Yes/No Detroit

This has been a busy week, with a lot of good food and events going on. Next week promises to be more of the same and I'm also looking forward to the 4th of July holiday and the extra day off of work.  Pork Tomahawk at BARDA Detroit - delicious What I've been up to this week: Seeing movies in the theater . Lots of them. On Friday I saw Elvis , which I would give like maybe 4.25/5—it's worth seeing in a theater just for Austin Butler's performance, which was FANTASTIC, but the narrator, Colonel Parker, played by Tom Hanks, was kinda weird. I read later that Butler sings the earlier songs as himself but later they mixed his voice with Elvis's—pretty cool. On Saturday, I saw Lightyear  in 3D, which, as a Toy Story  fan, I unfortunately found to be just okay ... it's worth seeing still but I'd give it 3/5 and wait for it to come to Disney+. Then last night I saw a press screening of Where the Crawdads Sing , which I was SUPER excited about, because I love the bo

Paul Walter Houser and Taron Egerton So as I'm writing this review, it's the end of May, and I've just finished Black Bird  ... but since the embargo drops today, June 30th, I have no one to talk to about it! And I wish I did, because this show is fantastic.  About the show: Inspired by actual events, when high school football hero and decorated policeman’s son Jimmy Keene (Taron Egerton) is sentenced to 10 years in a minimum security prison, he is given the choice of a lifetime—enter a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane and befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser), or stay where he is and serve his full sentence with no possibility of parole. Keene quickly realizes his only way out is to elicit a confession and find out where the bodies of several young girls are buried before Hall’s appeal goes through. But is this suspected killer telling the truth? Or is it just another tale from a serial liar? This dramatic and captivating story s

Last weekend was pretty busy, this weekend is also busy but I'll be staying in town at least. It's supposed to be like 90 degrees again for a while too, so I'll probably be staying inside, except in the mornings and evenings.  Everything-flavored pretzel sticks at Bobcat Bonnie's, Ferndale What I've been up to this week: Trip to the west side of the state . Most of these will be about the trip—we stayed in Holland from Friday to Sunday, and also went to Grand Haven, Saugatuck, and Fennville, plus a quick stop in Portage on the way home to see friends that live there.  Eating out . Lots of good food on that side of the state (and unfortunately my scale reflects that this morning, although we did a ton of walking too). On Friday night we did Boatwerks for lunch (Holland), as is a west side tradition of mine, and for dinner we got takeout from The Grilled Cheese Shack (Saugatuck), which was also very good. Saturday was lunch at the Toasted Pickle (Grand Haven), which w

If you are reading this in the morning or midday on Friday or later, I am probably on my way to Holland—I go to the West Coast of Michigan yearly, and I like to visit Holland, Grand Haven, Saugatuck, and usually Fennville (Crane's for pie flights!). We are staying in Holland this year but ironically don't have any plans to stop by downtown—this year we are fitting in Grand Rapids for some good eats and drinks too. Mean Girls at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit What I've been up to this week: Seeing Mean Girls  at the Fisher Theatre . I was supposed to see this last Tuesday, if you recall, but because the performance was canceled that day due to technical problems, my mom and I were able to reschedule it for the Sunday night performance. The show was a lot of fun—I still prefer the movie version but there were definitely some songs that were bangers that I have been listening to over and over this week on Spotify, too. It's playing at the Fisher through the 19th , so check i

This week has gone by fast. Today I am seeing The Masked Singer  live tour at the Fox with my boyfriend, a friend, and her daughter, which should be fun. Blue Apron Sheet Pan Mango Chicken What I've been up to this week: Cooking . Lots of meal kits. On Saturday I went over to my parents' house and cooked a Cheesy Mango Sheet Pan Chicken recipe for them—I think the last time I ordered Blue Apron, they gave me a free box (two recipes) to give out, so I had sent them one. I had Marley Spoon last week and Dinnerly this week, and I will have Dinnerly again next week, too. Last night I cooked a Dinnerly caprese sandwich with zucchini fries, which was good, but could have used some balsamic or fresh basil. I still have one more Dinnerly meal left, some soy pork tenderloins, and I'll probably cook that on Sunday or Monday with my boyfriend.  Seeing movies . Last Friday I saw Watcher , and I went in with low expectations and it ended up being excellent—I'd give it 4/5 stars. Ye

This has been a super busy week for me, maybe due to the long weekend. This upcoming weekend is on track to be busy as well!  Watermelon + frozen passionfruit margaritas at Honcho, Clarkston What I've been up to this week: Seeing movies . I saw Montana Story  in the theater last Saturday, which was a good "slice of life" type of movie—I'd give it 4/5 stars—and I saw the new Top Gun: Maverick  in EMAX at Emagine Novi on Monday, which I would also give 4/5 stars, although my boyfriend said 5/5. I had actually never seen the original before, so we watched it on Netflix last week, and I think this one is better than the original, especially on a large screen. Tonight there is not much for me to see in theaters because I've never seen Downton Abbey or Bob's Burgers  so I am seeing a thriller movie called Watcher —I'm hoping it's more of a thriller than a horror movie, anyways. Seeing Halsey at Pine Knob . I saw Halsey at DTE (*ahem*—Pine Knob) on Sunday nig

