[HOT LIST] Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is one week from today, and whether you're the type who loves nothing more than to spend hours in the kitchen cooking the holiday meal or the type who loves nothing more than to spend hours on the couch watching movies and waiting to eat the holiday meal, there are plenty of local options for everyone. Stay at home and cook a locally-raised turkey yourself, have someone else do it for you but reap all the compliments all the same, or just ditch the whole dinner at home thing altogether and have your Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant. No matter what you fancy, here are some great local options.

See also: this great round-up from MLive for those of you out Ann Arbor way (including the Produce Station, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Eat Catering and Carry-out, Weber's Inn, and more). 

Thanksgiving Dinner Package from Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Detroit
For $79.99 you get a whole turkey (feeds 8-10 people) plus stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, orange and cranberry relish, a dozen rolls from On the Rise Bakery, two pies, and real whipped cream. Free range turkey is also available for an additional charge. But hurry, the deadline for orders is noon today!

Butcher Boy Food Products, Warren
Order a whole wild turkey from Butcher Boy Food Products in Warren, a meat processing facility and retail store that specializes in wild game.

Eastern Market Thanksgiving Market, Detroit
Get everything you need for your Thanksgiving dinner at the brand-new Thanksgiving Market next Tuesday, an extension of their popular Tuesday markets. From turkeys to local artisan food products to Christmas trees and gifts, they'll have everything you could want or need for the holidays.

C.A.Y.A. Smokehouse Grill, Wolverine Lake
Order your entire Thanksgiving meal to go from C.A.Y.A. Smokehouse, the new concept from accomplished Executive Chef Jeff Rose, with options for 8-10, 12-15, or 18-20 people. Includes everything you need for your Thanksgiving meal including turkey, sides, and pies for dessert.

Thanksgiving dinner at the Whitney, Midtown
From noon to 6 p.m. $49 adults, $29 for kids. You could do all the cooking yourself, or you can just let them do it for you.

Detroit BBQ Co., Detroit
Going to the Lions game on Thanksgiving Day? Stop by to visit Detroit BBQ Company at Pride Plaza beforehand. Though they're not taking Thanksgiving orders this year, they will have pulled turkey for you to enjoy while you tailgate.

Rock City Eatery, Hamtramck
He may have opened his own restaurant earlier this fall, but to many loyal fans Nikita Santches is and always will be the Pie Guy. Stop by Rock City for your Thanksgiving pie this year. Pick-up is on a first-come, first-serve basis next Tuesday and Wednesday from noon until close. Available flavors are:
-Chocolate Pumpkin
-Cranberry+White Chocolate+Pistachio
-Butterscotch+Bourbon+Pecan
-Salted Caramel+Apple
-Sweet Potato+Whiskey

Whole Foods Market, various locations
Order your turkey, pies, even your whole meal (including wine) online and pick up at your nearest Whole Foods Market location.

Wolfgang Puck Steak, MGM Grand, Detroit
They'll serve their regular menu as well as a special Thanksgiving menu with the following items:
-Roasted Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing
-Potato Puree and Giblet Gravy
-Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake with Cranberry Coulis. The restaurant is open 5-10 p.m.

TAP, MGM Grand, Detroit
Special $22 menu served 11 a.m. to close.
-Roasted Fall vegetable salad with mixed greens, beets, parsnips, citrus vinaigrette
-Roasted turkey, white and dark meat with sage-onion gravy
-Housemade cornbread stuffing
-Creamy garlic mashed potatoes
-Roasted Acorn Squash, brown sugar, butter
-Cranberry – orange sauce
-Parker house roll
-Pumpkin cheesecake

Palette Dining Studio, MGM Grand, Detroit 
Served 11 a.m. to 11 pm. $22 for lunch and $28 for dinner. The weekly Prime Rib and Shrimp Night will start at 4 p.m. for $32.
Soup
Corn Chowder
Salad
Beet and Mandarin Orange Salad
Arugula and Pear Salad
Carving
Roasted Turkey Breast with Giblet Gravy
Entree
Turkey Thigh Meat
Seafood Fusilli Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce
Stuffing
Candied Yams
Loaded Scalloped Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus
Desserts
Praline Pecan Cream Tarts
Pumpkin Rum Raisin Bread Pudding w/ Vanilla Anglaise

[Metromode] Where's the Beef in Metro Detroit? (and Lamb, Pork, and Duck)

Morrisey named one of his seminal albums Meat is Murder. Comedian Denis Leary took that one step further in his 1992 stand-up special No Cure for Cancer, saying, "Meat tastes like murder, and murder tastes f@#%ing good.

