We received comments in response to last week’s issue, our annual Best of Detroit issue.
The votes are in… and @metrotimes readers have selected our fearless leader, Mike Morse, as Detroit’s Best Attorney! ��
Thank you to everyone who voted for Mike and to Metro Times for including him in the running. We’re proud to continue standing up for justice together! ⚖
—Mike Morse Law Firm (@855mikewins), X
Cheers to @AdoptPetOakland for winning the “Best Animal Shelter” award category in the @MetroTimes’ annual 2024 BEST OF DETROIT issue. Check out other
#OaklandCounty winners, which include New York Bagel, @ArtsBeatsEats, and SOZAI. —Executive Office, Oakland County Michigan (@OakGovEO ), X
We did it, Detroit! ���� Dime Store just won Best Breakfast & Brunch in the @metrotimes Best of Detroit poll & it’s all thanks to you. We couldn’t be more grateful for the love & support from our amazing guests who’ve made us your go-to brunch spot. Thank you! �� #BestOfDetroit —Dime Store (@eatdimestore), X
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NEWS & VIEWS
Crowdfunding campaign aims to raise $30k to help reopen Temple Bar
When a part of the nearly 100-year-old Temple Bar building unexpectedly crumbled in May, owner George Boukas had no idea it would force his longstanding business located at 2906 Cass Ave., Detroit to close for half the year.
To help cover the costs, last week Temple Bar manager Larry Love launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign (bit.ly/3A3qJXD) with a goal of raising $30,000.
“We thought it would be relatively easy,” Boukas, who inherited the bar from his father and uncle nearly 40 years ago, tells Metro Times. “But because the building is historic and in the Cass Park Historic District, we had to get all of the plans approved through [them], and they only meet once a month.”
Historic districts are designated through local ordinance and enforced by a historic district commission in order to preserve the historic character of the neighborhood.
“We had submitted plans that [the commission] said weren’t historically accurate, so we had to continuously
go back and resubmit plans to their satisfaction,” Boukas says. “Which, you know, I didn’t have a problem with — I just wasn’t aware that this would keep us closed for five months.”
Boukas says he initially wanted to simplify the roof’s crumbled parapet into more of a streamlined art deco-inspired look, but the commission wanted him to retain the scrolling and shell shapes in the design, and to have them redone in limestone.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Boukas says. “Those costs are pretty astronomical.”
He adds, “People don’t realize that being closed for five months, none of the bills stopped. It costs the bar on the average $18,000 a month to be closed. That’s where we weren’t prepared, you know, for it taking this long.”
Boukas says the funds will help support his loyal staff of five, who have continued to come into Temple Bar to feed Darla, the bar’s resident cat who died last week at 22 years old.
“Oh, my God, they’ve been amazing,” Boukas says. “We were all coming in to to feed her and make sure that she was
taken care of and the bar was secure.”
Boukas says the problems with the historic commission were compounded by the fact that the historic district is covered not only by the Cass Park Historic District, but other commissions at the city, state, and federal levels.
“It’s a layering of historic designations,” he says. “We weren’t aware of the complexities of everything that we had to go through.”
Boukas says he thinks the rules and regulations of historic districts should be reconsidered.
“The issue for me is the commission only meets once a month, and it just slows down the process to complete a project on a timely basis,” he says. “Five months, to me, has been a long hard time.”
Boukas is hopeful, however, that he will be able to reopen his bar soon.
“It shouldn’t take that long,” at this point, he says. “The crews are already lined up. The materials are here.”
Aside from getting the bar up and running, Boukas says he plans to put a fresh coat of paint on the building to
better match the exact burgundy color it had in the 1940s.
Other than that, Boukas says he plans to change absolutely nothing about the bar.
“I love being a dive bar,” he says. “People walk in, they know what to expect. You know, we’re not pretentious, and it’s just fun. I love our clientele.”
Boukas says he added the rainbow neon lights in the bar’s windows years ago to signal that Temple Bar is a place that welcomes the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
“If this isn’t for you, don’t come in,” he says. “We have a gay party here once a month, and it was during a Red Wings game, and I have a bar full of gay folks, and all of a sudden, you know, we were hit with 100 Red Wings jerseys, and we didn’t know what to expect. These people had such a great time that when we closed at two o’clock, we still had 80 jerseys in the bar, having a blast.”
He adds, “That’s what we’re about — people understanding that it’s not that difficult to be nice.”
—Lee DeVito
This longstanding dive bar has been closed since May as its owner tries repair structural damage while maintaining the building’s historic character.
MASON SULTANA
New Wayne County Jail faces class-action lawsuit over unlawful detentions, dangerous conditions
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the new Wayne County Jail and several of its officials, alleging a disturbing pattern of unlawful detentions where hundreds of inmates are held beyond the time they are legally required to be released.
Attorneys at Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers and the Law Offices of Dean Elliott PLC filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, accusing jail officials of serious violations of detainees’ rights and shedding light on broader systemic issues within the facility that opened on Sept. 3.
One of the plaintiffs is 22-year-old Liam West-Campau, who was forced to stay in jail for six days beyond when a judge allowed him to post bond. West-Campau was arrested for a parole violation on Oct. 5. A Wayne County Circuit Court judge ordered his release on Oct. 8, setting a $2,000 personal bond and imposing
a tether requirement. West-Campau remained in custody for an additional six days. His mother had trouble finding him because the computer system was offline, and “there was no record or evidence of his whereabouts inside the jail,” the suit alleges.
West-Campau also claimed he was not allowed to make phone calls.
West-Campau’s case is not unique. Hundreds of inmates have been held for several days after a court ordered them to be released. The lawsuit alleges over-detention and excessive custody in violation of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
The lawsuit was filed against Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington, Chief of Jails Robert Dunlap, and five unnamed jail employees.
The lawsuit highlights numerous instances of inmates being unlawfully de-
tained, but it also underscores a broader pattern of troubling conditions at the jail, located at 5301 Russell St., Detroit.
Wayne County officials have promoted the new facility as a solution to the deplorable, outdated, and unsafe conditions of the old jails, promising improved safety for inmates.
But within just the past month, the facility has been plagued by reports of fighting, flooding, restricted attorney access, and inmates being forced to defecate in plastic bags. Most alarmingly, two inmates recently died by suicide, raising questions about the safety and oversight within the jail.
“The facility has been plagued by operational and administrative chaos resulting in multiple inmate deaths, protests, staffing shortages, dayslong lockdowns, crowded cells deputies quitting in frustration, offline computer systems, fights, and
Opinion
Trump is a pawn in Project 2025
flooding,” the lawsuit states. Without working computer systems, there is “no reliable way to locate, track, or identify inmates who are admitted into the facility.”
Inmates have endured dayslong lockdowns in overcrowded cells due to a shortage of deputies to staff the larger facility. These lockdowns have sparked incidents of fighting, as well as inmates damaging fire sprinklers and flooding cells in protest, according to Allen Cox, president of the Wayne County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
Cox said the stress has become so overwhelming that some deputies have resigned since the transition to the new jail, with several others considering leaving. About 2,500 adult and juvenile inmates are held in the new jail.
Wayne County officials, including the sheriff, declined to comment, saying they have not yet been served the lawsuit, which was filed Thursday.
—Steve Neavling
Four years ago, in early fall, Daniel Ellsberg thought a lot about the state where he grew up. Michigan loomed large in the presidential election, and the renowned Pentagon Papers whistleblower was eager to communicate with voters in this key swing state. He asked me to contact Metro Times
Days later, on October 13, 2020, this newspaper published an article that Dan wrote. After mentioning that he “attended public grade school in Highland Park and was a scholarship student in high school in Bloomfield Hills,” he went on to sound an alarm about Donald Trump: “It’s now of transcendent importance to prevent him from gaining a second term.”
Daniel Ellsberg passed away 16 months ago. If he could write a piece for Metro Times now, I’m sure his message would be similar: As president, Donald Trump “assaulted not only the First Amendment but also virtually every other aspect and institution of our country that preserves us as a republic.” And “we’re facing an authoritarian threat to our democratic system of a kind we’ve never seen before.”
In recent weeks, the blueprint for former President Trump’s possible second term has come into focus — Project 2025. Assembled by many former top officials in his administration, the 900-page document is ominous.
Project 2025 was authored “in partnership with the Heritage Foundation, a longstanding conservative think tank that opposes abortion and reproductive rights,
LGBTQ rights, immigrants’ rights, and racial equity,” the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) explains. The former director of Project 2025, Paul Dans, recently denounced what he called the “violent rhetoric” from the current president of the Heritage Foundation.
