With social, political and financial tensions at a boiling point, two Detroit restaurant owners are carving a space in the heart of Midtown for guests to unwind and commune over affordable drinks and simple eats in a relaxed setting.
Dirty Shake, a new cocktail bar concept by Doug Hewitt and Sandy Levine, comes as the duo’s fourth establishment behind award-winning Detroit restaurants Chartreuse and Freya and cocktail bar Dragonfly. It’s the fifth entity for Levine, who owns The Oakland, a craft cocktail bar in Ferndale.
The partners, who were nominated for a James Beard Award in the category for Outstanding Restaurateur in 2023, are known for their higher-end concepts. Freya, a tasting menu restaurant in the Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, landed on both the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Best New Restaurants list in 2022 and the New York Times list of 50 Favorite Restaurants of 2022.
In 2023, Dragonfly was named Best Cocktail Bar by the Free Press for its exceptional bar program with a specialty in innovative nonalcoholic beverages. And back in 2016, Chartreuse took the top spot as the Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Restaurant of the Year.
Dirty Shake, however, will be a fun departure.
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“This is definitely going to be very different from our current places,” Levine said of the latest project. Though currently under construction, there’s an industrial simplicity to the space. The bar, which sits at 4642 Second Ave., is lined with brick walls and features hardwood flooring and steel details. “No frills, just a fun place to be that has affordable drinks and food.”
The goal at Dirty Shake is to recreate the look and feel of classic old Detroit bars. The “Cheers” bar, where everybody knows your name. Where there are regulars of all demographics.
Positioned near Detroit’s Wayne State University campus, Hewitt and Levine envision a place where young college students can stop in to watch the Lions play a milestone game — say, the Super Bowl, perhaps.
They see it as a place where those who work in Detroit but live elsewhere might visit for a bite and a drink after their shift ends to kill time during rush hour.
“It’s that place you can go to between work and home three to four times a week,” he said.
Here, you might even find Detroiters dressed to the nines after taking in a performance at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra or a musical at the Fox Theatre.
“We wanted to have a place that’s for everyone,” Levine said.
When it opens, Hewitt and Levine said Dirty Shake will offer service seven days a week with a drink menu of affordable and approachable slushies, a variation on a hummer cocktail, creative non-alcoholic options and other drinks that pay homage to offerings at classic, old-time Detroit bars.
There will also be a small food menu curated by Hewitt, the chef behind Chartreuse, Freya and Dragonfly. To start, Hewitt said the bar will offer just six to eight items — not much more beyond wings, a vegetable and a burger — with an open mind for expanding to specials and features down the line.
“We have the ability and ambition to amp it up … but we want just a base menu that we know is sturdy, that’s DoorDash-able, that’s affordable, delicious and can be put in a box,” Hewitt said.
At Dirty Shake, there will be an option to order food to-go, a patio to enjoy a cocktail and a bite when the weather permits and a few televisions throughout to watch Detroit’s biggest games.
“Detroit is on the cusp of having four solid sports teams, so this will be a great place to congregate in the living area and watch a game,” Hewitt said. “Detroit loves sports and they’re fun to watch right now.”
The name Dirty Shake references the quick-and-dirty method of shaking the ingredients for a cocktail in a shaker tin, and dumping all of the contents into a standard glass rather than neatly straining the beverage into its respective vessel.
“At the end of our marathon shifts at The Oakland, after making intricate, fancy cocktail after cocktail, we would make ourselves these super simple drinks that we would just dump into the glass and just crush,” Levine said.
The technique, he said, embodies the new spot — “again, no frills, just drinks that taste really, really good.”
Dirty Shake, anticipated opening November 2024, 4642 Second Ave., Detroit.
DETROIT, MI (WXYZ) — The Black Legacy Advancement Coalition’s Black Legacy Day celebration is an intergenerational, joy filled gathering in Detroit, centered around authentic joy and liberation.
On Saturday, May 30th, Detroiters, neighbors, partners and friends of every race, creed and background are invited to share in a day of reflection and fun. Highlights will include a food giveaway, a scavenger race, a men’s basketball tournament and free justice resources.
To learn more, visit www.theblac.co.
St. Hubert pastor discusses the Archdiocese of Detroit’s restructuring
The Rev. Douglas Bignall of St. Hubert Catholic Church in Harrison Township discusses the ongoing restructuring effort by the Archdiocese of Detroit on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
The list of churches targeted for the possible stoppage of weekend Masses has grown to at least 58 parishes across southeast Michigan, according to the latest proposed models the Archdiocese of Detroit had released as part of its major restructuring process through Friday.
At least 22 parishes under the first round of proposed models wouldn’t hold weekend Mass. The archdiocese has been divided into 15 planning areas, or geographic areas, and three or four models are being proposed for each planning area, said the Rev. Mario Amore, executive director of parish renewal for the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The archdiocese has been holding listening sessions with parishioners this spring as part of its restructuring plan to get reactions.
