[EID Feature] 8 Degrees Plato Beer Company: No More Funny Business

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

You might recognize 8 Degrees Plato Beer Company owner Tim Costello. He has been on the national stand-up comedy circuit for the past 25 years, touring the country as well as being a home-town staple on the scene. "Twenty-five years was a long run," Tim says. "Stand-up is a lot of travel. It’s a long time on the road and away from my wife and daughter." Basically, it's a young man's game, and Tim had reached the point in his life where being a road warrior rambling from gig to gig didn't quite hold the same appeal as it once did. Tim echoes what pretty much every other working comedian says who isn't Jim Carrey or Jerry Seinfeld: people get into it because it looks fun, seems easy, and there's the promise of fame and fortune. The reality is starkly different: crappy pay, crappy hours, a constant hustle for work, and the looming panic that comes from being only as good as your next joke.

"It's very therapeutic," he adds. "You can get anything off your chest from the stage. It was something I enjoyed doing--it was a big part of me, but it's a lot different now. It's just not for me."

His last show was at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in February. In October, he opened 8 Degrees Plato Beer Company in Ferndale. "Where else can you try something new but Ferndale?” Tim asks. (No argument here.) "We knew if this business concept would work anywhere it would be here in Ferndale. People were actually waiting for something like this here."

But from stand-up comedy to beer? "It's every guy’s dream to open a beer store," he says. "I've always have had an interest in beer ... when I traveled throughout the country I was always bringing home regional beers you couldn’t get here." He and his neighbors, the guys from the now-closed Tenny Street Roadhouse in Dearborn, would drink and rate the beers and tell stories--quality male bonding time, essentially. Then Tim began discovering Michigan craft beers as they really started to come into their own. "I just felt that at my age and with the Michigan beer market ... we're leading the way in so many areas of beer, we're making some really good stuff and getting away from the 'bigger is better' mentality. I thought [8 Degrees] was the perfect way to encompass those things. My concept was to deal with the little guys."

8 Degrees Plato is not just a beer store. Probably best described as a "specialty market," 8 Degrees specializes in local craft and imported beer and all the things that go best with it: cheese, charcuterie, even chocolate. You'll find an assortment of artisan cheeses and cured meats, as well as small candy makers like Cueter Candy in Grand Blanc and their own private label salsas and spreads. "All the products are very local and independent," Tim says. "You can’t do just one product and expect to do anything, you have to diversify a little bit. We're not a convenience store or party store but we do have enough products to keep people who aren’t necessarily beer drinkers happy."

There are pint glasses and T-shirts with the 8 Degrees logo, books about beer, bracelets made with beer bottle caps from a local jewelry maker, even beer-infused handmade soaps from local soapmaker Aromaholic (the Belgian White Ale and Vanilla Porter Spice scents are amahzing). "All the products are very beer-friendly, and we're always actively searching out [locally-made pre-packaged food products] because we would much rather carry more local." Basically this is THE place for beer people and their friends.

Even the name itself is an inside nod to beer nerds. "Degrees Plato" is a measurement in beer brewing (read more here if you can make sense of it). They decided on this name because they felt it had more structure than a family name, and while it would definitely appeal to brewers and industry professionals, "for the rest of the 99% of us it’s a really great conversation starter!"

8 Degrees Plato is a great place to pick up some gifts for the beer nerd who has everything: Tim's wife Brigid puts together gift "buckets" ("Because if I put them together it would look like a guy put them together"), customizable ice buckets filled with your choices of beer and beer accompaniments. They can do small, medium or large sizes; just give them a couple of days' notice or pick from one of the pre-made buckets in the store. A "standard" bucket includes three bottles and a logo glass for around $20 (depending on the beer). One custom idea might be to do a Michigan vs. The World comparison bucket: stout for stout, sour for sour, how do Michigan's beers stack up again Belgium, France and the U.K.?

