Rick Coates

Dining Rick Coates North Peak Brewing Irish Stout Stew
North Peak Brewing Company is celebrating their 15th Annual Irish Fest in
grand style. Fresh off hosting the 32nd Annual St. Patrick’s Parade and
the Lucky Leprechaun Ball this past weekend and with a full day of
celebrating planned on Thursday in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, North Peak
plans to keep honoring Irish traditions through the weekend with a special
menu and beer offerings. 

Features Rick Coates Something’s Brewing: Scott Graham heads-up Michigan’s craft brew industry
By Rick Coates 
Currently, Michigan ranks fifth in the United States for the number of
craft breweries, and when the new totals come out next month it is
expected to be fourth in the country. 
Driving that figurative beer truck with a full load in fifth gear and with
the pedal to the metal is Scott Graham, who was named the first executive
director of the Michigan Brewers Guild in 2007. 

Music Rick Coates St. Patrick’s Celebrations Sweep the North
By Rick Coates
You don’t have to go far to ‘get your Irish on’ this coming week: St.
Patrick’s themed events will take place across the region. Here are some
of the highlights:

31st Annual Traverse City Ancient Order of Hibernians St. Patrick’s Parade
Saturday, March 12

The festivities kick off with pre-parade activities at North Peak Brewery
starting at noon with the announcement of the Irish Queen, Grand Marshall,
Irish Prince and Princesses and the Irish Lord Mayor.
The parade will commence at 1:30 p.m. with pre-staging starting at 1 p.m.
on North Hall Street. The parade route goes down Front Street to Pine to
State, Park  and Front streets and ending on North Hall.
Post parade activities will include dancing and Irish music by the Wild
Sullys at North Peak Brewery starting at 2:30 p.m. All activities are open
to the public. Anyone interested in participating in the parade should
contact Hibernian president Todd McCall at 231-715-6265.

Dining Rick Coates Alpine Tavern & Eatery Corned Beef Hash Skillet
This is the season when corned beef enjoys much popularity on Irish themed menus here in America. Despite the fact that corned beef has no connection to the roots of St. Patrick’s Day and has never been considered a national dish in Ireland, its popularity with Irish Americans dates back to the 1800s when Irish immigrants in the northeast substituted corned beef for the traditional bacon (thick cut ham similar to Canadian bacon) in their boiled dinner.
There is no historical evidence that corned beef was even “invented” in Ireland; the practice of brining meats has been found throughout many European cultures. Even in America early settlers brined meats in the fall and so corned beef found its way on several kitchen tables regardless of one’s cultural heritage. In fact in 1861 President Abraham Lincoln served corned beef at his inaugural dinner, which at that time was always in early March. Corned beef was also popular at many springtime formal dinners during that era including the Easter table.

Features Rick Coates The Luck of the Irish: Gets a Workout with Comedy Tour
By Rick Coates
According to folklore, the long tradition of Irish humor is rooted in the
tragedy, despair and tough times the Irish have faced through the years.
It is believed that comedy and prayer is what got many an Irish through
the bleakest hours of their history. Comedian Derek Richards of the Irish
Comedy Tour believes there is a simpler theory.

Music Rick Coates St. Practice Day:: Raise a toast with The Young Dubliners, Shrub and 12 Year Reunion
By Rick Coates 
Almost 20 years ago Guinness started The Great Guinness Toast, nicknamed 
“St. Practice Day,” where on the third Friday of February Guinness
drinkers gather at pubs to raise a toast to set a Guinness Book of World
Records for the largest simultaneous toast. Each year a new record has
been set. The St. Practice Day concept has expanded beyond what Guinness
originally intended with clubs putting their own spin on it.
Ground Zero Nightclub in Traverse City will launch its first-ever St.
Practice Day on Friday March 4 with three bands, The Young Dubliners,
Shrub and 12-Year Reunion. Tickets are only $10 in advance and doors open
at 8 p.m.

Dining Rick Coates Pork Belly
(This is Traverse City Restaurant Week, with 18 restaurants in the area offering special three-course menus for $25. To learn more check out www.downtowntc.com, Mission Table on the Old Mission Peninsula is one of the participating restaurants)

If you follow the financial markets closely you will hear “pork belly futures” mentioned whenever the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is discussed. Pork Bellies have been traded on the Exchange for the past 40 years and, loosely defined, they are a boneless cut of fatty meat from the belly of a hog. In America, bacon is the best known of the “pork belly” meats.
For the past few years pork belly has gained favor on menus of fine dining establishments throughout the country. At Mission Table (formerly Bowers Harbor Inn) it is one of the small plate options for Traverse City Restaurant Week promotion. Chef Paul Olson and his team have mastered this delicacy. The Kurobuta Pork Belly (considered to be the Kobe Beef of the pork world) at Mission Table offers the perfect texture with a thin, crunchy layer followed by a layer of meat, then a layer of fat and then another layer of meat and topped with a poached Halpin Farms egg and a caramelized red onion jam.

