[Model D] Anthology Coffee finds a permanent home at Ponyride

Anthology Coffee's new space (still under construction.)

2011 Hatch Detroit semi-finalist Anthology Coffee is continuing to build its brand and work on a permanent café in Corktown – happy news, as just a couple of months ago it seemed like they were going to cease all operations.

In 2012 Anthology signed a lease at 2051 Rosa Parks (an office building in Corktown). After some initial efforts were made towards build-out, progress stalled for months and Anthology owner Josh Longsdorf made the decision to leave. At the same time, Anthology also fell short on an Indiegogo campaign that was meant to purchase new equipment; Longsdorf had to use that money to pay off coffee contracts he had purchased in anticipation of being fully open at 2051 months early.

Read more.

[Model D] The Roasting Plant now open inside the First National Building

The Roasting Plant is now open inside the First National Building. The space has been totally re-designed from previous tenants (bars The Vine and Enoteca) to accommodate the café setting and their much-buzzed-about high-tech Javabot system, designed to ensure the freshest cup of coffee possible.

This downtown Detroit location is a third location for the company, but the first outside of Manhattan. Elizabeth Rose, Co-Owner of the Roasting Plant, is a native Detroiter who was living in San Diego but got involved with the Roasting Plant in Manhattan and had been planning on moving there when Detroit came calling.

Read more.

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

HE MADE IT! The Official Eat It Detroit Hatch Candidate of 2012 Rock City Pies made it to the top 4, thanks to all your help! This is a real David v. Goliath story in the making ... and don't we all just love those underdog stories? Of course we do, especially here in Detroit. SO VOTE. Round 2 starts Monday. [Hatch / EID FB]

Detroit Pop-Up City. Also, Great Lakes Coffee is the best thing that happened in Detroit this year. (Green Dot Stables being second.) [NY Times]

So much the best thing that when the Detroit News finally tuned into the story, they made a joke about jumping the shark so I didn't have to. Also, this means the Freep's version of The Coffee Story is soon to follow. Sure am glad I beat them both by over a year (also here). But seriously though, why do we have two newspapers? [Det News / GLCB FB / Metromode / Curbed Detroit]

And since we're on the subject, here's Hour's version of The Coffee Story too. Oh, media. [Hour]

ZOMGZ MOAR COFFEE. Transplanted Detroit-area person in New York is opening her third coffee shop in her hometown hood. The signage for the soon-to-open Roasting Plant Coffee in the First National Building is up; I'm no Curbed Detroit but I kind of love the look here. [Curbed Detroit]

DevNews-a-Palooza courtesy of Curbed Detroit: Gold Cash Gold is going to have to rush Phil rush so that the banquet center is open in time for the Auto Show (the rest is targeted for end of summer 2013); Avalon International Breads now has a retail location at Henry Ford and will open a third on Canfield as part of their expansion; also - more lofts and greenways! [Curbed Detroit]

The design of Vinsetta Garage is praised by the Preservation Nation blog. Gears, steers and beers! [Preservation Nation]

The second-annual Detroit Design Festival got a lot of buzz this year, but not all of the coordinating events got a lot of people. Eastern Market After Dark at least appeared to be a big success. [HuffPost Detroit / DDF FB / EM FB]

Detroit is the capital of mac 'n cheese. TAP inside MGM Grand Detroit opened this week, and they managed to make this most artery-clogging of dishes even worse -- by deep-frying it. [MGM FB / EID FB]

Slows is on another best-something list. [The Chive]

Jolly Pumpkin released their La Roja Grand Reserve this week, but if you haven't purchased any by the time you read this it's probably sold out. Sad trombone. [JP FB]

Traverse City (and surrounding areas) shall now henceforth be known as the Hamptons of Michigan. Because everything must be the something of something. [Forbes]

Speaking of the area, a new winery opened on Old Mission this weekend (which brings the grand total up to 8). Say hello to Hawthorne Vineyards! Another new winery also opened on Leelanau over the weekend, but I'll leave that one for Batali. [Hawthorne Vineyards FB]

