Tailgating at Detroit’s Eastern Market may not be happening this football season as a result of staffing issues, but a new tailgate option for diehard Detroit Lions fans will be available.
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Lions VIP Tailgate is coming to the space occupied by Punch Bowl Social Detroit, which closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, just in time for the Sept. 12 opening game against the San Francisco 49ers. The tailgating will take place at all home games for the season into January.
Bullseye Event Group announced that it has taken over the lease at the Bedrock-owned building and will host tailgate events that start three hours before kickoff. Kyle Kinnett, the group’s CEO, said it expects to host upwards of 500 people for the events. The group held previous tailgate events at nearby Comerica Park.
The gatherings are described as “high-end luxurious” tailgating and aimed at all ages. Reservations for group tables will be offered.
“It’s all about the overall and culinary experience,” Kinnett said.
The events will begin three hours before home game times and will feature all-you-can-eat food and drinks. There will be music from DJ Don Mecca, a food buffet and an open bar with cocktails, beer, wine and other refreshments.
Menu items, subject to change, include braised short rib steaks, mac and cheese, roasted vegetables, pulled pork, chicken wings, tacos and nachos, salads, gourmet cheeseburgers, doughnuts and a waffle bar.
Individual tickets are $85 or you can buy a tailgate and upper-level seating game ticket package for $99. Both are plus processing fees. For the Thanksgiving Day game, a Lions tradition, there will be a special menu with all Thanksgiving fixings. Combo game day tickets and the tailgate Thanksgiving experience are $149 each.
COVID-19 protocol guidelines will be followed, Kinnett said.
Located just a short walk from Ford Field at 1331 Broadway, VIP Tailgate will offer lounge seating, plenty of TVs, a Microsoft gaming area with XBox gaming stations, visits from Lions cheerleaders and a live auction of signed Detroit Lions memorabilia.
Bedrock is helping with staffing the events, and Kinnett said more employees are needed. Starting pay is $20 an hour and those interested can inquire at contact@bullseyegroup.com.
You can buy tickets at bullseyeeventgroup.com.
Change at Art, Beats & Eats
Arts, Beats & Eats returns Friday to downtown Royal Oak with a tasty lineup from metro Detroit restaurants and food trucks along with arts and entertainment offerings.
The festival no longer will require guests to buy tickets to exchange for food offerings. Instead, they’ll be able to pay food vendors directly, using cash, credit cards or debit cards.
More than 50 metro Detroit restaurants and food trucks are participating. Newcomers include Mexican cantina Tequila Blue and ImaginATE. Returning eateries include Crispelli’s and Café Muse, along with Wahlburger’s, Gosia’s Pierogies, Trattoria Da Luigi and Beans & Cornbread.
The hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Sept. 5 and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sept. 6. Admission is $5 before 3 p.m. and $10 after 3 p.m. For information: artsbeatseats.com.
Bar and arcade opens in Midtown
Barcade, a new bar and arcade, is now open on Selden Street in Midtown for ages 21 and up. The new spot has more than 60 stand-up arcade games and pinball machines, including classic video games such as Asteroids, Centipede and Frogger. Game tokens are 25 cents each.
Its bar includes two dozen beers on tap from American craft brewers, including some from Michigan. On the menu are starters that include hand-cut fries and tater tots.
There also are burgers and sandwiches, chicken wings, pork belly bao and Nashville hot chicken sliders. For now, hours are 5 p.m.-midnight, but hours are expected to expand and include lunch service. The kitchen closes at 11 p.m. Happy hour is 5-6 p.m. Monday-Friday with $1 off beer, wine and well drinks. Barcade Detroit: 666 Selden Street, Detroit; barcadedetroit.com.
New bourbon debuts Friday
There’s a new bourbon in town. Detroit City Distillery will release its newest spirit, Four Grain Straight Bourbon starting Friday. The launch party is 4 p.m.-midnight. Three special limited-edition bourbons aged in maple, wine and cognac barrels are being released the first Friday of each month through November.
After Friday’s maple barrel release, the wine and cognac barrel-aged bourbons will follow on Oct. 1 and Nov. 5. Fewer than 250 bottles will be available at each release, and they’ll sell for $55 each. This new bourbon represents the distillery’s efforts to use all Michigan-grown grain. The bourbons are made with four Michigan grains: corn, rye, red winter wheat and malted barley. Along with this limited-edition bourbon, whiskey flights and bourbon cocktails will be available to sample. The bourbons will be distributed statewide starting Oct. 1.
Detroit City Distillery, 2462 Riopelle, Detroit; detroitcitydistillery.com.
Southfield resident named to Cravers Hall of Fame
Lisa Pluto is a big White Castle fan whose love for the iconic sliders goes back 50 years. In a recent virtual ceremony, the Southfield resident was one of 13 people across the country to be inducted into the chain’s 2020 Cravers Hall of Fame.
Pluto submitted her story about spending many Valentine’s Days at an Oak Park White Castle with her late mother, who was living with dementia. The tradition lasted nearly 10 years. The Oak Park White Castle, according to a news release, also catered the meal following Pluto’s mother’s funeral.
Pluto’s story and others will appear on the restaurant’s iconic Slider box packages, which will roll out in 2022. Created in 2001, the Cravers Hall of Fame is a club that recognizes the chain’s biggest fans and how far they go to satisfy their cravings.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Sue Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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