[HOT LIST] Cocktails

Dave Kwiatkowski of the Sugar House. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

It goes without saying that the BEST best places in metro Detroit to get a craft cocktail are Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House (which was just named one of the best bars in America by Playboy). But as the trend has grown over the last couple of years - so much so that Michigan Radio recently took notice and ran a state-wide poll looking for Michigan's best craft cocktail bar, and Michigan State University has their own Artisan Distilling Program (the Master Distiller of Death's Door is a graduate of this program) - an ever-increasing number of bars and restaurants are getting with the craft cocktail program. And not in the half-assed way they did before (changing the name of their martini menu to "craft cocktails," yet keeping all the same candy-flavored vodka drinks) - this time it's in earnest. Top-shelf spirits (think bourbons, gins, and boutique liqueurs), fresh-squeezed juices, and house-made bitters and infusions separate the men from the martinis. What a difference two years make, eh? These are some of the best places to get some (aside from Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House, of course).

#1 Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak, Southfield, Ann Arbor (opening soon)
Pizza and craft cocktails? Absolutely, when the pizza in question is made by James Beard award-nominated chef Luciano del Signore (along with house-made charcuterie) and the cocktails by some of the best local bartenders in the business. Biga's beverage program in general is a thing of excellence, with proper dues given to its Italian inspiration in its selection of Italian beers, wines, and liqueurs. They also have a great selection of craft beers and have recently started hosting beer dinners. As for cocktails, they have a full selection of classic craft cocktails as well as some of their own creations.

Red Crown. 

#2 Red Crown Grosse Pointe Park
Turns out, Grosse Pointers are a bunch of booze-hounds. (This probably surprises no one who is familiar with Grosse Pointers and their lifestyles.) Mixologist Thomas Phillips, a self-described liquor nerd, leads the bar's cocktail program, which includes a mix of classic cocktails and his own creations, which he changes seasonally. The renovated historic gas station in Grosse Pointe Park opened earlier this year and was an instant hit with the community that has been woefully underserved in their demand for drink. This summer, enjoy their expansive, beautifully-landscaped patio with a cold cocktail and some smoked meat and Southern-style comfort food.

#3 The Last Word Ann Arbor
The Last Word takes its name from the classic cocktail of the same name, which is fitting for this Prohibition-era craft cocktail bar. This place is all about the booze, and be sure to shop in for Whiskey Wednesdays when they serve Scotch (SCOTCH SCOTCH SCOTCHY SCOTCH), bourbon and rye half-off. It's a classy joint in a college town, and their cocktails are on point.

#4 Bailout Productions Detroit
We all know that Roast is one of the best places to go for a craft cocktail, and that's because of the talent behind the bar. Bailout Productions has its roots in Roast, where founders Travis Fourmont (who now works at Great Lakes Wine and Spirits) and Joe Robinson (still holding down the happy hour fort) both worked. They now team up for pop-up bar events at places like Green Dot Stables and the currently-uninhabited Rhino Club in Harmonie Park, and bring their full cocktailing skills along with some friends – like chef Andy Hollyday, who recently left his post at Roast to work on opening his own restaurant in Midtown. They've got more events planned for this summer, so be sure to follow them on Facebook for updates on their upcoming pop-ups.

#5 Sardine Room Plymouth
The much-buzzed-about Sardine Room in Plymouth just celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month. Known for their selection of fresh seafood (oysters, the oysters, especially the oysters) and elevated small plates, the Sardine Room also has an excellent selection of craft beer and craft cocktails. What with all of the oysters and the hot sauce and the lobster rolls (basically a lobster po'boy) and the shrimp and grits, the Sardine Room has a vaguely New Orleansean vibe, so it seems only fitting to sip on a Sazerac (the drink that originated in the Big Easy over 150 years ago) while you're here.