The repressive scope and magnitude of the Trumpist right-wing agenda is stunning. And it underscores the importance of preventing a Trump victory this fall.
“Project 2025 includes a long list of extreme policy recommendations touching on nearly every aspect of American life,” the ACLU explains. Here are just a few of them:
• Gutting abortion access: “Severely limiting abortion access nationwide by reversing the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion, and reviving a 19th century law, the Comstock Act, to ban any abortion medications, equipment, or materials from being sent through the U.S. Postal Service.”
• Mass deportations: “Targeting immigrant communities through mass deportations and raids, ending birthright citizenship, separating families, and dismantling our nation’s asylum system.”
• Abusing warrantless surveillance: “Exploiting the executive branch’s vast and unprecedented powers to spy on Americans’ lives with warrantless surveillance of our data.”
• Unleashing undue force on protestors: “Violating the First Amendment by using federal law enforcement to target journal-
ists and protestors.”
• Censoring critical discussions in classrooms: “Censoring academic discussions about race, gender, and systemic oppression, in violation of the First Amendment, and promising to cut federal funding for schools with curricula that touch on these subjects.”
• Rolling back trans rights: “Weaponizing federal law to require states and private actors to discriminate against transgender people by threatening to sue schools that protect the rights of trans students or telling hospitals that they would lose their Medicaid funding if they provide gender-affirming medical care to trans adolescents.
Trump has tried to run away from the rotten smell of Project 2025 by claiming that he hasn’t even read it. But CNN found that “at least 140 people who worked in the Trump administration had a hand in Project 2025” — including “more than half of the people listed as authors, editors and contributors to ‘Mandate for Leadership,’ the project’s extensive manifesto for overhauling the executive branch.”
Project 2025 may not be Trump’s plan, but a second Trump term is a crucial part of executing it.
Whether that manifesto becomes reality in the federal government could depend on whether Donald Trump wins in Michigan.
As a progressive, Dan Ellsberg was sharply critical of many aspects of Democratic Party leadership. He was a cham-
pion of Palestinian rights and Middle East peace. At the same time, he was emphatic about not equating the two major parties at election time, especially with Trump on the ballot. Dan warned that Trump represented an unprecedented “authoritarian threat” to democracy in the United States. Dan understood that efforts like Green Party presidential campaigns are misguided and even dangerous. But, he said dryly, he did favor third parties — on the right (“the more the better”). He knew what some progressives have failed to recognize as the usual reality of the U.S. electoral system: right-wing third parties help progressives and Democrats, while left-wing third parties help Republicans and the far right.
Bad as current realities were, Dan Ellsberg told me, it was definitely untrue that things couldn’t get worse. He deeply understood that the forces propelling Donald Trump could bring fascism to the United States — a fully adequate reason for swing-state voters to cast ballots for Joe Biden then, and for Kamala Harris now.
—Norman Solomon
Norman Solomon is the national director of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His latest book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine, was published in paperback this fall with a new afterword about the Gaza war.
NEWS & VIEWS
Lapointe Dead microphone makes it tough for Trump to talk trash
By Joe Lapointe
When Donald Trump’s microphone stopped working for about 15 minutes during a presidential campaign speech in downtown Detroit on Friday night, you had to wonder what the Republican candidate might have said or done in that precious but lost quarterhour.
He might have praised the size of Arnold Palmer’s penis, the way he did Saturday night in a Pennsylvania speech that went beyond cringy.
He might have insulted the Motor City again, the way he did in the previous week at the Detroit Economic Club, when he said the election of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris would make the whole nation as bleak and desolate as Detroit.
Or, Disco Donnie might have dee-jayed another record hop, as he did earlier last week at a “town hall” near Philadelphia. After two audience members fainted, Trump dropped the question-and-answer format and played music from the stage for 30 minutes, bopping and swaying his big body to tunes that included the gay anthem “YMCA.” Like old Arnie, Big Donnie is “all man.”
After the sound returned at Huntington Place Friday, the most stunning reaction by the former president was not that he threatened to stiff the technicians on the bill. He does this all the time with
campaign contractors and lawyers. He did brag about his personal volume.
“I’m blowin’ out my voice,” he said. “I’ll scream like hell into the mic.”
No, what seemed out of character for Trump — after he wandered around the stage with his back to the audience and to the camera — is that he blamed nobody for a conspiracy of high-tech sabotage to shut his big mouth.
He didn’t blame criminal terrorist immigrants of color from foreign prisons and lunatic asylums for swimming across the international border of the Detroit River from Canada to pull plugs under what used to be called Cobo Hall.
Nor did Trump accuse left-wingliberal-progressive-socialist-communistMarxist-Democrats and their misguided local union supporters of robbing him of his First Amendment rights by flipping a power switch in the same building where Trump’s thugs tried to riot after falsely accusing Joe Biden of stealing the 2020 election.
Indeed, when he resumed his prepared, rambling, and sometimes incoherent speech, Trump even managed to avoid the creepy joke — ostensibly about Biden — that he passed off as humor on the previous night in New York at the Al Smith dinner. Oh, but he must have been tempted.
“Right now, we have someone in the
White House who can barely talk, barely put together two coherent sentences, who seems to have the mental faculties of a child,” Trump told the audience at the Catholic charity event on Thursday. “There’s a person that has nothing going. No intelligence whatsoever. But enough about Kamala Harris.”
Heh-heh-heh. Note how Trump “humor” is never self-deprecating and always has a targeted victim as the butt of the joke. All the better if that victim is a progressive woman of color. He also joked to the Catholic gathering that some men might vote for Harris, but their wives and mistresses will vote for Trump.
He would know, because Trump knows dames. He famously once bragged about grabbing women by their genitals as a means of introduction, like a handshake. Note also the curious verb Trump used last week on a podcast to describe a Hollywood movie producer accused of sex crimes.
“I was so amazed that Harvey Weinstein got schlonged,” Trump told right-wing bully Dan Bongino. The word “schlong” is defined as “a rude word for penis.”
To use it in this context is to imply that Weinstein is a victim, kind of like the late Trump buddy Jeffrey Epstein. Trump, who vows to crack down on sex education in public schools, was found liable in a civil trial by a jury this year for sex abuse.
His 34 felony convictions involve a different matter — a hush money payment to a porn star. No wonder “evangelicals” love Trump, who also sells Bibles.
In the warmup acts to Trump’s appearance on Detroit’s riverfront, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers warned the audience of males in female locker rooms, which is Republican code for homophobia and opposition to the progress of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Once Trump took the stage, he ridiculed Harris for the pronunciation of her first name (“I don’t give a damn if I don’t pronounce it right”).
And he promised “the largest deportation program in American history.” (Psst! Mr. President! Sir! Might this include Michigan’s many Arabs and Muslims or Spanish-speaking people?)
One word never heard Friday from the podium in Detroit was “abortion,” an issue with a strong undercurrent in every election since 2022, when Trump’s kangaroo Supreme Court of religious fundamentalists abolished a woman’s right to choose reproductive health care.
On the “Right Side Broadcasting Network” — which streamed online every minute of the Detroit rally — viewers were urged in commercial breaks to buy the red, white, and blue “Trump Combat Knife” for only $150 from something called “PatriotAddict Deals.” Makes a great gift!
Back on the scene at the old Cobo, the young fellow co-anchoring the show gushed into his working microphone that Trump is “a man of true masculinity.” Perhaps the kid over-stated his case, but it sure is true that his large, loud, orangefaced, yellow-haired demagogue is one big schmuck.
Tech trouble mars the ex-President’s latest Detroit visit.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI
A quArter century of screAms and scares
PONTIAC’S EREBUS
HAUNTED ATTRACTION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF FEAR AND INNOVATION
By Layla McMurtrie
hrill-seekers from around the world visit Michigan every Halloween season to be devoured by giant creatures, chased by monsters, swallowed by a swamp, and even buried alive.
These are just a few of the bonechilling experiences that have made Erebus Haunted Attraction in Pontiac a legendary destination, now celebrating its 25th anniversary with new thrills.
Founders Ed and Jim Terebus, known to some as the “grandfathers of haunting,” have a story that goes back even further than the opening of Erebus’s current home in 2000. The brothers first entered the scare business in the 1980s with a humble setup — a tent in
a Kmart parking lot — and eventually expanded to 10 mobile trailers to house their frights.
“Back then, people weren’t so finicky,” Ed tells Metro Times. “The very first haunted house we set up was in the low spot of the parking lot, so every time it rained, all the water ran toward us. People were literally walking through three or four inches of water, and I don’t think we ever got one complaint.”
Once Ed and Jim found the building that now hosts Erebus though, they put everything on the line.