And while 8 Degrees Plato Beer Company certainly has a lot of beer-friendly foodstuffs and merchandise, their focus is first and foremost BEER. It's a small store but the inventory is growing rapidly, and if there's something special you want Tim will hunt it down for you. And like any good beer store worth its weight in malt barley, they offer the u-mix-six option: grab an empty sixer and choose six singles for your maximum sampling pleasure, plus get 15% off the mix. It's really the best way to sample new brews (because we've all been stuck with that six-pack of funky beer we decided to experiment with and paid $12 for and could barely choke down the first one). They've also got quite a nice spread of 375ml import bottles; their current selection of Christmas ales warms the cockles of my heart. (Or maybe that's the alcohol.)

They've barely been open two full months, but 8 Degrees Plato has already made a name for itself among the craft beer-drinking populace of metro Detroit. Now the rest of you need to discover it too. Tim says running the store is actually a lot like performing stand-up: “It’s still a matter of trying to get people to come see me and give me money, now I'm just always in the same place!”

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

[EID Feature] Whole Foods is Really Not That Expensive, We Promise

We're still reeling from the negative response the official Whole Foods to open in Detroit's Midtown announcement received from a very specific contingency of "Detroit is perfect the way it is" cheerleaders. Enough so that we're making it this week's theme.

Anti-Whole Foods "arguments" seem to fall into one of three major categories:

Number One. "We already have University Foods and Honey Bee and that's enough." To that contingency, wherever you got your business and/or urban planning degree from should no longer be allowed to teach. But we already addressed that, so let's move on.

Number Two. "They're using MY tax dollars to..." We've found that whenever a person starts a sentence with "They're using MY tax dollars to..." what-the-hell ever, that the rest of that sentence is going to be nothing more than a steaming stream of ignorance with a complete absence of understanding of how federal and municipal tax spending works. We call them "armchair politicians" and we just tune them out. But, for argument's sake (because we love a good argument), let's review. Actually, someone already did it for us:

Detroit is paying to attract a supermarket. That’s problematic. When Detroit pays to attract or retain sports teams with multi-million dollar stadium investments? No problem.

Tax credit financing for the Compuware Building or the Book-Cadillac restoration? Never a discouraging word.

Public infrastructure dollars spent so sprawl developers can build houses that will compete (in a shrinking market) with homes (built when this was a growing market) in the inner-ring suburbs? That’s progress!

When Ed McNamara decided taxpayers should build Northwest (now Delta) Airlines’ new branch office in Romulus (i.e. the new airport)? Look to the ground and shuffle your feet.

Hells bells, the very products sold in University Foods, Whole Foods or any other grocer are subsidized to the tune of billions of federal dollars. Leave the Whole Foods nickels alone for a second, and take aim at the piles of cash dumped on “heartland” agri-business.

Yet, a subsidy for a high-profile grocery store in a resurgent part of Detroit is the threat to our free market system? Columnist, please.

(From Jeff Wattrick at MLive, read the full article here.)

For good measure and just to make sure we cover all bases, we'll also throw in those film incentives that everyone was aaaaaaaall excited about and when threatened by "One Tough Nerd" Rick Snyder, created a large-scale uproar with protests and everything. Ironically, by some of the exact same people who are behind such precious jewels as the new Facebook fan page, "Whole Foods Isn't Worth $4.2 Million in Incentives." (Their opposition's Facebook fan page, "I am happy Whole Foods is coming to Detroit because I am not insane," is currently outpacing them in "fans" 90 to 12.) For the record, in 2010, the Michigan Film Office paid out $95 million in movie credits, with another $209 million approved but not yet paid. That equals - wait for it - over 72 times as much of YOUR tax dollars as what is being doled out to Whole Foods. So, please, pretty pretty please, shut up.

Number Three: "Whole Foods is too expensive and people in Detroit can't afford it."

Is that so? Well, to prove that line of logic totally and completely wrong, we did a little covert research this week, hitting up the Whole Foods in Troy and photographing a random sampling of kitchen cupboard staples and day-to-day necessities that are part of their brand signature 365 Everyday Value line (like Meijer's eponymous generic label and Target's Market Pantry line), then compared their prices to the prices for the same exact items at University Foods and Honey Bee (which, for whatever reason, are being upheld as Reason Number One).

Also, bear in mind, the 365 label is largely organic, which you already know is more expensive anyway, whereas many of the University and Honey Bee comparisons are not. We differentiate where possible. We also note where prices were compared to other generic labels instead of name brands.

