New Spots: Waka in Eastern Market, Cafe Noir Downtown, Little Ghost & More

Food and fun today on your Daily Detroit!

Norris tried the new brick and mortar Waka in Eastern Market; Jer stopped by Cafe Noir's second location that's new in downtown Detroit by the Huntington Place convention center. Plus, Little Ghost is opening a second spot in the Pointes, plus we get into some other favs of ours.

Plus, Detroit City won their final home game while a man down, bringing a playoff match to Detroit. Norris talks about the Black Arrow winner (MVP) and why he likely got the nod.

The rundown:

01:47 – Waka & East African Eats in Eastern Market

04:10 – Cafe Noir's New Location & Downtown Coffee Spots

06:55 – Local Restaurant Expansion: Little Ghost

08:52 – Blasphemous Food Hot Take

11:00 – Patreon Member Thanks

12:15 – Detroit City FC Home Finale & USL Power Rankings

16:30 – Why Haruki Yamazaki won the Black Arrow MVP

Feedback as always, dailydetroit - at - gmail - dot -com or 313-789-3211.

01:47 Waka & East African Eats in Eastern Market
04:10 Cafe Noir's New Location & Downtown Coffee Spots
06:55 Local Restaurant Expansion: Little Ghost
08:52 Blasphemous Food Hot Take
11:00 Patreon Member Thanks
12:15 Detroit City FC Home Finale & USL Power Rankings
16:30 Why Haruki Yamazaki won the Black Arrow MVP

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<v Jer Staes>Hello friends, and welcome to your Daily Detroit, showing what to know and where to go in Southeast Michigan, coming to you from our studio at TechTown. It is a very warm Tuesday, October 13th, 2026. Across the table from me is none other than the Prince of Brightmoor himself, Norris Howard. How are you?</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Man, listen. It is blazing outside. It's damn near 90 degrees. What are we supposed to do with this? This is supposed to be the harvest. We're supposed to have a harvest moon. All the corn is all burnt up. I don't know what's going on, man. It's bad. Global warming.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>I will say, I will say, the rays of sunlight, the angle of the sun this morning walking the dog, it was wild because it felt like evening, even though it was the morning. I was very confused in my head.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Well, and then the only saving grace is that it's not muggy because it's still fall. So, you know, we're not experiencing a sweltering heat. If a breeze comes through, it's still a relatively cool breeze, but it's nice.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Well, let's talk... All right. Today, Norris Howard, we've had some serious episodes.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, a lot.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>We're not going to be serious today.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>No, no, not at all.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Because listen, we've all had a weekend. We had a holiday, we had a federal holiday...</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I mean, you had a holiday. I don't know about everybody else.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Well, you know, it's an old standard tradition of the show. We don't post on federal holidays.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>No, no. I hope everybody had a wonderful Indigenous Peoples' Day and all that good stuff.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>So let's talk about where we've been.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, man. So, you know, first and foremost, I want to give some love out to Chef Mamba because I got a chance to go over to Waka in Eastern Market. I actually went a few days ago, but I haven't talked about it on the show. And, you know, if you've seen the food truck, the yellow food truck from Waka, whether it be at the DCFC matches or other places around the city, it's amazing. Same people, same chef that put on Baobab Fare, but this is more sort of grab-and-go. They have like wraps, chapati wraps, and bowls, and things that you can kind of eat on the go.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>So fast casual versus sit-down.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, fast casual most definitely, always kind of leaning into being able to go to Waka and then walk around Eastern Market on some of those market days. That's kind of what it's made for. And, you know, I will honestly say that the quality did not drop off not one bit. Not one bit. It was better than what you get at the food truck, I think, obviously because it's a standing kitchen and, you know, they can do a lot more. But I had the chicken chapati and my mouth is watering right now just thinking about it because it's so good. And you get the plantains, which by the way, listen, if you're a person like me, you get that over the potatoes all the time. You always get the plantains. They're so crispy and they're flavorful. And I think the thing with Waka and what Chef Mamba has been able to do with Baobab and with Waka is sort of introduce these flavor profiles into Detroit cuisine—or reintroduce them into sort of the Detroit cuisine scene—because, I mean, as it stands now, there weren't too many East African places in the city proper, especially after Blue Nile left Greektown years and years and years ago.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Years and years!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Years and years ago. I usually go to the one in Ferndale, but I've been to the Blue Nile in Ann Arbor many times. Either way, it felt like that flavor profile was kind of fading away, but now we've had Baobab Fare, we have Waka, we have Kojo May, we have a lot more East African eateries and food trucks and businesses opening back up. And I'm just really happy because that is literally some of my favorite food on the planet, if not my favorite.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>So a couple of tasty places—one that I've been to that has opened but not had its grand opening, and one that has been announced but is not open yet. Cafe Noir is a spot I really enjoy in the North End, and they've opened up a second outpost over inside the Social Brews space right by the convention center, by Huntington Place. So like there's a Starbucks on the corner there, which admittedly is my favorite Starbucks in the city if you're going to go to Starbucks because it's got places to sit, whatever. But also, lots of places to sit, and also a very tasty maple latte is Cafe Noir. They're taking up one of the spots in there. The beer taps and everything are there. It's almost like Social Brews is starting—I enjoy it, but it's starting to feel like it has a little bit of like a beer food hall vibe with like a lot of different things you could pull from. And the Cafe Noir space is pretty... the seating is shared. So you can go into the wider area or also be out on their little patio porch area overlooking Fort Street.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Right, because they got that big porch. Yeah, that big elevated porch right there on Fort Street.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Yeah, and I think it's a great little location for them. I really hope that people get to know that it's there as they do some more signage. I know their grand opening is coming up soon.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, it is Fort Street.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Okay, so it's a 'if you know, you know' kind of place.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, and you know what? I actually haven't been there, and I only live a few blocks from it, so I should probably try it, man. But you know, it's just, man, listen. Before Cafe Noir was over there, it's just there's so many places to get a good drink in downtown Detroit, and so I've just been trying everywhere, and I just haven't gotten around to it, man!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>There's so much good coffee though. You've got, for different vibes, you've got like Speakerbox. I love going upstairs at Speakerbox and getting some work done, especially during the day.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>If you can find a chair, there's only like four!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>No, I love Speakerbox, but like that's the thing, it's exclusive. If you find a spot, then you're in, but you got to find a spot. And there's all kinds of coffee. So you got Madcap, you got Dessert Oasis, Cannelle...</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, Cannelle.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>You could keep going and going. Oh, you know what else I had the other day? I had forgotten about the cafe in the bank at Capital One. And they have a really nice patio out there, right there on Woodward.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Capital One Cafe. What's in your wallet?</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Not paid for by Capital One. But what I like about it is going out onto the patio part because you can see the QLINE come back and forth and see all the esplanade—that fancy boulevard there where Woodward has that median. I remember touring it when it was first done, an esplanade.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Okay, well see, you learn a new word every day.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>And then the other thing I wanted to mention, I know we have a lot of fans of Grey Ghost in the audience... And Little Ghost, which is their burger spot in Ferndale, is going to be opening up a second location in Grosse Pointe Woods over on Mack. And this one is going to be a little bigger, and they're going to have milkshakes. You know, the first time I stepped in Little Ghost out there in Ferndale, I was like: 'This is the concept that scales up to a bunch of locations.'</v>

