The Friday Five, 1/11/19: 5 things I've been up to this week

By the time you read this, I will either be on a plane to New York or in New York, most likely—I'm going there this weekend for my birthday weekend. I haven't been back in about 6.5 years, so it should be a fun time, but unfortunately I'm sick (again....) with a cold, so I'm hoping the weather won't be brutal there this weekend ... it should be about 20-30 degrees out, so about the same as Michigan's weather.

Chicken pad thai roll from Bangkok 96 Street Food, Detroit Shipping Company
Chicken pad thai roll from Bangkok 96 Street Food, Detroit

What I've been up to this week:
  1. Hanging out with friends. A friend who moved to Germany last year was back in the U.S. for the holidays, and on Saturday night she hosted a game night at another friend's place, in Ferndale. On Sunday morning, that same group met up for brunch at Bobcat Bonnie's in Ferndale, which was tasty. 
  2. Seeing RENT, in Detroit. On Tuesday, a friend and I checked out Detroit Shipping Company for dinner, which was fabulous (see the chicken pad thai pic above), and then went to the Fisher Theatre to see RENT, which was also very good. Detroit Shipping Company has about 3-4 different restaurants all under one roof—it's kind of like a food court—and we had jerk chicken wings and Brussels sprouts with maple syrup from Coop's Caribbean Chicken, and also the chicken pad thai roll and some potstickers from Bangkok 96 Street Food. RENT will be at the Fisher until January 20th, and Groupon is actually running a deal for $35 balcony and $65 main floor tickets, which you can find here.
  3. Seeing movies. Of course :). I saw Welcome to Marwen on Sunday even though I was super tired, and it was a unique movie so it kept me awake—I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. On Monday, I saw If Beale Street Could Talk, which was excellent—I'd give that one 4.5 out of 5 stars, and I only docked a half star because parts were slow. Regina King just won the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe for her role in it, too. 
  4. Eating out and getting birthday freebies. My birthday is this Sunday (January 13th) and if you know me, you know I love deals ... so of course I'm signed up for like every e-newsletter and e-club there is. On Monday, the Five Stars app gave me a free meal at Mr. Kabob Xpress (Troy), so I did takeout; and yesterday, I went to P.F. Changs to get my free chicken lettuce wraps, which I ate for lunch (free appetizer or dessert during your birthday month from them).
    Also, last Friday my boyfriend and I tried out Souvlaki Greek Street Food, in Taylor, which was very good, and on Sunday night, two friends and I FINALLY got to try out Revolver, in Hamtramck. Revolver is a unique concept because every week, they have a new chef and menu (hence the name: rotating, or revolving, chefs). I had been waiting a long time for a menu that I liked, and Chef Jeremy Grandon (of J-Bird Smoked Meats, in Keego Harbor) presented a BBQ menu that ended up being very, very tasty. Revolver isn't inexpensive—it was $50 for dinner and then I left $10 for tip, so $60 total—but the experience was great. I believe their dinners range from $50-75, also, depending on the week and specific menu, and you can buy tickets ahead of time on their website.
  5. Attending a baby shower. My boyfriend's sister is having a baby this month, and on Saturday I went to her baby shower. I had actually never been to a baby shower before (only wedding showers) so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. We had some food and played some games, and then she and her boyfriend opened presents ... there were some very cute baby girl clothes that they received, too. 
January menu at Revolver, Hamtramck, Detroit
Revolver menu, from 1/6/18. Not many food pics because we were too busy eating!


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