I saw the movie Ambulance  in the theater at the end of April and it was a fantastic ride—unsurprisingly so, since it's a Michael Bay movie. One of my lucky readers now has the chance to win a digital code to watch the movie! About the film: When an ambulance is hijacked by two brothers after a bank robbery gone wrong, they must make an escape through Los Angeles in AMBULANCE, available to own on Digital May 23, 2022 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD June 14, 2022 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Directed by Michael Bay, the action maestro behind high-octane blockbusters such as Transformers and Armageddon, comes an “over-the-top thrill ride” (Nick Schager, The Daily Beast ) featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Eiza González. Ambulance is being touted as “Bay’s best” (David Sims, The Atlantic ) and is now packed with never-before-seen bonus content including six behind-the-scenes featurettes. In this action thriller directed by Michael Bay, veteran Wi

This was a busy week, so I'm looking forward to this 3-day weekend to relax, even though I'm a bit busy, as I'm seeing a movie tomorrow (actually not Top Gun , haha; Montana Story ) and seeing Halsey at "Pine Knob" (that's going to get some getting used to!) on Sunday. After 2+ years working at home, I'm also cleaning out my work cubicle today, which is a bit bittersweet, as they are moving most of us to be WFH permanently. Chocolate fondue for "ThursDate" at the Melting Pot, Troy What I've been up to this week: Frankenmuth overnight trip . On Saturday, my boyfriend and I drove up to Frankenmuth and stayed overnight at Birch Run, for the World of Beer Expo in Frankenmuth. I had never attended before, and it was pretty fun—it was $30 per person (online ticketing) and that gets you admission, six tasting tickets, and a tiny beer stein thing to take home. Afterwards, we walked over to Zehnders for their chicken dinner, and my boyfriend had his f

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations will be at the Detroit Opera House this August, and I'm excited to see it, as I love Motown music.  About the show: Broadway In Detroit is thrilled to announce the First National Tour of AIN’T TOO PROUD – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS, the new Broadway smash hit musical, will make its Detroit Premiere at the Detroit Opera House August 9-28 as part of its 60th Anniversary Season. Tickets (starting at $35) are now available online at Ticketmaster.com, charge by phone (800) 982-2787, and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office.   Featuring the Grammy® winning songs and Tony® winning moves, AIN’T TOO PROUD is the electrifying new musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and unm

Last weekend was pretty terrible, as one might expect, with my colonoscopy prep, but the rest of the week has overall been fine. I'm heading to Frankenmuth tomorrow for their beer fest and staying overnight in Birch Run, which should be fun.  Chicken tender slider at Dave's Hot Chicken, Troy What I've been up to this week: Dining out . When not doing liquids-only diet for colonoscopy ... on Friday, my last day of normal foods, my parents and I got Jersey Mike's takeout, and I also treated myself to cake from Tous les Jours, in Troy—I keep hearing about it and I had never been there before, and it's about a 5-minute drive from me.. On Monday, when I could eat again, we got Noodles & Co., and then later my boyfriend and I got Indian Doordash from Aahar Indian Cuisine in Farmington. The food was very good but unfortunately there was no way to specify spice level on DD (and I can't handle spice usually) so everything was a bit spicy for me.  Dave's Hot Chick

Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. My Fair Lady will be playing at the Detroit Opera House from July 12-24, 2022, and tickets are currently on sale! I've of course heard of the movie (but have never seen it) so I'm curious to see this one. About the show: Broadway in Detroit is pleased to announce that the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY, directed by Bartlett Sher, will play the Detroit Opera House, July 12-24, 2022. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale now online at Ticketmaster.com , by phone at 800-982-2787, and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office.   Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY is the winner of 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Revival of Musical and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, 5 Drama Desk Awards includi

I have been staying up too late recently, till like 1am, and then I'm super tired the next day ... just watching TV on my iPad and playing Wordle and whatnot, but I need to curb it back to like 11:30pm-12am. This was a fun and busy week and this weekend is colonoscopy prep, which I have been dreading, because it means I can only have liquids for two days straight. Pad Thai roll with chicken, from Bangkok 96 at Detroit Shipping Co. What I've been up to this week: Seeing shows in Detroit . On Saturday night, I saw Stars on Ice with my boyfriend, a friend, and her daughter, which was a lot of fun—I love ice skating but am terrible at it, so I definitely prefer being a spectator. The show was at Little Caesars Arena and thankfully not that busy. On Sunday, I went back to Detroit, this time to the Fox to see An American in Paris  with my boyfriend, a different friend, and her husband. I had seen the show a few years ago at the Opera House and it was very good; I'd give it 3.5/5

credit: Jenny Anderson Mean Girls  will be playing at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit from June 7-19, and TWO of my lucky readers will each win a 2-pack of tickets to attend opening night on June 7th! I'm super excited about this show, as Mean Girls  is one of my favorite movies. About the show: Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. New York Magazine calls Mean Girls “HILARIOUS! A smart, splashy new musical that delivers with immense energy, a wicked sense of humor and joyful inside-jokery.” Chicago Tribune said “Tina Fey writes FUNNIER, SMARTER, SHARPER satire than