With all the love for vegetarians and vegans going around, it would seem like our carnivore friends are merely an afterthought. Vegetarians get their own cookbooks and whole recipe sections of cooking magazines dedicated solely to their lifestyle. So do the gluten-free folks, who are quite literally the one-percenters of the world, and yet have permeated mainstream eating. Vegans, they get their own lists and guides and books and TV shows and other special snowflake treatment. Not sure if someone is a vegan? Don't worry, they'll go out of their way to tell you.

Read more.

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Wolfgang Puck's Steak opened inside the MGM Grand Detroit. The menu has lots of steak. [EID Official / FB]

Prediction: Craftwork will be the biggest and most-buzzed-about Detroit restaurant opening of 2013. Also, I have yet to ask Hugh or Michael about this, but given Geiger's background in electronic music I really REALLY hope the name is a homage to Kraftwerk (who just got snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, BTW.) [Crain's]

Pulse is closed but will reopen in a larger location in Greektown in February; the building that stretches an entire city block along Monroe that Pulse once called home is now completely empty after having pushed out all of its tenant over the last two years. Rumor has it that the building will be torn down and either a parking garage or hotel development (though parking garage seems to be favored) will be constructed in its place. [EID FB]

The Free Press's Sylvia Rector releases her picks for the top 10 best new restaurants of the year, leaves a lot of raised eyebrows and scratched heads. [Freep]

Rodin in Midtown is now open and the menu sounds just short of divine. [Thrillist]

Just can't get enough FLAVA! [Eater]

Dave Mancini: Pizza maker. Business man. Community leader. Innovator. Yeti. [UIX]

Here are the completely arbitrary findings of an inherently flawed "study" that is obviously strictly for marketing purposes citing Detroit as one of the most health-conscious cities in the country. Now please sign up for our website. [HuffPo]

Detroit has a new urban mini golf course (in Corktown, natch). And it is very, VERY Detroit (right down to the train station backdrop). [Thrillist]

Some random website lists Kuhnhenn Brewing Company's Fluffer as one of 100 Beer to Try Before You Die. Which you can do at their annual Winter Solstice Party this Friday, December 21, provided we don't all die in the Mayan Apocalypse. [Complex]

If what the nay-sayers are claiming is true, this is the most complicated evil genius land-grab plot in the history of THE WORLD and John Hantz is very clearly operating on a level we mere mortals cannot possibly hope to comprehend. [Crain's]

It continues here. [Deadline]

Konbini Online Delivery Service is now operating in downtown and Midtown with early morning and late-night hours delivering just about every sort of odd and end a student type could want, with hopes to grow into something much bigger. $3.50 flat rate per delivery. They'll run through Dec. 19 then pick back up again full-time in January when school starts again. Like a real city! On bikes! [HuffPo]

Detroit is the new ... Berlin! Which isn't to say we're the testicle of the West, but that we're poor but sexy. [UIX]

Further proof of the power of #putaneggonit (or in it). [Hour]

Detroit puts the "d" in dreidel. [EID FB / Detroit Design Center]

B. Nektar Meadery has received their state winemaker license for their new facility (also in Ferndale, a block away from the old one). Tastings will move to the new space starting in January. They will continue to use the old space to make their limited releases and any barrel aging. [EID FB / B. Nektar FB]

Some people bake cookies for the holidays. Others make tamales. [Freep]

Chef Brian Polcyn's Salumi makes it onto Eater's essential reading list for 2012. [Eater]

The city of Royal Oak has approved a massive mixed-use development downtown that will include a hotel, an apartment building, a parking garage, two more buildings, and a high-end -- oh how we love trends here -- STEAKHOUSE. Will Main Street even be visible in the shadows of its loft developments, apartment buildings and parking garages? Help us, Jolly Pumpkin Cafe. You're our only hope. [Curbed Detroit]

Chelsea Alehouse is getting ready to open, bringing a microbrewery back to the city that was home to Michigan's first way back in 1982! And it's right next to that awesome Jet's Pizza with the craft beer I told you about that one time. [AnnArbor.com / EID Official]

