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VOLUME TWENTY EIGHT | ISSUE ONE
PUBLISHER: Jason Hosko
EDITORIAL EDITOR: Kate Walsh
DEPUTY EDITOR: Scott Atkinson
DIGITAL EDITOR: Christina Clark
ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Rachael Thomas, Ashley Winn
COPY EDITOR: Olivia Sedlacek
CONTRIBUTORS: Ronald Ahrens, Mary Andino, George Bulanda, Bill Dow, Steve Friess, Dorothy Hernandez, Mickey Lyons, Ryan Patrick Hooper, Andrew Roth, Mark Spezia, Megan Swoyer, Lauren Wethington
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Lindsay Richards
SENIOR PRODUCTION ARTIST: Stephanie Daniel
JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR: Steven Prokuda
CONTRIBUTORS: CJ Benninger, Jacob Lewkow, Chuk Nowak, Ryan Olbrysh, Sal Rodriguez, Rebecca Simonov, Joe Tiano
PUBLISHING AND SALES COORDINATOR: Mikala Bart
SENIOR SALES & MARKETING CONTENT CREATOR: Cortney Woody
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Cynthia Barnhart, Regan Blissett, Karli Brown, Maya Gossett, Donna Kassab, Lisa LaBelle, Mary Pantely & Associates, Jessica VanDerMaas
PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Jenine Knox
SENIOR PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: Jill Berry
PRODUCTION ARTIST: Jonathan Boedecker
ADVERTISING COORDINATORS: Amanda Kozlowski, Haylee Mozug
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jim Bibart
IT
IT DIRECTOR: Jeremy Leland WEB
DIGITAL DIRECTOR: Nick Britsky
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Matthew Cappo
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALISTS: Jim Bowser, Marissa Jacklyn, Luanne Lim, Kevin Pell
DIGITAL STRATEGY MANAGER: Travis Fletcher
VIDEO EDITOR: Taylor Lutz
VIDEO PRODUCER: Nicole Toporowski
DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT: Robyn Banks
CIRCULATION
CIRCULATION MANAGER: Riley Meyers
CIRCULATION COORDINATORS: David Benvenuto, Laquetta Harris,. Cathy Krajenke, Rachel Moulden, Michele Wold
MARKETING & EVENTS
MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER: Jodie Svagr
MARKETING & EVENTS COORDINATOR: Jaime Presnail
COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS LEAD: Cathleen Francois
MARKETING & EVENTS INTERN: Crystal Baker
MARKETING
MARKETING RESEARCH DIRECTOR: Sofia Shevin
MARKETING RESEARCH COORDINATORS: Georgia Iden, Kristin Mingo
MARKETING RESEARCH SALES COORDINATOR: Alexandra Thompson
MARKETING RESEARCH ASSISTANT: Alyssa Fueri
PRS GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Alexa Dyer
BUSINESS
CEO: Stefan Wanczyk
PRESIDENT: John Balardo
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS: Kathie Gorecki
ASSISTANT OFFICE MANAGER: Natasha Bajju
SENIOR ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE: Andrew Kotzian
ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE: Samantha Dick, Austin Schmelzle
DISTRIBUTION: Target Distribution, Troy
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TELEPHONE: 248-691-1800 FAX: 248-691-4531
EMAIL: EDITORIAL@HOURDETROIT.COM ON THE WEB: HOURDETROIT.COM
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A state senator who went viral and a singer-songwriter on a president’s playlist. A baseball legend and a rising soccer star. A commodore and an art curator. The man behind evolving opera and a woman DJing in the big leagues. An artist, a CEO, a community organizer, an auto industry giant. From every corner of metro Detroit, these are the people making the Motor City what it is — and what it’s becoming.
Bureau Detroit Niki Marie
Captured Couture
Niki Marie
COMING SOON (ISH)
It’s going to be a big year for local developments, from Michigan Central and the Detroit riverfront to a couple of historic buildings due for a face-lift.
BURNING QUESTIONS
Hot takes on even hotter issues from local experts.
THE SOFA AS STAGE
One Detroit playwright has found a unique way to help young homeless people share their stories.
CURATED & CURIOUS
For a Detroit gallery owner, her art and design collection doubles as home decor — and a reminder of the joy and responsibility that drive her.
THE RIGHT BEAT
Detroit-based DJ Donavan Glover delivers smooth sounds and fresh fits.
DRESS UP Daun Green uses the skills she’s gleaned in the fashion industry to create space for other stylists to succeed.
CULTURE C ALENDAR
Beetlejuice onstage, poignant and renowned features at the Detroit Film Theatre, and more January events.
2023 PREVIEW
Get out your brand-new calendar and pencil in 2023’s must-do events in music, theater, dance, art, and more.
OUR EXTREME WINTER WONDERLAND
Dive into the unique coldweather experiences of the “Water-Winter Wonderland.”
A SYMPOSIUM B Y PAPAS
The latest restaurant from the Papas family brings finedining Mediterranean fare to Greektown.
MUST-VISIT POP-UPS Meet the chefs behind some of the city’s most innovative culinary concepts.
RAISE A GLASS
Local bartenders reveal this year’s biggest drink trends, from ingredient transparency to nostalgic ’90s-era libations.
Located in the basement of Prime + Proper, Cash Only Supper Club is refined and sophisticated, yet playful and approachable.
EDITOR’S LETTER RESTAURANT LISTINGS
THE WAY IT WAS Queen Elizabeth II, 1951
Explore the latest book from award-winning journalist and DBusiness magazine editor R.J. King. “Detroit: Engine of America” is the real life story of how the city grew, step by step, from a French fort on the riverfront in 1701 to become the world’s largest manufacturing economy in 1900.
FOR THE FIRST TIME in HOUR Detroit’s History, we decided to try a group shoot for the Detroiters cover. But where to shoot it? One of the honorees’ workplaces seemed like the most logical location, but which one? The field at the Big House would have been fun but not very practical. Ditto for a sailboat on one of the Great Lakes or the Detroit River. The place we were lucky enough to secure — the historic and grand Detroit Opera House — turned out to be the best possible location to showcase the eight of the 12 exceptional Detroiters who could make it on that cold and windy November day.
PAGE 28
“Besides meeting deadlines, my life is otherwise marked by a lack of resolve. Why should New Year’s be different? However, opening the file of old holiday letters reveals the exception in 2012: ‘Learn to do motorcycle wheelies.’ It’s probably good that I blew that one off.” Ronald Ahrens’ first magazine story was in 1981, for Soap Opera Digest, and he’s “kept at it.” Topics he wrote about in 2022 include Volvo’s Polestar O2 concept car for Robb Report, Michigan’s wine industry for DBusiness, and the “House of Tomorrow” (aka Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s honeymoon hideaway) for Palm Springs Life
PHOTOGRAPHED
DETROITERS, PAGE 28
“I’ve managed to keep my ‘No-Treat January’ resolution for the last few years now. Sugar is my biggest vice. In 2023, my resolution is to come up with an exercise plan that I can actually stick to. I’m not getting any younger, and I need to take better care of myself.” CJ Benninger is a freelance photographer based in Bloomfield Hills, specializing in portraits. He started taking photo classes in high school, and after almost pursuing a career in culinary arts, he made a last-minute decision to major in photography instead. When he’s not wrangling his three adorably wild children, he’s likely listening to records or photographing contemporary landscapes.
PAGE 66
“I’ve never been a huge New Year’s resolution person, but as a newer freelancer, each new year has started to feel more significant. I definitely have many goals for my work, but beyond that, in the past year, I have been so lucky to meet some of my Detroit idols as well as so many incredible creatives and humans. All I can wish for 2023 is that I can continue to make new Detroit industry friends!” Rebecca Simonov is a Detroit-based food and lifestyle photographer with a passion for the culinary world. With a background in recipe development, she spends her free time researching and working to perfect her home barista skills, sourdough pizza recipe making, and overall knowledge of the world’s cuisines.
who are making a difference in metro Detroit and beyond. These honorees represent several sectors that make up the fabric of our city, including politics, the automotive industry, music, art, sports, community activism, tourism, and even the maritime industry.
When this feature debuted 20 years ago, it was a bit different. There was only one Detroiter of the Year. That honor went to Peter Karmanos Jr., who had recently opened his Compuware Corp.’s new $400 million headquarters downtown on Woodward at Monroe. This was 30 years after he and two friends had launched their first storefront in Southfield. Karmanos accomplished a lot in those three decades, including building the company to a revenue in the billions. The article also details his civic and charitable causes, including the $26 million he contributed to the Michigan Cancer Foundation, now the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
Subsequent Detroiters of the Year comprised a colorful mix of residents, including Judge Damon J. Keith (2004), southeast Michigan’s military moms (2005), downtown developers (2006, the year Detroit hosted the Super Bowl), future Mayor Dave Bing (2007), Sarah Earley of the Belle Isle Women’s Committee (2008), Kid Rock (2009), philanthropists (2010; including Judge Keith again), and Dan Gilbert (2011). The feature disappeared from the magazine for a while before returning as Hour Detroiters in 2020; the Hour Detroit team made up for that lag by including 24 honorees.
Speaking of anniversaries, if you haven’t guessed from reading my editor’s letters for the past 10 months, I’m pretty big on nostalgia. So, to start off the new year, I looked up a few events in Detroit history that are having notable anniversaries this year:
260 years ago: Chief Pontiac besieges Fort Detroit during Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763)
240 years ago: Michigan (and territory south of the Great Lakes) is ceded by Great Britain to the U.S. via the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War (1783)
160 years ago: Henry Ford is born (1863)
130 years ago: Palmer Park is established (1893)
120 years ago: Ford Motor Co. is founded and incorporated (1903)
95 years ago: The Fisher and Penobscot buildings are completed; the Detroit Zoo opens (1928)
90 years ago: Diego Rivera completes his Detroit Industry Murals in the Detroit Institute of Arts (1933)
65 years ago: “The Spirit of Detroit” statue is dedicated (1958)
55 years ago: The Detroit Tigers win the World Series, beating the St. Louis Cardinals (1968)
45 years ago: The Great Blizzard of 1978 occurs (the snowfall started when my family and I were seeing a Disney movie at the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak; I really don’t know how we got home)
15 years ago: Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick resigns after pleading guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and no contest to one count of assaulting or obstructing a police officer (2008)
10 years ago: Detroit files for bankruptcy (2013)
5 years ago: Bedrock announces a $900 million two-building development on the site of the former Hudson’s department store (2018; FYI: Owner Dan Gilbert was a Detroiter twice, in 2011 and 2022)
This year also marks a milestone for contributor George Bulanda. This is his final The Way It Was column. George, who has worked on every issue of Hour Detroit in some capacity, is retiring. We wish him well and thank him for the hundreds of articles he has written about Detroit’s history and for sharing his memories of the many people and places he wrote about.
KATE WALSH, EDITOR K WALSH@HOUR-MEDIA.COM“This handsome fab dresser, [Jason Drumheller], is my amazing husband (‘The 2022 Best Dressed List,’ November). He definitely deserves this honor, and I know because I get to see his incredible sense of style every day. Thank you, Hour Detroit magazine and Chuck Bennett, for honoring him Best Dressed!”
—@rhondawalkertv, Instagram
“Love the fashion in Detroit especially men’s. Very different than Chicago [and] NYC (‘The 2022 Best Dressed List,’ November).”
—Lisa Martin, Facebook
“So proud of my husband, [Brad Ziegler], and the work he’s done with WWII vets (‘His Last Flyboy: How a Photo Project Helped Me Find Purpose,’ November)! It’s worth the read.”
@RebeccaAFox2, Twitter
“The handsome one in the green shirt was my father, Burt Miner. A nice way to revisit this story (‘His Last Flyboy: How a Photo Project Helped Me Find Purpose,’ November)! Brad Ziegler is a special man and made a huge impact on my dad and every soldier in the Flyboys! May they all live in peace!”
—Pat Miner Maslowsky, hourdetroit.com
Now that the holidays are over, it’s finally safe to kick back and relax for a minute. Get in some much needed “me time” with a glass of vino on the side at a winery or wine trail. Find some of our favorites in metro Detroit and beyond at hourdetroit.com/ michiganwineries
Follow us online at hourdetroit.com or on social media: @hourdetroit @hour_detroit @hourdetroitmagazine
Homeless youths do what they can to survive. In Detroit, one playwright is offering them the chance to tell their stories for the community, each other, and themselves. .p. 20
Michigan Central opens, and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s 20-year plan bears fruit — plus face-lifts for two historic buildings and an iconic parking garage
BY ANDREW ROTH
WHAT IT IS: Ford Motor Co. made waves in 2018 when it announced it had acquired the longabandoned and decaying Michigan Central Station. Now, that vision is on the brink of coming to fruition — and it’s not just about the station itself. The station will anchor a 30-acre walkable campus known as Michigan Central, which will contain restaurants, retail and event spaces, a luxury hotel, public art, testing infrastructure, a mobility testing platform, outdoor plazas, innovation labs, and more. Vishaan Chakrabarti, the architect overseeing the project, told Hour Detroit in 2022 that “it’s about the buildings, but it’s also about the space between the buildings and how to create an invitation to the station.”
WHERE: Corktown
WHEN: One building, The Factory, (home to some of Ford’s vehicle business and operation team members) is already open. The Book Depository (the innovation hub) is expected to open this spring. The Station (a mixed-use space with a public concourse, a restaurant, and retail and office space) will be open by the end of the year, officials say.
HOW MUCH: $950 million, with the state contributing at least $126 million in program spending to support the district.
WHAT IT IS: It was 20 years ago that the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy was formed with the goal of developing Detroit’s riverfront spanning from the MacArthur Bridge to the Ambassador Bridge. Since its inception, the conservancy has worked on several projects along the 5.5-mile stretch, including cleanups, park restorations, pedestrian bridges, and lighted walkways, to make the riverfront a place where anyone can visit and enjoy a piece of the Detroit shoreline.
Broken up into two portions, the east and
west riverfront are divided at the former site of Joe Louis Arena. This year, the 3.5-mile eastern stretch will be finished with the completion of the Uniroyal Promenade, which will connect Gabriel Richard Park with Mount Elliott Park, providing a pathway to the bridge to Belle Isle. It will feature separate areas for pedestrians and bicyclists. The project, which broke ground in May 2021, is expected to wrap up this summer.
In November 2022, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Michigan Central invited the community and media to a preview of the 0.75mile Southwest Greenway trail, which will connect the riverfront to the Corktown, Hubbard Richard, and Southwest Detroit neighborhoods, including Michigan Central. At the trailhead is Michigan Central’s Bagley Mobility Hub, which will provide parking for the surrounding area, plus platforms for art presentation. Workers broke ground on the project in April 2022. The greenway is expected to be complete this winter and open next spring. Finally, the former West Riverfront Park will become the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park, a 22-acre destination with basketball courts, a Delta Dental Play Garden, a large water garden, and the DTE Foundation Hill. The park will be one of the most significant projects on the horizon for the conservancy, officials say, helping it reach the goal of developing 5.5 miles of revitalized riverfront. The two-year project, started in May 2022, is expected to be complete sometime in 2024.
WHERE: Detroit riverfront
WHAT IT IS: This mixed-income housing project, located in Brush Park, will encompass 308 residential units across three buildings. About half of those units — 160 — will serve as affordable housing, to be rented out at a starting rate of $500 per month. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has long championed support for mixed-income and affordable housing. “The preservation and creation of affordable housing is the cornerstone of our growth strategy,” Duggan told DBusiness in 2018. “Affordable housing offers stability for the city’s low-income residents and provides options to households at a range of incomes in all neighborhoods. This is what we are talking about when we say that we are building one city for all of us.” An outdoor terrace will occupy the Brush building’s rooftop, while a Sky Lounge is planned for the 10th floor of the Midblock building. Altogether, the development includes more than 11,000 square feet of commercial space.
WHERE: Brush and Watson streets
WHEN: Occupancy of the first building is expected to begin in early 2023.
HOW MUCH: $60 million, with the developers receiving about $3.8 million from the low-income housing tax credit.
No, it’s not a remnant from a Transformers movie.
It’s Exchange, a residential building being constructed from the top down.
throughout the building? That’s not counting the views of the city, the sports district, and the Detroit River (the rooftop terrace should have some pretty impressive views, too).
WHERE: 310 Gratiot Ave.
WHEN: Expected completion in March 2023. PRICE: $64.6 million
WHAT IT IS: Coming out of its centennial year, the last freestanding synagogue in Detroit will undergo a two-phase renovation, trading in brick walls for floorto-ceiling glass windows on the facade and adding dedicated space for children, as well as a Jewish coworking space on upper levels of the building. Phase two will include a roof deck.
Admistrators at the synagogue, which has long been known for its welcoming atmosphere, are looking to expand its mission as a gathering place and hub for Detroit’s Jewish community.
WHERE: 1457 Griswold St. WHEN: Expected completion in February 2023. HOW MUCH: $6 million
other members of the Detroit business district, starting at $175 a month, and Huntington Place will manage the deck and offer event parking.
WHERE: 900 W. Jefferson
WHEN: The first five of eight floors have been completed, and the rest is expected to be completed by fall 2023.
PRICE: $15-20 million
WHAT IT IS: Detroit-based and Black-led, the Bagley Development Group is bringing the historic Ilitch-owned United Artists Building near Grand Circus Park back to life. The building is being transformed into residential units while, developers say, maintaining the character of the 1928 18-story landmark, which has sat mostly vacant for about 50 years. The development will include 148 residential units, 20 percent of which will be affordable housing, as well as 10,500 square feet of retail on the first floor.
WHERE: 150 Bagley St.
WHAT IT IS: The 16-story building started raising eyebrows the moment construction started. Using a technology called Liftbuild, Exchange is being built from the top down rather than from the ground up, with each story being raised one at a time around two large central columns — the first time the tech has been used in North America. The downtown high-rise will include residential units comprising 152 rentable apartments and 12 for-sale condominiums. What sets this apart from other residential buildings? How about 24/7 valet service and a full smart-home ecosystem, including thermostats, locks, lights, and appliances
WHAT IT IS: When the Detroit Red Wings said goodbye to Joe Louis Arena, Detroit said goodbye to about 1 million square feet of parking space. That’s a problem for a growing downtown that’s drawing more and more people to explore what it has to offer.
Enter the Joe Louis parking deck. The third largest parking garage in the downtown area is being updated with structural repairs, new LED lights, public art installations, electric car charging ports, dry cleaning drop-off and pickup, and scooter rentals. While the deck will primarily be used as monthly parking for tenants of the 211 W. Fort St. tower, monthly parking will also be available to
WHEN: The project is expected to open by the third quarter of 2023.
HOW MUCH: $75 million, with support from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Michigan Community Revitalization Program, block grants, and historic tax credits.
WHAT IT IS: Part of the larger Book Tower development, Roost Book Tower is taking extended stays in Detroit to the next level, seeking to merge the feeling of apartment living and boutique hotels. In 2015, The Philadelphia Inquirer (Method Co., based in Philadelphia, operates several Roost locations across the country) called the Roost vision “boutique hotel meets Airbnb.” The development will offer 118 studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments featuring contemporary furnishings, antique elements, and custom lighting. Amenities will include a bike-share program, coworking space, on-site housekeeping and maintenance services, and a coffee concierge and in-apartment artisanal coffee program with La Colombe Coffee Roasters.
WHERE: 1265 Washington Blvd.
WHEN: Construction is expected to be completed at some point this year, with an exact timeline for the Book Tower development, including Roost Book Tower, expected soon.
HOW MUCH: $313 million for the full Book Tower project
A YEAR IS A LONG time in politics and life. When Hour Detroit asked an esteemed panel of experts in November 2021 to offer predictions for 2022, there was an awful lot they couldn’t have imagined. Like, say, that half the field of Republican gubernatorial candidates would disappear from the ballot due to signature fraud. Or that redistricting would help Democrats retake both chambers of the state Legislature for the first time in 40 years (the new maps weren’t ready until January 2022).
That said, it’s pretty impressive how right our gang was. Let’s check their work!
How will Detroit City Councilmember Coleman Young II and Mayor Mike Duggan get along?
The history between Duggan and Young was fraught because Young ran a vicious, highly personal, and ultimately humiliating (to Young) campaign against the sitting mayor in 2017. Still, the son of the city’s first Black — and perhaps most beloved mayor earned himself an at-large seat on the City Council in 2021, so the two were poised to work together one way or the other.
So how’d it go? As our panel predicted, super-duper! In fact, panelists Jer Staes of the Daily Detroit podcast and Hazel Park City Councilmember Luke Londo suggested there would be disagreements that would be handled agreeably, but even that seemed to overstate the remains of the feud.
The two men appeared to have not even the remotest hint of a public clash in 2022, which started with Duggan backing Young and others’ effort to replace a statue of former U.S.
Senator Lewis Cass in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., with one of
BY ASHLEY WINN | ILLUSTRATIONS BY RYAN OLBRYSH
IN LAST YEAR’S “Burning Questions,” we pondered pressing topics related to the approaching 2022 elections. There may be no controversial campaigns or hotly contested races in store for the coming year, yet somehow, the political climate seems as fervent as ever. The sense of calm that settled in a few months back, once the ballots were cast and victors declared, has already begun to recede as we contemplate what 2023 might hold.
Among the topics making us sweat this January: mercurial gas prices, rising tensions around school safety, the looming threat of recession — and of course, the roads.
THE “R-WORD” seems to have become a constant presence in our lives. For months now, the Federal Reserve has been announcing interest-rate hikes on what feels like a daily basis, thus fueling already extensive debate on whether our financial fears will be realized (and whether they already have been). But for all the discourse, a concrete answer has remained elusive.
According to the International Monetary Fund, that answer is: probably. In its World Economic Outlook report, released in October 2022, the organization predicts that, barring swift action on inflation from policymakers, a recession is imminent — at least on a global scale.
Wayne State University economics professor Michael Belzer is less concerned. “Unless something bad happens, I don’t personally think we’ll really get into a full recession,” he says. While multiple factors, such as the Russian war on Ukraine and the enduring disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on global markets and supply chains, continue to drive inflation, there is cause for optimism. In particular, Belzer points to falling unemployment rates and
persistent job availability as signs that the labor market is continuing down the road to recovery. However, he is wary of the Fed’s “aggressive tight-money policies” potentially knocking it off course. Rather than curbing inflation, he thinks steep increases in interest rates could actually serve to stifle economic improvement.
“I don’t think that high interest rates will reduce inflation, because the inflation we’re experiencing in this moment isn’t caused by demand shock, like it is in most recessions.”
MICHIGAN ACTIVISTS and politicians alike have been tossing the idea of red flag laws around for years. Also known as “extreme risk protection orders,” or ERPOs, these measures aim to keep firearms out of the possession of those a court determines to be a danger to themselves or others. While multiple versions of such laws have been brought before the state Legislature, none have amounted to anything. It looked like that might change with the proposal of Senate Bills 856-858 in February 2022. When the legislation died upon referral to the Government Operations Committee shortly after its introduction, some breathed a sigh of relief, others one of disappointment. But discourse around school safety and gun control has only intensified since, and it has both parties wondering, “What happens now?”
Young’s father. By the end of the year, Young was singing Duggan’s praises over efforts to reopen the Coleman A. Young Municipal Airport.
If Roe v. Wade is struck down, will that impact the 2022 elections in Michigan?
When interviews were conducted with the panel, it still seemed far-fetched that the U.S. Supreme Court would go that far in imperiling the right to abortion that Americans had known for nearly 50 years.
Then it happened.
By the end of June, Roe was history and Michiganders were facing the resurrection of a draconian 1931 law that made terminating a pregnancy a felony. The Michigan Court of Claims struck that statute down in September, but the 2022 election became in large part a question about what might happen next.
GAS PRICES have mellowed out since shattering Michigan’s record high, at $5.22 per gallon, in June 2022. Still, the sudden and acute price shifts we saw last year, as well as suggestions by some experts that this relief rests on the precariously thin ice of current world affairs, are keeping some folks on edge. WSU’s Belzer, who specializes in transportation economics, says international intricacies such as these are a big part of the reason fuel prices are particularly difficult to predict. “It’s important to understand that gas prices are not local — oil is a commodity traded on the global market.” However, he suspects that the root of the initial price relaxation — the global economic downturn and resulting reduction in fuel demand will also “keep the lid on fuel prices” at least for the next year or so. In a way, it’s a tradeoff: We’ll likely continue to enjoy milder gas prices, but only thanks to the economic declines that are expected to continue affecting various foreign countries — and to some degree, the U.S.
Michigan State University criminal justice professor April Zeoli says that thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, there may be one fewer impediment to passing a red flag law in the state. The federal statute passed in June 2022, allotting $750 million for state crisis intervention services — including the implementation of ERPOs. In other words, the money is there. The motivation, however, is another matter.
Probably not.
The panel did not predict a constitutional amendment would be on the ballot to codify abortion rights, a move that helped gin up enthusiasm among Democratic voters. But GOP consultant Dennis Darnoi was prescient when he said, “It takes the conversation off the economy, off education, off [Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer.”
That it did. Republicans tried mightily to shift the discussion to inflation, gas prices, critical race theory, and transgender kids in sports. And Democrats stuck with one dominant reproductive freedom theme.
Zeoli believes the growing body of research on red flag laws may also move the needle by providing answers to lawmakers’ questions. A study she published in October 2022, for instance, examines 6,700 ERPO cases across six states and shows that such policies are being used — effectively, some signs indicate — as a response to mass-shooting threats.
Zeoli doesn’t think any of this would convince Republicans, whose control of the state Legislature has long kept red flag laws distinctly out of reach. But with Democrats taking the helm in the wake of the November 2022 elections, the tides could be changing. “Given that Michigan’s Democratic lawmakers have previously introduced ERPO bills, I would guess there’s a better chance that such a bill could pass.”
The group said yes but hedged to say it would be close. It was not close.
Whitmer thumped Dixon by about the same 10-point margin by which she thumped 2018 opponent Bill Schuette. Her stringent COVID-19 policies were not the albatross many thought they’d be, and 2022 was also not the wave election year that Republicans had hoped — and pundits expected — it to be.
WILL THE PAIN AT THE PUMP RETURN? Probably not, at least for now.
WILL WE SEE A FULL-BLOWN RECESSION IN 2023? Who knows?
Chaos on the GOP side threw the most prominent (ex-Detroit Police Chief James Craig) and well-funded (Kevin Rinke and Perry Johnson) candidates off the ballot and left the field for Dixon, a little-known activist and first-time candidate with endorsements from Betsy DeVos and, eventually, former President Donald Trump. When the Supreme Court made abortion rights a key issue, Whitmer was well placed to fight that fight and to speak to suburban and independent female voters who might have been swayed by Dixon’s economic message.
How about Jocelyn Benson and Dana Nessel?
This one is a matter of interpretation. The panel felt Secretary of State Benson’s and Attorney General Nessel’s fortunes would rise and fall with Whitmer’s. In the end, though, Benson got more votes than Whitmer, and both Benson’s and Nessel’s paths were made easier by the extremist, 2020-electiondenying opponents — Kristina Karamo and Matthew DePerno, respectively — sent their way by the GOP.
Both women seized key issues near and dear to them at opportune moments.
Benson got to spend the year talking about protecting elections and democracy from people like Karamo who parroted Trump’s lies about voter fraud in 2020. Nessel, as AG, got to fight in court to strike down the 1931 abortion ban that was still on the books in Michigan.
Nessel and Benson may have enjoyed a small lift from being a part of an unusual allfemale top-of-ticket triumvirate, but each woman earned her own landslide.
Will recreational marijuana shops open in Detroit this year?
Everyone said no, and everyone was right.
The city’s plans got snarled when federal courts rejected a plan to help longtime Detroiters get licenses.
A compromise plan is now in place, already
SCHOOL VIOLENCE HIT HOME for metro Detroiters in late 2021 with the tragic Oxford High School shooting. Since then, local schools have found themselves groping for the optimal security solution while simultaneously fielding wide-ranging opinions and concerns from parents. The region’s largest school system, the Detroit Public Schools Community District, is locked in an ongoing struggle over the districtwide implementation of metal detectors, though Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has come out against the idea.
Meanwhile, districts like Anchor Bay and Oxford wasted no time in enlisting armed guards doubtless the most controversial move — with the latter also investing in an artificial intelligence gun detection platform called ZeroEyes.
Warren Consolidated Schools, another of the region’s bigger districts, is resisting the push for new and drastic security initiatives. Rather,
Superintendent Robert Livernois says, WCS is focused on expanding its current methods, which include providing extensive crisis training for staff, as well as fostering a culture in which students feel comfortable sharing troubling information with them. “Especially considering how many kids we have, it’s an extraordinarily useful tool — it allows us to be proactive as opposed to reactive.”
WCS is also part of the Macomb Intermediate School District, whose constituents have put in place a unified crisis plan and continue to coordinate on security issues at monthly meetings. From such interaction with other districts, Livernois knows many of them plan to take advantage of funding recently allocated by the state to institute school resource officers. Apart from that, however, the lack of consensus on what additional security measures — if any at all — should be taken seems persistent. “I think it is a mixed bag right now,” Livernois says.
HOW WILL ME TRO DETROIT DISTRICTS ADDRESS SCHOOL SECURITY? They’re all over the map.
WITH COVID-19 largely in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s rearview mirror as she cruises into her second term, the public will be even more vigilant that she make good on her trademark campaign promise. According to political consultant Jeff Timmer, former executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, they won’t be disappointed. “It seems every damn road in Michigan was already in the process of being fixed last year.” Over 13,000 miles, in fact, had been rebuilt under her administration, the governor claimed in her final gubernatorial debate. “We can only expect more improvement in Whitmer’s second term.”
Oftentimes, the executive agenda is at the mercy of opposing lawmakers, but with both chambers of the state Legislature now in Whitmer’s corner, pushing her plans through should be a breeze. Plus, Timmer notes, “Even the Republicans will want the roads fixed, and they will be more amenable now that Whitmer is unable to run again.”
Still, as Belzer points out, the infrastructure problem can’t be remedied overnight. “It will take substantial money and time to fix what Michigan leaders have been leaving untended for decades.” One of the factors he says will continue to constrain meaningful progress is the state’s method of distributing funds. “The current formula allocates funding disproportionately to rural areas. Meanwhile, the Michigan region with the greatest economic activity and population — metro Detroit — has the worst roads.”
MICHIGAN STUDENTS incurred significant learning deficits as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These deficits are, however, on par with those affecting the rest of the country. Data from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, for instance, reveals declines in test scores in the areas of math, reading, or both across every state. Still, Michigan is tasked with digging itself out of a deeper hole than most.
Amber Arellano, executive director of education advocacy nonprofit The Education Trust Midwest, says that’s due to the substandard condition Michigan’s education system was in pre-pandemic. “Michigan was already lagging behind in key areas,” she says. “And assessment data confirms that Michigan students are now even farther behind — particularly in reading.”
Even in the face of these challenges, Arellano is confident in the state’s ability to make an educational comeback. But, she emphasizes, it’s going to take work — and time. There are a few initiatives she points to as essential in closing the learning gaps. These include providing schools with immediate and ongoing support for the application of proven methods like oneon-one tutoring and extended learning programs, such as summer school. She says these efforts should be targeted in particular at those students who experienced the greatest learning disruptions during the pandemic. “There is an urgent need for investment and action, and it has to be a multiyear commitment from state and district leaders.”
In other words: “A full educational recovery by the end of the year is unlikely.”
tested and upheld by the courts, that will allow for up to 100 dispensaries, 30 microbusinesses, and 30 consumption lounges.
Half of the licenses will go to “social equity” applicants. The process should get going in high (haha) gear in 2023.
What will COVID-19 be by the end of 2022?
The panel said it would be a “dull headache,” and that’s about right for most folks. Although it is the third largest cause of death in Michigan, with people of all ages now able to be vaccinated and effective treatments readily available, we don’t hear much about shutdowns because of outbreaks.
Health care settings still require masks, but otherwise it’s remarkable how normal things are.
As Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer predicted, “It will become just one more risk that you manage, like you do all the other risks in your life.” And Tom Ivacko, executive director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan, also nailed it: “The 2022 election outcomes will be the hot topic — including what they mean for Trump and his hold on the GOP looking toward 2024.”
Will any Michigan pro sports teams have a winning record in 2022?
With the caveat that the Detroit Lions are 4-7 as of midNovember and could theoretically emerge with more wins than losses, the panel was correct that Motown has but one set of winners: Detroit City Football Club. The team, which moved over to the United Soccer League after a few years of dominating the National Independent Soccer Association, eked out a 1412-8 record, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The season ended in late October in a 3-1 loss to Memphis 901 in a quarterfinal playoff matchup.
SITTING ON A SOFA in the middle of a brick sidewalk in Detroit, a young man looks into a camera and says he’s lucky.
“I have a roof over my head and a place to sleep,” he continues. “Right here on this couch, actually.”
He goes on to tell the story of how he came to stay at his friend Ash’s house. He recalls worrying that he’d be a burden or people would think he was annoying, and how one housemate, indeed, (the cat) is not pleased with him being there, crashing on their couch. But for the young man, that couch is, for now, all he has. Like many other youths in urban areas, he found himself homeless until someone was willing to take him in.
His story is, technically speaking, not true — and yet it is. Through a Detroit-born organization called Sofa Stories, youths who have experienced homelessness have an opportunity to tell their stories in their own way. But laying bare their stories themselves can often be a frightening prospect. Instead, Sofa Stories partners them with local writers who help them create scripts for their own monologues, drawing inspiration from their own lives and telling stories that illuminate the struggle of homelessness, much like a novelist basing a book on real-life experiences.
The stories they share are sometimes harrowing there are tales of abuse, death, and suicide — the kinds of stories it’s hard to believe someone made up rather than, under the veil of fiction, was able to open up about.
Sofa Stories is the brainchild of Andrew Morton, an England-born playwright who calls Detroit his home (his family moved to the Flint area when he was young; he moved to Detroit in 2017). Morton’s work usually incorporates some type of social justice element. In Flint, he wrote and directed verbatim theater projects — plays based on interviews with local residents about such issues as arson and emergency financial managers taking over the city.
In Detroit, he wanted to take on a different issue. “We might see homelessness, or what we perceive to be homelessness, in a city, but young [homeless] people are often hiding in plain sight, sleeping at a friend’s house because they don’t feel safe in their family home, shared sleeping in abandoned housing or a shelter, living in their car,” he says with a lingering British accent.
According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, more than 34,000
One Detroit playwright has found a unique way to help young homeless people share their stories
BY SCOTT ATKINSON | PHOTO BY JACOB LEWKOWstudents in Michigan public schools were homeless during the 2018-19 school year, with about 4,800 of them being “unaccompanied” — that is, without a parent or guardian to look after them.
The sofa, he felt, was a strong image to base the project around. “Sofa surfing, couch surfing, is something a lot of young people will do to navigate [homelessness],” he says.
He also liked the idea of the performances being outside, “something that would catch the passing public’s eye,” he says.
In 2019, he received a grant from the Knight Foundation and partnered with the Detroit Phoenix Center, an organization that helps young people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
The project started virtually, but in 2021 they held their first outdoor performances in various spots around Detroit — just an actor, a couch, and hopefully, an audience.
Morton considers that first summer of performances a success but found that performing live, outside, had its drawbacks.
“If it’s not too hot, it’s too windy,” he says. This dilemma led him to take Sofa Stories in a new direction: video.
With the Knight Foundation grant and his later designation as a Kresge fellow, Morton had the funds to form a “small, informal collective” of filmmakers and writers to work with youths in telling their stories through live performance and online at sofastoriesdetroit.com The funding also allowed them to give the students, for their work as actors, a small stipend — “one of the best ways to support young people in crisis,” Morton says.
The group takes a “meet you where you’re at” approach, working to help young people tell their stories in whatever way they’re comfortable with. “It could be a true story, or it could be a fictionalized version of a person’s experience,” Morton says.
For the next phase of the project, Morton says, he’s turning his focus to LGBTQ youth, who, according to the Michigan League for Public Policy, are 120 percent more likely to suffer homelessness often due to nonacceptance at home.
In his monologue, the young man on the couch says he identifies as queer, grew up in foster care, and became homeless after his two roommates moved out unexpectedly, leaving him with bills he couldn’t pay. Meanwhile, the cafe he worked for went out of business.
“When you live the kind of life I have lived, it’s kind of hard just to remember that people can be nice,” he says. “Ash says it’s our responsibility as members of the queer community to look out for each other, and they’re right. A lot of us don’t have supportive families.”
In November, Morton was awarded a residency with Detroit Public Theatre, giving him a place to rehearse the next series of Sofa Stories and hold an indoor summer performance before taking the project back outside. In time, Morton plans to turn his group into a formal organization that will continue to work with the Detroit Phoenix Center, running an after-school theater program. The name for the new organization, Every Soul, comes from a lyric in the song “New York Morning,” one of his favorites, by the British band Elbow: “For every soul, a pillow at a window, please.”
“Sofa surfing, couch s urfing, is something a lot of young people will do to navigate homelessness.”
—ANDREW MORTON
A monthly feature highlighting events, promotions, and opportunities of interest to Hour Detroit readers.
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Photographs by Christine M.J. Hathaway
Photographs by Anthony Samona
Brian Yaldoo and Sunny Grewal
Kelly Boer, Jamie Snider, Melissa Massey, and David Deutsch
Angella Durkin, Diane Wolfenden, Christa Klein, and Anne Ginn
Angela Poota, Christina Kilano, Jennifer Hanna, Alexandra Sawa, and Natasha Hamama
Hind Patros and Erica Kaddis
Megan Hudson and Maggie Carins
Daniela Antovski, Teah Iosebashvili, and Bridjet Morris
Candace Byrnes
Nadir Jiddou and Nancy Kashat
Randy Burton (far right) playing with Virginia Tile vendors and customers
Juanda Brown and Lauren Royston
Jordan Broder NUCLASSICA
Susan Arlin, Rudy Patros, R.J. Patros, and Jake Patros
Sean Cilona, Kayla Gross, and Chad Treuthart
Valencia Morris, Stacee Jones, and Jill Caruso
Mark Sinishtaj, Robert Ivezaj, Ledia Tetaj, Liria Dedvukaj, Agron Lulgjuraj, Linddita Shena, Antoneta Lulgjuraj, and Beni Tetaj
Photographs by Douglas Elbinger
A monthly feature highlighting events, promotions, and opportunities of interest to Hour Detroit readers.
California Closets Grand Opening Celebration
Photographs by Douglas Elbinger
Comedy and Cocktails presented by Macomb Community College Foundation Photographs by Christine M.J. Hathaway
DOBI Real Estate Fest
Photographs by Lindsay Schweikert
Ben Sharkey
Allison Page, Jenna Wittbrodt, Stephen Wittbrodt, Lisa Fraser, and Ray Markham Jr.
Ally Nash and Vinnie Vitale
Jasmine Goryoka, Pablo Ortega, Bonita Hermiz, Angela Thomas, and Reina Kalabat
Ben Yared, Joan Primo, Ellen Humenny, and Monica Gale
Ed Albertsons and Marcy Riddle
Joline Davis, Darrett Pullins, and Cathy Kelly
Khash and Brooke Azimi, Amber and Nick Moons
Oakland Dance Team
Emily Manley, Katie McArthur, Jessica Coykendall, and Amanda Rigsby
Kirsten Spano and Brett Earnest
Ryan Nelson, Kortney Nelson, and Lauren Gallick
Piston’s Dancers and Molly MacDonald
Laura Bolyard, Theresa Renaud, Ray Markham, and Sheilah Markham
Michael and Katie Sova, Leigh Gezywacz, and Brittany Shepard
Scott Pulus, John Lionas, and Doug Rahaim
10th Anniversary The Pink Fund presents Dancing for the Survivors Photographs by Christine M.J. Hathaway
Living
“EVERY DAY IS A DISCOVERY,” Isabelle Weiss says of her home in the Method Development lofts at the Detroit Design District. “And I work an oatmeal bowl away from where I live.” Indeed, the 33-year-old occupies a loft located just an elevator ride above her business, I.M. Weiss Gallery.
BY MEGAN SWOYER PHOTOS BY JOE TIANO
Located at the border between the city’s North End and Milwaukee Junction, the three-story building — formerly the Maurice Fox Ford sales and service station — features retail space on the first floor and 18 industrial-style lofts on the second and third floors.
Weiss’ gallery (previously known as Next:Space) supports Detroit artists and designers who create functional art objects. The gallery is on the first floor of the building and neighbors a clothing store, design firm, and comic book shop.
“I like the industrial atmosphere here,” Weiss says. “It’s close to everything, but off the beaten path.”
Here, we take a peek at her gallery (which was once a mechanic shop) and tour her loft, where every item has a story behind it.
New dimension: An impressive tower sculpture (1) by Korean American artist Mary Kim, who graduated from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, impresses. “It’s my favorite color: red,” Weiss says. “And [Kim has] created a sculpture using several pieces of wood in various shades of red that are all the same size.”
Marketplace musings: Vintage lamps and a chair (2) are from Marketplace Antiques Gallery in Detroit. “I learned so much from Marketplace owner Marvin Nash about midcentury design,” Weiss says. Also in this space are a Matt Eaton painting, two monoprints by artist Deborah Friedman, a
thread necklace by Detroit artist Elizabeth Youngblood, and triangular mirrors from Ferndale design studio Alex Drew & No One.
Ocean turbulence: Works by Cody Norman, a designer, self-taught engineer, and Cranbrook Academy of Art alum, also adorn the apartment. “I have the first lamp he ever made [called a Jellyfish Lamp] (3) and have been representing his work since he was just starting at Cranbrook.” She also owns a planter, “M4_6” (4), and a vessel from Norman’s Turbulence series that she keeps on a shelf in her living room.
with her collection of art and design objects reminds Isabelle Weiss of the joy and responsibility that drive her gallery
Please be seated: The LT chair (5), made of aluminum and bent steel, is “super sculptural,” Weiss says. It was designed by Colin Tury of Midwest Common, a design studio located in Modern Development’s building.
Textile style: Several Paula Schubatis pieces adorn the apartment. They include a mix of woven textiles, found materials, and more. “I have a collection of her pillows (6) and cushions made from a wide range of materials, including recycled plastic bags, foam pellets, [and] reclaimed textiles,” Weiss says. She also has a Schubatis wall tapestry in her bedroom.
The office: Weiss’ office (7) is within the gallery and is not separated by walls. Her desk sits in front of an old brick wall, on which she “left the old graffiti and a million layers of paint,” she says. “I chose to keep the industrial bones and even color-matched the paint to drywall. It’s an environment that speaks to our art objects that are born from this great industrial context of Detroit; we shouldn’t hide that.”
It grows on you: A vessel (8), made by metalsmith and College for Creative Studies student Cassidy Kaufman, started as a flat sheet of metal that was then hammered into a form. “It has a very unusual patina, made with MiracleGro,” Weiss says.
Wall art: The painting above the bed (9) is by Detroit artist Luke Mack.
Underfoot: The polished concrete flooring is original.
Rooms with a view: Through her apartment’s living room window is “the money view,” Weiss says. Looking west on East Grand Boulevard, she can see Chroma, the Fisher Building, and “some amazing sunsets.”
Glover wears a one-of-one “Native Not Local” leather jacket designed by Dams in Distress, a Stüssy tee, Cactus Jack X Nike pants from Detroit’s Xhibition, and the Staple X Crocs clog. A chain from local jewelry brand SSR and a trucker hat from Detroit clothing label Chene Parc round out the look.
IF YOU FREQUENT popular Detroit clubs like Deluxx Fluxx, Spot Lite, or Marble Bar, chances are you have danced the night away to one of Donavan Glover’s sets.
The 32-year-old Detroit native has been a consistent presence on the city’s DJing scene since picking up the craft in 2018. Detroit-born singer-songwriter Amp Fiddler and music producer Waajeed, another native Detroiter, were two of Glover’s mentors and among those who inspired him when he first started out. “Every venue is a different type of vibe,” Glover says, but folks can expect sets filled with the sounds of Afrobeat, R&B, dance, hip-hop, rap and Caribbean
music. His skills have taken him far, from playing sets in New York and Toronto to joining Grammynominated saxophonist and composer De’Sean Jones for a five-day residency in San Francisco. Locally, you can catch Glover hosting his “Don Lite” events alongside fellow local DJs, at Spot Lite, or performing for House Party, an event series by brothers and DJs J House and Masquenada.
Before Glover was laying tracks at local nightlife hotspots, the self-proclaimed polymath launched his career as a photographer and filmmaker in 2010, undertaking projects with friends and emerging talent. He would later add music production to his creative repertoire and produce videos for legends like Amp Fiddler and Elzhi, a former member of the Detroit hip-hop group Slum Village.
Here, we learn a bit more about the man behind the turntables.
My personal style is … Comfortable. I like athleisure — whatever feels comfortable, functions well, and is essential. I work closely with a stylist from Michigan; her name is Brittany Roberson. Our vision was to step out of the box — I used to wear a lot of black and neutrals with colors and vintage button-up shirts. Now, as the seasons change, I’m going with a monochromatic [look].
My performance essentials: I gotta have some type of accessory on, whether it’s a necklace or a watch. And I always bring a camera with me; even if I don’t use it, I just gotta have it.
My favorite local shops and brands: I wear Distinct Life, Rick [and Yolanda] Williams’ brand. That’s a dope Detroit brand. I also wear this Detroitbased accessory brand called SSR, by my friend Saybin [Roberson]. I wear a few of her necklaces. Detroit sneaker and clothing boutique Two 18. I’m getting into sneakers; I was never a sneakerhead like that. And my boy, Nelson [Sanders Jr., founder of Dandy], he’s known me since I was 6, so I always gotta support him. I always wear his navy [Dandy Worker Jacket].
My most memorable set: One good one was opening for Moodymann at Deluxx [Fluxx] in 2021. That was a cool one.
If I could only listen to one musician for life, it would be … Kid Cudi.
What makes a great DJ: What I’ve learned, and what I’m currently learning, is that organization is key. Learning when to play certain things and how to play them is big — knowing when to introduce people to something new that you know is totally different. You’ve got to come with a strategy, then depending on where the vibe takes you, you’re allowed to bounce around and [improvise].
New year, new … Perspective for living a great life.
Find out where Glover will be performing next on his Instagram, @donavanglover.
“I have been doing my best to not limit myself and box myself because life is so unpredictable.”
—DONAVAN GLOVER
Daun Green has used the skills she’s learned in the fashion industry to create a space for other stylists to succeed
BY RACHAEL THOMAS | PHOTOS BY CHUK NOWAKWHEN DAUN GREEN was a teenager growing up on Detroit’s west side during the early aughts, she loved helping friends pick out their homecoming dresses and going-out attire. Two decades later, she is not only a successful self-taught wardrobe stylist but the owner of a recently opened wardrobe leasing company in one of her hometown’s historic locations.
Green debuted 8711 Showroom last August, within the Bagley Mansion on East Jefferson Avenue. The showroom offers exclusive garments and accessories for film projects, fashion shows, photoshoots, and more for stylists to rent — all curated by Green. The space can also be rented out for client fittings and pop-up shops.
“I know what it is like to be a model, I know what it is [like] to work with a designer, and although I don’t design, I have worked in fashion shows as a wardrobe stylist, just showing collections or different pieces I have thrifted,” Green says. “So, [I’m] taking all of those different aspects and giving people a luxurious experience.”
Indeed, Green boasts an impressive resume of well-attended fashion shows that she’s produced and successful indie movies she’s styled for. But before all of that, Green learned the ins and outs of wardrobe styling, modeling, and show production while participating in Detroit’s Walk Fashion Show. Green took those skills and, in 2013, started her own business, Dusk ’Til Daun, through which she does wardrobe styling, image consulting, and show production. One of Green’s most anticipated events was the What’s Next DTD? pop-up fashion show that she produced several times between 2018 and 2020. The show took over spots like Pareik Gallery, the Detroit Zoo, and even Coleman A. Young International Airport. Also during that time, Green served as the head of wardrobe for local film production company A-Line Cinema, the brainchild of cinematographer Beasy Jones.
When it comes to 8711 Showroom, Green lovingly describes it as “big in character but intimate in size.” In the front room, she holds consultations with wardrobe stylists to learn more about their projects and how best to assist them. Pop-up shops and fittings are also held there. The back room is where Green displays her inventory on several mounted garment racks. The fully stocked kitchen, which is also available to rent, is located there, too.
Green curates one-of-one items and pieces from past collections — with a focus on couture and streetwear apparel and accessories — by
emerging designers and brands based in and around Detroit. Diane Berry Fashions, Lucania Lavish Couture, Sicarra Black, The Standard Detroit, K. Walker Collective, William Palmer Homme, LifeLine Brand, and G Culle are just some of the designers and brands that 8711 Showroom offers, and Green says new inventory comes in daily. All items are also available for anyone (not just stylists) to purchase — so long as they are not already reserved for a client.
“When people come in, the whole vibe for 8711 is to feel welcome, to find exclusive designs, and to know that whatever battle you were facing out there when it comes to pulling the pieces that you want as a wardrobe stylist — that we have it here,” Green says. “You’re welcome to look around, ask me any questions, and pick my brain because that’s what I’m here for.”
Helping fellow wardrobe stylists avoid the obstacles she’s faced is the main reason Green created 8711 Showroom. When she was building her brand in the early 2010s, Green recalls how difficult it could be to find shops and designers to source items from. (These days, Green says, the evolution of social media platforms like Instagram has made people and brands much more accessible.) Green also wanted to provide a resource for wardrobe stylists to quickly rent items from if their original plans fell through, as well as a space to hold fittings so stylists wouldn’t have to rely on their own homes or an unconventional locale, which could add stress to their project.
Transporting expensive inventory can also be
Daun Green sits at 8711 Showroom among her curated collection of exclusive garments from local designers and brands, all of which are available to rent and purchase.
an issue for stylists. Green herself has “had over $7,000 worth of inventory in my car, driving around, filled to the top of my car. So, I’m glad that we have this place.”
As for 2023’s outlook, Green would love to bring rare collections and items from renowned luxury brands like Chanel and Christian Dior to 8711 Showroom. On the mentoring side, Green meets with students at University Prep Art & Design High School in Detroit — encouraging them to explore opportunities within the city’s fashion industry — and she hopes to host workshops at the showroom that teach emerging wardrobe stylists the basics of the job.
And, if we’re lucky, Green will produce just one more fashion show — but she makes no promises. She claims her Men’s Fashion Show event presented at the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant last May was her final production.
“I just want to tell anybody that’s out there working a 9-to-5 and is also pursuing a career that nothing is instant gratification,” Green says of what she’s learned during her entrepreneurial journey. “Sometimes, you might miss a nail appointment, you might miss a hair appointment. But what you’re not going to miss out on is the opportunity that you are destined to have if you do follow your dreams.”
8711 Showroom, 2921 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 8711showroom.com
A state senator who went viral and a singer-songwriter on a president’s playlist. A baseball legend and a rising soccer star. A commodore and an art curator. The man behind opera’s evolution and a woman DJing in the big leagues. An artist, a CEO, a community organizer, an auto industry giant. From every corner of metro Detroit, these are the people making the Motor City what it is — and what it’s becoming.
The Detroit City FC goalkeeper helped take the club to the playoffs its first year in a new league, but it’s the community work through the club that has helped him leave the biggest impact
BY CHRISTINA CLARKTHERE IS NO more sleeping on Detroit City Football Club.
After winning the National Independent Soccer Association championship in 2021, Detroit’s professional soccer team, which started as a grassroots organization in 2012, moved up to the United Soccer League in 2022.
They were the underdogs given the nickname “NISA All-Stars” and weren’t expected to make it very far their first year in the league, but despite all the skepticism, they reached the playoffs. While many factors went into the success of Le Rouge this year, there’s no denying that goalkeeper Nathan “Nate” Steinwascher is toward the top of that list.
Known as The Brick Wall of Detroit City (or Nate Steinmonster) by the club’s ravenous supporters, Steinwascher came into the 2022 season with back-to-back Golden Glove Awards, 19 clean sheets (shutouts), and a record of 23-5-1 in 2021.
During the 2022 season, he had 92 saves and 12 clean sheets — the second most in the league for both — and won the fan-favorite Black Arrow Award.
It’s a solid record and one that Steinwascher, who is also a certified public accountant and a dad of two, says he wouldn’t have achieved without his wife, Catie; their family; City’s fans; and of course, his teammates.
“A lot of people didn’t
think we’d be able to do something like this,” he says.
“But the core people within this club know what they’re capable of so for some of us it’s not a surprise.”
Steinwascher, who grew up in Sterling Heights, says that he has been playing soccer for as long as he can remember. “My father came from Peru, [and] having South American blood, it just runs in the family,” he explains. “Just growing up in that environment and then having a competitive atmosphere has helped me get here today.”
As a kid, Steinwascher started out playing defender and midfielder before stepping into goal at age 10 or 11 for a friend who needed heart surgery. “I don’t like
running that much, so I said, ‘I’ll go back in goal and give it a shot,’” he says with a laugh.
When his friend returned about 6-8 months later, his teammates preferred Steinwascher in goal — and he preferred it, too. “I have a naturally observant personality, so [I enjoy being] able to see everything in front of me and knowing everything that is going on on the field,” he says. “Dealing with the pressure is always fun. I know a lot of people don’t enjoy it as much, but sometimes I kind of relish in that spotlight. The more pressure, in some instances, the better I can play, [and] my personality comes out a bit on the field.”
Steinwascher continued playing soccer while studying at the University of Detroit Mercy. He was redshirted for an injury in 2011, trained with Detroit City FC in 2012, and then played with the Michigan Bucks (now the Flint City Bucks) from 2013 to 2015 before returning to Detroit City in 2016. He’s been playing with the club ever since.
But it’s not all the club, its success, or the game that Steinwascher sees making the most impact in the community. It’s the club’s five youth affiliate programs across the city and metro area, which give kids a path to play soccer long term, that he finds most valuable.
“Being a community club in Detroit has helped open up pathways for youth to play soccer within the city, and that’s the whole goal that this ownership group has taken: How can we make soccer as accessible to youth in the city as possible? I think we’ve been really successful at doing that,” he says.
Through the youth programs, City’s players work with the kids on their skills and show them that playing at a higher level is possible, which is something Steinwascher loves doing.
“It’s really cool to have that kind of connection, and for the club to put us in those positions where we can be a role model, I think it’s really huge for the club and the city,” he says. “As hard as the kids work on the field, they’re so much fun off the field, and I want to be a role model giving back to these kids and giving back to the community as much as possible.”
n April 19, 2022, Mallory McMorrow sat down to write a speech. She had a lot to say — or, rather, a lot to respond to.
The day before, the state senator representing Michigan’s then-13th District had received a strange critique from a Republican colleague, who, in a campaign email, accused McMorrow and other Democrats of being “outraged” that they weren’t able to “groom and sexualize” kindergarteners.
She had been thinking about what to say and how to say it, and in the end, there were two words she decided not to use: “Democrat” and “Republican.”
“I thought about this a lot. Because when it’s just Democrats versus Republicans, I think everybody tunes out at this point,” she says.
“So I crossed it all out, and I ended up just writing about myself. I didn’t say ‘Democrat’ or ‘Republican’ once. I did not name-call. I did not accuse anybody of anything else,” she says.
She spoke about her involvement in her church as a young woman, and the lessons her mother taught her — that being a Christian wasn’t about going to church so much as it was being of service to others, “especially people who are marginalized, targeted, and had less, often unfairly.”
While she avoided political name-calling, she was also clearly striking back and drawing an ideological line in the sand, saying, “I learned that service was far more important than performative nonsense like being seen in the same pew every Sunday or writing ‘Christian’ in your Twitter bio and using it as a shield to target and marginalize already marginalized people.”
The speech — delivered on the floor of the Senate on April 19, 2022 — you could say, worked. It was viewed 9 million times in the first 24 hours, and McMorrow ended up on CNN, PBS, and MSNBC and was written about in just about every newspaper you can think of. On April 28, Intelligencer dubbed her “the Democrats’ newest star.” Politico ran a headline in July that read “It’s official: The attack on McMorrow backfired.”
In August, due to redistricting, McMorrow was pitted against her colleague state Sen. Marshall Bullock for the newly drawn 8th District, which now includes parts of Oakland County along with a corner of northwest Wayne County (the 13th District was only Oakland County municipalities). She won handily, but the victory was not celebrated by
For the state senator from Royal Oak, it’s not about Democrats vs. Republicans. It’s about ‘decency’
BY SCOTT ATKINSONall: Her win ruled out the chance that a Black man from Detroit would be in the Michigan Senate. In November, McMorrow won her reelection against Republican Brandon Ronald Simpson in a landslide.
Before she entered the world of politics, McMorrow, who received her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame, had a pretty good gig going. She had worked for years as a designer in different industries, including a long stint designing toy cars for Hot Wheels, and had opened her own consultancy when she, like many Americans, saw politics take a turn with the election of President Donald Trump in 2016.
Shortly after the election, friends from all over the country (she is from New Jersey and has lived in five states) were sending her links to another viral video of students chanting “Build that wall” in front of a Michigan school. Had she seen it? Yes, she told them — she’d voted there just a few days before. It was Royal Oak Middle School.
“And there was something about the fact that it was kids and kids who learned that this was
OK from, you know, watching Donald Trump or, worse, from their parents or family members who realized this was the way forward, to blame somebody who looks different. That broke me. So I Googled how to run for office,” she says.
She attended the Women’s March in Detroit (new to protesting, friends told her to write an emergency contact on her arm and to bring milk to help fight the effects of tear gas; she ended up needing neither) and later found her way to a nonprofit called Emerge America, which helps Democratic women prepare to run for office.
She learned how to fundraise and campaign and build a team. During this time, she also got married and, a month later, filed to run against then-Republican state Sen. Marty Knollenberg, eventually flipping the district blue.
It was a seat that would prove not very difficult to defend. There was her viral video and the fact that, as she puts it, “I’ve been a pretty popular target for attacks.” Since the beginning of her political career, those attacks have largely ended up working in her favor.
In 2018, Republicans sent out a mailer with a picture of McMorrow sipping a margarita, saying she wanted to “bring her California ideas to Michigan.” It featured, for some reason, a large picture of a curling iron. The Detroit Free Press ran an op-ed not long after with the headline “Sexism’s not dead in 2018 midterm elections.”
In 2022, in the wake of the comments from state Sen. Lana Theis, a Republican from Brighton, about “grooming” and McMorrow’s subsequent response, Republicans were much more quiet.
When she was defending her seat in 2022, it was difficult to find a picture of her opponent or, really, anything about him. There was no campaign literature, no platform, no campaigning that McMorrow was aware of — only, it seemed, a name, a box for hard-line party voters to check if they wanted. McMorrow, it would seem, was not worth the effort or resources to try to beat. She won with just over 75 percent of the vote.
Democrats won enough seats for the state House and Senate that both chambers are now blue, paving the way for McMorrow — now the Senate majority whip — to try to push through bills that have, until now, sat dormant.
But McMorrow refrains from saying Democrats won. After years of politicians spreading claims of fraudulent elections, and after seeing the candidates that touted such beliefs largely lose, McMorrow says what won was “decency,” democracy, and “a basic belief in the function of government.”
Following the midterm elections, though, McMorrow says her office was “flooded” with emails claiming election fraud. “It was sobering,” she says.
And so, she says, there is still a lot of work to do. And if there are any other attacks? Well “If they expect that I’m not going to hit back, they don’t know me.”
He brought opera to the people of Detroit. Now the people are coming to the opera house
BY RYAN PATRICK HOOPER
uval Sharon has made us fall in love with the opera in ways we never imagined we could. And we’re not the only ones under his spell.
Sharon brought the first sellout to the downtown opera house in over 15 years with a production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X last season. That’s an impressive feat for an artistic director who took over in 2020, immediately confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic and choosing to respond by staging the final opera of Wagner’s Ring cycle in a parking garage to rave reviews from The New York Times
It brought the Chicago native a wave of accolades, including a spot on Time’s 2022 “Time100 Next” list, which dubbed Detroit Opera under his leadership the “most innovative opera company in America.”
The national spotlight is always a positive for Detroit’s remarkable creative scene, but it’s that Malcolm X sellout that shines the brightest for us and, ultimately, for local audiences.
X originally premiered in 1986, and the work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis has seldom been staged since.
Sharon saw an opportunity for the production to resonate with Black audiences in Detroit, who are not only aware of Malcolm X’s roots in the city but are also rarely courted or represented by the distinctly Eurocentric art form of opera.
“We have had a massive restart on everything” since the pandemic, Sharon says, sitting in his humble office tucked away inside the Detroit Opera House.
“It means that the things we found about opera that we just assumed we could not change about opera — the class structure, the Eurocentrism this is the moment to explode all of those expectations and notions,” Sharon says.
Sharon made his name in Los Angeles, where, in 2010, he founded and still serves as a co-artistic director of The Industry, an experimental opera company. His work was noticed by many, including the MacArthur Foundation, which awarded him with a MacArthur “genius grant” in 2017. He says he took the gig in Detroit to blow up stale ideas
about opera as an art form and hopefully invite new audiences to give it a shot.
The “explosion” has meant utilizing groundbreaking green screen and camera technology to bring a bit of techno-rave to Wagner’s Ring cycle with The Valkyries and performing one of the most famous and referenced operas of all time — La Bohème — in reverse to give the story a fresh spin.
It also meant reducing the La Bohème running time considerably, knowing that lengthy spells in the theater are a tough selling point for newcomers to the art form. And that seems to resonate strongly with Detroiters, says Sharon, who lives in the city.
“Thinking about new music, new projects, but even older operas that can be given a fresh perspective,” Sharon says. “There’s an enthusiastic audience here that realizes opera doesn’t have to seem so distant from our lives and so distant from other things that we love, like other types of art and music.”
Sharon says he’s dreaming of staging an opera that is purely Detroit — something that embraces the jazz, the techno, and other
cultural exports that make this city a worldclass cultural destination.
In the meantime, the 2023 season has major highlights that could see another sellout at Detroit Opera.
One of those is the 18th-century baroque opera Xerxes, which lands here in March. It’s a Detroit Opera premiere that will blend comedy and drama in a fast-paced, innovative production.
“That’s a quite elegant production — there’s no green screen,” Sharon laughs, “but it’s also the first time the company has ever done it. So, if you’re a real opera lover, this is still a real rarity and the first time Detroit will hear it.”
In April, Ainadamar — Arabic for “Fountain of Tears” — will have a Detroit Opera premiere, bringing to life the Spanish poet, playwright, and national icon Federico García Lorca, who was executed by fascists during the Spanish Civil War. “There’s electronica in it, there’s flamenco in it — a flamenco singer next to an opera singer to tell this Spanish story. It’s so good.”
And if you’re willing to pay attention and give opera a shot, Sharon will have a seat ready for you on his wild ride with the Detroit Opera.
Following a banner year, theTigers’ superstar says he expects 2023 will be his final season playing ball
BY RONALD AHRENS
Cabrera Torres was born in 1983 in Maracay, the metropolis of Venezuela’s Aragua state. Both parents played ball, and an uncle had professional experience. Miggy was still a teenager when the Florida (now Miami) Marlins offered $1.8 million. He spent four years in the minor leagues before he moved up to the majors in 2003. One accomplishment in his rookie major league campaign was a World Series home run against Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees.
Before the 2008 season, as the Marlins were cutting their payroll, the Tigers traded six prospects for Cabrera and pitcher Dontrelle Willis. Dave Dombrowski, the general manager and architect of the Marlins, had moved to Detroit as president and chief executive and then added general manager duties. He guided the signing of Cabrera to an eight-year, $152.3 million contract, making him one of the richest people in the Motor City during the global financial crisis and bankruptcies of General Motors Co., Chrysler, and eventually, the city of Detroit.
