The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

This is a person who makes fun of Guy Fieri.

Eddie Huang of Vice came to Detroit, found burgers, abandoned buildings and poor people. [Eddie Huang Twitter]

Cork Wine Pub: dunzo, at least in the way in which you've known it. After a legal dispute between former partners that dragged out for what felt like forever, Cork is changing hands to the owner of the actual building, who plans on keeping it open as Cork but with a bit of concept revamping. [EID FB]

Spring fever = PATIO FEVER. Patios were all over the news and Facebooks this week; here's a few highlights: Brooklyn Street Local in Corktown is pouring themselves a proper patio; Mae's patio is now open (weather permitting); Foran's Grand Trunk Pub owner Tim Tharp gives the what-for re: the city saying they can't have a patio this summer because of the M-1 Rail construction, then saying just kidding you totally can n/m. [CBS Local]

Congratulations to the lovely (in the British sense, though I suppose also in the American physical sense too, but I meant it in the British sense) Cait James (and her equally lovely sisters and business partners) of Drought Juice on being named one of Crain's Detroit Business Class of 2013 20 in Their Twenties! [Crain's]

The Daily Meal names America's 35 best hot dogs: Lafayette Coney Island made the cut (while American Coney Island got snubbed). [Daily Meal]

I don't always support crowd-funding campaigns, but when I do, it's for someone whom I know first-hand can't just go out and get a business loan for the amount of money they need to make it happen. Rock City Pies has a space in Hamtramck and is moving along with the intent to open Rock City Eatery this summer, but owner Nik needs some help to get there all by himself. Plus there's good incentives! [Rock City Eatery Indiegogo]

St. Cece's Pub: pop-up incubator. [Freep]

A high-end national chain steakhouse has opened in BirmTroyFieldingham. Wherever. I might have even covered this before. Does anyone care? Would anyone know the difference? This one is called Eddie Merlot's, which is clever because, it's like, "Eddie" is such an everyman's name, but "Merlot" let's you know that they're serious. [MMX]

Hygrade Deli is a Detroit institution, and sadly, not one that is part of the current "comeback" narrative.  [Crain's]

Rodney Henry of Dangerously Delicious Pies Baked in Detroit will appear on the 9th season of Next Food Network Star, premiering June 2. [Biz Journals]

Also, Dangerously Delicious Pies now has a new home at the 3rd Street Bar, which is really great news for both parties (better location for DDP, plus 3rd Street will finally have food again). [Thrillist]

A lot happened in the 'burbs these last couple of weeks: Bill Roberts' new restaurant ML is now open in Bloomfield Twp., Local 212 is now open in Royal Oak, and Steelhouse Tavern is now open in Troy. [RO Patch]

The Cinco de Mayo fundraiser for the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program will feature food from Dave Mancini of Supino Pizzeria, Wolfgang Puck Steak's Marc Djozlija, Andy Hollyday from Michael Symon's Roast - Detroit, Will Branch from Corridor Sausage Co. and pastry chef Christina Gibbs, followed by boxing! Dinner at 5, boxing at 7. Tickets at different participating levels available through this link. [Downtown Boxing Gym]

Here's a good guide to restaurants in Hamtramck (which you can use well beyond Blowout). [Metro Times]

In case you missed it:
~La Palma Mediterranean Cuisine is now open in Midtown. [Model D]
~A list within a list (but including at least one tidbit I haven't already posted). [RDW]

Ann Arbor-based Fair Food Network is expanding its healthy food incentive program that it launched in Eastern Market Corporation 5 years ago into three Detroit grocery stores. The program will match purchases of fruits and vegetables made by those using food assistance programs and is the first of its kind in the country. [Crain's]

Detroit duck farmer Suzanne Scoville gets profiled in the Freep and her answers are once again thoughtful and hilarious. [Freep]

You know you want it: Crain's Detroit Business gives us a first look inside the new Whole Foods Market Detroit. [Crain's]

Beerie

Illinois rounding out this list of America's best craft beer states (at least Michigan beat them) ended up being only the second-most annoying thing that happened in beer this week. [USA Today]

