Cover Stories
Metro Detroit has a bunch of new brunch
Metro Detroit’s already-strong brunch game has gotten even stronger, with the past year seeing the number of restaurants with brunch offerings expand. That’s good news for those who need something a bit heartier and boozier than a bowl of cereal to start your weekend. Here are six new spots to make sure are in rotation.…
Meet Detroit’s new brunch cocktails — beyond Bloody Marys and mimosas
For decades, two brunch cocktails have reigned supreme on menus across the country — and for good reason. While the battle between the hearty, spice-driven, meal-unto-itself Bloody Mary and the bubbly, always elegant, hangover-guaranteed mimosa rages on, there’s a new class of brunch cocktails in town, especially in metro Detroit. These three beautiful, boozy drinks…
A dozen spots in Detroit for a greasy, no-fuss breakfast
Sometimes the best way to brighten your day is to start with a hearty square meal. And sometimes, what’s “good” for you can’t be determined from reading a nutrition label or by counting calories. These charming, no-frills Detroit-area diners will pump you full of warmth, variety, and, best of all, cholesterol. Here are some of…
Review: Detroit breakfast is reborn at Le Petit Dejeuner
Usually, Detroit restaurants that specialize in breakfast usually mean one of two things. One is diner fare — messy, greasy plates of eggs; grease-logged hash browns; butter-drenched toast triangles; and semi-weak coffee. No disrespect to our local greasy spoons (see the list of our favorites in this week’s issue). Meals like that serve a specific…
How my mother was able to provide for her family as a Numbers runner in Detroit
In her new memoir The World According to Fannie Davis: My Mother’s Life in the Detroit Numbers, author Bridgett Davis recounts how her mother was able to provide for her family as a Numbers runner. This excerpt is reprinted with permission. The Numbers business in Detroit was still thriving in the 1950s. In fact, the…
Kurt Vile brings the Violators and new record to the Majestic Theatre
As a founding member of indie rock band War on Drugs, Philadelphia-bred Kurt Vile has been a prominent fixture of the indie music scene for more than a decade now with his offbeat singer-songwriter sensibilities. His seventh studio album (and first in three years), Bottle It In, features contributions from influencers Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon…
Detroit’s Paint Thinner drop new record at UFO Factory
Do you like the Stooges? How about Interpol? Any thoughts on an underground noise supergroup that once graced Metro Times’ “Bands to Watch” list? Lastly, can you relate to feelings of psychedelic dread? If your answer to all of the above is a resounding “Hell yeah,” this show is for you. Paint Thinner has returned with…
Detroit’s Senate Theatre to host ‘Bird Box’ screening and signing with author Josh Malerman
Leave your blindfolds at home, folks. The gloom and doom Netflix horror flick Bird Box is getting the big screen treatment at the Senate Theater with a special engagement and book signing with New York Times Bestselling author (and Michigan’s own) Josh Malerman. Based on the 2014 novel, Bird Box reportedly had more than 45 million…
Photographer Bre’Ann White is seeing red with debut exhibition at Playground Detroit
Red is, without question, a power color. Depending on where in the world you call home, red can represent everything from love to mourning. Longtime Detroit-based photographer Bre’Ann White boldly explores color and contrast through her debut solo exhibition, Definition of Red. Composed of 13 large-scale portraits, Definition of Red combines White’s creative evolution with…
Detroit’s latest fast-food pop-up is Vegan McDaddy’s — and we’re lovin’ it
From the ladies who brought you Vegan Taco Hell, Detroit-based pop-up Street Beet returns with McDaddy’s —its spin on supersized fast food giant McDonald’s. Street Beet’s latest all-vegan menu offers health and environmentally conscious options, all of which play on Mickey D’s classics that have been clogging our arteries with garbage since childhood. In addition to…
Willy Loman is as sad and poignant as ever in ‘Death of a Salesman’ at the Ringwald Theatre
While the definition of the American dream has changed since Arthur Miller penned Death of a Salesman in 1949, one thing remains the same — Death of a Salesman is a profoundly sad play (and the title is a total spoiler alert). Through the eye-opening tale of father, husband, and salesman Willy Loman, Miller’s seminal…
Detroit’s David Klein Gallery explores ‘Fractured Beauty’ in latest exhibition
Though beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, Michigan’s dismal winter pallet is an acquired taste and we are sort of totally over it. To offer some eye-candy, David Klein Gallery’s Fractured Beauty features three multidisciplinary artists, all of whom explore color, perspective, and form through their respective mediums. Alisa Henriquez uses collage…
Toni Braxton will un-break hearts with Valentine’s Day performance at the Fox Theatre
If you’ve never belted “Un-Break My Heart” in the privacy of your own car while it’s raining… well, do you even have a heart? The iconic ’90s ballad about reversing some brutal heartbreak is perhaps the most definitive moment in the speckled career of diva and reality show star Toni Braxton. Following a brief 5-month-long…