Against the dire social and economic backdrop, Cabrera led the Tigers to four straight American League Central titles and postseason playoffs from 2011 to 2014, including the 2012 World Series.
Among many achievements and records, Cabrera’s 2012 feat stands out. He batted .330, slammed 44 homers, and drove in 139 basemen to lead the league in each category, becoming the only player to win the Triple Crown since 1967.
In 2014, Cabrera got eight more years at $248 million, but the team faltered. Dombrowski left in 2015. There has been one winning season since, along with a reasonable question concerning the value of the superstar’s maximum contract amid continual rebuilding of the team’s roster.
Through it all, however, Cabrera has given Tigers fans something to cheer. This past season’s chase for his 3,000th hit and 2021’s for his 500th home run created an energy in Comerica Park that hadn’t been experienced for years. He remains a fan favorite, not only because he moves the entire city with his bat but also because of his relaxed, keep-it-real persona.
e presents a unique case: the prodigy who lived up to the promise. The picture got wavy sometimes, but on the precipice of his 16th — and what he expects to be his final — season with the Detroit Tigers, Miguel Cabrera is coming off a year for the record books, joining
Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only players to average over .300, hit 500-plus home runs, and surpass 3,000 base hits.
Cabrera, who turns 40 in April, announced in late November 2022 that he expects this season to be his last. “It feels a little weird to say that,” Cabrera said to MLB.com. “I thought, I’m not going to say never, but I think it’s time to say goodbye to baseball.”
Baseball has been his whole life. José Miguel
Downplaying his records, Cabrera continues to inspire us with his dedication to the craft of baseball and his oft-expressed desire to win. Giving interviews isn’t his forte, but sometimes he distills his thoughts to a few pungent drops. Last spring, after a good night against the Yankees took him to hit number 2,999, he answered an ESPN reporter’s question on the imminent milestone with “Who the f--- cares? We lost. When has this game ever been about individual accomplishments?”
The auto industry/racing giant remains a man in motion, expanding his business and adapting to change while always being a good neighbor
BY RONALD AHRENSor Roger Penske, the past autumn was yet another bellwether season. Team Penske won the NTT IndyCar championship with Chevrolet power and captured the NASCAR Cup Series with a Ford Mustang. Turning 86 in February, Penske, a guiding force in Detroit since the 1960s, became the first team owner to win both titles in the same year, adding to a trophy collection that, lined up, would stretch a considerable distance across Oakland County. Yet the chair of Penske Corp. cannot slow down to bask in glory. The last weeks of 2022 were hectic, with an ever-changing travel schedule. He had budget reviews and end-of-year evaluations at business units that encompass such far-flung interests as truck leasing, car dealerships, and ownership of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There were also appearance commitments and —
huff-puff! — the holidays.
How to keep pace is one question, but Penske always finds something new and bigger to manage and groom. For example, nudged along by “The Captain,” the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear is moving from Belle Isle to a new course downtown, approximately where the first Detroit Grand Prix was contested 41 years ago by Formula 1 cars.
“Bringing the Grand Prix back home to the streets of downtown Detroit is going to bring a new level of excitement and energy to this event and to our city,” Penske explains in an email. “It will be a shorter circuit than Belle Isle, which means people will get to see the cars more often.” Penske promises “a fast and technical circuit with many unique challenges.” Cars will rip down Jefferson Avenue at 180 miles per hour before hurling themselves into the mayhem of a “wide hairpin turn at the end of the straight, just past the Joe Louis ‘Fist.’”
In other words, expect action. And get ready for “a double-sided pit lane with half of the field pitting on the left and the other half on the right, which has never been done before.”
Are you feeling the vroom? Dedicated fans and the merely curious will have greater access to the action. “Half the event’s footprint will be open to fans — for free — all weekend long.”
Penske slurped up ownership of IndyCar along
with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020. Good thing his knack for promotion goes back to 1972, when he picked up Michigan International Speedway, then five years old, for less than half that track’s construction costs. (He sold it in 1999 after a multitude of improvements.) Executed when the Ohio native was 35 years old, the MIS acquisition followed a pattern that went back to the 1950s during his time at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. During those days, Penske fixed up used cars and resold them. After earning his business administration degree, he became an acclaimed racing driver, towing a Porsche RSK Spyder behind a tawdry station wagon. Why else would a young man have a station wagon? Wins came in Corvettes, a Pontiac Catalina stock car at Riverside International Raceway in California, and the Texan innovator Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2, a sexy sports car, at Nassau, Bahamas.
If nothing else, Penske is self-possessed. He summoned the wherewithal to quit racing at 28 in order to buy McKean Chevrolet, on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, where he was general manager. By then, Chevy’s leaders knew him well, and the impetus to complete the dealership’s purchase came from Chevy chief Bunkie Knudsen, who asked, “Are you going to be a race driver or a businessman?” Penske’s parents had challenged him to excel; the world sees the result.
Beyond Chevrolet, Penske has always lusted for Porsche. On the June Saturday after the 2023 Detroit Grand Prix, his newest team, Porsche Penske Motorsport, debuts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the ravishing Porsche 963, a set of sunglasses on wheels. He’s already said he’s in the classic French endurance race to win it.
“We have a long history with Porsche in sports car racing, and we are excited about this new opportunity and the chance to add to our legacy together,” he tells us. “This represents a true global partnership, as Porsche Penske Motorsport will compete with a hybrid prototype across two different series — one based in the U.S. and one based in Europe.”
In other words, Roger Penske needs more air miles.
Beyond the macro empire look — comprising 70,000 people in nine countries on four continents — there are focused initiatives in the name of diversity. One is the alliance with Paretta Autosport, a recipient of technical help from Team Penske. New in 2021, the IndyCar team led by Beth Paretta, a Detroit-area resident, builds around veteran Swiss driver Simona de Silvestro with the goal of developing a competitive unit placing women in all capacities from engineering to pit stops.
After conquest of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2020, Penske looked around. “We formed the Race for Equality and Change to recruit
and develop a more diverse workforce across all areas of our sport,” he says. He had long known Paretta, who also started out in car dealerships and became a formidable leader. “We reached out as we began to build a sustainable program for the future.”
New heroes are in demand. As part of the effort to broaden interest and participation in motorsports, Penske has supported the rise of Myles Rowe, a 22-year-old Black driver from Atlanta who has triumphed in the U.S. F2000 National Championship development series. Another young Black driver, Ernie Francis, learned from Penske that his presence is desired this May or next on the starting grid of the Indianapolis 500.
“Beyond the drivers,” Penske says, “we have also welcomed a more diverse group of engineers, mechanics, and leaders to our teams across the paddock.”
Plenty of folks watching the Detroit races on television will look beyond the commotion to Penske’s goodwill and unimpeachable reputation. He has always been neighborly, and fairness is his trademark. Serving as chair of the Downtown Detroit Partnership from 2005 to 2010, he created the Roger Penske Detroit Fund to endow a homeless outreach program. In 2016, M-1 Rail dedicated its Penske Technical Center as the maintenance and operations hub for the QLine streetcars. Another $5 million came from Penske Corp. in 2019 to revive the Lenox Center in the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood.
“I wasn’t around when the [tech center] was built, but I think the naming of the facility is definitely reflective of Roger’s support,” says Lisa Nuszkowski, president and chief operating officer of M-1 Rail, which operates the QLine. “Not just for this initiative but really for all of the activities in the city since the Super Bowl when he championed those efforts.”
Aside from all the good deeds, anyone meeting Penske finds out he’s just a nice guy who may want to you to own one of the 600 Ferraris his stores will sell this year. Or if commercial trucks are more your speed, the Premier Truck Group offers Freightliner and Western Star medium- and heavy-duty units at Team Truck Centres in Windsor, Sarnia, Cambridge, and London, Ontario. He grew up going to the Indy 500 with his dad. Now he owns the track and every other IndyCar race. He’s going to Le Mans with Porsche. The organization is reinvigorated. With all of this, we couldn’t help but ask: What’s next? “I plan to keep my foot on the gas and drive forward,” he says.
PEOPLE LOVE to say that music brings people together.
In Nicole Myint’s line of work, there’s a lot of truth to back that phrase up.
In less than a decade, the 41-year-old from Ann Arbor, who goes by DJ Myint, has stacked up gigs and accolades like records on a shelf.
She’s worked as a DJ for the Pistons, Red Wings, Lions, and Tigers, but like a highly coveted draft pick, she started making a name for herself in the college ranks.
It was about eight years ago when she was DJing in her hometown that the University of Michigan pegged her to play an event celebrating the return of Nike to U-M as the official apparel provider. “We were trying to create a block party, make it like a club atmosphere,” says Jake Stocker, director of game presentation and fan experience for Michigan Athletics, of the party that brought more than 6,000 people to State Street. He had never seen Myint play, but he had heard about her from a “number of people and seeing her social media presence. Nicole was the perfect DJ to come in for that.”
The relationship grew, with Myint doing hockey games and two major soccer events (the International Champions Cup) at the Big House and then landing more permanent
NICOLE MYINTFrom playing at local clubs to performing at the Big House and Detroit’s professional sports venues, the Ann Arbor native’s accomplishments have our heads spinning
BY RYAN PATRICK HOOPERroles with Michigan volleyball and gymnastics.
From there, the major leagues started calling. First the Pistons, who hired her to DJ for women’s empowerment month and later as an official pregame DJ. 2022 also began her work with the Tigers and Red Wings (she is currently their pregame DJ) and the Lions (she DJs the VIP pregame).
In September 2022, she spun tracks in the Big House before and during a U-M football game. And by the end of the year, her resume included playing dozens of Detroit’s biggest venues and institutions, including the Fox Theatre, Pine Knob, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and The Henry Ford.
“I’ve always had a passion for music,” says Myint, who recently bought a house in Detroit. “My parents played all kinds of genres. I grew up on everything from country to Motown to rock music. My older brother got me into listening to hip-hop as well.”
With a background in
event planning, it didn’t take much for Myint to grow her clientele. She had already made so many connections along the way.
And regardless of the type of event — her website features testimonials from satisfied brides and grooms she doesn’t script what she’s going to play ahead of time. It’s all about feeling out the room and the crowd and following that sonic stream of consciousness to put together a perfect playlist on the fly.
“I mean, it does make DJing harder, I guess, but it’s also more meaningful,” says Myint, who also spins at smaller venues like York Food & Drink in Ann Arbor or the Magic Stick in Detroit.
“I never forget the smaller venues that gave me a start years ago,” Myint says.
That sense of passion and purpose has helped Myint build up quite a following of fans in a short period of time.
“I know a lot of people have followed my career since the beginning. It was a
lot of grind and passion. I believe anyone can reach their goals in their life if they put their heart and energy towards it,” Myint says.
Her own goals for the future? To keep expanding her reach beyond Michigan to around the globe, playing to international audiences. And while she will always play hot records to get massive crowds moving, she wants to focus on producing her own work, too, and adding that to her mixtape arsenal.
It’s about offering a musical buffet to the audience, Myint says.
“[I] always want to play positive music,” she adds. “I do a lot of weddings, but I’m not your cliche wedding DJ. People want to go places. There are popular hits out there, but not everyone wants to hear the same thing all the time.”
Like any good buffet, it’s gotta stay fresh.
“Keeping it different, keeping it diverse — you gotta play for everyone in the room,” Myint says.
but the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to that. It was then back to the drawing board for Shaw, who lives in Ann Arbor.
BY SCOTT ATKINSONill Shaw had been a curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts for only three days when she and Director Salvador Salort-Pons started talking about bringing a Van Gogh exhibition to the museum.
It only took six more years to make it happen.
“I’m on cloud nine,” she said shortly after an unveiling event during which Vincent van Gogh’s great-grandniece, Josien van Gogh, spoke and answered questions. “I’ve worked on this for so long.”
The hardest part, she says, was the fact that she had to organize the exhibit not once but twice. It was originally planned for the summer of 2020,
The exhibition features 74 original works by Van Gogh — including the one that separates the DIA from every other museum in the country, a selfportrait that was the first painting by the master ever to be bought by a public American museum.
That purchase was a bold move, Shaw says, since at the time Van Gogh wasn’t as well known and the public didn’t yet appreciate the style he would come to be known for, with brief brushstrokes and vibrant colors. When he was talked about, he was known for his mental health struggles (the story about him cutting off his own ear did not help things).
“Those stories very early on were very sensationalized: ‘It’s the work of a madman!’ — which is not true,” says Shaw, a Nashville native and doctoral alumna of the University of Chicago. “He had his mental health crises for sure, but there was a lot bound up in his introduction to the United States.”
Since then, of course, Van Gogh has become among the best-known artists in history.
That makes securing other works of art, to say the least, difficult.
Shaw — whose official title is the Rebecca A. Boylan and Thomas W. Sidlik curator of European
art, 1850-1970 — spent her first year of the Van Gogh project just doing research. Then she and Salort-Pons approached the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Without its blessing, she says, the exhibition could never happen. They got it — and then Shaw still had plenty of work to do.
The paintings came from museums all over the world — and shipping a priceless painting across an ocean while keeping it safe is no small task.
“Every letter we wrote was like a legal case, like, why your painting is justified and needs to be in the show,” she says. “Oftentimes that went much beyond the letter. It was going to directors. It was going to important curators’ offices, and you make a case. For every single one.”
After all that, three days before the 2020 show catalog was about to go to press, they learned they’d have to cancel the exhibit.
There was something serendipitous about the timing. Originally, the exhibit would not have been on the 100-year anniversary of the DIA acquiring that first Van Gogh.
With the work finally behind her, Shaw, after allowing the crowd to walk through her exhibit, was finally able to sit back and, well, enjoy the show.
“I was just starting here. It’s any curator’s dream to do a big exhibition. The fact that Salvador was interested in me doing a Van Gogh it’s once in a lifetime,” she says.
It took six years and a major setback, but Jill Shaw brought a stunning once-in-a-lifetime Van Gogh exhibit to the DIA
hen Tammy Lakkis found out her song “Notice” was included on former President Barack Obama’s playlist of his favorite songs released in 2021, she was still working her restaurant job in Detroit.
The singer, songwriter, and DJ based in Hamtramck was listed among mainstream artists like Lil Nas X, Brandi Carlile, and Lizzo. Unlike the music of those artists — who have major awards, accolades, and commercial radio airplay behind them — Lakkis’ four-track vinyl EP Notice was released by the tiny homegrown label Portage Garage Sounds.
And she had no clue her music had traveled so
far and wide thanks to the power of the internet. “Notice” currently has more than a quarter-million streams on Spotify, and the vinyl version of the EP (printed locally by Archer Record Pressing) is currently on its third edition.
“It’s still really weird and surprising and shocking to me,” the sweetly humble Lakkis says, sipping a cocktail at a crowded Bronx Bar in Detroit. “It still makes no sense.”
But it did make sense to everyone else who heard her music. There’s a wonderful playfulness throughout the Notice EP, with her rich voice floating over house tracks and a sensibility for pop music making it feel more complete than some lesser projects with a similar sound.
It’s a beloved project in the local electronic music scene that incorporates the music that has
TAMMY LAKKIS BY RYAN PATRICK HOOPERinfluenced Lakkis since she was a kid.
She found her voice early, singing ever since she can remember and experimenting with more straight-ahead pop covers on an acoustic guitar before she started spinning records around the city.
“I love to write songs, I love to write lyrics and to sing, so I don’t want to abandon it,” Lakkis says. “I want it to be an important part of my process and music forever.”
The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, Lakkis grew up across the border in Windsor, Ontario, and Dearborn Heights before moving to Hamtramck, where her home doubles as her recording studio.
She’s a bilingual singer, marrying English and Arabic in her live performances. It’s part of a growing wave of Middle Eastern and North African music finding representation in the electronic music scene.
“I think it has made a lot of people feel very seen,” Lakkis says.
With her music, Lakkis has become a torchbearer of sorts, and it’s a cultural flame she’s happy to carry.
“It’s nice to have an opportunity to put into music this identity and experience, because for a lot of first-generation immigrants like me, life is very separate in some ways. Your different worlds don’t always touch,” Lakkis says. “My parents had no idea what techno was, but they’ve been to a few of my sets since.”
When the Obama playlist dropped in 2021, Lakkis’ boss at Rose’s Fine Food and Wine on the east side of Detroit popped open a bottle of Champagne to celebrate. It was a small moment that had a big impact on her career.
Last June, Lakkis was named a Kresge film and music fellow in the music composition and performance category.
She is now a musician and artist full time, using her gigs to support herself financially, which ultimately gives her the time to explore what’s possible for her nascent recording career, including writing and recording a muchanticipated full-length album.
“I’m thinking more about the sustainability of this practice,” Lakkis says, “and how to exist as an artist on a daily level. How to go with the ebbs and flows of creativity. It’s not as easy to say, ‘OK, I’ll be creative at 9 a.m. when I wake up.’”
The world has woken up to Tammy Lakkis and the EP that gained her international attention. And now, more eyes are watching what this insanely talented artist does next.
Making the former president’s playlist was just the tip of the iceberg for this first-generation immigrant
from being over a century old, what Kotwicki says stands it apart from others is that it’s primarily a racing club. Inside the clubhouse, one wall is dedicated to the dozens of trophies on display, won all over the world by Bayview’s members. She estimates that about half of the membership races outside the state and as many as a third race internationally.
She is among that third. Over the course of the sailing season, she races twice a week locally and travels throughout the year to various spots on the globe to race as well.
“She is a trailblazer,” says Trish Kirkman, her friend and crewmate and treasurer of Bayview. “She has the respect of all the members, male or female. She’s a leader. In the boardroom watching her interact with everyone, she’s just awesome.”
ON JUNE 17, 2 022, Lynn Kotwicki was looking out at the Atlantic Ocean, staring at a world the rest of us can’t see. What to us would only appear as an endless expanse of water is to Kotwicki an aquatic landscape of bumpy waves and rolling, hilly swells, plains of still waters and currents that run through them like rivers.
Kotwicki was about to set sail for the biennial Newport Bermuda Race — 635 miles out into the Atlantic over the course of two days. She was the only woman on the 15person crew, sailing and sleeping in alternating fourhour shifts, and also the highest ranking. Gender norms be damned. Kotwicki was “command central,” as she put it just before setting off. When she speaks on a boat, people listen.
That’s part of the reason why she was named commodore — that is, head honcho of the Bayview Yacht Club for 2022, the first woman in its 108-year history.
It’s also because she’s been on the water her entire life — well, almost. She was 2 days old before she was first on a boat.
She started sailboat racing with her father after her mother died when she was 9, in 1981. Suddenly a single father, her dad thought his racing days were over until a friend suggested their crew be their own kids. She was 13 the first time she raced the Port Huron to Mackinac race, which usually takes three days.
“It was my turn to give back,” she says now of being named the 2022 commo-
dore, a job that is far more than a cool title. During her tenure, she oversaw a $5 million overhaul of the yacht club located across from the easternmost part of Belle Isle. When the club decided to change the clubhouse menu, she had the final word on what everyone could eat. Any issue in the club is her issue. When the weekly Windsor Yacht Club races on Lake St. Clair end, she can’t just kick back and have a beer. She mingles, makes sure everyone (the club has just shy of 1,000 members) is happy.
That’s in addition to her day job as an independent management consultant, working with major organizations including health care and automotive.
Bayview isn’t Detroit’s only yacht club, but aside
In late September 2022, Kotwicki was rigging up Hot Ticket, the team boat she races on locally, for the weekly Windsor race. As they secured halyards and discussed the winds, Kirkman told the story of the previous week’s race, when they pulled from behind to win after Kotwicki noticed something no one else saw.
They were back in the Detroit River, on the final stretch, resigned to second place. The wind was coming from behind them — but not for long. In the distance, ahead of them, Kotwicki spotted a flagpole (“It’s always there,” she says), where she noticed the wind changed.
She warned her crew and told them how to prepare. The finish line was 500 yards away.
The other boat didn’t read the wind and “wiped out,” as Kotwicki puts it, tipping almost completely over. Hot Ticket sailed past, taking first.
Kotwicki isn’t one to talk about herself. And so, as the team docked the boat the following week (they took second), Kirkman pipes up instead: “She’s a badass.”
BY RACHAEL THOMASf you’re heading toward downtown Detroit and pass the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan building on Woodward Avenue, it’s hard to miss a large-scale mural painted across the entire northwest-facing wall. It features the word “VOTE” in shades of yellow, orange, and pink against a blue backdrop, surrounded by illustrated black-and-white flowers and signs saying “No Body Is Illegal” and “People Not Prisons.”
Or if you’ve been to downtown East Lansing in recent months, maybe you got a quick glimpse of a colorful mural of Dr. Robert Green — a Detroit-born former professor and dean at Michigan State University and the first Black man to mount a legal challenge to redlining in East Lansing painted high above the entrance of the Division Street Garage.
Maybe you’ve seen a viral digital illustration of George Floyd reposted by Oprah Winfrey on her Instagram page (and featured on a TV segment of Entertainment Tonight), depicting Floyd enveloped in flowers, candles, and doves, with the words “Your Life Still Matters” across his hoodie. That piece is still making waves on the platform nearly two years after it was commissioned by Oprah Daily to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.
If you look closely at any of these vibrant pieces, you’ll see the name or Instagram handle of the man behind them: Ndubisi Okoye.
Art has been a part of the North Carolinaborn, Detroit-raised creative’s life since he was a child; in first grade, he would stay up late making accordion paper people for his friends. As Okoye got older, he would experiment with various mediums, from
For nearly 10 years, the Cass Tech grad has created colorful and thoughtprovoking murals and illustrations celebrated around Detroit, the country and even the world
drawing anime characters seen on Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon to taking graphic design and Advanced Placement art courses at Cass Technical High School. He would also dabble with poetry and perform in slam groups around Detroit. In the summer of 2014, a year before graduating from the College for Creative Studies with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in advertising design, Okoye launched both of his careers — one as an art director in the advertising field and the other as an independent artist creating murals and illustrations for clients through his eponymous business — and found immediate success in both.
“I want people to take away that I’m Black, I love Jesus, and I created this. When I do art for myself, [I] make it as Black, as beautiful, as amazing, as exuberant as I want it to be,” the 31-year-old says. He credits his upbringing in church as well as the support of his wife, 4-yearold daughter, and other family members and
friends as his motivations. “I came from the hood, I came from impoverishment, and I’ve still made a successful career — out of both of my careers.”
As an art director for various local and national agencies, Okoye created ads for General Motors Co., Chrysler, Beaumont Health, and Puma. Through his own business, Okoye has painted murals featured in and around Detroit for companies, institutions, and events such as Foot Locker, Wayne State University, and Murals in the Market. And whenever the opportunity arises, Okoye hires his longtime friends and fellow artists to assist him on projects.
Okoye’s work has reached audiences from coast to coast — and even overseas. He was commissioned by the Los Angeles Times to do an illustration of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for an article — and that same illustration was later published in a weekly magazine based in Zürich. Last year, Okoye was one of 11 artists from around the world tapped by Warner Bros.
to create illustrations of Tweety Bird to honor the character’s 80th birthday. His eight illustrations will be painted as murals and displayed around the U.S., Mexico, and several other countries. And one of Okoye’s latest wins was illustrating more than 70 drawings for a children’s book released last November titled, Love Your Amazing Self, by Washington, D.C.-based musician and meditation teacher Ofosu Jones-Quartey.
“Coming up through Cass, our wildest imaginations never went to international work,” Okoye says, recalling a recent conversation he had with his friend Nate Thomas. “It just was like, ‘We’re gonna make enough money to survive. We’re gonna make enough money to pay off our student loans, make enough money to live healthy lives.’ And now, it’s just on a whole different level.” Thomas, a Detroit native who currently resides in Maryland and works as a print and pattern designer for Under Armour, can attest to Okoye’s work and the impact it’s had on him. The two formed a friendship during their senior year at Cass Tech. Last summer, Okoye and Thomas collaborated on a mural titled “We Care, Brooklyn” painted on the Stylin’ Zone barbershop and salon in Baltimore. This was Thomas’ first mural, and he says Okoye is one of the few people who have witnessed him honing his craft.
“This was the biggest area I’ve painted in my artistic journey,” Thomas says, adding that the project reminded him of how much potential he possesses. “Ndubisi’s art has impacted me in so many ways. Visually, I’ve always been in awe of his style and knack for creative expression. Beyond that, his art represents so much for me, whether that’s appreciating one of my brothers being highlighted in the most amazing ways or getting caught in the memories of finding our footing to get to the point of being who we are and constantly becoming.”
For all the success Okoye has amassed in his near-decade-long career, he’s learned that rest is imperative. Overexertion landed him in the hospital last spring, and the summer saw a hand injury from yard work and a (thankfully mild) case of COVID-19 that swept over his entire household.
“I think this year, I’ve taken the most rest from my artistic practice than I have in my entire career combined. But it’s also helped me create some of the most amazing work I’ve ever done,” Okoye says, reflecting on what 2022 has meant for his artistry. He’s not entirely sure what 2023 has in store for him, but he predicts all the rest he took advantage of last year has prepared him for what’s to come. Whatever he does, it’s safe to say he’ll continue to “Do Something Dope Today,” a phrase he coined to encourage his fellow creatives.
“I feel like I’m at the beginning of the next level of my artistic career just because I’ve been taking rest and just enjoying life.”
his past year, Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit, celebrated two significant announcements that placed the Motor City in the national spotlight.
In March, it was revealed that Detroit will host the lucrative 2024 National Football League draft broadcast nationally in prime time to millions, and in July, Time magazine selected the city for its list of the 50 greatest places in the world to visit.
Reportedly, the NFL draft is expected to generate $200 million in economic benefits to metro Detroit and draw half a million visitors, while the Time designation should further enhance efforts to attract more worldwide visitors and conventions.
“In my professional life, getting the NFL draft and obtaining the Time magazine designation are two of the most exciting things to happen to me because of the impact it will have,” says Molinari, 55, who lives in Northville and maintains an apartment in Detroit with his wife, Kelly.
Upon the retirement of longtime leader Larry
Alexander during the middle of the pandemic when dozens of conventions were canceled, in January 2021 — after a nationwide search and among 14 candidates — Molinari was named the 10th president and CEO of the 127-year-old Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, now branded as Visit Detroit.
As the oldest convention and visitors bureau in the world, the nonprofit’s mission is to “sell the metropolitan Detroit area on a worldwide basis as a destination for leisure and business travel, including conventions, trade shows, corporate meetings, tours, and incentive travel to maximize additional visitors, visitor expenditures, state and local tax revenues, and job opportunities.”
More than 700 southeast Michigan businesses are represented in Visit Detroit’s membership.
Molinari, a Long Island native and former college hockey player who obtained a degree in public administration from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, has always welcomed challenges and competition.
In 2011, while he was working at Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center for ASM
Navigating through the pandemic, Visit Detroit’s CEO and president helped lead a team of partners to secure the lucrative 2024 NFL draft, conventions, increased tourism, and a prestigious ‘Time’ magazine designation
BY BILL DOW
Global, the convention center management company offered Molinari the opportunity to move either to Chicago to work at McCormick Place or to Detroit to become the assistant general manager at Cobo Center (now Huntingtom Place), overseeing operations, security, events, and union labor services.
“Chicago was the easier choice because at the time, Cobo Center had a bad reputation and was beset by labor union issues, but I told my wife that in Detroit there was no way to go but up,” Molinari says. “My dad used to say, ‘Find the jobs nobody wants, and you’ll be more indispensable.’ I knew that Cobo was proceeding with a $300 million renovation and Dan Gilbert was beginning to have a positive impact downtown. I wanted to be a part of Detroit’s transformation.”
During his time at Cobo, Molinari enacted new uniform practices and gained peace with the various labor unions, which resulted in additional convention bookings. He also helped land the $33 million, 22-year naming rights agreement with TCF Bank, one of the largest convention naming deals in the country.
“The operating deficit for the center was around $25 million a year before our management company took over, and I’m proud that with our great team, we ran a profit every year that I served as the general manager,” Molinari says.
When Molinari took over the DMCVB in January 2021 following a year that saw “convention business worth $329 million in direct spending canceled” because of the pandemic, one of his first directives to resurrect business was to officially create a DBA by rebranding the organization as Visit Detroit. In addition, his communications team overhauled the bureau’s website, visitdetroit.com.
“We felt it was important to differentiate the brand and change the name because ‘Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau’ is a mouthful. ‘Visit Detroit’ tells who we are and what
we do,” Molinari says. “I took some heat from some suburban partners because they thought we were abandoning them, but that’s not true because our mission covers all of metro Detroit.”
At the organization’s 2022 annual meeting in February, Molinari announced that nearly 100 new meetings and sporting events in the region had been scheduled before unveiling an aggressive national marketing campaign called “Detroit Wins.”
Ever modest, he quickly acknowledges that all of this is not just his success.
Molinari praises Visit Detroit’s senior communications director, Chris Moyer, for inundating Time magazine with positive stories about metro Detroit, which played a significant role in the city being one of only five in the U.S. to land on the prestigious “World’s Greatest Places of 2022” list.
As for landing the 2024 NFL draft, Molinari credits a great team effort from a number of stakeholders.
“Visit Detroit had been a bridesmaid twice before, and we were desperate to get it,” Molinari says. “They say success has a thousand fathers, and in this case, the effort by everyone involved was incredible. Dave Beachnau, our senior vice president of sales, who is also in charge of our Detroit Sports Commission [a part of Visit Detroit], and his deputy director, Marty Dobek, really quarterbacked the process. It helped tremendously when Dan Gilbert reminded the NFL in no uncertain terms that his company and Ford Motor were two of the three largest NFL media sponsors. Rod Wood and Sheila Ford Hamp of the Lions of course also played an integral role, and so did many others.”
The victories continue to mount. Last November, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced that in 2027, Ford Field will once again host the Final Four, heralding the return to Detroit for the first time since 2009. That same month, Detroit was named the 10th best place to travel in the world in 2023 by Travel Lemming, an online travel guide read by more than 6 million travelers.
When Detroit landed the 2023 USA Boxing Qualifier (also in November), a competing Midwestern city found out it had lost the bid. Molinari was told that the reaction was, “Please don’t say it was Detroit. They’re killing us. We’ve lost so much business to them.” Golden Gloves boxing soon followed; in 2024, Detroit will host the its national championship.
This past summer, Visit Detroit hosted 1,800 attendees with Connect Marketplace, the premier organization for convention and meeting planners. The great majority of them had never been to metro Detroit.
“The universal reaction was, ‘Oh my goodness, I had no idea that this region is so awesome,’” Molinari says.
The activist,
BY LAUREN WETHINGTONWatkins is busy might be the understatement of the century. When we meet for an interview in late October 2022, the 32-year-old Detroit resident and mother of two is laser-focused on the upcoming November election. As a precinct delegate, her priority is getting her community registered to vote, along with making sure their voices are heard by their elected officials. But that’s far from the only thing on Watkins’ plate. An activist with 10 years of experience fighting for the rights of Detroit’s most marginalized residents — including women, people of color, poor people, and LGBTQ individuals — Watkins is also a United State of Women ambassador and a fellow with abortion-rights political action committee Emily’s List. Her impressive CV boasts past roles as a digital organizer with the Human Rights Cam-
paign, a rapid response organizer with Planned Parenthood, and a lead organizer for Michigan One Fair Wage.
“I’m most passionate about making sure that Detroiters have a voice and a say in what’s going on,” Watkins says. “A lot of times when I go into meetings, I might be the only Black person in there. Sometimes I’m the only woman; sometimes I’m the only Black woman. So it’s my main goal to not only be in those rooms but to bring other people into them as well.”
Born into a family of community organizers, Watkins’ life of service started at a young age. She recounts weekends spent piling into her grandmother’s Ford Taurus with her siblings and driving to a local nursing home, where the family performed church hymns, cleaned up community spaces, and handed out meals to residents.
“I loved it,” Watkins recalls. “I really got to see firsthand what mutual aid looks like and what community looks like. As I grew up, I learned that you can make long-term changes within your community through working in policy and government.”
Creating those longterm policy changes is now Watkins’ mission. She spends her days phone banking for progressive candidates, collecting petition signatures, organizing events, and creating online content for the many campaigns on which she works. As one of 90 national ambassadors with United State of Women, she networks with progressive women from around the country to address intersectional gender equity issues in her community.
