~The new Two James Spirits distillery is the first licensed distillery in the city of Detroit since before Prohibition, and they are now ready to start serving you. Here's a look inside, and keep an eye out for their grand opening in the next month! [EID]
~Hamtramck is getting a new table d'hôte restaurant called (revolver), which is now accepting its first reservations for Hamtramck Food Week. [Model D]
~Interested in learning more about this new concept in Hamtramck, (revolver)? Want a sneak peek at opening week menus? Check out this Q+A with co-owner Tunde Wey here. [EID]
~Last week a story I wrote on coffee squatting ran on Fox News. While the edited version was appropriate for Fox readers, my nature as a writer is to give things a bit more cultural context. Here is the full version of that story, which reads a bit...differently. [EID / Fox News]
~The impact of metro Detroit's ethnic Arab population is hugely significant on our culture and heritage. A new FREE walking tour of Eastern Market Corporation called YallaEat!, hosted by the Arab American National Museum, takes you through the history of the market's many Arab vendors and producers. Visit the market's Arab-owned businesses and meet the owners on this tour highlighting just one aspect of what makes this multi-cultural market so great, and one of the most culturally interesting things about living in metro Detroit. [EID]
~Remember when Tour de Troit was just a few dudes on bikes with a cooler? TdT is this weekend. Here's a goodie from last summer in which I profile one of the organizers, Bil Lusa, along with other biking beeries like Steve Johnson of Motor City Brew Tours. [Metromode]
~Dig cocktails? Check out the Old Smokey at Urban Cellar inside The Jefferson House. [RDW]
With respect to the usual suspects for being really good at media outreach, it's rather refreshing to see a pizza of any other origin get named the best in the state (on a list that wasn't researched by typing "best pizza in Michigan" into Google). Motor City Brewing Works "Mary Did Have" 'za gets the nod from USA Today as being the definitive Michigan pizza. [USA Today]American Coney Island is profiled as one of 6 historic hot dog joints in the company of meat tube giants like Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, Superdawg, and Pink's Hot Dogs. [Fox News]In case you've lost track, here's a great big reminder of all of the restaurants and bars opening in Midtown v v soon. [MLive]Check out the new sexytime website for Dine Drink Detroit! All the details (the whos whats wheres and whens) are on there plus a few categorizations to help you tailor your experience to your own interests. (Like beer. And what places have the most of it.) Starts October 10! #DineDrinkDetroit [DDD]Detroit Restaurant Week starts this week! Have you made your reservations yet? 'Cuz you might want to get on that. [DRW]I have a serious crush on Eastern Market Corporation and how the folks in charge have completed redefined that district since they took over in 2006. Randall Fogelman is one of those people. Read about him and his work at the Market in Urban Innovation Exchange. [UIX]Another old bar has been destroyed by a fire; this time it was Hippo's Bar in Hamtramck. [Freep]Surely this HAS to be fake, right? [Craigslist]Now the question remains: do headlines translate into customers to sustain such high wages at Moo Cluck Moo in Dearborn Heights? [The Daily Beast]Crain's Detroit Business asks the question and Moo Cluck Moo says yes. They even want to open more locations. [Crain's]Can Whole Foods save your love life as well as Detroit? Writer Ryan Patrick Hooper thinks so. Here is this Whole Foods Cassanova's guide to picking up girls at Whole Foods LIKE A GENTLEMAN. [HuffPo]And now we have reached phase 2 of Detroit 2.0: from corporate philanthropy to corporate bullying. [MLive]The founder of Shatila Bakery has passed away, after years of battling cancer. Truly an example of a tireless entrepreneurial work ethic, Mr. Shatila grew his business into one of the best-known Arab-owned sweet shops in the U.S. with a thriving mail order business. They also make some of the best ice cream I've ever had. The store has a huge selection of delicate Arabic and European pastries and savory items, as well as Arabic coffee, smoothies and raw juices, and THE ICE CREAM. Definitely one of the best food businesses in metro Detroit, hands-down. [Freep]Vegans, etc. [AnnArbor.com]Northern Lakes Seafood Company is moving to Troy. [Freep]Absinthe and Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. beers? Sounds like the good kind of trouble. Or just the straight-up bad kind. [Freep]SO MANY fantastic people and projects on this list: $2.1 million total is being distributed to 56 winning local arts programs and projects, both new and existing, including (but certainly not limited to) Alonso del Arte's ice cream truck which will play Anton Bruckner’s March in E-flat major, the new Detroit SOUP truck, Public Pool's Good Tyme Writer’s Buffet, the new Trinosophes museum, big-time winner (receiving $100,000) Theatre Bizarre, and so so many more! [Knight Arts]The third-annual Detroit Design Festival kicks off this week. This is probably one of the most exciting events in the city, always way more on offer than the usual bands and booze and food trucks (not that there's anything wrong with that). Very cool stuff happening as part of this event. [Crain's]Oh, Detroit. [Freep]Oh, Detroit. (Redux.) [Detroit News]According to DBusiness, Prime29 Steakhouse in West Bloomfield is trying to get on MAN VS. FOOD with their $240 "Colossal Surf + Turf" which features 7 pound of meat and potatoes. Oh, Michigan. #XTREME [DBusiness]Nice title, Bloomberg. [Bloomberg]Interested in TEDxDetroit? Here's the speaker lineup for the Oct. 2 event. Lots of Detroit doers involved, including Amy Kaherl of Detroit SOUP. [Yahoo Finance]Tickets to one of the country's most wicked Halloween parties, Theatre Bizarre, are now on sale through the online store. Zombo thanks you in advance for your support. [Theatre Bizarre]Beerie
~I support the more beer movement. #morebeer [Detroit News]
~Witch's Hat Brewing Company came out strong, but overall Warren wins with each of its three breweries - Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Dragonmead Brewery, and Falling Down Beer Company - making it into the Final Four in MLive.com's best Michigan brewery search (the public voting round). [MLive]
~IS IT FALL YET???? Start making plans for all of the fun fall things happening this year! Like the third annual Great Pumpkin feast at The Root Restaurant and Bar, with beer pairings from Jolly Pumpkin Brewery. [The Root]
~MLive.com will be in Detroit and A2 for their best brewery search this Thursday and Friday! [MLive]
~Downtown Royal Oak's Michigan Beer Stroll is happening this Saturday, tickets are $40. Lots of Michigan breweries, lots of Royal Oak restaurants. [Royal Oak Patch]
~Tashmoo Biergarten and other stuff is happening on Belle Isle this Saturday from 12-6. [Tashmoo]
~Powers Distributing is once again in the running for Craft Beer Distributor of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival next month. The Michigan-based distributor won the award in 2011 and is the only Michigan distributor nominated this year. [Detroit News]
