The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

ICYMI:
~Rock City Eatery opened. [EID]
~(revolver) opened. [EID]
~Schramm's Mead opened. [EID]
~Hatch Detroit 2012 finalist Detroit Vegan Soul (D.V.S) celebrated their grand opening on Saturday in West Village. Co-owner Boyd says, "(D.V.S. is) both unapologetically vegan AND unapologetically soul food. We do soul food but veganize it. We see our food as being a good transition food into a plant-based diet, introduced in a way that is familiar and comfortable." [Model D]
~Do you remember when I posted that atrocious Craigslist job posting saying it was for Marais and everyone piled onto it basically swearing off the place and the people behind it? Well, I was wrong. Really, really wrong. [EID]
~Big news about Union Street. [EID]
~There's a lot of damn events all happened at the same exact time. [EID]

Premiering October 3, Cooking Channel's Chuck's Eat the Street "Motor City Meals" episode featuring SLOWS BAR BQ, Hygrade Deli, Mercury Burger Bar, La Pita, and Peaches and Greens. Pretty good cross-section of Detroit's food culture, I have to say. [Cooking Channel]

St. Cece's celebrated their two-year anniversary. [St. Cece's FB]

Effective immediately, Treat Dreams will have a cart at all Lions home games. They'll be serving four ice cream sandwich flavors which will change each week. [EID FB]

My cartoon alter-ego is Aeon Flux. Have I mentioned how much I love A2GastroBoy? [A2GB]

In case you haven't been paying any attention, like at all, here is a list of what has recently opened and will open soon. [Detroit News]

PROST! 'tis the season for the Dakota Inn Rathskeller, celebrating 80 years this year. Beer steins, chicken hats, and dirndls galore. [Detroit News]

Pizzeria Biga will be changing its name of all current and future locations in all associated social media profiles and marketing materials to Bigalora: Wood Fired Cucina. This is due to a trademark issue with the word "biga," and as the company continues on their aggressive expansion plans they needed something that could be trademarked. Speaking of expansion, Bigalora Ann Arbor is scheduled to open at the end of October. [Freep]

Here's a look at some of the changes that have gone down at Bastone Brewery and Pizzeria Biga - Royal Oak. [Freep]

Republica is now open in Berkley. Here's a bit more about it from Berkley Patch from a couple of months ago. I'm not sure that Greek salad really qualifies as a food revolution, but it does look pretty cool inside. [Berkley Patch]

Someone wrote something about Detroit; outrage ensued. [HuffPo]

Here's a great story about an awesome couple, which includes a nod to their second location opening in New Center in the coming months. Looking forward to it, Cafe Con Leche! [Detroit News]

I often get distracted by pizza while driving. You know, there's laws against texting and driving, but there are no laws against PIZZA and driving. [Freep]

Good or b-a-a-a-a-a-a-d idea? *snort* [MLive]

The Onion has inadvertently announced Little Caesars next marketing strategy. [The Onion]

Hour Detroit's Chris Cook talks about the growing prominence of Michigan wines on a national level with Michigan Radio. Michigan wines have come a loooooooooooong way, and in the last 5 years have really seemed to find favor in the greater world of the oenophile. [Michigan Radio]

Planning a trip to the east coast anytime soon? Well, you can still get your local Michigan liquor there - Valentine Distilling Co. has expanded distribution to the east coast. [Promote Michigan]

Learning how to say "no" to fussy eaters (or, just find dinner guests who aren't such assholes). [HuffPo]

Beerie
~MLive sure did get a LOT of mileage out of this "Michigan's Best Brewery" thing. [MLive]

~Pop beer science says these beers from Founders Brewing Co., Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official), and others are the best in the world. It reads like pretty much every other "best beers in the world" list, but this one has SCIENCE behind it. [Business Insider]

[Deadline Detroit] The Community is Creating a Coffee Shop on the East Side of Detroit

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

About five years ago there was a coffee house in the Lafayette Park shopping plaza on the corner of E. Lafayette and Orleans. It was called Paris Café and it featured stale coffee and puck-like bagels that could break car windows, but at least it was THERE. And then it closed.

Since then that same shopping plaza has seen a lot of turnaround. The space that was once the café became a short-lived barbecue joint; it is now a Metro PCS retail outlet. Restaurants and nightclubs have come and gone. A first attempt at a grocery store failed, but a second attempt, Lafayette Foods, seems to be doing well. But still no coffee shop.

Enter Jordi Carbonell.

Read more.

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

The effects of 5-Hour Energy.

