Bigalora
Bigalora, the third link in a small chain of restaurants begun by Luciano DelSignore in Southfield, opened last autumn in the new Arbor Hills Crossing shopping center. Its location, in the back of the complex, offers a forested...
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Seva Heads West
Since the 1970s, Seva has been king of the 300 block of East Liberty, a neighborhood once dominated by beads, guitars, gauzy cotton, and whole wheat. There’s still some of that counter-culture flavor left in the area, but...
Read MoreFarewell to Big Nick
The corner of Fourth Ave. and Liberty will be much changed this spring. Nick Stamadianos will not be sunning himself in his favorite spot outside his Cloverleaf restaurant, as he always did at the first sign of warming weather....
Read MoreThe New Knight’s is Hopping
On April 9, the official opening day, the new Knight’s in the old Borders near campus was full of familiar well-wishers from its Dexter Ave. location intermingling with campus-area walk-ins waiting for tables. But a swing...
Read MoreWings on Boardwalk
On Tuesday, March 4, Buffalo Wild Wings on Boardwalk (formerly Damon’s Grill) had only been open four days, but at lunchtime it was packed. Where did all these people come from? “People who work around here. I think...
Read MoreQuick Bite: Tuesday Trios
With its “Tuesday Trios”–three courses for $30–Terry B’s offers fine dining at a bargain basement price. The dishes for this promotion usually come straight off the Dexter destination’s...
Read MoreA Taste of Soul
It’s easy to miss A Taste of Soul by Biggie’s. A cement block building on Ypsilanti’s Spring Street near Huron, it looks more like a TV repair shop than a restaurant, but actually it’s a takeout place...
Read MoreMove at Scio Towne Plaza
Elaine Economou opened Move in the plaza in front of the Quality 16 movie theater. Move is more or less the new incarnation of the former Movement Center above Cafe Zola, owned by Aimee McDonald-Anderson, where Economou was a...
Read MoreMercy’s Will Close May 17
“The lease is up at the end of December, but we decided to close a little early,” says Mercy Kasle. Mercy’s last day will be Saturday, May 17. “The summer months are quiet anyway,” says Burmese-born...
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Little Seedling Repotted
The Little Seedling repotted itself in a busier location in March, over by the Goldfish Swim...
Read MoreA Hockey Superstore
Total Hockey’s location was chosen for its proximity to the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, and already we’re into specialized skating vocabulary: “No, the Cube doesn’t have three rinks–it’s one rink,...
Read MoreOld German Bar and Bierkeller
It’s not easy to pigeonhole the newest establishment on the corner where Grizzly Peak has built a brewpub fantasyland. On Ashley just off Washington, a hinged little shingle of folksy old world metalwork reads “Old...
Read MoreA Quick Switch on Washtenaw
On Monday, March 3, Maiz Cantina on Washtenaw closed. On Tuesday, March 4, the location reopened as Los Amigos Fiesta. “It was take it or leave it,” says manager David Corona. They didn’t want to lose any of...
Read MoreA Pair of Orange Leafs
Orange Leaf Yogurt franchisees Jason Zalewski and Scott McLean opened their first store in Traver Village on March 8, and are planning to open their second, in Woodland Plaza (near the south-side Busch’s) on April 1. They...
Read MoreLegion on N. Main
“A lot of people in my program wonder why I’m still going to school,” says Michael Kao, who’s about three semesters away from finishing his degree at EMU in apparel, textiles, and merchandising. The...
Read MoreA Trio of Closings
Alice Liberson plans to close her Kerrytown-area store for the soigne dog or cat, Dogma Catmantoo, sometime in April. Liberson says she turned sixty last year, and wants to “retire, take classes. This is the longest...
Read MoreSaddling up the Urban Cyclist
In early March, Sic Transit Cycles was on track to open its new store on Pontiac Tr. behind St. Vincent de Paul on March 15. Michael Firn and Joe Bollinger are expanding the bicycle restoration and sales business from its...
Read MoreFrom Damascus to Damas
Middle Eastern restaurant Damas opened in Woodland Plaza (south-side Busch’s) in February. The turnover from Biwako Sushi was quick: “We bought some machines: a food processor, a blender for juice,” says Lamis...
Read MoreGreen thieves
What’s not to like about reusable shopping bags? “People put things in them, and then at the register, they’ll pull out a third of the stuff to pay for. That’s one trick,” says Bob Sparrow, owner of...
Read MoreWild Bird Center Closing
By the time you read this, the Wild Bird Center in Plymouth Mall should be closed. “I don’t have a definitive date,” says Lisa Haanpaa, who’s owned the franchise since 2009, but she planned to close...
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