[NEWS BITES] Downtown Detroit Bagger Dave's set for November 10 opening

Photo from Detroit Regional News Hub.

Back in March, the Bagger Dave's in Greektown was experiencing some construction delays but was still moving forward with plans to open. Just last week, the Detroit News Hub noticed some work happening out front. Well, now it is official: the downtown Bagger Dave's will open for business on November 10.

Here's the press release:

Bagger Dave's Freshly-Crafted Burger Tavern, a unique, full-service, ultra-casual restaurant and bar, will celebrate the grand opening of its downtown Detroit location 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. The new restaurant is located at 1224 Randolph.

As part of the restaurant’s commitment to give back to the communities in which it operates, through Sunday, Nov. 17, Bagger Dave’s will donate 10 percent of its sales from the location to the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.

“The opening of a downtown Detroit tavern has been a longtime priority of ours and we’re extremely excited to pull back the curtain on this labor of love. Being part of the city’s resurgence is exciting,” said T. Michael Ansley, president and CEO of the Southfield-based Diversified Restaurant Holdings, which operates Bagger Dave’s. “The city needs fresh dining options. Detroiters have shown their commitment to locally sourced products and freshness in their products. These are Bagger Dave’s core values. We look forward to being a viable part of the community.”

Diversified Restaurant Holdings also owns and operates the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in the space adjacent to the new Bagger Dave’s.

The two-story space, which was built as a bank in the late 1800s, has been gutted and restored to highlight the historic front window, building’s original limestone façade, and skylight extending the length of the building, above the bar.  The restaurant’s main floor will seat approximately 60 people and the second-floor bar area will seat 70.

Like all Bagger Dave’s restaurants, the Detroit location will offer a warm, welcoming neighborhood atmosphere and memorable guest service. The restaurant will feature full table service and a bar serving local craft beers and wine.  Patrons can create their own hand-crafted and legendary beef, turkey or veggie black bean burger made with never-frozen, no filler, 100 percent USDA beef-blend, delivered daily, and all-natural, fresh, Midwestern-sourced ground turkey, a choice of 30 Meaningless Free Toppings®, which include six cheese choices, a variety of artisan buns, six house-made sauces and more.  A selection of Signature Burgers is also available, including the Tuscan Turkey Burger™ (sliced mozzarella, tomato, onion, basil and balsamic vinaigrette) and the famed Train Wreck Burger™ (fresh-cut fries, fried egg, mild cheddar, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and Bagger Dave’s Railhouse Burger Sauce™).

The menu also features the option to offer all meals as platters, which are served with a choice of Fresh-Cut Fries, Dave’s Sweet Potato Chips®, a side of Twisted Mac ‘n Cheese, a side salad, cup of Amazingly Delicious Turkey Black Bean Chili® or Tomato Basil Soup.  Also on the menu are sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped milkshakes.

            

Atmosphere is equally important at Bagger Dave’s, which was founded in 2008. The company has identified a niche in the burger business with a modern interpretation of the old-fashioned neighborhood bar. The restaurants are inviting for adults and kids alike, with localized décor of the town’s historical past displayed throughout, a bar, and even an electric train that runs above the dining room and bar areas. For more information, visitwww.baggerdaves.com.

            

As the Detroit location opens, the company will launch its new mobile loyalty and in-store rewards program, Bagger Dave’s Fresh Rewards.  Once enrolled in the program, which can be participated in via microsite registration, SMS or by scanning an in-store QR code, patrons can be rewarded by checking-in at any Bagger Dave’s location, purchasing specific products, rating their dining experience, referring friends or sharing the program via Facebook or Twitter.

            

Bagger Dave’s Fresh Rewards also features instant-win game experiences with prizes including gift certificates and big tickets items such as $10,000 to use toward a holiday shopping spree.