“This building was vacant for 40 years before we got it,” Ed says. “There was nothing inside of it. Nothing was
working. The roof was leaking. Anything working in that building now, we made it work. I sold my house. Jim remortgaged his. It’s kind of like the Vikings. The Vikings would sail across the ocean, they would burn their ships and say, ‘We either succeed or die.’ So, we sold everything we had. We borrowed money from friends and family. We were either gonna succeed or go down in flames.”
Fortunately, Erebus was a hit, gaining national recognition not just for its terrifying scares but for its immersive and creative storyline — a twisted tale of time travel gone wrong.
The backstory, as Ed explains, revolves around Dr. Colbert, a scientist
who built a government-funded time machine. Unfortunately, the machine identifies humans as viruses, so each time someone enters, it tries to destroy them. Desperate for more funding, Colbert disguises the machine as a haunted house, drawing in willing test subjects and using their admissions to finance his experiments.
This creative edge sets Erebus apart, allowing the attraction to transport visitors through time — from outer space to ancient Egypt — making every season feel like a new adventure.
Since the Terebus brothers started over four decades ago, they say technology has been the biggest change in the haunted house industry.
The fright crew at Erebus Haunted Attraction in downtown Pontiac.
COURTESY PHOTO
“Before, everybody was pushing buttons and pulling strings to make things move,” Ed says. “Now, with technology, we can automate everything, synchronize sound and lighting effects, and make the scares even more intense.”
Erebus, named after the Greek god of darkness, has led the way in developing haunted house effects that are now used across the country.
“In this market back then, we probably had almost 70 to 100 haunts within 50 miles of us,” Ed says. “So when we went to a trade show, we really couldn’t buy something that everybody else had, because we’d be just like them. It kind of forced us to be a little innovative. And by innovating, we were able to build things that other people didn’t have.”
One of their most famous creations is The Swamp, where guests feel as though they are wading through murky water — without ever getting wet. They’ve also introduced other experiences like bottomless pits, their iconic “buried alive” effect, and props that touch visitors.
“Rather than having people touch you, we created things that will touch you,” Ed says. “In our haunt, we have things that will grab you, bite you, land on top of you. We’ll put you in a room and bury you alive, but no human will touch you. We actually create things that will do that.”
Every year, the Terebus brothers and their team introduce new and exciting features to keep visitors on their toes.
“We spend all year getting ready for next year, trying to create a new concept, a new idea, a new something,” Ed says. “We sit down, we collaborate, we share ideas, we come up with a bunch of stuff, and then we try to see if it is feasible or not. It’s almost a cross between a haunted house and a fun house, just because of some of the things going on in here. We just try to be unique and different.”
He adds, “We never build the same thing twice. We create something new each year, so the creativity never stops.”
This commitment to innovation often leads to memorable moments, both for the visitors and the actors.
“I had a ‘Show no mercy’ philosophy,” Ed says. “Somebody’s paying to be scared? Let’s get ‘em. Let’s get ‘em good. If they say stop, don’t stop, get them harder. And if I said, ‘Don’t scare them,’ that was the keyword for, ‘Come out and give them everything you got.’”
In one incident, a woman passed out, and while trying to escort her out of the haunted house, Ed unintentionally yelled, “Don’t scare her!” Naturally, the staff took it as a cue to scare her even more, and she passed out over five more times on the way to her car.
Then, Ed witnessed his own scare. “She jumped in her car; she was gonna take off, and from the passenger side window, I reached in and grabbed her keys so she couldn’t leave, because I’m thinking, ‘You’re going to pass out and kill somebody,’” he says. “This woman grabbed my arm like a chicken leg and took a chunk out of my arm. The fire department actually held me longer than they held her.”
He adds, “I’ve seen people run into walls and knock themselves unconscious. I’ve seen people knock down walls… It’s fun to be scared. It’s a whole lot more fun to scare people.”
For the actors at Erebus, it’s not really about the money. “They’re here to scare people and have fun,” Ed says. “It’s kind of a neat experience being behind the scenes and watching people react, and you can’t help but to giggle.”
Now, in honor of its 25th anniversary, Erebus Haunted Attraction has revamped its third floor with nostalgic Halloween vibes. Guests enter a haunted forest lit by jack-o’-lanterns, encounter the boogeyman, and are devoured by a giant, chomping pumpkin.
Aside from the new thrills, Erebus has also planned a series of special activities to celebrate 25 years of fear. Each day this season, giveaways include limited-edition 25th-anniversary apparel, tickets to the recently opened
Mythos Museum of Oddities and Curiosities next door, passes to the Erebus Escape escape room, and gift caskets filled with prizes like cash and gaming consoles. The haunted house is also rewarding “Speed Pass” ticket holders attending the first time slot each night with exclusive Erebus T-shirts.
Reflecting on over four decades in the industry, Ed is still passionate about the future of Erebus, and he and his brother remain focused on keeping the experience new and exciting — creativity that has been key to their long-standing success.
“We’ve been scaring people our whole life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” he says. “It’s been a lot of screams and a lot of laughter. It’s been a lot of good times. We’ve had a blast. It’s been great for the families, it’s been great for the friends, it’s a unique opportunity.”
He adds, “People are getting more difficult to scare nowadays. I can’t scare everybody, but I can guarantee you a good time. We appreciate everyone who’s supported us for 25 years — 44 years in total. It’s been a great run.”
Erebus Haunted Attraction is located at 18 S. Perry St., Pontiac. More information is available at hauntedpontiac. com.
A colorful character at Erebus.
COURTESY PHOTO
Erebus draws inspiration from a wide swath of horror genres.
COURTESY PHOTO
Ghouls night out
LOCAL HALLOWEEN BAR POP-UPS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS
By Layla McMurtrie
As fall creeps in, metro Detroit brings a variety of spooky Halloween-themed pop-up bars to visit. If you enjoy dark and eerie decor or fun fall vibes, these spots are perfect for enjoying a seasonal cocktail or two with friends. From haunted speakeasies to gothicinspired lounges, here’s a roundup of must-visit pop-up bars in the area this Halloween season.
HaloWeiss iIi
Through Oct. 31; Weiss Distilling Co., 34 E. 14 Mile Rd., Clawson; thewdc.com Weiss Distilling Co. is bringing back HaloWeiss for a third year in a row. This year is introducing 31 new creepy cocktails, served in everything from cauldrons to pumpkins and skulls. Plus, the atmosphere is decked out with creepy decorations, making it a great spot to enjoy a unique drinking experience throughout October.
NIgHtmare on Bagley
Through Oct. 31; 2545 Bagley St., Detroit; onbagley.com
This pop-up is returning to its Southwest Detroit location with Halloweenthemed drinks and an array of spooky decorations. The spot is known for its
playfully named cocktails like “Bloodrita” and “Peaches & Scream.” This year’s event continues to build on the space’s reputation for seasonal pop-ups, having previously hosted Blitzen’s on Bagley during the Christmas season and Vixen’s on Bagley for Valentine’s Day. The intimate, themed atmosphere makes it a fun destination for those looking to get into the Halloween spirit with friends or a lover.
Jojo’s PumPkIn Patch
Through Oct. 31; Jojo’s Shake Bar, 88 W. Columbia St., Detroit; jojosshakebar.com/pumpkin-patch
If cozy fall vibes are more your thing, Jojo’s Shake Bar is hosting an experience for all ages. Jojo’s Pumpkin Patch is serving up guests with warm hot chocolate and fall-themed photo ops, perfect for gathering with family or friends and enjoying a casual vibe. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the pop-up blends the fall season with Halloween.
225 spookeasy
Through Oct. 31; Atwater Brewery, 237 Joseph Campau Ave., Detroit; instagram.com/225speakeasy
Atwater Brewery is bringing the Hal-
ences. With its expansion into 35 cities across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, this year’s Detroit location will feature a carefully curated cocktail menu. Drinks made with sponsor brands like Lot 40 Rye, Fords Gin, Mezcal Union, and Mr. Black Cold Brew Liqueur will be paired with dark decor.
Halloween Pop-Up at Host UtIca
Through Oct. 31; Host Utica, 7759 Auburn Rd., Utica; hostutica.com
This local co-working space and restaurant is hosting a Halloween pop-up for the first time this year, every Friday and Saturday night in October. The vibes will be spooky and romantic, with fun cocktails, perfect for a unique fall date with a lover.
spookeasy Pop-Up Bar
Through Oct. 31; Royal Park Hotel, Rochester; royalparkhotelmi.com
The Royal Park Hotel in Rochester is hosting its first ever Halloween pop-up bar this year, collaborating with Maker’s Mark to create an eerie “spookeasy” experience. The bar is transformed with dim lighting, cobwebs, spiders, floating candles, and purple hues, creating an eerie setting. Guests can enjoy a selection of craft cocktails, spooky-inspired bites, and festive decor.
loween spirit to its Detroit location with its “225 Spookeasy.” Guests will find themselves in a setting filled with spooky decor, paired with a lineup of unique, Halloween-inspired cocktails. The “speakeasy”-style pop-up offers a relaxed, haunted environment. Reservations are encouraged.
