The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

This just screams "coincidence."

Mae's in Pleasant Ridge has received approval for their long-in-the-works liquor license. There are no plans to extend their hours into dinner service, but you can bet your sweet bleary-eyed hungover ass that there will be mimosas and Bloody Marys (also a small selection of craft cocktails, wine, and Michigan beer). [Mae's FB / EID FB]

Falling Down Beer Company is officially a brewery in metro Detroit's own little beer city, Warren. [FDBC FB]

And Schramm's Mead is officially a meadery in metro Detroit's newly-annointed City of Mead, Ferndale. Or maybe it should be the City of Milk and Honey? Not sure where the milk part comes in, but it would be a nice nod to Ministry (censored version). [Schramm's FB]

In the never-ending news fodder provided by Flavor Flav's Chicken and Ribs, Flavor is now considering making the Sterling Heights restaurant a shooting location for a black Happy Days. So there's that. [Macomb Daily]

I've been yapping about metro Detroit's craft cocktail scene for a couple of years now (*cough*FIRST*cough*), but this might be the biggest happening on a national scale for Detroit's craft cocktail scene yet: Travis Fourmont of Michael Symon's Roast won Woodford Reserve's Master of the Manhattan in Manhattan, beating out mixologists from the booziest cities in the country ... INCLUDING MANHATTAN. [Woodford Reserve]

The Detroit Animal is observed by the Chicago Tribune. SLOWS BAR BQ, Green Dot Stables, ASTRO COFFEE, The Sugar House, Mercury Burger Bar, Eastern Market Corporation and etc. Thankfully, Detroiters seem to have finally reached a blissful shade of jade over these phoned-in Corktown-centric round-ups. [Chicago Tribune]

We don't really have the brightest criminals around here. (I can attest to this personally.) [HuffPo]

Detroit's most famous restaurant SLOWS BAR BQ is undergoing a much-needed expansion. The new space will be mostly separate from the main dining room, enabling them to accommodate large private parties and also allowing increased bar space for those waiting for a table. 36 added tap handles will mostly duplicate those in the main space, and Chef/Partner Brian Perrone will have a larger updated kitchen that will enable him to run more specials and beer dinners. And here's photos! (And the worst commenters in the world.) [Model D / Curbed Detroit]

Building a bagel culture takes time. So does completely renovating a historic and long-vacant building. But ground has broken on their new production facility and construction will move forward from there, so Detroit Institute of Bagels will soon be a reality in Corktown! And here's one with more puns. [Model D / Detroit News]

American Coney Island and Lafayette Coney Island appeared together on Food Paradise on the Travel Channel. [Detroit News]

St. Cece's Pub is now serving Sunday brunch. [SCP FB]

The Motown Winter Blast is returning again this year! And oh, hey, Dan Gilbert practically owns this now too. [Freep]

For 2013, the Detroit Bus Company is changing up their services a bit. No more weekend bar service, but new events and plans to work in more of a public transit capacity. And have you checked out their drunk tours yet? (Well. They're not ALL drunk tours. Like the church one, that definitely isn't. Though you know something, some of those church types can DRINK. Like monks? You've had Belgian beer? Super-high ABV and all made by monks. I rest my case. Jesuits too. They like the wine. I know this from my time at UDM.) [DBC Official]

Thrillist takes a first look at the recently-opened Maccabees at Midtown, and it looks pretty delicious indeed. It also looks a whole hell of a lot like the HistoricDetroit.org website. [Thrillist / EID FB]

Here's more on Winezilla - owner Ed Bosse isn't new to the wine retail game (or playing it in Ferndale for that matter), and offers affordable (and dare I say fun?) labels that also include a special bottling from L. Mawby Winery called "Ferndale Fizz." (Which if it's anything like the "Detroit" label will suck, unless you like being muscatoed in the face.) There's also a section of Michigan-made snacks, and a totally Ferndalian mural! [Ferndale 115]

And more word on new restaurants coming to Ferndale in 2013: Ferndale Public House replacing Josephine's, Zeke's R+R BBQ replacing AJ's Music Cafe, Tokyo Sushi + Thai replacing Pete's Place. [Ferndale 115]