Bubbling under Valentine Distillery (Ferndale), Gastronomy (Southfield), Zingerman's Roadhouse (Ann Arbor), St. Cece's Pub (Corktown), Vellum (Ann Arbor), Great Lakes Coffee (Midtown), Union Woodshop (Clarkston), the Raven's Club (Ann Arbor), Imperial (Ferndale), the Bar at 327 Braun Court (Ann Arbor), the Laundry (Fenton), the Root (White Lake), Torino (Ferndale), Lena (Ann Arbor)

[EID Feature] Smoked meats and wines on draft: Red Crown is not just another garage grill rehab

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

It's been called the Vinsetta Garage of the East by … well, by me, because that's just the sort of thing that I would say. But I do it in good fun, mostly because the comparisons between the recently-opened Red Crown in Grosse Pointe Park and the smash hit two-hour-wait-all-day-every-day Vinsetta Garage in Berkley are inevitable and started immediately upon the announcement of Red Crown opening. Vinsetta is a comfort food, burgers and craft beer joint located in a historic old garage. Red Crown is a barbecue, wine and craft cocktail joint located in a historic old gas and service station.

Well. On second thought, maybe the two don't really lend themselves to comparison as much as it might have seemed – really the only common thread between the two is their respective ties to metro Detroit's automotive history (and let's just be real here: please go out and find me a historic building, the size of which is aptly-suited for a restaurant, that is not in some way connected to Detroit's automotive history … that isn't a church). Oh, and they both have mac and cheese on the menu because, you know, that's not common to see in these parts at all.

So let's just look at what Red Crown is instead of how it might compare to Vinsetta: Red Crown (named after the Standard Oil Red Crown Service Station it was once home to) is an all-American barbecue concept with an all-American menu and all-American beverage program.

Now, that doesn't mean that the speakers blare patriotic rawk favorites from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen and Kid Rock. (Think more Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top.) There's no steer horns on the wall (there is sort of a steer head, but it is plaster and painted black and looks more like an art piece send-up of Texas roadhouse chic). The décor is tasteful and understated, with the color red as the prominent theme.

Owner Mindy Lopus, who has been busy working on expansion plans for her Silver Pig Restaurant Group, wanted to make this more of a casual, comfortable restaurant, and something that was a totally new concept for the area. When she was approached by the Cottons – the family that owns Meridian Health Plan that has been buying up property in Grosse Pointe Park the way Dan Gilbert has done downtown in an effort to totally transform it – to open a restaurant in the area, she found an eager and underserved clientele and decided to open three. "People told me Grosse Pointers only go to their few favorite restaurants and their country clubs," Lopus says, but Red Crown has been packed every day since it opened. (I suppose, in that regard, it is also like Vinsetta.)

Red Crown is the first of the bunch, an upscale American barbecue and comfort food restaurant. In May, Bona Fide Baking Company will open as both a bakery and breakfast spot/café. Then this fall a second location of Lopus's flagship concept Tallulah Wine Bar + Bistro, which breaks ground in Grosse Pointe Park this week, will round out her trio.

Lopus is a savvy businesswoman and a Certified Wine Professional. Restaurateuring is a second career for her, but a first passion. Where other upscale barbecue concepts in metro Detroit (and yes, there are a few of them) focus their beverage program on craft beer, Lopus saw a unique opportunity to promote wine as a choice beverage for barbecue pairing.

“I’m really excited about this," she says. "Comfort food is the perfect food for wine pairing.” Because, think about it: comfort food tends to be high in fat, much like the cuisines typically aligned with wine – French food, American steakhouse fare, seafood in rich cream sauces, the heavy side of Italian cooking. If there has been a backlash against snooty wine connoisseurship in recent years, and there most certainly has been, part of that backlash has not only included a hard and fast embracing of craft beer but also a refusal to accept the idea that wine is only meant to be paired with a certain class of cuisine. Red Crown falls more heavily into the latter category (though those who opt for the former will not be disappointed with Red Crown's small but respectable craft beer list, or their ambitious craft cocktail program for that matter) with an ambitious wine program that includes – ye gods! – wine on draft.

In the last two or three years, sparkling wine has started popping up on menus throughout Michigan. (The first place I was introduced to the concept was Left Foot Charley in Traverse City, where winemaker Bryan Ulbrich was working up a draft system for one of the other area wineries based on his own draft system for ciders. This was early in 2011, and the concept was still entirely foreign.) Recently Local Kitchen + Bar in Ferndale made a splash when they introduced a bubbly by M. Lawrence (aka Michigan's esteemed sparkling winemaker Lawrence Mawby, based on the Leelanau Peninsula) on draft. But still wines on tap are STILL unheard of … until now.