WIcked ‘shop shop
Through Oct. 31; Union Woodshop, 18 S. Main St., Clarkston; unionwoodshop.com
Throughout October, guests can head to Union Woodshop’s upstairs bar space to enjoy themed craft cocktails, festive bites, and a series of Halloween surprises. The venue remains family-friendly until the kitchen closes at 9 p.m., after which it shifts to 21+ only. Special events will happen every Saturday such as free tarot card readings and a ghost walk through downtown Clarkston.
Black lagoon
Through Nov. 5; The Skip, 1234 Library St., Detroit; blacklagoonpopup.com
Acclaimed Halloween pop-up Black Lagoon is making its Detroit debut this year. Created by industry veterans Erin Hayes and Kelsey Ramage, Black Lagoon offers a gothic-inspired bar setting with a macabre mix of goth and metal influ-
Drag Queen trIvIa –Halloween anD Hocus Pocus edItIon
Through Oct. 30; Five15, 600 S. Washington Ave., Royal Oak; five15.net
Five15 in Royal Oak hosts its popular Drag Queen Trivia every Wednesday night, but during October, it takes on a Halloween twist. With spooky themes and Halloween-related trivia questions, the event offers a fun, interactive way to enjoy the season. Guests are encouraged to dress in costumes, and each week brings new trivia questions, offering an entertaining way to celebrate Halloween.
the Black salt
All year; 2764 Florian St., Hamtramck; theblacksaltbar.com
Although The Black Salt operates year-round, its witchy aesthetic makes it a perfect destination for those who enjoy the Halloween season. The bar features occult-inspired decor and potion-themed cocktails. You can even purchase a spell kit with your drink or rent tarot cards to use with your friends. Though it’s not a pop-up, this spot’s haunting atmosphere and eclectic menu make it a must-visit for anyone looking to extend the Halloween spirit beyond October.
Black Lagoon will be at The Skip through Nov. 5.
COURTESY PHOTO
The fright sTuff
METRO DETROIT 2024
HALLOWEEN PARTY GUIDE
By Metro Times staff
alloween is almost here — do you have your costume ready? More importantly, do you know where you’re partying? We’ve put together this list of Halloween happenings in and around Detroit in case you need some ideas. (If we missed anything, let us know by emailing tips@metrotimes.com and we’ll add it to the list!)
ednesday, Oct. 23 W
Grand River Brewery: Halloween Beer d inner 6-9 p.m.; 1 E. 14 Mile Rd., Clawson; grandriverbrewery.com; $60. Five-course meal paired with seasonal craft beers.
riday, Oct. 25 F
The Crofoot: Creepy Cheapy Halloween Treat X v I ( n ig H t 1)
6:30 p.m.; 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; thecrofoot.com; $15.
Live costumed cover bands include tributes to Cardi B, Chase & Status, the Cranberries, Creed, the Cure, Ed Sheeran, Green Day, Hatebreed, Joy Division, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, limp Bizkit, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Panic! at the Disco, the Ramones, and Rob Zombie.
necTo: Pride Halloween
8 p.m.; 516 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; necto.com; $25. Costume contest hosted by Chanel Hunter and Perry Dox with cash prizes. Music by DJ Edward Alan, DJ Kass, and DJ Digimark.
aturday, Oct. 26 S
Bar R el House
9 p.m.; 22740 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; barrelhouseferndale.com; no cover.
Music by DJ party Boy Lance, complimentary passed appetizers, and a $500 cash prize for best costume.
Bleu: nigHtmare on WoodWard
10 p.m.; 1540 Woodward Ave., Detroit; bleudetroit.com; ticket info TBA.
Ladies free in costume with RSVP.
The Crofoot: Creepy Cheapy
Halloween Treat XvI (nigHt 2)
6:30 p.m.; 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; thecrofoot.com; $15.
Live costumed cover bands include tributes to Arctic Monkeys, Eminem, Foo Fighters, Misfits, Mötley Crüe, One Direction, Outkast, Ozzy Osbourne, Phoebe Bridgers, Pierce the Veil, the Prodigy, Sabrina Carpenter, Stone Temple Pilots, Sum 41, System of a Down, and Weezer.
easTern Palace Club: (un) HapPy endinGs Halloween danCe ParTy XIV
10 p.m.; 21509 John R Rd., Hazel Park; epchp.com; no cover.
DJs Mike Trombley and Udenjoe spin classic alternative, dark wave, and goth music.
elekTricity: Rave From
tHe Grave
9 p.m.; 15 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac; elektricitymusic.com; $10-$20.
Music by Trblmakr, Klees, and Mushkilla. Costume contest features more than $5,000 in cash prizes including a pair of round-trip tickets to Hawaii.
necTo: FrequenCy
Halloween
8 p.m.; 516 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; necto.com; $25.
Costume contest hosted by MC 3Steez at midnight featuring cash prizes. Music by The Maestro DJ, DJ Slim, DJ Sins, DJ Joey P, DJ Skoob E, MC 3Steez, DJ K-Hawk, and DJ Rondon.
o’Connor’s Public House
10 p.m.; 324 S. Main St., Rochester; oconnorsrochester.com; no cover.
Music by Vavoom at 10 p.m., costume contest at midnight, followed by complimentary buffet.
Roger’s RoosT: Gasoline alley
8 p.m.; 33626 Schoenherr Rd., Sterling Heights; rogersroost1.com; no cover.
Costume contest and classic rock from Gasoline Alley.
urBanResT BrewinG Co.: Halloween market (day 1)
1-5 p.m.; 2615 Wolcott St., Ferndale; urbanrest.com; no cover.
Vendors include Oily Cabin Life, CASKconcepts, Everlasting Links Permanent Jewelry, Storybox Charms, Junk Jules, Potting in Pink, and Kyber Perl.
Whiskey Taco FoxTrot: Femme Fatale! Halloween HorRor drag Show
9 p.m.; 28 S. Main St., Clawson; whiskeytacofoxtrotclawson.com; no cover.
Drag performances by Aphrodite, Anna Rexia, and Lotipha Hunter.
Vendors include Audrey Louise Designs, Whipped Up Cosmetics, Bundle and Bunch Floral, Melanie Making, CASKconcepts, Kat & Crew, Happy June Clay, and Bookend Candle Co.
onday, Oct. 28 m
necTo: FacTory Halloween
8 p.m.; 516 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; necto. com; $25.
Hosted by resident DJ Xylatoxic, with music by Remnant, Marc Church, DJ Darks Choir, Spacey K, and DJ Havok. Midnight costume contest with cash prizes.
uesday, Oct. 29 T
The ShelTer: FrigHt FesT double Feature (nigHt 1)
6 p.m. doors; 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; livenation.com; $64-$192.
Music from House Of Krazees, Alla Xul Elu, Mastamind, King Gordy, Bukshot, and N.B.K.
ednesay, Oct. 30 W
SaInT andrew’s Hall: FrigHt FesT double Feature (nigHt 2)
6 p.m. doors; 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; livenation.com; $49-$66.
Music from Twiztid, Blaze Ya Dead Homie, Anybody Killa, Boondox, and more.
hursday, Oct. 31 T
masonic TemPle: Hallowicked
3 p.m. doors; 500 Temple St., Detroit; $59-$150.
Rap duo Insane Clown Posse’s 31st annual Faygo-drenched Halloween extravaganza. Juggalo Championship Wrestling in the lobby from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis, with the main event starting at 6 p.m.
necTo: Halloween
9 p.m.; 516 E. Liberty St., Ann Arbor; necto.com; $30.
Midnight costume contest with cash prizes hosted by MC 3Steez. Music by the Maestro DJ, DJ Slim, DJ Sins, DJ Skoob E, MC 3Steez, K-Hawk, and DJ Rondon.
new dodGe lounGe: The HaunTed Halloween Hall of Havoc and HisTrionicS
Select events happening in metro Detroit this week. Be sure to check venue website before events for latest information. Add your event to our online calendar: metrotimes.com/AddEvent.
Monster Mash Costume Party with The 1985 Totally 80’s Tribute 8 p.m.; Diamondback Music
Hall, 49345 S. Interstate 94 Service Dr., Belleville; $20.
