Yes/No Detroit

Yesterday was my birthday so I am taking today and also Monday off of work! I have some day trips to Frankenmuth and Ann Arbor planned for this weekend, as well as the Betty White movie on Monday, so it should be fun.  Chicken lettuce wraps from P.F. Chang's What I've been up to this week: All of the birthday freebies!  And I still have a lot to acquire that expire Jan. 31 or even mid-February. This past week I got chicken lettuce wraps takeout from P.F. Chang's (see pic above), breadsticks from Pizza Hut, a venti chai tea latte from Starbucks yesterday, six free wings from B-dubs, and a large popcorn and soda (Slurpee, for me) from AMC Theatres. Tomorrow I am doing a day trip to Frankenmuth and hoping to get my free chicken (lunch) at Zehnder's; the last time I went to Frankenmuth was in May with some girlfriends, and we did Bavarian Inn, which I thought was okay but not fantastic. And, not a freebie, but I stopped by Crumbl Novi last week because the lineup looked ama

*Disclosure: I received a digital code of One Night in Soho for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had been wanting to see Last Night in Soho  in theaters, but I missed the viewing window, so I was glad that I was able to have the chance to check it out on digital.  About the film: In Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit, Old) , an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma , “The Queen’s Gambit” ). But the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker. The “seductive and sophisticated” ( NY Times ) masterpiece is directed by Edgar Wright, and stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith ( The Crown, Doctor Who ) and Michael Ajao ( Attack the Block, Silent Witness ). The film is co-written by Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns

credit: Steve McNicholas *Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I have seen STOMP one time before, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, so I'm excited to see them again when they are here at Music Hall this March 2022! About the show: STOMP, the international percussion sensation, returns to Detroit to perform at Music Hall, March 1-6, 2022.  From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past 27 years, having performed in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 24 million people. Individual tickets start at $49 and will be available for sale starting Friday, January 14 online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-982-2787, and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, STOMP continues its phenomenal run with four global productions: the ongoing sell-out production at New York's

Welcome to 2022! Fingers crossed that it's better than 2021 ... 2021 was better than 2020, at least. Apologies for no Friday Five last week, but it was New Year's Eve Day and I didn't do much last week anyways, other than finally testing negative from COVID and also seeing TSO in concert at LCA!  EveryPlate Melty Mozz, Tomato Jam, & Zucchini Panini with potatoes What I've been up to this week: Make-up Christmas.  On December 25th, I was still in isolation/quarantine with COVID, so my parents and I finally got a "make-up Christmas" on New Year's Eve day. We opened presents—I give them presents, even though my mom and I mostly celebrate Hanukkah; they give me presents, and "Santa" usually brings me some booze in my stocking, haha, usually a nice wine; and also my aunt in Rhode Island sends us presents. We also watched Encanto —I saw it in the theater but my parents had not—and I've been listening to the soundtrack on repeat this week.  Beau

So you know how I said last week "I'm hoping this weekend will be fun, since I have some plans lined up?" My plans ended up all being canceled, as I tested positive for COVID on a rapid test last Saturday morning, and confirmed the results with an at-home test later that day. So this week has been fun ...  Blue Apron feta-stuffed burger with oregano potatoes What I've been up to this week: Trying to rest/recuperate . Which is not easy for me, because I usually like to be on-the-go, but I've been trying to go to bed by 11pm daily and wake up at 8:30am for work (I have been working from home since March 2020 at this point). Yesterday I was "bad" and stayed up until 2am, but only because I knew I was not working today, so I slept in until 11am. Next week I may have to work a little bit but it shouldn't be too much. Today is Day 9 of my symptoms, and the first day I can technically leave the house is Day 11, which will be Sunday—after Christmas, unfortun

This week has been like the longest week ever, but I'm hoping this weekend will be fun, as I have a few plans lined up. Churro, "Double Trouble," Mint Chip Ice Cream, and Turtle cookies from Crumbl What I've been up to this week: Cooking. I've been stuck in the house all week but I received a Dinnerly box last week and also this week. Yesterday I made a seasoned steak dish with brown butter lyonnaise sweet potatoes, and I think those were maybe the best sweet potatoes I've ever eaten, in my entire life ... of course, I paid for it today, as it had a lot of butter and parmesan cheese in it. I am getting a Blue Apron box next week, but only two meals, and it's the week before Xmas and I'm anticipating not having a lot of time to cook.  Watching movies . I saw the new Spider-Man: No Way Home  movie at a press screening this week (click here to read my review) and it was very good, although long, clocking in at 2h36m. On Sunday, I saw the new West Side St