15 dinner destinations to celebrate Valentine’s Day in metro Detroit
La Musique 3071 W. Grand Blvd. Detroit Located in the lobby of Hotel St. Regis, La Musique is celebrating Valentine’s all weekend long (Feb. 14 through Feb. 16) with a three-course dinner for two, including a glass of champagne for $80, plus tax and gratuity. Chartreuse 15 E. Kirby St. Detroit Named Yelp’s Detroit Restaurant…
Detroit harnesses girl power for Valentine’s Day Planned Parenthood benefit concert
Get tested and spread the love because this Valentine’s Day is all about the healthcare warriors of Planned Parenthood. The Village of Love benefit comes to Detroit by way of Los Angeles, where the event has been an annual tradition for six years. The Motor City iteration invites a bevy of babe-fronted bands like Stef…
Garden Fresh salsa founder is trying to buy back the company from Campbell’s
Garden Fresh Gourmet co-founder Jack Aronson is trying to buy back the company from Campbell’s soup in an effort to ensure that the company remains in Ferndale. Aronson tells Crain’s that he’s worried that a foreign company that’s attempting to buy the brand from Campbell’s will close the Ferndale salsa factory and move its 450…
Coheed and Cambria announce metro Detroit date for co-headlining tour with Mastodon
Conceptual prog-rockers Coheed and Cambria are plotting their return to metro Detroit this summer as part of a co-headlining tour with heavy metal band Mastodon. The “Unheavenly Skye” tour will kick off its 26-date trek across North America on May 28, taking a lap around the U.S. before making a stop in Sterling Heights at…
EMU student investigated for hanging black doll from a dorm shower rod
Eastern Michigan University has launched an investigation after a black doll was found hanging from a shower rod in a dormitory. A resident advisor found the doll inside a bathroom shared by suitemates in Best Hall, a dormitory for first-year students. EMU police identified the culprit, who claimed it was a joke and not racial.…
Detroit’s Breakthrough Towing doesn’t have a license to operate
Here’s more bad news for Detroit’s embattled Breakthrough Towing. A spokeswoman for Michigan State Police confirms that the company failed to renew its Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division license on time — which means the overzealous towing company won’t be on the prowl in Midtown, at least any time soon. A CVED authority is required for the…
Rose’s Fine Food’s Polish sister restaurant targets summer 2019 opening
Poppies, a new Polish concept by Rose’s Fine Food owner Molly Mitchell could be open by mid-summer. Mitchell previously hoped to have the 1,600-square-foot space on the northeast corner of Van Dyke Avenue and Agnes Street ready by summer 2018. The plans ran into some delays, but Eater reports that Mitchell secured permits and funding from…
Beck and Cage The Elephant announce co-headlining tour – and it’s coming to metro Detroit
Beck and Cage The Elephant are setting out on a co-headlining summer tour which will stop at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 3. Completing the trifecta of decorated alternative rock veterans on ‘The Night Running’ tour is Spoon, who will hand the baton off to the co-headliners. Beck is riding the wave of…
The hotel made famous by the White Stripes could soon be sold to new owners
Southwest Detroit’s Hotel Yorba is currently under contract for new ownership, according to Crain’s. Built in 1926, the Hotel Yorba was immortalized in indie rock as the subject of the lead single off of the White Stripes’ breakthrough 2001 album, White Blood Cells. The single and accompanying music video helped to cement Hotel Yorba as…
Former Rep. John Dingell obits whitewash his conservative side
When former Rep. John Dingell died last week, headlines hailed him as a “civil rights icon” and an uncompromising supporter of progressive causes. But his 60 years in Congress were far more complicated. While Dingell was an early proponent of universal health care and helped sponsor the Endangered Species Act and the landmark Civil Rights…
Grammys roundup: Greta Van Fleet win, J. Lo’s odd Motown tribute, and Diana Ross’ birthday comes early
Well, either hell has finally frozen over or maybe “music’s biggest night” has become an opportunity to troll the entire music industry on a national stage. Regardless, the 61st Grammy Awards were as confusing as ever and it’s safe to say following last night’s festivities both Robert Plant and Berry Gordy are probably writhing around…
Michigan had its first-ever girls high school wrestling state championships
Here’s a bittersweet ending to one of our recent cover stories: The Michigan High School Athletic Association finally held its first-ever girls high school wrestling state championships. The match was held Sunday, Feb. 3 at Adrian College. In 2017, Metro Times ran a cover story about how Michigan’s female wrestlers deserved a state championship. The…
Movers made disturbing discovery at retired Detroit police detective’s home
A former Detroit homicide detective is under criminal investigation after a moving company on Thursday discovered a locker containing evidence of murder cases in his home on Detroit’s west side. The detective, who retired in 2012, was being evicted from his home on the 9000 block of Northlawn when movers discovered the case files and…
Could Trump be running a criminal enterprise like former Detroit mayor Kilpatrick’s?
