Friday, September 4, 2009

Labor Day Weekend Eats

There is much to eat over Labor Day, as the summer winds itself down and the last of the big festivals are held. Over this extra-long weekend, you can eat your way through the following:

Arts Beats & Eats
Though it lost its major sponsorship from Chrysler, Arts Beats and Eats lives to tell the tale, and is still offering a great line-up of area restaurants, as well as great local music and the most impressive collection of art of any of the major festivals. It is open Friday-Sunday 11:00AM-10:00PM, Monday 11:00AM-8:00PM. There is a new $2.00 admission charge to attend. The participating restaurants are below:

Featured New Restaurants
Matt Prentice Restaurant Group represented by:
Coach Insignia
Northern Lakes Seafood Company
Milk & Honey

Forte
Tribute
Sangria

Restaurants
The Almond Hut
Andre's Louisiana Seafood Sandwich Shop
Bloomfield Canopy Cheesecake Co.
Bodacious Bar-B-Q & Chicken
Casey's NY Style Ice
Chan's Caf
The CupCake Kitchen
Cuppuccinos
Damon's Grill of Ann Arbor
Farm Boy Produce
Fiesta Bowl
Frank's Creative Catering
Fruit and Nut Factory
Fun Foods
Greektown Taverna
Grill Masters BBQ & Catering
Harbor House
India Spice
Jerusalem Pizza
Kerby's Koney Island
Kirk's Open Pit Bar-B-Q
Kola's Food Factory
Larry's Soul Food
Maverick's Mini Burgers
Palm Palace
Pat's Coney Time
P'fino Gourmet Deli
The Potato Factory
Randy's Catering
Red Wood Grill
Ryba's Fudge Shops
Skewers House of Kabob
Stella's Fine Foods
The Melting Pot of Troy
Trenton Ice Cream Shoppe
Union Jacks

Hamtramck Labor Day Festival
It's Labor Day Pole-town style, with lots of rock, alt-country, Afrobeat, Bosnian pop, and polka. Plus all the pierogies you can eat--no, really, there's a pierogi-eating contest and everything! This is Hamtramck at its Hamtramckiest, and don't miss the Polish parade Monday at 1:30PM! The festival runs Friday-Monday; this is a free event.

Michigan Renaissance Festival
Celebrate the days of yore in Holly, Michigan with the Ren Fest! See jousting, juggling, lords and ladies, knights and knaves, drink mead, eat turkey legs, buy a sword--it's the most fun you'll ever have without electricity! Ren Fest runs every Saturday and Sunday through October 4th, but for this weekend only it is also open on Monday AND all food will be priced $5.00 or less--including those massive turkey legs!

This is always a fun time, and the food alone is worth the trek. It's not that the cheddar soup in a bread bowl is particularly great (it's not)--but it's there! And if you've never tried a Scotch egg, I say it's high time that you do. This weekend's theme: the Buccaneer Beer Fest. What better way to celebrate Medival times than with BEER? Lots of beer! (But do try the honey mead while you're there.) The Festival is open Saturday-Monday 10:00AM-7:00PM. Tickets are $18.95 for adults, $9.95 for children, and $16.95 for students/seniors. Discount tickets are available at Walgreens.

Taste of Eastern Market
This Saturday, Detroit Restaurant Week presents Michael Symon's Roast as part of their weekly "Taste of Eastern Market" cooking demonstrations. Roast is one of the 17 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week, where they will be offering a fixed price menu of $27.00 (excluding tax and gratuity) for a minimum 3-course meal. See one of their chefs in action at 10:00AM in Eastern Market's Shed 2. This is a free event.

Also, if you dine at any of the participating restaurants now, you'll receive more information about DRW. Pretty!