[HOT LIST] Best new patios

Red Crown.

Another summer, another slew of "best patio" lists. I'll let you in on a little secret: these lists don't change much year to year. The Rattlesnake keeps being located on the Detroit River and the Whitney keeps having a garden and the Old Miami keeps having a big-ass lawn with a koi pond.

But this year, things have changed. New places have opened. A LOT of new places. And these places have built patios. Really nice patios. So instead of the same old reminder that the Rattlesnake's patio has a nice view of the Detroit River (and it does! so very nice!), here's a look at the best new patios to pop up just this year (and some as recently as last week).

SIDEBAR: It seems that Corktown is becoming PATIOTOWN.

El Barzon.

#1 El Barzon Southwest Detroit
For years you've loved the food and merely accepted the ambiance, but their new enclosed patio is a thing of real beauty. If you haven't been over there recently, it's time you went back.

#2 Red Crown Grosse Pointe Park
The Grosse Pointes are becoming quite the hotbed of new restaurant activity, with a second location of Luxe recently opened, a new Atwater brewpub in the works, Dave Gilbert's new restaurant Marais getting ready to open, and all of restaurateur Mindy Lopus's new ventures opening this year. The first was Red Crown, a Southern BBQ and comfort food restaurant with an excellent craft cocktail program and an even better patio. Whether its for Sunday brunch or an evening of cocktails, this is a pretty happy place to be.

St. Cece's Pub.

#3 St. Cece's Pub Corktown
There are a few spots in Corktown that could be considered one of the locals' favorite hangouts (Green Dot, Astro, Sugar House), and St. Cece's is among them. Is it the farm-to-table food? The fireplace? The dog-friendliness? The quintessential local neighborhood pub feeling? Whatever the case, get ready to love it even harder with their fab bum-proof patio. You know what I mean.

Griffin Claw beer garden. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

#4 Griffin Claw Brewing Company Birmingham
I have a total beer boner for this place despite it being in Birmingham and all of the inherent Birminghamness that implies. (The latest news: Dan Rogers got to rights the Screamin' Pumpkin recipe back - originally his when he was brewing for Michigan Brewing Company - and is now brewing it under the same name at Griffin Claw. AND IT IS THE BEST.) Another thing to love about it is the three-season beer garden.

The Jefferson House. From my iPhone.

#5 The Jefferson House Downtown
The subtlely bum-proof patio at the Jefferson House - featuring a plexiglass partition just high enough to keep Detroit's vagrant population from intruding on your meal, which isn't so much an insensitive comment as something WE ALL FUCKING KNOW HAPPENS - may effectively be located on Jefferson as it becomes the Lodge Freeway service drive, but the design is comfortable and contemporary and the view of the GM Renaissance Center doesn't suck.

Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak.

Honorable mention:
Last year I ran a list of the worst patios in metro Detroit. Because I get really bored with this shit, honestly. So I ripped into Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak and it was kind of a big deal but now we've all moved past it and are friends, but they also made some serious improvements to the patio (including a covered floor and enclosed roof, blocking out a lot of the undesirable sound and preventing the tables and chairs from wobbling, my two biggest bones of contention). While the patio is not NEW new, in that it existed in a form last year, it's new in the sense of being totally redone, and certainly worth a redeeming mention. So, I take that one back. Go check out their patio.

Bubbling under Ottava Via (Corktown), Ashley's Westland (Westland), MotorCity Wine (Corktown), Green Dot Stables (Corktown), Brooklyn Street Local (Corktown) - new concrete poured this year

What did I miss? Leave it in the Facebook comments.

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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 bar, and Michigan State University has their own Artisan Distilling Program (the Master Distiller of Death's Door is a graduate of this program) - an ever-increasing number of bars and restaurants are getting with the craft cocktail program. And not in the half-assed way they did before (changing the name of their martini menu to "craft cocktails," yet keeping all the same candy-flavored vodka drinks) - this time it's in earnest. Top-shelf spirits (think bourbons, gins, and boutique liqueurs), fresh-squeezed juices, and house-made bitters and infusions separate the men from the martinis. What a difference two years make, eh? These are some of the best places to get some (aside from Roast, the Oakland, and the Sugar House, of course).