Forbes is crushing on Detroit in a major kind of way. Whether Another Detroit Is Happening or not, if you say it enough times it must be true. [Forbes]

Then again, reality bites. [Deadline Detroit]

After losing several participating restaurants to closings and remodelings, this season of Detroit Restaurant Week is down to just 17 restaurants ... which means reservations will be even more impossible to come by. It starts Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 7. [Freep / EID FB]

Real Detroit Weekly got a bad case of the "me toos" and decided to host their OWN DAMN RESTAURANT WEEK the same days as DRW (remember, DRW is sponsored by the Metro Times). So now Plymouth has their own restaurant week and it too starts Sept. 28 and runs through Oct. 7. [RDW FB]

Didn't this story already happen? Apparently there was a resurgence in interest over Royal Oak's Taste Love Cupcakes due to re-runs. [Crain's]

[HOT LIST] Coffee (redux)

Anthology at MoCAD.

In EID's first-ever Hot List (June 20, 2011), we took a look at our favorite coffee spots in and around Detroit. This simultaneously prompted a more in-depth piece for Metromode on some of our local roasters, and later a shout-out from yours truly on Curbed Detroit christening Detroit as the new Seattle. (For the record, I said it FIRST.) But so much has changed just in the last year, it's already time to re-visit.

Alas, metro Detroit's growing coffee culture has taken a recent hit with the closing of Thistle Coffeehouse, but the seeds have spread and already two more cafes are positioned to take its place: the Bottom Line in Midtown (opening July 23) and the Roasting Plant in the CBD coming this fall. What many of these places have in common is that they are of the next wave of coffeehouses -- the third wave and beyond. Many roast their own beans in-house and are exquisitely conscious of sourcing; the others may not roast themselves but source beans from some of the top roasters in the country (Stumptown, Intelligentsia) who are themselves known for their exquisite sourcing. What you can take away from all of this is that we sure do brew some good java in this here food desert.

#1 Anthology Coffee (Midtown/Corktown)
They sprung onto the scene as a finalist of the first-ever Hatch Detroit seed funding competition last fall, and are now featured in a regular pop-up at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit as they work on the build-out of their very own permanent location in Corktown. Yes Corktown, where Astro Coffee resides, but one can hardly call it competition when Astro uses Anthology's coffee. Given the ample seating, ease of parking and wholly accessible WiFi at the MoCAD space, if it's Anthology's coffee you seek you should probably just go there, the end. Roaster Josh Longsdorff, who still roasts for Birmingham's Commonwealth as well, is a master craftsman and his coffee is probably the best in Detroit. If you'd like to show your support, they're currently crowd-funding for their new roaster and you can pitch in a few bucks in exchange for some goodies here.

#2 The Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co. Institute for Advanced Drinking (Midtown) / Torino Espresso + Bar (Ferndale)
How to choose between two places that serve both coffee AND booze??? You don't. Therefore, tie. The IFAD is newly-opened in Midtown and is already my new favorite place ever, which isn't to say I love my old favorite place ever (Torino) any less. The two establishments might both focus on coffee, cocktails and cheese + charcuterie platters, but the similarities end there. The vibes of each space are entirely different: Great Lakes is a little more rustic-modern, like Brooklyn and LA had a baby in Detroit, where Torino is more urban contemporary, Miami by way of the Midwest. Both have great patios. Be sure to check out the IFAD and if you find you can't decide between coffee or beer, they have the perfect daytime transition beverage: the 50/50, half Short's ControversiALE and half cold brew. As for Torino, they're celebrating their one-year anniversary on Sunday, July 29 with a pork party.

Summer galette from Pinwheel.

#3 The Red Hook (Ferndale)
Stumptown Coffee and Pinwheel Bakery. That they ever close is a source of continual sadness, as is the fact I don't live inside. One of the best pour-overs you'll find in all of greater metro Detroit, and also one of the best bakeries with both sweet and savory treats for every craving. And for realsies, all of it is outstanding.