“People talk about Renaissance men — Chantel is a Renaissance woman,” says Nicole Denson, a fellow Detroit-
based organizer who has collaborated with Watkins on numerous causes, including the Detroit Slutwalk and Michigan One Fair Wage. “She can do poetry, she can get up and protest, she can write press releases, she can lead marches, and she can organize and help communicate with legislation.”
But Watkins says it’s listening to the concerns of the people within her community — people who often feel like politicians at the state and national levels aren’t paying attention — that fuels her passion.
“I get to take those neighborhood and community concerns and talk to people within the party,’’ Watkins says. “When people are like, ‘My basement’s flooded, and nobody’s helping me,’ I get to take that to the party and be like, ‘Hey, you’re their state rep. This is what you should be working on.’”
In an era when so much can change at the drop of a hat (or at the drop of a Supreme Court justice’s gavel), Watkins says the small victories are more important than ever. She was overjoyed when the ballot initiative she collected signatures for — Proposal 3, which would amend Michigan’s state constitution in order to protect access to abortion and reproductive care — made it to the official 2022 election ballot and was approved by voters on Election Day. And she had to wipe tears from her eyes when she realized her oldest child, 11-year-old Davante, was beginning to notice the impact of his own mother’s work.
“One day, we were driving past White Castle, and a sign said ‘Now hiring — $15 an hour.’ And he was like, ‘Look, Mom, you did it,’” Watkins says. “I just want my kids to know, if there’s something you don’t like, work to change it. But I hope they have less to change.”
Watkins credits her children with reminding her to (occasionally) slow down and be present in the moment. Without them, she says, mental and emotional burnout could get in the way of her goals. They’re big goals, by the way: “I’m going to be the mayor of Detroit before I’m 50,” she says without an ounce of hesitation. It’s hard not to believe her.
community organizer, and mother talks family, the future, and her burning passion for her city
School Name City Website
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Bloomfield Hills ashmi.org
Grades Phone Number Student / Teacher Ratio Tuition Range
Infant to 12 girls; Infant to 8 - boys 248-646-8900 12 to 1 $18,410 - $22,370
Archdiocese of Detroit Office for Catholic Schools Detroit aodschools.org Pre-K to 12 313-237-5800 Varies Varies
Bishop Foley High School Madison Heights bishopfoley.org Grade 9 to 12 248-585-1210 17 to 1 $10,800
Bloomfield Christian School
Bloomfield Hills bloomfieldchristian.com K to 12 248-499-7800 12 to 1 $6,565 - $11,210
Bright Horizons at Farmington Hills Farmington Hills brighthorizons.com/farmingtonhills Infant to Pre-K 248-538-5374 Varies Varies
Bright Horizons at Midtown Detroit Detroit brighthorizons.com/midtowndetroit Infant to Pre-K 313-871-2100 Varies Varies
Bright Horizons at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland Pontiac brighthorizons.com/stjoe Infant to Pre-K 248-858-6667 Varies Varies
Brookfield Academy Rochester Hills Campus Rochester Hills brookfieldacademy.net Toddlers to Grade 5 248-375-1700 Varies $8,500 $19,000
Brookfield Academy Troy Campus Troy brookfieldacademy.net Toddlers to Grade 5 248-689-9565 Varies $8,500 $19,000
Brookfield Academy - West Bloomfield Campus West Bloomfield brookfieldacademy.net Pre-K to Grade 5 248-626-6665 Varies $8,500 - $19,000
Brother Rice High School
Bloomfield Hills brrice.edu Grade 9 to 12 - all boys 248-833-2000 15 to 1 $13,750
Cranbrook Schools Bloomfield Hills schools.cranbrook.edu Pre-K to 12 248-645-3610 Varies $13,300 - $49,100
De La Salle Collegiate Warren delasallehs.com Grade 9 to 12 - all boys 586-778-2207 15 to 1 $13,700
Dearborn Heights Montessori Center Dearborn Heights dhmontessori.org Pre-K to 8 313-359-3000 Varies Call for tuition
Detroit Country Day School Beverly Hills dcds.edu Pre-K to 12 248-646-7717 Varies $10,980 - $32,200
Detroit Diesel - UAW Child Development Center Detroit brighthorizons.com/detroitdiesel Infant to Pre-K 313-592-5437 Varies Varies
Detroit Waldorf School Detroit detroitwaldorf.org Pre-K to 8 313-822-0300 10 to 1 $7,725 - $14,150
Eagle Creek Academy Oakland Township eaglecreekacademy.com Toddlers to Grade 5 248-475-9999 Varies $12,000 - $14,100
Eton Academy Birmingham etonacademy.org Grade 1 to 12 248-642-1150 10 to 1 $28,075 - $30,150
Everest Collegiate High School and Academy Clarkston everestcatholic.org Pre-K to Grade 12 248-241-9012 Varies $5,510 - $14,450
Frankel Jewish Academy West Bloomfield frankelja.org Grade 9 to 12 248-592-5263 9 to 1 $26,210
Gesu Catholic Elementary School Detroit gesuschool.udmercy.edu Pre-K to 8 313-863-4677 20 to 1 $4,500 - $4,600 Greenhills School Ann Arbor greenhillsschool.org Grade 6 to 12 734-769-4010 8 to 1 $26,270 - $26,880
The Grosse Pointe Academy Grosse Pointe Farms gpacademy.org Montessori Pre-K to K Grade 1-8 313-886-1221 10 to 1 12 to 1 $8,200 - $22,790
Holy Family Regional School - North Rochester holyfam.org Y5 to 3 248-656-1234 Varies $7,200 - $8,700
Holy Family Regional School - South Rochester Hills holyfam.org Grade 4 to 8 248-299-3798 Varies $7,200 - $8,700
Holy Name Catholic School Birmingham school.hnchurch.org Pre-K to 8 248-644-2722 15 to 1 $3,365 - $7,625
Japhet School Clawson japhetschool.org Pre-K to 8 248-585-9150 18 to 1 $6,100 - $12,950
Little Oaks Child Development Center Pontiac brighthorizons.com/littleoaks Infant to Pre-K 248-858-2080 Varies Varies
Loyola High School Detroit loyolahsdetroit.org Grade 9 to 12 313-861-2407 8 to 1 $4,300
Marian High School Bloomfield Hills marian-hs.org Grade 9 to 12 - all girls 248-502-3033 20 to 1 $14,535
Mercy High School Farmington Hills mhsmi.org Grade 9 to 12 - all girls 248-476-8020 17 to 1 $14,550
Most Holy Trinity School Detroit mhtdetroit.org Pre-K to 8 313-961-8855 16 to 1 Call for tuition
MSU Gifted and Talented Education East Lansing gifted.msu.edu Grade 6 to 12 517-432-2129 17 to 1 $1,500 $1,950
Notre Dame Lower School Pontiac ndpma.org Pre-K to 5 248-373-1061 Varies $13,000
Notre Dame Middle School Pontiac ndpma.org Grade 6 to 8 248-373-1061 Varies $16,700
Notre Dame Preparatory School Pontiac ndpma.org Grade 9 to 12 248-373-1061 Varies $18,700
Oakland Christian School Auburn Hills oaklandchristian.com Pre-K to 12 248-373-2700 Varies Call for tuition
Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Preparatory
Orchard Lake stmarysprep.com Grade 9 to 12 248-392-9280 15 to 1 $14,100-$33,950
Regina High School Warren reginahs.com Grade 9 to 12 586-585-0500 17 to 1 $12,410
The Roeper School - Lower School
Bloomfield Hills roeper.org
Pre-K to 5 248-203-7300 9 to 1 $4,850 - $26,450
The Roeper School - Middle & Upper School Birmingham roeper.org Grade 6 to 12 248-203-7300 12 to 1 $28,900 - $31,350
Shrine Catholic Grade School
Shrine Catholic High School and Academy
Southfield Christian Schools
St. Catherine of Siena Academy
St. Hugo of the Hills
St. Regis Catholic School
Steppingstone School for Gifted Education
University Liggett School
Royal Oak shrineschools.com Pre-K to 6 248-541-4622 Varies $5,450 - $6,650
Royal Oak shrineschools.com Grade 7 to 12 248-549-2925 Varies $10,450 - $11,950
Southfield southfieldchristian.org Pre-K to 12 248-357-3660 Varies $4,500 - $10,700
Wixom saintcatherineacademy.org Grade 9 to 12 - all girls 248-946-4848
Bloomfield Hills sthugo.k12.mi.us K to 8 248-642-6131
Pre-K to 8 248-724-3377
Bloomfield Hills stregis.org
13 to 1 $11,450
17 to 1 $4,495 - $6,450
18 to 1 $3,700 - $7,700
Farmington Hills steppingstoneschool.org K to 8 248-957-8200 10 to 1 $15,000 - $18,850
Grosse Pointe Woods uls.org
Pre-K to 12 313-884-4444 8 to 1 $8,240 - $30,840
2023
EVENTS
Jan. 20
Feb. 17-19 • DANCE
Swan Lake: Acclaimed French dancer and choreographer Angelin Preljocaj presents a new take on the classic 19thcentury ballet. Tchaikovsky’s
iconic score is fused with contemporary musical arrangements in this updated tale, which casts the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart as a menacing industrialist and protagonists Odette and Siegfried as environmental activists. The production’s 26 dancers perform a combination of classical ballet and modern dance. $29+.
Detroit Opera House, Detroit; detroitopera.org
Catch the heartwarming film EO, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, at
Detroit Film Theatre.
zy Skolimowski, this is a mesmerizing, innovative film that offers up a view of humanity through animal eyes that rarely makes it on the screen in such a purposeful way. The January schedule is rounded out by the documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which follows the fabled life and career of artist Nan Goldin as she takes on the pharmaceutical dynasty of the Sackler family, major donors to museums around the globe. Finally on the list is Broker, which follows two “brokers” of orphaned infants to affluent couples who can’t
have children of their own. Fall in love with these films inside the warmth of the Detroit Film Theatre during the city’s coldest, darkest month of the year.
EO, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, and Broker are all showing at the Detroit Film Theatre in the month of January. For dates, showtimes, and tickets, visit dia.org/events/ detroit-film-theatre
ON DEMAND @ HOME Book-turneddoc on Peacock tells the story of
A decade ago, author Jeanne Theoharis helped tell the complete
story of civil rights legend Rosa Parks with her book The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks It reached beyond the margins of what we’re taught in school — her refusal to give up her seat on the Montgomery, Alabama, bus — to show the totality of her 60year career as an activist both in the South and here in Detroit. That book has now been turned into a documentary of the same name, shockingly the first documentary about the icon. There’s archival footage and plenty of interviews, but like the best documentaries, it uses the words of Parks herself to illustrate the
up the Billboard charts with her 2002 hit single “Foolish” and has sold nearly 15 million albums worldwide. $48.50+. Fox Theatre, Detroit; 313presents.com
to hear the country singer’s more recent singles, such as “Ghost Story,” along with chart-topping hits like “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Singer-songwriter Jimmie Allen will open the show. $39.50+. Little Caesars Arena, Detroit; 313presents.com
March 17-19 • DANCE
Feb. 26
• MUSIC
Carrie Underwood: The eight-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year will stop at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena in promotion of her 2022 album Denim and Rhinestones. Fans can expect
March 24-25 DANCE
long, winding road of her fight for civil rights. If you’re having trouble peeling yourself off the couch this January, consider this a needed dose of important historical sustenance.
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks is now streaming on Peacock (NBC’s streaming service; subscription required).
If you do venture out, let me recommend some heartwarming and adventurous musical theater. I am the last person to cosign a movie-turnedBroadway production. This is coming from a patron who walked out of the stage adaptation of School of Rock 20 minutes in and never looked back. But there’s something special happening with Beetlejuice, which caps off this month at the
Detroit Opera House as part of the Broadway in Detroit winter schedule. Maybe it’s the fact that it breaks the fourth wall early, ditching a lot of the original source material of Tim Burton’s classic to find its ghostly footing elsewhere. The overthe-top set design, great original music, and solid performances have me rethinking (albeit skeptically) the idea that maybe some movies can survive as a musical onstage. Beetlejuice hits the mark — just don’t make me say it three times.
Beetlejuice opens on Jan. 31 and runs through Feb. 12. Tickets are available via broadwayindetroit.com/ shows/Beetlejuice.
Ryan Patrick Hooper is the host of CultureShift on 101.9 WDET, Detroit’s NPR station (weekdays from noon to 2 p.m.).
John FM’s song of the summer warms up winter
The musicians, producers, and vocalists from Detroit’s electronic scene are often billed as being way ahead of their time, adopted first by European audiences before folks in their own sonic backyards take notice. John FM joins this class of creatives with his excellent 2021 EP American Spirit followed by the single “White Science,” released last summer but still an absolute jam today. It’s got so much Prince in its DNA, it’s hard to resist and will stay on your playlist for months to come. John FM is an artist to watch not just for the obvious wealth of talent but also because he’s already proven that you can’t guess what he’s going to do next. The city’s music scene is better for it.
John FM’s American Spirit EP and excellent standalone single “White Science” are available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp, which is one of the most direct ways you can support local musicians. Go to johnfm.bandcamp.com.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: The singersongwriter embarks on his first national tour since 2017, in support of his 2022 album
Only the Strong Survive Boasting a staggering 20 Grammy Awards and more than 64 million albums sold in the U.S. alone, the singer’s back catalog is littered with hits, including “Dancing in the Dark,” “Born in the USA,” and “Glory Days.” $107+. Little Caesars Arena, Detroit; 313presents.com
Legally Blonde the Musical: The beloved 2001 film gets a Broadway makeover in this charming musical production. Elle Woods’ transformation from sorority girl to highpowered Harvard Law gradu-
ate is propelled by memorable songs and stunning choreography — plus all the humor and heart of the Reese Witherspoon classic. Nominated for seven Tony Awards, the show has been critically praised for its fun, upbeat spirit. Two showtimes are available. $35+. Fox Theatre, Detroit; 313presents.com
Deon Cole: Best known for his role as Charlie Telphy on the acclaimed ABC sitcom Blackish, which earned him two NAACP Image Award nominations and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, this Chicagoborn actor and comedian will stop in Detroit for two nights of stand-up comedy. His 2019 Netflix special, Cole Hearted featured Cole’s hilarious takes on sex, social media, and
comedy in the age of cancel culture. $63+. Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit; 313presents.com
by George Balanchine, one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century, along with a live orchestra. $29+. Detroit Opera House, Detroit; detroitopera.org
The State Ballet of Georgia: International celebrity ballerina Nina Ananiashvili has served as principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. She now leads this prestigious Tbilisi, Georgia-based company as it embarks on a rare U.S. tour. The program features works
Blink-182: Known for turn-ofthe-millennium hits like “All the Small Things” and “What’s My Age Again?,” Blink-182 has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Now the founding members of everyone’s favorite pop-punk band are reuniting for a worldwide tour. They’ll stop at Little Caesars Arena this spring for a supercharged rock show with Turnstile. $50+. Little Caesars Arena, Detroit; 313presents.com
May 27-29 • MUSIC
Movement: Held in Detroit’s Hart Plaza every Memorial
Day weekend since 2006, this annual festival celebrates Detroit’s hallowed place in techno and EDM history by bringing together an expansive bill of DJs and artists. The lineup for this year’s festival has not yet been announced, but attendees can expect to see some of the biggest names in electronic music — along with plenty of surprises. Cost TBA. Hart Plaza, Detroit; movementfestival.com
28-Oct. 1 • ART
Accra/London: A Retrospective: Celebrate the historic 60-year career of British Ghanaian photographer James Barnor at this exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. From studio portraits to photojournalism to Black lifestyle photography, Barnor’s work chronicles the important social and political turmoil that defined Ghana’s midcentury struggle for independence from the United Kingdom. No cost with general admission. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit; dia.org
Ed Sheeran: The superstar singer-songwriter will promote his 2021 album, = , on his first U.S. tour since 2018. Hear the album’s Grammy-nominated single, “Bad Habits,” along with back-catalog standouts like “Shape of You” and “Perfect” when the crooner stops at Detroit’s Ford Field with support from R&B singer Khalid and Armenian singer Rosa Linn. $79+. Ford Field, Detroit; fordfield.com
Downtown Ann Arbor; theannarborartfair.com
Ann Arbor Art Fair: Spanning 30 city blocks and featuring nearly 1,000 artists, this summer tradition in downtown Ann Arbor is made up of three separate events: the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, and Ann Arbor State Street Art Fair. As the largest juried art show in the country, it displays works from artists across the U.S. in a variety of mediums, including paint, ceramics, glass, and jewelry. No cost.
Arctic Monkeys: The Sheffield, England-based rockers will bring their stadium-ready sound to the States this summer, following the release of their 2022 album The Car. The band’s 2006 debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, became the fastest-selling debut in U.K. chart history, thanks to catchy lead single “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor.” Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. is along for the ride as a supporting act. $39.50+. Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston; 313presents.com
Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats, and Eats: Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders flock to Royal Oak every Labor Day weekend for this annual celebration of art, food, and music. Expect to see hundreds of bands, from local talent to internationally touring acts, along with regional and national fine artists and dozens of food trucks. The festival also offers kid-friendly activities, local vendors, and a bevy of adult-beverage options. Admission is generally free on Friday before 5 p.m. and between $5 and $10 Saturday-Monday. Downtown Royal Oak; artsbeatseats.com
Detroit Free Press Marathon: This annual event offers races for runners of all ages and skill levels. These include a competitive 1-mile run, a 5K race, a halfmarathon, and a full marathon. There’s also a Kids' Fun Run, a Disabilities Division run, and a marathon relay that encourages participants to work in teams. The earlier you register for either the individual races or The Motor City Challenge Series, the lower the prices will be. Prices for the 2022 event ranged from $15 to $400, depending on the race and the date of registration. Downtown Detroit; freepmarathon.com
Traditional snow tubing is offered at this Oakland County farm, but the real fun begins when darkness falls. The four-lane, 200-foot hill becomes illuminated by colorful lights, including several arches that riders pass under on each trip down.
Lanes are lined with carpet, sprayed with water, and frozen, so tubing happens with or without snow. Only rented tubes are allowed. The recommended height for riders is 46 inches.
Tubing is available Wednesdays through Sundays from Jan. 6 to Feb. 26. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and tend to sell out quickly.
1219 E. Square Lake Road, Bloomfield Hills; 248-3416475; schoolfarm.org
One of only four facilities in the nation offering luging for
Witness professional mushers in action during rides offered both at Shanty Creek Resort in Bellaire and Treetops Resort in Gaylord. Dog rescue organization Second Chance Mushers conducts 20-minute dogsled rides at Shanty Creek, along with meet and greets and photo opportunities with the dogs. At Treetops, professional dogsled racer Liza Dietzen takes riders on a milelong jaunt over the hills and through the snowcovered golf course trails surrounding the resort. Visit the resorts respective websites for schedules, pricing, and weight limits and to book online.
Shanty Creek: 2400 Troon South, Bellaire; 231-5333939; shantycreek.com
Treetops: 3962 Wilkinson Road, Gaylord; 866-3485249; treetops.com
Riders receive proper training before lying flat on a luge and racing down the track at up to 30 miles per hour. Participants must be at least 48 inches tall and weigh at least 65 pounds.
The Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park complex, located within Muskegon State Park, also boasts a quarter-mile iceskating trail through the woods and a 7-mile crosscountry ski trail that light up at night. There is also a
2-acre outdoor ice rink that accommodates both skating and hockey.
Snowshoe trails meander through the state park’s white-pine forest to the top of sand dunes with sweeping views of Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake.
Equipment rental for all activities is available.
462 Scenic Drive, North Muskegon; 877-879-5843; msports.org
Slide, ski, and skate through the woods at Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park
Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Roscommon and Ironwood’s ABR Trails consistently make national lists of the best places to strap on skinny skis.
ABR (pictured at right), voted North America’s fourth best cross-country ski resort in a 2019 survey by USA Today offers the greatest number of miles of groomed crosscountry ski trails (62.7) in a single Michigan location. They are contained within an 1,100acre tract featuring a variety of landscapes along the Montreal River in the Upper Peninsula.
ABR is open from November through mid-March, and trails measure from 1 to 8.5 miles.
There are also 12.5 miles of snowshoe trails. On-site lodging ranges from luxury houses to rustic ski-in cabins next to trails. Lessons, waxing, and equipment rentals are available. Called a “Nordic skiing mecca” by Outside magazine, Cross Country Ski Headquarters in
Roscommon has nearly 12 miles of trails for all ability levels that wind through deep forests and are groomed every morning. One groomer can actually turn hard-packed, icy snow into fresh powder. Skis and equipment can be rented or purchased (with boots and skis custom-fitted) on-site.
Certified instructors and staff are ready to enhance the experience.
Cross Country Ski Headquarters: 9435 N. Cut Road, Roscommon; 989-821-6661; crosscountryski.com
ABR Trails: E5299 W. Pioneer Road, Ironwood; 906-932-3502; abrski.com
Ice climb not far from home
Yes, this is possible not far from metro Detroit at Peabody Ice Climbing in Fenton, where first-timers are in the capable hands of American Mountain Guides Association-certified instructor Garrett Peabody.
Tryouts for the United States’ World Cup ice climbing team and national competitions have been held here.
Peabody features 45-foot and 72-foot towers made of plywood that are blasted with water by huge blowers and quickly freeze over. Warm up in Peabody’s heated clubhouse and 10-person sauna between sessions. 12326 Foley Road, Fenton; 810-433-3304; peabodyiceclimbing.com
Fantail Farm in Benzonia offers 45-to-55-minute sleigh rides
Face Michigan’s tallest vertical drop and the only snowcat ski experience east of the Rockies
Nestled in a remote area just south of Copper Harbor, near Mohawk, Mount Bohemia is not for novice skiers.
This U.P. resort operates without snowmaking or grooming equipment, relying solely on the region’s nearly 300 inches of annual snowfall. Mount Bohemia features about 100 runs across over 650 skiable acres. The property is also home to Michigan’s tallest vertical drop, measuring 900 feet, as well as the state’s longest run, Ghost Trail, which spans almost 2 miles.
Mount Bohemia is also home to the only snowcat skiing experience east of the Rocky Mountains on nearby Voodoo Mountain. Skiers and snowboarders ride in the 20-person cab of a snowcat machine to the top. That’s where they can break pristine powder with a small group in a true wilderness setting. Guides are present to help them navigate the area.
Lodging options include yurts, cabins, a small inn, and a hostel. Among the amenities is a Nordic spa, consisting of a sauna, steam cabin, outdoor hot tub, outdoor hot pool, cold pool, and cold Nordic waterfall.
In 2020, Bohemia was designated the fourth best ski resort in North America by USA Today. 6532 Lac La Belle Road, Mohawk; 906-360-7240; mtbohemia.com
that carry passengers though peaceful forests not far from Lake Michigan. Deer and, at times, even bald eagles can be spotted along the way.
To accommodate parties of various sizes, riders can choose from a cozy, two-passenger carriage or a spacious one that seats up to 10 people. The sleighs are typically pulled by horses of the strong American Brabant draft breed.
Rides are offered nearly every day, but reservations must be made in advance. 4700 Wallaker Road, Benzonia; 231-930-7216; fantailfarmllc.com
Take a sleigh ride through the forest
Local bartenders reveal this year’s dominating drink trends, from ingredient transparency to nostalgic ’90s-era libations. p. 54
The latest restaurant from the Papas family brings fine-dining Mediterranean fare to Greektown
BY DOROTHY HERNANDEZ PHOTOS BY GERARD + BELEVENDER
HANGING IN THE DINING ROOM of Symposia, the new restaurant at the Atheneum Suite Hotel in Greektown, is a striking piece of art that captures the energy of a colorful, modern, and vibrant city. Crowds of people fill the streets of Detroit, with the skyline looming large in the back.
The piece is by St. Clair Shores-based Olon Interior, which designed the restaurant, inspired by the illustration “Standing People” by Japanese artist Tetsuo Aoki.
“It juxtaposes people, and then you can see the city of Detroit laid in the background,” says Atheneum Executive Officer Athina Papas, who adds that the work is representative of the vision behind Symposia: bringing people to Greektown and offering a unique dining experience. “It’s a nice tie-in to what we’re trying to do with bringing in different regions of Europe but also staying true to the city.”
The Papas family has been a fixture of the Greektown community for more than 40 years, having owned and operated Santorini Estiatorio, Mosaic, and of course, Pegasus Taverna. Symposia is a departure from the classic Greek fare they’re known for (but not unprecedented with Athina Papas helming the globally inspired hot spot Mosaic a few years ago), and it brings different flavor profiles from across the Mediterranean, from Greece, Italy, and Spain to northern Africa.
Chef Elliot Patti, who oversees the menu and culinary team at Atheneum, says the goal is to showcase different flavors of the Mediterranean that people may not be as familiar with. For example, by using two types of harissa, he’s highlighting flavors from North Africa.
“Morocco has had a huge influence on the world not only on the Mediterranean but the entire world because of the spice trade. There’s a lot to the Mediterranean that I think gets passed over when we’re just serving up hummus, which I love. But there’s so much more to [Mediterranean food].”
His culinary resume spans pretty much every facet of the restaurant and hospitality industry, from working in acclaimed kitchens such as
Symposia’s menu aims to showcase different flavors of the Mediterranean with dishes like briam, a vegetable casserole-like dish (top right).
those at three-star Michelin restaurant Alinea in Chicago and Spago under Wolfgang Puck to being a private chef for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Barbra Streisand to serving thousands of meals through fine-dining catering company Do & Co. He says these varying experiences have all culminated in the creation of Symposia’s menu.
Some of the signature dishes include roasted beets with whipped feta, pickled strawberry, and green harissa; Spanish octopus with romesco, Yukon potato, and chorizo Iberico; and Amish Half Bird, a playful take on Nashville hot chicken with harissa and creme fraiche.
There’s also the eye-catching briam, a casserole-like dish with tomato sauce and shingles of zucchini, potato, and onion accented with cinnamon, cumin, and oregano. It’s finished with cheese, parsley, and house-made preserved lemon. It looks like Remy’s ratatouille in the beloved Disney movie.
There are many personal touches on the menu. The pistachio torte on the dessert menu is an homage to Patti’s late father, who was Sicilian and loved pistachios, and Patti always makes sure there is a vegetarian dish on the menu for his mother in case she drops by from Hawaii (in addition to several vegetable dishes like the
briam and roasted carrots, the olive oil cake with walnuts, orange, honey, and Greek yogurt has his mom’s name on it).
The wine list has been curated by Papas to match the fare.
“When we looked at the list, we wanted it to be really reflective of the menu,” Papas says. “So offering a lot of European wines, but also still offering some California favorites.” The wine list highlights Spain and Greece, including a favorite of Papas’: Ktima Gerovassiliou Malagousia, a Greek white.
“It’s well rounded and has a balanced finish with a little bit of lemon peels and citrus in it. It’s a really approachable wine, in the sense that it’s not too expensive [at $68 a bottle], but it’s something that’s different that you won’t see on every list.”
Papas says initially they thought about going in a Greek direction with Symposia. “There have been comments in the past about how Greektown isn’t Greek anymore. So that was a conversation in the back of our heads,” Papas says. “But we also wanted to add something unique to the area and have a very creative dining experience. We’re really excited about offering [Symposia] to the people and also adding it to the list of restaurants that you can come and visit when you visit Greektown.”
If you visit one of Husky Boi’s pop-ups, you might think you’ve traveled back to the 1990s. Chef and owner Brent Foster seeks to blend his love of ’90s nostalgia and snacks with elevated technique and ingredients to create an enjoyable, one-ofa-kind experience for diners. After almost 20 years in the restaurant industry, Foster began the business with Gerald Mickel (who serves as co-chef) in spring 2021.
“I’m just a hospitality guy through and through,” Foster says. “I always try to make memories for people.”
Husky Boi’s food itself will bring back memories for guests of a certain age. Foster made his own version of the popular snack Dunkaroos from scratch, serving them with a feta, chocolate ganache, and coconut dip. Another bestselling item is the mushroom stroganoff, made with wild mushrooms, beef roast braised in red wine, heavy cream, and crispy garlic. “A lot of people were like, ‘This reminds me of something that my mom would make.’ And that was the goal. Stroganoff was something my mom would make,” he says.
Foster describes Husky Boi’s food as “reimagined Midwest.” It reminds guests of classic homestyle cooking but with a creative twist.
In addition to its frequent pop-ups at The Elephant Room, Foster hopes to offer Husky Boi’s food through speakeasy limitedinvite events. He imagines these dinners as similar to having a treehouse as a kid, giving your friends a secret password to enter.
Follow Husky Boi on Instagram @huskyboidetroit to keep up to date.
Ciara Ball — who cooked in kitchens at Selden Standard, Takoi, Magnet, and more — had a revelation during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: She never wanted to work in a restaurant again. She wanted to do something for herself, cooking and baking the foods she experimented with during the shutdowns. So, she started her own business, Verna, in 2020. The pop-up, named after a type of lemon, “is simple food that’s clean and approachable to everybody,” Ball says. Her goal of approachability is a guiding force on the menu. “I try to do primarily vegetarian or vegan. It’s [friendly to] all dietary restrictions so that everybody has something,” she says.
Evans felt called to learn more about her heritage, but this was a challenge. “For Black folks, this is not an easy thing to do,” she says. “It’s difficult to figure out the specifics of who you are when your ancestors were considered property.”
Instead of turning to traditional written documentation, Evans decided to follow the food her ancestors would have consumed. She visited West Africa several times to learn about the ways people grow and cook with traditional ingredients there. Evans began her pop-up, Indigo Culinary Co., as a way to share this information with others.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING for exciting new food trends in Detroit, chances are you won’t find them in a traditional brick-and-mortar restaurant. Across the metro area, chefs are fully embracing their independence and creativity through carefully planned pop-ups. Appearing at local bars, cafes, and festivals, these must-try culinary experiences showcase each chef’s background, talents, and passions. Here are three exciting pop-ups that showcase the versatility and dynamism of Detroit’s rising stars.
Signature dishes include an open-faced caprese sandwich and carrot and mushroom dumplings, which bring plenty of smoky flavor with none of the meat. “I roast whole carrots over the fire and then put whole onions into the coals,” Ball says. She then adds mirin, coriander, and cumin. Verna also stands out for its baked goods — think maple pecan Bundt cakes with vanilla glaze, cheddar egg muffins, and savory tomato pie. Ball will continue to offer popups at local spots like Two Birds, Now Corktown, and Anthology Coffee.
Keep an eye on Verna’s Instagram (@verna_detroit) to find where it’s appearing next.
Menus highlight traditional ingredients from the African diaspora. For example, Evans incorporates black-eyed peas, which are native to West Africa, into hummus, which also uses another traditional ingredient from the region: sesame. “Black folks, particularly West Africans, were using sesame in their cuisines, soups, and stews,” she says. Past pop-ups have included sweet potato grits with coconut-braised collards and tomato confit, spicy red rice with peanut sauce, and fresh banana and sticky plantain pork ribs.
Evans appreciates the pop-ups for their ability to help her educate and talk to people. “I really enjoy that process of being able to connect with people and change their mind about particular food ingredients,” she says. “We can do so much with these different ingredients that have been passed down to us for generation after generation.”
In addition to pop-ups at Two Birds, Evans also runs The Joy Project, a community space and garden centered on preserving and educating people about these traditional foodways.
Visit joytheproject.com or follow @indigoculinaryco to learn more.
theJosmine Evans of Indigo Culinary Co. seeks to tell a part of the Indigenous and Afro-Atlantic experiences on every plate.
BY MICKEY LYONS PHOTOS BY CHUK NOWAK
WE’VE ALL CHANGED in the last few years. It makes sense that the way we drink has shifted along with that. COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns led to a demand for easy-to-mix cocktails for budding home bartenders. As the pandemic wore on, an initial surge in drinking turned into a focus on more creative but lowerproof drinks. Supply chain disruptions affected our drinking in surprising ways: Glass bottle supplies ran short, and shipping snarls led to shortages of imported liquors. Before long, inflation crept into our drink menus, too, as food costs soared and brought the price of alcohol with them.
We’re also more health conscious these days: More than 50 percent of us now consider wellness a top priority, an increase from the 42 percent reported pre-pandemic. This focus on wellness translates to consumers caring more about what goes into their drink. How healthy are the ingredients, for example? And how sustainable are the processes and elements in that drink?
Even our choice of spirits is changing. Bourbon is a perennial favorite, but as collectors snap up the rarer bottles and those annoying supply chain problems limit our choices, more buyers are looking to European-style spirits, and gin in particular.
To find out what the 2023 drinking scene will look like, we spoke with industry leaders and star bartenders to parse out a preview. Here’s what they said.
Nostalgia is in, big-time, from sequels of ’90s film favorites like Hocus Pocus and Jurassic Park to drinks from that decade. Matt Mergener — owner of Two Birds and Apt. Disco, the newly opened bar above Lost River cocktail bar — sees the trend as a longing for a simpler time — at least as far as many of us can remember. “All the bartenders making drinks right now, we grew up in the ’90s,” Mergener says. His partner, Kar Green, agrees. “People are looking for things that make them feel better. You’re trying to escape to that time that felt good, felt familiar.” Today’s throwback drinks aren’t the sickly sweet concoctions of yesteryear, though: Freshly squeezed juices and fewer additives make for a more sophisticated Long Island iced tea or hurricane, more in tune with modern consumers’ tastes.
Let’s
Weiss Distilling Co. in Clawson opened last year with a focus on spirits crafted sustainably and with intention. Proprietor Dennis Weiss says that he and his wife, Amanda, prioritize transparency in the ingredients they use. Many consumers want to “really figure out what is going into our bodies,” he says. And some spirits have all sorts of hidden allergens or additives.
“Many of the popular spirits on the shelves today are full of additives like glycerin, colorings, and more — which legally do not have to be listed on the bottle,” he says. “I think a lot of these additives can fuel hangovers and a poor experience the next morning.” As drinkers focus on wellness, more alcohol producers are starting to disclose their “family secret” ingredients for the sake of transparency.
Many of those “family secret” blends of botanicals and herbs come in the form of aperitivos and digestivos, another trend rushing into 2023. These spirits tend to be lower in alcohol content than traditional gins, vodkas, and whiskeys, often clocking in at less than 20 percent alcohol by volume. But Two Birds Beverage Director Hannah Whitenack sees this as a continuation of the focus on wellness and health. “I feel like the pandemic brought out more mental health awareness and destigmatized not wanting to go out just to get drunk but instead enjoy the taste of the cocktail.”
Bartenders are happy to mix up low-octane drinks because “the nature of the cocktail scene in general has expanded a lot,” she says, “and now it’s just easier to create interesting, complex, low-ABV cocktails.”
Complexity, hand-foraged ingredients, and consumer education have boosted interest in one underrated spirit. John Neely, manager of Highlands Detroit at the Renaissance Center, has dozens of whiskey, Cognac, and Scotch bottles at his bar, but he’s also noticed more guests asking for one of the bar’s many gin choices, from London dry to Old Tom to American-style gins. “What is in each gin really speaks to the palate a bit differently,” Neely says, “so there’s definitely more nuance and a lot more to gain and explore with gin” these days.
“Palates are evolving.”
The ambience at Cash Only is glamorous and romantic — but you don’t have to be coupled up to enjoy.
Located in the basement of Prime + Proper, Cash Only Supper Club is refined and sophisticated while also playful and approachable
BY DOROTHY HERNANDEZ | PHOTOS BY REBECCA SIMONOVAS I SURVEYED the swanky and intimate dining room of Cash Only Supper Club, I began to wonder, Is this place couples only?
When I do reviews, I usually go with my husband, because as a chef by trade, he has lots of opinions. He was working on the first night I went, so I asked my friend Marisa, who’s my No. 2, to be my wingwoman for the night. We were seated at a table with a clear view of the stage, surrounded by couples cuddling in booths. I slowly became selfconscious and felt like I was crashing a wedding.
Then there’s the fact that Cash Only is one of the glitziest places in town. You would think a restaurant that commands a $175 per person price tag — which doesn’t count extras such as a “caviar bump,” fresh truffles shaved on your pasta, or the $100 wine pairing — would feel exclusive and pretentious. There is a sign at the hostess stand that says “Power is the only drug,” and it took every ounce of self-control to keep my eyes from rolling all the way into the back of my skull. But Cash Only is quite playful, fun, and accessible. Familiar favorites are reimagined with a sophisticated spin, and some nostalgic treats from childhood are served here all grown up. There is a clear and confident point of view with each dish, the flavors so uninhibited. And no, you don’t have to be coupled up to enjoy.
From start to finish, dinner at Cash Only is a feast for the senses. The multicourse meal begins with Rolling in Dough (if you don’t like money puns, you have been warned) bread service, with your choice of warm pretzel, blue cheese cracker, and herbed focaccia presented on a tray at your table. I tried all three the first time, but the next time, I loaded up on the blue cheese cracker because, as our server aptly described it, it was like a grown-up Cheez-It. Two dainty radishes with the essence of Wagyu fat, which adds plenty of richness to the tiny root vegetable, and luxurious French Le Beurre Bordier butter come with the bread. You can upgrade this course with the aforementioned “caviar bump.”
Next up is the Perfect Trio, and this is where Cash Only’s whimsical yet sophisticated approach to food shines. The A5 nigiri is a paper-thin slice of exquisite Japanese Wagyu beef atop a bed of rice with wasabi root and shoyu tare (a soy sauce-based seasoning commonly used in ramen), and the glazed oyster is lightly cooked, with a delicate dollop of caviar enhancing the brininess of the shellfish. The most surprising star of the plate, however, was not the luxe ingredients of the oyster or Wagyu but the
Toad in the Hole, which amounted to a BLT — but one that has matured into adulthood with quail egg, brioche, and speck.
The Caesar salad is presented tableside, with the servers cutting up a whole head of grilled baby romaine blanketed in dressing, garlic frico, and pecorino and studded with fresh whole boquerones. It’s how Caesar salads were meant to be. All of the wine pairings were on point, but
the standout was the Chablis, with the refreshing white wine accentuating the savory notes of the Caesar perfectly.
The next three out of four courses are “choose your adventure.” You can’t go wrong with either the house-made agnolotti or the risotto with bone marrow for the Tableside Encore course, so make sure you get one of each in your party of two and share. The fresh pasta is executed well, with earthy morels and creamy mascarpone combining beautifully in the bowl. The risotto — which comes almost unadorned with just a smattering of scallions for garnish — is elevated by the bone marrow’s deep and long-lasting flavors.
After the richness of those courses comes the Vera Cruz, a tomato-based soup with a kick of fiery spice, geoduck clam, and gordal olive. It’s the perfect segue into the main event. For the entree, the standout for us was the dry-aged duck with Castelvetrano olives, vadouvan, baby turnip, and orange spiced jus, reminiscent of classic French duck a l’orange, with the warm spices of the vadouvan complementing the citrus sauce. The short rib is served off the bone, sliced, and tender with apple and pastoral greens. The branzino, with a savory and rich lobster sauce poured tableside, is another worthy entree.
To end the meal, you can pick between “tried and true” and “so weird it works.” The arbequina
Price: $$$$
Vibes: Glitzy and glamorous. This is a special-occasion
place to take your favorite person in the world or to impress a client and show them a night on the town.
ice cream, named after the fruity and buttery olive oil, is the latter, served with chocolate Pop Rocks. It sounds like it would be a disaster, but like many of the previous courses, it’s a delightful surprise. The Black Forest torte, with bourbon cherries, dark chocolate, and vanilla ice cream, is a safer bet if you’re feeling less adventurous.
And if you come with your significant other to celebrate a special occasion, like I did the second time, they will treat you to a serving of tiramisu. Marisa and I did not get any tiramisu, but we did
Service: Top notch. Servers are well practiced, knowledgeable, and attentive.
Sound level: Moderate. You can still hear your companion despite a live band playing mash-ups of The
Weeknd and Ed Sheeran not too far from your table. Dress code: This calls for your best dress and suit.
Clockwise from bottom: Branzino, Rolling in Dough, Chef’s Select Cut, Caramelle, and the Perfect Trio (Toad in the Hole, A5 Nigiri, Glazed Oyster).
get a Polaroid picture, which I almost enjoyed better than the tiramisu. They took our photo toward the beginning of the meal, when I felt more like an interloper.
Drinks are not included in the $175 tasting-menu price tag, and the cocktail list is on the smallish side, with six specialty drinks and martini service, which entails your choice of vodka or gin, shaken or stirred, dirty or dry, with olives or a twist, all made right at your table. The She’s with Me is a light and refreshing drink with Champagne, gin, and Aperol to get your night started off right, or the bartenders can whip up your choice of libation from the well-stocked bar. The wine pairing also comprises thoughtfully curated selections — like the Chablis to pair with the Caesar — that draw from its expansive collection.
Aside from the well-done food, the service at Cash Only is some of the best in the area. Servers are calm, centered, and quick to respond to your questions and requests (I noticed someone at a table with an intriguing cocktail topped with a flavor bubble, and my drink did not come with it, so Jimmy, our server, brought the bubble apparatus over to our table to create one for my drink).
Cash Only takes hospitality seriously, but not itself. Is it for everyone? No, but that’s why you bring someone special.
Leave the jerseys, jeans, and sneakers at home.
Open: Friday and Saturday for dinner.
Reservations: Make online at resy.com Accessibility: Cash Only Supper Club is located a flight
of stairs down from the Prime + Proper space. It can also be reached via an elevator in the back.
The risotto — which comes almost unadorned with just a smattering of scallions for garnish — is elevated by the bone marrow’s deep and long-lasting flavors.
Al Ameer $$
LEBANESE • This Lebanese restaurant is a recipient of the prestigious James Beard America’s Classics Award.
The Al Ameer platter is perfect for sharing: two grape leaves, two fried kibbeh, chicken shawarma, tawook, kabob, kafta,and falafel. 12710 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-8185. 27346 Ford Road, Dearborn Heights; 313-565-9600 L,D Mon.-Sun.
ITALIAN • Guy Pelino, Roma Café’s chef, took over the ownership reins of this restaurant on the edge of the Eastern Market. He retained the menu, adding a charcuterie board and updating the wine list, and didn’t change the character of the old-school restaurant, known for its steaks and pastas. 3401 Riopelle St., Detroit; 313-831-5940. L,D Tue.-Sat.
ITALIAN • Over the past three decades, Joe Vicari has established several Andiamo restaurants in metro Detroit, all inspired by the late master chef Aldo Ottaviani’s philosophy of seasonal, fromscratch cooking. The menus differ slightly at the different locations, but the constant is the fresh, housemade pastas — handcrafted by the trinity of “pasta ladies,” Anna, Tanya, and Angelina, who have carried on the tradition. The downtown Detroit location offers a breathtaking view of the Detroit River, while the Livonia location offers a comfortable and casual vibe. 400 Renaissance Center, Detroit; 313567-6700. D Mon.-Fri., L,D Sat.-Sun. 38703 Seven Mile Road, Livonia; 734-953-3200. D Mon.-Sun.
Antonio’s Cucina
ITALIAN • The Rugieros have impressed restaurant guests for decades with authentic cuisine. Signature dishes include Gnocchi Rita and Chicken Antonio. There’s a full bar and a very extensive wine list. 2220 N. Canton Center Road, Canton; 734-981-9800. 26356 Ford Road, Dearborn Heights; 313-278-6000. 37646 W. 12 Mile Road, Farmington Hills; 248-994-4000. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • The Foundation Hotel’s restaurant, the Apparatus Room, once housed the Detroit Fire Department headquarters. The cooking of chef Thomas Lents, who earned two Michelin stars while at Chicago’s Sixteen, is refined and highly skilled. 250 W. Larned St., Detroit; 313-800-5600. D Wed.-Sun.
Avalon Café and Bakery $$
ORGANIC BAKERY • The bakery’s mini-empire includes a café on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Its bread is also the basis for dishes such as avocado toast with tahini, thinly curled cucumbers, lime, and chili flakes. Vegetarian fare includes a grilled veggie sandwich with portobello mushrooms, zucchini, and goat cheese. Meatier highlights include a turkey and gouda sandwich, and BLTA with cider house bacon. 1049 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-285-8006. B,L daily.
Babo $
NEW AMERICAN • This café settled into the Midtown Park Shelton building in July 2019, serving elevated comfort food made from local, small-batch producers. The self-described gourmet diner offers espresso drinks and such dishes as avocado toast, kimchi patatas bravas, and the Babo Burger. 15 E. Kirby St., Ste. 115, Detroit; 313-974-6159. B,L,D Tue.-Sat. B,L Sun.
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge $$
SOUL FOOD • This iconic lounge serves soul food: beef short ribs with gravy, creamy mac and cheese, collard greens, and sweet cornbread muffins. 20510 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-345-6300. L, D Tue.-Fri.
Bohemia $$$
NEW AMERICAN • The former member’s only lounge in this restored Romanesque Revival in downtown Detroit is now a posh restaurant open to the public (the downstairs bar is also open to the public). The stunning dining room reflects the club’s history while staying fresh and modern with local art on the walls and an Instagrammable seating area in the middle of the dining room with plush couches and trees lined with lights. The food is upscale but approachable such as the Nashville Fried Chicken and the lobster fettucini, which is worth every indulgent bite. 712 Cass Ave., Detroit, 313338-3222. D Wed.-Sat..
At this casual spot, traditional German-style beer is the beverage of choice. Chef Chris Franz’ noteworthy menu is compatible with such additions as a platter of local bratwurst and other sausages teamed with sauerkraut, plus Bavarian soft pretzels and pierogi. 1175 Lakepointe St., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-344-5104. L,D daily.
Baobab Fare $$
AFRICAN • With his New Center restaurant, Mamba Hamissi urges diners to venture into culinary territories they’d otherwise evade, like the Mbuzi starring a goat shank that is slow-roasted until the meat is so tender that it slides off the bone with ease. 6568 Woodward Ave., Ste. 100, Detroit; 313-265-3093. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Barda $$$$
ARGENTINIAN • Barda brings a new cuisine to metro Detroit. True to Argentinian culture, the restaurant celebrates traditional meat dishes. For starters, Carne y Hueso, meaning Flesh and Bone, features a mold of finely chopped beef tartare topped with spicy horseradish alongside a dense bone filled to the brim with buttery marrow. Tira de Asado, a classic Argentinian short rib dish, arrives on a plate in a coriander-pepper crust. And Inch-thick slices of rare Bife, or strip loin steak, lie on a bed of melted butter infused with chimichurri. 4842 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313- 952-5182; bardadetroit.com. D Thurs.-Sun.
JAPANESE • From the proprietor of Canton’s popular Izakaya Sanpei comes a Japanese pub located in Woodbridge. Occupying the former home of Katsu, Bash maintains much of that eatery’s Asian-inspired décor, such as hanging lanterns and bamboo shades. Bash’s drink menu focuses on Japanese craft beer, while the food menu of small plates and sashimi includes Gyoza, Tempura Udon, and fried octopus balls called Tako Yaki. 5069 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-7887208; L Wed.-Sat. D Tue.-Sun.
Besa $$$ EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • This modern fine-dining eatery takes its name from Albania — where the owners trace their heritage — and means “pledge of honor.” Choose from starters such as roasted olives, fried calamari, and double-cut lamb chops. 600 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-315-3000. D Mon.-Sat.
Bobcat Bonnie’s $
GASTROPUB • The menu is eclectic, featuring fried goat cheese, fish tacos, Buddha bowls, and a barbecue bacon meatloaf — plus, plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, The weekend brunch, complete with a Bloody Mary bar and all the classics, is a big hit. See bobcatbonnies.com for locations and hours.
BURGERS • This healthy spin on a classic serves neverfrozen, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, organic burgers. There’s beef, chicken, haddock, and vegetarian dishes but no pork, as the restaurant is halal. There’s also a cold-pressed juice bar. 22062 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-996-5050. L,D Mon.-Sun.
Bronze Door $$$$
NEW AMERICAN • One of the newest restaurants under the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group brand (in partnership with Tony Soave of Soave Enterprises) revives the well-known name of a Grosse Pointe staple from the mid1900s. In the 1960s and 1970s, 123 Kercheval Ave. was home to the Bronze Door, which closed to make way for The Hill Seafood and Chop House. In 2021, it was born again as the Bronze Door, offering classic bistro fare like steak frites and house specialties such as Potato Pillows and Shrimp (butter fondue, sage, cracked pepper, pecorino Romano, and truffle). 123 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-886-8101. D Mon.-Sat.
Bucharest Grill $ MEDITERRANEAN-AMERICAN • This bustling casual sandwich shop, now with five locations, is a cult favorite with its fresh Mediterranean fare, notably the best chicken shawarma wrap sandwiches in town. We’re serious. See bucharestgrill.com for locations and hours.
Cadieux Café $$
BELGIAN • This institution was like a slice of home for early Belgian immigrants. They serve up four varieties of mussels, and a wide range of hearty dishes such as Belgian Rabbit, but there also are classic sandwiches. 4300 Cadieux Road, Detroit; 313-882-8560. D daily.
ITALIAN • This intimate spot offers well-prepared food that includes eight appetizers, more than a dozen pasta dishes, and 16 main plates, notable among which are tournedos di vitello — medallions of veal filet in a fresh mushroom sauce. The wine list is impressive as well. 98 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-308-3120. D Tue-Sat.
ITALIAN • A restaurant inside the market serves great traditional Italian food. Do not miss the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese: wide pasta with a meat sauce featuring ground veal, beef, sausage, and pancetta. It makes for a delicious Italian feast you can conveniently pick up on your way home. 15550 N. Haggerty Road, Plymouth; 734-420-1100. L,D Tues.-Sat., L Sun.
STEAKHOUSE • This is the type of place longtime Detroit natives describe like an old friend. On Gratiot Avenue between Seven and Eight Mile roads, this place has been packing them in for nearly 40 years. There’s a massive a la carte menu, with items such as barbecue babyback ribs and potato skins, but the main draw is steak by the ounce, at market price. 14726 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-527-2100. L,D Wed.-Sun.
TRADITIONAL AMERICAN • The reborn spot emphasizes service and a traditional steak and seafood theme, with such tasty signature dishes as wood-grilled ribs, seared scallops, and steaks.150 W. Congress, Detroit; 313-965-4970. D daily.
CREATIVE COMFORT The space facing Campus Martius is done up in gray and white under industrial light fixtures. Crowd-pleasers include buttermilk fried chicken, filet and frites, burgers, and salads. 660 Woodward Ave., Ste. 4A, Detroit; 313-963-9000. D Thu.-Sat., BR Sat.-Sun.
NEW AMERICAN While the menu rotates based on the season, its offerings always highlight the freshest local ingredients. Creatively prepared dishes range from cold starters to hearty entrees. But the Twice Cooked Egg is not to be missed. 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-818-3915. D Tue.-Sat.
AMERICAN The emphasis is on fresh fish and seafood here, but also on the locals — especially lake perch. There are also such dishes as Cajun tenderloin tips and a few good angus burgers. 16844 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe; 313-882-6667. L Mon.-Fri., D nightly.
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • This restored Art Deco hotspot offers small plates such as oysters with cava granita and a salmon croquette. Large plates include sesame soy glazed shiitakes and summer stir fried vegetables with coconut rice. Jazz prevails on the bandstand. 2030 Park Ave., Detroit; 313-961-2543. D Wed.-Sun.
GASTROPUB Fans of Atlas Global Bistro, which shuttered in 2013, should be happy to learn that some of the principals may be found at this spot in the Belcrest Apartments. The well-edited menu includes duck fried chicken and a burger. 5440 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-2858849. L Tue.-Sat.
GASTROPUB At this Jefferson Chalmers eatery, guests can rent fire pits and roast housemade marshmallows to make s’mores, or sip mugs of Hot Buttered Rum. By day, grab a picnic table and dip hunks of grilled flatbread into creamy fish dip made with smoked white fish and lake trout and seasoned with herbs from the farm. 14601 Riverside Blvd., Detroit; 313-822-4434. D Thurs.-Sat. BR Sun.
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED
• This Corktown eatery takes the form of a 4,450-square-foot renovated beer hall and is an ode to filling European staples. Try the chicken marsala, featuring a pan-seared 7-oz. chicken breast, sauteed wild mushroom blend, wild rice, seasonal grilled vegetables, cooked in a Lombardo Ambra Sweet Marsala wine sauce. Simply delicious! 2415 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-638-2261. D Thu-Sat. BR Sat. B,L Sun.
Cuisine $$$
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • Cuisine offers a romantic, white-linen experience with the level of food, service, and ambience one might describe as timeless rather than trendy. Examples of the expertly prepared fare include the Thai snapper as well as the sea Scallops, featuring corn risotto, creamed leeks, and citrus butter. 670 Lothrop Rd., Detroit; 313-872-5110. D Tue.-Sun. (Note: not wheelchair accessible.)
Dakota Inn Rathskeller $
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • The sausages are the kind that snap when you cut them. The combo plate features one bratwurst and one knack-wurst, served with hot German potato salad and sauerkraut. And yes, sing along with the schnitzelbank song 17324 John R St., Detroit; 313-867-9722. D Thu.-Sat.
Detroit Shipping Company $
FUSION • This bi-level destination, created out of shipping containers, offers a variety of food options ranging from the Caribbean-fusion dishes at Coop to Thai fare from Bangkok 96 and more. 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; 313-462-4973. L Sat.-Sun., D daily.
Detroit Soul $
SOUL FOOD A hidden gem on the city’s East Side. Detroit Soul serves its namesake with a healthy twist. Owners Sam Van Buren and Jerome Brown draw from the recipes of their grandparents, who relocated to Detroit from Alabama in the 1940s. The turkey and collard greens are savory standouts and yams are a sweet treat. This is the kind of place that every soul-food lover must visit. 2900 E. Eight Mile Road, Detroit; 313-366-5600. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Dime Store $
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH This popular breakfast and lunch spot adds just the right retro touch to a contemporary American menu typified by fresh, hearty omelets and Benedicts early in the day. 719 Griswold St., Ste. 180, Detroit; 313-962-9106. B,L Mon.-Sun.
2010
Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe $$$
GASTROPUB • A jazz club with top guest musicians and an American bistro menu in a traditional interior. Starters include shrimp pico and pan-fried calamari. Main entries include a beef short rib. 97 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-882-5299. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat.
SPECIALTY GROCERY • This stylish spot overlooks downtown’s Capitol Park. The menu has steamed mussels with leeks, garlic, and toasted crostini. International flourishes abound with truffle aioli for the burger. 1215 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-395-3030. L,D daily.
MEXICAN • A concentrated cuisine with little modern flairs that also stays faithful to traditional Mexican cooking. Don’t miss the Camarones en Salsa de Langosta: breaded shrimp stuffed with cheese, fried to a golden dark brown, and topped with a lobster cream sauce. It’s a delicious dinner spot you don’t want to miss and an unassuming Latin-American find in Detroit’s Springwells Village. 1312 Springwells St., Detroit; 313-297-2360. L,D Tue.-Sun.
El Barzon $
MEXICAN-ITALIAN • Norberto Garita prepares Italian and Mexican cuisines alongside his wife, Silvia Rosario Garita. Authentic Mexican entrees include enchiladas with a homemade green sauce made with tomatillo, jalapeños, and roasted poblano pepper, while the Italian influence takes the form of spaghetti carbonara and zuppa di pesce (seafood soup). 3710 Junction Ave., Detroit; 313-894-2070. D Tue.-Sun.
The popular spot offers your classic soul food favorites but with plantbased twists — mac and cheese, maple-glazed yams, collard greens, and interpretations of catfish and pepper steak. 19614 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313766-5728. L,D Wed.-Sat.
Evie’s
MEXICAN • This Mexicantown restaurant makes some of the best tamales around. Pork or chicken is jacketed with sturdy masa, a dough of ground corn, and then wrapped in a corn husk and steamed. Eat in or order a dozen for later. 3454 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-843-5056. B,L Mon.-Sat.
Fishbone’s Rhythm Kitchen Café $$
NEW ORLEANIAN • Enjoy classic New Orleans dishes, such as jambalaya and fried catfish beignets. Come for breakfast, lunch, dinner, happy hour, or carry-out. 400 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-965-4600. 29244 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-351-2925. 23722 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-498-3000. L,D (downtown), B, L,D Southfield and St Clair Shores.
VIETNAMESE • Chef and owner George Azar transformed a former Coney Island into an industrial-cool destination, but the neighborhood joint vibe remains. The menu is shaped around Azar’s appreciation of Vietnamese food, with a very personal twist. 4440 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-554-2085. D Thu.-Sun.
Folk $
NEW AMERICAN • A charming Corktown storefront dishing up an all-day brunch menu. It’s an offshoot of the Farmer’s Hand grocery and farmers market. The menu focuses on globally inspired dishes, like salads, quiche, and sandwiches — all beautifully plated and nutritious. Infused milks and frothy lattes are well sought after, too. 1701 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-7422672. BR Wed-Mon.
Ford’s Garage $$
BURGERS • Henry Ford’s legacy is celebrated on Dearborn’s main thoroughfare. There are at least 12 variations on the classic American burger here. Try the Ford’s Signature, featuring a half-pound of grilled black angus beef, aged sharp cheddar, applewoodsmoked bacon, and bourbon barbecue sauce. Other appealing dishes include shrimp mac and cheese, and chicken wings. 21367 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-752-3673. L,D daily.
ITALIAN • This old-school Italian restaurant offers housemade pastas, including an outstanding lasagna. Elaborate veal and seafood dishes and desserts like orange Creamsicle cheesecake round out the delicious menu. 330 Oakwood Blvd., Detroit; 313-841-0122. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.
Grandma Bob’s $ PIZZA • If you’re wondering what that psychedelic building on Corktown’s Michigan Avenue is, it’s a pizzeria known as Grandma Bob’s. Chef Dan De Wall, previously of Wright and Co., offers a small, delicious menu of pies, including sausage and pistachio with ricotta cheese and thyme. Or try the Big Mack — the vegan pizza version of the popular burger. 2135 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-315-3177. L,D Fri.-Mon.
Grand Trunk Pub $
NEW AMERICAN • Breads from Avalon Bakery and meats from Eastern Market anchor the hearty fare, which pairs well with a selection of Michigan beers. Staples include a reuben with Poet Stout Kraut and the Ghettoblaster beer-battered fish and chips. 612 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-961-3043.; BR, L, D, Thu.-Sun.
The Greek $ GREEK • Plaka Café was a presence on Monroe Avenue for years, and now its space is in the hands of the founders’ children. Notable dishes include spinach pie, lamb chops, and New York strip steak. 535 Monroe Ave., Detroit; 313-209-6667. L,D daily.
Green Dot Stables $
NEW AMERICAN • The menu of sliders — with 20-plus eclectic bun toppings, including Cuban, Korean, and “mystery meat” — packs in fans. Local beers are spotlighted along with Chicken Paprikas soup, a nod to the neighborhood’s Hungarian origins. 2200 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit; 313-962-5588. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • The cuisine at this Brush Park hotspot isn’t easily defined, but the results are original and well-prepared — for example, the duck breast with cheese grits and fried shallots and pork tenderloin with gruyere spaetzle and dill pickle mojo. 47 Watson St., Detroit; 313-262-6534. D daily.
STEAKHOUSE/NEW AMERICAN • Occupying the top two floors of the Renaissance Center, Highlands comprises three separate concepts. A steakhouse of the same name provides a high-end dining experience, while the more casual Hearth 71 serves locally sourced dishes cooked over an open fire. The third concept within the space is the appropriately named High Bar, where guests can choose from a vast collection of spirits and decadent desserts. 400 Renaissance Center, Floors 71 and 72, Detroit; 313-877-9090; D Tue.-Sat.
The Hudson Cafe $
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • The fresh, well-prepared fare from the kitchen of this breakfast/lunch spot has creative takes on the eggs Benedict theme, red velvet pancakes, and apple-walnut stuffed French toast, as well as lunchtime sandwiches and salads. 1241 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-237-1000. B,L daily.
HUNGARIAN • This Downriver restaurant offers authentic Hungarian dishes, such as chicken and veal paprikas, beef goulash, and palacsinta (crêpes). 14315 Northline Road, Southgate; 734-283-9622. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Ima $ JAPANESE-INSPIRED
• Japanese-inspired fare with a Midwest emphasis. Ima tacos trade the traditional shell for a slice of jicama-stuffed spicy shrimp, roasted tofu, or garlic chicken. Appetizers include edamame, dumplings, and clams. 2015 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-5025959. L,D Wed.-Mon. 4870 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-8839788. 32203 John R Road, Madison Heights; 248-7810131. L,D daily.
Ima Izakaya $$
JAPANESE-INSPIRED • Chef Michael Ransom has slowly and steadily built up his local chain of noodle shops over the past few years, and his latest one takes it up a notch with the izakaya concept, the Japanese equivalent to a pub. In addition to the staple noodles and soups that put Ransom on the map, the menu also includes grilled skewers from the robata grill such as Kawahagi Trigger Fish Jerky and Mini Kurobuta Pork Sausages. There’s also a tantalizing selection of cocktails and mocktails, sake, beer, and wine to make it a true izakaya experience. 2100 Michigan Ave., Detroit, 313-306-9485. L and D Wed.-Mon.
NEW AMERICAN • This Black-owned restaurant was founded by Nya Marshall to bring fine dining to the East Jefferson Corridor where she grew up. The spot serves New American fare with international influences in a modern, elevated space bathed in neutral tones. The Mezcal Wings with pickled jalapeño and cilantro bring a Mexican kick, while dishes like the Shrimp Linguine Pomodoro contribute European flavors. 9215 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-332-0607; L Fri.-Sun., D Wed.-Sun.
AMERICAN Dishes from its currently rotating drive-through menu, such as pan-seared walleye and beef tenderloin tips with Cajun spice and gravy, surpass typical roadhouse food.
6005 Gotfredson Road, Plymouth; 734-455-8450. L,D daily.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2012
Joe Muer Seafood $$$$
SEAFOOD • This reborn Detroit legend is stellar for a romantic evening or a quiet business lunch or dinner. Located on the main floor of the GMRenCen, it has sweeping views of the Detroit River and a menu that walks the line between old-time favorites and hipper Asian-influenced seafood, sushi and raw bar. There’s also a Bloomfield Hills location. There are reminders of the past as well: white-bean stew, smoked fish spread, creamed spinach, and stewed tomatoes. A true Detroit classic. 400 Renaissance Center, Ste. 1404, Detroit; 313-567-6837. 39475 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-792-9609. L,D daily.
Johnny Noodle King $
JAPANESE-INSPIRED • This noodle shop offers bowls topped with pork belly, confit chicken, and tofu as well as seaweed salad and gyoza. There are several fusion bowls as well like the Southwest topped with shredded chicken and housemade crema. 2601 W. Fort St., Detroit; 313-309-7946. L,D daily.
Jolly Pumpkin $$ BREWERY • Jolly Pumpkin’s brews rule the offerings, along with other Northern United Brewing Co. beverages, such as North Peak and Jolly Pumpkin artisan ales. Pizzas with creative toppings abound. 441 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 313-262-6115. 419 S. Main St., Ste. 9, Royal Oak; 248-544-6250. D daily.
Karl’s $$ AMERICAN • The luncheonette is part two of the Siren Hotel’s partnership with chef Kate Williams. Inspired by the East Side bakery of the same name that Williams’ great-great grandparents once owned, the menu features diner staples. 1509 Broadway St., Detroit; 313-855-2757. B,L,D Wed.-Sun.
The Kitchen by Cooking with Que $$ VEGAN • This eatery created by Detroit-based cooking blogger Quiana Broden serves lunches of smoothies, salads, and sandwiches. Broden also often offers live cooking demonstrations. 6529 Woodward Ave., Ste. A, Detroit; 313-462-4184. B,L,D, Wed.-Sat.
Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles $ SOUTHERN COMFORT • Several recipes, including a signature thin waffle, are family-owned at ex-NFL player Ron Bartell’s spot. Think comfort food kicked up a notch: fried catfish, salmon croquettes, shrimp and grits, and biscuits. Drink the Kool-Aid, too. 19345 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-861-0229. B,L,D Tue.-Sat., B,L Sun.
ITALIAN • Traditional Italian cuisine is key at this Palmer Park hideaway. Recommended is the lake perch in white wine sauce, the veal scaloppine with artichokes, and the lasagna. 17546 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313865-0331. D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun.
ITALIAN • The founder of Da Edoardo, the first Edoardo Barbieri, started it all in 1956 with a restaurant called La Lanterna. Now his grandchildren have revived it. Although the white and red pizzas — like Margherita, Liguria, and Da Edorado — dominate, there’s more, including a number of elegant pastas like the Lasagna Alla Bolognese. 1224 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-9628821. L,D Tue.-Sun.
STEAKHOUSE • The kitchen turns out classics like oysters Rockefeller, French onion soup, and sautéed perch. This is the place to come when you need to satisfy a craving for steak in elegant surroundings with hospitable service. 155 W. Congress St., Detroit; 313962-0277. D Mon.-Sat.
Leila $$$
LEBANESE • The restaurant from the proprietors of Birmingham’s Phoenicia is named after the owner’s mother — just one facet of the establishment that pays homage to family traditions and heritage. The menu includes various Lebanese dishes, from falafel to Leila’s Mixed Grill that offers a little bit of everything with shish kebab, tawook, and kafta. Other menu items include Kibbeh Niyee — fresh lamb, cracked wheat, and spice — and tabbouleh made of parsley, cracked wheat, and spices. The beer and wine lists offer plenty of options to accompany any meal. 1245 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-816-8100; D Sun., L&D Mon.-Sat.
BURGERS • The star at Lovers Only, located in downtown Detroit’s Capitol Park, is pasture-raised beef from Ferndale’s Farm Field Table, used to make its standout burgers. Other key ingredients, including baked goods, are local as well. There’s also craft cocktails and beer. 34 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-9861174. L,D daily.
SPANISH • This Anglo-sounding restaurant offers very good Spanish-inspired tapas dining. Standouts include a fire-roasted jalapeño cheese spread, shrimp tacos, and a grilled flank steak in chimichurri sauce. 102 E. Main St., Northville; 248-308-3057. L,D Tue.-Sat.
Lumen Detroit $$
NEW AMERICAN • A contemporary American menu and a Victor Saroki setting make the restaurant overlooking downtown’s Beacon Park one of the best of recent entrants onto the scene. Appetizers such as freshly made pretzels prelude main courses such as salmon with chimichurri herb sauce. 1903 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-626-5005. L Fri.-Sun., D. Wed.-Sun.
ITALIAN • This Midtown Detroit classic dates to 1948. Linen-covered tables, framed paintings on wood-paneled walls, expert waiters clad in black tie, and tableside preparation survive here. Italian dinners always begin with an antipasto tray and continue through soup, salad, pasta, and entree. 4222 Second Ave., Detroit; 313832-1616. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • This West Village restaurant and butcher shop hybrid is an ode to meat, especially unusual cuts. Diners must walk through the butcher shop, bypassing cases of pastrami and sausage, before entering the restaurant. Offerings from a sample tasting menu include Roasted Bone Marrow and Lamb Kefta. 8044 Kercheval Ave., Detroit; 313-652-0200. L,D Thu.-Sun.
WEST AFRICAN A small storefront in the Detroit Old Redford neighborhood is decidedly Senegalese. Fataya, a deep-fried pastry with savory fillings, are reminiscent of an empanada. The star of the show is the whole chicken with yassa. 21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313472-5885. L,D daily.
MEXICAN • Nuevo Latino street food is the premise at this surprising spot where everything from the tortilla chips to the salsas are made in-house in the open kitchen. Juices are freshly squeezed and the menu of tortas, tacos, tapas, and salads from the kitchen of Heidi and Junior Merino from Hawaii and Mexico is distinctive. 13214 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-3999117. L,D Tue.-Sun.
BURGERS • This Corktown joint seats 70 around the zinc-covered bar set with Mercury (Liberty) dimes. The burger is available in a variety of iterations, such as Southwest Detroit with a chorizo slider, jalapeno, Müenster cheese, tortilla strips, and avocado. 2163 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-964-5000. L,D daily.
Metropolitan Bar and Kitchen $$
LATIN • The business brings a bodega-style market along with a neighborhood restaurant and bar to West Village. The menu highlights local and seasonal ingredients in dishes like the Buffalo Chicken salad with local greens and housemade blue cheese dressing and the Eggplant Sliders. 8047 Agnes St., Detroit; 313-4475418. L Wed.-Sat. D Fri.-Sat.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN After a successful four-month run at Fort Street Galley, Michigan and Trumbull became one of the latest in a long line of Detroit-style pizza joints to open in the area. Not your traditional carryout joint, Michigan and Trumbull is housed in a sleek, refurbished car-repair garage. The menu features square, deep-dish pies with Detroit-inspired names, such as Packard Pepperoni and Woodward White. 1441 W. Elizabeth St., Detroit; 313-637-4992; L,D Wed-Sat.
Mi Lindo San Blas $$$
MEXICAN • Heaping platters of seafood such as shrimp, octopus, and scallops, tell the story at this spot that brings a corner of Mexico’s seaside Nayarit region to southwest Detroit. On weekends when live music is added, the tables are often pushed back to create a dance floor. 1807 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-789-5100. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • At the 14th floor of the revamped Element Detroit Hotel located at the Metropolitan is the Monarch Club. It’s one of the most recent rooftop bars to open in metro Detroit and serves a variety of delicious small plates along with classic cocktails. 33 John R St., Detroit; 313-306-2380. L Sun. D Wed.-Sat.
ITALIAN-AMERICAN • Bruno DiFabio, a six-time World Pizza Games champ, rejects the label New York-style for his fare. “It’s authentic New York pizza,” he says. In a hurry? Grab a slice from Side Hustle, Mootz’s by-theslice counter next door. 1230 Library St., Detroit; 313243-1230. L Fri.-Sun., D Mon-Thu.
BREWERY • Just 15 mostly nontraditional pizzas on excellent, chewy crust, and the option to build your own pie with various toppings. Plus, salads from locally grown greens to accompany the house-brewed beers. 470 W. Canfield St., Detroit; 19350 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-832-2700. L,D daily.
ITALIAN This eatery offers favorites with unexpected twists. The artichokes and chilies appetizer boasts battered and fried artichokes with Fresno and jalapeno peppers, tossed with fresh basil in white wine. Popular choices include the Whitefish Filet. It’s a classic Italian spot with an update that’s worth a visit. 744 Wing St., Plymouth; 734-207-7880. L Thu.-Sat., D Tue.-Sun.
CARIBBEAN • Lester Gouvia, the Trinidadian chef who brought us the famed food truck, opened a fullservice restaurant under the same name. Stop in for a plate of Chicken Pelau: a tasty blend of rice, diced chicken, squash, peppers, and golden-brown baked chicken. 14628 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-2902938. D Tue.-Sat.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2022
Oak & Reel $$
SEAFOOD • Despite a global pandemic threatening to derail his longtime dream, chef Jared Gadbaw brought his vision of a seafood-focused Italian restaurant to life in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood in fall 2020. Oak & Reel’s resilience in the face of extreme adversity and its commitment to the vision of bringing diners impeccable dishes showcasing the freshest seafood, all presented with welcoming and knowledgeable service, is the reason we’re naming Oak & Reel Hour Detroit’s Restaurant of the Year. The menu is seasonal and changes frequently. But in general, the crudos are pristine, the pastas are impeccable, and the seafood dishes are all well balanced and expertly prepared to accentuate the freshness and quality of the fish and shellfish. 2921 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-270-9600. D Thu.-Mon.
Olin
MEDITERRANEAN • A taste of the Mediterranean in Michigan. Starters like the potatoes and artichokes “bravas” with harissa and black garlic aioli and paellas are inspired by Spain but showcase Olin’s unique spin on these iconic dishes. 25 E. Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-774-1190. D Tues.-Sat. BR Sun.
Ottava Via $$
ITALIAN • Chef Ariel Millan sends out great thin-crusted pizzas as well as interesting small plates typified by bruschetta, calamari, roasted garlic, and whipped goat cheese to be spread on paper-thin crostini. 1400 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-962-5500. L,D daily.
Pao Detroit $$$
FUSION • Visit this upscale Pan-Asian fusion restaurant for Asian-themed cocktails and dishes, such as creamy rock shrimp, charred octopus, filet mignon, and orange sesame salmon. Based in the former Michigan Oriental Theater, the interior combines new and old. 114 W. Adams Ave., Ste. 200, Detroit; 313-816-0000. L Sun., D Tue.-Sun.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2018
Parc $$$
NEW AMERICAN Excellent food, exceptional service, and a crisp and formal but distinctly unstuffy atmosphere set this Campus Martius gem apart. Appetizer highlights include a bright and fresh tuna tartare and wood-roasted oysters. Creamy roasted garlic butter and lemon add a zippy touch to the roasted oysters. Main courses are exceptional, including an interesting blend of Italian food, woodgrilled whole fish, and organic Scottish salmon. There’s also a large selection of dry-aged gourmet steaks, wood-grilled and served tableside. The wine selection is impressive and caters to a diverse set of price ranges and wine drinkers, so you won’t be disappointed with any bottle here. 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-922-7272. L,D daily. BR Sat.-Sun.
MEDITERRANEAN • Mediterranean fare gets a Balkan spin. The menu offers tasting plates, pita-wrapped sandwiches, and salads, as well as entrees including chicken and beef shawarma, beef and pork kafta, lemon-pepper pork tenderloin, and lamb chops. Service is friendly and informal. 15102 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Park; 313-264-1997. L,D daily.
GREEK The cry of “opa!” resounds in St. Clair Shores at the second edition of the longstanding Greektown restaurant. The resturant boasts an extensive menu, from moussaka and spinach pie to gyros and roast lamb. 24935 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-772-3200. 558 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-9646800. L,D Tue-Sun.
DELI
Seats are often filled in search of the House Smoked Pastrami Reuben or the Brooklyn (beef brisket, bacon, and beer cheese). The dinner menu features meat and cheese boards as well as build-yourown sandwich options. It’s a delicious place for a meal any time.
1413 Brooklyn St., Detroit; 313-9612000. B Tue.-Sat. L Mon.-Sat.
The Peterboro $$ ASIAN-FUSION • A contemporary take on AmericanChinese fare gives new life to the cuisine with robustly spiced dishes, including an “absurdly delicious” cheeseburger spring roll and a take on almond boneless chicken. 420 Peterboro St., Detroit; 313-833-1111. D Mon.-Sat.
Pho Lucky $
VIETNAMESE • This charming Midtown Vietnamese spot serves authentic fare emphasizing pho. Bowls of spicy broth with noodles, round steak, and meatballs come in several variations. Other noteworthy dishes here include summer rolls and crisp spring rolls. Look for Asian beers and robust Vietnamese coffee. 3111 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-338-3895. L,D Wed.-Mon.
PizzaPlex $ ITALIAN • This pizza isn’t just authentic, it’s certified. PizzaPlex earned the title of Vera Pizza Napoletana, or real Neapolitan pizza, from Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana in Naples. Try the Margherita. Topped with mozzarella, basil, and EVOO, there’s nothing like a classic. 4458 Vernor Highway, Detroit; 313-757-4992. D Thu.-Sun.
Polish Village Café $ POLISH • The “Polish plate” includes stuffed cabbage, pierogi, kielbasa, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes and gravy. The dill pickle soup and city chicken are standouts, too. A Polish staple in Detroit, where there aren’t too many. 2990 Yemans St., Hamtramck; 313-874-5726. L,D daily. Not wheelchair accessible.
Portofino $ ITALIAN • This big waterfront spot in Wyandotte is both a local hangout and a restaurant with a menu that’s surprisingly ambitious. It offers a number of fish and seafood dishes, from lake perch to coconut shrimp and fried calamari, as well as steaks. Nearly every table in the restaurant has a river view. 3455 Biddle Ave., Wyandotte; 734-281-6700. L,D Tues.-Sun.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2019
Prime + Proper $$$$ STEAKHOUSE Downtown Detroit dining gets a major shot of glamour with this over-the-top steak and seafood emporium on the corner of Griswold and State streets. Although red meat, from prime dry-aged Tomahawk ribeye to Wagyu strip, is the focus — and yes, there’s a burger made with a dry-aged butcher’s blend — oysters, king crab, and caviar aren’t far behind. An elegant white and gold setting backgrounds it all. 1145 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-636-3100. D Mon.-Sun., BR Sat.-Sun.
Prism $$$
NEW AMERICAN • Greektown Casino-Hotel’s renamed eatery is located off the main casino. The menu features local ingredients, steaks, and fresh seafood. 555 E. Lafayette St., Detroit; 313-309-2499. D Wed.-Sun.
Rattlesnake Club $$$$
NEW AMERICAN This restaurant on the river remains one of the most appealing spots in town. The casually elegant space offers a range of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Dishes that typify its style include seared diver sea scallops, an 8-ounce filet, and a 16-ounce porterhouse. 300 River Place, Detroit; 313567-4400. L,D Tue.-Sat.
NEW AMERICAN • The Trumbull and Porter hotel’s spiffy restaurant is an ambitious undertaking, offering three meals a day. It is best experienced at dinner, with a la carte offerings such as foie gras-stuffed quail, smoked and marinated salmon collars, braised lamb leg, and bacon-wrapped duck breast with polenta. 1331 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313887-9477. B,L,D daily except on Fri., which is B,L.
Red Smoke Barbeque $$
BARBEQUE • At Red Smoke, hickory and applewoodsmoked ribs, pulled pork, apple-smoked, all-natural chicken, and an array of classic sides are served out of one of the most attractive two-story buildings that are still standing on Monroe Street. 573 Monroe St., Detroit; 313-962-2100. L,D daily.
Rocky’s of Northville $$
NEW AMERICAN • Menu includes shrimp cocktail, salmon pate, and broiled Great Lakes whitefish. Also look for chipotle honey-glazed salmon. 41122 W. Seven Mile Road, Northville; 248-349-4434. L Tue.-Sat. D Sun.
ITALIAN • The Rugiero family has been serving authentic Italian cuisine since 1964. They’ve launched three additional Antonio’s Cucina Italiana locations. Roman Village is the original and features their signature gnocchi Rita. 9924 Dix Ave., Dearborn; 313-8422100. L,D daily.
Rose’s Fine Food $
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH The menu is straightforward, based mainly on fresh ingredients and from-scratch preparation. Breakfast eaters can choose from a variety of egg dishes, such as the Eggs and Cheese (soft scrambled eggs, herbs, and aioli). For lunch, there’s a selection of creative sandwiches. 10551 E. Jefferson Ave., Detroit; 313-822-2729. B,L,D Mon-Sat. B,L. Sun.
San Morello $$$
ITALIAN • This Italian gem serves pizzas, pastas, and wood-fired dishes that draw inspiration from the coastal towns of Southern Italy and Sicily out of the Shinola Hotel. Think Tartufi Pizza with fontina and black truffle, handcrafted by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini. 1400 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313209-4700. D daily.
$$$
SEAFOOD • A seafood restaurant and raw bar, The Sardine Room is fresh, fun, and energetic, with a clean-line décor and a menu full of surprises. For starters, there is a Seafood Louie featuring jumbo lump crab, shrimp, egg, avocado, tomato, and bibb lettuce. Worthwhile is a grouper sandwich that’s available seared, pan-fried, or blackened. 340 S. Main St., Plymouth; 734-416-0261. D daily, BR Sun.
Savannah Blue $$
SOUL FOOD • Highlights at this upscale soul food joint include the twice-dredged fried chicken and the shrimp and grits. Shareables include perch fritters, okra fries, and a Georgian Hummus that substitutes black-eyed peas for chickpeas. There’s also a great bar. 1431 Times Square, Detroit; 313-926-0783. D Tue.-Sat.
FRENCH • In a cozy-yet-upscale interior with leather couches and an open kitchen, Jordan Whitmore and Rebecca Wurster, formerly of Apparatus Room, serve up rotating European-inspired menu items, including Champagne Chicken, an Apple and Arugula Heirloom Salad, Calamari, and — for vegan diners Ratatouille Confit. 51 W. Forest Ave., Detroit; 248766-8071. D Fri.-Sat.
SEAFOOD • Head to this Brightmoor spot for perfectly prepared fish and chips. The key to Scotty’s longevity is the batter that coats the cod, perch, shrimp, chicken, onion rings, and frog legs. 22200 Fenkell St., Detroit; 313-533-0950. L,D Tue.-Sat.
Second Best $
RETRO AMERICAN • The talents behind nearby Grey Ghost have unveiled a second, more casual spot with a
THAI
Thai-Laotian fare might seem out of place in Corktown, but virtually everything on the menu has distinction. There’s a depth, concentration, and balance between heat and coolness, the range of spices, the delight of moving from one superb bite to the next.
2520 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-8552864. D Tue.-Sat.
retro spin in Brush Park. The menu of lighter dishes includes the Yogi Gyro with roasted root vegetable and coconut tzatziki, and fried chicken sandwiches that accompany drinks that were popular more than a few years back. 42 Watson St., Detroit; 313-315-3077. L Sat.Sun., D nightly.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2016 Selden Standard $$$
NEW AMERICAN What sets Selden Standard apart is that it is moving Detroit into a new era in which upperend dining with starched linen and tuxedoed waiters doesn’t hold much interest anymore. Chef Andy Hollyday, a multiple James Beard semifinalist, does farm-totable scratch cooking with ideas borrowed from around the world. A key to his cooking is the wood-fired grill. This spot has garnered national attention. 3921 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-438-5055. D Wed.-Sun.
Seva Detroit $$
VEGETARIAN Seva offers such dishes as black bean and sweet potato quesadillas, gluten-free options, and colorful stir-fries — some vegan as well as vegetarian. There’s also a full bar as well as a juice bar. 2541 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-662-1111. 66 E. Forest Ave., Detroit; 313-974-6661. L,D Mon.-Sat.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2020
SheWolf Pastificio & Bar $$$
ITALIAN • Chef Anthony Lombardo takes fresh and housemade to a new level with this Midtown restaurant that serves only dinner from a menu inspired by Italian cooking specific to Rome. Milling all of his own flour for his pastas, breads, and polenta in house, Lombardo, well known as the former executive chef at Bacco, serves a selection of simple but elegant regional Italian dishes. 438 Selden St., Detroit; 313-315-3992. D Tue.-Sun
BARBEQUE • The brick-and-wood original in Corktown gained a following for its pulled pork, ribs, and chicken. They expanded with a “to go” spot in Midtown, as well. This is a true Detroit classic in every sense of the term. Corktown location: 2138 Michigan Ave., Detroit; 313-9629828. L,D daily. Slows To Go in Midtown: 4107 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-309-7560. L,D Wed.-Sun.
Smith & Co. $$$
NEW AMERICAN • This Cass Corridor bar and restaurant is housed in the old Smith Welding Supply & Equipment Company building — hence cement ceilings and exposed brick that evoke an industrial vibe. The menu features small plates, sandwiches, and entrees such as mushroom toast; braised lamb shank; the fried chicken bowl with sweet sesame sauce and kimchi; and the Smith Burger, soy-ginger marinated and topped with a fried egg. Beverage options include craft beer, wine, and fresh takes on classic cocktails. 644 Selden St, Detroit; 313-6381695. D Wed.-Sun.
NEW AMERICAN • The libation menu — categorized by spirit — is longer than the food menu, but both food and drinks are equally emphasized. The fare ranges from small plates of marinated olives and tamari eggs to entrees such as grilled lamb kebabs and the house cheeseburger. 225 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 313-241-5719. D Wed.-Sun. Not wheelchair accessible.
$$$$
FRENCH • A taste of Paris in downtown Detroit. This French-American bistro from the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group takes its name from the former historic Statler Hotel, which is now home to not only the bistro but also City Club Apartments. Classic French fare (with some
modern twists) such as potted foie gras mousse; Henri Maire escargots (wild Burgundy snails, garlic butter fondue, parsley, Pernod, and profiteroles); and bouillabaisse provence (seafood stew with shrimp, scallops, lobster, mussels, saffron broth, croustade, and rouille) typify the menu. The large, year-round open-air outdoor patio offers stunning panoramic views of the Detroit skyline and Grand Circus Park. There’s also a neighborhood market where customers can grab groceries and gourmet packaged meals on the go. 313 Park Ave., Detroit; 313-463-7111. D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun.
ITALIAN Relax with one of the town’s best thin-crust pizzas — they come in more than a dozen variations, with or without red sauce. A few dishes from the La Rondinella menu made the list as well, such as paninis, salads, and small plates such as polpette and three delicious salads. Beer, wine, and cocktails add to the appeal. 2457 Russell St., Detroit; 313-567-7879. L,D Wed.-Sun.; 6519 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-314-7400. L,D Mon.-Sat.
Sweet Soul Bistro $
SOUL FOOD The large menu includes homages to Detroit musicians, from Stevie Wonder Wonderful Wings to Aretha Franklin Catfish Bites. Also notable are the crab cakes. In the evening, the bistro transforms into a club. 13741 W. McNichols Road, Detroit; 313- 862-7685. L,D daily.
Tap at MGM Grand $ SPORTS BAR • More than 40 HD flatscreen TVs for sports fans, plus sports memorabilia. The menu features comfort food and pub classics: burgers, wings, and house nachos. Pizza and more upscale entrees are also available, as are more than 50 beers. Bring your family and friends for a very entertaining night on the town. 1777 Third St., Detroit; 313-465-1234. D daily.
Townhouse $$$
NEW AMERICAN • The downtown hotspot in 2021 underwent an aesthetic overhaul of the space and menu designed to elevate the spot’s signature comfort food fare. Staples, like the burger and fries, remain on the menu, but there are also fine-dining-inspired additions, like the caviar-topped crispy potato dish and the A5 wagyu with garlic, shallot rings, and grilled chicory. 500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-723-1000. L, D Mon.-Sun.
ITALIAN • The brick pizza oven turns out an array of thin-crust pizzas and there’s an interesting daytime menu that offers a real bargain. In the evening, such dishes as scallopini style veal, and gnocchi alla palmina, recalling chef Aldo Ottaviani — who was instrumental in setting up the original Andiamo menu — typify the style. 20930 Mack Ave., Grosse Pointe Woods; 313-886-9933. D Wed.-Mon.
JAPANESE-INSPIRED • Urban Ramen serves bowls of steaming broth filled with house-made, springy ramen noodles topped with fixings like bamboo, egg, pork chashu, and sesame seeds. The menu also includes poke, salads, and sides such as garlic edamame and Japanese fried chicken. 4206 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-285-9869. L,D Mon.-Sun.
WINE BAR • This wine-centric restaurant puts the focus on pairing Chef Alex Knezevic’s innovative cuisine with owners James and Rémy Lutfy’s nationally recognized wine program. The menu emphasizes locally sourced protein, seafood, and produce. A must-try for any wine enthusiast. 1538 Centre St., Detroit; 313-7329463. D Wed.-Sat. Not wheelchair accessible.
Vicente’s Cuban Cuisine $$ CUBAN • An evening at this lively spot is more than just
Ingredients:
3 cups buttermilk
3 cups ricotta
6 eggs
6 tablespoons butter, melted ¼ cup lemon zest
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon zest, blueberries, and maple syrup for serving
Directions:
1. Add the buttermilk, ricotta, eggs, butter, and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add this dry mixture to the wet, and slowly fold until fully incorporated, being careful not to overwork the batter.
2. Melt a small amount of butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Using a ladle, scoop a portion of batter into the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on the first side. Carefully flip and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes on the second side. Repeat until you have used all the batter.
3. Serve with fresh lemon zest, blueberries, and maple syrup and enjoy!
Cuban and Spanish dining. Appetizers and tapas include the outstanding Tapa de la Casa, pork leg marinated in mojo; a Spanish chorizo and fresh mushrooms concoction with garlic lemon sauce; and empanadas, a Cuban turnover filled with ground beef or chicken. 1250 Library St., Detroit; 313-962-8800. L,D daily.
Vivio’s Food & Spirits $
SANDWICH/DELI This Eastern Market classic has been run by the Vivio family for more than 40 years. Sandwiches and burgers are mainstays, but diners also appreciate the steamed mussels. 3601 Twelve Mile Road, Warren; 586-576-0495. L,D daily.
The Whitney $$$$
NEW AMERICAN • The historic 1890s mansion is still going strong. The menu is typified by classic beef Wellington, wrapped in spinach, prosciutto, and pastry; and pan-roasted Scottish salmon. Tableside cooking, by reservation only, is an optional feature. Don’t forget The Katherine McGregor Dessert Parlor for a sweet treat.4421 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-832-5700. D Wed.-Sun and high tea Sat.-Sun.
Wine Dotte Bistro $$
WINE BAR • This interesting wine bar and restaurant offers a view of the Detroit River. The menu includes coconut shrimp, lobster tails, tenderloin medallions, and lamb chops. The wine is displayed in a cabinet across one wall and it’s the main focus. 2910 Van Alstyne St., Wyandotte; 734-556-3195. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Wright & Co. $$
NEW AMERICAN • The collaboration between chef Marc Djozlija and Dave Kwiatkowski of the popular Corktown craft cocktail bar Sugar House gives new life to the second-floor space in the Wright Kay building. Small plates such as tuna tartare with pickled pears, and pork belly sliders with tomato jam and sriracha aioli are the focus. 1500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313962-7711. D Tue.-Sun.
Yum Village $
AFRO-CARIBBEAN • The former food truck opened a full-service restaurant in the North End in 2019. The space is bright and fun with wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and a colorful, geometric paint job. And the food is just as bold. The restaurant serves up piquant dishes like Lemon Pepper Jerk Chicken. 6500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-334-6099. L,D Mon.-Sat.
168 Crab & Karaoke $$
PAN-ASIAN • Don’t judge by 168 Crab & Karaoke’s unassuming strip mall location. It’s a unique experience that meshes food, karaoke, and pop party culture into a one-stop destination. As the name suggests, seafood is the main attraction here, specifically the seafood boils, which come with your choice of seafood (crab, clams, lobster, etc.), with sauce and corn and potatoes. 32415 John R Road, Madison Heights; 248-616-0168. D daily.
220 Merrill $$$
NEW AMERICAN • The menu includes apps and small plates as well as Wagyu beef carpaccio, ahi tuna tartare, and classic roasted oysters. There are heartier entrees as well, like the braised beef short ribs. 220 Merrill St., Birmingham; 248-646-2220. L,D Mon.-Sat. BR Sun.
Adachi $$$
JAPANESE-INSPIRED • Heading the kitchen is Lloyd Roberts, who has trained in the kitchens of celebrity chefs such as Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Nobu Matsuhisa. Here, soy truffle broth is ladled over pork dumplings reminiscent of coin purses, and miniature tacos are
ITALIAN
The pizza concept from chef Luciano Del Signore, a four-time James Beard Award nominee, features small plates, fresh pastas, woodroasted meats, and a range of distinctive Neapolitan pizzas See website for locations; bigalora.com
filled with lobster, tuna, or vegetable pickings. 325 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-540-900. L,D daily.
Andiamo $$
ITALIAN • Over the past three decades, Joe Vicari has established several Andiamo restaurants in metro Detroit, all inspired by the late master chef Aldo Ottaviani’s philosophy of seasonal, from-scratch cooking. The menus differ slightly at the different locations, but the constant is the fresh, housemade pastas — handcrafted by the trinity of “pasta ladies,” Anna, Tanya, and Angelina, who have carried on the tradition. 6676 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield; 248-865-9300. L,D Mon.Fri., D Sat.-Sun.
Anita’s Kitchen $
LEBANESE • With pita pizzas and lamb chops, the Lebanese food here is some of the best around. And there’s vegetarian and gluten-free fare, too. Healthy, nutritious, and delicious. See website for locations; anitaskitchen.com
Assaggi Bistro $$$
ITALIAN • Seasonal offers encompassing rustic Italian, country French, and authentic Lebanese are all created in the open kitchen. Standouts include Moroccan duck legs, porcini-dusted day boat sea scallops, and cioppino (seafood stew). 330 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248584-3499 D Wed.-Sat.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2005 Bacco Restaurante $$$
ITALIAN • Chef-owner Luciano Del Signore’s pastas are like pure art. Try the Strozzapreti Norcina: Italian sausage, truffles, tomato, and white wine, tossed in hand-rolled pasta. From local grass-fed beef to sustainably farm-raised sea bass to a fresh caprese, the ingredients are top-end. Based in the heart of Southfield, Bacco is a true Italian gem in the suburbs. And the desserts, are not to be missed. 29410 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-356-6600. L Tue.-Fri. D Tue.-Sat.
Bar Verona $$
ITALIAN • Modernized, made-from-scratch Italian favorites curated by Chef Salvatore Borgia as well as fresh craft cocktails fill the menu at this stylish eatery. Homemade pastas, such as Giuseppe’s and Spaghetti al Basilico, and specialty pizzas, including The Verona and the Truffle Mushroom, as well as a selection of steaks and seafood dishes typify the contemporary approach to fresh and uncomplicated Italian cuisine. 500 Loop Road, Commerce Charter Township; 248-3875400. D daily.
Bella Piatti $$
ITALIAN • The location right across from the Townsend Hotel has inspired a number of visiting celebrities, professional athletes, and film crews who stay there to check out the Italian fare at this restaurant. The menu of such dishes as Gemelli pasta with fresh tomato sauce, salmon baked with spinach, kalamata olives, white wine, and tomatoes, and tagliatelle Bolognese stands on its own. It’s one of our true favorites in the area in terms of Italian restaurants. 167 Townsend St., Birmingham; 248-494-7110. D Tue.-Sat.
Beverly Hills Grill
$$$
NEW AMERICAN • This Beverly Hills institution has built a loyal following over the years with its California vibe and dawn-to-dark schedule. These days they’re serving only dinner but still features the fresh and innovative fare that put it on the map. 31471 Southfield Road, Beverly Hills; 248-642-2355. D Mon.-Sat.
Bi Bim Bab $$
KOREAN • Though sushi and a small selection of Japanese entrees share the bill here, it’s Korean food
at center stage — on barbecue grills, on which meat and seafood are grilled to order. Or come for the restaurant’s namesake. 43155 Main St., Novi; 248-3486800. L,D daily.
Birmingham Pub $$$ GASTROPUB • This stylish yet casual gastropub from the Joe Vicari Restaurant Group took over the former Triple Nickel space. True to its name, the restaurant’s bill of fare features pub classics taken up a notch, such as Alaskan cod butter roasted with everything-bagel crust and filet mignon with Parmesan truffle fries and zip sauce. There are also TVs at the bar so you won’t miss a minute of the game. 555 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-885-8108. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun.
Bistro Joe’s $$$
GLOBAL • Part of Papa Joe’s Gourmet Market, Bistro Joe’s is in a mezzanine overlooking the open kitchen and market. There is an eclectic list of dishes like spicy tuna “tacushi,” steamed mussels, and tasty flatbread pizzas. 34244 Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-5940984. L,D Tue.-Sun.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2003 Café Cortina $$$ ITALIAN • Selections include prosciutto di Parma stuffed with greens and mozzarella; squid sautéed with fresh pomodori; gnocchi with porcini mushrooms; and meaty prawns finished with lemon, white wine, and herbs. For dessert, try the crepes 30715 W. 10 Mile Road, Farmington Hills; 248-474-3033. L Sun., D Tue.-Sun.
NEW AMERICAN • Café ML is contemporary in décor and its “globally inspired food.” Such dishes as short rib steamed buns, Chinese chicken salad, Singapore street noodles, and Korean fried chicken share the menu with burgers, steak frites, and fresh seafood.
Garage door-style windows open onto the patio on warm days. 3607 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Township; 248-642-4000. D daily.
Capital Grille $$$
STEAKHOUSE • Hand-cut, dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood dishes are the stars at Capital Grille.
The restaurant’s outstanding wine list features over 350 labels. The setting is appropriate for both business lunches and social events and includes wellappointed private dining rooms. 2800 W. Big Beaver Road, Troy; 248-649-5300. L,D daily.
ITALIAN • Three months after its grand opening, what once was a multi-hyphenate concept, blending French, Asian, and Italian cuisine, soon defaulted simply to a cuisine most familiar to chef Luciano DelSignore: Italian. Housemade pastas rolled by hand, chicken parmesan, and a meaty branzino typify the menu. A cannoli cake layers sweet ricotta atop a spongy cake and a base of dark chocolate reminiscent of a Nestle Crunch Bar. 310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham; 248-940-0000. D Tue.-Sat.
TRADITIONAL • You can buy your cigar and smoke it too. Plus, enjoy dry-aged steaks, pan-roasted sea bass, seasonal East Coast oysters, and lamb chops, among other options. A full bar boasts a large selection of whiskey, scotch, and bourbon — and plenty of wine. 116 S. Old Woodward, Birmingham; 248-647-4555. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • This Ferndale favorite reopened in May 2019 under the ownership of Peas & Carrots Hospitality with a trendier, fresher look. The warm, homey feel is still intact, but it’s ditched the old
menu for — among other things — chef Zack Sklar’s square, deep-dish, Detroit-style pizza that’s leavened from a sourdough starter as opposed to commercial yeast. 22812 Woodward Ave., Unit 100., Ferndale; 248-677-4439. L,D daily.
SOUL • In 1997, Patrick Coleman melded his experience in fine dining with his grandma’s southern roots to create Beans & Cornbread Soulful Bistro. It racked up accolades and fans over the years, including Stevie Wonder and Thomas (Hitman) Hearns. Cornbread is the sequel to Beans and Cornbread, continuing the tradition of soul food with an upscale twist. Classics like catfish and a gravy-smothered pork chop endure. 29852 Northwestern Hwy., Southfield; 248-208-1680. L,D Thu.-Tue.
ITALIAN-INSPIRED This hybrid offers artisanal pizzas from a brick oven, salads, paninis, and soups. A bakery offers crusty breads, desserts, and meals to go. Two patios add to the appeal. See website for locations; crispellis.com
Culantro $$
PERUVIAN • Native Peruvian Betty Shuell brings a taste of her home to Ferndale. The casual, homey, seat-yourself establishment is named after an herb that is often used in traditional Peruvian cooking. An especially notable dish is the Pollo a la Brasa, marinated chicken served with French fries, rice, and a variety of dipping sauces. 22939 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-632-1055. L,D daily.
Diamond’s
STEAKHOUSE • This Howell restaurant is the perfect location for ribeye, fresh gulf shrimp, or a classic cheeseburger. Plus, weekends boast a buffet-style brunch. 101 W. Grand River Ave., Howell; 517-5485500. D Tue.-Sat.
Eddie’s Gourmet $$
NEW AMERICAN • Chef Eddie Hanna’s gourmet diner is a simple concept that works to perfection. The menu offers standard selection of breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches, and lunch specials, but the real draw is the counter-side gourmet and pasta specials. Offerings include Veal Marsala and Chicken Milano. 25920 Greenfield Road, Oak Park; 248-968-4060. L,D Mon-Sat.
Elie’s Mediterranean Grill/Bar $$
LEBANESE • The lamb and chicken shawarma, shish kafta, kibbee nyeh, and other Lebanese dishes are emphasized by the décor, including photomurals of old Beirut and strings of blue beads cascading from the ceiling. A fun place to frequent for a quick lunch or a night out with friends. 263 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-647-2420. L,D Mon.-Sat.
GASTROPUB • An attractive restaurant with great food and a delightfully refreshing atmosphere. The menu crosses boundaries, from shareables, like Spanish Octopus and Wild Mushroom Crostini, to heartier fare, like Braised Lamb Pappardelle and Steak and Frites. Plus, the bright and airy bohemian-chic interior is highly Instagrammable. 15 S. Main St., Clarkston; 248-297-5833. D Wed.-Sat., B,L,D Sun
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2009 Forest $$$
EUROPEAN-INSPIRED • The menu is brief but designed to let the kitchen assemble sharp flavors from various farm and market ingredients. Try the delightful pastas, like the Bolognese and the agnolotti, as well as the understated Farm Egg. 735 Forest Ave., Birmingham; 248-258-9400. D Tue.-Sat.
Garage Grill & Fuel Bar $$
NEW AMERICAN • The car-themed rooms of a former 1940s gas station are as fresh and appealing as the dishes themselves. The kitchen serves up a variety of seafood starters and “full-size sedan” entrees, as well as pizzas. 202 W. Main St., Northville, 248-9243367. D Wed.-Sun., BR Sat.-Sun.
Gran Castor $$
LATIN STREET • From the duo behind hit spots like Vinsetta Garage and Union Woodshop comes this vibrant Latin-American café and restaurant.Diners can choose to sit behind one of the two bars, a cozy café, or in the 245-seat dining room all decked in colorful textiles. At Gran Castor, the dining room is equally as decadent as the food and drinks served. Grab a $5 margarita between 4 p.m.-6 p.m. daily. 2950 Rochester Road, Troy; 248-278-7777. D Wed.-Mon.
Hazel’s $$
SEAFOOD • What was once multiple concepts under one roof named after the three neighborhoods that converged right where the restaurant stands (Hazel, Ravine and Downtown) is now simply Hazel’s. The casual and comfortable restaurant specializes in authentic dishes, drinks, and vibes from some of the country’s top seafood destinations. Here you’ll find dishes like Maine-caught lobster, Maryland Blue Crab, and more. 1 Peabody St., Birmingham; 248-671-1714. D Tue.-Sun., B,L Sat.-Sun.
Honcho $ LATIN FUSION • From the owners of Vinsetta Garage and Union Woodshop, this restaurant can be described as “Latin food that speaks with an Asian accent.” Menu items include a chicken burrito fried and tossed in a soy fish sauce and Korean pork tacos, featuring Woodshop pulled pork tossed in Korean BBQ sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds and Malay radish slaw. 3 E. Church St., Clarkston; 248707-3793. L,D daily.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2002 Hong Hua $ CHINESE One of the best area restaurants dedicated to Asian food offers some rare delicacies — shark’s fin and bird’s nest soups, fresh abalone — as well as more customary items. One signature dish is stir-fried yellow grouper fillet with vegetables. 27925 Orchard Lake Road, Farmington Hills; 248-489-2280. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse $$$$ STEAKHOUSE • This plush modern steakhouse offers dry-aged prime and Kobe-style wagyu beef in a fun, clubby setting. An extensive wine list accompanies the restaurant menu that also features platters of chilled fresh seafood. 201 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-594-4369. D daily. 17107 Haggerty Road, Northville Twp.; 248-679-0007. D Tue.-Sat.
Imperial $ MEXICAN-INSPIRED • The menu offers Californiastyle tacos on soft tortillas, including lime-grilled chicken, carnitas, and marinated pork, as well as slowroasted pork tortas, and guacamole. 22828 Woodward Ave., Ferndale, 248-850-8060. L,D daily, BR Sun.
J-Bird Smoked Meats $$ BARBEQUE • Offering wood-smoked meats served with the traditional sides of cornbread, buttermilk slaw, and mac and cheese, popular dishes include the Three Meat Sampler and JBird Gumbo, as well as St. Louis Ribs and old-fashioned JBurgers. If you love meat, this is your place. 1978 Cass Lake Road, Keego Harbor; 248-681-2124. L,D Tue.-Sun.
This “finer diner” typifies trendy Ferndale with its tin ceiling, redtopped tables, and counter with swivel stools. It offers sandwiches, salads, pastas, and omelets. 22950 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248399-5150. B,L Tue.Sat.
Joe Muer $$$$
SEAFOOD • The Bloomfield Hills location of the iconic restaurant continues the tradition of excellent food, service, and ambiance. The menu emphasizes classic fresh fish and “Muer Traditions” such as Dover sole and Great Lakes Yellow Belly Perch. There’s also a raw and sushi bar as well as premium steaks. And make sure to save room for dessert, because the coconut cake is not to be missed. A piano bar adds to the ambience. 39475 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills; 248-792-9609. D daily.
Kaizen Ramen $
JAPANESE • A downtown Royal Oak space with exposed ductwork, orange booths, and a lively, floor-to-ceiling, black-and-white robot mural may not seem like the obvious choice for authentic Asian noodles. But this casual spot offers a variety of vegan and meat-based ramen dishes, as well as gyoza, poke, spring rolls, and karaage — Japanese-style fried chicken. Don’t skip out on desserts like mochi ice cream and cheesecake tempura. 411 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; 248-677-1236. L,D Mon.-Sat.
Lao Pot $$$
CHINESE • In 2019, the owners of Madison Heights’ international market 168 Asian Mart opened Lao Pot, which specializes in Chinese Hot Pot cuisine. Hot Pot is a traditional method of cooking, using a pot of simmering broth, which sits in the center of the dining table. Lao Pot allows diners to customize and cook their meals right at their tables, combining great food and a memorable experience. 32707 John R. Road, Madison Heights; 248-689-9888. L,D daily.
La Strada Dolci e Caffé $
ITALIAN • A slice of European elegance offers an impeccable little menu of Italian dishes and rich coffees and espresso. Paninis, delicious fresh green salads, hearty minestrone soup, pastas, pizzas, and decadent and artistically crafted pastries are prettily served and very tasty. 243 E. Merrill St., Birmingham; 248-480-0492. D Tue.-Sat.
ITALIAN • Dinners begin with an antipasto tray, creamy minestrone, salad, side dish of spaghetti, and then — nine times out of 10 — a filet mignon with zip sauce. 885 N. Opdyke Road, Auburn Hills; 248-3734440. L Mon.-Fri. D daily.
Loccino
ITALIAN • Loccino is a “family-friendly” yet upscale Italian restaurant. Choose from fresh seafood, steak, chicken, and veal dishes, plus traditional pastas, pizzas, salads, and more. They also offer happy hour specials from 3-7 p.m. weekdays. A great special occassion place or delicious workday lunch spot for whevener you need a break from the office. 5600 Crooks Road, Troy; 248-813-0700. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.
BARBEQUE • The heart of this joint’s authentic barbecue is the dry-rubbed meat smoker, which can smoke up to 800 pounds of meat at a time. Choices such as pork ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, burnt ends, and chicken are served atop butcher paper on metal trays for the true experience. 202 E. Third St., Royal Oak; 248-584-4227. L,D daily. BR Sun.
Loui’s Pizza $
ITALIAN • Sure, you can now get a Michigan craft beer, but not much else has changed. And that’s a good thing. Parties dine on square pizzas with crisp crust, faintly charred around the edges. Hailed by food critics and Detroiters alike as one of the city’s most classic
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Detroit style pizzas, it’s well worth a trip. 23141 Dequindre Road, Hazel Park; 248-547-1711. L,D Thu.-Sun.
NEW AMERICAN • The simple menu at this Grosse Pointe Farms joint offers burgers on brioche buns and interesting salads and sides, as well as entrees typified by wild-caught salmon, prime filet, and Greekstyle lamb chops. 525 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-792-6051. 115 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe Farms; 313-924-5459. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • Chef James Rigato produces some masterful dishes on this tiny menu, which does not miss a beat. The menu includes a multi-course tasting option, as well as a daily listing of changing items that never disappoint. It’s a fine dining experience that is certainly worth a visit. 23825 John R Road, Hazel Park; 248-398-4300. D Tue.-Sat.
ECLECTIC AMERICAN • The whimsical setting inspired by Alice in Wonderland welcomes far more than the tea-sipping set with burgers and sandwiches, rabbit Porchetta, truffle risotto bites, and baked brie with pistachio, honey, and pomegranate. There are also pastries, of course. 185 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-540-0000. B,L Thu.-Sun., D Fri.-Sat. Tea by reservation. Lower level not wheelchair accessible.
Mare Mediterranean $$$$
SEAFOOD • Inspired by restaurants in Sicily where the catch of the day is the basis of dinner, this sophisticated restaurant from Nino Cutraro and his partner offers the freshest seafood flown in from the Mediterranean several times a week. You select the type of fish you want from the market in front of the open kitchen and how you want it prepared (acqua pazza, salt baked, grilled, or pan fried). It’s then served tableside in glorious fashion. Not to be missed are the Mare Tower and moussaka. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. 115 Willits St., Birmingham; 248-940-5525. D Tue.-Sat.
Market North End $$
AMERICAN • Joe and Kristin Bongiovanni opened this eatery just across the street from the family’s existing restaurants, Salvatore Scallopini and Luxe Bar & Grill. It represents a younger, more casual alternative to the cult-favorite classics, with a serious kitchen that offers traditional American dishes as well as hints of global influences. 474 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-712-4953. L,D daily.
ECLECTIC AMERICAN • This eclectic American menu includes Gulf Shrimp Gratin, steak frites remarkably close to those at Paris bistros, and a housemade soft pretzel with roasted jalapeno-goat cheese dip. Or, try the beef short rib with shawarma spices, pistachio basmati, and pickled vegetables. 301 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-759-4825. D daily, BR Sat.-Sun.
Mesa Tacos And Tequila $
MEXICAN-AMERICAN • The two-story setting includes balcony seating in a big, open room where the bar gets equal time with the kitchen. The pop-Mexican menu — which includes guacamole, nachos, and the titular tacos — is backed up with an array of tequilas. 312 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-545-1940. L & D daily.
Mon Jin Lau $$
ASIAN-FUSION • Explore such dishes as Singapore noodles, combining chicken, shrimp, chilies, and curry with angel-hair pasta; Mongolian beef; or seared scallops with lemongrass-basil Thai curry sauce. The patio
NEW AMERICAN
This downtown Royal Oak spot bridges the gap between bar food and upscale dining. Order a dressed-up sandwich or burger, or elevate your dining experience with an 8-ounce filet mignon or lamb chops. The friendly price range makes anything possible. 212 W. Sixth St., Royal Oak; 248556-0947. D daily.
opens up and the dining room transforms into a dance floor for weekly events. 1515 E. Maple Road, Troy; 248-689-2332. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2008
The Morrie $$ NEW AMERICAN • Music and munchies can be a great combination when served in the right proportions. Such offerings as the smoked chicken wings, smoked apple burnt ends and Detroit style pizza, as well as the requisite burger and steak, appeal to a wide demographic. The rock’n’roll-themed eatery also brought its much-loved American dishes and cocktails to Birmingham in 2019. 511 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-216-1112. D daily. 260 N. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-940-3260. L,D Mon.Fri., B,L,D Sat.-Sun. BR Sat.-Sun.
Oak City Grille $
NEW AMERICAN • This downtown Royal Oak spot bridges the gap between bar food and upscale dining. Order a dressed-up sandwich or burger, or elevate your dining experience with an 8-ounce filet mignon or lamb chops. The friendly price range makes anything possible. 212 W. Sixth St., Royal Oak; 248-5560947. D daily.
Ocean Prime $$$$ SEAFOOD • An upper-end steak-and-fish place and a popular business lunch site. The menu features naturally harvested fresh fish and prime aged beef. Don’t miss the chocolate peanut butter pie or the carrot cake. A tried-and-true metro Detroit spot. 2915 Coolidge Hwy., Troy; 248-458-0500. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.
One-Eyed Betty’s $$
ECLECTIC AMERICAN Picnic-style tables and blackboards lettered with scores of brew choices add a beer-hall sensibility to this popular spot. The kitchen delivers New Orleans-themed dishes such as Chicken Tchoupitoulas with tasso ham and bearnaise sauce, as well as a mouth-watering bacon burger. Weekend brunch features delicious housemade doughnuts. 175 W. Troy St., Ferndale; 248808-6633. D daily, BR Sat.-Sun.
O.W.L.
MEXICAN-AMERICAN • This Royal Oak spot offers sustenance for the early birds to the night owls. Step up to the counter and order from the letterboard menu before grabbing a stool at the counter or along the window ledge. Dishes here include such diner musts as eggs, sausage and potato hash, burgers, and chicken wings as well as tacos and nachos served from the open kitchen. 27302 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-808-6244. B, L,D daily.
Otus
$
of downtown Royal Oak, Pinky’s Rooftop is a go-to spot for a night on the town. The name hearkens back to a Detroit restaurant and speakeasy on the east side that was called Pinky’s Boulevard Club (and the fact that everything is pink). The playful and eclectic menu offers a taste of a little bit of everything, from Kasseri Saganaki to Red Chile Beef Taco. It’s part of the Adam Merkel Restaurants group, which includes Howell hot spots The Silver Pig, Cello Italian, and Diamond’s Steak & Seafood. 100 S. Main St. Rear, Royal Oak, 248-268-2885. D Tues.-Sun. Br. Sat.-Sun.
Pop’s For Italian $$
ITALIAN • It doesn’t sound fancy, but this Ferndale restaurant serves well-prepared, Italian dishes paired with an ambitious wine program. The fairly brief menu starts with a list of Neapolitan pizzas, then moves to pastas, but has all the classics to hit the spot. There are charcuterie boards and Italian desserts, too. 280 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-2684806. D Tue.-Sun.
Prime29 Steakhouse $$$$ STEAKHOUSE The 29-day aged prime beef, including the 24-ounce tomahawk bone-in rib-eye, still stars here. There’s also Chilean sea bass, Loch Duart salmon, and lamb chops with lobster fried rice. The service is notable, as is the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator. 6545 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield; 248-737-7463. D Tue.-Sun.
Public House $$ NEW AMERICAN/VEGAN • This Ferndale spot reopened under new ownership and with a refreshed look in late 2021. Standout selections include its burgers, sharable plates like barbecued carrots, and craft cocktails and mocktails. It also features a special vegan menu and carries plenty of gluten-free options. 241 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-733-4905. D daily., BR Sat.-Sun.
Quán Ngon Vietnamese Bistro $ VIETNAMESE • This gem of a bistro in a hand-some space adds to the local Vietnamese offerings. Dishes such as cha gio (elegant little eggrolls), bun bo nuong sa (grilled steak atop angel-hair rice noodles), and banh mi made with fresh ingredients. 30701 Dequindre Road, Madison Heights; 248-2684310. L,D Fri.-Wed
Redcoat Tavern $ BURGERS
• The half-pound choice beef hamburger is always atop the list of local favorites. But a low-fat, high-flavor Piedmontese beef one is tastier than the original. This is the place for your burger craving. 31542 Woodward Ave., Royal Oak; 248-549-0300. 6745 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township; 248-865-0500. L,D Mon.-Sat.
$
NEW AMERICAN • This Ferndale stunner has delightful food, superb service, and one wild look. The menu offers main courses and shared plates, as well as pizza and sandwiches. There’s also a concert venue called The Parliament Room. 345 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-291-6160. D Tue.-Sat.
Phoenicia
$$$
LEBANESE • This long-standing upscale Lebanese eatery has clean, contemporary lines that complement the French door-style windows. Don’t miss the morel mushrooms or roasted garlic cloves with tomato and basil as an appetizer. The menu expands to unexpected items such as baby back ribs and singleserving-sized local whitefish. 588 S. Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham; 248-644-3122. L Mon.-Fri., D daily., BR Sun.
Pinky’s Rooftop
$$
ECLECTIC AMERICAN • With its second-floor view
NEW AMERICAN • Two restaurants in one; Kabin Kruser’s and the Chop House. There’s a throwback roadhouse-style feeling about the Chop House, which has a menu divided between red meat and fresh fish and seafood. Signature dishes include calamari, Maryland jumbo lump crabcakes, and a large selection of aged steaks, rack of lamb, and steak/seafood combinations. 306 S. Main St., Rochester; 248-6512266. L Mon.-Fri., D daily
JAPANESE
• The sushi menu, ranging from spicy tuna rolls to yellowtail and salmon eggs and well beyond, is augmented by a concise menu of cooked fare. Front windows open onto the sidewalk, making the cocktail lounge open-air during the warm months. 326 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; 248-546-0888. D daily.
ITALIAN • This quintessential slice of Italy features excellent food, knowledgeable staff, and friendly service. Try the bucatini made with pancetta, onion, red wine, and fresh tomato sauce. Also worth trying: saltimbocca alla Romana, or veal scaloppini sautéed in white wine. A truly delicious place for any kind of outing. 543 N. Main St., Rochester; 248652-4500. D Mon.-Sat.
NEW AMERICAN • The energetic Birmingham spot allows guests a view of the kitchen action. It has a creative and varied menu typified by falafel lettuce wraps, fried chicken sandwiches, crispy Brussels sprouts, and salmon with braised lentils, crispy kale, and a mustard vinaigrette. 225 E. Maple Road, Birmingham; 248-594-4200. L Mon.-Fri., D daily, BR Sat.-Sun.
SEAFOOD Small and cozy yet sophisticated, the restaurant has a pared-down menu of fresh fish and seafood on a seasonal menu. There are always two soups: a bisque and a chowder. Favorites include the oysters and bouillabaisse. A delicious restaurant for all palates to enjoy and feel comfortable in. 273 Pierce St.Birmingham; 248-645-9123. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.
NEW AMERICAN With a working farm on the 5-acre property, Sylvan Table isn’t just talking the farm-totable talk. The restored 300-year-old barn feels grand and vast when you step into the stunning space, but it is homey, welcoming, and inviting. The menu changes often to reflect what’s growing but some of the staples include the trout — seasoned with herb oil, salt, and pepper, cooked over a wood-fired grill, and served whole — and Chicken Under a Brick, which is cooked to charred perfection. 1819 Inverness St., Sylvan Lake, 248-369-3360. D Mon.-Sun. Br. Sat.-Sun.
Take Sushi $$
JAPANESE • Crisp salads, miso soup garnished with the tiniest dice of tofu, sashimi and sushi, oversize bowls of soba or udon noodles, and all the familiar — and some not-so-familiar — entrees, combine together to make this spot special. 1366 Walton Blvd., Rochester Hills; 248-652-7800. L,D daily.
WINE BAR • Understated décor and a pared-down menu of seasonal dishes make this spot a Birmingham classic. The kitchen turns out dishes like Lamb Belly Ragu with housemade pasta; and whole branzino with charred zucchini and romesco. Wine is served by the glass, the pitcher, or bottle. 155 S. Bates St., Birmingham; 248-731-7066. D Mon.-Sat.
Toast, A Breakfast & Lunch Joint $ BREAKFAST/BRUNCH • It’s fun, it’s breezy, and the food at Toast, A Breakfast & Lunch Joint is very, very good. The house specialty smothered burrito has plenty of fans, as does huevos rancheros: fried eggs upon corn tortillas, pintos, and cheese. Toast, a Neighborhood Joint, the spinoff of the Ferndale original has a more elaborate setting pairing ’50s retro with sleek contemporary in a pair of rooms. The new menu features twists to comfort food. 23144 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; 248-398-0444. 203 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-258-6278. B,L daily.
Toasted Oak $$$ BRASSERIE • The menu revolves around the charcuterie sold in the market next door and a list of hot grill items, such as grilled steaks with béarnaise sauce. In 2019, the restaurant earned a Wine Spectator magazine award for its outstanding wine program. Plus, just across the lot is Twelve Oaks Mall, should you fancy an evening of shopping and dinner. 27790 Novi Road, Novi; 248-277-6000. B Mon.-Fri., L,D Tue.-Sat.
Townhouse $$$
NEW AMERICAN • This popular Birmingham spot for comforting New American dishes has several exceptional offerings on its menu, such as the specialty 10 ounces of 28-day dry-aged beef hamburger on brioche. 180 Pierce St., Birmingham; 248-792-5241. L,D daily, BR Sat.Sun. 500 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-723-1000. D daily.
Union Woodshop $$
BARBEQUE • Part of the ever-growing Union Joints restaurant group, this is a self-described wood-fired joint, where pulled pork, ribs, chicken, and beef brisket come from the smoker, and Neapolitan-style crispcrusted pizzas from the wood-burning oven. And definitely check out the mac and cheese. There’s also a delicious kid’s menu for any youngsters in your party. 18 S. Main St., Clarkston; 248-625-5660. D Tue.-Sun.
Vinsetta Garage $$
NEW AMERICAN • This restaurant, which is housed in a vintage car-repair shop, offers well-prepared comfort-food classics such as burgers served on pretzel buns, macaroni and cheese, the Chef Bowl with spaghetti and tomato basil sauce, pizzas, and brown sugar-glazed salmon. A restaurant that pays true homage to the city of Detroit. 27799 Woodward Ave., Berkley; 248-548-7711. L,D daily.
Voyager $$
SEAFOOD • Fresh seafood with emphasis on oysters is the premise in this hard-to-find location. The space entails convivially close quarters for such dishes as peel-n’-eat shrimp, chili crab spaghetti and grilled swordfish. The premium bar offers short but notable lists of beer and wine as well as craft cocktails. 600 Vester St., Ferndale; 248-658-4999. D Tue.-Sat.
JAPANESE
Andiamo $$ ITALIAN • Over the past three decades, Joe Vicari has established several Andiamo restaurants in metro Detroit, all inspired by the late master chef Aldo Ottaviani’s philosophy of seasonal, from-scratch cooking. Menus differ slightly between locations, but the constant is fresh, housemade pastas — handcrafted by the trinity of “pasta ladies,” Anna, Tanya, and Angelina, who have carried on the tradition. The Warren location is the flagship that started it all. 7096 14 Mile Road, Warren; 586-268-3200. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun.
Barleycorn’s Public House $$
GASTROPUB • This casual spot offers a wide-ranging cocktail menu, craft beers, and elevated pub fare (try the Southerner, a buttermilk-soaked fried chicken, or the fish and chips). Located near Emagine theater, it’s an ideal spot to grab a burger and drinks before or after a movie. 50985 Hayes Road, Shelby Township; 586-271-8700. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat.-Sun.
Bar Verona $$
ITALIAN • Scratch-made Italian favorites as well as fresh craft cocktails fill the menu at this stylish eatery. Homemade pastas, such as Giuseppe’s and Spaghetti al Basilico, and specialty pizzas, including The Verona and the Truffle Mushroom, as well as a selection of steaks and seafood dishes typify the modernized approach to fresh and uncomplicated Italian cuisine. 59145 Van Dyke Ave., Washington; 586-473-0700. D daily.
Butter Run Saloon $
GASTROPUB • Solid American fare that’s beyond bar food (although their burgers are certainly noteworthy). There’s escargot, perch, steaks, and a huge whiskey selection — 900 at last count. 27626 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-675-2115. L,D daily.
Da Francesco’s Ristorante & Bar $$ ITALIAN • Da Francesco’s has been around for more than 15 years, but its massive new facility is packing in the crowds by offering traditional Italian dining with an upbeat modern twist. 49521 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-731-7544. L,D Tue.-Fri., D Sat., L,D Sun.
Detroit Fish House $$
SEAFOOD • This restaurant feels like a true coastal eatery, thanks to an extensive menu of fresh fish and seafood that ranges from salmon to Lake Superior whitefish — all served in a well-designed setting. 51195 Schoenherr Road, Shelby Charter Township; 586-739-5400. L Mon.-Fri., D daily.
Gaudino’s $$
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
• Formerly a small café serving customers of the boutique Leon & Lulu, Three Cats is now a full-fledged restaurant and bar. Located in the former Clawson movie theater next door to the shop, the spot serves small, simple plates, including vegetarian and vegan options for brunch, lunch, and dinner. The beverage menu features local selections, such as vodka from Ferndale’s Valentine’s Distilling Co. and wines from grapes grown on the Leelanau Peninsula. Patrons can even take home the colorful, quirky chairs or tables they’re dining at, as most of the furniture at Three Cats Restaurant is available for purchase. 116 W. 14 Mile Road, Clawson; 248-2884858. L,D Mon.-Fri., B,L,D Sat.-Sun.
Waves $$
SEAFOOD • Seafood covers most of the menu at this Nautical Mile favorite. It’s a tough task choosing between such popular appetizers as coconut shrimp, crispy grouper nuggets, and plump steamed mussels. Entrees include al dente pastas and several choices from “over the wave,” such as lamb chops and New York strip steak, plus lump crab cakes, and beer-battered cod. 24223 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586-773-3279. L,D daily.
To truly experience Sozai, you have to reserve a seat at the custom-built sushi bar, where chef Hajime Sato will curate a unique sustainable sushi dining experience called omakase. There’s also a menu offering crowdpleasers like chicken karaage and rolls featuring familiar ingredients with tuna, jalapeno, and avocado. 449 W. 14 Mile Road, Clawson; 248-677-3232. D Tue.-Sat.
ITALIAN • The trending market-restaurant combo has a good example at this spot. It offers imported pastas and sauces, plus a butcher counter with sausages and a wine assortment. The menu offers pasta and pizza, salads, and entrees, including a Chicken Milanese. 27919 Harper Ave., St. Clair Shores; 586879-6764. L,D Tue.-Sat
Isla $$
FILIPINO • Dishes at this Filipino restaurant, formerly sheltered at Fort Street Galley, are reflective of the culinary traditions of the founders’ Iloilo City hometown. Annatto is used to punch up the color of Chicken Adobo, the unofficial dish of the Philippines, and juicy mangoes complement sweet and savory dishes. 2496 Metro Pkwy, Sterling Heights; 586-883-7526. D Tue.-Sat., BR Sun.
J. Baldwin’s Restaurant $$$ NEW AMERICAN • The menu showcases talented chef
Jeff Baldwin’s contemporary American food: cedarplanked salmon, chicken fettuccini alfredo with pesto, and herb-crusted chicken, with housemade breads. The desserts include chocolate bumpy cake, spiced carrot cake, apple cobbler, chocolate mousse layer cake, and banana foster bread pudding. 16981 18 Mile Road, Clinton Township; 586-416-3500. L,D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun.
club for the music, which includes headliners such as the Grammy-nominated Ravi Coltrane Quartet, but stay for Chef Louis Goral’s delicious food. Try the crispy foie gras PB&J with Marcona almonds and strawberry jam. There is also a delicious Sunday brunch with decadent orange blossom beignets and strawberry pancakes. 314 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-372-3200. D Tue.-Sat.
• This bastion of red meat as well as classic dishes is still going strong. Try old-school tableside presentations such as Chateaubriand and Caesar salad. There’s a solid selection of fresh seafood and pasta, too. The founding family still runs the place and emphasizes great hospitality and a heckuva good time. 29850 Groesbeck Hwy., Roseville; 586-7777770. L,D Mon.-Fri., D Sat.
STEAKHOUSE
ETHIOPIAN • The real treat of the meal at this quaint Ferndale restaurant is that it’s scooped up with a spongy bread called injera, and all the lentils, often seasoned with an Ethiopian spice mixture known as Berber, and vegetables are equally delicious. 221 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor; 734-9984746. D Tue.-Sun.545 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-547-6699. D Thu.-Sun.
$$
Seva Ann Arbor $$ VEGAN • Seva offers such dishes as black bean and sweet potato quesadillas, gluten-free options, and colorful stir-fries — some vegan as well as vegetarian. There’s also a full bar as well as a juice bar serving creamy smoothies and dense shakes, fresh-squeezed juices, and craft mocktails. Choose from one of the most extensive vegetarian menus in the Detroit area. 2541 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-662-1111. L,D Mon.-Sat.
Sherwood Brewing Co. $
• Quality local ingredients raise Sherwood’s fare to well above “elevated pub grub.” Some notable choices include the hearty House Beer Chili, savory Better Made-crusted fish and chips, and spicy Buffalo Mac. Homemade extends to dessert, including Cashew Outside Cookies. This isn’t just bar food, it’s elevated bar food. 45689 Hayes Road, Shelby Township; 586-532-9669. L,D Tue.-Sat.
GASTROPUB
Cardamom $$ INDIAN • Check out the Hyderabadi Biryani —chicken, goat, and vegetable dishes, in which the rice is first cooked then baked. All the Indian favorites are available at Cardamom, such as Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Rogan Josh, and warm, fluffy, made-fresh garlic naan. It’s the ideal spot for when you’re craving the classics. 1739 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor; 734-6622877. L Sun., D Tue.-Sun.
Shalimar $$ INDIAN • Offering North Indian, Tandoori, and Mughlai dishes, Shalimar is suitable for carnivores and herbivores alike. Standouts include the Tandoori Lamb Chops marinated in creamy yogurt, spicy ginger, and fresh garlic, which is best eaten with the restaurant’s flavorful, chewy garlic naan served fresh and hot. 307 S. Main St., Ann Arbor;734-663-1500. L, D daily.
Steakhouse 22 $$
STEAKHOUSE
• The late Nick Andreopoulos once spent time as a “broiler man” at London Chop House. His family stays true to those roots at this American steakhouse with a casual, neighborhood feel. They offer an array of well-prepared angus steaks, plus seafood and pasta dishes. With the sizable lunch and portions offered at Steakhouse 22, good luck saving room for dessert! 48900 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-731-3900. L,D Tue.-Sun.
ITALIAN • The newest spot from talented chef and restaurateur Jeffrey Baldwin and his wife, RoseMarie, offers modern Italian fare in a lively, upbeat setting. Pastas are made in-house. 48824 Romeo Plank Road, Macomb Township; 586-434-0100. L Sun., D daily.
SPORTS BAR This “Michigan-centric” chain (Chesterfield Township, Grand Rapids, and Belleville) has takes on classics, with mac & cheese variations and steaks with “zip” sauce. 45225 Marketplace Blvd., Chesterfield; 586-949-1470. L,D daily.
NEW AMERICAN • Chef Nicole Justman heads the kitchen at this fresh spot that brings a touch of Birmingham to Shelby Township. A contemporary menu at Vast Kitchen and Bar includes pan-seared salmon and sous vide pork shank. 52969 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township; 586-991-6104. L,D Mon.-Sat.
Bellflower $$$
NEW AMERICAN • A restaurant housed in a former exchange of the Michigan Bell Telephone Company, Bellflower answers Ypsilanti’s call for fine dining with an adventurous flair. Boudin sausage with roasted okra, baked oysters, and ginger ale or CocaCola-roasted beets showed up on early menus as chef Dan Klenotic’s way of straddling the line of creole tradition and an imaginative style that is entirely his own. 209 Pearl St., Ypsilanti. L,D Mon.-Sat.
CREATIVE AMERICAN • Come to this swanky jazz
This seafood and martini bar is especially popular during patio season. But step inside for a host of craft cocktails, then stay for dinner. A seafooddominated menu includes a notable roasted scallop dish. Non-seafood options include the eponymous burger, roasted butternut squash salad, and filet mignon. And make sure to order dessert. 302 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734-222-0400. D daily.
The Common Grill $$
SEAFOOD • Founded by Chef Craig Common, whose skilled work drew the attention of the now shuttered Gourmet magazine and the James Beard House, this mainstay was acquired in 2022 by Peas & Carrots Hospitality. Chefs Zack Sklar and Josh Humphrey most of the beloved restaurant’s menu, such as the expertly prepared oysters and seafood dishes as well as the coconut cream pie. 112 S. Main St., Chelsea; 734-475-0470. L,D Tue.-Sun., BR Sun.
KouZina Greek Steet Food $
GREEK • The Greek “street food” at this Ann Arbor spot comes in lamb and beef, and chicken. Try the lentil soup for a delicious lunch or go for something more filling like falafel. Either way, you can’t go wrong with this excellent spot. 332 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; 734997-5155. L,D Tue.-Sun.
ITALIAN This popular casual restaurant infuses freshness with lower prices than most osterias in the area. It’s a well-rounded blend of modern, eclectic Italian with classic standbys. The pizzas are hot, fresh and perfectly executed to suit your tastes. 341 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-769-6700. L Fri.-Sun., D Wed.-Sun.
Miss Kim $$
KOREAN • This spinoff from the Zingerman’s mini empire comes courtesy of chef Ji Hye Kim, a James Beard semifinalist. Kim meticulously researches Korean culinary traditions and recipes to create her unique blend of modern Korean food highlighting Michigan vegetables, from housemade kimchi to the tteokbokki (rice cakes). Some of the restaurant’s standouts include a craveable Korean fried chicken and its plantbased counterpart the Korean fried tofu. 415 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor, 734-275-0099. L and D Wed.-Mon.
Paesano $$
ITALIAN With a friendly waitstaff and decked in vibrant colors, this lively restaurant is not to be missed. The innovative menu changes seasonally. Must-tries have included the pasta carbonara, featuring shrimp, duck bacon, and Italian greens, as well as beet and ricotta gnocchi with brown butter. 3411 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-971-0484. L,D daily.
JAPANESE • This fun, casual Ann Arbor restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Takashi Yagihashi, offers plenty of shareable dishes, such as hamachi tacos and duck-fat fried chicken. But the star at Slurping Turtle is the noodle (Yagihashi’s “soul food”), which is made in-house daily on a machine imported from Japan. 608 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; 734-887-6868. L,D daily.
The Boro Dining Room and Bar $$$$ NEW AMERICAN • Much like the restaurant’s ambience, the cuisine at The Boro is both refined and relaxed. The Grilled Bone-In Pork Loin typifies the vibe. In flavor, the pork is reminiscent of a slab of tender brisket at a family barbecue. The loin is sweetened with a smattering of St. Louis-style barbecue glaze. In presentation and accoutrements, though, the dish is worthy of white-tablecloth status. 5400 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor; 734-6693310. B,L,D daily.
Yotsuba Japanese Restaurant & Bar $$ JAPANESE • The semi-circular sushi bar is the center of this restaurant. Sushi chef Bobby Suzuki has a loyal following for his precise nigiri rolls. There are also tatami rooms and conventional seating. 7365 Orchard Lake Road, West Bloomfield Township; 248737-8282. 2222 Hogback Road, Ann Arbor; 734-9715168. L,D Tue.-Sun.
Zingerman’s Delicatessen $ SANDWICH/DELI • Zingerman’s Delicatessen is a household name for Michiganians, and a must-try staple in Ann Arbor. The temptations at Zingerman’s are endless: fresh breads and a menu of filling sandwiches, olive oils and housemade balsamic vinegars, chilies, and mustards. 422 Detroit St., Ann Arbor; 734663-3354. B,L,D daily.
Zingerman’s Roadhouse $$$ CLASSIC COMFORT This eatery celebrates the food of various American cities, from fresh Maryland crab cakes to the delicacies of New Orleans. The buttermilk biscuits are beyond-this-world. 2501 Jackson Ave., Ann Arbor; 734-663-3663. B,L,D daily.
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces mezcal
1 ounce ume simple syrup (recipe below)
1 ounce lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brothers Plum Bitters
Hawaiian black lava sea salt, for rimming the glass
For the syrup:
8 ounces sugar, by weight 8 ounces water
75 grams ume (ume are Japanese plums that can be found in the refrigerated section of most Asian markets)
Directions:
1. For the syrup, separate the pits from the ume and use both. Mix together the water, sugar, and separated ume in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer, making sure to mash the fruit through to extract all of the flavor.
2. In a cocktail shaker, combine all the ingredients except for the salt. Add in ice and shake well.
3. Rim a double rocks glass with the Hawaiian black lava salt and add fresh ice. Pour the cocktail over the ice and garnish with a slice of fresh lime and an ume plum on a skewer. Enjoy!
PHOTO BY REBECCA SIMONOV
RECIPE
A smile is the universal welcome, and that’s what the team of professionals at Comfort Dental Spa believe in.
Dr. Aziza Askari bases her recommendations on each patient’s individual needs, desires, and circumstances. Her patients turn to her for dental implants, sleep apnea treatment, and TMJ disorders. She’s dedicated to meeting patients’ goals with warmth and compassion, and specializes in working with specialists to perform cosmetic smile makeovers that may require implants, Invisalign® treatment, and veneers.
Dr. Edward Essayan taught graduate orthodontics for 30 years at Detroit Mercy Dental School and has expertise in working with children who are diagnosed with sleep apnea and ADHD. His philosophy is to provide comprehensive, gentle orthodontic care with an emphasis on function, prevention, and aesthetics. He works with specialists in complicated smile cases.
Whatever your family’s orthodontic needs, the experts at Comfort Dental Spa will help you find your happiest smile.
Dr. Mune Gowda is an award-winning plastic surgeon who delivers natural-looking results for his patients. He exclusively performs cosmetic surgery of the face and body, and is highly skilled in the latest advances in rhinoplasty, including Piezo and Preservation, which are less invasive and require less downtime.
Dr. Gowda and his team offer cosmetic treatments including lasers, injectables, and micro-needling. He performs surgery at his private, state-of-the-art, certified surgical center on the Novi campus of Providence Hospital. He also has privileges at
Muse Medical Spa in Troy is a physician-directed medical spa created by a dynamic team of aesthetic and antiaging experts. They specialize in corrective skin and body solutions that help clients achieve noticeable, natural, and lasting results. Their mission is to provide exceptional care and beautiful results using the latest technologies available, allowing their clients to be their most authentic selves.
Muse offers treatments including nonsurgical body
sculpting, Botox, fillers, laser skin resurfacing, facials, chemical peels, laser hair removal, and more, all performed by excellent and well-trained staff. Muse also specializes in facials customized to each patient’s concerns, providing incredible results for wrinkles, rosacea, acne scarring, and complete skin renewal. Their mission is to provide exceptional care, ensuring their clients look as naturally beautiful as they deserve. Come to Muse to build a better you!
Function and beauty are at the heart of every architectural project GAV & Associates designs. The firm’s portfolio has grown exponentially in diversity and vigor, providing architectural design and planning services for assembly, commercial, educational, industrial, residential, and historic preservation development projects. Ghassan Abdelnour, CEO, and Bahn Abdelnour, lead designer of the custom residential department, bring more than just years of experience to the
design table — they’re also dedicated to excellence.
As leaders in design and construction document production throughout southeast Michigan, GAV & Associates takes pride in working with contractors, developers, business owners, and homeowners. “We’re always moving forward,” Ghassan says. “As a team, we can accomplish any project that comes our way, and hopefully elevate our community in the process.”
Since 1992, the Mike Morse Law Firm team has heard them every day: heartbreaking stories from car, truck, and motorcycle accident victims who thought their insurance providers would protect them, only to realize they wouldn’t.
Morse encourages anyone who will listen to make sure they’re properly covered with adequate uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits and unlimited PIP benefits. It’s the only way to protect yourself following the devastating effects of the 2019 No-Fault Insurance changes.
When you hire the Mike Morse Law Firm, you’re hiring a team of 170 expert legal professionals, including more than 50 top attorneys who specialize in helping auto accident victims rebuild their lives.
With 30 years of experience, over $1 billion collected, and 30,000 clients served, the Mike Morse Law Firm is Michigan’s largest and most qualified personal injury law firm. You want them to handle your Michigan auto accident case. Why call anyone else? Injured? Visit 855mikewins.com.
Greenhouse of Walled Lake owner Jerry Millen, Michiganborn and bred, has been involved in the state’s cannabis community for more than 17 years. He says he got into the industry to help medical patients, to whom he’s made a lifelong commitment. While others in the industry are veering away from medical products for profit, Millen and his staff take marijuana seriously as a medicine and will always advocate for the patients.
Millen helped both medical and recreational legalization efforts, first with the National Patient’s Rights Association, and he currently serves on the board of directors of the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association. The mission at Greenhouse is to make cannabis as mainstream as possible while supporting its medicinal benefits. Greenhouse plans to open additional stores that are the best in the state and will continue to remember that they’re here because of the patients.
The physicians at Consultants in Ophthalmic & Facial Plastic Surgery — Drs. Nesi, Gladstone, Black, Nesi-Eloff, Schlachter, and Beaulieu, and physician assistant Lindsay El-Awadi — are proud to be known as the “Eyelid Experts.”
Representing the gold standard in eye plastic surgery, these doctors have developed and improved techniques to provide the results patients seek when it comes to plastic surgery in the delicate areas around the eyes and forehead. Their advanced
training, together with the personal care and attention provided to patients, is obvious from your first visit.
Outstanding results, faster healing, long-lasting benefits, and happy patients are what the team strives to achieve. They offer upper and lower eyelid surgery and the removal of eyelid “bags.” State-of-theart endoscopic brow- and forehead-lift procedures accomplish the rejuvenation many patients can’t get from eyelid surgery alone. When you choose the Eyelid Experts, you’ll “see” the difference!
Dr. Morgan Semaan, DDS believes a “beautiful and healthy smile is the key to happiness.” A highly respected and accomplished dentist with Birmingham Family Dentistry in Beverly Hills, Dr. Semaan specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the oral cavity, including the teeth and gums.
Dr. Semaan strongly believes that a preventative dental checkup is the most effective way a patient can practice
good oral hygiene and health because it allows for early detection of common diseases and conditions that impact your overall health. These include tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer. Early detection will ultimately save the patient considerable time, money and pain.
Dr. Semaan graduated from Michigan State University and earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry.
Prism Triangle, LLC is a full-service cannabis testing lab featuring state-of-the-art equipment and technology that ensures quick testing, from 72 hours to a little over a day. With Prism you can sell your products sooner, since you won’t need to quarantine them for long periods of time. Prism’s lab procedures are reliable and consistent, and its staff is experienced in the cannabis testing industry.
Consumers want to make informed and safe purchasing decisions based on the strength and composition of cannabis
products, and their ability to do so helps you create trust and loyalty with your clients. Prism tests for pesticide contamination, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbials and mycotoxin contamination, and harmful lipids, and offers genetic testing. They also test for nutrient concentrations and shelf life/stability.
Prism has an in-house courier service and can pick up samples and securely deliver them to their lab. Prism services cannabis farms, processors, and stores.
With modern design in high demand, EuroAmerica Design has rapidly become the preferred source for modern interiors. Inside Michigan’s largest kitchen and bath cabinetry showroom, you’ll find an extensive collection of Italian-made cabinetry — including the iconic luxury brands Poliform and Valdesign Cucine.
Owners Bob Bouwens and Jeanne Cottom are excited to lead this extraordinary company at a time that’s experiencing a paradigm shift toward modern design. Their focus is on providing
the client with a unique and personalized experience to create their dream home with exceptional products and service.
Bob Bouwens’ passion for modern design began at an early age. Born and raised in the Netherlands, he moved to the U.S. and brought with him a European perspective. With more than 22 years of extensive industry experience and depth of knowledge in Italian cabinetry, Bouwens is passionate about leading the EuroAmerica team to exceed your expectations and bring your vision to life.
At Robotic Precision Therapy Clinic, a state-of-the-art robotic therapy unit is used to treat individuals experiencing pain and to improve their range of motion. This therapeutic robot, called the RX2600, administers gentle pressure in intervals to a specific muscle. The process relaxes muscles, helps restore structural balance, and relieves aches and pains.
Patients often come to the RPT Clinic after seeking relief for months or even years. They’ve tried medication, injections, stretching, exercises, massage, and surgery, or
they’ve resigned themselves to living a life ruled by pain and discomfort. The RPT Clinic is committed to helping patients find healing and wholeness. Injury, stress, and repetitive motion from everyday activities can cause muscles to shorten and become imbalanced. Robotic Precision Therapy helps correct these imbalances, resulting in reduced pain and greater mobility.
Call the RPT Clinic at 855-629-2805 to speak with a team member, or visit rptclinic.com for more information.
When you recall the best customer experience you’ve had, a trip to the orthodontist might not be what comes to mind — but Dr. Jamie Reynolds aims to impress with his innovative views on patient care and customer experience.
A nationally recognized orthodontic teacher, Dr. Reynolds and his team provide world-class orthodontics using cutting-edge Damon System braces and Invisalign aligners that increase comfort and aesthetics, and provide dramatic,
life-changing results in fewer visits.
The practice prides itself on never allowing finances get in the way of quality orthodontic treatment. Dr. Reynolds also co-founded OrthoFi, a national company whose mission is to make orthodontic treatment more affordable for patients by providing flexible financing options, and the metro Detroit chapters of Smiles Change Lives and Smile for a Lifetime, two charities that provide smile scholarships for people in need.
Pilates Fitness and Physical Therapy Center combines traditional physical therapy services with innovative wellness programming that includes Pilates and the Gyrotonic expansion system. Physical therapy with Pilates incorporates modern exercise principles that embrace contemporary thought about spinal rehabilitation and athletic performance enhancement. Meanwhile, the Gyrotonic expansion system works in all possible planes of movement to dramatically increase one’s overall range of motion and flexibility.
This unique approach to physical therapy is only part of what makes the center a premier rehabilitation clinic. Its wellcredentialed professionals believe in delivering the finest “concierge-level” rehabilitation services, including manual/handson therapy, biomechanical evaluation and management, and the treatment of musculoskeletal and neuromuscular problems.
The center also serves as a fitness studio that offers group and private Pilates sessions tailored to meet each client’s fitness levels and wellness goals. All fitness levels are welcome.
For over a decade, Pain Free Life Centers has revolutionized pain management. While “traditional” pain management relies on drugs, injections, and surgeries, PFLC has delivered successful results with their exclusive drug-free Laser Therapy treatment program. Thousands of patients are grateful they did.
“Pain management as we know it is broken in this country,” says Jeff Morton, Center Director of Pain Free Life Centers. “Americans are spending over $600 billion annually in an attempt to manage their pain, and it doesn’t work. I am not OK with that.”
Pain Free Life Centers is the pioneer of non-invasive pain
management using High-Intensity, High-Dose Laser Therapy. PFLC has achieved results that are remarkable and unmatched. Now Pain Free Life Centers has added one-on-one personal physical therapy that also improves on the outstanding results Laser Therapy achieves.
“PT has been a force multiplier,” notes Morton. “We now offer Laser and Physical Therapy services at both our Troy and Farmington Hills locations. We are so confident in what we do that your initial consultation and first treatment are free. You truly have nothing to lose but your pain.”
Your health and beauty are in trusted hands when you choose Dr. Elan Reisin, M.D., F.A.C.S., and his team of surgeons at Star Plastic Surgery in Novi. A multiyear Hour Detroit Top Doc honoree, he’s board-certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery, and has received numerous national awards. Dr. Reisin, who serves as medical director at Star, and his team have completed more than 20,000 cosmetic surgeries.
Dr. Reisin spent five years as an attending physician, and
taught surgical residents at the prestigious Georgetown University Hospital Department of Plastic Surgery before creating Star Plastic Surgery, a pre-eminent, state-of-theart AAAHC surgical center and medical spa. He’s a member of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and has traveled internationally to learn from top plastic surgeons, while also partaking in philanthropic trips to treat children with congenital and traumatic deformities in the Dominican Republic.
Whether you’re facing a criminal charge, need civil litigation representation, or have a pressing legal matter regarding your business, George Law, headquartered in Royal Oak, provides the strong counsel you need. From the moment you retain them, they become partners in your case.
The George Law team, which works with clients throughout all of Michigan, knows a legal problem can affect all aspects of your life. They manage your legal issue so you don’t have to deal with the stress and worry. Clients
come from all economic and geographic backgrounds, but they’re all looking for the same thing: The best possible legal outcome. To that end, cases at George Law are handled by multiple attorneys and staff members, to ensure that creative problem-solving and sharing of ideas takes place for each client.
When you’re represented by George Law, you can feel confident that you have well-versed, knowledgeable advocates fighting for you.
BY PHIL OLSEN
Various Times
378 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
mbtheatre.com/birthday-club
Five women get together for their birthdays to drink, celebrate, commiserate and support each other as they negotiate through marriage, work, divorce, birth and kids, all while solving the problems of the world. One by one, they reveal their personal, work and family issues, and when one of them admits a surprising secret, the vodka hits the fan. The question is: Will Birthday Club survive, or will it end forever?
*Michigan Premiere MBT Rating: High School & up.
Friday, January 20, 2023 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.
Rochester Hills Banquet Center 1919 Star-Batt Dr. Rochester Hills, MI 48309 eventbrite.com/e/the-golden-galatickets-458957021807
Golden Key Realty Group is proud to present our 2nd Annual Golden Gala for the benefit of the Shlama Foundation. A Casino Royale themed night full of fun, food, drinks, prizes, and more! This event will showcase vendors as well as many local businesses, all proceeds will go to the benefit of Shlama Foundation. The mission is to engage the diaspora to fund humanitarian aid and other projects to the the Chaldean/Assyrian/Syriac people of Iraq. Tickets are available for purchase now on Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
7 p.m. - 12 a.m
The Townsend Hotel 100 Townsend St. Birmingham, MI 48009
kidsgala.org
Join KIDSgala, a David C. McKnight foundation, for its eighth annual fundraiser. This nonprofit organization, created in memory of Nicole Marie Burton, provides gifted celebrations for children who experience life-altering disabilities and illnesses. We are dedicated to bringing joy among children and their families in a unique way, tailored for their specific needs. Our fabulous event will be held at The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham on Saturday, January 28th, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Guests will enjoy the exquisite customized décor showcased by Emerald City Designs. There will be a hosted bar to accompany the gourmet cuisine. The evening’s emcee is Fox 2 News anchor Jay Towers, with entertainment by Jared Sykes. Features include 52-card raffles (win a lease on new Cadillac and more), and a silent auction.
Please visit kidsgala.org for admission, donation, and sponsorship details.
Thursday, February 16, 2023 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Detroit Institute of Art 5200 Woodward Ave. Detroit, MI 48202 bizsymposium.com
The Privately Held Businesses Forum, a Committee of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law Section is proud to present a series of short lectures by some of the business law field’s preeminent practitioners and academics for the 5th Annual State Bar of Michigan Business Law Symposium, “The Art of the Practice.”
Topics of discourse will include “the arts” of, inter alia, building a business from the ground up; managing large law firms; running a business court docket; responding to surprises in court; taking depositions of hostile witnesses; creative writing and the philosophy of the law. Please register by January 31, 2023. Attire: Casual. Wear comfortable shoes!
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. The Hub Stadium 44325 W. 12 Mile Road, H-160 Novi, MI 48377 awafoundation.org
Join Automotive Women’s Alliance Foundation for a fun networking event that includes a chance to play Football Bowling, a spin on one of the newest sporting/entertainment concepts in Michigan that integrates the rules of horseshoes and cornhole while using the equipment of American football and bowling. Join us and meet other power players in the mobility sector!
Registration includes dinner and two drink tickets Please register by January 31, 2023. Attire: Casual. Wear comfortable shoes!
Did last New Year resolutions
id last year’s New Year resolutions come true? If not, consider reaching out to a qualified expert who can help you to achieve your goals.
If you have aching pain, work with a physical therapist and Pilates instructor who can help you to manage your pain.
The COVID pandemic isn’t over with. If you need testing, use a premier lab for on-site testing or order testing kits that can be used in the comfort of your home.
The COVID isn’t over with. take your your needs and
take your ideas, your needs and bring your dreams to life.
If you plan to redecorate your home and you don’t know where to start, reach out to an experienced designer who can
A: If you’re like most people, you probably move through your day with little to no awareness of how you’re moving. As a result, you end up putting pressure on the spine — which, inevitably, throws off the muscular strength in the front or back of your body. If you also have a weak core, you’re looking at the likelihood of muscular imbalances that can result in pain. Left unmanaged, the pain will continue
or even worsen.
Fortunately, there’s Pilates.
“Many of the movements in Pilates require the use of a full body range of muscles, which helps to lengthen and strengthen the spine in the process,” says Ron Jegadeesh, Pilates instructor, physical therapist, and owner of Pilates Fitness & Physical Therapy Center in Southfield. “Add to that the focus on core training, integrative exercise, and mind-
body connectivity, and Pilates is increasingly included as a part of pain management programs.”
Pilates not only helps build the deep abdominal muscles, but it’s a means to rehabilitate and re-train the abdominal, pelvic, and spinal stability muscles to correct muscle imbalances and prevent them from recurring. It seems that an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure!
Is your child bored at school? Don’t wait until next year. Start looking for a school that will match your child’s needs.
The following experts would be happy to help you achieve your goals.
Pilates Fitness & Physical Therapy Center
17418 W. 10 Mile Rd. Southfield, MI 48075 248-552-1012
pilatesfitnessevolution.com
A: What makes Gorman’s different is that we have significant ways to express “you” in your home through all that we offer. We have multiple choices for our clients. If you like a particular sofa but you want a different fabric or different pillows, we are experienced to pull those items, so we can create the look that you want.
we ways to express your home all offer. We have for our clients. If you like sofa but you want or we are to those items, so we can create
Gorman’s has three stores. We
have a Southfield store that is a gallery of contemporary goods. Our Troy store is on a smaller scale and offers transitional and traditional furniture. The Novi location is our largest store. We divide our stores with lifestyle sections, so we have something for everybody.
What separates us from other stores is that we carry unique
designs and the best brands in home furnishings. With all of
the options, our service, our low-price guarantee, and our white glove delivery - we don’t shortchange anything.
At Gorman’s, we believe the act of furnishing your home is all about you, your family, your home, your ideas and your unique set of needs. Our experienced and talented design staff has brought
our clients’ dreams to life for more than 82 years.
A: First of all, you are not alone. Many people have dental anxiety—whether it stems from an unfortunate bad experience in the past, tooth pain, or embarrassment from not visiting the dentist in years.
For us, it starts with the relationship we build with our patients. At Redwood Dental, we strive to deliver incredible patient experiences. And we are continuously improving and
adapting to the unique needs of each individual patient. We make patients feel valued, respected, and as important as family. As soon as they walk in the door, they are greeted and welcomed as friends.
Our doctors and clinical teams are truly invested in the oral and overall health of their patients. We strive to ease dental anxiety and help patients relax with open communication, gentle treatment
techniques, and a safe, comfortable environment. We use industryleading technology to streamline treatment and reduce the time a patient spends in the office, which often helps ease tension as well.
At Redwood Dental, we value and respect all patients. We don’t judge—whether it’s been months, years, or decades since your last visit. Our patients are as important as family, and we treat them accordingly.
A: Choosing a school is a personal decision based on your family’s values, your child’s learning needs, and the school’s philosophy.
At The Roeper School, our inquiry-based approach allows gifted students and teachers to partner and learn together.
Teachers have the flexibility to adapt lessons to student needs, ensuring they remain challenged and encouraging them to explore
their passions. Students have great choice in their learning here from elective courses at the elementary level to taking courses through our Malone School Online Network to choosing to complete a capstone project in their senior year.
The strong relationships built at Roeper—both inside and outside the classroom—create a sense of safety where teachers can address the social and emotional needs of
gifted students. When students feel supported and heard they are more likely to try new things. Take, for example, Roeper’s no-cut policy for athletics and the performing arts so everyone can explore and belong to a team. Pursuing these new challenges can provide students some of their best learning moments. Ultimately, we aim to guide students to become the best version of themselves.
A: Symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) include fever, loss of smell, coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, feeling weak or lethargic, chills, muscle pain, lightheadedness or dizziness, headache, vomiting or diarrhea, slurred speech, and/or seizures.
Our fast and comfortable onsite testing can also be used to identify individuals who do not
have symptoms of COVID-19 or have no known exposure to SARSCoV-2, but who are unknowingly infected. Also, our COVID tests can determine if a prior infection with COVID-19 has resolved.
You can order our testing kits for COVID-19 and get accurate results from the comfort of your home. You can check your patient portal to view your results. Our website has
“frequently asked questions and answers” about COVID-19 and the vaccines and boosters. Prism Lab’s procedures are the “gold standard” in laboratory medicine. We provide our clients with the best service possible and pride ourselves on our customer service and our rapid turnaround time. We are passionate about our reputation as one of the premier labs in the country.
Dolores Anetrini
Senior Gorman’s Southfield 248-353-9880 Troy 248-649-2070 Novi 248-344-0880
Dr. Mark Bouchillon
13403 E. 13 Mile Road Warren, MI 48088 586-979-2800 warren.smilepartnersusa.com
Christopher Federico Head of School 248-203-7301 office christopher.federico@roeper.org
Prism Lab, LLC
Joey Ruefiel, Owner
130 Hampton Circle, Suite 110 Rochester, MI 48307 248-841-4101 prismlabllc.com
Q: I have been in close contact with an employee at my workplace who has a confirmed case of COVID-19. My employer said I should get tested. Does Prism Lab offer on-site testing?
Q: In the world of curated looks, how do I create my look, my style?Senior Designer, Gorman’s Troy
Q: I do not like going to the dentist. What steps do you take to ensure a great patient experience and ease my fear of the dentist?
THE AMERICAN C ANCER SOCIET Y has been working to end cancer for more than a century. One of the organization’s annual fundraisers, the Detroit Discovery Ball was held at Detroit’s Huntington Place in late October, to help raise money for cancer research. Guests enjoyed live and silent auctions, as well as dinner, dancing, music from the Bluewater Kings Band, and inspiring stories from cancer survivors.
11.03.22
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KEVIN BEAN
THE NATIONAL Philanthropy Day Gala was one of three events held by the Detroit chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals to commemorate the 31st annual National Philanthropy Day. This year’s gala was held at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit and featured a cocktail reception and dinner leading up to the presentation of the organization’s annual awards.
1. Jane Alessandrini, Scott Trudell 2. Andrew Stein, Kim and Lenny Kerwin 3. Jessica and Kevin Zeleji, Tricia Rudy 4. Beth Collins-Mapleh, Theresa Gray, Mallory Applewhite
Shenise Foote, Lisa Smoots 6. Andre Ahee, Peter Ahee, Stefan Ahee 7. Elaine and Jason Coffman 8. Nick Mancuso, Mary Jane Vogt, Doug Bitonti Stewart, Carolyn Geck
Donna and Ric DeVore 10. Kevin and Kathy Manuel, Trudy GallantStokes, Chuck Stokes, Kelley Stokes-Samuel, Kimberly Stokes, Dexter Mason
Carol Dash, Steve Guarini
Nancy Gray, Lawrence Ghannam
Matt Pepper, Julie and Dave Ripple
BY DANIEL MOEN
PHOTOGRAPHS
LOCAL SPORTS, TELEVISION, and radio personalities duked it out in the Celebrity Lip Sync Battle at Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel. The event benefited the New Day Foundation and its mission to help local families facing cancer. Performers included Beth Griffith-Manley from season 16 of NBC’s The Voice, Kim DeGiulio from WDIV Local 4, former Detroit Tiger Andy Dirks, and many others. In addition to the performances, attendees enjoyed live and silent auctions, a strolling dinner, and an open bar
SHE REIGNED AS THE UNITED KINGDOM’S MONARCH for so long that it’s hard to think of her title as anything other than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Having served in that capacity for more than 70 years, she will be remembered as Britain’s longest-serving monarch. But back in 1951, she was simply Princess Elizabeth. She is seen here, age 25, waving with her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at her side while visiting Windsor, Ontario, with the Detroit shoreline hovering behind them. At that time, the city’s skyline was dominated by the Penobscot and Guardian buildings, not the Renaissance Center, whose first tower opened a quarter-century after this photo was shot. Canada was — and is — part of the Commonwealth, and Elizabeth visited the country twice more, in 1959 and 1984. This image of the princess was taken on Oct. 15, 1951, but just a few months later, in February of 1952, Elizabeth’s father, George VI, died, and she became queen. Her splashy coronation took place in 1953. She married Philip in 1947, and their union lasted nearly 74 years, until his death in 2021. He was 99. Elizabeth died at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022. Her son Charles then became King Charles III. Some have voiced concerns about the king’s age (73) at the time of his accession, but considering his parents’ longevity, as well as that of the Queen Mother, who was approaching 102 at the time of her death, his reign has the potential to be quite long. —George Bulanda Hour Detroit (USPS 016523) is published monthly by Hour Media, LLC, 5750 New King Dr., Suite 100, Troy, MI 48098. Periodical Postage Paid at Troy, MI and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Hour Detroit 5750 New King Dr., Suite 100, Troy, MI 48098. Subscription price: $19.95 one year, $35.95 two years. Copyright @ 2020 Hour Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. Hour is a registered trademark of Hour Media.