About Bagger Dave’s

Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, Bagger Dave’s Freshly-Crafted Burger Tavern often gets accused of getting “fresh” with its customers, and rightfully so. The company’s menu features hand-crafted never frozen burgers, delivered daily. Burgers are made of 100 percent USDA beef blend with cuts of prime rib and no fillers or naturally raised, always fresh, Midwestern ground turkey. Burgers can be accented with more than 30 toppings from which to choose, fresh-cut fries, made from Bagger Dave’s own brand of potatoes, hand-dipped milkshakes and a selection of local, seasonal craft beer and wine.

Each restaurant quickly becomes a neighborhood gathering spot, showcasing historical photos of the city in which it resides and a nostalgic electric train that runs above the dining room and bar areas. The company has 16 restaurants across Michigan, Indiana and Missouri. For more information, visit www.BaggerDaves.com

About Diversified Restaurant Holdings

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. ("DRH" or the "Company") is the owner, operator, and franchisor of the unique, full-service, ultra-casual restaurant concept, Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern® ("Bagger Dave's") and one of the largest Buffalo Wild Wings® ("BWW") franchisees.  Between the two concepts, the Company currently operates 47 restaurants in Michigan, Florida, Illinois, and Indiana, and one franchised Bagger Dave's in Missouri.  The Company routinely posts news and other important information on its website at www.DiversifiedRestaurantHoldings.com.

[EID Feature] Santorini Estiatorio: Preserving Greek Culture in Greektown

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

Awhile back, I interviewed Athina Papas when the former Mosaic reopened as Santorini Estiatorio, an open, airy space that channels the warm, sun-soaked Mediterranean island of Santorini in its curves and colors. As a new participating restaurant in the 2013 Spring Edition of Detroit Restaurant Week, I felt it was time to go back and share the story of Santorini.

The Papas family is a family of long-time Greektown entrepreneurs (the family currently owns Pegasus locations in Greektown and Saint Clair Shores, Pappy's Sports Bar in Greektown, and has ownership in Greektown's Atheneum Suites). Athina Papas and her sister Stella followed in their parents' footsteps when they went off on their own and opened Mosaic in 2005, both in their twenties and looking for the kind of environment that appealed to them and their friends. Mosaic was known as a hotspot for the see-and-be-scene crowd, with a gorgeous bar that appealed to trendy sensibilities and regular DJ nights and lounge events.

But that was almost 10 years ago, and the girls have grown up.

"We see the differences now and then in how we’ve grown up," Athina says. "We were more focused on [dining and DJs] with Mosaic. Now what we want to create is something that’s going to last longer. We're getting away from entertainment [element] and [are focused more on] interacting with people, with family." Now 32 years old, Athina wanted to recreate the more of that convivial family dining experience she remembered having growing up and being with her family at her parents' restaurant Pegasus, a staple of Greektown and, until recently, one of the few truly Greek restaurants left. Now that she's older, she's also more passionate about preserving the Greek culture that is her background.

"Being the next generation came into play," she says. "When we opened Mosaic we had seven Green restaurants in Greektown, and one was family. The market was already saturated. We didn't want to compete, but be different. But as the years progressed, more and more restaurants were closing and the Greek items [at Mosaic] were selling the most. That kind of told us people are still coming to Greektown for Greek food. Now there's only three Greek restaurants here and we're all getting older, and we remember how much fun it was having family dinner [at Pegasus] on Sundays, when everybody would know each other because people were all coming down here to this really thriving area."

For Athina and her siblings, it's that feeling of community that they're trying to preserve; one that was, until recently, all but lost. "We don't want to talk about Greektown and how cool it was. What will it be in 15 years? If we can preserve that history and culture not just for Greeks but for everyone – we wanted to take a stand and really be part of the process to bring back the culture of Greektown."

Saganaki feta.

The longevity of Pegasus, which has been open since 1981, is something that really speaks to Athina. This is a place people come to on dates, on birthdays and anniversaries, for prom, for Tigers games, and just for a night out with family. It's casual, comfortable, and is associated with positive memories for many people throughout metro Detroit. "People still remember Pegasus from when the streets were packed every night," says Athina. "The atmosphere is for everyone. [We know we] can't be everything to everyone but we want everyone to feel comfortable."