Basic cereal

Here we looked at standard cereals, particularly corn flakes.
 

Whole Foods: $2.69
Honey Bee: $2.49 (generic label)
University Foods: $3.19 (generic label)

Beans
Garbanzo and pinto. Maybe not common in every household, but a common enough canned good.

Whole Foods: $1.39 garb & pinto (both organic)
Honey Bee:  $1.39 garb, $1.29 pinto (not organic)

University Foods: $.99 garb, $1.29 pinto (not organic)

Broth
We look at 11-oz. non-organic small cans, 32-oz. non-organic large cans, and 32-oz. boxed organic to compare solely to Whole Foods' 32-oz. boxed organic.

Whole Foods: $1.99 (organic)
Honey Bee: $1.19 (small), $3.39 (large), $3.49 (organic box)

University Foods: $1.05 (small), $2.49-3.19 (large), $3.49 (organic box)

Frozen waffles
Here we compare Whole Foods' organic frozen waffles to Eggo and Kashi (limited selections available at comp stores)

Whole Foods: $2.69 (organic)
Honey Bee: $2.99 (Eggo brand)
University Foods: $2.85 (Eggo brand), $4.59 (Kashi brand, closest organic comparison available)

Frozen Fruit Bars
Not popsicles, but whole fruit bars. Best comparison at comp stores was Edy's Fruit Bars.

Whole Foods: $2.99 16-oz. 4-pack
Honey Bee: $3.00 16.5-oz. 6-pack
University Foods: $3.99 16.5-oz. 6-pack

Please note: the weight in ounces are nearly identical though the bar count differs.

Instant oatmeal
Once again comparing Whole Foods' organic product to non-organic products at comp stores, same weight.

Whole Foods: $3.39
Honey Bee: $4.19
University Foods: $4.19

Kettle chips
Here we compare pricing on 15-oz. bags of kettle chips at Whole Foods to much smaller bags at comp stores. We're not making this up.

Whole Foods: $1.49 (15-oz.)
Honey Bee: $3.99 (9-oz.)
University Foods: $3.49 (8-oz.)

Yogurt
Here we look at 32-oz. containers of yogurt from Whole Foods, organic and not, as well as single-serving cups, compared to non-organic comp stores.

Whole Foods: $2.69 (non-organic large), $2.99 (organic large), $.79 (single)
Honey Bee: $3.29 (non-organic large), $4.49 (organic large), $1.29 (single)
University Foods: $2.59 (generic non-organic large), $3.19 (Dannon non-organic large), $.79 (single)

Mayonnaise
32 ounces of non-organic mayo at Whole Foods compared to 30-oz. Hellman's at comp stores.

Whole Foods: $3.99
Honey Bee: $6.29
University Foods: $5.99

Pasta sauce
25-oz. jars of organic pasta sauce at Whole Foods compared to same size both organic and non-organic at comp stores.

Whole Foods: $3.39 (organic)
Honey Bee: $2.89 (Prego), $4.99 (organic)
University Foods: $3.19 (Ragu), $3.59 (organic Ragu)

Peanut Butter
18-oz. organic peanut butter at Whole Foods compared to same size both organic and non-organic at comp stores.

Whole Foods: $3.99 (organic)
Honey Bee: $2.89 (non-organic JIF), $4.49 (organic)
University Foods: $1.99 (non-organic JIF on sale at time of research), $7.69 (organic)

Items we were not able to covertly snap pictures of include:

Milk (comparing both organic and non-organic at all three stores)

Whole Foods: $3.49 (gallon, non-organic), $3.49 (half-gallon, organic), $1.99 (half-gallon, non-organic)
Honey Bee: $3.49 (gallon, non-organic), $4.59-5.59 (half-gallon, organic), $2.49 (half-gallon, non-organic)
University Foods: $3.69 (gallon, non-organic), $3.79-4.49 (half-gallon, organic), $2.69 (half-gallon, non-organic)

Eggs (comparing all organic at Whole Foods to both organic and non-organic at comp stores)

Whole Foods: $2.99-4.39 (all organic)
Honey Bee: $1.49 (large white non-organic), $1.99 (large brown non-organic), $4.49 (large white organic)
University Foods: $1.00 (large white non-organic, on sale at time of research), $2.99 (large brown organic, on sale at time of research, regularly $4.39)

Orange Juice (comparing all organic at Whole Foods to all non-organic comp stores)

Whole Foods: $3.39 (half-gallon, organic), $3.99 (half-gallon, organic juice blends)
Honey Bee: $2.49 (half-gallon, non-organic), $4.59 (half-gallon, non-organic juice blends)

University Foods: $2.99-3.99 (half-gallon, non-organic), $3.49 (half-gallon, non-organic juice blends)

Okay? Cool? Can we be done with this idiocy now and just be happy we're going to have something nice for once, FOR ONCE?