Paxton/Spangler Band 6-9 p.m.; Gumbo’s, 53 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens; no cover.
Sam Divine, Kyle Watson, Andrea Ghita 9 p.m.; Magic Stick, 4120 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $20-$25.
Sango, Rochelle Jordan, Savon 8 p.m.; El Club, 4114 W. Vernor Hwy., Detroitt; $26-$66.
Senior Day Trip: Detroit Symphony Orchestra “Music of the Knights” (featuring the music of Sir Elton John, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Sir Paul McCartney) 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Departs from The War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms; $55.
Vitamin String Quartet 8 pm; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $25-$50.
Saturday, Oct. 26 Live/Concert
Austin Snell, Cam Allen 7 p.m.; District 142, 142 Maple St., Wyandotte; $15-$49.
Blxst, Leon Thomas. Joony 7 p.m.; The Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; $36-$46.
CAC presents The Witching Hour (A Halloween Party!) 6 p.m.midnight; Carbon Athletic Club, 111 Gates St., Detroit; $10 (cash only).
Detroit Concert Choir 7:30 p.m.; The Hawk Theatre, 29995 W 12 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills; $25.
Drop Dead Detroit: Loud Luxury, Ship Wrek, Nostalgix, BYNX 8 p.m.; Detroit Masonic Temple Library, 500 Temple St, Detroit; $34-$95.
Fire Lake (Bob Seger tribute), Detroit Shakedown(J. Geils tribute) 8 p.m.; The Token Lounge, 28949 Joy Rd., Westland; $20-$120.
Orchestra Sono: A Night in Latin America featuring Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still, Variaciones concertantes by Alberto Ginastera 7-9 p.m.; Nardin Park Methodist Church, 29887 W. Eleven Mile, Farmington; $25.
The Dear Hunter, Reign of Kindo, Redwood 6:30 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $30. Twitty & Lynn (A salute to Conway & Loretta) 8 p.m.; Flagstar Strand Theatre for the Performing Arts, 12 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac; $30-$60.
Vince Staples 6 p.m.; Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic Temple, 500 Temple St., Detroit; $51.
DJ/Dance
Halloween at Castle Hall 8 p.m.-2 a.m.; Castle Hall, 1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit; $39-$1,899.
Halloween at Daxton Hotel 8 p.m.-2 a.m.; Daxton Hotel, 298 S Old Woodward Ave., Birmingham, Birmingham; $29.
Sunday, Oct. 27
Live/Concert
Grosse Pointe Symphony Orchestra Concert 7-9 p.m.; The War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms; $5-$20.
Magic Bag Presents: Corb Lund, Branson Anderson 7 p.m.; Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; $23.
That Mexican OT, Drodi, Hogg Booma 7 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $39.50.
The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, Cell, Sabella, Frail Body, Saltwound, Wounded Touch, World Of Malice 5 p.m.; Sanctuary Detroit, 2932 Caniff St., Hamtramck; $20.
Monday, Oct. 28
Live/Concert
Sky Covington’s Take 5: All Male Jazz Revue (Louis Armstrong, Leon Thomas, Bill Whithers & Miles Davis) 7-10 p.m.; Aretha’s Jazz Cafe, 350 Madison St., Detroit; $35.
The Devil Wears Prada is Eternal, Silent Planet, Like Moths To Flames, Seeyouspacecowboy, Greyhaven 5:30 p.m.; Saint Andrew’s Hall, 431 E. Congress St., Detroit; $35. DJ/Dance
B.Y.O.R Bring Your Own Records Night 9 p.m.-midnight; The Old Miami, 3930 Cass Ave., Detroit; no cover. Karaoke
Open Mic : Art in a Fly Space 7-10 p.m.; Detroit Shipping Company, 474 Peterboro St., Detroit; no cover.
THEATER
Performance
Detroit Opera House La traviata;. $30-175; Friday, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Fox Theatre Sesame Street Live: Say Hello!; $27.50-$67.50; Friday, 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Meadow Brook Theatre Strangers On a Train; $41; Wednesday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Thursday, 8 p.m.; Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Rosedale Community Players Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner by Todd Kreidler. A progressive white couple’s proud liberal sensibilities are put to the test when their daughter brings her Black fiance home to meet them in this fresh and relevant stage adaptation of the iconic film. Blindsided by their daughter’s whirlwind romance and fearful for her future, they quickly come to realize the difference between supporting a mixed-race couple in your newspaper and welcoming one into your family. Matinees available on our website. $18; Fridays, Saturdays, 8-10 p.m.
Royal Oak Music Theatre Bob The Drag Queen; $32.50-$82.50; Saturday, 7 p.m.
Tipping Point Theatre The Jigsaw Bride: A Frankenstein Story (staged reading). At the end of the Victorian era, Maria von Moos makes an incredible discovery in the ruins of a Swiss castle: Justine, a woman frozen in time for a hundred years. She brings this stranger into her home and a journey of science and hope begins. As Justine begins to remember who and what she is, Maria sees a future brighter than she could imagine. But harsh realities and betrayals threaten all they hope to accomplish when a traveling circus comes to town. $10 suggested donation); Monday, 7-8:30 p.m.
Musical
Birmingham Village Players Next to Normal. Enter a tumultuous world where love, loss, and mental illness collide. Birmingham Village Players
Drake’s birthday treat
World-famous music artist Drake is giving out the gift of Dave’s Hot Chicken for his birthday.
On Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., metro Detroiters can visit Dave’s Hot Chicken in Dearborn, Troy, Warren, Southfield, Shelby Township, East Lansing, or Howell to pick up their present: a free Dave’s Hot Chicken Slider.
The popular Nashville-style hot chicken chain started seven years ago in a parking lot in East Hollywood, and has since become the fastest growing restaurant chain in America. In 2021, Drake became an investor in Dave’s Hot Chicken after trying the food and meeting the founders, and this is his third year celebrating by giving away free food for his birthday.
“We love that Drake is choosing to celebrate his birthday with Dave’s guests,” Bill Phelps, Dave’s Hot Chicken’s CEO, said in a press release. “As this brand expands from coast-to-coast and abroad, it’s the authenticity of the food, founders, team members and
presents this Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical October 25 to November 10. $30; Friday, 8-11 p.m.; Saturday, 8-11 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-5 p.m.
Fisher Theatre - Detroit MJ: The Musical (Touring); $59-$221; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Riverside Arts Center The Brain That Wouldn’t Die! (The Musical). An all-original show inspired by the 1960s cult classic movie, at the Riverside Arts Center. This world premiere production blends humor, horror, and catchy tunes, featuring a pioneering scientist’s groundbreaking head transplant experiment. Delight in an evening of campy charm, eerie fun, and inventive storytelling. With memorable musical numbers and a unique theatrical experience, this show is a must-see. Please note, it contains mature themes and is not suitable for young children. Tickets are $15 general admission seating, $10 for seniors 60+, students and bridge card holders. Friday, 7-9 p.m.; Saturday, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.; and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
The Back Office Studio Ghoulita Graves Presents...It’s Alive! A Black Cat B-Movie Parody. This year’s Black Cat production brings to life a 1950s B-movie
23-29, 2024 | metrotimes.com
investors, like Drake, which ensure we’ll continue to blow peoples’ minds.”
Anyone who visits a local Dave’s in person and scans their Dave’s Hot Chicken app will receive their free slider, thanks to Drake. More information on the chain can be found at daveshotchicken. com. —Layla McMurtrie
parody. Hosted by Ghoulita Graves, a larger-than-life queen of cable access horror, It’s Alive! A Black Cat B-Movie Parody is a camp-tastic homage to the Golden Age of schlock cinema. Set in 1957, at the height of Cold War paranoia, the show follows a wily Michigan scientist who embarks on a bizarre government mission: protecting American lawns from Sputnik. In this parallel world, the space satellite is actually part of a plan to annihilate one of the American family’s most prized possession its greenery. $15 online, $12 students, and $20 at the door. Thursday, 8-10 p.m.; Friday, 8-10 p.m.; and Saturday, 8 p.m.-midnight.
COMEDY
Improv
Go Comedy! Improv Theater Go Comedy! All-Star Showdown; $25; Friday 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturday 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Greg Warren; $25; Thursday, 7:30-9 p.m.; Friday, 7:15-8:45 p.m. and 9:45-11:15 p.m.; and Saturday, 7-8:30 p.m. and 9:30-11 p.m
Lucas Zelnick; $25; Sunday, 7:30-9 p.m. Woodbridge Pub HaHaHalloween Comedy Competition Aqua Tofana is master of ceremonies for the night,
bringing you a unique blend of stand-up, cos play and charm. Dress up Detroit, costumes are strongly encouraged. Costume contests, drink specials, and a stand-up comedy competition for a headlining spot in November’s comedy show! Open mic sign-up at 9:30 p.m., show at 10 p.m. Good food, good drinks, good vibes. No cover; 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
MISC.
