The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Just one of the preposterous things Americans did to food this year.

ICYMI:
~Dearest readers, do yourself a favor and read this. All the way through. Beginning to end. And understand why James Rigato of The Root Restaurant and Bar is one of Nikki's Boys. Oh, I went and saved the best for last. [EID]
~If you missed the first Young Guns dinner…that sucks for you because it was totally awesome. But never fear! The next event has been announced, and tickets go on sale December 10. [EID]
~Pete's Chocolate Co. is hiring for the holidays and is looking to expanding into wholesale going into 2014. [Model D]
~Shop local this (and every!) holiday season at these temporary pop-ups and special retail events, including the Wheelhouse Detroit Bike Shop retail residency in Eastern Market Corporation, the Merry Market at The Detroit Mercantile Co., the Detroit Holiday Food Bazaar, 1701 Bespoke, Spielhaus Toys, and much more. [Model D]
~What's that, ANOTHER independent grocery store guide? Yup. Turns out, there's a lot of independent full-service grocery stores in Detroit. And this project isn't even comprehensive (nor is it done). This time I ended up in the geographic area I'm roughly calling "north central Detroit," which includes University Commons and stretches out in all directions from there. [Model D]
~Detroit Institute of Bagels is one of several small businesses in Corktown that have received a $50,000 grant from the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy fund. [Model D]
~EVENTS! [EID]

Here is a lovely story from Hour Detroit about Andrews on the Corner, a 95-year-old family-owned Detroit business that has weathered many a storm, including a disastrous real estate deal that wiped out most of the businesses in Rivertown. [Hour]

"Hash House Sunday" - aka brunch - is now happening every week at Public House. [PH FB]

Another friend on TV! Check out Alysa from Real Detroit Weekly on FOX 2 Detroit giving RDW's picks for Michigan-made gift items, including American Coney Island coney kits and cupcakes from Just Baked (both can be shipped anywhere in the country). [Fox]

I agree with Thrillist more often than not. Here is an example of more often, in which they name Jolly Pumpkin Brewery's Noel de Calabaza one of the best holiday beers on the market (extra props to the selection of Jewbelation, which is a ridiculous beer that is surprisingly drinkable at 17%ABV, and Evil Twin, because Evil Twin). [Thrillist]

As for this one, I'm about 70/30 on it. [Thrillist]

Nice little brief on Detroit's Beautiful Soup. [Model D]

Food startup Pierogi Gals began as a way of preserving a family tradition; now the demand is so high they don't have enough production space to keep up. You can find their variety of standard, specialty, and seasonal pierogi at farmers markets, Randazzo Fresh Market, and Holiday Market. [Metromode]

Two James Spirits was featured in Al Jazeera America. [AJA]

Here's a look inside the new Northern Lakes Seafood Company in Troy, as well as more future plans from The Epicurean Group. [Crain's]

You might not like corporate chain restaurants, but $11 million in economic development is nothing to sneer at. If you've driven down Big Beaver near Somerset lately, you might have noticed that shopping plazas are popping up like crazy, and all of them boasting new restaurants. This is why. [Crain's]

Fun new Vietnamese street food carry-out spot opening in A2 in January. [Concentrate]

An Ann Arbor server at Tios Mexican Cafe reaped the benefits of #tipsforjesus, which is apparently a group of people plopping down $1,000+++ tips on credit card receipts for unsuspecting servers all across America. [Gawker]

Great story in Hour Detroit about Cannelle Patisserie. [Hour]

Sweet Heather Anne makes the most beautiful cakes in metro Detroit. This holiday season, let them fulfill all of your cake needs, and check out this story about them from The Michigan Daily. [Michigan Daily]

Fancy hot dogs and froyo coming to Royal Oak. [Royal Oak Patch]

Looks like Cold Stone is giving Royal Oak the cold shoulder. *rimshot* [Royal Oak Patch]

Metro Detroit McDonald's employees went on strike last week for $15 an hour wages. [Freep]

Misc.
~I'm just going to coast through the rest of this month with other people's end of year lists, because LISTS. And so, here is a list from Mashable of stupid shit Americans ate and freaked out over this year, because AMERICA. [Mashable]

~Some of these are spot-on. Others…well, you have to be a pretty insecure person to find the presence of a solo diner - who probably just doesn't want to be bothered with the existence of other people or is maybe just simply hungry and out and therefore decided to get food - so unnerving. [Thrillist]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Rock City Eatery is now open! They will have a limited menu and hours during their soft opening period, so be patient. Once they're firing at 100% the menu will include items like duck rilette sandwiches, charcoal-grilled beef tongue skewers, pork "fries" with togarashi, and bone marrow fritters, with plenty of vegetarian options like roasted brussels sprouts with Thai basil and smoked tomatoes, and grilled heirloom carrots with fast-pickled apples and goat cheese. [EID]
~Dine Drink Detroit, Ferndale Restaurant Week, Hamtramck Food Week, Revolve Detroit's Art + Retail on the Ave in conjunction with Detroit Design Festival's Light Up Livernois, expanded Detroit Restaurant Week and bunches of new restaurants opening: yeah, this fall kicks all other falls' asses. [EID]
~The Two James Spirits tasting room is now open with limited hours, but you can find their 28 Island Vodka in stores and on the shelves of local favorites like SLOWS BAR BQ, The Sugar House, and Michael Symon's Roast - Detroit. You can also buy bottles directly from the tasting room. [Model D]
~Interested in the growing craft spirits movement happening in metro Detroit? Here I talk in-depth with folks from Valentine Distilling Co., Griffin Claw Brewing Company (GCBC), Two James Spirits and Detroit City Distillery about craft spirits as part of the local foods movement and how recent changes in the laws governing microdistillers have allowed them to flourish. [Metromode]
~Better mark Eastern Market After Dark on your calendar for next year. [EID]

Get your taste of Hamtown with the new Hamtramck Food Week starting today: 10 restaurants with dinners priced at $10 or less and a host of other coordinating events. [Model D]

The new ballroom at COBO Center is now open and it's spectacular. Want to see it for yourself? Sign up for the Crain's Detroit Business House Party this Thursday, which includes an afterparty inside the new ballroom (with strolling dinner and open bar). Registration closes today. [The Detroit Hub / Crain's]

Public House is also now open for all your rock and bao roll needs north of 8 Mile. [Real Detroit]

Ben Hall and Jason Murphy, owners of Russell Street Deli, are opening a new restaurant on the outskirts of Corktown this spring called Lafayette Kitchen and Diner. [Crain's]

Excellent article about a book about supper clubs - The Supper Club Book - and about Detroit's own historic supper club, Cliff Bell's. Join them for Detroit Restaurant Week going on now through September 29. [Detroit News]

Celebrate the Garden Bowl and Lounge's centennial Dude-style on September 28. [Detroit News]

Here is an example of the powers of media being used for good: Bedrock (parent company of Quicken) has dropped the eviction notice against Angelina Italian Bistro after word spread through the media and Bedrock received a good public social media shaming. [Freep]

Yates Cider Mill is 150 years old this year and it's officially CIDER SEASON! [Yates Official]

Crain's Detroit Business takes a look at how area cider mills are diversifying after 2012's apple crop devastation, including a new cider house and winery at Blake's Cider Mill, expanded offerings at Paint Creek Cider Mill, and a brewery, winery, and distillery in the works at Miller's Big Red. [Crain's]

It is now officially fall. And that means pumpkin EVERYTHING - including Pumpkin Pie a la Mode ice cream from Guernsey Farms Dairy. [Guernsey Official]

Here's why the annual Tour de Troit is more than just a bike ride. If you missed it this year, better mark that one on your calendar for next year too. [Model D]

Beerie
~This video from Founder's should give you an attack of the eye-watering "allergies."

