Dine

Mission Goes Tex-Mex

The fast-casual concept Texacano Tex-Mex BBQ opened in May in an underutilized portion of brewpub Blue Tractor. It shares its entrance with the affiliated Mash bar downstairs and its kitchen with Blue Tractor.

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The Songs Are Back

Song and her mother, Youn, have now re-emerged in retail with Two Songs Bakery & Mart. The South Industrial storefront, next to the Skymint dispensary, is the new home base for their increasingly gluten-free and vegan pastry, dessert, and confectionary preparations, while adding heartier premade offerings and shelves of primarily Korean packaged snacks and groceries.

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Bitty & Beau’s Takes a Break

Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, 305 S. Main, was slated to close for renovations October 25, coinciding with the departure of the store manager, according to an email sent to its staff ten days prior.

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Keeping Pizza Weird

“One day we were driving around looking for some good food,” Jackson relates. “[Andre] was like, ‘Man, I know this crazy pizza spot in Toledo. You got to come try it out with me.’ So we drove all the way to Toledo from Detroit to try this pizza out, and it was just mind-blowing, amazing. We kept taking that trip.”

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Wing Snobs

Detroit-based Wing Snob, founded in 2017, is a fast-growing franchisor in the quick-service restaurant industry, with more than forty stores open and twice as many in the pipeline.

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Chai Forward

They’d noticed that most coffee shops in North America treat chai as a secondary offering at best, Noman says, so they decided to feature it foremost. “We went and tried chai in all different regions of India and Pakistan and Bangladesh,” he says. “We formulated our own blend of chai. Our chai comes from Assam, India. It has a bold flavor.” 

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A Dexter Dining Landmark Takes a New Turn

A nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts farmhouse built by a president’s brother has been inaugurated for a fifth term as a restaurant. Upscale casual dining at 42 North Social House succeeds the Fillmore Bar & Grill, which followed Terry B’s, Tuscan House, and Cousins Heritage Inn.

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Dan Kolander Is Back in Town

Husband-and-wife team Dan and Sarah Kolander—longtime owners of Dan’s Downtown Tavern in Saline—purchased Chelsea Burger, in the space formerly occupied by Seitz’s Tavern. In an interview before a planned late-September opening, Dan Kolander says they’ll serve a “simple, easy menu” of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and weekly specials—and they’ve applied for a liquor license.

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Arise Bakery and Cafe in Saline

Andrea Cocciolone and Rose Richards, decades-long friends with a common interest in adventure racing—running, biking, and kayaking—are nearly a year into their latest adventure, Arise Bakery and Cafe. 

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Detroit-Style Pizza on W. Michigan Ave.

An expert in Detroit-style pizza and a veteran restaurateur are collaborating on a full-service and takeout business they expect to appeal to both Saline locals and destination diners. Joe Maino and Jason Branham’s DropTop Pizza includes a vivid dining room and bar along Saline’s main drag, with a back entrance for takeout orders and grab-and-go food and drinks.

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Pulse Nutrition in Dexter

Lynnea Harris spent three years playing professional volleyball overseas. “My job in Italy was to perform or I didn’t get paid,” she says. “I was drinking like one or two [protein] shakes a day. I was in the best shape of my entire life.” 

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Pretty in Pink

“This whole store is me,” beams Amanda Debek from a deep U-shaped booth upholstered in pink velvet and topped with a rich arrangement of artificial flowers at her new House of Chimney Cakes Café.

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Pink Puzzle

What do a British telephone booth, pillar post box, park bench, and two signposts with Chinese and English flags behind the Hot Pot Chen restaurant have in common? Does the Chinese signage on the shipping container behind the objects hold a clue? And why is everything pink? 

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Plates of Joyy Opens at Briarwood

Twenty-one-year-old culinary artist Leslie Tejada has come a long way from the Dominican Republic, where she spent her first ten years. Briarwood Mall was impressed enough with her cupcakes—and her Instagram presence—to lease her space for The Plates of Joyy, which opened September 20.

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And Now, Gourmet Toast

When Candace Kovar’s search led to Washington, D.C.–based Toastique, “I got goosebumps. It was an intuitive gut feeling that this is the ride we’re supposed to be on.”

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At the MilkShake Factory, Dan Reese Holds Two Jobs

The new MilkShake Factory near Westgate seems like a straightforward store for sweets: shakes, sundaes, and sheets of chocolate, seven days a week. But there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, because the franchise owner also happens to be the fast-growing company’s president.

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