[Model D] Restaurateur Maurice Wiggins to open The Addison, Restaurant 55 next spring

Red Velvet Pancakes at Hudson Cafe, a signature item and part of the opening menu with Wiggins on board.

Maurice Wiggins, CEO of International Hospitality Group, has plans to open two new restaurants early next year.

The first is located inside the former location of Atlas Global Bistro at 3111 Woodward, and is called The Addison. The Addison is an upscale restaurant that will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily (though will likely open with just lunch and dinner to start) and happy hour Mondays through Fridays. Breakfast will include items like eggs benedict with crabmeat, while lunch and dinner menus will have steaks and seafood with vegetarian options for each meal. Renovation work is currently underway inside the space. Wiggins plans on opening this in March and hiring 20-25 people.

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[Model D] Our guide to select holiday shopping destinations

Tiki mugs at Hugh in Midtown. 

Last week we brought you a guide to pop-up retail happenings and events. It's such a handy list to clip and save (as if we still needed to do that) that we thought we'd re-run the story in this week's Development News column.

The guide below points you in the direction of many of Detroit's top permanent retailers and art galleries offering unique holiday shopping opportunities. While no means comprehensive, this list highlights a wide range of local retailers, including many that just opened within the last year.

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[NEWS BITES] Downtown Detroit Bagger Dave's set for November 10 opening

Photo from Detroit Regional News Hub.

Back in March, the Bagger Dave's in Greektown was experiencing some construction delays but was still moving forward with plans to open. Just last week, the Detroit News Hub noticed some work happening out front. Well, now it is official: the downtown Bagger Dave's will open for business on November 10.

Here's the press release:

Bagger Dave's Freshly-Crafted Burger Tavern, a unique, full-service, ultra-casual restaurant and bar, will celebrate the grand opening of its downtown Detroit location 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. The new restaurant is located at 1224 Randolph.

As part of the restaurant’s commitment to give back to the communities in which it operates, through Sunday, Nov. 17, Bagger Dave’s will donate 10 percent of its sales from the location to the Children’s Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.

“The opening of a downtown Detroit tavern has been a longtime priority of ours and we’re extremely excited to pull back the curtain on this labor of love. Being part of the city’s resurgence is exciting,” said T. Michael Ansley, president and CEO of the Southfield-based Diversified Restaurant Holdings, which operates Bagger Dave’s. “The city needs fresh dining options. Detroiters have shown their commitment to locally sourced products and freshness in their products. These are Bagger Dave’s core values. We look forward to being a viable part of the community.”

Diversified Restaurant Holdings also owns and operates the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in the space adjacent to the new Bagger Dave’s.

The two-story space, which was built as a bank in the late 1800s, has been gutted and restored to highlight the historic front window, building’s original limestone façade, and skylight extending the length of the building, above the bar.  The restaurant’s main floor will seat approximately 60 people and the second-floor bar area will seat 70.

Like all Bagger Dave’s restaurants, the Detroit location will offer a warm, welcoming neighborhood atmosphere and memorable guest service. The restaurant will feature full table service and a bar serving local craft beers and wine.  Patrons can create their own hand-crafted and legendary beef, turkey or veggie black bean burger made with never-frozen, no filler, 100 percent USDA beef-blend, delivered daily, and all-natural, fresh, Midwestern-sourced ground turkey, a choice of 30 Meaningless Free Toppings®, which include six cheese choices, a variety of artisan buns, six house-made sauces and more.  A selection of Signature Burgers is also available, including the Tuscan Turkey Burger™ (sliced mozzarella, tomato, onion, basil and balsamic vinaigrette) and the famed Train Wreck Burger™ (fresh-cut fries, fried egg, mild cheddar, sautéed onions and mushrooms, and Bagger Dave’s Railhouse Burger Sauce™).

The menu also features the option to offer all meals as platters, which are served with a choice of Fresh-Cut Fries, Dave’s Sweet Potato Chips®, a side of Twisted Mac ‘n Cheese, a side salad, cup of Amazingly Delicious Turkey Black Bean Chili® or Tomato Basil Soup.  Also on the menu are sandwiches, salads and hand-dipped milkshakes.

