[NEWS BITES] Happy's Pizza and Pub open in West Bloomfield

Oh, the things that come through my email. So. Despite the owner of Happy's Pizza, Happy Asker (his name is actually Happy! That makes me...happy), being indicted for tax fraud, the local pizza chain continues to expand. Most recently they opened Happy's Pizza and Pub in West Bloomfield, a sit-down, dine-in version of the fast food pizzeria with a full bar. My feeling was that it would be more your standard sit-down Buddy's than Jet's Sportsroom in Chelsea, but nay, apparently they are also trying to tackle the "eat/drink local" clientele. Here's the presser:

Happy’s Pizza is proud to announce the opening of their new Happy’s Pizza and Pub location in West Bloomfield, MI (7170 Orchard Lake Road), which officially opened on Monday, July 29.

The new Pizza and Pub was originally a Happy’s Pizza location, but re-opened as a sports bar and family-style restaurant. The Happy’s Pizza and Pub store features a full restaurant atmosphere, with over 40 flat screen televisions, 28 domestic craft beers and seats over 200 people, making it a great place to connect with family and friends while watching the big game. The new location has a full bar while still providing customers with the traditional Happy’s Pizza menu and concept of feeding a family of four for under $20.

“We couldn’t be more excited to open a Happy’s Pizza and Pub right here in Metro Detroit,” said Jason Curis, co-CEO for Happy’s Pizza. “Detroit is one of the best sports cities in the U.S. Now our customers will have the option of ordering in or coming down to the Pizza and Pub, where they can enjoy a great atmosphere while still eating the same delicious food.”

Happy’s Pizza offers over 220 menu items ranging from pizza to salads, chicken, ribs and seafood but will expand their menu in the pub to offer new dishes. Happy’s is best known for having pricing that allows a family to eat dinner for under $20.00 and deliver within a 5 mile radius of the store (248-406-5555). New pub hours are 11am – 2am, every day of the week.

Happy’s Pizza also offers franchising opportunities, more information upon request.

About Happy’s Pizza and Pub
The first Happy’s Pizza and Pub location opened in March of 2013 in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The store features a full restaurant atmosphere, making it a good place to connect with family and friends while watching the big game. Happy’s Pizza and Pub will have a full bar while still providing customers with the traditional Happy’s Pizza menu.
www.happyspizzapub.com

About Happy’s Pizza
The first Happy’s Pizza opened in 1996 on Detroit’s Northeast side on a busy corner and quickly became known for not only its pizza, but also its barbeque ribs, fried chicken and seafood. Happy’s Pizza soon turned into a household name in Michigan and has expanded into eight other states. Happy’s Pizza’s primary mission is to provide families with the finest quality foods at the lowest possible price and to assure that each and every restaurant location a charitable leader throughout the communities that they serve. For more information visit www.happyspizza.com.

A lifetime ago I lived in West Bloomfield and it was pretty much a bar and restaurant desert. There were a few decent spots but they usually didn't last long. Things have been looking up a bit out there (and don't forget, Huerto Restaurant and Tequila Bar is opening there this fall) and I'll be honest, (a) pizza-lover that I am, and (b) beer-lover that I am, and (c) Happy's Pizza cheese bread-lover that I am, I might just check this place out next time I'm out that way. (Even though Jet's is still a thousand times better, OBVIOUSLY.)

[Real Detroit] Epic

Note: I may be just a little bit making fun of the name here.

You know, the word "epic" gets tossed around quite a bit. And, it's like, not everything is "epic," you know? Not every Instagram photo is epic, not every Saturday night is epic. But every Saturday night can be epic at Epic Tavern and Grill in Novi!

While you might disagree with the idea of bar being named "Epic" in the first place – Is it too presumptuous? Too arrogant? Can it ever really live up to its own name? – this recently-opened mega bar in Novi probably comes as close as anything ever could.

Read more.

[Real Detroit Weekly] Fifth Avenue

Fifth Avenue is one of the hottest spots to party in Royal Oak. Whether you're coming to check out the live bands upstairs, shoot some pool, take advantage of their great beer selection and killer happy hour deals, watch the game(s), or just chill with a group of friends, Fifth Avenue has you covered from every angle.

What sets Fifth Avenue apart from other bars that try to be all things for all people is that it actually succeeds at doing so. In the front corner you'll find a Vegas-style (albeit scaled down) sport book setup with leather lounge chairs and multiple big screen TVs. Grab your buddies and hole up for the night in this stylish and comfortable setting without missing a minute of the game.

Read more.

[Real Detroit] Buffalo Wild Wings

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

You guys. We just went to the new Buffalo Wild Wings in Greektown. It is the largest Buffalo Wild Wings in the world.

IN THE WORLD.