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<v Norris Howard>No, I think it's dope, right? Because listen, we all know Grey Ghost, like that is primo, one of our finer dining spots, date night type situation. You're not going to Grey Ghost every weekend, even if you got money like that, you're probably not going every weekend. But Little Ghost is dope because it gives you that medium-tier format food where, okay man, I don't want to eat freaking McDonald's, but I do want a burger. You go there, you get a really nice burger, you get some good shakes that they're going to have at this new spot. And I think what I'm really interested in, beyond just the new location, is this growth of like the local medium-tier chain. I'm starting to really think that's like cool.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>I think about Bev's Bagels opening up in Birmingham.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah! That's the kind of stuff like I'm kind of into. I'm starting to really feel that. Street Beats is another one, Ema another place. You know, this sort of—is it Michelin-starred four-star three-star dining? No, but you got these sort of locations around Metro Detroit that are just a cut above going to get some fast food, way better than going to get some fast food, and they're all locally owned. And I think that's fantastic.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Can I make a possibly blasphemous statement? For you, I'm going to blaspheme for you maybe!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Oh man, if you want to blaspheme on air, go ahead!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>One of my favorite locations of Ema is the one in Madison Heights.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>If you actually just want to get your food, sit down, eat, and leave, yes, the best.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>The way that they did the decor where it really actually fits—that restaurant made me realize that I don't hate mid-century modern, I hate so much of the mid-century modern that's been screwed up over the years. They turned that spot kind of back to the clean lines, and they did a really nice job with the interior. If you're out there at the Target or whatever—and let me tell you, I see a lot of neighbors at that Target out there because it's right off 75. I've always had, that's just the reality. And you want to pick up a good bite to eat, like I really like that Ema location in Madison Heights off John R.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>And you know what? It's almost never that busy either. That's why I said I think it's the best location for actually going in, getting a bite to eat, and getting out of there and getting on with the rest of your shopping day. It's one of the best. Listen, you know me, I'm still always about seeing and being seen. So for me, the Izakaya is always going to be the best choice.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>And for me, sometimes I just got to run some errands. Micro Center is over there, too!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I just went to Micro Center because I had to buy a 50-foot Ethernet cord, a Cat 7 Ethernet cord!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>That's not seven cats, is it?</v>

