The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Hey girl(s). Ryan Gosling is apparently not Irish-minded and also likes bad coffee. [MLive]

Neil Patrick Harris says Polish Village Cafe is legen...wait for it... [@ActuallyNPH Twitter]

Whatever thread I recently dubbed "the greatest comment thread in EID's history"? Has been forever replaced by this: Welcome to the Bob and Timmy Show. This is the thread that deserves its own Facebook fan page.

It started with this: "Looks like I can't go drinking in Ferndale for the next 3 months. (What? Don't act like you don't get down on some drunken Taco Bell.)" [Ferndale 115 / EID FB]

Will the Great American Stuffed Burger Co. be the next big thing for Garden Fresh Salsa? It would certainly seem so. Read on about this $100-million+ company's planned for its newest product launch. [Crain's]

Detroit Restaurant Week returns April 19-28 and has a snazzy new look to go with it! Produced by Paxahau and presented by Shinola, this is the fourth spring edition of the popular 10-day dining event. Three new establishments have joined the spring Detroit Restaurant Week event this year, including Greektown Casino Hotel’s flagship Brizola, the freshly-updated formerly Mosaic space Santorini Estiatorio Detroit in Greektown, and the Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina at the MGM Grand Detroit.  [DRW / EID FB]

Things just keep getting bigger and better for the boys behind Pizzeria Biga: not only is a third location set to open in A2 while they continue looking at additional sites, but they've also got a vineyard and microdistillery in the works. [Crain's]

Thrillist got a first look at the newly-opened Red Crown in Grosse Pointe Park. [Thrillist]

Bill's Beer Garden in A2 has reopened for the season and Treat Dreams also reopened with a grand unveiling of their newly-expanded space. [BBG FB / TD FB]

"Unexpected" isn't really the right word, as this has been pretty openly discussed for awhile now and it sounded like the old owners wanted out anyway, but it's officially official: Janet's Lunch has closed. The Cotton family, who are pushing the development of Grosse Pointe Park, own the building and plan on keeping it a "greasy spoon" diner. [GP Patch]

Eastern Market sets the standard of a model regional food system. [QC Times]

We love the food at St. Cece's. We also love when they bring in other people's food. Check out their Tuesday night pop-up series, featuring a different pop-up concept every week. [Detroit News]

The Detroit-based Three Olives of soda, Faygo Beverages Inc., now has "ginger soda" called Faygo Gold, which is, of course, a Vernors knock-off. [MLive]

Dominick's is now open for the season! (It's an Ann Arbor thing.) [AnnArbor.com]

Was ist dis "biz-niss plan?" Turns out you need one. ("ZOMGZ KICKSTARTERYOUGUYS!" doesn't count.) Here are some resources for that. [Good]

Beerie
~Here's a nice story from CraftBeer.com on Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. and their plans to expand (enabling them to significantly increase distribution), which are moving along quite nicely (and that be an insider insight). [craftbeer.com]

~No list of the strangest beers in the world would be complete without Shorts Brewing Company. [Bon Appetit]

~CraftBeer.com praises the farmhouse ales at Brewery Vivant. [craftbeer.com]

~The secret to Buffalo Wild Wings' success? Beer. [HuffPo]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

One! One restaurant. Two! Two restaurants.

The "Castle Building" will have not one but TWO new restaurants inside. [Curbed Detroit]

Corktown: one of the 50 most stylish neighborhoods IN THE WORLD. The WORLD. [Complex]

It's Greek Week in metro Detroit! KouZina Street Food opened in Royal Oak, and Santorini Estiatorio in Greektown (the remodeled Mosaic) isn't far behind. [Crain's / EID FB]

Jon Carlson and Greg Lobdell are the BEST. [Freep]

People are the WORST. [Detroit News]

When I first moved to Lafayette Park there was a cafe in the strip mall on Lafayette called Paris Cafe. It was merely okay, but at least convenient. A few months later it closed. Now, 5 years later, FINALLY, someone else is opening a coffee shop (if only temporarily), and YAAAY it's Jordi from Cafe Con Leche! Meet Cafe con Leche de Este, a pop-up coffee shop in the LP opening 11/4. [CCLDE FB]

Is it possible for a business model to be "viral?" If so, such is the concept of a pop-up. The Villages are being a thing and using pop-ups to show it. [Curbed Detroit]

The Caucus Club will serve their last lunch next Wednesday, October 24. Guys, did you "get" my string of Barbra Streisand references in the post that first mentioned their closing? It's really important that you realize how clever that was. [CC FB / EID]

Michigan once again had some big winners at the Great American Beer Festival: Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., Bastone and Redwood Lodge all took home medals. (Kuhnhenn and Bastone both seem to be GABF favorites.) Which is awesome! Except that none of these guys distribute (except Kuhnhenn in VERY limited quantities), so you actually have to go to the brewery. Which is awesome is you live near-ish Warren, Royal Oak or Flint. And not if you don't. [GABF]

And here is the line-up for next weekend's Fall Beer Festival. Start planning. [MBG blog]

Which also means Detroit Beer Week is now upon us. [EID]

And for those "out west," Bill's Beer Garden in Ann Arbor is now open. [BBG FB]

More beer news from the Ace Deuce: World of Beer, a Florida-based craft beer chain, will be opening in Ann Arbor. But don't get too excited: A2 is not without its share of stellar craft beer bars and there's no promising this chain will focus prominently on Michigan crafts, which is what the locals will demand most. (I see a lot of Sam Adams in their future.) Plus, IT'S A SPORTS BAR. *shudder* [AnnArbor.com]

