[Curbed Detroit] Pizzeria Biga Makes Royal Oak Look, Taste Good

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.Who ever said that Royal Oak had no architectural taste? ... On Main Street just south of all the downtown chaos (but still within eyeshot of that awesome 526 signage ... because everything is within eyeshot of that 526 signage) is the old St. Clair Addison Power Station. The original building was constructed in 1907 and still stands (with its 1955 addition) to this day. And now it will be a pizzeria and beer store!Michael...

Read More

[Curbed Detroit] Ferndale Gets California-fied with Woodward Imperial

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.Jeff King, owner of Woodward Imperial, likes to refer to Ferndale's newest neighborhood bar as a "community bar with a taco truck on the back." The "taco truck" is actually a full kitchen, and probably it might be better to stay away from the "t" word since Ferndale is pretty sensitive about it, but basically it's a super laid-back, sparsely-decorated space that's California dreamin' in the midst of Detroit realities ......

Read More

[Curbed Detroit] The Great Ferndale Food Truck Debate 2012

Street Eats Wednesdays at the Rust Belt Market March 21, 2012. Photo from Ferndale Patch.Last year Ferndale was lauded for being the kind of forward-thinking municipality that would allow mobile food vendors, a fairly new business concept in metro Detroit, to operate with minimal interference. But business owners are still business owners all the world over, and while they tolerated the presence of this fast-growing phenomenon, they have recently...

Read More

[Curbed Detroit] Derby-Style Slider Shack Green Dot Stables Now Open, Sort Of

Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.The equestrian-themed restaurant on the outskirts of Corktown that inadvertently coined the term "Corktown Shores" and made it a thing is now open for lunch! Owners Jacques and Christine Driscoll are still awaiting approval for their liquor license before the Derby-ish Green Dot Stables can fully open for really-real, but they decided to open their doors today and start slinging their signature gourmet sliders for the hungry...

Read More

An Ode to Oberon, the Gateway Beer

Temperatures are rising. (And freakishly so.) Birds are chirping. Trees are budding. In metro Detroit, that can only mean one thing: it's time for the release of Bell's Oberon.This seasonal brew is released but once a year. Granted it's released in stupid-large quantities and is probably more widely available than Budweiser now that craft beer bars are all anti-Bud, and also you can usually find it well into October so their definition of it as a...

Read More

[EID Preview] The Legend of Green Dot Stables

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.Local legend has it that Green Dot Stables in “Corktown Shores” was opened by a former horseracing jockey – hence the equestrian theme. But the actual history of the place is shrouded in mystery. (Ooooooooh…)Owner Jacques Driscoll admits they haven’t actually been able to find any reliable information about the bar’s history (and why it has that unique, if entirely inexplicable, equestrian theme). There’s plenty of...

Read More

[HOT LIST] Saturday brunch

The King's French Toast at One-Eyed Betty's. Covert cell phone photography by Nicole Rupersburg."Brunch is not a meal. It is an art." - Nicole Rupersburg(Yeah, I just quoted myself.)Sunday brunching is indeed sacred ... but why should it only be on Sundays? Do not most working adults also have Saturdays off from work? Would not most working adults enjoy a Bloody Mary or four on Saturdays, when they still have another day of weekend left to look...

Read More

[Oakland County Prosper] A Feast for the Eyes

Torino Espresso + Bar. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.There has been a flurry of restaurant opening activity in Oakland County lately. Ferndale has seen One-Eyed Betty’s and John D Bistro both open within the last two months, with Woodward Imperial (which will serve California-style gourmet tacos) and Local Kitchen and Bar (serving contemporary American and upscale comfort food) opening soon. The Roberts Restaurant Group – which operates Streetside Seafood...

Read More

[EID Feature] 5 Days in Dublin

There are many moments in a person's life that get perhaps prematurely described as "life-changing" experiences, particularly with travel. So often you hear of "once in a lifetime" trips and travel experiences to exotic foreign lands that are "journeys of self-discovery." While there are certainly people in the world who take humanitarian holidays, most of us just go for the food and fun.For years I've wanted to write something about the 5 days I...

Read More

[Concentrate] Only in Ann Arbor: Ron's Roadside BBQ

The reviews on Yelp say it best. Between the effusive praises and complaints that their favorite dishes were sold out, folks like Peggy F of Northville describe Ron's Roadside BBQ (a.k.a. Romanoff's Catering) as "hidden off to the side of nowhere and nothing." And that just seems to fuel the passion for a family business that has been an Ann Arbor fixture for almost 40 years but mostly attracts those who are 'in-the-know.'Roman Philipp started his business as a small catering company in the ‘60s, then built the kitchen that currently houses Romanoff's...

Read More

[HOT LIST] Corned beef

Corned beef hash at Farmers Restaurant. Covert cell phone photography by Nicole Rupersburg.On July 5, 2011, EID ran a "Corned beef sandwiches" Hot List. It was our third-ever Hot List and a lot of you hadn't heard of us yet. This week, in honor of Detroit's Irish culture and our proud corned beef heritage, we're re-visiting and expanding this list. These Hot Lists are meant to be infinitely revisitable as new places open, others close, or we just...

Read More

[Metromode] Great Neighborhood Bars

The burger at East Side Tavern. What defines a "neighborhood bar"? Is it that sense of belonging? The desire to go to a place "where everybody knows your name"? Is it a bar unique to its time and place in history, or is it defined by its patrons and surroundings? Is it a bar you can easily stumble home from or a place that reflects the unique identity of the neighborhood itself?A neighborhood bar is any and all of those things. It isn't the...

Read More

[HOT LIST] Sushi

Ahi Tuna Roll at Izakaya Sanpei, Canton. All covert phone photography by Nicole Rupersburg.Full disclosure: I pretty much think sushi is the most boring of all the fashionable foods and I am quite frankly relieved that it seems as if the sushi craze is finally slowing down and stepping aside for good old American MEAT. For two reasons: (a) I'm not that much of a seafood fan in the first place (except for scallops, mmmmmm num num num scallops); and...

Read More

[Prosper] The Uptown Film Festival returns with three days of thought-provoking films

A world-premiere film and several others making their Michigan debuts are among the highlights of the second annual Uptown Film Festival (UFF), which begins Thursday at the Palladium 12 and Birmingham 8 theatres in Birmingham.Brothers on the Line, the story of the Reuther brothers and the history of the United Auto Workers as told by Frank Reuther’s son, is making its world premiere.Bully, a documentary that addresses the emotional and psychological tolls of bullying, is among several films premiering during the Uptown Film Festival, which celebrates...

Read More

[EID Preview] Vinsetta Garage

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.Theme restaurants are, by their very nature, horrendously gimmicky. Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Cafe ... conjure if you will the image of waddling Midwesterners herding their hordes of bratletts through these endlessly replicable themed eateries, taking pictures next to chintzy displays then stopping by the gift shop to stock up on T-shirts and shot glasses to commemorate the experience (after dropping...

Read More