Can A Bakery Revive A Neighborhood?
Restaurants are playing a role in attracting investment and creating buzz
Hello, CulinaryWoman readers! When you read this, I’ll be headed downtown to Detroit to watch my Gritty Tigers play the Chicago Cubs. They’re my two favorite teams so this will be a fun afternoon.
The area around Comerica Park has seen a vivid revival over the past 25 year. The ballpark sits next to Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and down the street from Little Caesar’s Arena, home to the Detroit Pistons and Red Wings.
Those big projects have long been seen to boosting a city’s fortunes, and they’ve certainly helped the Motor City. The area around these parks has gained businesses and bustles with activity. But lately, thinking has shifted to the role that much smaller spots can play, especially food places.
Boosting A Neighborhood With Food
Recently, Eater New York wrote about the comeback of Montague Avenue in Brooklyn Heights, across the East River from Manhattan. To be sure, Brooklyn Heights has always been a prestigious place to live. If you saw Moonstruck, that’s where Loretta’s multi-generational family lives.
But its commercial district lacked the hipster buzz of other Brooklyn neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Park Slope. Before the pandemic, Montague Avenue was mainly chains and a few other serviceable restaurants.
Things began to change in 2022, according to Eater New York, when the French bakery L’Appartement 4F opened. L’Appartement drew lines of customers who were attracted by Tik Tok worthy croissants and crusty French bread.
As Andrea Strong writes, “Since then, Montague Street has slowly come to life, with the opening of stylish revamp, Montague Diner; a new location of Italian mainstay Felice; and a sprawling outpost of the Georgian restaurant, Chama Mama.”
A wave of restaurant continued the neighborhood’s momentum. Montague Street gained Inga’s, a bistro, in 2022, the all-day cafe Poppy’s in 2023, and wood-fired pizza spot Jules in 2024. In late April, chef Brendan Spiro opened Café Brume. Another newcomer is the Swedish bakery Ferrane.
You might think it’s easy for big cities to see these kinds of revivals, since there is a density of talent, available financing and a food-focused customer base, led by droves of influencers who want to capture the newcomers for social media.
But, restaurants can also be a draw in other places, some of them right in my backyard.
I’ve written about my trips to Dearborn and Canton, Mich., which have become hubs of international dining for the Detroit area.
Here in Ann Arbor, we’ve long abounded with great food spots. Zingerman’s is certainly the best known, but you can find just about any cuisine these days, with Korean food and baked goods enjoying a wave of popularity.
New places in Ypsilanti
Now, we’re seeing an influx of food places next door in Ypsilanti. It’s home to Eastern Michigan University, with about 13,000 students. Cross Street, near campus, has a branch of Sweetwater’s Coffee and Tea, as well as the first brick and mortar location for Basil Babe, known for its dumplings and Thai food.
A few blocks away, downtown Ypsilanti has the James Beard-nominated Bellflower as well as several new spots, and I’m a fan of all of them. Last year, Bird Dog Baking opened at the busy corner of Huron Street and Michigan Avenue.
Visiting Bird Dog is always nostalgic for me. Our family friends, the Pears, owned a clothing store in that location. They were frequent customers for my Girl Scout cookies, and my mother bought bagel boxes to support Mrs. Pear’s hadassah.
Bird Dog focuses on sourdough breads and grain based pastries. The cafe works with a variety of local growers that are familiar faces at the area’s farmers market, including Old City Acres, Green Things Farm, We The People Opportunity Farm, Raindance Organics, Alber Orchard, Two Tracks Acres, Tantre, Renegade Acres, and Nightshade Farm.
Within a short walk of Bird Dog, you’ll find Cold Comfort Ice Cream, which operates out of a window in an alley. Before opening, they were supplying local restaurants and shops. I was introduced to their treats by Jordan Balduf at Side Biscuit in Ann Arbor, and their treats are formidable.
The variety includes hand held novelties, basically slabs of ice cream encased in chocolate. There’s Don’t Marsh My Mallow, an ice cream s’more; Minty Mountain Hop, which has mint ice cream and crispy rice; and Tortuga Taco, a gourmet version of that Choco Taco you might have eaten as a ked.
Cold Comfort’s neighbor is Beara Bakes, whose menu changes monthly. It’s currently offering Cheddar Chive Biscuits, a Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich, a Ham, Cheddar and Mustard croissant, a Lemon Poppyseed Scone and a Brown Butter Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookie.
Attracting coffee fans
Ypsilanti’s Depot Town has been a busy spot for years, with restaurants, shopping, and the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum. Two coffee roasters with avid followings are here, too.
