An Afternoon with Eat 'Em Up Detroit

Yesterday, Saturday the 21st, I went to Ulta for the first time ever with my friend, Lauren. Needless to say, I am so glad she was game for coming with me on my new make-up adventure. If she didn't accompany me I would have been perusing up and down the aisles. Anyways! I won't go into full detail of my spendings at Ulta, but going to Ulta was the spark that ignited the adventures that followed for the remainder of the afternoon/early evening. And it's a good one.

When lunch time came rolling by Lauren and I were trying to decide where we shall go to lunch. That is when we recruited my brother,  Jose Rivas, one of the co-creator's and co-founder of Eat 'Em Up Detroit, to guide us to a place that will fuel us with a delicious afternoon meal. Of course, we invited him to join us because that's what the fates decided for us.

First, we went to Imperial in Ferndale for some pre-gaming (that's what we were calling our late-lunch/early-dinner event) hot dogs and nachos. Their picture, unfortunately won't be featured on this post, but you can check them out on Eat 'Em Up Detroit's Facebook page. They were delicious! I had the chips and my brother and Lauren had hot dogs. Which, according to them, were delicious and everything a hot dog should aspire to be when they grow up.

The main event was Mabel Gray in Hazel Park. Lauren and my brother have already eaten there, but I, an individual who tends to stick to home cooked chicken and rice, have never been. And since I am fortunate enough to have friends who are cultured in Metro Detroit cuisine I was able to go out and experience good food. Get ready, because you're about to do some experiencing yourself, well at least your eyes are (sorry you can't taste it, I advise you don't lick the screen and just go to Mabel Gray and feast!)

Green Apple Kimchi. Yogurt, celery, candied nuts.

Asparagus. Bearneise mayo. Pickled mustard seeds. Breadcrumbs.

Michigan Barn Rabbit Ballotine. Favas. Israeli couscous. Baby Turnips. Rabbit jus. House ricotta.

Yams. (I wish I knew what else was in the Yams, but I didn't have a chance to jot it down from the menu). Photo taken by Lauren P.

We need to talk about this. This is the first time I've eaten Octopus. It's Octopus a la plancha. Romesco, saffron aioli, pickled garlic, and micro sorrel. Y'all. It was amazing. My brother shared with me some of his yams and I dipped in with the aioli and heavens! Heavens it was delicious. They way the octopus was cooked made it a wonderful experience for me to experience. I didn't notice the suction cups until I ate the last piece. It was gummy but chewable like chicken. It tasted amazing. I can't even believe that I ate it. I have never been someone who said "I'm going to eat octopus tonight." My dad has eaten octopus for years and he eats it raw (dead, but raw). I can see why he eats it, but he needs to try it cooked like this. Because. Heavens.

Starwberry Tart.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Caramel and cherry flavors. Heavens!

After Mabel Gray, we went to Belle Isle Park. You need to enjoy the sunshine with Belle Isle and just experience Detroit in its quiet moments. This was a quiet moment.

I'm thankful for these quiet moments. I'm thankful for rest and friendship and new experiences. We all need these quiet moments that permit us to really enjoy life and capture it and save it. Whether if it's on camera or by phone or by memory, the quiet needs to take place in life. It's fuel to living and loving.