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| BUT DID HE GET FREE PARKING???? |
Chef James Rigato of The Root Restaurant and Bar is the only Michigan Chef nominated for Food + Wine's People's Best New Chef Award for the Great Lakes Region. 1 of 10 in the Great Lakes Region, 1 of 100 in the US. Show your support for the local food movement; a vote for James is a vote for Michigan! [F+W]Awrey Bakeries, LLC is here to stay. Unlike Kwame. [MLive]Where to go for St. Patrick's Day in Detroit? All of these places. [Visit Detroit]Plus Mudgie's special St. Pat's menu is available through March 17. [Mudgie's]And Bastone's goes until the 24th. [Bastone]So guess who decided to talk to Crain's Detroit Business after all? David Overton, Detroit native and CEO of The Cheesecake Factory (which has its roots in Detroit), explains why Novi, why now, and why it took them so long to come home. [Crain's]New Food Network show produced by Gordon Ramsay and hosted by Tyler Florence is now casting; local teams with pre-existing relationships battle it out for their own restaurant space inside a Michigan mall which they will get rent-free for a year. [RO Patch]So now both Barrio AND the Hamilton Room are closed; apparently it's just getting too hard to be a nightclub in Birmingham. But never fear, the former owner is a partner in the new venture taking over the old Sangria space in Royal Oak, because Royal Oak is A-OK with nightclub douchebaggery! [Downtown Publications]One of Mila Kunis's favorite places to eat while staying in metro Detroit to film Oz The Great and Powerful was Ronin Sushi. So there you go. Go there and you just MIGHT be putting your mouth on the same silverware that touched Mila Kunis's and, like, 700,000 other people's. But Mila Kunis! [My Fox]Bruce Campbell's chin made an appearance at Tom's Oyster Bar in Royal Oak. [Tom's FB]Atwater Brewery has been in a very (very) slow process of expanding over the past several years, with a whole lot of best laid plans falling through in between. Now it seems like they're about to (finally) explode, not with just expansions but with a brewpub in Grosse Pointe Park - another project spearheaded by the Cotton family, who are pretty much re-building that area themselves - and plans for a distillery operating by the end of 2014. [Crain's]For those of you who like to piss and moan that Zingerman's Delicatessen et.al. is too expensive, shut up. For the love of God and Jesus and Allah and Obama and Jehovah/Elohim/Adonai, just shut up already. [RH Reality Check]The official grand opening of Sauced at Go Comedy! Improv Theater was Sunday featuring lots of Guinness-ified food stuffs. [Thrillist]B. Nektar in Ferndale has added jobs and a second location. [Metromode]The Dunch Club is back in biz every Thursday 2-8 p.m. [Dunch Club FB]Oh good, someone else repurposed this press release. eat ... catering and chef services in Ann Arbor has expanded their menu offerings! [AnnArbor.com]Somewhere on the Facebooks I made a comment about the coming craft-beer-MEETS-craft-cocktail craze. (Wouldn't it be nice if you could search your own FB history?) Anyway, so the Daily Mail UK has confirmed: yes, beer cocktails are indeed becoming A Thing. [Daily Mail UK]Historic preservation and adaptive reuse projects are talked about a lot in Detroit, but Oakland County isn't slacking either. Here OC Preservation Architect Ron Campbell talks about different projects going on around the county and why historic preservation is better all around, with shout-outs to Vinsetta Garage and Clarkston Union Bar + Kitchen. [Prosper]Auburns Hills is working hard at establishing their own downtown Main Street community, and the cozy modern American Elwell Grill is part of that development. [Prosper]Noam Kimelman isn't trying to "save" Detroit, but he is trying to get more healthful food options in the locations where Detroiters often grab quick snacks on the go: gas stations, convenience stores and the like. While others quibble over the definition of "food desert," Kimelman actually did something about it: hence, Fresh Corner Cafe was born. [UIX]Tony Wisne Sabina, the uncompromising founder of Tribute and Epoch Hospitality Group, died at age 48 last week. May her legacy not die with her. [Crain's]Detroit's iconic Sydney Boggs candies (which went bankrupt and closed in 2002) are reborn at Berkley's Sydney Boggs Sweet Essentials, run by long-time Boggs candy makers. [Prosper] |
| Photo by Nicole Rupersburg. |
"Hi. I write for and manage a lot of publications, the bulk of which aren't even food-related. The never-ending headache that is my life is PR people and business owners who will not return phone calls for a 15-minute chat that results in FREE PUBLICITY. It is my wish that every aspiring business owner be forced to take a class called 'How to Deal With Media' before opening a business. Here Nate Skid illuminates just how frustrating it can be dealing with those who seem disinclined to work with the press for their own benefit."But some of you guys thought it was unprofessional to air this grievance on Crain's, and a smaller contingent seemed to not really "get" what Crain's is so I made fun of and then ignored them, but mostly everyone saw the larger point of this being a huge PR gaffe on the part of a large corporate national chain that hires a PR company specifically to handle just such things. In the end we opened an
Anthony Bourdain said in a comment thread on Reddit that he's going to film a whole episode of No Reservations 2 in Detroit. And that is all. [Deadline]So! A lot of discussion about Sangria last week. To sum up: it closed, some The Root Restaurant + Bar is gearing up for some major national press; can't say what but for now, please enjoy this photo teaser. [David Lewinski Photography]So here's some more info on what Chef Paul Grosz of Cuisine and his new partners plan to do with the old Zazio's space in Birmingham. The concept will tentatively be called "Stand" and is just the first of several planned for metro Detroit. Charcuterie, craft coctkails, his signature beef short ribs from Cuisine, a foie gras burger and a chef's counter are all in the plans for this concept, which Paul hopes to have open in time for the Dream Cruise. [Freep]The owner of Sinbad's in Detroit is opening a new place called Crush in Birmingham (incidentally, not the first place called Crush to open in the area ... the other was a great little wine bar that opened in Southfield in 2007-ish and lasted only about a year). It will have two rooftop terraces and could open as soon as this summer. [Detroit News]Brunch is now being served at Rodin. [Peacock Room FB]Don't make any other plans for June 5 at 9 a.m. [Whole Foods FB]Detroit is getting more convenience stores. OH THANK HEAVEN! [Crain's]Here is a guide to Lenten Friday fish frys in Detroit from Pure Detroit. [Pure Detroit]So I said, "The latest Top Chef winner is a Michigan girl! (By way of Korea.)" And you said, "WAAAAAAAAH, you ruined the surprise!!!" (As many as four days later.) I'm sorry, I didn't realize relevant news had to wait until you got caught up with your DVR. MY BAD. PS, in the finale of Lost that aired two and a half years ago we found out that they're all dead. #spoilers [MLive]Here is even more about the Two James Spirits distillery. (To sum up: they have a still now.) Two James and Batch Brewing Company are apparently duking it out for most pre-opening press in Corktown for 2013 ... ah, but what will happen when Gold Cash Gold gets back in the game??? Will they come in with a Hail Mary media blitz? The year is still young! STAY TUNED. [MLive]First We Feast names McClure's Pickles one of their 50 Best Independent American Food Brands. [FWF]In case you missed this screed: I'm sorry but this just sounds terrible. And this is judging solely by the infantile copy that sounds like it was written by a PR lackey. "...your taste buds will be delighted." "...culinary arts of Royal Oak" (LOL). "Networking, and fun are just added bonuses of visiting four restaurants sampling delectable food and hob nobbing with chefs, managers and restaurant owners." First, using words like "delicious," "delectable" and "taste buds will be delighted" are all things I would ban forever if I controlled all food media, as well as the writer who uses them. Also, this "event" and "company" has "ambassadors." Also, this sounds terrible. Also, it's in Royal Oak. [EID FB]Farm-to-glass delivery from Cherries and Grapes bring the best from Up North right to your doorstep. [Metromode]Muskrat in Monroe, a regional specialty! [Detroit News]Tawnya Clark is the owner and operator of The Batata Shop, a regular pop-up you can catch at various venues all over Detroit with a story as engaging as her waffles are enticing. [UIX]Ok, just to get all you Beeries caught up: Left Hand Brewing Company hit shelves this week and Oskar Blues Brewery will join them next week (in a trend of out-of-state craft breweries entering the Michigan market kick-started by New Belgium Brewing a few months ago). In Michigan beers, Greenbush Brewing Co. and Right Brain Brewery are now bottling and distributing, Odd Side Ales will be VERY soon, and Rochester Mills Beer Co. is on its way to being distributed all over the state. I think that covers everything. Except: All of this varies by county because Michigan has the absolute WORST distribution laws. So don't get too excited because while your favorite Wayne County store might have been carrying Left Hand for years now, it will still be awhile before you can get Right Brain there, but you can hop over to Washtenaw and get Right Brain right now no problem. [EID FB]