~Speaking of Founders Brewing Co., Thrillist named the best breweries in each state and Founders was named the best in Michigan. [Thrillist]

~On their search for Michigan's best brewery, MLive paid a visit to Warren's newest brewery Falling Down Beer Co. Here's more about it. [MLive]

~Who makes one of the best pumpkin beers in the country according to Complex Magazine? Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, of course! (As is to be expected.) [Complex]

~Detroit Beer Company celebrated their 10-year anniversary this weekend. [DBC FB]

Misc.
~One woman's experience surviving Whole Foods. Namaste. "Next I see the gluten-free section filled with crackers and bread made from various wheat-substitutes such as cardboard and sawdust. I skip this isle because I'm not rich enough to have dietary restrictions." [HuffPo]

~I want to hang out with these kids. [Death + Taxes]

~Chipotle Mexican Grill wins. [Gawker]

[HOT LIST] Fall events

Not all falls are created equally. And this fall is about to put all other falls to shame. From spankin' new events to expanded old events, bon vivants have plenty of opportunities for dining and drinking in the coming weeks. Here are the highlights.

#1 Dine Drink Detroit October 10-16
In the afterglow of the grand dame of Detroit dining events, Detroit Restaurant Week, check out the brand-new Dine Drink Detroit. If the comparison had to be made, DDD is DRW's scrappy DIY cousin. And that suits these particular Detroit joints. Thirteen of Detroit's most interesting bars and restaurants that don't really fall into the realm of "fine dining" (as in, $32 a plate) will offer food and drink pairings for $15 each, no reservations necessary. Follow them on InstaBookEr via the hashtag #DineDrinkDetroit. Participating restaurants are: El Barzon, Great Lakes, Green Dot, Mercury Burger Bar, MotorCity Wine, Mudgie's, Ottava Via, Rodin, Slows, St. Cece's, Sugar House, Traffic Jam, Woodbridge Pub.

#2 Ferndale Restaurant Week October 7-13
Also hot on the heels of Detroit Restaurant Week is Ferndale Restaurant Week, a new effort by the Ferndale DDA chaired by Beth Hussey, co-owner of One-Eyed Betty's. It was important to Hussey to create the kind of event in which ALL Ferndale restaurants could participate, everyone from Treat Dreams and Easy Like Sundae to Assagi Bistro and Local Kitchen + Bar. So Ferndale Restaurant Week has options for breakfast, lunch and dinner in $10, $20, and $30 increments. Check out the very cool website to see the full list of 24 participating venues and what they will be offering, including the brand-new Public House, which just so happens to be opening to the public at 5 p.m. today.

#3 Hamtramck Food Week September 23-28
So hot on the heels of Detroit Restaurant Week it's actually happening at the same time, the first-ever Hamtramck Food Week, which starts on Monday, features ethnic cooking demonstrations, food history tours and tours of Hamtown Farms and Srodek's, a pop-up biergarten, as well as $10 dinners at participating restaurants. Plus, both Rock City Eatery and (revolver) will be open just in time!

#4 REVOLVE Detroit Art + Retail on the Avenue
REVOLVE Detroit's new Art + Retail on the Avenue makes its debut tonight as part of the Detroit Design Festival's Light Up Livernois event. Art + Retail on the Avenue includes four new permanent retailers, eight pop-up concepts, nine art projects, and additional programming and events. Check out the new Local Social Ice Cream + Good Cakes and Bakes, a combination ice cream shop and bakery, and Regal Cafe, a coffee shop and arts space, as part of the new permanent retailers on the Ave. Pop-ups include the Fresh Food Co-op with food from known pop-up food businesses the Batata Shop, Treats by Angelique, Beautiful Soup and Fresh Corner Cafe; True Indulgence, a specialty bakery; anf Fill-Anthropy, a pop-up nonprofit bar.