Yours truly,
The staff of Eat It Detroit

[HOT LIST] Detroit Grocery Stores + Markets

(All photos by Nicole Rupersburg)

How do you start a hipster riot? In Detroit, it seems, all you have to do is click your heels together and say repeat the words "Whole Foods" three times. (Actually, you don't have to click your heels together and you only have to say those two little words just the once. Once is plenty.)

And, right, so, of course we get it. Some of you are happy with the existing options. And why not. Eastern Market is amazing. (We should know. We basically live there.) The Honey Bee on Bagley has Mexican Coke and guacamole and that is also awesome. Some of you, the sort content to go through life quietly punishing yourselves for various hidden sins, even think that University Foods is a real grocery store. (Let's not start another mini-riot; instead we'll just bob our heads up and down in agreement and move on.) You like to think that Detroit is just fine the way it is, give or take a light rail line or two. 'Grats. Loving your optimism.

Us, though? Well, if you're asking, we say Whole Foods can't come soon enough. Sure, it's not going to fix all of Detroit's problems, but you know what else won't fix all of Detroit's problems? Not opening a Whole Foods. That's what. (And neither will light rail, and neither will Dan Gilbert and neither will a Somerset pop-up store, but again, in the interest of keeping the peace, let's move on.)

Yes, come early 2013, we won't be pried out of our Eastern Market lair all that easily, but having a massive selection of organic produce, artisanal food products, assorted imported and organic food stuffs, boutique wine and craft beer, all within walking distance, available seven days a week and late into the evening hours? This is not something we will be unhappy about. Not at all.

Then again, a year and a half is a long way off. In the meantime, let's take a look at some of of Detroit's best existing markets and shops. Some you've heard of, some you haven't; they're all fanbloodytastic.
 
#1 E and L Supermercado Southwest
You love Honey Bee for the Mexican Coca-Cola in the bottle. Well, it's half the price here. E and L has a huge selection of fresh tortillas and other Hispanic food products and produce (this is Southwest, after all). They also have a fantastic prepared foods counter where you can get proper tacos (chicken, steak or pork with onions and lime) and quesadillas for a buck-thirty each or 3-for-$3 (and you can call-ahead order while on your lunch break for a quick grab-and-go). Their homemade guacamole is also cheaper than Honey Bee (and is better too, IOO), and their homemade tortilla chips and salsa will make you swear off all other pre-packaged store brands forever and ever, amen. But the real beauty is their butcher counter: they have the widest selection of butchered meats at the cheapest prices and highest quality anywhere in the city ... and, really, even beyond. Porterhouse steaks, ribs, filets, beef tenderloin, chorizo, al pastor, even goat (barbacoa); and let's not forget their 16-ft marinade counter loaded with marinated chicken wings, drums, fajitas, and carne asada; or their top-quality luncheon meat counter sliced to order. And it's all criminally cheap.

#2 R. Hirt Jr. Co. Eastern Market
It's Detroit's own genuine, bonafide, olde-timey general store selling lots of odds-and-ends and kitchen trinkets, but the reason we love R. Hirt so very much - despite its severely limited hours - is that cheese counter. THAT cheese counter. The cheese and deli counters are the showpiece of R. Hirt, located right front-and-center (and usually causing some massive bottle-necking in the narrow aisle). The selection is enormous. Blah blah blah meats, BUT, cheeeeeeese. Over 300 different varieties of cheese are on-hand here, some sitting out and letting their luscious aromas waft throughout the building, the rest stored in their massive backroom freezer. The emphasis isn't huge on locally-made cheeses (though there are some), but the import selection is outstanding and, no joke, up to $10 per pound cheaper than Zingerman's. Feel free to ask for samples; we certainly do.