#4 Commonwealth (Birmingham)
Don't let the fancy Birmingham hausfraus fool you, this place is legit. Outstanding coffee (DUH) and exceptional sustainably-sourced food make this pretty much one of the only places worth ever going to Birmingham for. And I also don't hate that parking in the nearby garage is free for the first two hours. If only there were more places worth visiting in that time ... but screw it, Commonwealth FTW.

#5 Germack Coffee Roasting Co. (Eastern Market)
It might sound ridiculous, but until Germack Coffee Roasting Co. opened in Germack's snazzy new digs in Eastern Market, the market had no coffee roaster to call its own. Now Germack, best known for those pink pistachios, has an adorbs cafe (with WiFi!) and store selling items from local producers like Slow Jams Jam and McClure's Pickles, as well as a variety of looseleaf teas and their own house-roasted coffees. The coffee still has a way to go while they hone their skills, but it definitely shows promise and hey, I can walk there, which on certain days makes it the best place in the whole entire world.

Bubbling under Courage Coffee (Hamtramck), Chazzano Coffee Roasters (Ferndale), Cafe Con Leche (SW Detroit), Astro Coffee (Corktown), the Ugly Mug Cafe (Ypsilanti), Comet Coffee (Ann Arbor), Chez Zara (Detroit), 14 East (Midtown), the (espresso) bar (Ann Arbor), the Lab Cafe (Ann Arbor), Zingerman's Coffee (Ann Arbor), HenriettaHaus Coffee Roasters (Ferndale), Renaissance Roastery (Detroit)

 

[Metromode] Bohemian Rhapsody: Metro Detroit's Coffee Chemists

My latest article on Detroit's fast-maturing coffee scene appeared June 23 in Metromode. Here's a taste (or is it a sip?) -- Nicole

If 'Ethiopian Harrar' is an integral part of your early morning ritual, then you already know about Chazzano Coffee in Ferndale. And you also know that when first roasted this particular coffee has notes of juicy blueberry which after a week will evolve to luscious dark chocolate.

''I've created monsters!' jokes Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo, owner and roaster at Chazzano Coffee. 'They want coffee that's been roasted the same day [so it still has all its flavor profiles]; they'll ask me, "What are you roasting now?" I want people to be crazy about coffee like that and I train the staff to be crazy about coffee like that.'

'In Metro Detroit, the seedlings of a whole new kind of culinary culture have begun to grow.

'Or, more accurately, the beans..."

Read the rest of the article here.

3D Tours: Chazzano Coffee Roasters

Did you know that coffee has 1500 unique flavor profiles? Neither did we, until we discovered Chazzano!

The next tasting tour from Discover Detroit Dining (3D Tours) will take you around the world to discover how coffee is much like a fine wine. Fresh-roasted coffee can have notes of blueberry, cherry, wine, tobacco, apricot, almond, caramel, squash, coconut, fresh-cut flowers…and some 1500 other things, give or take! (That’s twice as many as wine, which only has 750 flavor profiles.)

On Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 6:00-8:00PM, we’ll be “cupping” (a roaster’s term for “tasting”) coffee alongside the talented and knowledgeable Frank Lanzkron-Tamarazo, roaster and owner of Chazzano Coffee Roasters at 1737 E. 9 Mile Rd. in Ferndale.

On an unassuming corner of 9 Mile Rd. and the I-75 service entrance sits the nondescript building which houses Chazzano Coffee Roasters. Outside it looks drab, but inside is a fresh, modern meeting place with free WiFi and some of the best coffee in the state. This new retail storefront has been open fewer than six months, but Chazzano has been supplying local businesses such as Bacco Ristorante in Southfield and What Crepe? in Royal Oak with their wholesale coffee since 2007.