#1 Pizzeria Biga Royal Oak, Southfield, Ann Arbor (opening soon)
Pizza and craft cocktails? Absolutely, when the pizza in question is made by James Beard award-nominated chef Luciano del Signore (along with house-made charcuterie) and the cocktails by some of the best local bartenders in the business. Biga's beverage program in general is a thing of excellence, with proper dues given to its Italian inspiration in its selection of Italian beers, wines, and liqueurs. They also have a great selection of craft beers and have recently started hosting beer dinners. As for cocktails, they have a full selection of classic craft cocktails as well as some of their own creations.

Red Crown. 

#2 Red Crown Grosse Pointe Park
Turns out, Grosse Pointers are a bunch of booze-hounds. (This probably surprises no one who is familiar with Grosse Pointers and their lifestyles.) Mixologist Thomas Phillips, a self-described liquor nerd, leads the bar's cocktail program, which includes a mix of classic cocktails and his own creations, which he changes seasonally. The renovated historic gas station in Grosse Pointe Park opened earlier this year and was an instant hit with the community that has been woefully underserved in their demand for drink. This summer, enjoy their expansive, beautifully-landscaped patio with a cold cocktail and some smoked meat and Southern-style comfort food.

#3 The Last Word Ann Arbor
The Last Word takes its name from the classic cocktail of the same name, which is fitting for this Prohibition-era craft cocktail bar. This place is all about the booze, and be sure to shop in for Whiskey Wednesdays when they serve Scotch (SCOTCH SCOTCH SCOTCHY SCOTCH), bourbon and rye half-off. It's a classy joint in a college town, and their cocktails are on point.

#4 Bailout Productions Detroit
We all know that Roast is one of the best places to go for a craft cocktail, and that's because of the talent behind the bar. Bailout Productions has its roots in Roast, where founders Travis Fourmont (who now works at Great Lakes Wine and Spirits) and Joe Robinson (still holding down the happy hour fort) both worked. They now team up for pop-up bar events at places like Green Dot Stables and the currently-uninhabited Rhino Club in Harmonie Park, and bring their full cocktailing skills along with some friends – like chef Andy Hollyday, who recently left his post at Roast to work on opening his own restaurant in Midtown. They've got more events planned for this summer, so be sure to follow them on Facebook for updates on their upcoming pop-ups.

#5 Sardine Room Plymouth
The much-buzzed-about Sardine Room in Plymouth just celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month. Known for their selection of fresh seafood (oysters, the oysters, especially the oysters) and elevated small plates, the Sardine Room also has an excellent selection of craft beer and craft cocktails. What with all of the oysters and the hot sauce and the lobster rolls (basically a lobster po'boy) and the shrimp and grits, the Sardine Room has a vaguely New Orleansean vibe, so it seems only fitting to sip on a Sazerac (the drink that originated in the Big Easy over 150 years ago) while you're here.

Bubbling under Valentine Distillery (Ferndale), Gastronomy (Southfield), Zingerman's Roadhouse (Ann Arbor), St. Cece's Pub (Corktown), Vellum (Ann Arbor), Great Lakes Coffee (Midtown), Union Woodshop (Clarkston), the Raven's Club (Ann Arbor), Imperial (Ferndale), the Bar at 327 Braun Court (Ann Arbor), the Laundry (Fenton), the Root (White Lake), Torino (Ferndale), Lena (Ann Arbor)

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[Real Detroit] The Dish

Mac and cheese at Red Crown. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg. 