            

Atmosphere is equally important at Bagger Dave’s, which was founded in 2008. The company has identified a niche in the burger business with a modern interpretation of the old-fashioned neighborhood bar. The restaurants are inviting for adults and kids alike, with localized décor of the town’s historical past displayed throughout, a bar, and even an electric train that runs above the dining room and bar areas. For more information, visitwww.baggerdaves.com.

            

As the Detroit location opens, the company will launch its new mobile loyalty and in-store rewards program, Bagger Dave’s Fresh Rewards.  Once enrolled in the program, which can be participated in via microsite registration, SMS or by scanning an in-store QR code, patrons can be rewarded by checking-in at any Bagger Dave’s location, purchasing specific products, rating their dining experience, referring friends or sharing the program via Facebook or Twitter.

            

Bagger Dave’s Fresh Rewards also features instant-win game experiences with prizes including gift certificates and big tickets items such as $10,000 to use toward a holiday shopping spree.

About Bagger Dave’s

Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, Bagger Dave’s Freshly-Crafted Burger Tavern often gets accused of getting “fresh” with its customers, and rightfully so. The company’s menu features hand-crafted never frozen burgers, delivered daily. Burgers are made of 100 percent USDA beef blend with cuts of prime rib and no fillers or naturally raised, always fresh, Midwestern ground turkey. Burgers can be accented with more than 30 toppings from which to choose, fresh-cut fries, made from Bagger Dave’s own brand of potatoes, hand-dipped milkshakes and a selection of local, seasonal craft beer and wine.

Each restaurant quickly becomes a neighborhood gathering spot, showcasing historical photos of the city in which it resides and a nostalgic electric train that runs above the dining room and bar areas. The company has 16 restaurants across Michigan, Indiana and Missouri. For more information, visit www.BaggerDaves.com

About Diversified Restaurant Holdings

Diversified Restaurant Holdings, Inc. ("DRH" or the "Company") is the owner, operator, and franchisor of the unique, full-service, ultra-casual restaurant concept, Bagger Dave's Legendary Burger Tavern® ("Bagger Dave's") and one of the largest Buffalo Wild Wings® ("BWW") franchisees.  Between the two concepts, the Company currently operates 47 restaurants in Michigan, Florida, Illinois, and Indiana, and one franchised Bagger Dave's in Missouri.  The Company routinely posts news and other important information on its website at www.DiversifiedRestaurantHoldings.com.

[Model D] Dine Drink Detroit celebrates Detroit's culinary culture while benefiting the Riverfront

Starting this Thursday, Oct. 10, a brand-new Detroit dining event launches and you don't need to make any reservations, any kind of special time commitment, or even adhere to any kind of special dress code. Detroit, it's time to start dining and drinking.

Dine Drink Detroit runs Oct. 10-16 and highlights some of Detroit's most unique casual dining restaurants. All of the 13 participating restaurants will offer some sort of food and drink combination for $15.

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[Model D] Chickpea in the D now serving fresh, healthy lunches downtown

Downtown workers and residents who often find themselves frustrated at the lack of healthy food options in the city have another place to go for lunch.

Chickpea in the D officially opened for business Sept. 10 at 2 John R, the tiny 60-square-foot space that was previously a hot dog stand and before that, the very same place where Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes got its successful start.

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[Real Detroit] Urban Cellars

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

In the last couple of years, craft cocktail culture has exploded in metro Detroit. We went from just a handful of restaurants with an exceptional selection of craft cocktails both classic and those created in-house that only those who REALLY knew would really appreciate, to dozens of cocktail-focused bars and restaurants from Ann Arbor to White Lake that emphasize fresh, house-made ingredients and artisan spirits on their drink menus.

Urban Cellars is now open inside the newly-renovated Crowne Plaza Pontchartrain Detroit located across the street from COBO Center. The common areas of the hotel have gone through a serious remodeling, including the lobby and the hotel's main restaurant and lounge located on the lobby level. The restaurant is the Jefferson House, led by ambitious up-and-coming Executive Chef Justin Vaiciunas, who is also the hotel's director of food and beverage overseeing the full dining program.

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[Model D] CityLoft and the Detroit Shoppe come back for a fourth installment of the popular pop-ups

The Somerset Collection's CityLoft and the Detroit Shoppe are back again for round four on Woodward in downtown Detroit.

Somerset is bringing nearly 40 retailers from its Troy collection of luxury and lifestyle brands to 1261 Woodward, along with the popular Detroit Shoppe at 1201 Woodward, which sells items from some of Detroit's most iconic brands and donates all of the proceeds to Detroit charities. Between the permanent Troy location and previous iterations of the downtown pop-up, the Detroit Shoppe has supported over 100 Detroit charities.

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[Model D] The Coors Light Sky Deck offers 360-degree birds-eye views of Comerica Park and city skyline

The new Coors Light Sky Deck on the roof of the Detroit Opera House offers the very antithesis of the kind of experience you might expect to have at the Opera House. Ditch the satin dresses and coattails and instead don your favorite Tigers jersey and sneakers; the Sky Deck is a casual destination offerings some of the best seats in Detroit.

The 6,000-square-foot rooftop patio with a 250-person capacity has multiple seating areas including tables, cushioned couches and chairs, and a small three-tier bleacher directly overlooking Comerica Park. The Sky Deck also offers a 360-degree view of the Detroit skyline. It is open every single Friday and Saturday through September, with or without a Tigers game. (They hope to extend their season for as long as the weather holds out.) On Fridays they will have DJs, and on Saturdays live music from Detroit bands.

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[Model D] Detroit's first Downtown Farmers Market is open every Thursday

The Compuware urban garden Lafayette Greens is now home to the first-ever farmers market in downtown Detroit. Located on the site of the former Lafayette Building, which was demolished in 2010, the garden is a result of Peter Karmanos, Jr. – Compuware's co-founder and Executive Chairman and also a Master Gardener – working with the city of Detroit to transform the area into a greenspace.

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[Model D] Top of the Pontch, Jefferson House, Urban Cellars opening in the Crowne Plaza Hotel Pontchartrain

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

As the Crowne Plaza Hotel Pontchartrain undergoes a serious exterior overhaul to prepare to welcome its first guests this June, the overhaul happening inside is just as ambitious, both in design and concept. 

The Jefferson House will be the Pontch's primary restaurant, located across from the lobby. The look is modern meets old world: copper leaf ceilings, plush cream-colored chairs, dark-stained wainscoting covering the walls. It's warm and rich and comfortable, refined without being too stuffy. They'll serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, and will also have a 40-seat outdoor patio on Jefferson. Attached to the Jefferson House is Urban Cellars, the hotel's sizable bar, which will specialize in craft cocktails.

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Dan Gilbert is a man with a plan. Actually, a lot of them. And he unveiled some of them during a two-hour press conference last week, announcing (among many, many things) that Papa Joe's Gourmet Market will open in the First National Building and will have a bar and prepared foods; Moosejaw Mountaineering is staying forever-ever; Just Topped, an ice cream store using Ray's Ice Cream from the owner of Just Baked, will open; plus a whole lot more "placemaking" strategies. [Freep]

And here's more on that Just Topped concept. [Crain's]

Detroit-style deep dish is ready for its national close-up, and NO IT IS NOTHING LIKE CHICAGO. [Freep]

Paul Howard, owner of the Bronx Bar and Cliff Bell's, has a new bar in the works at the PuppetART Theatre building downtown. [Curbed]

Corktown's Green Dot Stables celebrated their one-year anniversary last week. Keep those $3 beers and sliders coming for many more to come! [GDS FB]

Dave Mancini of Supino Pizzeria is officially on his annual springtime sabbatical, which means the pizzeria is closed until he gets back on April 16 (further renovation work on the space next door will happen in the meantime). He and other area food industry people from places like Roast and Wolfgang Puck are off touring Croatia and Italy. Note to self: become best friends with all of these people. [Supino FB]

Travel + Leisure names Michael Symon's Roast - Detroit one of the best steakhouses in the country. [T+L]

In case you missed it: Here's an update on the Bagger Dave's opening later this year in Greektown and "SkyBar" is no longer a misnomer. [Model D]

Toast Birmingham has a new Executive Chef, Myles McVay, formerly of D'Amato's Restaurant and, most recently, Cafe Muse. The B-ham location now has a whole new dinner menu which includes vegan and vegetarian options. [EID FB]

Daily regular business owners have started at Trinosophes. Stop in mornings and evenings for coffee, tea, beignets and other treats with an expanded menu coming soon. (And free WiFi!) [Trinosophes FB]

Alley Wine's rezoning has been approved after 20 months. Now they're hoping it won't take another two years to get a liquor license. [Alley Wine FB]

Thrillist takes a look at the new Grace of India in Midtown. [Thrillist]

Falling Down Beer Company is officially open in the craft beer capital of the east, Warren. [RDW]

Mark's Carts officially re-opens for the season today! Which is not an April Fool's joke despite it being in the 30s outside. [AnnArbor.com]

More metro Detroit National Coney Islands opening. Hanis all day every day. [Detroit News]

Some news bites from Ferndale Patch: Nom Nom's Cupcake Factory has opened a second location in Berkley, Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt has opened its first-ever Michigan location in Troy, Grumpy's diner in Clawson has closed, Ferndale's New Way Bar has been sold and closed, more. [Ferndale Patch]

Going to Chicago? Don't buy a major airline ticket like some kind of commoner. For the same price you can fly in a PRACTICALLY private jet with free drinks and no baggage fees via Lakeshore Express starting this summer. Plus, it's out of the Oakland County airport where you park for free and don't have to deal with the usual major airport headaches. And hey, since you'll be out that way you can also stop by The Root Restaurant + Bar for lunch or dinner! [Freep]

Want a restaurant space that's white box-ready? (Or ... orange and purple box-ready?) This one's in SW right on the edge of Corktown in the shadow of Michigan Central Station. At only $99k, it seems like a good buy. [Curbed]

Own the shirt that Ryan Gosling might one day possibly wear! [MLive]

Beerie
~Chicks are apparently more into beer than wine now. [Freep]
~Vander Mill Cider and Founders Brewing Company are both getting into the canning game this year. [Vander Mill FB / BeerPulse]
~So, you guys, Traverse City. They went from being a meh place for beer two years ago to, well, THIS. [The Ticker TC]

Other
~The corn chip singularity is upon us. [Death + Taxes]

[Model D] SkyBar and Lounge now open on 33rd floor, previous ground floor space being renovated and expanded

Photo from SkyBar's Facebook page.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, "Sky Bar" was a bit of a misnomer, what with the bar and lounge being located on the ground floor of the David Stott Building in downtown Detroit.

"We are in the process of a rebranding," says Marshal Simons of Impakt Digital, community manager of SkyBar and Lounge. "When the owners first opened they were new at the bar industry and wanted to get in on the ground level of Detroit" … so to speak.

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[Model D] MotorCity Wine moving to Corktown this fall

Detroit's MotorCity Wine, currently at 608 Woodward Avenue on the second floor above Foran's Grand Trunk Pub and Foran's Deluxe Diner in downtown Detroit, is relocating this fall to the space currently inhabited by the Express Bar in Corktown. The new address will be 1949 Michigan Avenue.

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[Model D] Drive: Table Tennis Social Club is a whole new kind of social hub for Detroit

We certainly aren't lacking for more "traditional" social clubs – i.e., bars – in the city of Detroit, but Drive is a whole new kind of social hub.

Drive: Table Tennis Social Club is a ping-pong palace, recently opened on the ground floor level of the Lofts at Merchants Row on Woodward Avenue in the space formerly occupied by City Loft, the pop-up retail space operated by the Somerset Collection.

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[Model D] The Roasting Plant now open inside the First National Building

The Roasting Plant is now open inside the First National Building. The space has been totally re-designed from previous tenants (bars The Vine and Enoteca) to accommodate the café setting and their much-buzzed-about high-tech Javabot system, designed to ensure the freshest cup of coffee possible.

This downtown Detroit location is a third location for the company, but the first outside of Manhattan. Elizabeth Rose, Co-Owner of the Roasting Plant, is a native Detroiter who was living in San Diego but got involved with the Roasting Plant in Manhattan and had been planning on moving there when Detroit came calling.

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