Eat It GR (and beyond)
~For years I've thought, the only thing that could possibly make Grand Rapids better would be if New Holland Brewing Company had a brew pub here instead of 30 minutes away in Holland. It's like I wish for things and they happen. [MLive]
~Reserve Wine + Food in Grand Rapids gets a shout-out from USA Today as one of 10 great wine bars in the country! Grand Rapids: more than just beer. But also beer. [USA Today]
~Goose Island Beer Co.'s former brewmaster Gregory Hall is making craft cider now instead. Virtue Cider has already been operating in Chicago for several months, but the new Fennville location will have both the production facility and an orchard. (Hall will also source fruit from other Michigan apple farmers.) This new facility will be ready to make its own cider by the end of the year. Once again, cider is a thing here now. [MLive]
~Now on shelves: the ying to one of DRAFT Magazine's best beers of 2012, Brewery Vivant Escoffier's, yang -- New Belgium Brewing's Biere de Garde, part of the limited Lips of Faith Series. And a TOTALLY different beer. [MLive]
~Pilot Malt House opens in Kalamazoo and is west Michigan's only independent, small-batch maltery. [SW MI Second Wave]
~Bourdain is coming to Lansing. If you're into that sort of thing. [Anthony What-the-Foodie-Movement-Landed-On-When-the-Foodie-Movement-Jumped-the-Shark Fucking Bourdain Tour Official]

[NEWS BITES] Wolfgang Puck's Steak now open inside MGM Grand Detroit

The headline says it all, but read the press release below for the full deets.

***

Wolfgang Puck Steak, an original concept from world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck, is now open inside MGM Grand Detroit.

“Wolfgang Puck Steak is our new concept that we created specifically for Detroit and MGM Grand Detroit,” said Wolfgang Puck. “We have a broad menu of the finest steaks with delicious sides and sauces at aprice point for all diners. This is a break from the traditional high-end steakhouse.”

Wolfgang Puck Steak is poised to become the place to see and be seen in Detroit. The contemporary steak restaurant offers guests steakhouse favorites with Wolfgang’s signature style.

“Detroit is the classic example of a city that loves great steak and great value,” said Steve Zanella, general manager of MGM Grand Detroit. “In developing Wolfgang Puck Steak, we worked with Wolfgang and his team to craft a concept which speaks to both of thoseideals. Wolfgang did a superb job of creating a menu that beautifully marries the two.”

At the helm in the kitchen is Executive Chef Marc Djozlija, former chef of Wolfgang Puck Grille and more than 16-year veteran of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. Djozlija also is the executive chef at Puck’s second MGM Grand Detroit restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria & Cucina, which opened in early November.

On the menu is an assortment of grilled steaks and meats, shellfish and fresh fish plus a selection of sauces and side dishes to accompany the entrees. Starters range from classic steakhouse salads including Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with bacon, avocado and blue cheese ranch and Crab & Lobster Louie Salad to an array of appetizers such as Creamy Lobster, Crab and Clam Chowder with house-made crackers and New Orleans Barbecued Shrimp with Cognac-Dijon-Worcestershire sauce.

A variety meats will satiate any appetite including Kansas City Strip Steak, Filet Mignon, Ribeye Steak and a 34 oz. Bone In Rib Chop for Two. Additional entrée selections include The Puck Burger with white cheddar and caramelized onion“jam” on a brioche bun, Colorado Lamb Chops, Rotisserie Free-Range Chicken, and Pan Roasted Two-Pound Maine Lobster. The restaurant features rotating daily specials such as Barbecued Grilled Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and Braised Beef Short Ribs.

All grilled meats include a choice of one accompanying sauce such as Mustard-Cognac, House-Made Steak Sauce, Béarnaise, Peppercorn and Creamy Horseradish. Guests can top their cuts of meat with fried egg, blue cheese, caramelized onions, roasted garlic or Apple Wood smoked bacon. Numerous sides are available including baked, hash brown or mashed potatoes, “Tater Tots,” Onion Rings, Creamed or Garlic Spinach, Three Cheese Mac and Cheese and Loaded Baked Potato.

A sweet ending includes Apple Cobbler with almond streusel and 50 vanilla bean ice cream; Warm Chocolate Soufflé with whipped cream and chocolate sauce; and Coffee and Pecan Ice Cream Pie with graham cracker crust.

The dynamic beverage program features an international wine list with robust red wines and vibrant white wines plus artisan, custom-crafted cocktails. A few standouts include the Adios Nonino with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Luxardo Amaretto and Aperol; the Aviation Violette with Tanqueray No. 10 Gin, Crème de Violette, Luxardo Maraschino and Lemon Juice; and the Samurai Sword made with Yamazaki 12-Year Whisky, Cointreau, House-made Honey Syrup and Lemon Juice.

