Monday, July 29, 2013

The Week We Ate (The EID Week in Review)

Totally rocking Pure Detroit duds. I lift Detroit with my boobs.


So I was on the Food Network's "Food Court Wars" and wrote this about winning contestants Chip 'N Wich. And also I was on the Food Network. That's me standing next to Tyler Florence, right there^. He smells nice. [EID]

Detroit is so hot right now. "Chuck's Eat the Street" was in town filming last week and hit La Palma in Dearborn, Hygrade Deli in Southwest, and Mercury Burger Bar in Corktown. Dear Chuck, please note I am available for future sidekickery duties. [Detroit News]

Summer Beer Fest was super fun; let's do it again! Like, for example, on October 25 and 26. Tickets to the Michigan Brewers Guild Fall Beer Festival go on sale August 1. [MBG Official]

Oh, but first MBG Prez Eric Briggeman on what makes Summer Beer Fest so durn special. (Aside from Campus Dark Horse and their 99 beers. True story.) [Freep]

And the best of fest goes to: Griffin Claw Brewing Company for their Berliner Weiss, a sour session beer only 3.5% ABV and the best beer of Summer Beer Fest 2013. Bless you, Dan Roberts. [EID]

Of course, it wouldn't be a Beer Fest if Reactionary Larry didn't make some noise. This time it was about the Guild's support of PAC. Read his explanation here, then read my dialogue and reader commentary here. Then, after making a big stinky-stink about taking his ball and going home, Larry Bell then announced somewhat undramatically that they would be attending after all and not another word was said about it because, really, why? [EID / MLive]

Saying it again just so I can say I was FIRST to say it: as mead becomes the next craft beverage of choice, Michigan is very much leading the way. Three of the top 10 meaderies listed here are from metro Detroit: Kuhnhenn Brewing Co., B. Nektar, and Schramm's Mead. Also, National Mead Day is this Saturday and B. Nektar is celebrating with their Summer Mead Fest and five-year anniversary party, while Motor City Brew Tours will be touring all of the above meaderies and more (more = Dragonmead). [Real Food Kitchens]

Canadian man says "Soorry" about getting drunk and swimming across the Detroit River, becomes local hero. [Gawker]

ICYMI:
~Pie-Sci will be opening their very own storefront next to Woodbridge Pub. Not included in this story: the "pizza glory hole" the Pie-Sci guys are working on with Jim Geary. [Model D]
~MotorCity Wine said they'd be relocating in August, and whaddya know, this week is August. Check them out in their new space starting this Friday! [Model D / EID]
~If you're interested in urban farming initiatives and food justice in the city of Detroit, check out The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI), an ambitious undertaking over on the North End. [Model D]

A new food truck called Shimmy Shack is hitting the streets, serving an all-vegan menu of sliders, shakes, and fries (the first all-vegan food truck in Michigan). Also, the truck was designed by Ren and Stimpy animator John Kricfalusi. I kid you not. [Ferndale Patch]

No, what is good for Chicago is NOT good for Detroit. What is good for Chicago is good for Chicago and should stay there. [Detroit News]

Been a lot of these kinds of stories lately, and now here is the Freep's version. So, to recap, local artisan distilling is a thing now. Valentine Distilling Co., Two James Spirits, etc. [Freep]

Rap and Noodles. A new monthly at Green Dot Stables. [GDS FB]

A beautiful and a bit tear-jerky story about Peteet's Famous Cheesecakes. It would seem a bit superficial to endcap this with "Tuesday is National Cheesecake Day and Peteet's is giving away free cheesecake," but so it is. [Crain's / Royal Oak Patch]

Have you checked out the weekday vendors at Campus Martius Park yet? Aside from the usual suspects (El Treat Dreamso), there is also this falafel stand. [Hell Yeah Detroit]

Amanda Brewington of Always Brewing Detroit on the old "why Detroit" question. [Vimeo]

What, did you think a little bankruptcy was going to stop the construction of a new $450 million downtown hockey arena built with bonds? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA [Crain's]

Skidmore Studio decided to make a video about their fave lunch spot Steve's Detroit Deli so that others will know about it and enjoy it too. (It's a bit tongue-in-cheek.) [YouTube]

According to Nerd Travel, Ann Arbor is one of the best destinations for green travel. Also, they have beer there. [Nerd Travel]

Here's a nice story about artisan distilling in the Traverse City area, the history of distilling in the Grand Traverse region and how the existing local industries helped it evolve. [Record Eagle]

Forbes goes deep on the Detroit grocery store controversy, or whatever. Anyhoo, the 8 Mile Meijer opened. [Forbes]

And they, too, got their own special beer from Atwater Brewery. [Market Watch]

Mobile food cart for sale! Only $12 *THOUSAND*. Not hundred, as I originally posted on Facebook when it was 5:30am in Vegas when I scheduled it to post and I was working on about six hours of sleep over a 36-hour period and about to spend the next 15 hours in a car and on planes. Apologies and thanks for understanding! [Craigslist]

Oversized lawn games! Placemaking! Beach Blanket Bingo! Er, no, but a beach bar. Here's a nice roundup of the various things being done by the Riverwalk, Campus Martius, and other parks to, um, get people to go there and hang out, basically. [Crain's]

Restaurants in rest stops would be really, really awesome you guys. [Detroit News]

"Oh hey look guys, this octopus only has 6 tentacles!" "Hahaha WEIRD!" *smash smash smash* [io9]

Beerie
~I love so many things about this I don't even know where to start. Thank you, First We Feast, for putting this "Headbangers Brew" (!!!) list together. Craft beer is toooootally metal. [FWF]

~"Take the Black Stout" will be the new Game of Thrones beer from Ommegang. [BeerPulse]

Also wine
~Bryan Ulbrich of Left Foot Charley Wine and Lee Lutes of Black Star Farms are among the top 100 most influential winemakers in the U.S. It wasn't until very recently that Michigan wines were easily dismissed by wine connoisseurs and the region simply wasn't taken seriously; Bryan and Lee have both played significant roles in changing that. [Into Wine]