November was a busy month for metro Detroit restauranteurs, with a bevy of new spots opening around town. This month we got a new steakhouse, a couple of coffee houses, a burger joint, and a pizza place.

Closure announcements were few, and the demise of downtown Detroit’s Park Bar probably stung the most. In addition, we saw the short-lived Red Corridor shutter and La Dulce announced it was la dunzo.

Bolero Latin Cuisine 51 W. Forest, Detroit; 313-800-5059 This Midtown restaurant offers the flavors of Peru, Argentina, Chile, and other Latin American nations. It opened on Nov. 30.
California Burgerz 12045 Conant Ave., Hamtramck; 313-703-8000 California Burgerz, a new spot modeled after California’s In-N-Out Burgers, is up and running in Hamtramck. Owner Hani Omasan, who runs the nearby Top Gearz used car lot, says that means a short menu with beef that’s ground in-house, fries cut from potatoes in-house, and fixings that are fresh every day.
Detroit Pizza Company 15 E. Kirby St., Detroit; 313-872-9000 The restaurant, on Woodward Avenue in a Park Shelton storefront, abruptly closed in August, and it appeared that it was gone for good. However, it re-opened under new ownership in the middle of this month.
Founders Brewing Company 456 Charlotte St., Detroit; 313-335-3440 This Grand Rapids-based brewery just opened their second location, this one in Midtown, Detroit. They’ll celebrate with a grand opening party on Monday, Dec. 4 from 3 p.m. to midnight.
Remas Restaurant 11444 Joseph Campau Ave., Hamtramck; 313-707-0920 Remas’ menu includes some Mediterranean and Yemeni standards like ghallaba that Hamtramckans might be familiar with, while other dishes – lahsah, madfoon, and buram – aren’t as common in metro Detroit.
Miracle 1234 Library St., Detroit Detroit’s alleyway bar, The Skip, has undergone a Christmas transformation. From now until Dec. 24, it’ll be known as Miracle, and it’s offering all things Yule.
Prime+Proper< 1145 Griswold St., Detroit; 313-636-3100 The 175-seat restaurant was built out over the last year on the ground floor of the Capitol Park Building at Griswold and State streets. In addition to the main seating area, there's a 20-seat private dining section, an invitation-only lounge, and 65-seat patio.
The Red Hook inside Will Leather Goods 4120 Second Ave., Detroit; 313-309-7892 The third location of the popular coffee shop opened on Friday, Nov. 24 inside Will Leather Goods. It will remain open as a pop-up through the end of December, Heaselgrave told Metro Times. If the shop does well in the new location, she says they’ll negotiate a more permanent lease.
Mutiny 4654 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-406-4043 This “tiki dive bar” from Detroit Optimist Society owner Dave Kwiatkowski is a departure from his ever-expanding repertoire. “Mutiny goes against the kind of pretension that a lot of other bars have and, I guess, a lot of my other bars have,” he told Eater.
Veg-O-Rama 533 W. Cross St., Ypsilanti; 734-544-9707 Veg-O-Rama owner Prafulla Kharkar says that above all else, the Indian-American dishes that he prepares can best described as “love food.” It’s fresh, it’s made with high quality ingredients, and it’s made with passion, he tells us. But it’s also all vegetarian and vegan, so it’s made from nature, and in that way it’s moral and healthy, unlike the fast food at McDonald’s or Burger King.
Red Corridor 1830 Michigan Ave., Detroit The bar, formerly Casey’s Pub, was embroiled in controversy since its less-than-auspicious beginning. It was originally going to open under the name “Hoffa’s Hideout,” but the name was changed due to public clamor. Then, in May, owner Johnny Irwin came under fire for lashing out at negative Facebook reviewers.
La Dulce 2 Washington Blvd., Detroit This tapas-inspired eatery had a difficult time transitioning when it moved from its original digs in Royal Oak to a spot inside the Crowne Plaza hotel, and co-owner Luis Negrete said he had trouble managing diverging expectations from the hotel and La Dulce regulars. It closed permanently on Sunday, Nov. 26.
Park bar 2040 Park Ave., Detroit; 313-962-2933 After 11 years in business, this downtown Detroit bar abruptly announced it would close for good at the end of the year. No reason was given for the closure, but Cliff Bell’s co-owner Paul Howard confirmed that he and his business partner Scott Lowell bought the place. They close briefly for renovations before re-opening with a new concept.

Have something to share?

SEND US A NEWS TIP

Since 1980, Metro Times has been Detroit’s premier alternative source for news, arts, culture, music, film, food, fashion and more from a liberal point of view.