This week in Detroit culture: Z’s Villa, BlackBoardGaming, and losing a rock legend

Welcome back to all things culture and community in Detroit.

First, thank you for February. We’ve made it through the shortest days of winter, and the groundhog rewards us with warmer, spring-like weather in the city.

If you have a special someone you’d like to call your Valentine, check out some of the city’s best romantic restaurants . Reserve early, Valentine’s Day is only a week away.

What else is happening in Detroit culture this week? A lack of foster homes for Muslim children, a gaming duo on YouTube bringing board games to the masses and a new-old dry bar opens.

One quick recommendation

😋 Grubbin’ on gumbo: Portions of gumbo ya-ya with rice … a hearty Philly cheesesteak that could easily be two portions … smells of corned beef and catfish wafting through the small but cozy dining room: Talk about delicious and affordable. You could have had all that, plus Lionel Richie’s soothing voice singing the Commodores ’ “Easy,” if you visited Z’s Villa on Woodward Avenue just north of I-94 on Monday. In all its humble charm, wooden stairs lead up to the restaurant’s upstairs seating area that overlooks a volleyball court and patio. While you’re there, chow down on some wings and gumbo fries. We won’t judge if you order a Long Island iced tea to wash it all down. (Z’s Villa)

Community highlights

🎲 Board games, online: This is for Scrabble wordsmiths, Monopoly bankers and Magic: The Gathering enthusiasts alike. Avid gamer and Detroiter Dwayne Shearill has always loved board and card games and often played them with his son, Christopher . After Christopher died in 2014 from sickle cell anemia, Dwayne and his wife Alicia Shearill created their YouTube channel, BlackBoardGaming , to continue the hobby in his honor. But Alicia wasn’t an avid gamer like Dwayne, so the channel is how Dwayne taught her to play — and how they now introduce newcomers and casual gamers to the world of tabletop games. In the duo’s weekly videos, they try out new games and vlog their experience learning how to play. Dwayne and Alicia said they hope their channel provides a point of entry into the gaming community, which is predominantly white . “Just being here in and of itself, we don’t have to do or say anything else,” Alicia said. “People can see us and see that we’re just regular board game nerds … who happen to be Black,” Dwayne added. (BlackBoardGaming, Simulation & Gaming)

🌳 Spend that green and get some: Thinking about planting a tree on a street corner, growing a garden in your neighborhood or cleaning up trash in a park? Detroit is asking residents to submit ideas for “beneficial environmental projects” aimed at reducing pollution and improving residents’ health . The money comes from a $2 billion federal grant aimed at supporting environmental justice in communities across the country. Any individual or organization can send in project ideas, and the city says the more details you include in your submission, the better. Detroit could particularly use the extra attention to its environment. The city has an air pollution problem and ranks fifth in U.S. asthma capitals . (City of Detroit, BridgeDetroit, Planet Detroit, Outlier Media)

🎸 A Detroit rock legend, gone: There was a “Crack in the Universe” on Friday when fans learned that MC5 co-founder and longtime political activist Wayne Kramer died from pancreatic cancer at 75 years old. After Kramer formed MC5 in Lincoln Park in 1965, the five-part group went on to inspire generations of bands , including The Clash , the Sex Pistols , the Ramones and Motörhead . The band became well known for its anti-authoritarian stance following the 1967 Detroit uprising. Fans flooded social media with tributes to the late guitarist , whose band never had major commercial success, but really, wasn’t that kind of the point? (MLive, New York Times, X (formerly Twitter))

Dine and dash

🍸 Dry January might be over, but Terry’s Casablanca on Detroit’s eastside is continuing the non-alcoholic trend. The neighborhood stalwart — which has been open since the ’80s — is rebranding as Casablanca Dry and is set to reopen this month. (Model D)

❣️ Want to treat yourself (and your boo) on Valentine’s Day? Couples and singles alike can enjoy beautiful tableside fireplaces, intimate private booths and fine dining at Table No. 2 in Greektown. (WDIV)

🥪 The iconic Mike’s Famous Ham Place building in Southwest Detroit is up for sale ; co-owners and husband-and-wife duo Mike and Yvet Muftari plan to retire. (BridgeDetroit)

Culture quick hits

🎭 The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township is closing its doors after 47 years , following a string of independent theater closures in the last few years. The first to fall was Main Art, then Cinema Detroit , now this?! (Detroit News, Metro Times)

🎨 The Sacred Spaces initiative returns for a second year to highlight 19 Black-owned art spaces around Detroit for Black History Month. Take a self-guided tour to see brand-new exhibitions and works from dozens of artists. (Metro Times, Sacred Spaces)

☪️ With less than a dozen licensed Muslim foster care homes in a state of about 240,000 Muslims, Michigan’s Muslim children struggle to find foster homes and mentors. (WDET)

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