And even more from Ann Arbor: dude behind Mani Osteria still opening a Mexican joint, still doesn't have a name for it. Mario Batali loves it already. [Concentrate]

The Freep does a game day round-up of places that have opened in A2 in the last two years and includes Lena. I also wrote about Lena. So there. [Freep / EID]

Between Lena, as-yet-unnamed Mexican Mani Osteria, and 2012 Hatch Detroit winner La Feria, it would seem the Latin invasion is upon us once again. Here is a pre-preview of La Feria. [Model D]

The Sugar House is now open at noon on Saturdays and Sundays with a special "Eye Opener" menu. [SH FB]

And Local Kitchen + Bar is now serving brunch on Saturdays AND Sundays. [Local FB]

Market Studio Kitchen + Detroit Emergent Future Lab are the latest concepts taking shape in Eastern Market that support and promote our local food system through community engagement and hands-on education for both youth and adults. [HuffPo]

Nationally distributed PBS show "Start-Up" is based here in metro Detroit, produced by Parliament Studios in Clawson, and has already profiled some favorite local start-ups like Astro Coffee and McClure's Pickles. [HuffPo]

City Wings is cleaner than some hospitals. Meet the guy behind it. [UIX]

Welll ... we want to be known as "design-savvy." Soooooooo... [Detroit News]

Why yes, in fact I am incredibly selfless. [Metromode]

Got money? Feel like giving it away? Here are three current Kickstarter campaigns for you to do just that:
~Belle Isle to 8 Mile. An "insider's guide" to Detroit with some 750 listings (a few authored by yours truly!).
~Chartreuse. A raw vegan organic local food business looking to expand.
~The Brinery. Trying to buy and preserve 12,000 pounds of locally-grown cabbage using lacto-fermentation: "40 barrels in 40 nights."

Eat It GR
So there's been a lot happening in Grand Rapids lately which I haven't been posting because some people get sand in their vaginas if I take one out of my 10+ posts per day to discuss something that isn't happening within 15 miles of the Royal Oak epicenter, so here is a collection of news bits from Beer City USA:

~The Grand Rapids Public Museum's "Thank you, BEER!" exhibit opened this weekend and will remain through December 30, exploring the importance of beer throughout human history. Or, as they say, "Celebrating beer, brewing and the meaning of life." [GR Museum]

~During the course of organizing the above exhibit, museum curators (with the help of several Grand Rapids craft breweries and private collectors in the community) combed through their own collections of local brewing history, a history that started 15-20 feet below the current city streets. This is a great article on the city's long brewing history. Also, the historic Grand Rapids Brewing Co. will re-open next month (from the folks behind HopCat). [MLive]

~Here are some coordinating events that go along with the exhibit. [MLive]

~And here is more more about Founders' commemorative "Furniture City Stock Ale" brewed specifically for this exhibit, only available in west Michigan, and with all profits being donated to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. [Founders]

~And here is a video with 16 breweries celebrating Grand Rapids as Beer City USA. [Whiskey Neat]

~For whatever random reason, Trillium Haven was getting a lot of love (at least on Facebook) this week from various persons-about-town. Founders is doing a "Beer and Butchery" five-course dinner there next Sunday and Monday and the GR CVB also made this great video. [Founders / GR CVB]

~UPDATE: In the 20 minutes since I posted this something else happened. This Tuesday the "Grand Pumpkin," a Beer City USA collaboration brew between 11 Grand Rapids breweries, will be released. (Each brewery has their own version, all different recipes with the same base ingredient: pumpkin.) [MLive]

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Jacques Driscoll of Green Dot Stables is named a 40 Under 40; also unofficially one of Detroit's best humans. [Crain's]

I think people maybe missed the point of what was meant by the term "food desert." But sure, yes, let's show everyone how wrong they are about Detroit. [Deadline]

Speaking of deserts, Detroit's bagel desert days are almost done! [The South End]

Speaking of deserts again, Michigan practically was one this summer but at least it was good for grapes. [Crain's]

Convicted felon LaVan Hawkins's new place totally sounds legit. [Crain's]

It was a big week for beer gardens. Bill's Beer Garden in Ann Arbor finally got approved for their liquor license (just in time for no one to want to sit outside and drink anymore!) and Tashmoo Biergarten in the totes up-and-coming (because we say so!) Villages is back for season 2. [AnnArbor.com / Thrillist]

Saltwater is dun-zo. [EID FB]

Michigan Radio highlights local food producers (like Corridor Sausage Co. and Slow Jams Jam) and programs like the Michigan State University Product Center for the recent explosion in locally-made artisan food products. [Michigan Radio]

Eastern Market goes art deco with new facade for upcoming restaurant/pastry shop/B+B on Gratiot over by the meat mall. [Curbed Detroit]

Love + Buttercream is now open in Royal Oak in the former cup.cake location. The words "scrumptious treats" are used. Personally I prefer "sugar bombs to cram into your cake-hole." [Royal Oak Patch]

Hip(pie) Ypsi. I'm telling you. Let's Get Sconed is now open. [AnnArbor.com]

I found a new favorite place in the world. [EID FB]

Showgirls and coney dogs is how they do it in the D. The D Las Vegas, that is. [Las Vegas Sun]

I totally did not hate this. [MLive]

Hey, do me a solid and buy one of these. THX. [DP2A]

Pumpkins. Zombies. Haunted houses. Halloween. That is all. [EID FB et.al.]