Dining Rick Coates North Peak Herbed Fish & Chips
(TC Restaurant Week)
The concept of a “Restaurant Week” in Traverse City is long overdue. A few years ago a week-long celebration (The Festival of the Senses) to promote the culinary and cultural virtues of the region was attempted, but the idea fell short of the mark after only a couple of years. The reason: on the surface the idea of partnering with your competitors seems to go against traditional capitalistic principals.
But next week, 18 restaurants in and around Downtown Traverse City will come together to promote Traverse City Restaurant Week (TCRW) from February 27 - March 5. These “restaurant weeks” are popping up all over the country in communities that understand that having one or two great restaurants is just not enough. The buzzword is “culinary tourism” and restaurants play a pivotal role in one’s travel. It is great to see the local restaurant scene take a page out the wine industry playbook and and start collaborating with each other and to realize that your neighboring restaurants are not your competitors but instead your partners in promotion.

Features Rick Coates Former mobster Michael Franzese comes clean
By Rick Coates
Once you join an organized crime family like the Mafia or the Mob there
are typically only two ways out: death or the witness protection program.
One of the top mob bosses of the Columbo crime family, Michael Franzese,
found a third way: God. He will tell his story this Friday at 7 p.m. at
the City Opera House in Traverse City.

Features Rick Coates Clearing the Air: Medical Marijuana Workshop For Employers
By Rick Coates
While the State of Michigan continues to be in somewhat of a “cloud of
smoke” over the Medical Marijuana Act of 2008, many employers have asked
where they stand legally on the issue with their employees who might have
medical marijuana cards. The Northwest Michigan Council of Governments
hopes to shed some light for employers this Wednesday, February 23, with a
workshop, “Medical Marijuana - The Law and How it Impacts Your Business &
Employees” from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City.
The panelists include Thomas S. Gilbert, an attorney and former judge who
is with Touchstone Intervention & Prevention Specialists in TC; Dr. Darryl
Lesoski, medical director of the Occupational Health & Medicine Department
at Munson Healthcare; and Grand Rapids attorney Donald Lawless, who
specializes in employment and labor law.

Dining Rick Coates Slabtown Cafe & Burgers Slabby Patty
Trying to find the best burger in Northern Michigan is no easy task. In my travels I have come across many with Bubba’s, Mulligan’s and Don’s Drive In among my favorites in Traverse City. Certainly the Side Door Saloon and the recently opened Bay Burger in Petoskey are regular stops for me as well. My all time favorites have been the McMode Burger from Mode’s Bum Steer in Traverse City and the Tally Burger at Tally’s in Lewiston. 

Now Miller’s Bar in Dearborn is considered by many a connoisseur to be not only the best burger in Michigan but among the best in the country. Recently GQ Magazine cited Miller’s as one of the 20 best burgers in America. For the past several years it has won just about every people’s choice award in the Detroit area for best burger. The Miller burger is basic, no flair but juicy served on paper, the place is a poster child for Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Features Rick Coates WOW! Winter festival warms up the weekend
By Rick Coates
Local organizers are hoping the whole town will say “Wow!” when they check out this weekend’s wide-ranging festival which will include a new winefest, snowboard competition, ice sculptures and much more.
Five years ago, the National Cherry Festival and the Grand Traverse Casino Resort and Spa formed a partnership to bring back a winter festival to Traverse City. Originally called The Cherry Winter Wonder Fest, it is now the Cherry Capital Winter Wow!Fest. 
Taking place at several locations around TC, the festival kicks off Friday evening with the new “Winter, Wine & Wow!” event that will feature local wines, craft brews, spirits, food and art, along with live entertainment. This opening night party will take place in a  large heated tent in the parking lot where the Traverse City Farmers Market is held at the corner of Union Street and the Parkway. The Festival will continue through Sunday with several outdoor activities for kids of all ages.

Dining Rick Coates Red Ginger Volcano Pork

Take away the snow and add 50 degrees and this weekend in downtown Traverse City might seem more like the middle of July than the middle of February. With two high profile events--The Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival and The Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival taking place--along with a full musical lineup at downtown nightspots, larger than normal crowds are expected this weekend. Finding a seat at a local eatery might be a challenge so plan early and when possible make a reservation.
Even with major events taking place, I have noticed recently that several downtown eateries have been packed, including mid-week. Just a couple of weeks ago I stopped at Red Ginger on Wednesday night late in the evening to find a pretty full restaurant. This comes at no surprise to regular diners at the downtown Traverse City restaurant scene.
Since opening a little over three years ago, Red Ginger has become a popular dining destination. Located right next to the State Theatre, Red Ginger along with Amical and Phil’s on Front have become popular pre and post movie gathering spots.

Features Rick Coates A Brew of Laughter: Traverse City hosts annual microbrew and comedy fests 2/7/11
By Rick Coates
This weekend, organizers for the two-day Traverse City Winter
Microbrew & Music Festival expect to draw 3,000 attendees. The
Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival is expected to draw another 5,000
participants over a four day period making downtown Traverse City the
place to be.  Here is an overview of what participants will experience
and there is plenty of opportunity to participate in both.

Features Rick Coates More than Lagers & Laughter:See what the weekend has to offer in Northern Michigan
By Rick Coates
While the marquee events of this weekend will definitely be the
Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival and the Traverse City
Comedy Arts Festival, there are other happenings throughout the region
and that is a good thing. If you do the math there will be about
150,000 residents and visitors within 60 miles of downtown Traverse
City this weekend and the two events are able to accommodate a little
more than five percent of those in the area. So what do the other
140,00 people in the region do this weekend? Here is a snapshot of
opportunities: