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]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

All roads lead to Fight Club.

Mark Wahlberg thinks Detroit is swell and likes that one BBQ place. [Freep]

You know, the one Adam Richman called one of the best restaurants IN ALL OF AMERICA. [Kitchen Daily]

So obviously it was time for me to update this. [EID]

Wait, WHAT, Supino again? Damnit. Time for another update. (I should probably add Buddy's on there too.) [Thrillist]

I'm still waiting on my phone call to become Tyler Florence's sidekick. I almost wrote "Tyler Durden" there; how cool would THAT be? [Castles and Cooks]

ICYMI:

~La Feria's la facade is taking shape, as is the interior. [Model D]

~The Somerset CityLoft and The Detroit Shoppe pop-ups are open again on Woodward in downtown Detroit through August 24. Check them out on Thursdays during lunch for coney dogs, Better Made Snack Foods chips, and Faygo Beverages Inc. soda for $5 - every dollar benefits Summer in the City Detroit and Boll Family YMCA. [Model D]
~Pretty much slayed Mead Day coverage here. The way one would slay a dragon. Because, mead.  Also: news B. Nektar Brewery, the new Kuhnhenn production facility, and the Dragonmead expansion. BAM. [EID]

Guns + Butter is back for August, probably with less Bourdain but at least with more dates. None of which will I be in town for. C'est la vie. [G+B]

Rock City Eatery is getting ever-so-close to opening, and I will tell you this: the menu is going to blow your mind. I say that as someone who was already sold on it and has been actively pushing it to other people, as well as someone whose mind is not easily blown. For reals. [EID FB/eatsdrinksandleaves Instagram]

An update on all those West Village developments that got so much buzz when they were announced awhile back: none of them are open yet but all of them still plan on opening. The end. [Mode Shift]

After a flood from the torrential monsoon-like rains Detroit experienced for most of July forced them to shut down for a couple of weeks and do a bit of remodeling, The Bottom Line Coffee House has re-opened and have revamped their baked goods selection to provide all handmade, locally-sourced treats, plus an all-new breakfast menu with bagels, breakfast sandwiches and freshly made fruit and yogurt parfaits. [Bottom Line]

One of the best Thai places in metro Detroit (it's still glorified mall food but calling it "one of the best" in the area is simply relative to what else is out there) has opened a fast and casual concept for Midtown workers inside the Auburn Building. Go! Sy Thai is now open offering quick carry-out and dine-in service. This is their fourth location; they recently opened another Sy Thai in Troy and also operate Sy Thai Shores in St. Clair Shores. [Go! Sy Thai]

Thrillist checked out the new Jefferson House at the Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown-Convention Center and found the food, the drinks, and the ambitious young chef impressive. ‪#‎nikkisboys‬ [Thrillist]

The Dakota Inn Rathskeller is now 80 years young. [Pure Detroit]

Just to taunt us, here are construction photos of Detroit Institute of Bagels. [DRNH FB]

It's Farouk! He's as much an icon as The Rattlesnake where he works. I'm not totally convinced he always knows what's going on around him, but he's definitely always a character. [Hour Detroit]

Chazzano Coffee Roasters is looking for a bigger home in Ferndale (they definitely need one). [Crain's]

Block off August 13 so you can drive to the Disney Land of suburbia (Novi) and stuff your face at the new Cheesecake Factory. [Novi Patch]

The Stand is shaping up in Birmingham, and so far it looks like they gutted all the atrocious neon leftover from Zazio's. So that's promising. [Crain's]

This is such a great little spot in Keego Harbor. Which you would never even know about unless you had reason to be in Keego Harbor. Which you wouldn't have unless you were driving between West Bloomfield and Waterford, or actually live in Keego Harbor. Even so, Jeremy Restaurant and Bar is celebrating 10 years with a new menu with lower prices and more veggie options and whatever the hell us was in that press release. [Freep]

Meet the artisan ice creams of A2/Ypsi: Sweet Dirt, Hello! Ice Cream and Gelato, and Go Ice Cream. [AnnArbor.com]

For the most part my commenters are not the knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers you find on most other sites. Yet sometimes, still sometimes, I get an outstanding example of Obfuscating Troll Logic. I made the egregious error of informing people that the new "Detroit Sandwich Shop" is in Farmington Hills and not Detroit (which the owner himself addressed in the linked story), and this is what happened. [Metromode / EID FB]

Beerie
~Serious Eats: Drinks played the "Ask a Cicerone" game once again, this time to inquire - what is the perfect summer beer? To which one responded, Berliner Weisse. You know where you can get a killer Berliner Weisse? (And to my knowledge, the only one being made locally.) Griffin Claw Brewing Company. Go there, you must. Also a dandy shout-out to Jolly Pumpkin Brewery! [Serious Eats: Drinks]

~Yes, I heart Griffin Claw. [Thrillist]

~Tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival in Eastern Market Corporation are on sale RIGHT NOW! [MBG Official]

~The Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival isn't the only beer fest happening in these parts this October. WindsorEats is hosting the first-ever Windsor Craft Beer Festival across from the recently-opened Walkerville Brewery Oct. 18-19, bringing in food and craft beers from all over Ontario. Tickets are only $25 per day; this could be a nice little primer for Beer Fest and a good way to find out what our neighbors to the south have brewing. [Windsor Eats]

~Ashley's Westland has opened their outdoor beer garden. But in Westland. So. Beer. [Detroit News]

~'tis true: the pumpkin beers have officially hit the distribution networks (Southern Tier Brewing Company has also released Pumking already so look for that one soon too, in addition to what's listed here.) It's kind of like women's retail when you can buy sweaters in the dead of summer but you can't find shorts or swimsuits. [MLive]

~Except for Rogue Ales. And they use REAL pumpkin. Grown on their own farm. And won't release their pumpkin ale until October, after they can harvest their estate-grown pumpkins and use them in their beer. Rogue, I forgive you for your Voodoo bacon maple doughnut abomination, just don't ever do it again. [Beer Pulse]

~All of this is true, including the part about me at the end. ‪#‎misbf13‬ [Mitten Brew]

~Hey, check it out, the number of craft breweries in the country has finally topped what it was back in ***1890***! o_0 [Beer Pulse]

[Fox News] Top 10 reasons to visit Detroit

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

While Detroit has now earned the notorious distinction of being the largest municipality ever to file bankruptcy in U.S. history, over the years its food, arts and cultural scene has been thriving. Business owners and community members have been hard at work trying to push for a rebirth of the Rust Belt town, and as a result has created a city filled with unique cultural and culinary treasures. Here are 10 great reasons to visit Detroit --and not to write it off.

Read more.

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Dan Gilbert is a man with a plan. Actually, a lot of them. And he unveiled some of them during a two-hour press conference last week, announcing (among many, many things) that Papa Joe's Gourmet Market will open in the First National Building and will have a bar and prepared foods; Moosejaw Mountaineering is staying forever-ever; Just Topped, an ice cream store using Ray's Ice Cream from the owner of Just Baked, will open; plus a whole lot more "placemaking" strategies. [Freep]

And here's more on that Just Topped concept. [Crain's]

Detroit-style deep dish is ready for its national close-up, and NO IT IS NOTHING LIKE CHICAGO. [Freep]

Paul Howard, owner of the Bronx Bar and Cliff Bell's, has a new bar in the works at the PuppetART Theatre building downtown. [Curbed]

Corktown's Green Dot Stables celebrated their one-year anniversary last week. Keep those $3 beers and sliders coming for many more to come! [GDS FB]

Dave Mancini of Supino Pizzeria is officially on his annual springtime sabbatical, which means the pizzeria is closed until he gets back on April 16 (further renovation work on the space next door will happen in the meantime). He and other area food industry people from places like Roast and Wolfgang Puck are off touring Croatia and Italy. Note to self: become best friends with all of these people. [Supino FB]

Travel + Leisure names Michael Symon's Roast - Detroit one of the best steakhouses in the country. [T+L]

In case you missed it: Here's an update on the Bagger Dave's opening later this year in Greektown and "SkyBar" is no longer a misnomer. [Model D]

Toast Birmingham has a new Executive Chef, Myles McVay, formerly of D'Amato's Restaurant and, most recently, Cafe Muse. The B-ham location now has a whole new dinner menu which includes vegan and vegetarian options. [EID FB]

Daily regular business owners have started at Trinosophes. Stop in mornings and evenings for coffee, tea, beignets and other treats with an expanded menu coming soon. (And free WiFi!) [Trinosophes FB]

Alley Wine's rezoning has been approved after 20 months. Now they're hoping it won't take another two years to get a liquor license. [Alley Wine FB]

Thrillist takes a look at the new Grace of India in Midtown. [Thrillist]

Falling Down Beer Company is officially open in the craft beer capital of the east, Warren. [RDW]

Mark's Carts officially re-opens for the season today! Which is not an April Fool's joke despite it being in the 30s outside. [AnnArbor.com]

More metro Detroit National Coney Islands opening. Hanis all day every day. [Detroit News]

Some news bites from Ferndale Patch: Nom Nom's Cupcake Factory has opened a second location in Berkley, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt has opened its first-ever Michigan location in Troy, Grumpy's diner in Clawson has closed, Ferndale's New Way Bar has been sold and closed, more. [Ferndale Patch]

Going to Chicago? Don't buy a major airline ticket like some kind of commoner. For the same price you can fly in a PRACTICALLY private jet with free drinks and no baggage fees via Lakeshore Express starting this summer. Plus, it's out of the Oakland County airport where you park for free and don't have to deal with the usual major airport headaches. And hey, since you'll be out that way you can also stop by The Root Restaurant + Bar for lunch or dinner! [Freep]

Want a restaurant space that's white box-ready? (Or ... orange and purple box-ready?) This one's in SW right on the edge of Corktown in the shadow of Michigan Central Station. At only $99k, it seems like a good buy. [Curbed]

Own the shirt that Ryan Gosling might one day possibly wear! [MLive]

Beerie
~Chicks are apparently more into beer than wine now. [Freep]
~Vander Mill Cider and Founders Brewing Company are both getting into the canning game this year. [Vander Mill FB / BeerPulse]
~So, you guys, Traverse City. They went from being a meh place for beer two years ago to, well, THIS. [The Ticker TC]

Other
~The corn chip singularity is upon us. [Death + Taxes]