[EID Feature] Michael Mina: The Inconspicuous Celebrity Chef

Photo from dcist.After a lengthy chat with Wolfgang Puck - arguably the first and most celebrated of celebrity chefs -- and Michael Symon -- the iconoclast-turned-icon -- it seemed only natural to speak to metro Detroit's third nationally-recognized celebrity chef, the comparatively quiet and under-the-radar Michael Mina. Mina has two acclaimed restaurants in Detroit: Bourbon Steak and SaltWater, both inside the MGM Grand Detroit. Despite...

Read More

[HOT LIST] A Veg-Head's Guide to Everyday Dining

Seva "BLT." All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.The majority of what we eat on a daily basis is technically "vegetarian" - we just don't call it that. See, that word has become wrought with certain unsavory implications. In the meatatarian's mind, "vegetarian" = Someone Who Passes Judgment on Those Who Do Not Share Same Self-Imposed Dietary Restrictions. The meatatarians, fearing what they do not understand, mock the veg-heads, and the veg-heads in turn...

Read More

[EID Feature] Michael Symon is Effing Cool, But You Already Knew That: An Interview

Image from Inked Magazine.I can't even venture a guess at how many times I've said in print, pixels and person that Michael Symon's Roast is the one restaurant in Detroit that nails it on all counts. (Here's one. And another.) I had the chance to chat with Michael more about what for the love of beer and bacon possessed him to open a restaurant in Detroit in 2008 when the sky had all but fallen, and his answer made me like him even more."We* love...

Read More

[HOT LIST] Detroit Restaurant Week - A Room With a View

Iridescence. Photo courtesy of Motor City Casino.Detroit Restaurant Week Spring 2012 starts this Friday, April 20th - 10 days, 21 restaurants, $28 three-course menus ... how does one decide? Each restaurant has its own unique aesthetic and culinary style. Maybe looking at the menus is all you need to help make your decision, or maybe there is a specific kind of ambiance you seek. Each of the participating restaurants is majestic in its own right,...

Read More

[EID Feature] Motor City Brew Tours Photo Essay

Big gay bus. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.Last week Two weeks ago my friend Dave Bardallis ("Uncle Dave" - I still don't know why) of AnnArborBeer.com invited me along on a bus tour of mid-south-western Michigan breweries with Motor City Brew Tours because we are meeeeeeeedia. I got to play the role of official picture-taker for this journey; here is the evidence.We started at the Fleetwood Diner in Ann Arbor. It's about the size of a mobile...

Read More

[Metromode] The Art of Destination Dining

Royal Oak and Birmingham are probably the toniest metro Detroit cities for a businessperson to open a restaurant in. With vibrant, walkable downtowns and active surrounding communities, both have a built-in clientele base that make it difficult to resist. Put your finger in the wind, open an eatery that follows current trends and you should do fine.Unless, of course, you like to gamble. And Hubert Yaro is a betting man.Read mo...

Read More

[HOT LIST] Best bars to work in

Torino Espresso + Bar. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.As a freelancer I know what is probably a disproportionate number of other freelancers in Detroit, and we all seem to share the same basic three needs: the need for strong coffee before noon, the need for strong drink any time after noon, and the need for endless reliable WiFi. While we often work from home, we are also known to occasionally seek out the company of other humans by putting pants on...

Read More

[EID Feature] Of Barns and Barbecue: Bad Brad's BBQ

Barbecue: the people's food. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.When writing about Detroit, or food, but more specifically food in Detroit, and also Detroit's rebirth et.al., it's almost impossible to imagine the time Before Slows. Now it just feels like The Most Important Barbecue Restaurant in the Country has always been and forever will be; and every upscale BBQ joint to open in its wake is likely to suffer the accusation of "just trying to...

Read More

[Metromix] One-Eyed Betty's

All photos by VATO for Metromix.There has been a surge of business growth in downtown Ferndale over the past year, and One-Eyed Betty’s is another new concept to add to your “fast new favorites” list. Located in the space that was once home to Cantina Diablo’s, a Tex-Mex joint-cum-sports bar that never really gelled with the Ferndale crowd, Betty’s feels like the ultimate hometown bar for the slightly more sophisticated Ferndale clientele. Beth Hussey...

Read More