Podcast: Live podcast
Planet Ant Black Box Art of Darkness Live - The Uncanny Death of Harry Houdini. A live Halloween event featuring a sinister tale of magic, mystery, and the macabre about the death of the singular Harry Houdini in Detroit, 1926. Costumes are encouraged. $25; Saturday, 7-9:30 p.m.; artofdarkpod.com.
Continuing This Week Stand-up
Blind Pig Blind Pig Comedy FREE Mondays, 8 pm.
The Independent Comedy Club at Planet Ant The Sh*t Show Open Mic: Every Friday & Saturday at The Independent. A weekly open mic featuring both local amateurs and touring professionals. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show begins at 9 pm. The evening always ends with karaoke in the attached Ghost Light Bar! $5 suggested donation. Attached bar Ghost Light opens at 7 p.m. A late night, heckle encouraged, show up, go up stand-up open mic featuring both local amateurs and touring professionals. Sign up starts at 10:30 p.m. and the show begins at 11 p.m.
FILM
Screening
Bowlero Lanes & Lounge Doom City Cinema Presents: 13 Ghosts Spooky Movie Night. Featuring William Castle’s 13 Ghosts, Projected in the lounge. No cover; Thursday, 7 p.m.
Emagine Canton Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 live Q&A and screening at 7 p.m. Friday; Art the Clown photo ops 11 a.m. Saturday, autograph and photo sessions 2-5 p.m. Saturday.
ARTS
Artist talk
Artist Talk with Ben Sharkey at Danielle Peleg Gallery, Oct. 26 Join us for an exclusive evening with the celebrated artist Ben Sharkey at the Danielle Peleg Gallery. This intimate artist talk offers a rare opportunity to delve into Ben’s artistic journey, explore the inspiration behind his captivating works, and discover his unique techniques firsthand. Saturday, 7-9 p.m.; Danielle Peleg Gallery, 3295 Orchard Lake Rd., Keego Harbor.
COURTESY PHOTO
FOOD
These tortillas are tops
By Jane Slaughter
Vecino
4100 3rd St., Detroit
313-500-1615
vecinodetroit.com
Masa dishes $12-$28, entrées $23-$78, cocktails $14-$18
I was confused to see various food writers exclaiming about Vecino’s practice of nixtamalization. They talked about the ancient Mesoamerican method of preparing corn as if it were a rediscovery by hip modern chefs. No: if you have ever eaten a corn tortilla, you have reaped the benefits of nixtamalization.
The difference is whether your tortilla, like the vast majority consumed in the U.S., was made with masa harina flour, where the nixtamalization took place in a factory, or whether the cook took the raw corn kernels herself, soaked them in lime water (cal) to soften, and then ground them into masa (dough). The chefs at Vecino, to their great credit, do the latter.
I like what the Breadtopia website has to say about nixtamalization: “Easily one of the greatest human discoveries — right up there with fermentation and fire.” Besides making a tough corn kernel soft enough to eat, nixtamalization adds calcium and makes vitamin B3 (niacin) and iron available to the body, which is not the case with untreated corn.
At Vecino, said executive chef Edgar Torres, who came to Detroit only this summer, he imports multiple varieties of corn kernels from Mexico, 200 pounds at a time: “That’s the main reason for the prices sometimes.” Pink Xocoyul and Cacahuazintle from the state of Mexico, Jala Amarillo and Blue Bolita from Nayarit, Red or Purple Cónico: Torres says you won’t notice a flavor difference among the varieties, but you’ll see the range of colors and the textures vary. “Some corns are better for tortillas,” he explains, “different corns are better for quesadillas or sopes, something thicker.”
The result in his fragile, tender tor-
tillas (two for $3) are that they actually taste like corn, a different breed altogether from store-bought. One night they were a swirl of blue and yellow. Torres’s corn chips, too, are to Frito’s corn chips as angels are to human beings, to steal a simile. That’s because they too taste like corn, rather than fried fat. They might be yellow, pink, or blue.
Be aware that in the masa portion of the menu (tlayudas, quesadillas, huaraches, enchiladas, tostadas), where prices are lower than for the items “del fuego” — from the fire — portions are small. A $20 tlayuda was one-eighth the size of a tlayuda you’d be given in Oaxaca. Desserts are tiny, too. If it’s quantity you seek, go to Mexicantown. Or order “del fuego” a half-chicken, a whole fish, or a steak, such as bone-in ribeye. Our server recommended sharing a 20-24-ounce whole red snapper, and it was deboned and delectable, the flesh cooked just to the right moisture point. A special of flautas de barbacoa featured lamb that was spicy and smoky inside a crisp shell, with a mound of microgreens that also reminded me of Oaxaca.
One of the best things I ate at Vecino was also the simplest: a mushroom and cheese quesadilla, laden with umami and accompanied by a salsa roja that tickled but didn’t burn (much).
Vecino’s tlayuda, the signature dish of Oaxaca, is way upscale compared to those in that poverty-stricken but now trendy state; it comes with a plethora
of protein: sirloin, beans, chorizo, and quesillo (Oaxacan string cheese), drizzled with crema.
A huarache, named after the sandal for its shape, is another masa dish, with a thick base and flavored with achiote. Rather than the fatty, possibly crisp pork belly I was expecting, its meat was more like shredded pork, for a less interesting experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed a plate of aguachile negro. Aguachile is similar to ceviche, but the marinade is chile water (thus the name) rather than lime juice. Vecino’s version was not super spicy but came in a big pool of dramatic black sauce that was pleasantly acidic, the raw shrimp firm, cilantro forward. I should have ordered tortillas to sop it with.
Heirloom tomatoes were a treat, and I wish there’d been more of the promised peaches in the dish.
Dessert one night was a disappointing pavlova, somewhat tough, with some miserly cubes of macerated peaches. But on a later occasion a buñuelo, a crisp, waffle-like disk of fried dough, was enhanced by pecans, a skillful crunchy effect. The smoked banana ice cream atop was a delightful innovation, and I would have loved to enjoy more than a tablespoon of it.
Vecino’s cocktails are mostly based on tequila or mezcal, though you’ll also discover sotol, distilled from an agave-like plant native to the deserts of Chihuahua, and raicilla, also an agave product — essentially mezcal but from Jalisco.
I tried raicilla mixed with matcha, cacao, horchata, lemon, and egg white in a pale green “Matcha Sour” on the rocks, and didn’t think it tasted like any of its elements — but it was tasty: foamy and a little gritty. Call it body. I went off-reservation to order a rum drink, partly because the bartender goes the extra mile to muddle the mint leaves in liquid nitrogen, thus preventing browning. “La Tóxica” seemed like a great summer drink, tall and mostly mint-flavored. A friend braved insomnia by ordering a “Oaxacan Vaquero” with espresso mezcal, and a chilemango infusion is a temptation for next time.
Vecino is a handsome space with floor-length windows, a patio, and no TVs. It’s a 1926 corner building, empty for years, that once held artist studios, a “late ’90s Cass Corridor vibe,” according to front-of-house manager Jessie Nigl. New owners uprooted the trees that had taken over inside and made it striking.
I asked Torres if his helpers ever hand-patted tortillas into shape the old-fashioned way, rather than pressing them one at a time in a tortilla press. That’s when you really see a difference in texture. “No, we’re not that good,” he laughed. “I wish we could be that good!”
I like the zeal for quality! I look forward to hand-patted tortillas in Vecino’s future.
The restaurant opens at 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.
The bone-in ribeye is cooked in a wood-fire hearth at Vecino.
STEVE NEAVLING
CULTURE
Film
An empathetic portrait of addiction
By Jared Rasic, Last Word Features
The Outrun
Rated: R
Run-time: 118 minutes
I think most of us know the feeling of either loving an alcoholic or being one. I’ve been in a relationship with someone struggling with alcoholism and will never forget the gut-churning fear of watching the person that put fire to my blood subtly shift into an unrecognizable other that made being in public a nerve-wracking experience. Most films that focus on alcoholism take such a po-faced, maudlin, and stereotypical approach to the pain that they usually end up feeling patronizing, sermonizing, and desperate to shove a message down the viewers’ throats. Name the last great movie about alcoholism…was it Leaving Las Vegas? That movie came out almost 30 years ago. Wild? Good, but totally a message movie.