•Why not just call it "Meaddale"? Ferndale's B. Nektar Meadery recently expanded into a second production facility with a tasting room and Schramm's Mead – owned by world-renowned mead-man Ken Schramm – is set to open later this spring. In the meantime, get your mead fix at B. Nektar's first-ever Spring Mead Fest on Saturday, 4/20 at 1505 Jarvis from noon to 6 p.m. There will be food from Treat Dreams, Green Zebra, Detroit BBQ Co. and Dee's Hot Dog Stand. Limited-release meads will be on draft and they'll also release their new bourbon barrel-aged mead, Episode 13 – B. Nektar Strikes Back.

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[EID Feature] Smoked meats and wines on draft: Red Crown is not just another garage grill rehab

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

It's been called the Vinsetta Garage of the East by … well, by me, because that's just the sort of thing that I would say. But I do it in good fun, mostly because the comparisons between the recently-opened Red Crown in Grosse Pointe Park and the smash hit two-hour-wait-all-day-every-day Vinsetta Garage in Berkley are inevitable and started immediately upon the announcement of Red Crown opening. Vinsetta is a comfort food, burgers and craft beer joint located in a historic old garage. Red Crown is a barbecue, wine and craft cocktail joint located in a historic old gas and service station.

Well. On second thought, maybe the two don't really lend themselves to comparison as much as it might have seemed – really the only common thread between the two is their respective ties to metro Detroit's automotive history (and let's just be real here: please go out and find me a historic building, the size of which is aptly-suited for a restaurant, that is not in some way connected to Detroit's automotive history … that isn't a church). Oh, and they both have mac and cheese on the menu because, you know, that's not common to see in these parts at all.

So let's just look at what Red Crown is instead of how it might compare to Vinsetta: Red Crown (named after the Standard Oil Red Crown Service Station it was once home to) is an all-American barbecue concept with an all-American menu and all-American beverage program.

Now, that doesn't mean that the speakers blare patriotic rawk favorites from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen and Kid Rock. (Think more Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top.) There's no steer horns on the wall (there is sort of a steer head, but it is plaster and painted black and looks more like an art piece send-up of Texas roadhouse chic). The décor is tasteful and understated, with the color red as the prominent theme.

Owner Mindy Lopus, who has been busy working on expansion plans for her Silver Pig Restaurant Group, wanted to make this more of a casual, comfortable restaurant, and something that was a totally new concept for the area. When she was approached by the Cottons – the family that owns Meridian Health Plan that has been buying up property in Grosse Pointe Park the way Dan Gilbert has done downtown in an effort to totally transform it – to open a restaurant in the area, she found an eager and underserved clientele and decided to open three. "People told me Grosse Pointers only go to their few favorite restaurants and their country clubs," Lopus says, but Red Crown has been packed every day since it opened. (I suppose, in that regard, it is also like Vinsetta.)

Red Crown is the first of the bunch, an upscale American barbecue and comfort food restaurant. In May, Bona Fide Baking Company will open as both a bakery and breakfast spot/café. Then this fall a second location of Lopus's flagship concept Tallulah Wine Bar + Bistro, which breaks ground in Grosse Pointe Park this week, will round out her trio.

Lopus is a savvy businesswoman and a Certified Wine Professional. Restaurateuring is a second career for her, but a first passion. Where other upscale barbecue concepts in metro Detroit (and yes, there are a few of them) focus their beverage program on craft beer, Lopus saw a unique opportunity to promote wine as a choice beverage for barbecue pairing.

“I’m really excited about this," she says. "Comfort food is the perfect food for wine pairing.” Because, think about it: comfort food tends to be high in fat, much like the cuisines typically aligned with wine – French food, American steakhouse fare, seafood in rich cream sauces, the heavy side of Italian cooking. If there has been a backlash against snooty wine connoisseurship in recent years, and there most certainly has been, part of that backlash has not only included a hard and fast embracing of craft beer but also a refusal to accept the idea that wine is only meant to be paired with a certain class of cuisine. Red Crown falls more heavily into the latter category (though those who opt for the former will not be disappointed with Red Crown's small but respectable craft beer list, or their ambitious craft cocktail program for that matter) with an ambitious wine program that includes – ye gods! – wine on draft.