It is everything you have come to expect from your local BW3: beer, wings and sports. Baskets of crispy-fried wings smothered in luscious spicy garlic sauce served piping hot with a 22-ounce glass of Michigan craft on draft, while "the game" plays on overheard flatscreen TVs.

So many games! So many flatscreen TVs!

What sets this BW3 apart from its suburban brethren (sidebar: why "BW3"? Where does the "3" come in? There are only two "w's" in "Buffalo Wild Wings," so why is it called "BW3"?), aside from the fact that it is the largest BW3 IN THE WORLD, is the general sense of being totally over-the-top – it is SO MUCH Buffalo Wild Wings, a Buffalo Wild Wings in the most extreme form, that it is like a Buffalo Wild Wings theme park, a rollercoaster ride of its own inherent BW3-ness. So strap in.

Read more.

[EID Feature] Beer and Pizza ... Brilliant! Jet's Sportsroom

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

You know how the only thing that could possibly make Jet’s Pizza better is if it came with beer? There is a magical place where that dream is a reality, and that magical place is in Chelsea, Michigan.

The Jet’s Pizza in Chelsea originally added their “Jet’s Sportsroom” full service restaurant two years ago. The Sportsroom serves all Jet’s menu items but in a restaurant/sports bar setting – booths, tables, a bar, servers, the whole works. About a year and a half ago, they were approved for a beer-only liquor license (and wine, but meh) and started serving beer with their pizza. But not just ANY beer: craft beer. And not just ANY craft beer: they’ve got 21 taps with 50 more labels by the bottle and an emphasis on Michigan brews.

After hearing rumors of an Arbor Brewing tap takeover happening next Wednesday, and as a long-time devotee of Jet’s Pizza (and also hi Michigan beer, are you new here?), I simply HAD to investigate this for myself. I’m a big believer in “If it sounds too good to be true, it is,” and, well, this just sounded TOO good. Driving down Main Street through downtown Chelsea, Jet’s Sportsroom appears like a shimmering mirage just past the train tracks. (Or maybe that was the optical illusion effect of the heat radiating off the hot asphalt parking lot. Either way.) YES. YES, IT IS REAL. IT IS A REAL THING.

And it’s also the only one of its kind in the country. Jet’s corporate viewed this location as sort of a prototype and as it stands there are no further plans to transition any of the 260-or-so Jet’s Pizzas across the country or model any of the new stores (opening at a rate of about one per week) after this location. So not only is it the answer to every pizza and beer lovers’ prayers, it is THE ONLY PLACE LIKE IT IN THE WORLD. (I mean, other places serve pizza and beer, this is hardly anything new … but JET’S pizza and MICHIGAN beer? It’s like when those Taco Bell/Pizza Hut combos started opening. Like, holy shit, how does this not exist on every corner?)

Partners Joel Northam, Jason Povlich and Jason Bendinelli are all craft beer fans. Together they own four Jet’s franchises (the Chelsea location and four more in Toledo) as well as Back to the Roots, a sushi restaurant also in Chelsea. When they expanded their Jet’s carry-out to a full restaurant in the empty space that just so happened to be next door, they wanted to created a kind of comfortable community space for everyone to enjoy. “We realized that Chelsea is a small town,” Northam says. “We wanted to do something to bring the community together. It would be nothing to see the mayor come in here for dinner; we just wanted to create that sense of community.”

As business owners, they are known for being very passionate about their community and they try to support it in any way they can (Back to the Roots helps fund a number of different philanthropic nonprofit organizations, including the Asha House, a home for neglected and abandoned children). The decision to carry craft beer was as much a decision for the community as it was for themselves. “Jet’s is a Michigan corporation,” Northam says. “We want to feature as much of Michigan as we can here and the best way to do that is with Michigan beer, being the great beer state that we are.” While they still carry the macros for those who just can’t be converted (one day…), they also have an ample selection of Michigan (and some non-Michigan) craft beers from the likes of Founders, Brewery Vivant, Atwater, Arbor, MillKing It, New Holland and more. And now they’re hosting regular beer events.

Next Wednesday, August 8, Jet’s Sportsroom is hosting an Arbor Brewing Company VIP dinner and tap takeover from 6 p.m. to close. From 6-8 p.m., Executive Chef James Woodward from Back to the Roots, who was previously the Executive Chef for the Ritz Carlton, will prepare a four-course dinner with a beer pairing for each course. Guests will get a beer for the “reception,” then four 6-oz. pours during the dinner … all for a $25. TWENTY FIVE BUCKS, because that value actually needs to be spelled out. Arbor Brewing owner Matt Greff will be on hand to discuss the beers, then afterwards it becomes an Arbor Brewing tap takeover with 12 different Arbor beers including Sacred Cow, Ypsi Gypsi, Ypsi Jack, Fat Abbott, Sodibo (Arbor’s stellar sour), plus a firkin of Imperial Rye.