Santorini Estiatorio is Mosaic reborn. If Pegasus is the old-school family-style Greek restaurant, Santorini is its more refined cousin – the design is more airy and stylish (evoking the sand and surf of Santorini), the menu more contemporary, but it is still wholly, 100% Greek. A true Greek restaurant in Greektown, just with more modern sensibilities. "We're really focused on getting people to enjoy to every part of the Greek experience," Athina explains. "We're using Greek liqueurs and growing a Greek wine list; we want it to be quality wine and a good experience."

Lunch and dinner menus include a large selection of traditional and contemporary Greek dishes – it's a big menu with a lot to choose from, but do check out the saganaki feta (wrapped in phyllo dough and drizzled with Greek honey), the lamb burger (with tzaziki sauce and red onion), and the excellent marinated octopus. (And I'm definitely eyeing the original Greek pizza for a future trip.) For Detroit Restaurant Week, check out their menu here.

Opening a Greek restaurant isn't the only thing Athina is doing to support the preservation of Greek culture and heritage in Greektown. She has also been involved with the newly-opened Hellenic Museum, working with them on fundraisers and other events. She's also seeing more second- and third-generation young people who remember going to Greece in the summer as kids and who want to keep those memories alive getting more involved in preserving the culture, from the Greek Independence Day Parade which started out with 500 people and has grown to 4,000, to involvement with other Greek cultural institutions and events.

"First and foremost, people clearly still come down [to Greektown for Greek culture]. When there’s an event going on the Greek restaurants are the first to get jammed. People are still coming down here for that atmosphere and for those things." She recalls the days when the streets of Greektown were filled with people and music and parties, a continuous celebration of Greek culture late into the night (and early into the morning) for Greeks and non-Greeks alike. "If we all work together [we can] bring back some of those cultural events. It [took] us as a generation to say, 'Hey, we want to keep this.' From that aspect we can bring some of that stuff back. The environment has changed, but that doesn't mean it can't keep changing."

 

[Real Detroit] Old Shillelagh

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

The Old Shillelagh in Greektown is known as a lot of things to a lot of people. Or maybe it is simply known as one thing to a lot of people: a really big party spot. A rooftop bar and patio, a tent in the parking lot for special events like St. Patrick's Day (when they get over 10,000 people through their doors in a single day) and Opening Day (this Friday!) and a clientele that is wholly focused on their liquid assets. As one of Detroit's most popular watering holes, the Old Shillelagh isn't really known first for its food.

And that makes head chef, kitchen and bar manager Sarge sad. Because Sarge loves his Fucking Awesome Burger. (The "FAB." That's really its name.) And he wants you to love it too. As well as the other items on their menu that are all made from scratch in-house.

Read more.

[Model D] Bagger Dave's in Greektown moving forward after construction delay

Photo from Dig Downtown Detroit's FB page.

You may have seen the new vinyl banner that reads "Coming Soon!" with the Bagger Dave's logo that was hung over the weekend at 1224 Randolph Street next to the recently-opened Buffalo Wild Wings in Greektown. While the restaurant is still a long way out from opening, Southfield-based Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. is moving forward with plans to open this as a Bagger Dave's despite some unforeseen setbacks.

After the lengthy Buffalo Wild Wings renovation that soared into the millions ($3.5 million for the renovation work alone; $5 million when factoring in other opening costs like purchasing equipment), Diversified is now focused on Bagger Dave's. This will be the first Bagger Dave's in Detroit and the fifth in metro Detroit. There are 12 locations total in Michigan and Indiana, and seven are planned to open this year.

Read more.

[Real Detroit Weekly] Pegasus Tavernas

Stuffed grape leaves. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

For those who bemoan the loss of Greek culture in Greektown, you need to take another look at Pegasus Tavernas. Owned by the Papas family, the longtime Greektown family of entrepreneuers, Pegasus has been located on Monroe in the heart of Greektown for 32 years now, and very little has changed since the very beginning.

"Pegasus has always been a Greektown staple," says Athina Papas. "It has very traditional food and [a traditional] atmosphere. We try to stay really true to that and keep it simple."

Read more.