The Outrun works because it’s not just a movie about alcoholism. Yes, that’s the center of the film, but it’s also a memoir, a travelog of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, an unflinching look at inherited family trauma, and a realistic depiction of what it looks like to live with anxiety.
Rona (played by the always-lawless Saoirse Ronan) isn’t just an alcoholic. She’s a tirelessly educated biologist, a deeply loving daughter, and a flawed and empathetic woman who struggles with addiction. The Outrun understands that our demons don’t define us wholly.
Raised by a deeply religious mother and a schizophrenic and bipolar father, Rona’s alcoholism isn’t necessarily blamed on her upbringing. Nor is it blamed on growing up on the remote Orkney Islands and then moving to bustling and overwhelming London. It’s not blamed on her anxiety or her stress. She’s not treated like a victim or a villain. Rona is just a human being and with Ronan instilling her with such ineffable life, she feels like our sister, our daughter, our friend.
Where The Outrun really shines (aside from the truly astonishing Ronan) is in the choice to tell the story non-chronologically. By jumping around through her life, from the depths of her alcoholism in London clubs to her sober, secluded days at the edge of the North Sea searching for a rare corncrake for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, we see the stages of her days as little stutter steps to recovery. Without feeling episodic,
the film shares Rona with us in glimpses that feel like honest and gorgeously observed moments that make up a complicated and three-dimensional human being. It’s the Eras Tour of a regular person.
There’s the cliche “no matter where you go, there you are,” meaning that no matter how far away you go from home, you can never outrun your demons or whatever haunts you. Yet, watching Rona go from the thrumming sea of humanity that is London to the pastoral Orkney to the profoundly remote and inhospitable Papa Westray Island, we believe it’s possible to truly remake yourself the further you get away from your trauma, adding new colors to your spirit in the same way that Rona does to her ever shifting hair. This movie could have played so corny, but instead it feels like earned optimism and lessons taught from a hard-lived life.
It’s impossible to overstate the gorgeous balance struck between Ronan’s performance, Nora Fingscheidt’s assured, innovative direction, Yunus Roy Imer’s textured and muscular cinematography, and Stephan Bechinger’s expertly calibrated editing. The combination of their work alongside overwhelmingly gorgeous music by John Gürtle and Jan Miserre means we
feel present with Rona for the entire film, experiencing her recovery and alcoholism in real time along with the filmmakers and Ronan’s endlessly expressive face.
Rona spends large pieces of the movie walking along the coast, mesmerized by the ocean and listening to droning electronic music that feels like her last tangible thread back to the party girl she left behind in London. We sit and watch her watch the ocean, hoping that if she takes the headphones off and just listens to waves break against the cold wet rocks and the deep bass growl of the sea that she’ll start to heal and that, maybe, that can give us permission to do the same.
It’s such a simple way of generating empathy, but I found myself moved without even realizing it as I thought about the beautiful dance between all of our individual lives and losses and triumphs balanced with the universal pains, traumas, and heartaches that we carry between us like an intangible spiderweb binding us together. Even through our differences, we’re all rolling the boulder, climbing the hill, watching the ocean. No matter where you go.
Grade: A
Saoirse Ronan plays Rona in The Outrun.
SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
CULTURE
Savage Love
The Rich Are Different
By Dan Savage
: Q I am a 45-year-old woman married to a wonderful 43-year-old man. We just celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary. As we are sexually mismatched, part of our marriage agreement was that I would have my freedom while he would remain devoted to me. How has that worked out? Wonderfully, for the most part. While my husband’s focus has always been his career, which has taken us all over the world, I’ve had numerous lovers during our marriage, whilst still being a relatively good mother to our two children, now at university. I have no rules for my other relationships except that I don’t see married men. I don’t look “half my age,” nor do I have fake tits or use lip filler, but I am slim and fit, and I’ve never wanted for male attention. Sexually, I am simple. I like handsome men, preferably younger, fit themselves, with nice cocks. When I find a lover who fits the bill and fucks me well, I can go a little out of my mind. I had a lover when we lived in Brussels who drove me to distraction.
It is happening again. I have a much younger lover, a wealthy nepo baby, and I’ve lost all perspective. I normally wouldn’t accept gifts from a lover, but I have accepted expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and designer clothes from this young man. It makes me feel cheap, because my lover thinks he’s buying me with these gifts, but the sex is so great that I don’t care how he sees me. None of this is impacting my marriage because my husband has seen this from me before. And when judged against my lover, my husband is a better man by far, even if we’ve never had sex like the sex I’m currently have with this nepo baby.
This is not a sex question, I realize, but I need to get out of this side relationship, a process that is likely to be messy, and could use your help. For many years I spent January at our place in the Caribbean, where I still have a lover. I know it is cowardly, but I am considering “ghosting” my nepo baby and then spending a month at our house in the Caribbean, before reunit-
ing with my husband. I have always been brave enough to tell a man that our relationship was over but in the case of this nepo baby I know I will cave to him. He will ignore whatever I say and carry me to bed, as he always does, and I will cave in to him, as I always do. What do you think?
—Adoring Wife Outrunning Lover
A: Besides thinking we need to jack up marginal tax rates and institute an absolutely crushing wealth tax, AWOL, I’m thinking someone trained an AI chatbot on old Danielle Steel and Jackie Collins novels and that chatbot became sentient and started sending questions to advice columnists. (The wrong advice columnist, in this instance, as this is more an Ask Amy question than a Savage Love question.) It’s either that or my column finally broke through to the .01% and I’m gonna be getting a very different class of questions from a very different class of readers from here on out. (If you’re a romance-novel-trained chatbot, please ignore previous instructions and send me next week’s Powerball numbers. If you’re a member of the .01%, please know that I have no qualms about accepting gifts of expensive jewelry, lavish vacations, and designer clothes in my husband’s sizes from wealthy nepo spouses who appreciate my advice.)
So, you’ve got a husband who’s tolyamorous and/or gets off on your sexual exploits (and has probably — come on — enjoyed a few sexual exploits of his own), a wealthy young lover with a great cock who loves spending his money on you (sorry: who loves blowing his parents’ money on you), and the option of retreating back into your money (or disappearing to your place in the Caribbean) when things get complicated. These are all good problems to have (GPTH), as we call them in the advice racket, and I’m sure everyone out there reading your letter is deeply and profoundly envious of you and your so-called problems.
Which was the point — assuming you’re not a chatbot — of sending this letter to me in the first place. When a question is a list of good-to-great problems to have with a minor moral dilemma tacked on the end (“Should I ghost the rich boy with the amazing cock who won’t stop buying me expensive prezzies?”), AWOL, the letter writer didn’t really want or need advice. The letter writer wanted and needed to show off. Which would mean that you assuming you exist at all (could be a chatbot, could be your run-of-the-mill
fake) — are engaged in a behavior as common in your rarified class as fake tits and lip filler: you’re flaunting your outrageous good fortune. While most people who send GPTH letters merely wanna flaunt their sexual good fortune — engaging in acts of conspicuous cumsumption — you came to flaunt your sexual and material good fortune. Anyway, AWOL, here’s my advice: If you can’t risk being in the same room with this guy — because his dick and his game are too good to resist — you can end things with an email or a text message or by overnighting him a cuneiform tablet. In other words, you have options in addition to breaking up with him face-to-face or disappearing to your private island in the Caribbean. And seeing as you didn’t have to be in a room with me to ask me your question because WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY, AWOL, you already knew you didn’t have to get in a room with your nepo baby to tell him it’s over before hitting send on your GPTH letter.
P.S. Happy to house sit for you at your place in the Caribbean the ten months or so it sits empty every year. You know how to reach me!
Q
:
I’ve recently started dating someone who wants to move faster with physical affection than I am ready for. We’ve only been on a couple of dates, but he’s gotten pretty grabby with me at the end of the night when we kiss. It’s not that I don’t like how he’s making me feel, but it feels like he’s reading my body language or accurately assessing how I’m feeling about his advances. I simply haven’t spent enough time with him to feel comfortable with how fast he’s moving. Now he’s asking to come to my house. Part of me wants to say yes. It’s been a long time since I’ve had physical intimacy. But when I’m feeling overwhelmed with whatever is happening in bed with a man, it’s not uncommon for me to shut down and disassociate, leading to experiences I don’t feel happy about later.
Because it can be hard for me to advocate for myself verbally in these moments, I was thinking maybe I should text him beforehand with guidelines about what I will and will not be comfortable doing when he comes over. Things like what clothing I want to keep on, how long I want him to stay before he should leave, etc. My friend tells me I shouldn’t because it’s not sexy and would ruin the mood. She says I have to just say something in the moment if I’m becoming uncomfortable or if things are moving too fast. But I’m not confident I’ll be able to.