Perhaps President Donald Trump and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick aren’t so different. Both are charismatic figures — Trump as a celebrity businessman, Kilpatrick as Detroit’s former “Hip-hop Mayor.” But there’s another crucial comparison to be made between the two men, according to Barbara McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. According to…
Duggan-influenced commission prevents federal probe of Chief Craig
A Detroit police commissioner on Thursday called for a federal investigation to determine whether Police Chief James Craig and his top brass falsified crime statistics. But Willie Burton’s colleagues abruptly ended the meeting to prevent him from introducing a resolution to demand an investigation. It was an unusual move by a board that was created…
Southfield mayor turns down sex doll ‘brothel’
The mayor of Southfield insists the city will not, in fact, be home to the nation’s first sex doll “brothel” — and that there will never be such a business in the city. “This is never going to happen to Southfield,” Mayor Ken Siver told the Detroit Free Press Thursday afternoon. “We just don’t want…
John Dingell mourned we were in ‘an uncivil war’ two months before death at 92
John D. Dingell Jr., the longest-serving member of Congress and a staunch advocate of the U.S. auto industry and universal health care, died Thursday after receiving hospice care. He was 92. Dingell was one of the most influential and feared members of Congress, serving under 12 presidents and becoming a master of legislative deal-making. First…
Marvin Gaye’s long-lost follow up to ‘What’s Going On’ gets Motown release date
In March, fans of the late, great Marvin Gaye will finally get the opportunity to hear material available for the first time on vinyl. On March 29, Motown Records/UMe will release You’re the Man. The release will feature 17 songs, 15 of which make their wax debut. The songs from the new record were cut…
Midtown McDonald’s says it’s severing ties with ‘predatory’ Breakthrough Towing
Midtown Detroit’s McDonald’s has announced it is severing ties with Breakthrough Towing following months of reports from unsatisfied customers who say their cars were improperly towed from the restaurant’s small parking lot. “We take the allegations of Breakthrough Towing’s towing practices that may impact McDonald’s customers very seriously,” reads a statement from Virgirilli Management Company, the…
On J Dilla’s birthday, music fans remember the Detroit producer’s contributions
Born on Feb. 7, 1974, James Dewitt Yancey, (better known by the moniker J Dilla) is still remembered as one of Detroit’s most highly revered artists. The Detroit native and former student of Pershing High School established his credibility with a unique ability to select and cut samples from vinyl records, looping them into new…
Southfield could have the nation’s first sex doll ‘brothel’
A sex doll “brothel” could be coming to Southfield. Yep, that would be pretty much exactly what it sounds like — a place to rent a room to have sex with a high-end, realistic silicone sex doll. Related The city is reportedly mulling over proposals from two competing Canadian companies, which approached the city last…
Police wipe out homeless camps in Detroit, seize belongings
Detroit police wiped out two makeshift camping spots for homeless people this week, leaving them shivering and without their belongings or a dry place to sleep. Police seized sleeping bags, tents, coats, hats, shoes, gloves, and anything else found in the underground area of Hart Plaza and underneath an overpass by Joe Louis Arena on…
Billy Corgan reunites with guitar stolen from Detroit venue in 1992
Long before Smashing Pumpkins’ frontman Billy Corgan aligned himself with 9-11 truther Alex Jones and openly feuded with the members of Smash Mouth over the Shrek soundtrack, Corgan was the epitome of broody ’90s rock. This week, Corgan found himself confronted with a remarkable blast from the past as he visited Flushing, Mich. where he…
Unnamed Ann Arbor hero IDs pothole
Sometimes even the most skilled drivers fail to dodge the two-foot wide holes in the ground that plague Michigan roads. And the worst of us seem to suffer a magnetic attraction to those concrete craters. But until Governor Whitmer fixes “the damn roads,” it seems potholes will remain a fixture of Michigan’s landscape. Over in…
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star Chris Pratt gives shout out to Wayne State University