Hyperion Coffee Company has its flagship cafe on River Street, along with a second location in Ann Arbor. It offers coffee from small growers as well as merchandise available by mail, and does a brisk wholesale business.
Steps away is Vertex Coffee Roasters, which like Hyperion has locations in both Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. Vertex coffee beans are for sale in shops around Washtenaw County and elsewhere, and it makes a particularly nice decaf coffee.
These food businesses just scratch the surface of the potential for Ypsilanti, which was also a key spot on the Underground Railroad. Its much-smaller economy doesn’t match the prosperity of Ann Arbor. However, that means rents are lower, both for commercial and residential properties.
The affordable shops and restaurants attract students, young parents, children, and older visitors — the kind of customers that can spell a promising future.
At a time when restaurants and food places are closing, it’s encouraging to see newcomers give the market a try. Hopefully, their fans will bring them the same success that is reviving Montague Avenue 600 miles away.
Japan Turns To “Vintage” Rice
The lingering shortage of rice in Japan has led to the government loosening its rice reserve and businesses turning to American rice. Now, there’s another effort to address the crisis.
Lawson, the popular convenience store chain, is selling onigiri, or rice balls, made from “vintage rice,” which was harvested in 2023. According to Asahi News, the chain has bought two tons of two-year-old rice, and it will start selling onigiri made from it in July.
The company plans to offer a few basic varieties, such as those seasoned with salt or containing umeboshi (pickled plum). They will cost around 120 yen ($0.84) each before taxes, which is an absolute bargain. Fresh onigiri in shops around Tokyo cost anywhere from $2 on up, depending on the fillings.
Lawson says it was was inspired by the wine industry to label the onigiri with the harvest year—“Vintage 2023”—like bottles of fine wine.
It also plans to sell bags of rice from the government surplus in select stores. They will cost 360 yen ($2.50) for a one kilogram package, or 700 yen ($4.80) for two kilograms.
Given that rice is harvested, then dried, it seems like this older rice would be just fine to eat, as long as it is properly harvested and stored. Japan has long been known for innovation. Not every solution needs to be new.
Wrigley Field Vendor Claims A Margarita Crown
I love the videos posted to Tik Tok and Threads by Wrigley Field vendor Jonah Fialkow, who calls himself Jewish Jonah. He recently marked his 10th year as a Wrigley vendor, and his daily videos depict the various beverages and food that he delivers at the ballpark.
Last week, Jonah claimed to have been the first vendor to sell frozen margaritas at the ballpark. He keeps a spreadsheet and receipts from his transactions, which allow him to record a daily tally.
John showed off a receipt from June 18, 2021. In his notes, he wrote, “First time in history that Wrigley sold frozen margs.”
I can attest that Wrigley was late to the frozen marg game. I went to a Chicago Bull’s game years before that where we sipped on giant cups of frozen margs. (One was plenty.) But it’s fun to know that Jonah can claim a spot in Wrigley history.
I learned from Jonah’s posts that Wrigley offers delivery of food to your seat via Uber Eats. The Dodgers also offer this, and a number of teams now have servers bringing food in their most expensive seats. Let me know if you’ve ever taken advantage of mobile baseball food ordering.
Can Kolaches Go National?
Here in the Midwest, you can frequently find kolaches (co-LACH-ee) at local bakeries and supermarkets. They’re a Czech specialty made from a yeast-based pastry that is shaped like a wheel, or folded like a baby blanket to encase the filling.
I grew up with sweet kolaches, so I was surprised when I moved to New Orleans to find savory kolaches in the bakeries there.
Apparently, savory kolaches are popular in Texas, where they are often stuffed with sausage and sauteed ground meat. As people moved around, savory kolaches migrated to the Gulf Coast.
Last week, the Sporkful podcast asked, “Can The Kolache Be Bigger Than Texas?” It devoted the episode to reports from Texas and Brooklyn, where kolache makers are bidding to make the pastry into a national craze.
If you want to try some traditional Czech style kolaches, check out Helli’s Goodies — they ship anywhere in the U.S.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
On Monday, I’m scheduled to be a guest on WJR-AM radio in Detroit, talking about Too Good To Go, the subject of last week’s newsletter. The interview is set to air around 11:30 a.m. I’ll post a link next week.
I want to thank the readers who have contributed to CulinaryWoman via Buy Me A Coffee. It’s a way to show appreciation for my work, in any amount that you wish to donate. Paid subscriptions also help, too.
Tomorrow, I will be back for our paid subscribers with Red Beans & Advice. It is the height of asparagus season in Michigan and I’m going to share my favorite way to prepare it. (Hint: it’s easier than you think.)
Have a good week, and I’ll see you next Sunday. Go Tigers!