The models have different proposed groupings of parishes, in which a grouping would share a pastor and potentially other priests. In some cases, selected churches in the grouping would no longer hold Sunday Mass.
The Archdiocese of Detroit released on May 22 and this past week the model proposals for another five planning areas, including areas of Macomb County, Oakland County and Detroit. Around 36 more parishes would no longer hold Mass in the future under the latest proposals.
Bunches of churches in Detroit would be affected, while four parishes in Troy and three parishes in Clinton Township wouldn’t have Saturday Vigil Mass or Sunday Mass under each of the proposed models presented for their planning areas.
Archdiocese of Detroit spokesperson Holly Fournier said the archdiocese has heard a wide range of reactions about the proposed models, which is “understandable given how personal parish life is for people.”
“Some pastors and parishioners are hopeful about opportunities for stronger collaboration and renewed ministry, while others are experiencing more uncertainty and concern, especially in places where one or more models suggest a parish might no longer host weekend Masses in the future,” she said.
Fournier emphasized that the models are “draft models” and aren’t final decisions.
The models for the final six planning areas will be released in June, according to the restructuring website.
The models are part of the archdiocese’s biggest restructuring plan in years. Announced last fall, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said the archdiocese can’t maintain the roughly 200 existing parish buildings it has and is working to “right-size” the archdiocese, along with its personnel and financial resources.
Fournier said the draft models were developed by priests earlier this year and are being presented in listening sessions as proposals “meant to spark broader consultation with the faithful.” Each parish in the archdiocese is holding listening sessions this spring or early summer.
In other dioceses that have undergone restructuring processes like the Archdiocese of Detroit’s, as many as 20-40% of the initial models were changed as a result of parishioner feedback, Fournier said.
“That is why it is so important for Catholics to attend their parish listening sessions to view these models and provide their honest feedback, so informed adjustments can be made where necessary,” she said in an email.
One of the most heavily affected groupings is Planning Area 1, which includes west Detroit. Ten of its 13 parishes would not have Saturday Vigil Mass or Sunday Mass in at least one of the model plans. They include Christ the King, Presentation/Our Lady of Victory, SS. Peter and Paul (Jesuit), SS. Peter and Paul (Westside), St. Charles Lwanga Church, St. Mary of Redford, St. Moses the Black Parish, St. Peter Claver Parish, St. Scholastica and St. Suzanne-Our Lady Gate of Heaven, all of which are in Detroit.
Planning Area 9, which includes southeastern Oakland County, has between 15 and 19 parishes, depending on the model. Ten of the parishes wouldn’t hold weekend Mass in at least one of the models. Four of them are in Troy.
They include St. Lucy in Troy, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Troy, Christ Our Light in Troy, St. Thomas More in Troy, St. Owen in Bloomfield Township, Our Lady of La Salette in Berkley, Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Oak Park, St. Justin-St. Mary Magdalen in Hazel Park, St. Vincent Ferrer in Madison Heights and Divine Providence in Southfield.
Planning Area 10, which includes all of northern Oakland County and parts of western Oakland County, has 19 to 22 parishes, depending on the model. Seven would stop holding weekend Mass in at least one of the models, including St. Benedict in Waterford Township, St. Thomas More in Troy, Sacred Heart in Auburn Hills, St. John Fisher Chapel University Parish in Auburn Hills, St. Perpetua in Waterford Township, St. Rita in Holly and Prince of Peace in West Bloomfield Township.
Planning Area 12, which includes parts of southern and eastern Macomb County, has 16 parishes. Four Warren parishes and three Clinton Township parishes would stop holding Mass under the draft models.
St. Louise de Marillac in Warren wouldn’t hold Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass in two of the three draft models presented by the archdiocese. Six other parishes would not hold weekend Mass in only one of the models, including St. Louis in Clinton Township, San Francesco in Clinton Township, St. Ronald in Clinton Township, St. Martin de Porres in Warren, St. Faustina in Warren and St. Mark in Warren.
Planning Area 13, which includes areas of central and northern Macomb County and a parish in Troy, has 14 or 16 parishes, depending on the draft model. Three parishes in the planning area wouldn’t have weekend Mass under at least one of the models: St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Sterling Heights, St. Matthias in Sterling Heights and SS. John and Paul in Washington Township.
Amore said that if a church stops holding Sunday Mass, parishioners are encouraged to worship at other churches in their “pastorate,” which is a grouping of parishes overseen by a pastor. In the long term, the church building might close, or other sacramental celebrations might take place there, such as weddings and baptisms, he said.
The parish’s buildings could also be repurposed for other uses, such as religious education classes.
Fournier said the proposed models are meant to “foster discussion and discernment.”
“We encourage Catholics to stay engaged in the process, share their feedback honestly, and remember that the goal is not simply organizational change, but ensuring vibrant Catholic communities for future generations,” she said.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
Detroit’s dining scene just got even more flavorful with the opening of Sunda New Asian, bringing modern Southeast Asian cuisine to the city.
Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.
Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.
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