These beer dinners will become more frequent, with Founders hosting one on October 3 and Bell’s in November. After that they hope for it to be a regular monthly occurrence. In the meantime, Jet’s Sportsroom has built a very strong relationship with their suppliers and being the biggest craft beer bar in Chelsea they are able to get their hands on some serious labels. Right now they’re still sitting on bottles of Founders' Frangelic Mountain, which are currently going on eBay for $50 a pop. Stop on by and enjoy a bottle in the Sportsroom for $20. (WITH JET’S PIZZA!)

The space was recently remodeled and is comfortable and just a bit nerdy – the walls are decorated with Batman and Spiderman posters, and there are ET and Yoda figures scattered about. “[All three of us partners] were born in 1976,” Northam explains. “For all the people who were born around our time these are the things they grew up with.” They also have a “76er wall” honoring their collective birth year, and a house "76er" beer from Arbor Brewing (known elsewhere as Tally Wacker).

Northam says another motive for carrying craft beer is perhaps a bit selfish (but probably no one’s going to be mad about): “We think of this as our living room. We spend a lot of time here.” As craft beer drinkers themselves, it only made sense to carry the beers they want to drink. And their customers have been amenable to the cause. “We wanted to expose people [to something that maybe they don’t know about or aren’t familiar with], and they love it. I think we’ve hit a good stride.”

You guys, it’s a Jet’s Pizza that serves Michigan craft beer. I mean. Come on.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

[Real Detroit Weekly] Red Ox Tavern

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

"Red Ox Tavern defines itself as an 'upscale sports bar,' and that's probably the only way to really describe it. A massive building on Walton just north of Squirrel Rd., in what is formally listed as 'Auburn Hills' though others insist it's Rochester (we'll just say it's 'on the edge' of both), Red Ox is a large, impressive space with quite the eye-catching waterfall behind the bar and a large outdoor patio with a firepit.

'As far as 'sports bars' go, this is the kind of place where you can go to watch sports in an atmosphere that still feels like a casual-upscale restaurant – in other words, you won't find the walls plastered with vinyl Budweiser banners or fat dudes named 'Tiny' with their faces painted the colors of their fave team. The clientele here is mostly business types from the nearby Chrysler headquarters, as well as students from Oakland University (which is right across the street). Suits and newly-legal seniors may make strange drinking buddies, but the mix works well here. (Weekends, obviously, are a different beast altogether.)..."

Read the rest of the story here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Real Detroit Weekly: The Avenue Sports Grille

"Watching the playoff games on your own 42'' HD flatscreen TV at home is one thing. Watching the playoff games on one of 14 HD plasma screens AND 4 giant HD projector screens is quite another. At the Avenue Sports Grille in Wayne, every seat in the house is center ice.

'As a sports bar, they don't mess around. Nearly every square inch of wall space is covered in screen. It is a sports bar. You come here to watch sports. It's that simple.

'But sports fans also like to eat, and they've got you covered there too. The concept of the Avenue is to be a 'gourmet' sports grille, with everything on the menu made from scratch and actual chefs working in the kitchen. They've been open for one year now and they are already known for having one of the best burgers in town – and not just their town. WDFN 'the Fan' rated the Ave's top-secret burger blend of mixed meats as the best burger in Detroit, beating out ALL the competition (including heavyweights like Red Coat Tavern). They consider themselves pioneers of the "mixed meat" burger blend, which may sound like some mutant Frankensteinian turducken-spam, but worry not my fellow meat-lovers: this burger is all beef, made from a blend of various higher-end cuts not normally used in burger meats..."

Read the rest of the article here.

For more photos, check out the Flickr photostream.

Real Detroit Weekly: The Hub Sports Bistro

"'Sports Bistro' may sound like an oxymoron, but at the Hub in Macomb Township, you can have your ESPN and keep it classy, too.

'There are plenty of places you can go to watch sports in the MC, but few places that have the same upscale (but still fun) atmosphere. Slate floors, a separate lounge and an expansive wooden bar top so glossy you don't even need to take your eyes off your beer to watch the game all give the Hub its 'bistro' chic, but the beer pong room makes sure it stays a good sport..."

Read the rest of the article here.

Real Detroit Weekly: Bookies Bar & Grille

It's hard to imagine a time before Bookies was around for Tigers Opening Day. It's like asking what did people ever do before cell phones or computers. But, much like teenagers today don't know a world without Facebook and iPhones, Detroiters never need to question where to spend this most sacrosanct of Detroit holy days. Bookies has been a downtown drinking destination for 8 years now; this year marks their third Opening Day in their new three-floor building on Cass Ave., and it is THE place to be for Opening Day.

"Opening Day is exciting for the entire city," says owner John Lambrecht. "It's the first sign of spring and summer and warm weather, and can be celebrated by everyone in the city whether they're into baseball or not."

Read the rest of the article here.