#5 Detroit Restaurant Week September 20-29
Since launching in 2009, DRW is still the grand dame of Detroit dining events. Add-ons this year include Jefferson House and Guns + Butter, and all the old favorites are returning. As always, prime time reservations fill up quickly, so make your reservations now or plan your outing mid-week to secure your spot.

Bubbling under Detroit Beer Week October 17-27 (events will be announced soon), Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival October 25-26 (Saturday is sold out; Friday tickets still available);  Theatre Bizarre: The Procession October 18-19 (for the first time ever, Theatre Bizarre is hosting a Preview Gala the night before the main event, masks required; if you purchase tickets to both events, you will also receive a limited-edition signed and number giclee print from Theatre Bizarre artist John Dunivant entitled "Edgar Balloon" from his Expatriate Parade series)

[Real Detroit] Public House

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

You know how much we love Imperial? (That's a rhetorical question. We all love Imperial a lot.) What if we told you that the people who brought us Imperial were getting ready to open a new spot in downtown Ferndale called Public House, and that it will be exactly like Imperial but completely different and equally awesome?

That's something to get excited about, right?

(Again, that's a rhetorical question. But yes.)

Read more.

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Metro Detroit, meet your newest best thing ever. Public House, from the fine folks behind Imperial, will open soon in downtown Ferndale. Here's a look at the concept, the space, and the menus. Is it going to be just as awesome as Imperial? Yes. Yes it f-ing will. [EID]
~Update to the dates: the first-ever #DineDrinkDetroit will now be held October 10-16. (And Detroit Beer Week starts the very next day.) Mark it, dude. [EID]
~Chef James of The Root Restaurant and Bar cooked with the big dogs in Chicago last week, including Paul Kahan of The Publican and Paul Virant of Vie Restaurant. James's star just keeps rising. Nikki's Boys *heart* [EID]
~The Jefferson House, recently opened inside the newly remodled Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown-Convention Center, is now part of Detroit Restaurant Week September 20-29. [DRW / EID]

Sports!
~For all you Detroit Lions game-goers, here's a handy list of what to eat and where, including stands from Slows To Go, Corridor Sausage Co., Russell Street Deli, Pegasus Taverna, and The Sugar House. [Detroit Lions Official]
~And here is that same list in editorial form. Ford Field food includes food and drink stands from local businesses like Slows To Go, Corridor Sausage Co., Russell Street Deli, Zingerman's Delicatessen, Billy Sims BBQ, Pegasus Taverna, American Coney Island, The Sugar House, and more. [Detroit News]
~Some will weep. Others will rejoice. Charlie Marcuse, the Singing Hot Dog Man of Comerica Park, has been fired. Again. [Detroit News]
~If you're in Ann Arbor on a U-M game day and failed to stock up on supplies in preparation ... HA HA HA HA HA. You must be new to town. Here's some places where you can seek out sustenance without being surrounded by a sea of blue and maize. Isalita, Jolly Pumpkin Cafe + Brewery, The Ravens Club, Zingerman's Roadhouse, more. [AnnArbor.com]
~Ford Field was named by The Daily Meal one of the best NFL stadiums in America for craft beer. Our football fans binge drink the best beers! [Daily Meal]

Keep an eye out for the Grindhouse's "secret breakfast" Saturdays at Eastern Market. [Grindhouse FB]

Detroit Vegan Soul will open for business in West Village on September 28. [DVS FB]

American Coney Island is hosting a coney dog eating challenge on September 12. So there's that. [MLive]

What's the Detroit version of the Irish Boston Cooler? Head to Woodbridge Pub now to find out! (Note: it has Jameson Irish Whiskey in it.) Brought to you by the fine folks of Pure Detroit. [Pure Detroit]