[Real Detroit] Buffalo Wild Wings

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

You guys. We just went to the new Buffalo Wild Wings in Greektown. It is the largest Buffalo Wild Wings in the world.

IN THE WORLD.

It is everything you have come to expect from your local BW3: beer, wings and sports. Baskets of crispy-fried wings smothered in luscious spicy garlic sauce served piping hot with a 22-ounce glass of Michigan craft on draft, while "the game" plays on overheard flatscreen TVs.

So many games! So many flatscreen TVs!

What sets this BW3 apart from its suburban brethren (sidebar: why "BW3"? Where does the "3" come in? There are only two "w's" in "Buffalo Wild Wings," so why is it called "BW3"?), aside from the fact that it is the largest BW3 IN THE WORLD, is the general sense of being totally over-the-top – it is SO MUCH Buffalo Wild Wings, a Buffalo Wild Wings in the most extreme form, that it is like a Buffalo Wild Wings theme park, a rollercoaster ride of its own inherent BW3-ness. So strap in.

Read more.

[Model D] Greektown Casino opens Brizola and new Market District food court

Greektown Casino hasn't had a proper fine dining establishment since the Alley Grille closed in 2009, and they've never had one located on the main gaming level. Enter the newly-opened Brizola.

Located on the main floor of the casino, Brizola was formerly the nightclub Eclipz Lounge (sidenote: we’re not sure what the thing is with the "z" either).

Read more.

[NEWS BITES] Santorini Estiatorio opens in Greektown today

The hive has been buzzing over the last couple of weeks with sightings of people dining at Santorini Estiatorio, the new wholly Greek restaurant in Greektown replacing the former Mosaic (but with the same owners, daughters of longtime Greektown business family the Papases). Usually a restaurant will spend a couple of weeks with invite-only friends and family events to test-run the restaurant and get the servers up to snuff, but that always means the opening is imminent. Well, the wait is over: Santorini opens to the public today, and is offering a lunch special to boot.

Read the full press release below. 

On Monday, Nov. 12 Santorini Estiatorio, located in Greektown, will open its doors to the public after the three-month restoration project. Located in the space formerly known as Mosaic, the new, family-owned restaurant’s menu boasts a wide variety of traditional Greek dishes, wines and cocktails.

“We’re excited to reintroduce customers to Greek food,” said Athina Papas, partner, Santorini Estiatorio. “Our menu is a mix of traditional, well-known favorites like Saganaki and Moussaka and specialty dishes that many people have probably never heard of.”

As part of their grand opening, Papas is offering a lunch special: buy an entrée and receive a complimentary dessert.

Some specialty menu items include:

Appetizers
· Saganaki Feta – Crispy feta wrapped in phyllo dough, drizzled with Greek honey, topped with sesame seeds.
· Octopodaki Skara s– Grilled marinated octopus in a balsamic reduction sauce and caramelized onions.
Salad
· Salata Torta – Chopped lettuce, carrot, tomatoes, arugula, cashews in feta cheese dressing. Serves two.
Entrees
· J.P.’s Lamb Chops – Marinated in a Mediterranean mix of olive oil with rice or potato and vegetable.
· Arni Kleftiko – Lamb baked with potatoes, carrots and zucchini, served in a parchment ‘purse’.
· Solomos – Pan-seared salmon with asparagus and rice, topped with an orange vodka sauce.
· Lavraki – Classick Greek presentation of whole fish, baked in sea salt, served with a mixture of oil and lemon, rice or potato and vegetable.

Using the original, local building designer, John Janviriya of JJV Design Group, the entire look and feel of the restaurant has been redesigned to make customers feel like they have been transplanted to an island in Greece. Patrons will find features including Grecian shutters, light colors, open windows and a boat hull constructed locally. On Monroe Street, the wall was replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows and French-style accordion doors and a patio will be installed in the spring.

“Our family has been doing business in Detroit for more than 30 years and we couldn’t imagine it any other way,” continued Papas. “We’re committed to reinvesting in Greektown and bringing back the Greek.”

Santorini Estiatorio will be open seven days a week serving a full lunch and dinner menu.