I saw Ron's Gone Wrong  in the theater in late October, and found it to be a clever take on social media. I even laughed out loud a few times, and other than Encanto , it's probably the best animated film I've seen in a while.  About the movie: Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, Ron’s Gone Wrong from 20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animation arrives just in time for the holidays: now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD and on Digital December 15. Witness the crazy adventures between a B*Bot and his human best friend, as they discover self-acceptance and courage along the way. Things go hilariously awry when Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler, receives a malfunctioning, digitally connected device that’s supposed to be his “best friend out of the box.” In this action-packed animated story set against the backdrop of the social media age, a boy and his robot discover the wonderful messiness of true friendship. Honestly, I kind of want a B*bot after this, even though th

To preface this review, I am a fan of the Spider-Man  films, and I believe I have seen all of them, although for some of them it was years ago. I'm also a big fan of Tom Holland in the title role, and he does very well in this film.  It's going to be hard to write a synopsis of this film without giving away spoilers, so here is IMDB's synopsis: With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man. If you've watched Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse , you'll know that the concept of a "multiverse" has happened before in Spider-Man  films, and this is what we get in this movie, along with multiple villains: a "who's who" list of many villains that all iterations of Peter Parker have defeated. This universe's Peter Parker (Holland) doesn't entirely know what to do with them,

*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Beautiful - The Carole King Musical  will be coming to the Fisher Theatre in just a few weeks, and I'm excited to see it! I'm not super familiar with her music so I've been listening to it on my Spotify to familiarize myself.  About the show: Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announce that the Tony & Grammy Award-winning Broadway hit Beautiful—The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of the legendary and groundbreaking singer/songwriter, will make its Detroit return at the Fisher Theatre, January 4-9, 2022. Tickets start at $39 are currently on sale. Tickets will be available for purchase online at Ticketmaster.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office. “Following this unprecedented intermission from live theater, we are thrilled that Beautiful will be back on the road to bring joy and music once again to

This week has had its ups and downs, but I'm glad it's Friday, as I have a fun weekend planned, starting with checking out the new Tigar Sugar location today at an influencer tasting event—it's located next to Ima, in Madison Heights, and its grand opening is tomorrow, 12/11/21. Detroit Public TV pizza, from Buddy's What I've been up to this week: Getting takeout . I think, shockingly, I only did takeout this week, and didn't dine-in at all at a restaurant. On Saturday, I got Buddy's takeout with someone, and we tried the "Detroit Public TV" pizza, pictured above—it had pepperoni underneath the cheese, as is tradition with Detroit-style pizza, and then their "Old World Pepperoni" ABOVE the cheese too. It was good but I prefer just their regular pepperoni. Also on Saturday, I had pre-ordered one of Crumbl's hot chocolate cookies; unfortunately, when I arrived at the Novi location, they had JUST run out, so I settled for a Pancake cooki

Stomp *Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Broadway in Detroit has announced three new and upcoming shows at Music Hall for 2022, and I am pretty excited about the lineup. It includes STOMP, which I've seen before at the Fox Theatre; WAITRESS, one of my all-time favorite Broadway shows, and FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME, which sounds interesting. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m., and it's only $99 for all three shows! That's a fantastic deal. More information: Broadway In Detroit announced that it will offer a special series at Music Hall featuring award-winning, familiar favorites STOMP and WAITRESS along with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s critically acclaimed hip-hop improv show FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME. The Music Hall Series packages start at $99 for main floor seats for all three shows on Tuesday & Wednesday nights. Tickets for the 3-show series go on sale Friday, December 10, 2021 at 10

This week has seemed kind of long (probably because it's the week after a holiday week ...) so I'm glad today is Friday. Bumpy cake from Pop's for Italian, Ferndale What I've been up to this week: Eating out, probably too much again ... Last Friday, I didn't have to work, so I met someone at Red Robin for lunch, in Livonia (before a movie), and then for dinner I met someone at Bar Verona in Commerce. I have had Bar Verona pizza takeout before and it was really good; I had a pork chops entree this time and it was also very good, although I will say the tiramisu was so-so. On Saturday, some friends and I did delivery from Grand Azteca in WB, and everything was just okay, although I suspect that was because the food had a 15-minute drive to my friend's house. I also got Crumbl Cookies to bring over to her house, from the Novi location. On Sunday, I got Indian takeout from a place in Berkley called Grill & Curry, which was actually really delicious; on Monday, I

photo credit: Chris Bennion & Jeremy Daniel Hairspray   will be coming to the Fisher Theatre in Detroit from January 18-30, 2022 , and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to opening night! Click here  to purchase tickets.  About the show: HAIRSPRAY is the story of 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” ( The New York Times ). HAIRSPRAY premiered at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theater in June 2002. The show was a smash hit when it transferred to Broadway, winning eight 2003 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and became the longest-running musical to play the Neil Simon Theater, running 2,642 performances from July 18, 2002, until January 4, 2009. It is