Last was a week for mega-updates (which has nothing to do with the fact that it was a holiday week and update lists are much easier to put together than new material, I'm sure, says the media person running her own such update list for one of her media things because easy).
~Here's a list of restaurants/bars happening in Midtown. [MLive]
~Here's a list of restaurants/bars happening in metro Detroit. [Freep] (Worth noting: Dave Mancini, owner of Supino Pizzeria - which just celebrated its five year anniversary - has officially christened his expansion next to the pizzeria "La Rondinella.")
~Here's a list of restaurants/bars happening in Ann Arbor. [A2 Gastro Boy]

Nate Skid has a moment of ZING. [Crain's]

There is a "for sale" sign in the windows of the recently-opened Food Truck Cafe in Berkley. Now, I most certainly poked fun of the concept, but I certainly didn't wish them failure, and certainly not so quickly. But apparently customers have spoken: food truck food tastes better on actual trucks; everything else is a restaurant. [EID FB]

Pasadena-based chain Blaze Pizza will open in Royal Oak with plans to open several more throughout metro Detroit. "Blaze Pizza uses an assembly line format to create artisan pizzas for only $6.95. Guests watch as they travel down an assembly line to create a signature pizza or design one of their own choosing from over 40 toppings." So basically it's the Subway of pizza. [Royal Oak Patch]

And because Royal Oak is apparently Pizza Oak, Trattoria Pizzeria da Luigi is now open in the old Antica Pizzeria Fellini spot, owned by Luigi Cutraro, who closed Sangria last year to focus on something this smaller Sicilian bistro concept. [Detroit News]

And the first metro Detroit location for Michael Symon's B Spot Burgers is....*drumroll*...Rochester Hills. And YES there will be a downtown Detroit location; stop whining. [Freep]

This is a great story about how weird regulars make the best bartenders, and how The Oakland's own Shane Bang has come full circle. [The Oakland Official]

DBusiness names the "80+ top restaurants in metro Detroit for business," which is basically just a list of the 81 most expensive restaurants in southeastern Michigan. [DBusiness]

Michigan Main Street Center calls Detroit "a perfect example of Main Street culture" thanks to projects like Jazzin' on Jefferson, D:hive, Georgia Street Community Collective, and others. The National Main Streets Conference will be held in Detroit next year. [Preservation Nation]

Detroit is the new New Orleans. Except without the high-profile celebrities coming in to "save" it. Erin Cummings doesn't count. [See Change]

Tater tots, T-bones, and bacon bowls. How forward. [Detroit News]

Beerie
~Get your tickets to Brewed in Michigan's 5th annual mini-Beer Fest at Baker's of Milford on September 27. [BiM Official]

~Vote for the Michigan Brewers Guild in this Intuit "Small Business Big Game" contest to win a FREE ad during the Super Bowl! (Or Superbowl. Whatever.) Vote once a day every day and show the country how we do things in the Great Beer State! [SBBG Official]

~What are the best craft beer bars in metro Detroit? Freep says Clubhouse BFD, One-Eyed Betty's, SLOWS BAR BQ, Pizzeria Biga - Royal Oak and The Wurst Bar. Sounds about right. [Freep]

Misc.
~"Coffee squatters" - those who set up shop for interminable hours gobbling up a café's bandwidth and available seating - are starting to see some pushback from cafe owners who need to be able to seat other customers (so they can, you know, stay in business and whatnot) and those who just prefer to encourage a more conversational cafe experience. Here I check in with places across the country like Lamill Coffee Boutique, Verve Coffee Roasters, Cafe Grumpy and others about their Wi-Fi policies and how they deal with squatters. [Fox News]

~The media's current rhetorical war against tipping rages on, this time with Pete Wells of The New York Times chiming in dramatically, calling the long-accepted industry practice and the American culture of tipping "irrational, outdated, ineffective, confusing, prone to abuse and sometimes discriminatory." [NYT]

~And just in time for all these anti-tipping stories, taxes are about to get a bit bleaker for tip-based employees. [Yahoo Finance]