The East Side

The east side of Traverse City has the Chocolate Den, The Cook's House, and Jack's Market. Now the Record-Eagle reports on how that end is blossoming.

See: East end of downtown turning into food stop

The Warehouse district is the bohemian center. East Front St. is becoming the culinary center.

What's new:
9 Bean Rows Bakery
Simply Cupcakes
and The Cooks' House is moving into the Wellington Street Market site.

Shorts Will Release 20 Or More Bottled Varieties

That Shorts is so hot right now.

Kalamabrew reports that there should soon be five new bottles from Short's on store shelves with up to 20(!!!!) more later this year. See: New bottle release dates from Short's Brewing Co. include S'More Stout, an Oktoberfest style lager and even a World Beer Cup medal winner

Short's Is Expanding Their Line Just In Time For Christmas

Now this would make a great stocking stuffer!

Via MLive: Short's Brewing Company to release eight beers in bottles starting Thursday

Cup A Joe – Coffee Cream Stout.
Kind Ale – Fresh Wet Hop Beer.
Mystery Stout – Molasses and Cocoa.
Uncle Steve's – High-alcohol Irish stout.
Liberator – Double IPA with Huma-Lupa-Licious (IPA) base and twists of Nicie Spicie (spiced wheat ale), Hangin' Frank (strong ale) and Stellar (hoppy twin brother of Frank).
Uber Goober — Peanut Oatmeal Stout.
PB & J – Blend of Uber Goober and Soft Parade (fruit rye ale).
Good Humans — Double brown using exclusing [sic] malts.

Brown Gold

Downtown Traverse City is gushing with chocolate. I was planning on making a post about it but the TCVCB blog has a post up about the new tasty trend:

Time to Talk Chocolate….

Traverse City is incredibly fortunate to get a Jacques Torres Chocolate store. Five New York City locations and one in Traverse City. This store alone will make Traverse City one of America's best places to live.

Follow Chef Torres in NYT Topics.

[Update 4/6/2009 via UpNorthFoodies] NWI.com: The cherry capital has a taste for chocolate

Little Green Jugs At Left Foot Charley's

Lots of good news from Traverse City's urban vintner. See the RE story: Winery now using taps, growlers

The winery, at the Grand Traverse Commons, will also use beeswax to seal its bottles.

The winery plans to sell one-liter, refillable "Little Green Jug" growlers. Customers can also bring in their own bottles...

...On tap, Left Food Charley will start with Pinot Grigio and Riesling and a hard cider.

Official site: Left Foot Charley

Via UpNorthFoodies

The Cherry Hut Gets National Media Attention

In the Christian Science Monitor: Want fruit with that burger?

The burgers at the Cherry Hut restaurant in Beulah, Mich., are a hit with customers. But these aren't ordinary hamburgers. Every summer, when tourists come to sample the state's bumper crop of cherries, the restaurant's co-owner Andy Case starts taking orders for the restaurant's popular burger. After broiling the patties in the kitchen, he slides them onto a bun and tops them with fixings. It's in this moment, before the first bite, that customers stir with anticipation because the Cherry Hut is home to an unlikely specialty – the cherry burger.

The burgers are filled with tart, or sour, cherries grown in northern Michigan – the cherry capital of the world.

Although people come to the Cherry Hut for the restaurant's cherry pies, the cherry burger has become a popular seller and a conversation starter. Mr. Case says he probably sells more cherry burgers than regular burgers. "People want to be more health conscious," he says. The cherry burger is "tasty, juicy, healthier."

Wellington Street Market

The braintrust from The Cook's House has opened a new neighborhood style market less than a block away on Wellington St.

See:
Eric's blog 'An Obsessed Chef': Market Opening!!

IPR: Wellington Market

Fustini's Gets More Local Coverage

I mentioned Fustini's Oils and Vinegars previously, now they have an article in the Record-Eagle: Fustini's: European with TC flavor

Fustini's

Fustini's Oil and Vinegars gets featured in Traverse Magazine.

See:
Flavor Adventure: Fustini's Oils and Vinegars

Foodie File: Lane Milligan

The fruit-infused balsamic vinegars are amazing, especially the strawberry-balsamic. Unfortunately they do not have any 100-year old balsamic vinegar. The owner told me he didn't want to shock anyone with that price tag.