Sunday, March 10, 2013
Residents argue over whether Birmingham needs — and can sustain — more family-friendly restaurants in light of several high-profile restaurants closures, including Barrio.
The year is only two months old and it's already been an up-and-down 2013 for high profile Birmingham restaurants, leaving many residents wondering: when are we going to get a family restaurant? Earlier this week, Barrio Tacos & Tequila, the upscale Mexican eatery owned by the same company in charge of the Hamilton Room and Chen Chow Brasserie, announced it had closed its doors for good. "We made the decision to close because, with the high overhead and the changing dining landscape in Birmingham, we just felt it was something we had do," Tracy Wilson, general manager of the Dali Restaurant Group, told Downtown Birmingham/Bloomfield. In Birmingham, it's a landscape marked by high-profile closures, followed quickly by new ideas from …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Birmingham City Commission approved the plans and the developer's request for an economic development license Monday night.
What might soon become Birmingham's newest restaurant took a big step toward opening Monday night after the developers behind Crush received final approval from the Birmingham City Commission. On Monday, commissioners approved by the final site plan and Special Land Use Permit for Crush, the seafood and wine-themed restaurant looking to move into the ground floor of the 555 building on South Old Woodward. Crush also recieved an economic development license on Monday night — a less expensive Class C liquor license for restauranteurs looking to revive the Woodward Avenue corridor. "We fit the master plan of this city in a unique way because we fit almost every single element," said Rick Rattner, the attorney representing Crush, Monday night…
42.542974
-83.210606
555 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI
/articles/new-restaurant-crush-receives-final-approval-coming-soon-to-birmingham
/locations/8904714
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The third applicant, Crush, will return to the Birmingham City Commission in two weeks with another request for an economic development license.
Even though there were three applicants vying for only two bistro licenses, the discussion at the Birmingham City Commission meeting Monday went relatively smoothly. On Monday night, existing restaurants Birmingham Sushi and What Crepe? easily received approval for the two 2013 Birmingham bistro licenses. Meanwhile, a third applicant, Crush, was passed over for a bistro license though most city commissioners were confident the proposed wine-themed restaurant had a better chance of approval with a different kind of liquor license. Under the city's 2007 bistro ordinance, Birmingham only approves two new bistro licenses per year. Bistros are defined as having seasonal sidewalk seating, a full-service kitchen and no more than 65 seats inside …
42.54754
-83.21312
Birmingham Sushi Cafe
377 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, MI
/articles/birmingham-sushi-what-crepe-receives-2013-bistro-licenses
712203
/locations/8792219
42.547056
-83.214622
What Crepe
172 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI
/articles/birmingham-sushi-what-crepe-receives-2013-bistro-licenses
2065536
/locations/8792220
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
After first going for bistro license, the proposed restaurant looking to move in on South Old Woodward, Crush, is now aiming for approval with a different kind of liquor license.
So, maybe Birmingham's newest bistro hopeful, Crush, won't be a bistro after all. Last week, the Birmingham Planning Board recommended that Crush — the wine-themed restaurant looking to move into 555 S. Old Woodward Ave. — receive an economic development license, a form of liquor license for businesses that revive the Woodward Avenue corridor. However, this is the second set of recommendations for Crush and it will be up to the Birmingham City Commission to decide: should Crush receive an economic development license, a bistro license or nothing at all? For Crush, the politics comes down to picking the right kind of license that will win them approval. Before it went looking for an economic development license — a cheaper form of a Class C…
42.542974
-83.210606
555 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI
/articles/planning-board-says-yes-to-crush-s-request-for-economic-development-license
/locations/8701614
RA
3:30 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
YES, Enough steakhouses... Toast is a good option offering 3 meals per day, but on the pricey side. I'd like to see Mexican, mediterrranean and a classic burger hang out like Jaws Jumbo Burger (Jay Leno's restaurant) in Farmington Hills. more ›