#3 (Tie) Cost Plus Wine Shoppe Eastern Market + Motor City Wine Downtown
Detroit's abundance of liquor stores is well-documented (usually tagged with key words like "food desert"), but despite all the widely-available booze there are two - two - stores in all of Detroit where you can find a quality selection of small-production boutique wines from all over the world. Cost Plus has a larger store and thus a larger selection, and we've found some mind-blowing Chilean wines for a whopping $7. Cost Plus also has a nice collection of Michigan craft beers from some of our favorite labels (Bell's, Founders, New Holland, Short's). Motor City Wine has a smaller but exquisitely-curated wine selection, and is also a hotspot for live music with their "Hot Pot" Detroit techno Thursdays and world-renowned jazz on weekends. They have a leg up on Cost Plus with later hours, weekly events and regular wine tastings, and what they lack in craft beer they make up for by being located above another of our faves: the Grand Trunk Pub, which sells mix-and-match sixers of beer to go.

#4 Azteca Supermercado Southwest
Food desert. Pfffffff. The sheer abundance and per-capita density of grocers, supermarkets, butchers and bakers in Southwest Detroit more than makes up for what might be lacking elsewhere in the city. It's really quite astounding how many places there are to buy fresh food in SW, and how busy they all always seem to be. We don't really love Azteca for any one thing - we love them for all things. Fresh CHEAP produce (and a ginormous selection), fantastic butcher shop, fantastic bakery, a complete line of both American and Hispanic food items (like two full grocery stores in one), a huge and sparkling clean store, and awesome weekly specials that are cheap cheap CHEAP. If you want to settle for smaller selections at higher prices with lower quality and claim that it's "good enough," that's your prerogative.

#5 Goodwell's Natural Foods Midtown 
Goodwell's is essentially the local mom-and-pop version of Whole Foods. The focus is all on natural and organic foods with lots of vegan and raw this-and-thats. Their homemade pocket sandwiches are cheap and delicious, making it a nice little alternative to the often-overrun and rather 'spensive Avalon International Breads next door, while still maintaining the same ethos. The grocery selection is small but has all the staples you need; because it is all organic it is also more expensive, but such is the price you pay for eco-consciousness and sustainability. Which, if you're shopping here, you probably already know.

Bubbling under Honey Bee La Colmena (Mexicantown), Al-Madeena Grocery (Hamtramck), Lafayette Foods (Lafayette Park), Kim's Produce (Midtown), Polish Market (Hamtramck)

944 Detroit: In the Garden of Eatin'

Also from the November 2010 issue, this one you have to view as a PDF by clicking here. (Thinking out loud: kind of funny to see how much of this information is already outdated only six months later.)

But for funsies, I'll give you the full text I had compiled pre-edit:

Top Nine Dining Trends in Metro Detroit (2010)

Pizza Goes Posh
It’s a staple of the American diet and comes in as many combinations of styles, flavors and preparation methods as there are possible permutations in a game of Sudoku.   But thanks to a new breed of wine bar, pizza is no longer pedestrian.  It all started with Crust Pizza and Wine Bar, with locations in Rochester Hills and Bloomfield Township.  Think Prosciutto di Parma with Maytag Bleu cheese, arugula and extra virgin olive oil...on a pizza.  Taste Pizzabar in Detroit features a uniquely urban loft atmosphere serving exceptional pizza with chewy, flavorful crust made fresh daily. Birmingham’s Quattro reinvented itself in May to be Quattro Pizzeria & Wine Bar, a little more casual and fun with a particular emphasis on the wine -- there’s something for every taste and budget.  And just this June, James Beard-nominated Chef Luciano Del Signore opened Pizzeria Biga in Southfield.  This is truly Italian-style pizza, with a thin, crispy crust and such toppings as duck prosciutto, Italian tuna and speck.  

Don’t Know How You Do the BBQ That You Do So Well
These places are so new you can still smell the paint amidst the aromas of sweet, succulent meat slow-cooking in the smoker.  Rub BBQ and Pub and Red Smoke Barbecue both just opened in Detroit this summer and both serve a variety of classic barbecue dishes in a trendy atmosphere with such distinctly Detroit touches as exposed brick walls and hardwood floors, and an extensive list of Michigan beers.  Over in Royal Oak, Lockhart’s BBQ opened in August and is already the talk of the town with its “REAL” barbecue offerings.  Following the Texas BBQ traditions, Lockhart’s is owned by a native Texan with a pit master who intensively studied his craft in Texas and uses a smoker built in Texas and yes, the name itself pays homage to the city in Texas where American barbecue was born. 

One Bottle of Wine for Now, Three Bottles for Later: Restaurant-Markets
Two new restaurants have opened in the past year that have really made a mark ... with their markets.  Toasted Oak Grill & Market in Novi offers a sharp selection of boutique wines (including a wide selection of Michigan wines), house-made charcuterie, artisan cheeses and a variety of house-made specialty products for purchase in the market. The restaurant also offers their complete wine list at retail pricing with only a corkage fee.  In Birmingham, Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro offers farm-to-table dining with a wide, diverse selection of worldly wines.  Next door Tallulah Too offers those same wines for purchase, as well as nightly wine flights and tastings.

Show Me the Way to the Next Whiskey Bar(BQ): Food Tours
Sometimes the best way to discover what an area has to offer is to have someone else show you.  Check out some of these businesses offering highly specialized food- and drink-themed tours.

Motor City Brew Tours: http://motorcitybrewtours.com
Focused on the craft beer movement in Michigan, tours include bus transportation to three different breweries, with brewer-led tours and generous beer samples at each stop.  $49 + fees.
Taste-Full Tours: http://www.taste-fulltours.com
All tours are bussed from Royal Oak and cover a variety of themes, from a Junkfood Junket to a Motown Chowdown.  Chefs Laura and Laura also host Taste-Full Tastings above Royal Oak’s Cloverleaf Fine Wines complete with appropriate wine pairings. $35-65.
Savor Ann Arbor: http://savorannarbor.com/
Guided walking tours throughout downtown Ann Arbor and Kerrytown exploring history, architecture, shops and culinary treats.  Themes include sweets, vegetarian, and international flavors.  $30 for all includes food.

Discover Detroit Dining: http://www.discoverdetroitdining.com
Launched in early 2010, 3D Tours offers themed packages, pairing dinners and signature events from Taquerias & Tequila to a Brunch Bike Tour through Eastern Market.  $30-65.

Inside Detroit: http://www.insidedetroit.org
They primarily offer private tours, but their signature Know Before Your Go series is their most popular public event.  You’ll get a guided tour of different bars in the city rich with detailed local history and fun facts, receive drink specials and meet bar owners so you too will be “in the know.”  $10-15.

Attainably Sustainable
Locovorism.  Eco-conscious eating.  Sustainable cuisine.  Call it anything you want, there’s no doubt that more environmentally- and economically-aware methods of food procurement and preparation are among the biggest national food trends right now.  “Sustainable” refers to sourcing from local producers and purveyors so foods are freshest and the money stays within the local economy; using and promoting organic growing methods for ecologic sustainability and a more healthful diet; and utilizing locally-grown seasonal produce with simple preparation methods to highlight their own natural flavors.  Here are a few of our favorite farm-to-table restaurants.
Ann Arbor: Arbor Brewing Company, eve: the restaurant, Grange Kitchen + Bar, Zingerman’s

Detroit: Avalon International Breads, Mudgie’s Deli, Woodbridge Pub

Oakland County: Inn Season Café, Forest Grill, Mind Body + Spirits, Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro, Toasted Oak Grill & Market

Makes Us Weak: Restaurant Weeks
Even the biggest foodies can have a hard time tasting all that a single town has to offer, which is what makes various “Restaurant Week” events so enticing.  Three-course prix fixe menus at discounted prices allow diners to sample a city’s different restaurants while still being conscious of their wallets -- the only thing you have to worry about is how many reservations you can make in one week!  

