Happy 100th birthday, Michigan Central Station

Photo courtesy of flickr user ktpupp

On this day in 1913 the Michigan Central Station was rushed into service with the first train car departing at 5:20 p.m.

Touring the Guardian Building: The Cathedral of Finance

The Guardian Building’s promenade. The ceiling is made of horsehair canvas to muffle sound.

Completed in 1929, the Guardian Building is one of several skyscrapers in Detroit that will make just about anyone stop and proclaim, “Wow.”

One of the finest examples of art deco, the Guardian was built by Wirt C. Rowland, a prolific Detroit architect, who was recruited by Albert Kahn in 1909.

The Buhl building is less ornate but still has beautiful details like this tiled ceiling vestibule.

Rowland eventually became Detroit’s highest paid designer and built not only the Guardian but also the nearby Penobscot and the Buhl Building.

Unfortunately, before Saturday, I had never ventured inside the Guardian.  So, when I saw a free, hour-long tour advertised as a Facebook event, I knew I had to be there.

In review: 2013 Orion Music + More on Belle Isle in Detroit

It’s nearly the end of the festival here with Metallica on stage. The night sky was really quite beautiful, despite the after-sunset chilly weather.

I’m still in disbelief that a large-scale music festival, one organized by whether-you-like-’em-or-not Metallica, came to Detroit — and to Belle Isle, at that.

So, I will tell you right now that I originally bought my ticket on the basis of just that. A lineup including Tomahawk, fronted by the impressive Mike Patton, may have helped a bit.

Thankfully, I was more than surprised by act after act of awesome.

Mapping discontent with a right-to-work law in Michigan

The results of a poll mapping right-to-work oppositon. Blue dots equal reader votes against a right-to-work law. Red dots equal support.

A photo of right to work protesters on the state Capitol. (Photo courtesy of @Chris_Mitchell_)

Last week, I asked readers of heritage.com whether they supported right-to-work legislation.

With more than 300 votes from within Michigan, it was a pretty decisive vote. About 20 of those polled said they supported the measure.

Having just heard of Google’s experimental Fusion Tables, mapping this info seemed like a pretty apropos idea.

Every time I watch Cook’s Country is a win for my kitchen

Morning buns ready for consumption after hours of labor. Though they look like cinnamon rolls, these babies are less sugary and boast crispy croissant dough flakiness. Drool …

Every once in a while I catch “Cook’s Country” on Create TV, and my recipe book is always the better for it.
This time around host Christopher Kimball convinced me that I had to make morning buns as soon as humanly possible.
Though I was previously completely unaware of them, morning buns are evidently the stuff of legends.
Created by Tartine Bakery, morning buns are a cross between a croissant and a cinnamon roll. Their creation may well have been a cannibas-fueled mistake, according to Kimball.
As he explained on the Cook’s Country episode, a story claimed a pastry chef came in and sprinkled cinnamon and brown sugar all over croissant dough that had been freshly rolled out for the morning bake.
If so, it’s the tastiest mistake I’ve ever eaten.

Midtown by Corktown: Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company and Mercury Bar

A Spicy Graham Cracker Latté at Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company in midtown Detroit. Look at that crema!

Last weekend, Rob and I spent a night in Detroit – one of my favorite ways to blow some cash and time.
We started out at Midtown’s Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Company, 3965 Woodward Ave.
Great Lakes opened last summer and features a much higher quality cuppa joe than you’d find at Starbucks, as seen above. My latté was a mix of espresso, chai and some lasting heat from cayenne.
Rob and I shared a cheese plate, which was so good, we didn’t bother to photograph or question anything on the plate. Surprisingly, a candied date was the highlight on the plate.
The atmosphere was definitely hipster-filled, but we had great company at our long, “reclaimed” wooden table – company who recommended we head to the Mercury Bar, 2138 Michigan Ave., in Corktown for a scrumptious turkey burger.
I had wanted to visit Mercury a few years ago after seeing its very cool signage, but the restaurant had closed before I had the chance to visit it.

The Mercury Bar adjacent to the Michigan Central Train Depot

So, I was extremely happy to see it had reopened. We weren’t disappointed, either, despite the fact that they had 86ed the turkey burger for the night.
We settled on the same dinner to avoid red meat – a portobello mushroom burger with a side of fries. FYI, those fries are fried in lard, as is the rest of Mercury Bar’s fried food.
We didn’t know that when we ate them, and I don’t care now. It was too tasty to be concerned.