Red Crown is the first restaurant in Michigan serving still wines on draft. The advantage? The wine is temperature-controlled, stays fresh down to the last glass, is never corked, and enables them to sell these wines by the glass for a much (MUCH) lower price than what you would otherwise pay if they were poured from a bottle. The keg is also refillable and creates less waste. Just as wine drinkers have adapted to synthetic corks and screw-top bottles over the last decade, even the fussiest among them finally recognizing the advantages in quality and economy both offer, they will now learn to embrace wine in kegs.

The wine list is organized by price as opposed to being organized by region or varietal. For wines on draft, a glass is $8, a half carafe $15, and a full carafe $29. Glasses are available in $8, $11 and $14 price points, and bottles are $29, $49 and $69. All of it is American, and each quarter one of Michigan's best wine producers is highlighted in their "In the Mitten" program.

Oh, and they also have an M. Lawrence bubbly on draft: "Sex," to be specific.

Chef de Cuisine Jim Delao's food menu is small but mighty (and meaty). Barbecued meats made in their wood-fired "little red smokehouse" in their kitchen, which burns local fruitwoods and mesquite charcoal. Ribs, sausages, pulled pork, pork shoulder and brisket, complemented by southern comfort sides like mac and cheese and braised greens (with bacon). Appetizers include masa-crusted onion rings and peel 'n eat Georgia shrimp. For "supper" there's comfort food favorites like shrimp and grits and grilled meatloaf. Non-alcoholic drinks include milkshakes and floats. Lunch, weekend brunch and Sunday support will start in April, and the massive patio is sure to be a massive hit this summer.

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

 

[NEWS BITES] Jolly Pumpkin Royal Oak update, Red Crown opening soon, more

I've got a two-punch motherlode of restaurant info coming out this week and next in Metromode. I'll drop the relevant names now: Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson (Union Joints, aka Union Woodshop, Vinsetta Garage et.al.), Luciano del Signore (Pizzeria Biga, Bacco), Jon Carlson and Greg Lobdell (2Mission Development, aka Jolly Pumpkin, Bastone et.al.), and Mindy Lopus (Silver Pig Restaurant Group, aka Tallulah, Red Crown et.al.).

LOTS of new news coming from these cats, but you're just going to have to wait. In the meantime, I'll hand-tip a few of the tastier morsels:

Jolly Pumpkin's new production brewery in Dexter and Avalon Breads' new production facility in Detroit should both be open and operating within two weeks.

2Mission is still going forward with the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe in Royal Oak and have already completed construction plans and design work. The guys are very eager and excited to move forward; an unforeseen issue with the title on the seller's end is the cause of the delay. Jon and Greg also have some other plans for new spots in both Royal Oak and Ann Arbor in the works, but sorry my lovelies: spoilers!

Mindy's Red Crown will be open by mid-January and perhaps earlier depending on liquor license approval. Bona Fide Baking Co. will follow shortly thereafter. She's also got other concepts in the works at various stages of planning in Birmingham, Grosse Pointe Park and ... wait for it ... Detroit! But again: spoilers.

The Cafe con Leche del Este pop-up in Lafayette Park has closed (the final weekend was very funereal), but owners Jordi Carbonell and Mellissa Fernandez have plans to do a second pop-up on the east riverfront and are also looking towards Eastern Market for a potential permanent location that would be more than "just" a cafe. You'll know more when there is more to know.

Incidentally, the space that housed the pop-up will now be a laundromat, despite Fernandez doing everything she could to keep the space for a permanent location. (PS, this laundromat lease was confirmed before the pop-up's run even ended, in a direct affront to the rhetoric that this pop-up was intended as a "test run" for the coffeehouse to open in the space permanently.) For those of you not familiar with Lafayette Park, all of the high rises, condos and town homes in the immediate vicinity of this strip mall have their own laundry facilities, but perhaps it's just, you know, easier for the owner. As one friend observed on the Facebook, "Ownership politics seems to be as big an impediment to renewal as much as anything." To which I added, "At this point I'd argue it's quite possibly the BIGGEST problem, all throughout Detroit." So here's a great feature idea: the nightmarish experiences of would-be entrepreneurs with viable business plans trying to deal with property owners in this city. (I've heard dozens such stories myself.)

