Preview: Pizzeria Biga to Open April 23

Trattoria-style dining comes to Royal Oak's former 1903 power plant this month.

Luciano Del Signore, chef and proprietor of the Bacco Ristorante in Detroit and Pizzeria Biga in Southfield, gave Royal Oak Patch a sneak preview of his second Pizzeria Biga, which opens April 23 on the top floor of the century-old St. Clair Edison building, one of the oldest commercial structures in Royal Oak. The brick building at 711 S. Main Street, which once served as a power plant for the streetcars that ran down Woodward Avenue, will now be a bistro-style pizzeria seating 76 people. With its 30-foot ceilings, the 3,100-square-foot restaurant was filled with plenty of natural light on Wednesday morning. The interior is a mixture of the old (there is an original industrial pulley rig on the main floor) and the new, including a state-…

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Mark H. Stowers

11:05 am on Thursday, April 5, 2012

But I'm hungry now!   more ›

Talking with Chamber President Howard Collens

Howard Collens shares his visions for the Greater Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce.

Since Jan. 1, the nearly 600 members of Greater Royal Oak Chamber of Commerce have had a new leader. Attorney Howard Collens, of Galloway and Collens, PLLC, was elected president of the chamber by its board of directors. He replaces outgoing President Andrey Tomkiw in shepherding area businesses in their efforts to build relationships and enrich the community. One of Collens’ goals as leader, is to open lines of communication and improve relationships between the chamber and the leaders at City Hall—both elected officials and paid city department heads. He also wants to broaden collaboration with local organizations such as 11 Mile Has It All, the Downtown Development Association, Woodward Avenue Action Association and Royal Oak Public …

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Ronald Wolf

2:06 am on Thursday, April 5, 2012

Using the old maxim about a chain and its weakest link I would like to point out the obvious. One link, or "canary in the coal mine" is the condition of the park in front of the library, like it or not the city's only downtown park for families and hardly anyone uses it in its present condition. Downtown residents deserve something from the DDA just for putting up with the many sirens responding …   more ›

Hometown Heroes: Royal Oak Cops' Mustaches Mean Business

A hair-raising event for the Royal Oak police turns into a fundraising event for autism.

If you think big thick mustaches worn by cops are intended to prove they mean business, your right—and Royal Oak police are guilty as charged. Take one look at the mustachioed men of the Royal Oak Police Department on the Mustache March Facebook page and you’ll see these men aren’t joking—they’re serious about raising money for autism awareness. It’s all part of an effort to support Friends of Jacob, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of area families affected by autism spectrum disorders by providing financial assistance to help with therapeutic interventions, socialization activities, and support networks. Detective Patrick Stanton, who oddly is sporting his first cop ‘stache, thought having the all the men in the…

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Royal Oak Tales: Daughter & Dad

Singing the Praises of Royal Oak's Unsung Heroes

Remembering the rich and wonderful lives of Dave Macker, Tim Bryant and Ken Brancheau.

I've remarked before in this column that as I approach 60 years of age, the news of the deaths of fine people close to my age, and also my parents' age, comes more and more frequently. For the folks my age, the reaction is shock, and for my parents' friends it is sadness mixed with gratitude that a life well lived is over peacefully. In every case, it leaves hole that cannot be filled. It's like taking a character out of book we love and not replacing him or her. Our story is just different without these people. For nearly all of us, deaths are not public events as with politicians, celebrities, actors and other well known folks.  For us, the deaths are private and personal, yet the loss is profound. I was thinking about three fine Royal …

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