Hatch Detroit voting has started! A vote for Rock City Pies is a vote for America. [EID FB]

The "stunning" Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company comes in at lucky #13 in this month's Food + Wine as one of America's 25 best new wine destinations for their "fantastic list of obscure natural wines." And don't forget about the beer! [Food + Wine / EID FB / scan courtesy of the Produce Station]

Michael Mina's Saltwater and Bourbon Steak are both closing and will be replaced by two new Wolfgang Puck concepts, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina and Wolfgang Puck Steak. Both operations will be overseen by Chef Marc Djozlija, who was temporarily displaced from Detroit when the Wolfgang Puck Grille closed earlier this year. Sad to see Mina go, but happier to see Marc stay. [Marx Layne press release / Freep]

This might wig out Dexter fans, and also WHAT is with this trend with Detroit businesses naming themselves randomly strung-together words that don't make sense or are in any way indicative as to what the thing actually is? Detroit Collision Works. Auto body shop? Nope, boutique hotel made of shipping containers. Sure, that was totally my first guess. [Curbed Detroit]

Farmington Hills-based $600 billion company 5-Hour Energy is the subject of an investigation being conducted by the New York state attorney general. Because people from New York hate everything that isn't from New York. Also, Deadline Detroit's Jeff Wattrick does some serious investigative probing of his own and finds that the secret to 5-Hour Energy's Hulk-inducing medicinal magic is ... caffeine. [Crain's / Deadline]

Gastronomy is now serving booze and open for dinner, and Southfield gets a new moniker. [Gastronomy FB / EID FB]

Here's a first look at Cafe Muse's new bar and menu. [Thrillist]

Cafe Con Leche has also caught New-Seattle-itis and would like to be a part of Detroit's growing coffee culture! Their current Indiegogo campaign will help raise some funds for a roaster and some new equipment. So, you know, cough up some cash. [CCL FB / Indiegogo]

SPICY GARLIC SAUCE. [Curbed Detroit]

Football Handegg season has started, and now you can get a decent beer at Ford Field. [EID FB]

The first-ever National Sour Beer Day was this Saturday. Told you it would be a thing. I celebrated accordingly. [SBD FB / EID FB]

Also, Founders Breakfast Stout was released ... which means CBS isn't far off. [EID FB]

So these exist. (Many LOLZ @ "artificially flavored.") [EID FB]

[HOT LIST] Hot chocolate

Kay's Hot Cocoa from Lindsay Truffler. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

One of my very first signs of food snobbery sophistication came in the form of hot cocoa. I always had Swiss Miss made with milk at home. MILK! IT MUST BE MADE WITH MILK!!! Imagine my surprise (and devastating disappointment) when I realized most other people, restaurants included, made their hot chocolate with *gasp* water. Ew. Just. Ew.

You know how I rag on Chicago all the time? (Here. And here. And here. Here again. Also here. And most of you don't know about this one because it turns out I don't have time for ANOTHER blog but here.) Welp, there's one thing that Chicago does particularly well. And that is hot chocolate. From the ineffable Le Chocolat du Bouchard to the otherwise woefully-overrated Rick Bayless joints (seriously, the bean-to-cup chocolate at XOCO is phenom...try the Almendrado) to the appropriately-named (if otherwise disappointing) Mindy's Hot Chocolate, Chicago knows what's up when it comes to the cocoa bean. (Vosges, hellurrrr.) And it was there my fascination with gourmet drinking chocolate really began.

(Actually that's a lie, I first discovered drinking chocolate when Starbucks introduced their shot-sized pudding-thick "sipping chocolate" in 2005-ish. It lasted only a few months. But it was divine.)

In metro Detroit, we have quite a few places that "get it." Whether their hot chocolate is of the trendy frozen variety or properly hot as the name would imply, there are some truly decadent chocolate drinks to be had. (And some non-traditional ones too: check out Cliff Bell's in Detroit for their hot chocolate martini, or stop by Treat Dreams in Ferndale to see if they have any of their hot chocolate ice cream.) Of course, sometimes nothing beats curling up on your own couch with a cup of cocoa--I recommend Kay's Hot Cocoa powder from Bay City's Lindsay Truffler (they ship anywhere within the U.S.) with milk from Calder Dairy.

#1 Shakolad Chocolate Factory (Birmingham)
Shakolad Chocolate Factory is a Florida-based chain, but don't let the fact that they have a corporate headquarters make you think that their chocolates are any less artisanal. In addition to their gorgeously-displayed collection of luscious truffles and specialty chocolate items, Shakolad also boasts an extensive menu of chocolate beverages and elixirs. There's iced hot chocolate and iced chocolate gelato for the warmer days, but right now it's all about the hot chocolate. Choose milk, dark or white chocolate for any of their MANY different hot chocolate creations. Hot chocolate ganache with your choice of truffles on the bottom. Mexican hot chocolate with honey, instant coffee and chili pepper powder. Mayan hot chocolate with chili pepper powder and cinnamon. Thick Italian hot chocolate. Mocha hot chocolate in mint, caramel or ganache. And the super-intense "Angelina" - a French-style dark hot chocolate that's so rich and thick it's more of a sipping chocolate. (Hint: leave whatever you can't finish in the fridge overnight and enjoy it as pudding the next day.)

Chocolate a la Taza

#2 Cafe Con Leche (Southwest Detroit)
This independently-owned SW Detroit coffee house is a favorite with the locals and a social hub of the community. They serve standard (but well-made) espresso drinks and also seek to promote traditional Latin drinks in the mainstream. For hot chocolate, choose between the Mexican hot chocolate ("regular" hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon), or be a bit more daring and try the Chocolate a la Taza, a traditional Spanish hot chocolate made by melting real chocolate in milk. It's as rich as a chocolate truffle and thick as molasses.   


#3 Good Girls Go to Paris (Detroit, Grosse Pointe)
There's really not a whole lot that can be said about the little creperie that could that hasn't been said before, except maybe...HOT NUTELLA!!! !!! ! The addictive chocolate-hazelnut spread that is to Europe what peanut butter is to America is even better when served hot in a mug, and GGGTP is the only place that serves it.

#4 Zingerman's Delicatessen (Ann Arbor)
"Ohmigawd, Zingerman's, it's so expensive." Shut up. It's expensive for a reason and you don't get to say "I pay more for higher quality but not THAT much more." The end. Now go get some of their Mindo Hot Cocoa, made with chocolate from Dexter's Mindo Chocolate Makers. Bold and beautiful, this is the difference between hot chocolate made with syrups and hot chocolate made with hand-made, small-batch artisan chocolate.

#5 Farmhouse Coffee and Ice Cream (Franklin)
It's cute and quaint and cozy and other hard k-sounding words. They serve hot homemade soups, ice cream from Guernsey, pastries from Zingerman's, teas from Teavana and also have a fancy-schmancy espresso machine, but their hot chocolate also happens to be some of the best around. And, really, it's so cute you want to pinch it.

Bubbling under Cafe Muse (Royal Oak), 1515 Broadway (Detroit), Sweet Dreams (Orchard Lake), Gayle's Chocolates (Royal Oak), Le Petit Zinc (Detroit), Caffe Far Bella (St. Clair Shores), Chez Zara (Detroit), Red Hook (Ferndale), Commonwealth (Birmingham), Heritage Perk (Taylor), Toast (Birmingham, Ferndale), Looney Baker (Livonia), The Chocolate Gallery Cafe (Warren), Hudson Cafe (Detroit)

[HOT LIST] Coffee

Cafe Con Leche, Detroit (Photo by David Landsel)

All this talk about coffee giving you the DT's? Us too. And while it has most definitely been established that there are plenty of people roasting it, brewing it and serving it in and around Detroit, who's doing it best? Why, we'll tell you, in our inaugural Hot List, one in a series that will highlight the best food and drink in Metro Detroit.

#1 Commonwealth Birmingham The 2010 debut of this truly impressive Hamilton Row hangout (now expertly -- and we do mean expertly -- roasting their own single estate coffees) was, for local coffee lovers, a highlight of the year.

#2 Astro Coffee Detroit Dai Hughes' years of experience in various global coffee capitals are being brought to bear at a sleek shop on the Slows block in Corktown. A true game changer for the city.

#3 Chazzano Ferndale Want a vanilla latte and a scone? Please go elsewhere. This roaster/cafe in the almost-Hazeltucky no-man's-land is for serious drinkers only. (Ask for Frank, the owner.)

#4 Cafe Con Leche Detroit Barcelona expat Jordi Carbonell's colorful, Clark Park-facing coffee house has grown to become an essential part of life in Southwest. Order the tiny but powerful cortado.

#5 Shatila Bakery Dearborn This little bit of Las Vegas (by way of the Middle East) on the Warren strip is secretly a great place for an espresso -- the beans are supplied by local roaster Great Lakes.

Bubbling under: Ugly Mug (Ypsi), Comet Coffee (Ann Arbor), Chez Zara (Detroit), Cafe 1923 (Hamtramck), Bean & Leaf (Royal Oak), Far Bella (St. Clair Shores).

Reopening: Cafe Con Leche

Southwest Detroit's popular Cafe Con Leche, once a part of the multi-million-dollar failed Mexicantown Mercado project (and I certainly don't think it's a stretch to blame the ubiquitous "Gateway Project," which has effectively shut off Mexicantown from suburban tourist traffic save for those savvy enough to figure out that all one needs to do is drive down Michigan Ave. and take any one of the many sidestreets between the train station and Junction right smack-dab into the heart of it--my favorite is Vinewood, because then you're right at Amicci's Pizza), has reopened in its new location at 4200 W. Vernor at Scotten. They are open at 7:00AM Monday-Friday and 10:00AM Saturday. Previously they played host to a variety of musical acts every Friday night, as well as poetry readings and open mics, a tradition I hope they maintain. Plus, where else can one get some good coffee around here? (...just kidding...)