Daily Detroit

The Michelin Guide is bringing its Great Lakes ceremony to Detroit next April, and people have a lot of questions. What does a Michelin presence actually mean for our local food scene? How do diners, chefs, and journalists navigate the hype? To break it down, Detroit News restaurant critic Melody Baetens stopped by the TechTown studio. We talk about what those stars actually represent, what inspectors look for, and why the national spotlight is shifting toward the Great Lakes. Plus, Melody recently put together a list of 25 new and returning restaurants expected to open across Metro Detroit. We talk about some of the big highlights — from long-awaited returns like Cass Cafe and Highgrade Deli to fresh concepts like Agnes in West Village, Aurora Italiana, Slutty Vegan, Mike's Red Tacos, and Spiedo on West Canfield. Check out Melody's full list on The Detroit News: 25 Restaurants Expected to Open Soon in Metro Detroit Support the show: https://patreon.com/DailyDetroit

Norris and I sit down with Edmund Gray, CEO of Kissmet Music Group, for a conversation that I found completely fascinating in the context of today's fast-changing world.  Edmund is the creator behind Zhaion, an AI-hybrid R&B project grounded right here in Detroit, complete with a promotion online, free-to-play 8-bit game based on driving The Lodge. Rather than hiding the tech behind a curtain, Edmund is being entirely upfront about using generative tools to bring his music and world-building to life. We get into the ethics of the music business, the reality of creative tools, and why transparency matters as AI becomes, whether we like it or not, a part of our lives.  This is exactly the kind of smart, nuanced local discussion I love having on the show, and I think you're going to get a lot out of it. Check out Zhaion's new album No Clearance dropping this Friday. https://zhaion.com/ What do you think? Hit us up, [email protected] or 313-789-3211. Thanks for your support on Patreon!

A proposed Wayne and Oakland county millage could reshape access and provide ongoing sustainability to two of Metro Detroit's cornerstone historic institutions.  Jer Staes and Norris Howard are joined by Elana Rugh, president and CEO of the Detroit Historical Society, and Neil Barclay, president and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. The proposal would support free admission for county residents, transportation help for students and seniors, teacher curriculum resources, and funding for smaller public historical museums across the two counties. We talk about why the museums say they need a long-term funding model, what visitors can expect this fall, and why preserving Detroit's past — while collecting the history being made today — matters. The measure is listed on the back of the ballot as the Southeast Michigan Historical Museums Authority proposal. You'll find a full transcript on our website. More info: https://www.yestoourstory.com/ Feedback as always, [email protected] or 313-789-3211. 

On today's show, Norris Howard and I dig into SMART's new Route 500, which restores service to Hamtramck for the first time in more than a decade. It's a new bus connection between downtown Detroit, the DMC, Hamtramck, the North End, and the Bel Air Center.  It matters for a city like Hamtramck where about one in five households does not have a vehicle, and it also gives fans another way to get to Keyworth Stadium and people visiting the city a way to get to Hamtramck without am Uber. Then, photographer Ryan Southen and I head to the Detroit Institute of Arts for a preview of Georgia O'Keeffe: Architecture, a first-of-its-kind exhibition that looks beyond the flowers and into the buildings, cityscapes, barns, and New Mexico spaces that shaped her work. We also talk with Ben Colman, the DIA's curator of American art, about why bringing this exhibition to Detroit matters and how O'Keeffe's New York paintings connect with the skyscraper boom that shaped Detroit in the same era. Finally, we check in on Detroit City FC as Le Rouge heads into the final stretch of the regular season, chasing a top-four finish and a chance to host a playoff match at Keyworth. Saturday's matchup against Pittsburgh is a big one, and DCFC will wear special green Capuchin Soup Kitchen charity kits. Feedback as always [email protected] or 313-789-3211. Cover photo by Ryan Southen. What do you think on any of these topics? Hit us up, [email protected] or 313-789-3211. Thanks for your support on Patreon!

Ahead of the weekend, Devon and I break down my visit to Cosm Detroit, the new high-tech venue in downtown that's gotten a ton of buzz. The tech and immersive dome are very impressive, but dynamic pricing means ticket costs can jump in a hurry depending on what you're seeing. We debate - is dynamic pricing the way to go?  Plus, we also dive into some great local news with Cass Cafe returning to Midtown, sample a Banana Bread Old Fashioned, and unpack MDOT's new pilot program testing a per-mile road charge. Timestamps: 01:31 - What We're Drinking: Banana Bread Old Fashioned 05:33 - Cosm Detroit: Super Cool, But Might Be Costly  17:49 - Cass Cafe in Detroit returning 19:51 - Charge for roads per mile driven instead of the gas tax? Cover photo by Ryan Southen. What do you think on any of these topics? Hit us up, [email protected] or 313-789-3211. Sorry for the late posting this week. We still don't have internet at home on the east side and are digging out of the power outage. Regular schedule next week. Thanks for your support on Patreon!