Brew Jus, which was located in the Rust Belt Market, is shutting down, though partner Nick Schultz plans on moving forward with his own company in the future with a similar mission. Since opening, Nick's partner David Ballew has been plagued with health issues which often demanded long absences from the business, which undoubtedly played a role (among other factors) in this decision. [The Sauced Chef FB]

You know, between Urban Putt-Putt in Corktown, Drive Table Tennis Social Club, and now the new video game lounge and mobile gaming service for parties Activ8 in Ferndale, what we really need around here is MORE LASER TAG. #legendary [Ferndale Patch]

Coffee and (____) ended their pop-up run in West Village this week, but not without a bang. [C+___ FB]

The head of one of Greektown's major business families, Ted Gatzaros, passed away this week. He and his former partner, other Greektown family head Jim Papas, together created Greektown Casino. The Gatzaros family also own the Atheneum Suite Hotel, Fishbones Rhythm Kitchen Cafe, and others. His son Nico is behind The London Chop House revival.  [Crain's]

The Townsend Hotel/Rugby Grille has a new Executive Chef who is, apparently, super "into" the whole local thing. Here's hoping this means the AAA Four-Diamond-rated restaurant won't rely so much on Sysco. [Ferndale Patch]

Kilwin's in Birmingham has closed, and there's already new businesses interested in the space (as well as the former Zumba Grille space). Two years from now when I get my intense once-a-decade craving to eat a whole box of chocolate-covered pretzels, this is going to make me very sad. [B-ham Patch]

Midwest Living also digs The Root Restaurant + Bar! [Midwest Living]

Ann Arbor and beyond

Rub Pub BBQ has officially opened its third location in Ann Arbor in a spot that some say is "cursed." (Not like in a gypsy-curse-that-restored-Angel's-soul-only-to-take-it-away-again-the-moment-he-experiences-pure-happiness kind of way, but in like a no-business-can-seem-to-stay-open kind of way.) [AnnArbor.com]

New "new American" joint in A2, Vellum Restaurant, now open. [AnnArbor.com]

the (espresso) bar will reopen February 1. With shiny disco balls. [teb FB]

Ann Arbor Restaurant Week runs January 20-25 with a record 52 restaurants participating. [Freep]

So how about this: BROOKLYN is the new Brooklyn! Brooklyn Michigan, that is. Shady's Tap Room in Brooklyn will feature Michigan microbrews with signature pizzas and sandwiches. [MLive]

Beerie
~Chicagoist named Jolly Pumpkin's Noel de Calabaza their "Beer of the Week." Um, how about "Beer of Forever (except when Sobrehumano is available)"? [Chicagoist]
~Another Goose Islander leaving to start his own (as yet unnamed) brewery. [BeerPulse]
~Kinda want to go to Palm Springs anyway. Now kinda want to stay at Ace Hotel and Swim Club (it's pretty affordable too, especially in comparison to the others on this bougie beer geek hotel list). [Tablet Mag]
~Stone Brewing Company is opening a $24 million hotel across the street from Stone Brewing World Bistro + Gardens; The Brooklyn Brewery is opening a pub in downtown Stockholm. Would have been cool if they would have added Arbor Brewing Company's recent expansion into India. Dear First We Feast, can I write for you and cover non-New York things? [FWF]
~"I'm not a drunk; I just have the sniffles." The cure for the common cold? BEER! [The Drinks Business]
~Here's a little something for fans of beer, coffee, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. [FWF]

Eat It GR
~After five years and $13.5 million in sales, HopCat has proven itself. [MLive]
~One of the happiest places on earth (or at least the U.S.) is Michigan's own little Disneyland: Grand Rapids. [Forbes]
~Kalamazoo Beer Week, which coincides with the Michigan Brewer's Guild annual winter summit, is now in its third year and is bigger than ever with over 100 coordinating events. [MLive]
~The Cheese Lady's franchise expansion into GR also includes plenty of Michigan beer and wine in addition to cheeses from around the world. So basically all of life's essentials. (Except for toilet paper.) [Rapid Growth]
~Brewery Vivant got a nice spread in Beer Advocate. [BA Mag / BV FB]
~New Holland's annual Blue Sunday release party (at which they release -- oh you're good -- Blue Sunday) is this Sunday, with library tastings of past vintages of this and other special beers. [NH FB]