In the last two or three years, sparkling wine has started popping up on menus throughout Michigan. (The first place I was introduced to the concept was Left Foot Charley in Traverse City, where winemaker Bryan Ulbrich was working up a draft system for one of the other area wineries based on his own draft system for ciders. This was early in 2011, and the concept was still entirely foreign.) Recently Local Kitchen + Bar in Ferndale made a splash when they introduced a bubbly by M. Lawrence (aka Michigan's esteemed sparkling winemaker Lawrence Mawby, based on the Leelanau Peninsula) on draft. But still wines on tap are STILL unheard of … until now.

Red Crown is the first restaurant in Michigan serving still wines on draft. The advantage? The wine is temperature-controlled, stays fresh down to the last glass, is never corked, and enables them to sell these wines by the glass for a much (MUCH) lower price than what you would otherwise pay if they were poured from a bottle. The keg is also refillable and creates less waste. Just as wine drinkers have adapted to synthetic corks and screw-top bottles over the last decade, even the fussiest among them finally recognizing the advantages in quality and economy both offer, they will now learn to embrace wine in kegs.

The wine list is organized by price as opposed to being organized by region or varietal. For wines on draft, a glass is $8, a half carafe $15, and a full carafe $29. Glasses are available in $8, $11 and $14 price points, and bottles are $29, $49 and $69. All of it is American, and each quarter one of Michigan's best wine producers is highlighted in their "In the Mitten" program.

Oh, and they also have an M. Lawrence bubbly on draft: "Sex," to be specific.

Chef de Cuisine Jim Delao's food menu is small but mighty (and meaty). Barbecued meats made in their wood-fired "little red smokehouse" in their kitchen, which burns local fruitwoods and mesquite charcoal. Ribs, sausages, pulled pork, pork shoulder and brisket, complemented by southern comfort sides like mac and cheese and braised greens (with bacon). Appetizers include masa-crusted onion rings and peel 'n eat Georgia shrimp. For "supper" there's comfort food favorites like shrimp and grits and grilled meatloaf. Non-alcoholic drinks include milkshakes and floats. Lunch, weekend brunch and Sunday support will start in April, and the massive patio is sure to be a massive hit this summer.

Want to see more? View the Flickr set here.

 

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Hey girl(s). Ryan Gosling is apparently not Irish-minded and also likes bad coffee. [MLive]

Neil Patrick Harris says Polish Village Cafe is legen...wait for it... [@ActuallyNPH Twitter]

Whatever thread I recently dubbed "the greatest comment thread in EID's history"? Has been forever replaced by this: Welcome to the Bob and Timmy Show. This is the thread that deserves its own Facebook fan page.

It started with this: "Looks like I can't go drinking in Ferndale for the next 3 months. (What? Don't act like you don't get down on some drunken Taco Bell.)" [Ferndale 115 / EID FB]

Will the Great American Stuffed Burger Co. be the next big thing for Garden Fresh Salsa? It would certainly seem so. Read on about this $100-million+ company's planned for its newest product launch. [Crain's]

Detroit Restaurant Week returns April 19-28 and has a snazzy new look to go with it! Produced by Paxahau and presented by Shinola, this is the fourth spring edition of the popular 10-day dining event. Three new establishments have joined the spring Detroit Restaurant Week event this year, including Greektown Casino Hotel’s flagship Brizola, the freshly-updated formerly Mosaic space Santorini Estiatorio Detroit in Greektown, and the Wolfgang Puck Pizzeria + Cucina at the MGM Grand Detroit.  [DRW / EID FB]

Things just keep getting bigger and better for the boys behind Pizzeria Biga: not only is a third location set to open in A2 while they continue looking at additional sites, but they've also got a vineyard and microdistillery in the works. [Crain's]