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<v Norris Howard>No, Category 7 Ethernet cord because I have many gigs running through my home.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Micro Center is important for me, and I go there way more than Target or anywhere else, because if you need a headphone adapter for the audio board, there aren't that many places anymore nearby to get it. Or if you need a computer thing, and you need to get it now, you don't want it delivered, you just want to go pick it up. You want a soldering kit!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>It comes in clutch for all that stuff, it really does. Also, I go there actually to get microfiber cloths.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>I need to get some of those!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I have like a 12-pack right now that was like two dollars! Like a going person.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Before we finish out the show, I want to say thank you to some of our new Patreon members. You know, membership is so important, and some of you joined after our last episode and over the last week, and I wanted to make sure to thank Sean, Brennan, Marcy M., and Jacob for their support of Daily Detroit. Local media needs local support to survive and thrive. You can do so starting at just $3.13 a month, and you also get access to our member-only Discord where you can get our behind-the-scenes chat, where we can get even nerdier on our Discord. It's entirely possible, Norris Howard.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>That's right! We tend to get deep into the weeds on our Discord, and let me tell you, I will never, ever be upset about that. If you want to have deep conversations, whether it be about transit, politics, development news, or if Chicago-style pizza is casserole or not, our members-only Discord is the best place to do so.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>And shoutout to Patreon member Tommy for bringing the best memes and GIFs or JIFs you will ever find.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, for sure.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>All right, let's end the show. Norris Howard, you and I were at the final Detroit City FC regular season home game for the season, where Detroit City won despite all odds, being a man down for most of the match, and is now the number one power-ranked team in the USL Championship league. So let's talk about Detroit's winning sports team!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Man, say it again! Detroit's winning sports team! One of the best in their respective league, who'd have thought? But listen, let me just say this. This match I think was emblematic of the type of year that DCFC was having. They came out firing, they were very aggressive, very forward-thinking, and all of a sudden, adversity. Carlos Herrera, the by the way best goalkeeper in the league, leads the league in clean sheets, Carlos Herrera, makes a really, let me be honest, a clumsy tackle that I don't think he needed to make, and he ends up getting sent off, hurt himself in the process as well. That meant for the better part of an hour, DCFC had to play this match with one less man. And Jer, you were there, I was there. Did that feel like a team that had one less guy? It didn't! These guys responded so well, and it was incredible to see.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>I actually liked the play more! It seemed like things opened up with the 10 men, which is wild to say!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I think one of the big reasons why that was is that you had Maxi who was able to kind of drop a little bit deeper in the midfield, and then you saw Yamazaki push up sort of in a false back role a little bit further up the pitch so they could get a little bit more control of the middle of the park. And what ended up happening is Darren Smith ends up drifting to the left-hand side, he gets a really good ball from Kobe Hernandez-Foster, and out of nowhere, Darren Smith just turns and just whips his foot at this thing and curls it into the top right-hand corner. One of the most beautiful goals of the season.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>So the bottom line is that Detroit City FC is in second place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference, five points behind Tampa Bay with two matches to go. We could catch Tampa Bay theoretically, however, we will have a home playoff game. And that, that is really what I care about because I worry about things like the curse of being first. I kind of would rather us be in a solid second.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I disagree, I always want to be first! If you ain't first, you're last! But you know, it's a big deal. We play Tampa Bay on the weekend coming up. They are the best team in the league so far, and it's going to be a true test on if they can kind of keep it going. So that's going to be a huge match, and if Detroit City win and then they beat Louisville, they will go into the playoffs in first place.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>All right, before we sign off, Haruki Yamazaki won the Black Arrow, which is the most valuable player as voted by coaches, supporters, all of that stuff. Here's the thing, you are smarter at soccer than I am, so explain it to me like I'm five. I'm really happy for him and it's really cool, but explain to me like I'm five what he brought this year to the club.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah, so not only is he the MVP, I would argue he's the most improved player as well. The thing that makes Haruki Yamazaki so good and why he's been so effective this year is because he gets to the ball, flat out, right? He plays right back, which is a very physically grueling position, and he's not the biggest guy on the team. But what he does is he has led the team with 46 interceptions, he has led the team with 69 tackles, he leads the team with 230 duels won. That means when somebody comes up to him and tries to take the ball from him, he keeps it, or when he goes to try to take the ball from someone else, he gets it! So he has been a guy that has been able to control that side of the pitch for DCFC hands down. He also leads the team with 108 fouls won. That means in order to stop him, you have to foul him. That's incredible. It's almost like a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Oklahoma City Thunder where, hey, you may hate his game or not, but the fact that he gets fouled and gets to go to the free throw line so much means that his team gets easy points. That's what Yamazaki does for DCFC.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Nice! So if people want to follow more football stuff, you're doing more football things!</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I am, particularly around DCFC, and I know it's towards the end of the season, but we're going to pick this right back up next season as well. But you can check me out, Football Furioso. