September - 2018

Don’t get FOMO

After purchasing the Como’s space at 22812 Woodward Avenue at Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, its new owners, the Peas and Carrots Hospitality Group, knew it would be a long time before they would be able to open the restaurant again. So they decided to start FOMO, a patio bar pop-up which began August 3. “We thought this would be a good opportunity to inject a little energy in to it, keep people talking about us, and also introduce ourselves to the community,” said Michael Gray,

Same faces, new roles

Big Rock Chophouse of Birmingham owners Norman and Bonnie LePage recently announced Eric Voigt would be taking over as executive chef and Bill Morales will be their new executive sous chef. Both chefs have worked at the restaurant – located at 245 S. Eton Street – for years. Voigt joined the staff at Big Rock Chophouse in 2011, when he began as their executive pastry chef, while Morales joined in 2015 as a line cook before quickly making his way up the ladder. Bonnie LePage s

Finally going vegan

There’s been much anticipation and Chili Mustard Onions – Detroit’s first vegan coney island – has finally opened. Located at 3411 Brush Street, the restaurant opened August 1, according to their Facebook page and they have been kept busy. During their first two days of service, they had to close earlier than anticipated because they ran out of food. Seems the owners, Pete and Shellee LaCombe and their daughter Darla, aren’t the only ones who were craving vegan coney dogs. No

Not your typical beer

When Lea and Kyle Hunt leased the entire building at 1454 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, they knew they would eventually do something with the second floor. Now that the restaurant on the first floor, Gather, is up and running, they are turning what they had been using as an Airbnb into a craft beer bar called Cøllect (the “øl” is Danish for beer) with the hopes of a late September opening. Kyle said the beers on their 14 taps will change based on the season, and while they love pl

Moving on

Brandon Zarb’s day-to-day is about to look a lot different. The former executive chef of Public House and Imperial in Ferndale started his new job at Rising Stars Academy in Centerline in August, leaving behind the kitchens he had spent the last three years in. “I was kind of looking for a change of pace,” Zarb said. “I really love the restaurants, and I’ve really enjoyed working with them, but I knew at some point I was going to want to get involved with something different.

Dessert and coffee

Some things are serendipitous, like the opening of Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters’s Royal Oak location, following their popular Rochester and Detroit spots. They had originally planned on adding a third location further down the line but then they saw the space at 115 S. Main Street, and couldn’t say no when it became available. “We were thrilled to find it...we fell in love with it,” said Nathan Hamood, president/director of coffee. This space will actually be the company’s l

Trending tacos

Detroit Taco Company – located at 304 N. Main Street, Royal Oak – is about to expand to a second location, four-and-a-half miles up the road in Troy. Owner Jeffrey Omtvedt said they are hoping for a soft opening in September, with a grand opening the following month at the Troy location, 2199 Crooks Road, between Maple and Big Beaver. While the new space is much smaller than the Royal Oak one – about 1,800-square-feet – the menu and what they strive for will be the same. “The

New unique sushi

Sushi may be an ancient delicacy, but business partners Bruce Cobb and Steve Campbell are hoping to make it a little more fun at Blu Bar Sushi, 31225 Southfield Road in Beverly Hills, slated to open in September. While they will offer more traditional rolls, their sushi doughnut – yes, sushi doughnut, an already popular item in Japan and California – will be one of their more unique menu items. Cobb said they will mold rice into the doughnut shape, stuff it with a protein, th

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