HopCat and its Cosmik Fries ready for Royal Oak return

The new HopCat in Royal Oak (430 S. Main St.) will have a soft opening at 10 a.m. Feb. 6, says Project BarFly, the hospitality group that oversees HopCat, Grand Rapids Brewing Company and Stella’s Lounge. Inside the 11,300-square-foot restaurant, 60 taps of curated local craft beer will be offered along with its comfort food menu and, most notably, its famous Cosmik Fries.

A public grand opening will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 11. In honor of the opening, the first 100 guests in line will get free Cosmik Fries for a year, HopCat swag and special giveaways. Lunch and dinner dine-in guests also will get complimentary Cosmik Fries and swag while supplies last. The restaurant seats 266. In the main bar area, the bar countertop and tap system come from the original HopCat Royal Oak location.

U.P. author and chef due in Ann Arbor

Iliana Regan, a Michelin-star chef and owner of Milkweed Inn in the Upper Peninsula, is set to discuss her recently released new book, "Fieldwork: A Forager's Memoir (Agate Midway, $27)," in Ann Arbor this week. It's Regan's second book and a follow-up to her debut, "Burn the Place," which made the long list for the National Book Award. Regan will be at Literati Book Store, 124 E. Washington, at 6:30 p.m. Friday. She'll be joined by poet Alison Swan.

"Fieldwork" follows Regan's life in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where she and her new wife, Anna, have created a bed-and-breakfast culinary destination. As the owner and chef of the Milkweed Inn, Regan roams the remote forests of the U.P. to find much of the food served to guests. The memoir is the story of how Regan's "personal and family history have informed her acclaimed work as a chef" and how she coped with the challenges of operating the inn during the pandemic.

Before moving to Michigan, Regan owned Elizabeth Restaurant in Chicago. The Milkweed Inn, where you can book during summer and fall weekends, is near the Hiawatha National Forest in Nahma Township. For information, go to milkweedinn.com.

A Michigan wine with a purpose

The Michigan Wine Collaborative is announcing the arrival of Dream wine. Produced by Traverse City's Chateau Chantal, it will be available at retailers and through online ordering, and a portion of the sales proceeds will provide seed money to the the wine organization's Inclusion and Expansion Education Fund.

The fund will provide education and training for two underrepresented candidates for career opportunities in Michigan's wine industry, according to the group, which serves as a voice for Michigan's wine industry. Chateau Chantal will produce and distribute the wine. It will also donate $1 per bottle to the fund and is seeking matching donations. Dream wine is a semisweet white wine blend whose base is the pinot blanc grape, which does well in Michigan's climate.

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Dream wine is a collaboration involving GRNoir Wine & Jazz of Grand Rapids, Domaine Detroit Brands and House of Pure Vin of Detroit, Drew Ryan Wines of Southfield and Chateau Chantal. It will be available starting in February for $20 at Meijer, Total Wine & More, House of Pure Vin, GRNoir Wine & Jazz and other local Michigan retailers. It will also be available at shop.chateauchantal.com. You can find more information at michiganwinecollaboration.com/the-dream-wine-collaboration.

Trader Joe’s customers pick favorites

Trader Joe's is out with its annual list of products deemed customer favorites in 2022, and its Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips are the overall favorite.

From cheese to bananas and beverages, favorites were chosen in nine categories. Butter Chicken with Basmati rice was the No. 1 in the entree category, and Cheddar with Caramelized Onions was tops in the cheese category. Among desserts, the overall favorite was Trader Joe's Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones.

This year, Trader Joe's added a Product Hall of Fame category for customer favorites that have made the annual list multiple times. Inductees include the company's Mandarin Orange Chicken and Unexpected Cheddar. You'll find the complete list at traderjoes.com.

Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: HopCat and its Cosmik Fries set for Royal Oak return