[Real Detroit] The Dish

Black Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Float at Moo Cluck Moo, made with creamy Calder's ice cream and natural Black Cherry soda

-HOLY DUCK: Monk. The new concept just opened last week in the Bastone complex in downtown Royal Oak in what was formerly Café Habana. Same owners, same chef and an even Belgian-ier version of sister restaurant/brewery Bastone. Think: burger with foie gras, goat cheese and pancetta. Duck fat fries with four different kinds of house-made mayo. Pork belly waffle sandwiches. And 38 bottles of Belgian beer on the wall.

-Hard rawker fans of 101.1 WRIF can now enjoy their very own signature beer. Made in Detroit by Detroiters for Detroiters, WRIF Lager, a collaboration with Detroit's Atwater Brewery, is a light traditional German-style lager. Geared towards the Every Man, the beer's tagline is "Word hard, play hard." Find it on tap at Atwater, CJ Mahoney's in Troy, State Bar in Detroit, the Blarney Stone in Berkley and Albert's on the Alley in Garden City.

Read more.

[Real Detroit] Lockhart's BBQ

This post written by EID Co-Conspirator Stefanie Cobb.

The new Cuban sandwich at Lockhart's.

Praise is definitely something that isn't necessarily needed for Lockhart's BBQ in Royal Oak, as they are already one of the most beloved BBQ joints in all the lands of metro Detroit. Since their opening in 2010, Lockhart's success continues to grow and it's certainly well deserved. The effort and passion put into the food they serve is intense. All menu items are made from scratch and in house by Executive Chef Rene Moreno, as well as Chef Brett Barrett. Whether they are enjoyed in happy hour small plates, dinner entrees or the brunch menu, the ingredients used in the dishes are extremely fresh and of the finest quality.

Read more.

Metromode: Metro Detroit's Pitmasters

"Okay all you self-styled 'chefs' out there, here's a recipe for you to try: take one stylishly rehabbed vacant old building, add a smoker or two, throw in some mixed-bag barbecue from the major American south BBQ regions (Texas, Memphis, the Carolinas, Kansas City), emphasize locally-sourced products, tout the variety of Michigan-brewed beers on tap, and let simmer, stirring occasionally. The idea is that you will ultimately end up with an unprecedentedly successful restaurant which will get you bags and bags of money as well as many stories in the New York Times et al.

'I kid, of course, but there certainly doesn't seem to be a great mystery behind the current metro Detroit BBQ trend.

'Far from being a matter of astounding coincidence with like-minded people having the same idea at the same time à la the crepes expectations, the current trend of upscale barbecue eateries (three opened in July and August 2010 alone; two are only 0.8 miles apart) certainly didn't happen in a vacuum. Ever heard of a place called Slows?..."

Read the rest of the article here ... and you definitely should because this is the best article yet written about metro Detroit's BBQ craze that has nothing to do with the food and only a little to do with Slows. In my own humble opinion, of course.