Mr. B’s Gastropub Imports the Arcade Bar Trend to Royal Oak

Arcade bars arrive in Royal Oak

Mr. B’s Gastropub has undergone a major revamp in downtown Royal Oak with new menu items, beer, and cocktails, according to a release. The bar located at 215 S. Main St. has also joined in metro Detroit’s growing arcade bar trend by adding more than 20 quarter-operated classic games including Atari: Crystal Castles, Demolition Man, Foosball, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Ms. Pacman – Galaga, Nintendo: Cruis’n World, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and more. Kids under 12 can receive a free game token while dining in with their parents and adults 21 and up receive two tokens with a drink purchase between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Opening Day at Comerica Park

It’s Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers which means a whole fleet of new food items at the stadium and plenty of events around downtown for those brave enough to descend into the sea of feverish baseball fans. There are, of course, plenty of parties springing up in celebration of the new season all around downtown (Metro Times has assembled a decent list). For those interested in getting a sneak peek at the Grey Ghost team’s next bar project in Brush Park, Second Best Bar will be popping up at the Belt Alley from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with four types of cocktails and a limited amount of free bar snacks.

Changes brew at the Albert Kahn Building

Storied architecture firm Albert Kahn Associates is relocating to the Fisher Building from the Albert Kahn Building in May to make way for apartments and ground floor restaurant space, Crain’s reports.

The critics

Detroit Free Press restaurant critic Mark Kurlyandchik has both kind and constructive words for Gather in Eastern Market. “Gather both benefits and suffers from the owners’ naivete,” he writes. “Like many foolhardy first ventures, the place exudes a homespun charm that hasn’t been focus-grouped to hell.” Kurlyandchik notes that bringing in chef Jessi Patuano to replace opening chef Nate Vogeli was a step in the right direction: “A more seasoned operator probably wouldn’t let Patuano get away with some of the more interesting experimentation on the menu, which would be a shame.” While the some dishes and the wine list fall flat, Patuano is “most assured in the robust vegetable portion of the menu.”

Major Michigan Avenue redevelopment

The turreted Grosfield Building along Michigan Avenue in Southwest Detroit is getting a much-deserved facelift, according to Crain’s. Warehouse Development plans to redevelop the buildings at 3365 and 3363 Michigan Ave. as lofts with first-floor retail or restaurant space.