Wolfgang Puck Steak exudes rustic style and casual warmth through earthy, red, scarlet and brown contemporary décor. Red leather, camel and charcoal tweed, umber cowhide, and scarlet, gold and brown textures combine to create a lively and rich dining environment. The expansive lounge area is perfect for guests either looking to grab a pre-dinner cocktail or to stay through dinner. The restaurant provides flexibility for many sizes groups in the main dining room, large private dining room, wine cellar table or Chef’s Table. Sepia-toned architectural photographs of Detroit’s skylines are screened onto glass divider panels in the lounge and Chef’s Table. Unique fabric wall panels, quilted into an intricate webbed pattern, depict the gridded pattern of city streets. As a nod to the industrious heritage of the Great Lakes area, panels of urban scenes and sculptures made of humble materials complement each other throughout the restaurant. The natural beauty of the region is brought in to the dining areas through images of grasses blowing in the wind at the water’s edge and quiet waters at twilight.

Wolfgang Puck Steak is open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. For reservations, please call 877-888-2121.

[NEWS BITES] Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina opens tonight

In the wake of last night's monumental election results (the times, they are a'changin'), representatives for MGM Detroit ninja'ed this announcement into their morning emails: Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina, Wolfgang Puck's newest restaurant at the MGM Grand Detroit, is opening today at 5 p.m. They will be open for dinner only, 5 p.m. -10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Executive Chef Marc Djozlija, a longtime Puck veteran, is once again at the helm.

Below is the full press release. (Note the little added announcement at the bottom.)

Celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck returns to MGM Grand Detroit, the city’s premier entertainment destination, with the opening of Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina, the first of two new Puck restaurants at the hotel casino.

“It’s great to return to Detroit and to the MGM Grand with the opening of our casual Italian concept,” said Wolfgang Puck. “Our Pizzeria + Cucina is the perfect place to relax with family and friends. Great Italian food is all about great ingredients. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just delicious!”

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina offers guests a warm and inviting atmosphere in a comfortable setting with an approachable Italian menu.

“Our guests, who love Italian food and Wolfgang Puck, have been anxiously waiting for Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina to open,” said Steve Zanella, general manager of MGM Grand Detroit. “We are extremely excited to welcome the restaurant to the MGM Grand Detroit family.”

At the helm in the kitchen is Executive Chef Marc Djozlija, former chef of Wolfgang Puck Grille and a 16-year veteran of the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group. The menu features Puck’s famed wood-oven baked pizzas and pays tribute to Italy through pastas and specialty dishes and is complete with Italian favorites including antipasti, salads, handmade pastas, and enticing entrees featuring delectable meats and fish.

The menu highlights multiple varieties of pizza to choose from including the Margherita Pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil; Wild Mushroom Pizza with goat cheese, leeks and basil pesto and Italian Sausage Pizza with rapini and roasted garlic.

Additionally, guests can find house-made pastas and rustic Italian dishes including Penne Carbonara with sautéed English peas and crisp pancetta; Rigatoni with Bolognese meat sauce; Seafood Linguini “Fra Diavolo” with clams, shrimp, calamari and spicy tomato sauce; Chicken Piccata with lemon-caper butter sauce; Grilled Salmon with white beans, artichokes and rosemary butter; and Grilled Ribeye Steak with Tuscanpotatoes and salsa verde.

As a perfect finale, Pizzeria + Cucina offers a creative and playful dessert menu featuring classic Italian favorites with a modern twist. Decadent creations include Butterscotch and Bittersweet Chocolate Panna Cotta, Ricotta and Mascarpone Cheesecake with fresh berries and Affogato with hazelnut ice cream drenched with espresso.

The bar features a dynamic beverage list complementing the menu’s exquisite Italian flavors including domestic and international beers and a comprehensive section of wines, many imported from Italy. The bar offers an array of perfectly executed specialty cocktails including the Cucina Manhattan made with Bullet Rye, Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth and Bitter Truth "Jerry Thomas" Bitters and the Il Professore with Nardini Grappa, Cocchi Barolo Chinato, Luxardo Morlacco Cherry Liqueur and orange juice.

Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina is open for dinner only, 5 p.m. -10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Monday and Tuesday. To make reservations, please call 877-888-2121.

A second Wolfgang Puck restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Steak, will open at the hotel this December.

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]