Video Cameras Coming to Downtown Plymouth's Sidewalk Cafes

Plymouth City Commission approved security measure at Jan. 21 meeting.

Plymouth's Frozen Yogurt Market Heats Up

Yogurt Palooza owners say they're disappointed that competitor is moving across the street.

Downtown Plymouth is expected to get another self-serve frozen yogurt store — directly across the street from the one already there, Yogurt Palooza on Main Street near Ann Arbor Trail.  Yummie Yogurt, a family-owned business based in Farmington Hills, will open at the multi-story restaurant and retail building on the southeast corner of Main Street and Ann Arbor Trail, the former site of a long-vacant gas station. Yummie Yogurt features an ever-changing menu of flavors, self-serve toppings and a pay-by-the-ounce policy, which mirrors Yogurt Palooza's business model. Chris Tomei and Craig Turk, co-owners of Yogurt Palooza, said they learned Yummie Yogurt was coming to Plymouth when the sign went up in the building. Yummie Yogurt owner Tony …

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Plymouth Ice Festival: What You Need to Know

Heading to the Plymouth Ice Festival this weekend? Here's what you need to know.

The Plymouth Ice Festival begins Friday, Jan. 18, in downtown Plymouth. Heading downtown? Here's what you need to know: Friday, Jan. 18 – 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 – 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20 – 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sculptures are available for viewing 24 hours a day and will remain standing after the event, weather-permitting. See the attached parking map for parking locations in downtown Plymouth. Roadside parking also available in adjacent subdivisions except where marked otherwise. See the attached walking map for a list of restaurants and shops to help find your way around downtown. Most of the festivities will take place in and around Kellogg Park, with a warming tent in the Gathering Pavilion. From the skating rink in Kellogg Park …

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Patch Readers Weigh In on Rock Bar & Grill Closing

Here are some of your responses to the Rock Bar & Grill closing last week.

Plymouth-Canton Patch readers were eager to weigh in on last week's closing of the Rock Bar & Grill in downtown Plymouth.  The bar's ownership had agreed to close the business' doors by Feb. 1 and find a buyer after the city threatened recommending revocation of its liquor license. Just days later, however, the bar's doors were closed with a sign indicating it would reopen in February under new ownership. Here are some Patch readers' comments about the bar's closing: Bryan Bentley: "It seems clear that ownership decided it was not worth staying open, and risking another violation, which would cost them the liquor license. This move was purely about the sacred liquor license. The receipts for 20 days were simply not worth the risk. Smart …

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Frozen Pub Crawl to Provide Downtown Fun Ahead of Plymouth Ice Festival

Pub crawl Saturday to stop at four downtown bars.

The 2013 Plymouth Ice Festival is still a week away, but downtown will get a taste of some early festivities Saturday with the Labatt Blue Frozen Pub Crawl. The pub crawl, which starts 4:15 p.m. Saturday at Panache 447 before moving on to E.G. Nick's, The Penn Bar & Grill and Sean O'Callaghan's, is sponsored by the Detroit Spartans, a Michigan State University alumni group. Emily Reetz from the Detroit Spartans said she hopes the event will "build energy and momentum" for the Ice Festival, which runs Jan. 18-20 in downtown Plymouth.  While the event is open to the public, Reetz said her group is marketing the event to MSU alums throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties who otherwise might not be aware of the Ice Festival.  "Hopefully …

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The Sardine Room in Plymouth Picked as Top New Metro Detroit Restaurant

The Sardine Room offers a more unconventional type of fine dining.

The Sardine Room has been chosen as one of the top 10 best new metro Detroit restaurants for 2012 by the Detroit Free Press. The Free Press said the restaurant might be the best-all-around new restaurant of the year.  The restaurant, which opened in downtown Plymouth in May, gives dining out a new meaning to its patrons. "It's kind of a break from the traditional order," said co-owner Frankie Yaquinto. The Sardine Room offers shareable snack and small plates and a raw bar, which is where raw oysters and other seafood are served. Yaquinto said the restaurant's style offers a more casual dining experience and lets customers be more creative with the menu. Yaquinto said the praise from the Free Press has had an impact on the restaurant, which…

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New Burger Place Hopes to Stuff Plymouth Customers With Creative Concoctions

Jay's Stuffed Burgers in Plymouth opened in October.

While having a scoop of mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese might make for a good side dish for a hamburger, Jay and Jon Kizy of Royal Oak are using such ingredients at their new Plymouth restaurant as the heart of the burger. Jay's Stuffed Burgers opened Oct. 1 at 600 W. Ann Arbor Trail in Plymouth, the former Zapatas Mexican Kitchen building. It offers gourmet hamburgers wrapped around a variety of fresh, premium ingredients for several varieties of stuffed burgers. Stuffed burgers differ from traditional burgers in that the ingredients are cooked inside of the burger, instead of being piled on top. "We just started messing around and one day I had watched this hamburger contest on TV and they were stuffing the burgers," Jay Kizy said…

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Plymouth's The Sardine Room Among Free Press' Top 10 New Restaurants

Raw bar in downtown Plymouth is among the 10 best new restaurants in Metro Detroit, according to the Detroitt Free Press.

The Sardine Room in downtown Plymouth is one of the 10 best new restaurants in Metro Detroit, according to the Detroit Free Press. The restaurant on South Main Street across from Kellogg Park shares a facility and ownership—the Yaquinto family—with Compari's on the Park and Fiamma Grille. Free Press food critic Sylvia Rector spoke glowlingly of the restaurant in her review: Stylish, sophisticated and fun, the Sardine Room might be the best-all-around new restaurant of the year. What I love is the originality and versatility of the well-executed menu, strongest on shareable raw-bar, snack and small-plate dishes. The business also was one of the attractions at Downtown Plymouth's Restaurant Week. Have you tried The Sardine Room? Check the …

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Plymouth Welcomes Santa Claus to Kellogg Park

Santa Claus visits downtown Plymouth as city illuminates Christmas tree.

Escorted by local firefighters, Santa Claus made his arrival Friday to downtown Plymouth amidst a celebration of lights and music. The City of Plymouth illuminated its holiday tree in Kellogg Park on Friday as local choirs and children's activities created a festive atmosphere to welcome Kris Kringle to town. If you were at the event, be sure to submit your photos here. If you missed Santa Claus on Friday, fear not. You can still catch Santa at his Kellogg Park house throughout the holiday season. Santa’s House Hours are:  Photos are available for $6.

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Looking for Downtown Events? There's an App for That

Plymouth Downtown Development Authority releases smartphone app.

Looking for the latest live music, comedy, restaurant specials or Small Business Saturday deals in downtown Plymouth? There's now an app for that. The Plymouth Downtown Development Authority released an app this month serving as a one-stop guide to everything downtown. The smartphone app, downloadable for Apple and Android devices, is a free download, DDA Director Tony Bruscato said. "There's an app for everything, and we thought why not an app for downtown Plymouth?" Bruscato said. "We have 130-plus events each year, a lot of shops and restaurants that do a lot of events and have specials, it seemed like a natural fit in a place like Plymouth." Bruscato said the DDA had a "soft release" for the app at the boulevard tree lighting and …

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