Yes/No Detroit

It's been a relatively quiet week, but this weekend I have a ton of plans, so it will be busy. I don't really celebrate Easter but my family and I are going to see the new Penguins movie and also grab lunch somewhere together.


What I've been up to this week:
Eating lots of good foods. Last Friday, my boyfriend and I went to Wing Snob in Southfield to try out their wings—they had invited me via Instagram and given me a gift card. The wings were very juicy and tender, and I now have a $25 gift card giveaway up on Instagram—check that out here, it ends Sunday night. On Saturday night, I went out to Olga's Kitchen with my parents, before a show downtown, and on Thursday night, some friends and I went out to eat in downtown Ferndale before a show.Hanging out with friends. On Sunday, a friend hosted a tea party (see picture above). This was the second time she had hosted it, and the food and drinks are always very good. I always feel so fancy drinking out of proper teacups too…

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

Anastasia will be making its Detroit debut on June 11th, at the Fisher Theatre. I've never seen the show, so I'm excited to see it.

About the show:
Broadway In Detroit has announced that individual tickets for the tour of the critically-acclaimed Broadway production of ANASTASIA are now on sale! ANASTASIA will make its Detroit debut at the Fisher Theatre, June 11 – 23, 2019. Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-982-2787.

From the Tony Award®-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime and inspired by the beloved films, ANASTASIA is the new Broadway musical that’s “one of the most gorgeous shows in years!” (New York Observer). This dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets o…

My favorite time of year will soon be afoot: the Cinetopia Film Festival is back! I've been attending the festival since 2014, and there are always a slew of films shown that are great. This year, they've expanded their theater lineup, too, so I'm pleased that Emagine Royal Oak will be a part of the festival, as I live about ten minutes away from that theater.

Other venues include the Michigan Theater and the State Theater (Ann Arbor), Arab American National Museum (Dearborn), The Maple Theater (Bloomfield Hills), The Wright Museum, Cinema Detroit, and Senate Theater (Detroit), and Angell Hall (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor).


You can check out the 2019 lineup here. Some of the films I am most looking forward to seeing include:
Before You Know It (opening night film)StyxWell GroomedThe FarewellWild RoseKilling GodMidnight in ParisTo Dust93QueenWelcome to Commie HighGazaComplicityBite MeAmateursThem That FollowMidnight TravelerThe Third WifeThe Witch Hunters....and more …

*Disclosure: I received a Blu-ray copy of this film in exchange for this review. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I missed out on The Kid Who Would Be King in theaters, so I was happy to receive a Blu-ray copy of the film to review.

Alex (Louis Ashbourne Serkis) and his friend Bedders (Dean Chaumoo) are geeks, and often get picked on at school by bullies. When they find a sword at a random construction site, Alex is convinced that it's Excalibur, and it soon becomes clear that it indeed is, and that they've unwittingly embarked upon a quest. Alex and Bedders need to befriend their bullies in order to get help with the quest, and they find out some interesting things about them along the way.


This was a fun adventure movie, and it excels within its last half hour, when Alex, Bedders, and the entire school team up to defeat Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson, The Greatest Showman), who wants to defeat them and rule the world. You'll likely not recognize most of the c…

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

David Sedaris will be doing a reading at the Fisher Theatre on Wednesday, October 23rd, and I'm super excited about it! I have seen him twice, both times in Ann Arbor, and I also got to meet him in-person once during a book signing. His books are hilarious and I've enjoyed most of the ones I've read.

More details:
WDET presents An Evening with David Sedaris, author of the previous bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor will be appearing for one night only at the Fisher Theatre on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 7:30pm, following the release of his newest book & New York Times #1 Best Seller, Calypso.

This is a unique opportunity to see the best-selling humorist in an intimate setting. As always, Sedaris will be offering a selection of all-new readings and recollections, as well as a Q&A sess…

Another busy week, with lots of movies and food and cooking. I've been feeling a little bit better but not a ton; still taking a lot of naps.


What I've been up to this week:Eating out. I recently joined an app where you can be a "mystery shopper," and we went to Gus's Fried Chicken in Detroit last Friday for that. On Saturday, some friends and I did a tour of Atwater Brewery, in Detroit, and also had some delicious appetizers there and beer ... I don't normally like beer but I did like some of theirs. On Sunday, my parents and I tried out Taipei 101, in Novi, although it was just okay; on Tuesday, I went to Seasons 52 with my mom, for a blogger tasting, which was tasty; and on Wednesday, my International Dinner Club and I tried out Culantro, in Ferndale, for the first time, which was also very tasty.Putting up giveaways on the site. Both are for my Detroit-area followers, and both are for the same date, so choose one ... on Tuesday, April 30th, you can see a s…

*Disclosure: I was treated to a meal by Seasons 52 in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

I was able to dine at Seasons 52 in Troy this week for dinner, and it was my third time there; every time I go, everything is always delicious, and this time was no exception.

I went with my mom, who hadn't been before, and we were there to try their new spring menu, specifically the $29.99/person deal, which includes soup or salad, an entree, and a "mini indulgence" (mini dessert). The spring menu is available now through May 26th.



We started off with one of my favorite appetizers there, the four mushroom flatbread, which includes goat cheese, truffle oil, and scallions. It is a super thin-crust flatbread and is always very tasty; both my mom and myself like mushrooms a lot, as well.


