This past week has been fun for consumption, I finished The Ultimatum, I drank some alcoholic beverages, I ate some good food, moving forward as the new year enlightens me to find healthier vices and refind a routine that I have been without for over a month I look forward to sharing the new methods of intentional and unintentional consumption I partake in.
El Barzon
Tucked away in a dingey alley, El Barzon is a quaint, authentic Mexican-Italian restaurant in South West Detroit, MI. You can get enchiladas, Modelos, and top-shelf tequila OR lemon chicken, Perroni, and limoncello. Coming from the west side of Michigan, it is DIFFICULT to find authentic food, but in my short time coming to the east side of the state, I have come to discover that hole-in-the-wall spots are littered all over Detroit. I ordered the Lemon Chicken, 2 Dos Equis Negra, and a house tequila shot. The more time I spend around Detroit, the more I feel the city is wildly under-appreciated.
Detroit—The Comeback
Detroit is a misunderstood place. I am an outsider looking in and I can see that. Above is a map of the Joe Louis Greenway, areas around a path that is being built to allow people around the city to run, bike, and enjoy green space. Spending time downtown you can feel the revival, the only thing that is missing is the people, and for some that is a good thing. Last night, we visited The Booktower and grabbed drinks at Kampers Rooftop (see below). All Detroit needs is people to move in. Rents are low, the city is safe, people are “city friendly”, the only thing that would put Detroit on my no-brainer next place to live map is that the public transit leaves a bit to be desired. The Q Line and the People Mover are nice, but expansions to their routes and range would really help people from areas around the Joe Louis Greenway and beyond get into town quicker. The culture, history, and layout of Detroit are really something—the amazing architecture and gigantic marble buildings around the city, the French inspirations, the Riverfront, the wide streets, and the city center roundabout, downtown Detroit feels very European (which is very appealing to me), the only issue is that because it’s not heavily trafficked with people much of the main storefront is still "unoccupied” or corporate, leaving a bit to be desired when strolling around the town.
Kampers Rooftop
Kampers Rooftop has a boutique chic feel very much like some of the bars in The Moxy in Time Square. On a Thursday evening, The Moxy would be booked out and packed with people, but Kampers was chill, we stayed from our 9 pm reservation until 11 pm sipping Tonics and Sangria and in that time there were probably a total of 4 other parties with maybe another 3-4 couples getting bar service, and to be honest this was really nice, it wasn’t overly loud, it wasn’t crowded, service was great, and there were only maybe 3-4 staff members working. I don’t expect this comfortably uncrowdedness to last though, I promise you that in 5-10 years places like this will be booked weeks in advance every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
The Salvo
This week we lucked out and went to the Salvation Army on a deal day, 50% off all clothing and white-tagged items, which meant participating in the whole late-capitalist retail thing but like at a manageable psychological and financial cost. Sabrina found multiple pairs of shoes and boots which all rang up under $10 after the discount and I scored myself this seriously heavy down coat (the kind that makes winter almost bearable, assuming you can get past looking like a walking sleeping bag) for $8. I highly recommend donating and purchasing clothes from your local Salvation Army, an easy way to scratch the capitalism bug without breaking the bank or feeling like you're fully buying into the consumerist narrative.
The Playlist
A playlist HEAVILY influenced by Sabrina. This week we have been listening to a lot of TV Girl, a DJ group of 3 guys one of whom is a 35-year-old named Brad, so if you are in your late 20s and think it’s too late to pivot to a DJ career think again. In addition to TV Girl, we have Jordana who does a lot of the female vocals on their songs. Moving on we have Pictures of You by Drugdealer and Kate Bollinger, Out of Me Head by Steve Lacy, and some Big Thief. A mix of electronic and pop to kick off the new year. We cap the playlist off with Bound a cover by Dana and Alden and then Got To Be Good by Gotts Street Park and Pip Millett.
El Barzon!!! The best
Love the Detroit love!!