[EID Preview] The Jefferson House + Urban Cellars

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.The Crowne Plaza Pontchartrain Hotel will open in Detroit next month, and with it a new upscale restaurant and bar on the lobby level. Which you can read all about from me here in Model D. (And there's more about the hotel itself here.)Executive Chef Justin Vaiciunas, who is overseeing the whole food and beverage program at the Pontch, recently gave me a preview of some menu items. Vaiciunas, whom I have previously...

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[HOT LIST] Cocktails

Dave Kwiatkowski of the Sugar House. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.It goes without saying that the BEST best places in metro Detroit to get a craft cocktail are Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House (which was just named one of the best bars in America by Playboy). But as the trend has grown over the last couple of years - so much so that Michigan Radio recently took notice and ran a state-wide poll looking for Michigan's best craft cocktail...

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[Model D] Kitchen Connect will help launch new triple-bottom-line food start-ups

FoodLab Detroit is a network of triple-bottom-line food businesses in Detroit, founded by Jess Daniel, a Local Economy Fellow at Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. FoodLab launched in 2011 and has become a significant resource for food start-ups in the city, a place where entrepreneurs can share information, resources, provide mutual support, and learn how to balance their triple-focus businesses.One of the unique functions of FoodLab...

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[Model D] Detroit's first Downtown Farmers Market is open every Thursday

The Compuware urban garden Lafayette Greens is now home to the first-ever farmers market in downtown Detroit. Located on the site of the former Lafayette Building, which was demolished in 2010, the garden is a result of Peter Karmanos, Jr. – Compuware's co-founder and Executive Chairman and also a Master Gardener – working with the city of Detroit to transform the area into a greenspace. Read mo...

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Welp. Cheesecake Bistro is closed already (for "renovations;" reopening "soon"). Which surprises no one. Allegedly it's under new ownership and management, so let's hope they also have sense enough to give it a new name. [EID FB]Campus Martius Park and Beach got its own bar and grille (check out photos here) as well as its own food vendors Mondays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. [Crain's / Thrillist / D:hive]Is The Sugar House one of...

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[Real Detroit] Have Beer ... Got Food?

The chili cheese fries stuffed burger at Jay's Stuffed Burgers.Every Beer Fest needs some good beer-soaking food to provide a solid basecoat for maximum beer consumption. At Detroit Summer Beer Fest, you get to enjoy some of the best beer drinkin' foods metro Detroit has to offer. From stuffed burgers to pizza pretzels, you can stuff your face as you attempt to drink it off.Read mo...

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[Model D] The first new major development on the Avenue of Fashion will include a restaurant, yoga studio

The old barn and soon-to-be restaurant and cafe.With $1.7 million in beautification and streetscape upgrade investments on the way and a concentrated effort by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation to grow this district's retail presence, the Avenue of Fashion is poised to regain its former glory as Detroit's premiere shopping district.There is one large-scale development project that has already captured the attention of residents in neighboring...

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[Model D] Coffee and (___) pops up for round two in Jefferson Chalmers

You might remember Coffee and (___) from its fall pop-up in West Village. Pastry Chef Angela Foster is back again with another pop-up, this time at June on Jefferson in the Jefferson-Chalmers commercial district through July 9.Debuting last weekend during Jazzin' on Jefferson, Coffee and (___) was an immediate hit with the curious crowds. The impressive interior, featuring tables made of reclaimed wood and other salvaged and repurposed materials,...

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

McClure's has a new sweet and spicy pickle out, and it is only available at Whole Foods Midtown for now. This is a reason to brave the crowds, yes? (I've had it. It's awesome.) [McClure's]A new microbrewery is coming to downtown Dearborn! This is how the west is won. [Dearborn Patch]It's officially-official: DROUGHT will have a permanent home in Detroit at the new Shinola flagship store in Midtown, opening this summer. [Drought FB]Turns the...

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