As we all know, the Detroit Football Lions are going all the way to the Super Bowl. This is the year. The curse has been lifted. Sheila Ford Hamp has made all the necessary changes. Head Coach, Dan Campbell is beloved and solid as a rock. And, Quarterback Jared Goff, with the help of a mighty Offensive Line, has come out of his nightmare – being forced out of his mansion high in the Hollywood Hills – and is back to playing Championship caliber, NFL Football.
Time to Eat.
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Utica Coffee Roasting Co.
Game Day starts with coffee. Plain and simple. And, lately we’ve been enjoying the Adirondack Blend out of Utica, New York. Sadly, they have not sent us a crate but The Metropolitan has an Aunt, Nurse Becky, who swings out to the northwestern part of the Empire State to hike the Adirondacks, chow down (because, she’s an 80s girl) on Tomato Pie, explore the internationally recognized Munson-Williams Proctor Arts Institute, and stroll through the century year old Utica Zoo. Many of us around The Metropolitan estate have, for the most part, given up alcohol and other substances known to harm the human body. But, we are not turning our backs on coffee (or the caffeine that comes with it) in the near future. Journalists, reporters, and writers need a vice. Anyway, Game Day begins pretty early for most tailgaters. Not surprising to see them out at 5:30am. And, with that schedule we feel comfortable in recommending one of our recent finds. And, while we prefer the darker Adirondack blend, featuring caramelized sugars, molasses, and chocolate, we have been enjoying the clean, sweet, nutty flavors that come with the straight, more mellow, variety. Very Adirondacky! Perfect, for early morning tailgates.
Kowalski Sausage
Established in 1920, the Kowalski Sausage Factory is a landmark in Hamtramck, Michigan – that “little city” located within Detroit City Limits. Emigrating from Poland to America, Agnes and Zygmund Kowalski got to work producing Polish sausage and other foods from the Old Country. In the 1950s through the 1970s the Kowalski’s were always associated with the Detroit Football Lions; either directly, through sponsorship and advertising or indirectly, as a staple on the grill every football Sunday. I remember one vintage commercial with the phrase Ko-Wal-A-Ti – A classic.
So, we feel good recommending Kowalski Sausage and Kielbasa. As Detroit as it gets. We like ours off the grill with mustard and sauerkraut. But, we’ve also had them with tomato sauce and peppers. Our editor has even enjoyed them with mustard, ketchup, and relish, and he really doesn’t care who knows it.
Kowalski also makes handmade Pierogi, Hunter’s Sausage, and a bunch of other meats and condiments, so enjoy. For the real fan, they offer merchandise; including, a tee shirt with that glorious neon sign pictured on front. Old School.
Let’s Go Lions!
The French Cow
If you’re tailgating in Detroit’s Eastern Market District you’re in for a real treat. The French Cow crepe shop has a stand making homemade sweet or savory crepes on the spot. For the purposes of this discussion, we ordered the chocolate w/ strawberry and the Nutella, and could not have been more pleased. Not since our last stop in France have we experienced crepes like these. Deliciously satisfying. And, they come in a nifty little to-go bag that looks just like newspaper.
The French Cow began as a pop up in 2015 and has been going strong ever since. Owned and operated by French Detroiter, Marie Wallace, who immigrated from France in 2004, the shop speaks to the city’s French heritage in the most tangible of ways – through food. For the brawnier appetites, try the savory La Complete, with Egg, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Caramelized Onions; or the Elvis Crepe, with Bacon, Peanut Butter, and Banana. No word on if The French Cow has plans on game day for Les Lions crepe but if it does a good place to began could be with Rosette de Lyon, Camembert, and chives – or, something. Love this little crepier in Eastern Market, and so should you.
Towne Club
As their website says, We call it POP around here. And, it’s true. Around the Great Lakes, perhaps throughout the Midwest, but most certainly in Detroit, people refer to Soda and POP. And, Detroit’s original POP Shop is Towne Club.
Earlier in the month, a staffer was tailgating a Town Club delivery vehicle, with a Honolulu Blue Cream Soda graphic on the back, and it struck them that Towne Club was gearing up for Detroit Lions football season. For those who do not know, Honolulu Blue is the traditional color of the Lion’s team uniform. And, while we have been doing our best to avoid processed sugars we thought that adding a few bottles to the mix would be acceptable; given the circumstances. Some of our party enjoyed the beverage straight out of the bottle, while others preferred a play on the Lion’s Honolulu Blue Cool Aid Cocktail by adding 8 Mile Vodka and a squeeze of citrus to the POP.
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emeals
Alright, alright; we’re not all out tailgating. In fact, many of us prefer to watch the game from the comfort of our homes. And, who can blame us? We get instant replay, slow motion, and no lines for the restroom. It’s all very nice. If that is you then check out our sponsor emeals and design your own in-house tailgate party.
The six sports bar-inspired recipes make it easy to celebrate with your favorite team, from Hot Black Bean and Corn Dip to Honey-Salsa Chicken Wings. You can find these recipes and more on emeals website; easy to prep and perfect for tailgating and entertaining all football season. If you’re not a subscriber, you can sign up for a 2-Week Free Trial at eMeals.com, giving you access to 15 different food style meal plans from Kid-Friendly to Heart Healthy to Low Carb to 30-Minute Meals. This way you don’t have to eat like a Lion.
eMeals is America’s leading provider of curated meal plans connecting consumers and food brands to the online grocery pickup and delivery services of Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, Shipt and Instacart. Subscribers have access to 15 food style meal plans, each with new weekly dinner ideas that can be mixed and matched from plan to plan. Based on the selected meal choices, the eMeals app automatically generates a grocery list that can be shopped in-store or, with one click, sent for pickup or delivery by one of the integrated grocery retailers.
eMeals partners with food and beverage brands to contextually highlight their products within its recipe inspiration and shopping lists and has helped more than a million families relieve the daily stress of putting healthy home-cooked meals on the table quickly, easily and affordably.
Not saying emeals is going to guarantee a winning Lions season but it might help any losses taste better.