Santorini Estiatorio is located in the heart of Greektown at 501 Monroe St. in Detroit. For more information and updates, visit www.facebook.com/SantoriniDetroit.

[HOT LIST] Worst patios

Do you ever get sick of all the sunshine being blown up your ass from local media and particularly local blogs with names like "[something-something] DETROIT!" ? So do I. Here is a list of things that are awful.

Every year every media outlet runs the obligatory "best patios" run-down in time for summer. (Here's mine, and mind you that was pre-GLCRC.) There is usual very little variation from year to year or from one glorified PR/ad sales vehicle to the next, and phrases like "hidden gem" and "urban oasis" are used without restraint. But not all patios are good patios, much like not all restaurants are good restaurants. These patios pretty much suck. Here's why.

#1 Pizzeria Biga (Royal Oak)
I love the new Pizzeria Biga building. It's totes gorg, soaring ceilings and all the pretty things owned and designed by the man with the best taste in all of metro Detroit. And then there is that godforsaken patio. Proving once again that just because you can doesn't mean you should, the patio at Pizzeria Biga is the most poorly-situated patio in all of metro Detroit. Flimsy tables wobbling around on artfully broken concrete make your entire meal a balancing act, but the real crime here is that it's RIGHT NEXT TO THE FUCKING RAILROAD TRACKS. Do you know how many times that fucking train goes by during peak dinner hours? Twice on my last visit. Twice I had to completely cease all conversation because that fucking train is, literally, RIGHT NEXT TO YOU and even the loudest of us can't shout over it. And do you know what a train isn't? Short. It isn't short. What should offer some measure of tranquility ends up being as violently jarring as having a picnic in the parking lot behind the 7-Eleven where the EMS vehicles wait for their emergency calls. Love the inside, love the beer selection, love pizza, everything else is lovely, but that patio is the worst.

#2 Majestic Cafe (Midtown)
Alright, so I realize Detroit is in its renaissance and everything is all better and so on an so forth and something-something DETROIT! But there are still things about Detroit that are no different now than they were three years ago back when the dominant narrative was one of a feral dystopic wasteland before the switch was flipped and we all happily hurled ourselves towards the other extreme. What I'm really trying to say is that no one told the housing-challenged about Detroit's renaissance, and they're still out there, shouting at cracks in the sidewalk and using bus stops as waste management facilities. New Yorkers like to talk big about their beggars but rest assured I've yet to find a city in the continental United States with a homeless population as violently aggressive as ours. The "homeless problem" is actually a significant one that only gets addressed when there's a Super Bowl in town and is otherwise ignored in the narrative of nu:Detroit. But for all the happy little hipsters playing house in Midtown, the homeless are still out there, all around us, still quite visible despite our collective efforts to ignore them. And lest this sound like soapboxing, I do it too and the last thing I want to deal with during my $30 bottomless mimosa brunch is the never-ending stream of vagrants angrily demanding money because that's just, like, a bummer man. And while the stark juxtaposition between the privileged colonizers who only look homeless but who have plenty of money for overpriced PBRs and shots of Jamesons and the long-time un-residents who haven't yet been pushed out by them is an anthropologically fascinating thing to witness and probably the closest thing to a true narrative of nu:Detroit, this is why I don't hang out on the Majestic Cafe's sidewalk patio.

#3 The Well (Detroit)
That last one was extra long so I'll keep this short: same as above. Also, as far as patios go, this one is just kind of silly but I have certainly witnessed some interesting things happen on it back when $2 Labatt Blue Light night was the highlight of my week. Yes, that happened.

#4 The Old Shillelagh (Greektown)
Not only is this the most awful place you could possibly be on a Saturday night (and it IS), but to get to their rooftop patio--which in itself isn't bad, aside from the awful people--you have to walk up like 16 flights of stairs. Okay, so you've got a bunch of freshly-made-21-year-olds who came to PARTY IN DETROIT, WOOOOOOOO and they're getting wrecked on Jaeger bombs because that's what newly-minted legals do and they're all partying on the patio because that's what people in Michigan in the summer do, but on top of that they're being made to navigate multiple flights of stairs in their exceptionally inebriated states like shaky foals just learning to walk on still-unstable legs (it takes years to develop proper alcohol legs). The only saving grace for the Old Shillelagh is that most of them won't remember the tumbles they took come the next morning and 21-year-olds still have yet to be fully indoctrinated into our compulsorily litigious society and are too afraid to tell their parents even if they are hurt because they probably weren't supposed to be there in the first place.