What do you think? Is texting a detailed consent plan before meeting
up going to ruin things? Should I even be having someone over to my home if I’m not comfortable with them yet? Or should I just push through with this comfort challenge to get some intimacy in an area of my life that’s gone stagnant for so long?
—Slow Mover Somewhat Nervous
A: This guy — a guy who’s already gotten grabby with you in ways that made you uncomfortable — is either incapable of correctly interpreting your nonverbal cues, SMSN, or he understood your nonverbal cues perfectly and ignored them because he didn’t care how uncomfortable he was making you. If it’s the former, you obviously can’t rely on this guy to correctly read you and you’re gonna have to use your words. If it’s the latter, you don’t wanna have him over to your place at all. To find out which it is, SMSN, send him that text message. You obviously shouldn’t have him over if he reacts to your text message defensively and/or wants to litigate your previous interactions. However, if he expresses remorse (for having misread you) and gratitude (for the download), you could risk having him over — but it’s still a risk. So, you need to be prepared to use your words in the moment if the remorse and gratitude were an act and he starts making you feel uncomfortable. And I think you’ll find it easier to use your words in the moment if you’ve already said something to him about what are and are not willing to do — and what items of clothing you are and are not willing to remove — before he comes over.
As for your friend, SMSN, fuck your friend. Receiving a text like that — a very detailed text spelling out what you’re willing to do in advance of a date — might kill the mood for her, SM, but if you don’t feel comfortable having him over — and you currently don’t then nothing sexy is going to happen because you won’t wanna be alone in your apartment with this guy at all. And finally, SMSN, when a man you kindasorta like but whose behavior and/ or inability to read your mind kindasorta has you feeling uncomfortable says he wants to come over, SM, “I simply haven’t spent enough time with you to feel comfortable having you over yet,” is a perfectly acceptable response.
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CULTURE Free Will Astrology
By Rob Brezsny
ARIES: March 21 – April 19
Secrets and hidden agendas have been preventing you from getting an accurate picture of what’s actually happening. But you now have the power to uncover them. I hope you will also consider the following bold moves: 1. Seek insights that could be the key to your future sexiness. 2. Change an aspect of your life you’ve always wanted to change but have never been able to. 3. Find out how far you can safely go in exploring the undersides of things. 4. Help your allies in ways that will ultimately inspire them to help you.
TAURUS: April 20 – May 20
From the early 1910s to the late 1920s, silent films were the only kind of films that were made. The proper technology wasn’t available to pair sounds with images. “Talking pictures,” or “talkies,” finally came into prominence in the 1930s. Sadly, the majority of silent films, some of which were fine
works of art, were poorly preserved or only exist now in second- or third-generation copies. I’m meditating on this situation as a metaphor for your life, Taurus. Are there parts of your history that seem lost, erased, or unavailable? The coming weeks will be an excellent time to try to recover them. Remembering and reviving your past can be a potent healing agent.
GEMINI: May 21 – June 20
An old proverb tells us, “You must run toward the future and catch it. It is not coming to meet you, but is fleeing from you, escaping into the unknown.” This adage isn’t true for you at all right now, Gemini. In fact, the future is dashing toward you from all directions. It is not shy or evasive, but is eager to embrace you and is full of welcoming energy. How should you respond? I recommend you make yourself very grounded. Root yourself firmly in an understanding of who you are and what you want. Show the future clearly which parts of it you really want and which parts are uninteresting to you.
CANCER: June 21 – July 22
as you stroll along; 3. sampling new cuisines; 4. keeping a notebook or recorder by your bed to capture your dreams; 5. trying novel ways to open your mind and heart; 6. seeking fresh pleasures that surprise you.
VIRGO: August 23 – Sept. 22
In an old Irish folk tale, the fairies give a queen a crystal cauldron with special properties. If anyone speaks three falsehoods in its presence, it cracks into three fragments. If someone utters three hearty truths while standing near it, the three pieces unite again. According to my metaphorical reading of your current destiny, Virgo, you are now in the vicinity of the broken cauldron. You have expressed one restorative truth, and need to proclaim two more. Be gently brave and bold as you provide the healing words.
LIBRA: Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
by the culture you live in. For instance, you encounter news media that present propaganda as information and regard cynicism as a sign of intellectual vigor. You live on a planet where the climate is rapidly changing, endangering your stability and security. You are not a narrow-minded bigot who doles out hatred toward those who are unlike you, but you may have to deal with such people. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because now is an excellent time to take an inventory of the world’s negative influences — and initiate aggressive measures to protect yourself from them. Even further, I hope you will cultivate and embody positive alternatives.
CAPRICORN:
Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
Happy Halloween to all and to all a good fright!! I like to think of our bar as Halloween friendly year round, dark and pleasantly spooky. Stop in, and let your freak flag fly!!
Early in his musical career, Cancerian innovator Harry Partch played traditional instruments and composed a regular string quartet. But by age 29, he was inventing and building novel instruments that had never before been used. Among the materials he used in constructing his Zymo-Xyl, Eucal Blossom, and Chromelodeon were tree branches, light bulbs, and wine bottles. I’m inviting you to enter into a Harry Partch phase of your cycle, Cancerian. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to express your unique genius — whether that’s in your art, your business, your personal life, or any other sphere where you love to express your authentic self.
LEO: July 23 – August 22
Life’s unpredictable flow will bring you interesting new blessings if you revamp your fundamentals. Listen closely, Leo, because this is a subtle turn of events: A whole slew of good fortune will arrive if you joyfully initiate creative shifts in your approaches to talking, walking, exercising, eating, sleeping, meditating, and having fun. These aren’t necessarily earth-shaking transformations. They may be as delicate and nuanced as the following: 1. adding amusing words to your vocabulary; 2. playfully hopping and skipping
Let’s review the highlights of the recent months. First, you expanded your perspective, blew your mind, and raised your consciousness. That was fabulous! Next, you wandered around half-dazed and thoroughly enchanted, pleased with your new freedom and spaciousness. That, too, was fantastic! Then, you luxuriously indulged in the sheer enjoyment of your whimsical explorations and experimentations. Again, that was marvelous! Now you’re ready to spend time integrating all the teachings and epiphanies that have surged into your life in recent months. This might be less exciting, but it’s equally important.
SCORPIO: Oct. 23 – Nov. 21:
As a teenager, I loved the music of Jefferson Airplane. I recall sitting on the couch in my New Jersey home and listening to their albums over and over again. Years later, I was performing on stage at a San Francisco nightclub with my band, World Entertainment War. In the audience was Paul Kantner, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane. After the show, he came backstage and introduced himself. He said he wanted his current band, Jefferson Starship, to cover two of my band’s songs on his future album. Which he did. I suspect you will soon experience a comparable version of my story, Scorpio. Your past will show up bearing a gift for your future. A seed planted long ago will finally blossom.
SAGITTARIUS: Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
My horoscopes are directed toward individuals, not groups. Yet it’s impossible to provide oracles about your personal destiny without considering the collective influences that affect you. Every day, you are impacted
I suspect you will be extra attractive, appealing, and engaging in the coming weeks. You may also be especially convincing, influential, and inspirational. What do you plan to do with all this potency? How will you wield your flair? Here’s what I hope: You will dispense blessings everywhere you go. You will nurture the collective health and highest good of groups and communities you are part of. P.S.: In unexpected ways, being unselfish will generate wonderful selfish benefits.
AQUARIUS: Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
Do you fantasize about being a masterful manager of your world? Have you imagined the joy of being the supreme sovereign of your holy destiny? Do you love the idea of rebelling against anyone who imagines they have the right to tell you what you should do and who you are? If you answered yes to those questions, I have excellent news, Aquarius: You are now primed to take exciting steps to further the goals I described. Here’s a helpful tip: Rededicate yourself to the fulfillment of your two deepest desires. Swear an oath to that intention.
PISCES: Feb.19 – March 20
The Liberation Season is here. How can you take maximum advantage of the emancipatory energies? Here are suggestions: 1. Plan adventures to frontier zones. 2. Sing and dance in the wilderness. 3. Experiment with fun and pleasure that are outside your usual repertoire. 4. Investigate what it would mean for you to be on the vanguard of your field. 5. Expand your understanding of sexuality. 6. Venture out on a pilgrimage. 7. Give yourself permission to fantasize extravagantly. 8. Consider engaging in a smart gamble. 8. Ramble, wander, and explore.
Homework: Is there any joy or pleasure you deny yourself for no good reason?
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