Detroit Restaurant Week:  http://www.detroitrestaurantweek.com/
Spring and Fall: $28 dinner
Birmingham Restaurant Week
February: $15 lunch/$25 dinner
Troy Restaurant Week: http://www.troyrestaurantweek.com/
March & August: $15 lunch/$30 dinner
Ann Arbor Restaurant Week: http://annarborrestaurantweek.com/
January & June; $12 lunch/$25 dinner

High-End Mexican
Once upon a time this may have sounded like an oxymoron, but metro Detroit has seen simple Mexican cuisine go from humble taquerias to full-blown white tablecloth dining.  Cinco Lagos in Milford is the reincarnation of Chef Brian Polcyn’s nationally-renowned Five Lakes Grill, reborn last summer in response to a shift in consumer’s palates.  Thankfully Chef Polcyn’s charcuterie skills are still on display with his housemade chorizo.  Rojo Mexican Bistro in Novi is part of the Andiamo family of restaurants and impresses guests with guacamole prepared tableside and an extensive tequila list.  El Barzon in Detroit used to be one of the city’s best-kept secrets until the word got out and people discovered that Chef Norberto Garita’s half-Mexican/half-Italian menu was ALL authentic and ALL exceptional (not to mention very reasonably priced). 

Coming Home to Clawson
Clawson may just be a teeny-tiny township that you have to drive through in order to get from the north suburbs to Royal Oak, but this little city has gone “Wee! Wee! Wee!” all the way home, making a name for itself with some of metro Detroit’s Best in Class.  For example, that sliver of a sushi bar at Noble Fish is overwhelmingly agreed upon to churn out the best sushi in the tri-counties.  Frittata is a very popular breakfast/lunch/brunch spot, serving up gourmet fare in an achingly charming atmosphere.  For truly authentic Asian cuisine, the dong stops at Da Nang.  Their Vietnamese dishes have won rave reviews from critics all over metro Detroit since they opened in 2009, even making a few “best of” and “top 10” lists.  Clawson’s cuisine is nothing if not ethnically diverse, and the northern Italian cuisine at the two-year-old Due Venti is widely regarded to be among the top nouveau Italian restaurants in the area. 

Fine Dining vs. Fun Dining
With the shift in the economic climate over the past few years, fine dining has taken a serious hit. But too often the fine dining concept is unnecessarily intimidating, turning customers off with a perceived priceyness that isn’t always representative.  These new restaurants are fine dining in spirit and comparable in cost, but allow customers to feel a little more comfortable with a decidedly more casual atmosphere.  Zazio’s in Birmingham is a neon-soaked romp but don’t let the lime green and tangerine fool you: this place offers the full fine dining experience.  J. Baldwin’s in Clinton Twp has a family-friendly atmosphere and serves more casual fare like their stone-fired pizza, but you can also get Grilled Australian Lamb Chops and Filet Mignon at prices on par with the Rattlesnake Club.  Toasted Oak Grill & Market in Novi is doused in bright colors with texturizing patterns and materials and eclectic accents all creating a warm, comfy dining climate.  But the regional American menu focused on fresh locally-sourced ingredients and Michigan-made products is pure contemporary brasserie, and charcuterie is a particular specialty.

Little Vietnam in Madison Heights

Have you driven down John R or Dequindre between 12 and 13 Mile Rd. lately? Then perhaps you've noticed the same trend I did--the seemingly inexplicable and disproportionate number of Vietnamese restaurants, markets, and specialty stores that are concentrated in this area (and this area alone). It led me to embark on a quest, which you can read in this week's issue of Metromode.

"If you want to experience authentic Vietnamese culture, skip the 25-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Look no further than our own Madison Heights. Inexplicably, this mid-sized suburb seems to be the hub for Vietnamese culture in Metro Detroit.

'Or maybe not so inexplicable when you look at the numbers. While the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau data suggests a population density for persons of Vietnamese descent at only 1.9% for the city—hardly a sizable number—comparable areas boast populations of 0.3% and less, making the overall population a slight 0.2% for all of Oakland County and the entire state of Michigan. In other words, the population may be small, but it is still nearly 10x that of surrounding areas.

'Which helps explain the disproportionate number of Vietnamese restaurants, markets, and specialty stores clustered along unlikely stretches of John R and Dequindre, but doesn't really make clear what local Vietnamese business owners find so alluring about the region between 12 and 13 Mile Roads..."

Read the rest of the article from Metromode here.