Megan Shaw — who made up one half of the beloved all-vegan pop-up Street Beet, which shuttered earlier this year — has reemerged. This time, she’s partnered with Ferndale’s Public House to jazz up the spot’s vegan dinner and brunch offerings.
Folks who knew Street Beet can recall Shaw and co-founder Nina Paletta’s plant-based twists on fast food favorites, such as its vegan Taco Hell offerings (crunch wraps, Sleezy Gordita Crunches, Cheesy Potato Thriller wraps, etc), Infamous Bowls, and gargantuan sandos. Beginning June 20, Shaw — who recently came on board with Hometown Restaurant Group’s Public House as a consultant — is bringing about a dozen dinner menu items, including the fried “Chikn” Sammie that comes with pickles, spicy or non-spicy sauce, on a brioche bun, vegan beer-battered tofu fish and chips, an Impossible “bacon” burger, and a Po’ Boy featuring crispy smoked mushrooms. For brunch (starting June 25), there’s the Griddler Sammy with a vegan sausage patty, just egg, and cheddar between two pancake buns (a nod to the fast food McGriddle), a Chik’n in a Biscuit featuring a jalapeno-cheddar biscuit and hot honey sauce, and a tempeh-bacon Monte Cristo, and more.
Corn Man goes viral
A feature that originally aired on WDET’s CuriosiD program that answers the pressing questions plaguing the imaginations of Detroiters, addresses one of the city’s more perplexing food questions: Who’s behind the many “Corn Real Good” signs that can be seen posted on streets throughout the city? The station’s Eli Newman set out to find answers. According to the June 9 report, the man behind the mysterious signs is Orrin Fields, who serves elotes loaded with mayo, cheese, lime, and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos crumbs, burgers, and neighborhood hospitality — all from the corner of corner of Puritan and Normandy on Detroit’s west side. Variations of the story have since been republished on Deadline Detroit and on Newman’s own TikTok account (worth a follow for quick local news updates). Outlier Media’s Kate Abbey-Lambertz digs a little deeper with an interview with Mark Kurlyandchik (former Freep restaurant critic) on the impact that informal food businesses have on Detroit communities.