From the spring menu, for my first course I had the spinach and strawberry salad, and my mom ordered the split pea and kale soup. The salad was very tasty, especia…

The Intruder will be screening on Tuesday, April 30th, at 7pm at MJR Troy, and 25 of my lucky readers will EACH receive an admit-two screening pass for the film!

Movie synopsis:
When a young married couple (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) buys their dream house in the Napa Valley, they think they have found the perfect home to take their next steps as a family. But when the strangely attached seller (Dennis Quaid) continues to infiltrate their lives, they begin to suspect that he has hidden motivations beyond a quick sale.

Cast: Dennis Quaid (TV’s Goliath, A Dog’s Purpose), Michael Ealy (TV’s Being Mary Jane, Think Like A Man) and Meagan Good (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Think Like A Man)

Please remember that screenings are first-come, first-serve. I would recommend getting to the theater by 5-6pm that day to get in line, if possible.

GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win one admit-two screening pass below. There will be 25 winners!

Giveaway will end on Wednesday, April 17th, at 11:59pm EST, and w…

*Disclosure: I received the use of a vehicle for a week in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

This week, I was able to try out the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, a hybrid vehicle, and I had a bit of driving to do, so it was nice to be able to do it in style.


We've literally had weather from the 30s to the 70s this past week, so I was able to try out many features on this vehicle!

The first thing I noticed about it was the color—the official title is "Mercury Gray Metallic/Black" and it makes for a handsome car.

The car also has a touchscreen, which includes Sirius XM radio, so I had fun listening to satellite radio this week—my personal car does not have that.



Near the beginning of the week, the weather was in the 30s-40s, so I especially enjoyed using the heated seats and heated steering wheel. The gear shift was definitely interesting ... there's a button for Park, rather than a gear, and so the first time I hit it, I'll …

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

Where are my Dancing with the Stars fans?

Derek Hough will be performing live at the Fox Theatre, Detroit, on Tuesday, April 30th, and one of my lucky readers will win four tickets to the show!

About the show:
From the EMMY® award winning mind of Derek Hough, the live dance show is the first-ever solo tour for the dynamo. The show features brand-new stage production, astounding versatility and, as always, Derek’s magnetic stage presence. Fans will journey through a true fusion of dance and music, as Derek explores styles ranging from ballroom and tap to salsa and hop-hop and everything in between at the Fox Theatre on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Creative team and two-time EMMY® winners, Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo, also known as NappyTabs (Jennifer Lopez: All I Have Residency; Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour; GRAMMYs® creative direction), will co-create, direct and…

This week has seemed long, but I have a lot of fun activities planned for the weekend, so I am looking forward to those. I've been driving the 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for the week, too (a hybrid electric vehicle), which has been interesting—check back early next week for my review.


What I've been up to this week:
Cooking. I finished up an EveryPlate box this week—HelloFresh's cheaper cousin, at $38.99/week—and I made the Vietnamese Steak Bowl, pictured above, as well as two other dishes. My favorite was the "Party Thyme" Steak (not pictured). I also received a HelloFresh box and have two more dishes to cook from that.Seeing lots of movies. I pushed my A-List membership to the max this week and saw three movies: Dumbo in 3D, Gloria Bell, and The Best of Enemies. My favorite of the three was The Best of Enemies, which I'd give 4 stars out of 5. Dumbo was a little disappointing but the little guy sure was cute, so I'd give it 3.5/5; Gloria Bell was a bi…

This has been a busy week—I got back from Chicago around 10:30pm last night and got home around 11:30pm, so I'm pretty tired today.

What I've been up to this week:Traveling. I was in Chicago from Tuesday through Thursday for ProFood Tech, a food processing/technology conference, for work. It ended up being a lot more laid-back than the last conference I went to (PACK EXPO, one of the biggest conferences in the United States), so that was nice. I also had some good meals while there and stayed at a nice hotel (Hyatt Place River North). Going out to eat. Besides my Chicago meals, last Friday my boyfriend and a friend and I went to Parc, in Detroit—I had been to a Yelp event there a while back with that same friend, and they gave us both $50 gift certificates to use, which were expiring 3/31, so we wanted to use it before it expired. Parc is very nice and all of the food was pretty good, as well. On Saturday, I went to Blaze Pizza with my parents, too.Seeing movies. I'm excite…

This past week, I was in Miami from Saturday through Tuesday, which was a nice respite from the Michigan weather. We had great weather (sunny, 75-80 degrees) on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday; unfortunately, on Tuesday it was cloudy and rainy, but that was the day we were leaving, anyways.


What I've been up to this week:
Traveling. Miami was a lot of fun although we mostly just went to the pool and beach (can't complain about that...) and did a little shopping. We were north of North Beach and it was a pretty quiet area. We went to South Beach on Monday to the Lincoln Road Mall, and did some shopping and had a late lunch there. Seeing movies. Yesterday I saw Five Feet Apart, and although I knew I'd need Kleenex for it, I didn't know I'd need an entire (figurative) box. I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars even though it drags a bit near the end. On Sunday, I'm putting on my 'big girl pants' and will go see Us, even though I don't usually do horror movies ..…