#5 BlackFinn (Royal Oak)
This place is the WORST. There is nothing inherently bad about their patio other than the fact that it's theirs. The problem is that the walls are the only thing containing the awfulness of this place and preventing it from breaking through its barriers and inflicting itself upon the rest of the world. The patio, with its garage doors that open into the bar, is a gaping entry into the Hellmouth.

Bubbling under Sneakers Pub (Ferndale), Niki's Pizza (Greektown), Crave Lounge (Dearborn), the Detroiter Bar (Greektown), Woody's (Royal Oak), Dino's Lounge (Ferndale)

 

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

This is on the wall of the employee bathroom at Dark Horse Brewing Co. Really.

Easy Like Sundae, a new froyo shop set to open in Ferndale, would like to remind you to buy Michigan or the communists win. [Ferndale Patch]

*Yawn* OLD NEWS, but let's give the rest of the world some time to catch up. MillerCoors bought the Michigan Brewing Company brand and now a week later they're officially admitting it. [Beer Pulse]

Jolly Pumpkin releases Luciernaga at the Ann Arbor Cafe; Mae's in Pleasant Ridge is approved for a patio; Vinsetta Garage will start serving lunch next week (and oh yeah, they have poutine and it's rad). [EID FB]

Is this quite possibly the worst name for something ever? It may just very well be (or at least gives the Dan Gilbert Rebrand-O-Matic(TM) a run for its money). Which is unfortunate because the idea itself doesn't suck. [Curbed Detroit]

The Great Lakes Coffee Bar in Midtown opens softly but carries a big stick tap handle. [EID FB]

This was so funny the first time MLive decided to bring it back out for a second go-round: "Morse said he'd entertain the idea if the brewery was approached by a cool band, such as Slayer." Kid Rock now also wants a piece of Dark Horse Brewing Co., which just goes to show that, while "we all just want to be big rock stars," big rock stars just want to be a cool brewery. [MLive]

Last week was all about coffee shops; this week was all about urban farms. Curbed Detroit tries to figure out why Detroiters love urban ag but virulently hate the Hantz Farm project proposal. (The short answer is because Detroiters are never happy. The long answer is a bit more complicated but includes words like "corporatocracy" and "land grab.") [Curbed Detroit]

The iconic "Pizza! Pizza!" tagline returns for a new national marketing campaign for Little Caesars; the pizza is just as dreadful as ever. [Crain's Detroit]

Grand Rapids, which recently tied Asheville NC for Beer City USA, is releasing a collaborative Beer City Pale Ale on July 1. This collabobrew is the collective efforts of 10 western Michigan breweries. Road trip? [MLive]

As further proof that we only get better with age, Eastern Market continues to up the awesome ante almost every single week. This week it was by signing a lease for Corridor Sausage's new production facility. [Model D]

Detroit: City of Tomorrow. [Business Insider]

Opus One is going to take a long jump out of the "It's a Living" '80s and land heel-first into 2012. Tonight is the last night of dinner service as Opus One closes for a 4+ month renovation; plans are to open Opus Next in November. Shoulder pads and Aqua Net will no longer be part of the required dress code. [Det News]

Cliff Bell's is now open for lunch. [EID FB]

Deadline Detroit finds their inner Paula Cole and asks, where have all the cowboys Greeks gone? (The short answer is, "Because of those Injuns and that damn casino," and then it's like, ohhhhhh, Native Americans... followed by a wave of white guilt followed by the realization that while Greektown itself may no longer be the epicenter it once was Greek culture has been thoroughly assimilated throughout metro Detroit which is progress in itself.) [Deadline Detroit]