Frank will be taking us on a tour of his facilities as well as sharing some of his extensive knowledge of the art of roasting, brewing, and cupping. And he should know: he roasts about 8-12 thousand pounds of coffee beans every month! His coffee is also certified Kosher by the highest authorities and is all sourced from Certified Fair Trade, organic farms. We will discuss how the coffee transforms from the raw bean to the cup in front of you by tasting four different 5-oz. cups from South America, India, Africa, and more.

By the end of this event, you should be able to identify more than just the 2 or 3 (out of 1500!!!) flavor profiles most people can detect, as well as possess the language to describe them!

This event will cost $12.00 per person for the tour, cupping, and all the coffee you can drink. Purchase tickets online through the Discover Detroit Dining website by Tuesday, April 6. This event has limited capacity so get your tickets fast! We will be meeting at Chazzano at 6:00PM sharp; guests are responsible for their own transportation.

For more information about this or any other event, please contact me at Nicole@DiscoverDetroitDining.com.

Zingerman's, I Was Wrong About You

Porn
Bloggers like to pop off at the mouth. It's kind of what we do. Guilty! Ahhhhhh...errrrr...hm.

Last summer I popped off about Zingerman's. And while some points I made were valid--who can afford the $30.00 olive oil???--I failed to account for other factors, the most significant of which being a fierce committment to having the highest quality products available even if that means they're more expensive, and recognizing that the increased cost makes for an exceptional difference in taste and quality.

Yesterday I got to speak at length with managing partners for Zingerman's Creamery, Zingerman's Coffee Company, and BAKE! with Zing (baking classes presented by the Bakehouse). I received full tours of all the facilities as well as a crash-course education in the sciences of cheesemaking, coffee roasting, and baking--and make no mistake, there is a very real science behind each one, and each of these masters of their domains are well-versed and willing to share.

In the coming weeks you'll be able to read more about my experience at these places, but for now I just felt compelled to share a little about them and, GULP, admit that I was ohdeargoddon'tmakemesayit wrong.

In keeping with the environment of education that the Zingerman's Empire has become known for, John Loomis (cheesemaker extraordinairre), Allen Liebowitz (coffee roaster extraordinairre) and Shelby Kibler (baker extraordinairre) were more than eager to take the time to explain their trades as well show me the ins & outs and explain why they have such a committment to educating their customers through classes, tastings, and tours. As Allen remarked, "An educated customer is our best customer," alluding to the idea that an educated customer will not only be willing to pay a little more for a higher quality product, but will also understand why it costs more and how the product is better.

The Zingerman's vision is to constantly be learning as well as teaching, espousing the idea that one is never done learning and that one also has a responsibility to teach what one has learned...ah, but I'm jumping ahead of myself a bit. I'll save it for the article; you'll just have to wait.

After seeing the OBVIOUS passion, commitment, and knowledge that each of these men have for what they do--as well as their general friendliness and excitement to share--I now consider myself a card-carrying convert of the "cult," as I so glibly put it.


I couldn't quite go home empty-handed, now could I?
But oh, I do like to tease...okay, just a morsel of something I probably won't be able to work into the article. One of the Creamery's signature cheeses is the Great Lakes Cheshire, one of the oldest recorded cheeses in British history. The recipe used at Zingerman's is an old one--it is a "winter" recipe, which allows the cheese to keep for about two months (as there was less concern about milk spoilage during the cold winter months so folks weren't forced to churn out cheeses in order to avoid wasting all that spoiled milk). This particular recipe was popular until World War II when the British government was forced to ration food supplies. This more delicate recipe lasted only two months, and the government wasn't able to ration it out fast enough before IT would spoil. They then required cheesemakers to produce a heartier but less nuanced recipe that would keep for six months, and after rationing ended cheesemakers just kept producing Cheshire in this fashion.

John Loomis learned this traditional winter recipe from a Welsh cheesemaker, and since that man's retirement Zingerman's Creamery has the DISTINCT honor of being the only creamery in the world producing Cheshire cheese using this particular recipe.

Added bonus: the milk used at the Creamery all comes from local producers Calder Dairy.

How about that, eh? Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you had me at "cheese."