 This was the first: 2013 Beer City USA nominations opened. Ann Arbor wanted on the ballot which, fine, okay Ann Arbor, you are special and unique, we know. Then the mayor of Kalamazoo said "US TOO!!!!" and wrangled a bunch of votes to get them on the ballot. Which is just a really, really fantastic way to split the Michigan vote three ways, and in particular between Grand Rapids and K-Zoo, which are all of 40 minutes away from each other and which could easily be considered part of a greater collective beerie region. But yeah, sure, one popular brewery (Bell's), two not-popular brewpubs (you wouldn't recognized the names if I told you), and a beer store TOTALLY make for a Beer City USA!!!!! -_- Perhaps this will be a good lesson to Michigan about sharing. Let's just all vote for fucking Asheville. And, as for next year, WARREN FOR BEER CITY USA 2014! And and: fuck you, Kalamazoo. [MLive]

At least there was this. [First We Feast]

From rumor to reality: Larry Bell will open a second brewery called Upper Hand in Escanaba in 2014. [Upper Hand Official]

Tickets to the REAL Summer Beer Festival go on sale this Wednesday. [Michigan Brewers Guild]

And here's news about the *other* summer beer fests. [Detroit News]

Props to MLive Detroit writer David Muller for wrangling all these brewers and getting them to tell him what they have planned for spring and summer. As someone who has attempted to put together lists like this multiple times and finally decided no more, I can say that brewers, bless them, are really f-ing flaky. LOVE YOU GUYS. But it's true. [MLive]

First one on this list of great IPAs from First We Feast: Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official) Hopslam. As well it should be. [FWF]

[NEWS BITES] Dave Gilbert leaving Forest Grill; Great Lakes getting retail sales license; Griffin Claw announcements; more

The Cafe con Leche del Este pop-up is now open in the Mies van der Rohe shopping plaza in Lafayette Park at the corner of Lafayette and Orleans. This pop-up was the collaborative effort of several organizations including the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and rogueHAA, a volunteer design and architecture group (co-founder Melissa Dittmer lives in Lafayette Park, as does anybody who's anybody. Yeah, I said it.). If all goes well, this could become a permanent second location for Jordi Carbonell and wife Melisa Fernandez, owners of Cafe con Leche in Southwest Detroit.

Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe is open and has a selection of craft beers and wines, but if it's variety you crave and increased options you desire, you'll be as thrilled to know as I was that the Great Lakes Coffee bar in Midtown is getting a retail sales license and you will soon be able to buy all your beer and wine at the same place you drink it. There is increasingly less reason to ever go anywhere else in Midtown.

This was on the hush-hush but apparently Downtown Publications already blurbed it so I guess the cat's out of the bag: Forest Grill's Executive Chef David Gilbert, a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's "Best Chef: Great Lakes" earlier this year, is leaving the Birmingham restaurant and opening his own restaurant with his wife in Grosse Pointe Park. There is no name for the restaurant yet but Gilbert says it will be French-inspired food at moderate prices. Couple this with Mindy Lopus's recent announcement of the four ventures she plans in GPP and it looks like the Park is going to be the place to be come 2013. Birmingham is going all eastside!

At a beer tasting and construction update held at Big Rock Chophouse last night, it was announced that the new Griffin Claw Brewing Company in Birmingham is slated to open in April 2013. All production brewing will be moved over to GC with all-new brewing equipment (built here in Michigan in Lake Orion) and increased capacity for distribution. They will produce four year-round plus rotating seasonal beers in 16-oz cans for retail sales in addition to supplying other restaurants and their own brewpub and the Chophouse. Brewmaster Dan Rogers, Michigan's most award-winning brewer, will continue overseeing all production using some of Big Rock's most popular recipes as well as some new ones he has developed. Griffin Claw will feature indoor seating for 150, an outdoor beer garden that seats 75, and a very beer-friendly menu (think sausage, and lots of it).

Santorini Estiatorio in Greektown is getting ready to open soon, though I have not yet been able to confirm an official date.

And in news that will surely break a lot of hearts, the Fuddruckers on East Jefferson in Detroit has closed.

Up-and-coming chef Justin Vaiciunas done up and went. He has left Zin Wine Bar in Plymouth and is spending the winter out west in ski resort country. We can only hope he proves prodigal and returns.

Cork Wine Pub in Pleasant Ridge should be added to the list of brunch n00bs: they now serve brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday.

St. Cece's Pub in Corktown now serves a regular dinner menu, which features items like homemade soups; their course-ground Black Angus chuck, brisket and short rib signature burger; pulled pork sliders; salads; as well as whatever specials they might be running. They are now open Monday through Wednesday 5 p.m. to midnight (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.), Thursday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (kitchen closes at 10 p.m.), and closed Sundays. Tuesdays are pop-up takeover days.

This actually happened late September, but Chou Anime Cafe in Midtown has closed after barely four months in business. The concept may not have appealed to everyone -- and there was a lot of eyebrow-raising and media gawking that amounted to little more than "ISN'T THIS BIZARRE AND CRAZY???" -- but it was also a very singular Detroit thing. As the only Japanese-style maid cafe in the country (and no, it was not akin to a Hooters for basement dwellers; think of it more like a daily tween Halloween, or cosplay for the initiated), it had the potential to really be something cool and unique -- sure, not for everyone, but then again what is? Metro Detroit has a pretty strong anime and gamer underground (not to mention two very prominent annual events, Motor City Comi Con and Youmacon, which was just held this weekend), but apparently not enough to keep the business open. Which leaves me pondering: what exactly is our criteria for deciding which new businesses to support and which to shun? Is the concept of 16-year-olds in frilly girlie costumes drawing Pokemon characters in chocolate syrup on your saucer really so alienating? Did it suffer from being too niche? Did the food suck? Hell, I never even had the chance to get over there myself, despite my own fascination with it and having enough understanding of anime culture to not find it off-putting. And I loved the ethnic diversity of all the maids and butlers, showing at the very least that nerd culture is color-blind. I suppose there isn't too much more to say on it, so allow this to be a eulogy for owner Oneka Samet's effort at making Detroit just that much more unique.

[Real Detroit Weekly] Cutting Edge Cuisine

The Roast Beast. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

There are restaurants new and old – and new-old – in metro Detroit that are putting us on the map as more than just the economically depressed auto capital of the world and home of Slows and The Abandoned Train Station. These places, whether steeped in the rich culinary traditions of the rich people who once thrived here or part of the new breed of contemporary restaurant representing nü-Detroit, are known locally and increasingly nationally for their excellence in all forms of fine dining, from exquisitely prepared dishes to culinary-inspired craft cocktail programs and everything in-between. These places represent some of the best in metro Detroit's cutting-edge cuisine.

London Chop House • 155 East Congress Street • Detroit

It is the most infamous restaurant in Detroit of all time: the London Chop House. It was a Detroit institution on a level entirely its own, like none that have come before or since. The London Chop House was the very symbol of Detroit's power and prestige, epitomizing Detroit's wealth and grandeur. Granted, those were different days, but perhaps it stands as a testament to Detroit's slow-but-sure recovery that such storied institutions as this and Joe Muer Seafood are re-opening under a new regime of local restaurateurs with proven track records. The London Chop House & Cigar Bar will open later this fall at 155 Congress St. in the lower level of the Murphy Building, in the same location as the original. The Gatzaros family, who also owns the Fishbone's chain and Detroit's Wah-Hoo, is behind this re-launch of this most prestigious name. We expect that it will be part homage to the original and part all-new concept for a new era of Detroit. Details have been kept mum, which just further piques our excitement.


Rattlesnake Club • 300 River Place Drive # 1900 • Detroit

The Rattlesnake Club is a Detroit institution in its own right, and could even be considered the offspring of the original London Chop House. Former chef-owner Jimmy Schmidt worked his way up the ranks of the Chop House to Executive Chef before opening the Rattlesnake, which he owned and operated for over 20 years before selling it earlier this year to Jimmy Stroh of Stroh Cos. Inc., the landlord of the building that has been home to the restaurant all this time. Schmidt is staying on board as a consultant for the menu and otherwise the restaurant hasn't changed a wink – that's a good thing. Earlier this year the 'Snake got a bit (get it?) of a facelift, primarily in the bar/lounge area, and they also introduced a new pricing structure that organizes the menu into "prix fixe" courses a la Restaurant Week. Executive Chef Chris Franz and Chef de Cuisine Jeff Lanctot have both worked under Schmidt for many years and carry on his style as ever before, with impeccably prepared and presented contemporary American dishes and all items from breads to desserts made in-house. Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi came on board earlier this year to freshen up their wine list, and a small plates menu allows diners to experience the exceptional cuisine of the 'Snake without having to spend an exceptional amount of money. The "new" Rattlesnake isn't so much new as it is merely updated to further play to its well-established strengths. Hey, if it ain't broke don't fix it – just dust it off once in a while.

