120. Pancake Factory – May 16, 2015 – Shelby Township, MI

The Pancake Factory’s Southwest Garden dutch baby

The Pancake Factory is a bustling East-Side breakfast and lunch place with quick service and some pretty delectable menu items. I got the Southwest Garden dutch baby pancake; just look at that bad boy – loaded with cheese! I’d love to follow my sweet-tooth urge the next time I visit and order the cinnamon-glazed apple pancakes or sample some of the amazing-sounding crepe varieties (peach! banana-and-Nutella!).

13693 23 Mile Rd.

Shelby Township, MI 48313

http://www.pancake-factory.com

119. Art Birmingham – May 9, 2015 – Birmingham, MI

Here’s something that’s worth checking out when it comes around again next year: Art Birmingham, an awesome little art fair held in Shain Park near downtown Birmingham. It’s like Arts Beats and Eats without the crushing crowds – and the beats (well, there was one guy playing what looked like a xylophone), and nowhere near as extensive the variety of eats (though there was some delicious kettle corn). Ok, so maybe it isn’t too comparable to Arts Beats and Eats, but this year’s lineup showcased an impressive variety of artists, and while I couldn’t quite afford most of the gorgeous wares being offered there, it was free and very lovely to window-shop. And I got my first sunburn of the season! That’s not exactly something to be proud of, but it just feels phenomenal to finally be here at this wonderful time of year in Michigan where we are able to experience sunburn.

In Shain Park

151 Martin St.

Birmingham, MI 48009

http://bbartcenter.org/bbac/art-birmingham/

118. Dino’s Lounge – May 3, 2015 – Ferndale, MI

I gotta admit, Dino’s Lounge never looked like much to me from the outside of it. But as you can see in the above photo, it’s really nice inside! I ended up there the Sunday before last when one of my good friends encouraged me to come with her to its awesome brunch – and when I saw there was a waffle with pieces of bacon in it on the menu, I was sold. I am such a sucker for bacon (I actually went to One-Eyed Betty’s the night before and had their delightful Betty bacon cheeseburger and their maple-bacon donut, so it was pretty much a bacon-themed weekend for me.)! And of course, there’s the mimosas. Dino’s used to have bottomless mimosas and recently got rid of them (what amateur puked all over the table and ruined it for all of us?), but they now instead offer three mimosas for $15, which is still a good deal considering the generous pour our waitress was giving.

22740 Woodward Ave.

Ferndale, MI 48220

http://www.dinoslounge.com/

117. Goodnight Gracie Jazz and Martini Bar – April 18, 2015 – Royal Oak, MI

The Vixen martini! Photo courtesy of C. Partin

On this Saturday night I was in Royal Oak to see one of my favorite comedians, Marc Maron, at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. We had a pre-show dinner at Goodnight Gracie’s, a tiny little martini bar next to D’Amato’s – and apparently owned by the same people, because they share a website and a food and drink menu. Does that mean I’ve already been to Goodnight Gracie if I’ve previously eaten at D’Amato’s? I’m going to say no. They’re next to each other but contained in separate spaces; I went to the latter for a fancy Italian dinner; and this was happy hour (yes, they do extend happy hour to Saturday night here – exciting!). Six-dollar martinis and eight-dollar three-plates of sliders on a Saturday night – I’ll take it!

224 S Sherman Dr,
Royal Oak, MI 48067

http://www.damatos.com/index.php