And finally, Rodin, a French-ish restaurant/lounge owned by Torya Blanchard that builds off of the French theme of her Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes also located in Midtown's Park Shelton building, will open 12/12/12.

[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.

[HOT LIST] Raw | Vegan | Organic

These should really all rightfully be their own separate categories, but this ain't California and we ain't dreamin'. For a person adopting the raw and/or vegan and/or organic lifestyle, the options in metro Detroit are just a wee limited. BUT! They do exist, and that's why we're here, so here they are.

Photo courtesy of Detroit Zen Center, Hamtramck

1) Living Zen Organics Hamtramck
The Detroit Zen Center, in what is probably the most ethnically diverse (and more significantly, integrated) square mile of Michigan lovingly referred to by locals as "Hamladesh," is a residential community of Buddhist monks and students who practice the Zen Buddhist lifestyle of daily meditation, manual work and arts. Living Zen Organics is their on-site raw vegan cafe and store that is used to support the Center. They carry local and organic products and also sell their own goods at Eastern Market on Saturdays (and Tuesdays through summer). They're only open on weekends; check out their Facebook page for the weekly menu. The kale chips and their Sunday brunch are the must-haves.

2) Harry's Health Bar Livonia
This raw/vegan-friendly spot inside Zerbo's Health Foods store is a real find. Raw tacos, anyone? Wash them down with some "Green Energy:" strawberries, pineapple, apple, kale, spinach, dandelion, ginger, raw power, coconut water and agave nectar (the fruit overpowers the greens; it's much better than it sounds). All raw juices and smoothies are made with certified organic fruits and vegetables, and all other ingredients are carefully "screened and researched to assure you of optimal benefit." We appreciate the looking out!

3) The Treehouse for Earth's Children Farmington
The Treehouse is a health market that sells vitamins, organic bulk herbs, organic produce, natural remedies, biodynamic gardening preparations, alternative therapy books and other resources. They run Sunday health seminars, workshops led by health consultants, and have an on-site massage therapist. They also have a vegetarian deli and a raw food buffet Sundays from 1-6 p.m. Raw carrot cake, please!

4) Sprout House and MacRobiotics Grosse Pointe Park
An organic grocery store and vegan/vegetarian cafe that serves over 50 different antibiotic-free foods, including homemade soups and sandwiches. Order something fresh from the counter or grab something pre-made out of the cooler for lunch on the go. Try their Mediterranean Tofu Sandwich, packed with spices and leafy greens on hearty whole grain bread. For those on board with "the whole raw thing" but not on board with giving up certain animal byproducts, check out their raw cheese counter.

5) The RAW Cafe Midtown, Detroit
Welp. If the raw movement is going to gain momentum anywhere in metro Detroit, it's going to be in Midtown. The RAW Cafe serves soups, salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and all RAW (all caps, like the name, for emphasis). Owner LaKeta McCauley is passionate in her feelings that a raw, organic, vegan diet will nourish the body and even treat cancer; she should know, she went through it herself. She acquired certifications as an herbalist, blood cell analyst and natural health practitioner, wrote a book, and opened the Cafe where she serves unprocessed, untreated, enzyme-rich and nutrient-dense food. Everything is uncooked, organic and vegan; if you're a raw food n00b, start with their popular wraps.

Bubbling under  DROUGHT raw, organic, cold-pressed juice (Eastern Market vendor, Detroit) Inn Season Cafe (Royal Oak), Avalon International Breads (Midtown, Detroit), Om Cafe (Ferndale), Misho Juice (Dearborn), Mind Body and Spirits (Rochester), Cacao Tree Cafe (Royal Oak), Red Pepper Deli (Northville), Golden Gate Cafe (Highland Park, Detroit)