Roast • 1128 Washington Boulevard • Detroit

Tired of hearing about Roast yet? Too bad. Because you're going to keep hearing about it. Again and again and again until they STOP being the hippest restaurant in Detroit that just freakin' NAILS IT on all counts of what a restaurant should be. Excellent service from a knowledgeable and passionate staff; comfortable yet aesthetically lush décor; an aggressive craft cocktail program that truly brings back the classic craft as well as an impressively curated selection of boutique wines and craft beers (including many Michigan labels you simply will not find elsewhere). And then, of course, there is the food. For dinner, start with some of their house-made charcuterie, a selection of smoked and cured meats. If you're feeling saucy, opt for some crispy fried sweetbreads or roasted marrow. Otherwise delve into the pork shank confit or dry-aged steak; there is also the "Roast beast of the day," the critter that spends the whole day prior slow-cooking on the spit that is the focal point of the main dining room. (Note: while there are a select number of vegetarian dishes available, this place really shouldn't be the first choice for non-meatatarians ... might want to sit this one out, guys. More meat for the other meat-eaters.) Up at the bar you can order off their more casual menu, which features items like crispy pork crackling and the Roast Coney Dog made with pulled pork and red hots. There is also the unforgettable Roast Burger – with bacon, cheddar, fried egg and pickled onion on an English muffin – which is now joined by two new signature burgers. The Roast Cocktail Hour is one of the best weekday happy hours in the area, and now their recently-introduced "Flights and Bites" menu on Sundays pairs small plates with beers from around the world for a small price.


Cork Wine Pub • 23810 Woodward Avenue • Pleasant Ridge

Pleasant Ridge is the blink-and-you'll-miss-it segway city between Ferndale and Royal Oak, but along that stretch of Woodward just south of 696 you'll find Cork Wine Pub, an unassuming little place that's sort of tucked away in plain sight. They haven't yet been open a full year, but this is another metro Detroit restaurant that fast caught the attention of the area's culinary illuminati. Executive Chef Ruben Blake Griffin is new to the title but has been with the restaurant since they opened their doors last November. He continues to uphold the ideals put into place in the very beginning of highlighting seasonal, regional flavors and working directly with local farmers. The menu is structured into courses – choose a selection from each section for a full five-course meal, or select a few of the 20-or-so small plates options to share with the table tapas-style. Be sure to save room for dessert; their exquisite desserts are all made in-house by the extraordinary pastry chef Tanya Fallon. For the "wine pub" portion, they offer over 100 wines by the glass and bottle and also sell them in their attached market. Cork also has an extensive collection of craft beers and classically-inspired craft cocktails, rounding out the full gourmand experience nicely. The vibe is casual urban chic, so whether you're coming here for a full dinner or just for a few drinks you'll feel comfortably cool.

See the original article here.

[944 Detroit] Cork Wine Pub

To view this article you must view the PDF by clicking here.

Here is also the full text of this brief "Inside Dish" piece:

Birmingham, Royal Oak, Ferndale…Pleasant Ridge?  Thanks to the newly-opened Cork Wine Pub, this stretch of Woodward that was previously a dead zone is now the new “it” place to be, and with good reason: while there are no shortage of bars, clubs, lounges, and restaurants in the surrounding areas, there are few that truly cater to an adult crowd with a sophisticated palate.  “This is a place adults can go to and enjoy a bar,” explains Beverage Director Jeffrey Mar.  “It’s a place you can feel like a gentleman.”

The cozy space is bright and colorful, full of natural light and warmth.  As a “wine pub” they offer 150 wines by the bottle with 40 available by the glass, all of which were chosen because they are a great value, immediately drinkable, and really represent a place – there are no big-name mass-produced labels here.  They also offer a small but handsome selection of craft beers, but where they perhaps shine the brightest is in their extensive selection of liquors and liqueurs.  “I’m a big connoisseur of craft cocktails,” Mar admits, and the timing couldn’t be better: the trend is catching on like fire on absinthe and Cork is ahead of the curve with a robust menu of classic cocktails, hand-crafted contemporary creations, and limited-quantity barrel-aged cocktails.  This may not be a lemon-drop-and-Jaeger-bomb kind of place, but it’s not trying to be.

The menu is an equal accomplishment.  Executive Chef Bree Hoptman is putting forth exceptional effort.  The menu is seasonally-themed with locally-procured ingredients featuring succulent combinations such as duck with quinoa and winter vegetables and roasted beets with brown butter, garlic and bleu cheese.  The artisanal cheese selection is decadent, as is Pastry Chef Tanya Fallon’s tantalizing spread of housemade breads and desserts.

Also in keeping with growing trends, Cork has a retail wine shop next door open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. to last call where all their wines are available for purchase at 35% off their restaurant prices.

23810 Woodward Ave
Pleasant Ridge, MI 48069

(248) 544-2675

www.corkwinepub.com