This first appeared in the Dine in the D Newsletter! Sign up for it here.
Plus, a restaurant week with a mission to give back, and a bakery that is cooking up sweet treats that are allergen-free -- that’s what’s on the menu for the 77th edition of the Dine In The D Newsletter. (Hi, I’m Michelle!)
Recommended Videos
🍿 Appetizers
- 🍽️ It’s a restaurant week with a twist: Let’s Do Dinner Detroit is a five-day event that raises money for Forgotten Harvest. It runs from Nov. 12 -16, and involves over 24 restaurants. Get the details here.
- 🍔 Are you a fan of Burgers? Then you’ll want to follow this series where Cassidy and Carmichael search for the best burger in Metro Detroit. They kick things off with Miller’s Bar.
- 🧁 If you can’t have gluten, or you have an allergy to eggs, but you still want to enjoy a sweet treat, then you need to check out this allergy-free bakery.
- 🦃 Looking to let someone else cook for you this Thanksgiving? How about a Michelin Star chef? Oak and Reel is offering a Thanksgiving dinner to go!
☕ 8 Cool coffee shops to catch up with your friends
With the holiday season drawing closer, family and friends will be coming to town to celebrate. It’s the perfect time of year to meet up, grab a coffee, and catch up on each other’s lives. So, I wrangled up a list of cute coffee shops that are the perfect places to meet up with friends and offer something a bit different than your average roastery.
Cannelle by Matt Knio - 45 W Grand River Avenue, Detroit; and 110 East Washington Street, Ann Arbor
With an assortment of fancy French patisseries and a delicious array of croissants, you really can’t go wrong at Cannelle. You can choose between fruity tarts, delicate macarons, and rich chocolate mousse cakes. They, of course, have a full espresso machine so you can indulge in all the classic coffee drinks as well. For the full story, click here.
Matari Coffee - 6124 North Canton Center Road, Canton, MI 48187
If you’ve never tried Yemeni coffee before, you really should. They infuse extra spices and flavors in it to create a truly unique experience, sort of like a cross between chai tea and coffee. Besides their specialty coffee, they have a line of caffeine-free drinks if you easily get the jitters, and they have an assortment of Arabic treats, as well. For the full story, click here.
Layover Coffee Bar - 3358 Auburn Road, Auburn Hills, MI 48326
Located inside Blue Skies Brewery is a coffee bar that loves to mix brews. I’m talking about blends of beer and coffee, like their Skycap with cold brew coffee and Blue Skies Vanilla Porter, or the Red Eye with cold brew and Blue Skies’ Triple C Russian Imperial Stout. They have a variety of classic coffee drinks as well, and some pastries from The Family Table Cafe, which is across the street. They are open 7 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, plus extended hours Friday-Monday (until 10 p.m. Friday/Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, and 9 p.m. Monday).
Gateaux Patisserie - 1006 South Military Street, Dearborn, MI 48124
Some places you see, and they just seem too beautiful to be real. That is the feeling I had when I walked into Gateaux Patisserie. It is designed to look like a Parisian bakery with intricate gold moldings and a beautiful chandelier greeting you as you walk in. Owners and sisters Suendos and Sueha Beydoun were inspired by French architecture, like the Palace of Versailles, when it came to the design of the place. To go along with the French theme, they serve patisseries, high tea, and coffee. For the full story click here.
Vertex Coffee - 1335 South University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Coffee flights, need I say more? At Vertex Coffee in Ann Arbor, they treat making coffee like a science: perfectly measuring out every ingredient and timing the brewing period. What really makes them stand out is how innovative they are, like how they came up with a way to flash-chill their coffee instead of typical cold brew. Vertex also roasts its own coffee and likes to offer single-origin roasts to allow people to really taste the difference between the different regions. You can also get flights of their coffee so you can sample multiple versions of their different drinks. For the full story, click here.
Promenade Artisan Foods - 2627 West Jefferson Avenue, Trenton, MI 48183; and 3011 West Grand Boulevard, Suite 115, Detroit, MI 48202
With a tower of macarons and freshly baked quiche, you may wonder if you wandered into France when you first stroll into Promenade Artisan Foods. While they don’t roast the coffee themselves, they fell in love with a local coffee maker, Chazzano Coffee Roasters, and decided to serve French-pressed coffee alongside their French menu. They make many things from scratch and have a commitment to using high-quality, local ingredients. For the full story, click here.
Qawah House - 6655 Schaefer Road, Dearborn, MI 48126; and other locations in Dearborn and Dearborn Heights
While Yemeni-style coffee is becoming more of a trend, Qawah House was the first to really bring it to the area. Tati Amare and I went there when they first opened and got a chance to try their Jubani, a Yemeni coffee that is blended with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. We also tried their own take on a chai latte called Adoni chai. It is made using a similar process, combining water, sugar, cardamom, a little nutmeg, black tea, and sweet and condensed milk. For snacks, they have a delicious pastry called sabaya which is made with layers of buttery, flaky phyllo dough and drizzled with honey. It is the perfect complement to their tea and coffee. Since opening, they have expanded to three locations. For the original story, click here.
James Oliver Coffee - 1236 Michigan Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226
If you love a good cup of coffee, then you need to stop by James Oliver Coffee in Detroit. For Owner Miranda Clark, you could say coffee runs in her veins. Her parents started roasting their own coffee back in the ‘90s, and she has continued that tradition. Alongside their cup of joe, they offer house-made bagels, sandwiches and pastries. For the full story, click here.
✍️ Can I take your order?
Hello! My name is Michelle Oliver. I am a reporter, and the resident foodie on our 11 a.m. lifestyle show, “Live In The D.” Every Friday, I will take you to “Dine In The D” at a different local restaurant, so make sure to watch.
Thanks for reading this newsletter! I’d love to hear about the restaurants you love in your city -- click here to submit an idea, or email me directly here.
By the way, we have a Facebook group for our “Dine In The D” foodies! Check it out here and join the conversation.