roam Right]

Beerie
~Check out the new website for Detroit Beer Week; events and venue details coming soon! [DBW]

~MLive is now on the hunt for Michigan's best brewery. This should be interesting. [MLive]

~Batch won Hatch, and another pile of free money. Here's a story that dates back to their first pile of free money. [Real Detroit]

~Warren's Falling Down Beer Company is getting a much-needed facelift and ditching the old Big Boy booths. [FDBC FB]

~A freak accident rocked the craft beer world this week as fellow brewers mourn the loss of Matt Courtright, who got his start in professional brewing at Liberty Street Brewing Co here in Plymouth. [BeerPulse]

~To celebrate their launch in Michigan, The Bruery (i.e., one of my favorite not-Michigan breweries) is running an Instagram contest through Sept. 10. Click on the link for details and try to find some Russian stacking dolls. (Click on the link, it will make sense.) [The Bruery Official]

Misc.
~Meanwhile in the rest of the world... [Reuters]

~The takeaway here: #putaneggonit [First We Feast]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Here is a look inside the new Rock City Eatery space in Hamtramck, which is full of vintage items, century-old repurposed materials, hand-made furniture made by a local craftsman from reclaimed materials, and original artwork from Detroit's golden age of punk and Detroit's foremost punkstress. It's looking pretty sweet. [EID]
~Corktown is now PATIOTOWN and Pizzeria Biga is redeemed. [EID]
~Melt gelato, coffee and sweet shop will open in Midtown in the next few weeks. [Model D]
~There is a quantifiable shit-ton of new permanent and temporary retail (POP-UPS!!!!!!!), restaurant, bar, cafe, and other businesses opening on the Avenue of Fashion next month. [Model D]
~Corktown has another (yes, another) breakfast, brunch and lunch spot opening this fall: La Villa, next to Mudgie's on Brooklyn, will specialize in the sweeter side of things. [Model D]
~The new Hamtramck Food Week (coming this fall) is currently running a crowd-funding campaign through Patronicity. [EID]
~Happy's Pizza figured out the winning combination that is beer and pizza with the new Happy's Pizza and Pub in West Bloomfield. [EID]
~The Bloomfields are going all Rick Bayless. [EID]
~I learned a lot about pizza places in Detroit while "researching" my part in this. Everything from halal pizzerias to neighborhood joints that have been around for 50 years...there's a lot more than Supino and Buddy's out there. (But, you know, there's also Supino and Buddy's.) [Model D]

Oh and hey, speaking of patios, Cafe Muse also got a new one (and spruced up the original dining room a bit, from what I could tell), and it's pretty spiffy. [CM FB]

These guys have been working on this *forever.* (At least that's what it has felt like to me, and I'm sure it has to them.) So. Pulse is not in fact reopening in a new location in Greektown as previously suggested: instead, it is now Firebird Tavern, and it is a pretty spectacular space. [Detroit News]

Flavor Flav's will rise again. Like a glorious phoenix from the ashes. Or a cockroach. [FF FB]

Corridor Sausage is now serving in Ford Field. [Corridor FB]

P-p-p-POP-UPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *pantpantpant* [Hour]

Including Rap and Noodles. [Green Dot FB]

AND Detroit Harmonie's "Dinner in the Field" this Thursday at Capuchin Soup Kitchen - Earthworks Urban Farm, a "pop-up" dinner celebrating Detroit's urban agriculture movement. Tickets are only $15, get them before they sell out. [Detroit Harmonie]

Summer isn't over yet! Check out this new specialty limited Midnight Train to Traverse ice cream flavor made in collaboration between Guernsey Farms Dairy and The Root Restaurant and Bar! [Guernsey FB]

Speaking of Guernsey, they have the best chocolate milk EVAR. Seriously though. [Guernsey FB]

Coach Insignia and River Crab Blue Water Inn are among the country's most scenic restaurants, according to OpenTable users. [Detroit News]

The Oakland turned two. [Freep]

Luxe Bar and Grill has officially opened their second location in Grosse Pointe Farms in the old Lucy's spot. [Metromode]

CAYA Smokehouse in Wolverine Lake is now open. [CAYA FB]

This person's computer privileges should be taken away for producing such pat drivel. [Fodor's]

Beerie 
~The biggest news to happen in beer this week: Kuhnhenn Brewing Company is working on a SERIOUS expansion and I got a pre-preview of the new space in Clinton Twp. [EID]

~The second-biggest news in beer this week (IMO): The Bruery beers are now in bars and on shelves in Michigan. This SoCal brewery makes some of the best sour beers in the country (IMO), second only to Russian River Brewing Company (IMO), which has already maxed out its capacity with no plans to expand, and Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, which duh. To celebrate, One-Eyed Betty's is having a beer dinner this Tuesday featuring all Bruery beers. [OEB FB]

~Detroit Beer Week has announced the 2013 dates. Mark your calendars for October 17-27 - we're going for 11 days this year! [EID/DBW FB]

~Tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival in Eastern Market October 25-26 (the culmination of Detroit Beer Week) have sold out for Saturday's session but are still available for Friday. [MBG]

~Why yes it is THE Screamin' Pumpkin. [Griffin Claw FB]

~Here is an update on changes to Michigan's beer distribution laws currently in discussion. (The update is brewers and distributors have reached more consensus, but not totally.) [MLive]

~A lengthy but interesting read for those passionate about the craft beer industry (WSG Beer Todd). [Maureen Ogle]

Misc
~Apparently Prince has a sense of humor. That's what we're going with, anyway. [D+T]

~MSG is so misunderstood. [FWF]