Thrillist got a first look at the newly-opened Red Crown in Grosse Pointe Park. [Thrillist]

Bill's Beer Garden in A2 has reopened for the season and Treat Dreams also reopened with a grand unveiling of their newly-expanded space. [BBG FB / TD FB]

"Unexpected" isn't really the right word, as this has been pretty openly discussed for awhile now and it sounded like the old owners wanted out anyway, but it's officially official: Janet's Lunch has closed. The Cotton family, who are pushing the development of Grosse Pointe Park, own the building and plan on keeping it a "greasy spoon" diner. [GP Patch]

Eastern Market sets the standard of a model regional food system. [QC Times]

We love the food at St. Cece's. We also love when they bring in other people's food. Check out their Tuesday night pop-up series, featuring a different pop-up concept every week. [Detroit News]

The Detroit-based Three Olives of soda, Faygo Beverages Inc., now has "ginger soda" called Faygo Gold, which is, of course, a Vernors knock-off. [MLive]

Dominick's is now open for the season! (It's an Ann Arbor thing.) [AnnArbor.com]

Was ist dis "biz-niss plan?" Turns out you need one. ("ZOMGZ KICKSTARTERYOUGUYS!" doesn't count.) Here are some resources for that. [Good]

Beerie
~Here's a nice story from CraftBeer.com on Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. and their plans to expand (enabling them to significantly increase distribution), which are moving along quite nicely (and that be an insider insight). [craftbeer.com]

~No list of the strangest beers in the world would be complete without Shorts Brewing Company. [Bon Appetit]

~CraftBeer.com praises the farmhouse ales at Brewery Vivant. [craftbeer.com]

~The secret to Buffalo Wild Wings' success? Beer. [HuffPo]

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

There's a theme here today, folks.

The Wayne State University campus police are more effective at stopping crime than the DPD. Sigh. Lucky for Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe they're in Midtown. (To be fair though, I would wholly expect an overworked and understaffed police department to de-prioritize the robbery of a grocery store during non-business hours. The sad thing is the fact that they actually have to make that call.) [Motor City Muckraker]

The 100-year-old Awrey Bakeries, which has been struggling with financial woes since declaring bankruptcy in 2005, will be closing and is scheduled to sell its assets in an online auction Feb 21 and 22. (Rabin.com has the full list of assets.) Looks like these old-school bakeries of sugar cookies, egg breads and snack cakes are being replaced by the new school of organic flour breads, scones and gluten-free desserts (case in point: Avalon and Zingerman's are blowing up, while Awrey's and even Hostess go under). [Crain's]

What's better than a good end-of-year list? A good BEGINNING-of-year list! Yes, this is how media continues to phone it in for the first week back at work. But that's okay because people love lists. So here's this. [DetNews]

Hippie's Pizza in Royal Oak is known for their "far-out" pizza concepts as well as vegan and gluten-free options, but did you know they also deliver Slurpees, toothpaste, diapers and chewing gum, and hope to eventually include movies from Blockbuster and get a concierge license to buy and deliver alcohol? It's true, bro. Peace, love and pizza. [RO Patch]

Now, I'm not saying Treat Dreams owner Scott Moloney was a stoner in his former life, but. C'mon. [Treat Dreams FB]

Drive is a ping-pong emporium in downtown Detroit, and hope to have a liquor license for beer pong tournaments featuring local breweries like Motor City Brewing Works and the upcoming Batch Brewing Company. And, PING-PONG. [Thrillist]

Detroit Institute of Bagels has broken ground on their new production space. Can you just smell those bagels baking now? Can you???? [DIB blahg]

And here is explanation as to why The Brooklyn Street Local was closed for a few days in the fall and is again right now (they're not CLOSING closing, just dealing with some non-business-related issues right now). It's a sad day when Mexico's border is easier to cross than Canada's. [DetNews / Next Gov]

Detroit SOUP was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. [MSNBC]