Students at Wayne State University can rejoice today after learning that the dinosaur slayer and Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, gave a shout out to the school in a video posted on Twitter by a WSU psychology student. “I love Wayne State University,” said Pratt over the shoulder of a beaming Rachel Zelenak who recorded the…
Dearborn Mayor forgot the ‘Streisand effect’ when he tried to kill story on Henry Ford’s anti-semitism
A century ago, Dearborn native and Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford purchased The Dearborn Independent, a weekly paper distributed by Ford dealerships nationwide — which he then used from 1919 to 1927 to amplify his own anti-semitic views. Then, two weeks ago, Dearborn-based reporter Bill McGraw sought to publish the suburb’s first in-depth probe…
Pokē Pokē Sushi Unrolled plans spring opening in Midtown
A new location for Pokē Pokē Sushi Unrolled is set to open on Woodward Ave. this April. Their menu options primarily include sushi, with a twist. Rather than traditional sushi rolls, Pokē Pokē serves bowls containing sushi ingredients, without the traditional seaweed wrap. Customers can select one of their signature bowls, or they can customize…
Former Rep. John Dingell in hospice care and ‘entered new phase,’ wife says
Rep. Debbie Dingell announced Wednesday that she is home with her husband, former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, saying the 92-year-old has “entered a new phase.” Dingell, the longest serving member of Congress, has been in failing health and was hospitalized for a heart attack in September. “I am home with John and we have entered…
Jennifer Lopez will perform a Motown tribute at the Grammys and no one knows why
It was announced Tuesday that Jennifer Lopez would be performing at the 61st Annual Grammy Award’s airing Sunday night. J.Lo is an A-list goddess, dance mentor who seems to be literally aging in friggin’ reverse and is a two-time Grammy nominee herself. Makes sense that she and her plunging neckline would perform on “music’s biggest…
Savage Love: Can I still be considered sex-positive if I don’t have sex?
Can I still be considered sex-positive if I personally do not have sex? I’ve never had sex or masturbated— all my life, any type of sexual stimulation has been very painful and I’ve been unable to experience orgasm. I simply get a migraine and feel mildly nauseated instead. I am not looking for a possible…
With SCOTUS’s new conservative majority, the fight against abortion is ramping up
Growing up — at home, at church, at school — there was one thing I knew to be true. Abortion was murder. Women who had abortions were baby killers. Doctors who performed abortions were evil. Planned Parenthood? Basically Nazis. In the strain of conservative Christianity in which I was inculcated — which I wrote about…
Sharon Van Etten details the hiatus that led to her most dynamic record to date
It’s been five years since Sharon Van Etten’s last album tour — but that doesn’t mean she’s been stagnant. In that time, Van Etten has dabbled in acting, gone back to school to study psychology, scored a film, had her first child, and wrote a career-defining record. That record, Remind Me Tomorrow, was not written…
Detroit-based Kindred Media & Entertainment expands with ‘A Groove’ dance night
Kindred Media & Entertainment founder Leah Hill just wants Detroit to dance. Thus, A Groove, a new dance night with DJ Deon Jamar, was born. “It’s a chance to put on the outfit you’ve been waiting to bring out the closet,” says Hill. “By the end of the night, people should be lighter, as if…
Review: The offbeat charm of ‘Velvet Buzzsaw’ is irresistible
In writer-director Dan Gilroy’s new satire on the money-motivated world of fine art, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Morf Vandewalt, a powerful but occasionally cruel critic who shows no remorse after the latest victim of his pitiless pen takes Morf’s review particularly hard. “Ricky got drunk and crashed his car last night. He’s in a coma,” Morf…
Horoscopes (Feb. 6-12)
ARIES: March 21 – April 20 So many things are coming to a head, even if everything appears to be business as usual. The fact is that it’s all on the line right now. For what it’s worth, you need to understand that you won’t get anywhere by doing the same old thing. Stepping out…
Oakland County finally has a marijuana provisioning center
Things were festive at Walled Lake’s Greenhouse over the weekend, as a more than steady stream of customers packed the first state-licensed medical marijuana provisioning center in Oakland County. Budtenders were jumping to fill orders for buds, oils, creams, candies, and more for customers. It’s been a long time coming. While Michigan’s medical marijuana law…