Red Crown will open January 22, Bona Fide Baking Co will follow in February, and a second location of Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro will round out Mindy Lopus's three new spots in the spring. [GP Patch]

The Flint Crepe Company is now selling soap made from its own bacon grease! You can also get this at Beezy's Cafe in Ypsilanti, made by Union Street Soapworks from Beezy's own bacon grease. (Smells pretty good, actually.) PS, Baconfest Michigan general admission tickets go on sale in a little over a month! [HuffPo / EID]

Isalita, a modern Mexican restaurant and bar from the same owner as MANI Osteria + Bar, is now open in Ann Arbor. [AnnArbor.com]

The UK Daily Mail has caught wind of the Detroit Collision Works plan to construct a hotel made of shipping containers in Eastern Market Corporation. With renderings! [UK Daily Mail]

Why do I suddenly feel like some serious Coca-Cola/PepsiCo lobbyists are behind this? 5 Hour Energy is under fire, AGAIN. [MLive]

Pure Michigan highlights some things to do in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show and included some favorites like The Rattlesnake, Cadieux Cafe, Garden Bowl, and a Detroit Auto and Brewing History Bus Tour with Motor City Brew Tours (plus a bunch of the more obvious places and sights). [Pure Michigan blahg]

And Beyond/My New Favorite Thing
~So according to The New York Times (which First We Feast takes some deserved shots at), these are the food trends that will be big in 2013. This is of course for a New York audience and the early indicators are mostly coastal (and Texas, because Texas). But I've seen a couple of glimmers -- like the artisanal soft serve at Easy Like Sundae and the Lab Cafe in Ann Arbor -- around here. I 100% support barrel-aged hot sauce becoming A Thing, and also Japan is WEIRD (re: Pig Tails section). [NYT / FWF]

~This is a really great (illustrated!) guide to dim sum, from BuzzFeed via Lucky Peach (the "Illuminati food rag," according to First We Feast). Yum yum dim sum. [BuzzFeed / FWF]

~Seriously, you should really read this post from First We Feast. [FWF]

Beerie
~RateBeer has named their top 50 beers of the year. Something to note: hoppy cock-punches are starting to get replaced by sour styles, though bourbon barrel-aged anything still reigns supreme. Bell's Brewery, Dark Horse, Kuhnhenn, and Founders are all on here, and all for bourbon barrel-aged things. (Except Bell's, which scored two rankings, the other for the only hoppy cock-punch worth drinking: Hopslam.) Prediction: Barleywines are going to be huge in 2013, and sours will continue to gain prominence. [RateBeer]

~Speaking of, 'tis the season...for HOPSLAM. [Bell's FB]

~Insane in the membrane. This is the story of how Arcadia Ales Cocoa Loco was almost the beer the wasn't. Also, get ready for the Valentine's Day posts pimping chocolate stouts 'cuz they're coming. [K-Zoo Beer Week blahg]

~Bull testicle beer. Is what we've come to. [Beer Pulse]

~New Belgium has added two new brews to their Lips of Faith series: Heavenly Feijoa Tripel is a collaboration beer with Montreal’s Dieu du Ciel! brewery and Cascara Quad is an ale that channels the Trappist tradition. Both are available in 22-oz bottles through March-ish. [BeerPulse]

Eat It GR
~Flavor 616 is launching in Grand Rapids, a free glossy of indeterminate frequency (as that information is apparently not available anywhere and DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING???). It looks gorgeous and western Michigan's food scene definitely deserves the coverage, but in the days of the Internet does a freely-distrubuted glossy even stand a chance anymore? Hope they have oodles of cash behind them. [Eat Local W MI blahg]

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[Metromode] A New Breed of Restaurateur Pt. 2

Bastone. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg. 

The days of metro Detroit's restaurant empires are over. The latest breed of successful restaurateur is anti-corporate and anti-chain. They create unique businesses in unique spaces, care about people and preservation, and even managed to open some of Metro Detroit's most successful restaurants in the midst of the economic downturn.

Read more.

This is part two of a two-part series. This half focuses on Jon Carlson and Greg Lobdell, the development duo behind such popular metro Detroit spots as Bastone and Jolly Pumpkin Brewery and Cafe; and Mindy Lopus, owner of Tallulah and Bella Piatti in Birmingham, who is opening three new concepts in Grosse Pointe Park. Read part one here.

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[NEWS BITES] Jolly Pumpkin Royal Oak update, Red Crown opening soon, more

I've got a two-punch motherlode of restaurant info coming out this week and next in Metromode. I'll drop the relevant names now: Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson (Union Joints, aka Union Woodshop, Vinsetta Garage et.al.), Luciano del Signore (Pizzeria Biga, Bacco), Jon Carlson and Greg Lobdell (2Mission Development, aka Jolly Pumpkin, Bastone et.al.), and Mindy Lopus (Silver Pig Restaurant Group, aka Tallulah, Red Crown et.al.).

LOTS of new news coming from these cats, but you're just going to have to wait. In the meantime, I'll hand-tip a few of the tastier morsels:

Jolly Pumpkin's new production brewery in Dexter and Avalon Breads' new production facility in Detroit should both be open and operating within two weeks.

2Mission is still going forward with the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe in Royal Oak and have already completed construction plans and design work. The guys are very eager and excited to move forward; an unforeseen issue with the title on the seller's end is the cause of the delay. Jon and Greg also have some other plans for new spots in both Royal Oak and Ann Arbor in the works, but sorry my lovelies: spoilers!

Mindy's Red Crown will be open by mid-January and perhaps earlier depending on liquor license approval. Bona Fide Baking Co. will follow shortly thereafter. She's also got other concepts in the works at various stages of planning in Birmingham, Grosse Pointe Park and ... wait for it ... Detroit! But again: spoilers.

The Cafe con Leche del Este pop-up in Lafayette Park has closed (the final weekend was very funereal), but owners Jordi Carbonell and Mellissa Fernandez have plans to do a second pop-up on the east riverfront and are also looking towards Eastern Market for a potential permanent location that would be more than "just" a cafe. You'll know more when there is more to know.

Incidentally, the space that housed the pop-up will now be a laundromat, despite Fernandez doing everything she could to keep the space for a permanent location. (PS, this laundromat lease was confirmed before the pop-up's run even ended, in a direct affront to the rhetoric that this pop-up was intended as a "test run" for the coffeehouse to open in the space permanently.) For those of you not familiar with Lafayette Park, all of the high rises, condos and town homes in the immediate vicinity of this strip mall have their own laundry facilities, but perhaps it's just, you know, easier for the owner. As one friend observed on the Facebook, "Ownership politics seems to be as big an impediment to renewal as much as anything." To which I added, "At this point I'd argue it's quite possibly the BIGGEST problem, all throughout Detroit." So here's a great feature idea: the nightmarish experiences of would-be entrepreneurs with viable business plans trying to deal with property owners in this city. (I've heard dozens such stories myself.)

And finally, Rodin, a French-ish restaurant/lounge owned by Torya Blanchard that builds off of the French theme of her Good Girls Go to Paris Crepes also located in Midtown's Park Shelton building, will open 12/12/12.

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The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

There's no crying in baseball.

This is a day of affirmations. Yes Detroit, you're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh-darnit people like you. Seemingly all of my Facebook friends have manically flip-flopped between angry accusatory statements berating the Detroit Tigers for "sucking" and "ruining" their evening/weekend/Halloween, unrealistic optimism in the face of certain defeat, acute vicarious depression, threats to move to San Francisco, and finally reluctant acceptance with some after-the-fact congratulatory positive thinking and acknowledgement that "we" still made it pretty darn far and there's always next year. I guess now we'll just all go back to being political analysts. Here's what happened this week in restaurants.

Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe announces an official opening date, and then officially opens! On that date! No, it is not God's gift to grocery stores, but it is on the level of a good food co-op with a small but decent selection of both staple and specialty items. No, Whole Foods is not going to bury them immediately upon opening the doors to their organic produce palace. A neighborhood that is at 95+% rental occupancy CAN have two nice grocery stores. [Curbed / EID FB]

The East Jefferson Corridor is on the rise! [Det News Hub]

But that's NOTHING compared to what's going on in the Villages. As predicted and promised, the Villages of Detroit are being A Thing. Michael Geiger and Hugh Yaro are opening Craft Work (ah, but will they play a lot of 1970s German electronica??), The Red Hook is opening a second location, Detroit Vegan Soul (D.V.S) is opening their restaurant, and Tarot + Tea (what it sounds like) is also opening soon, all in West Village. Talk about going from 0 to 60. [Freep]

And here is more on the Supino Pizzeria expansion from MLive Detroit. Which was initially reported in Crain's as not so much an expansion as a totally new restaurant that will be located next door, but now sounds like no in fact it's an expansion. Either way it will have booze. [MLive]

Restaurateur Mindy Lopus is blowing UP. With two restaurants already in Birmingham (and more planned), she is now expanding her empire where a fresh face in fine dining is needed most: Grosse Pointe Park. Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro will have a sister location, Bona Fide Baking Co. is a great way to show off award-winning pastry chef Tanya Fallon, and consider Red Crown to be Vinsetta Garage East. [GP Patch]

Detroit's Buffalo Wild Wings is on track to open in November in time for the Thanksgiving Day Parade and owners promise this location will be unlike any other. The $4 million renovation of the almost 140-year-old building maintains the integrity of the space with a first-floor restaurant, second-floor banquet room, and covered rooftop patio and bar. [Crain's]

Pontiac, your The Renaissance is next. [Prosper]

The Free Press discovers craft beer. [Freep]

Here are Famous People who ate and drank things in Detroit. [Examiner / Esquire]

Don't know if you know this, but pop-ups are kind of, like, a thing around here. [DetNews]

The physical storefront might not be open yet but the online storefront is. [Detroit Institute of Bagels]

And now, the "Detroit Rises" story en Español. Basically Detroit was dying, Obama helped save the auto industry, now Detroit is on the path to recovery, rah rah Dan Gilbert our White Knight, only except for our government is still fuct, but that isn't stopping young entrepreneurs from coming in or citizens from impacting positive change, hooray Midtown and Sue Mosey and Whole Foods, and also hooray Jordi Carbonell of Cafe Con Leche. [Internacional en EL PAÍS]

You know, with a name like Jolly Pumpkin they damn well SHOULD be making these "best pumpkin beer" lists. Here is some love for La Parcela, La Parcela again, and also Ichabod and Jaw Jacker. [WSJ / Serious Eats: Drinks / DRAFT]

Krazy Jim's in A2 is featured on yet another food/travel TV show. Cuz they're so dang CRAZY! And not because television researchers are lazy. [AnnArbor.com]

Speaking of research, Buddy's is on another "best pizzas in the country" list. [Relish]

I wish I had been keeping track of the latest rash of "we lift Detroit in baseball" stories, but I haven't been. Regardless, here is the latest entrant into the genre from the San Francisco Chronicle. [SFC]

Eat It Elsewhere
~Grand Rapids' infamous beer bar HopCat is expanding: a second location will open in Lansing with 100 taps (making it the largest draft selection in the state) and owners Mark and Michele Sellers of BarFly Ventures (which owns several other GR bars) will also be opening the Lansing Brewing Co. [MLive]

~And in more Mark Sellers news, he has announced the official opening date of the much-anticipated (re)opening of the Grand Rapids Brewing Co.: December 5. [MLive]

~And Grand Rapids finally gets its very own authentic Polish eatery with Polka Pops Cafe. This might make the transition to a clean and functional city a bit easier on Detroiters. Familiarity and all. [GR Now]

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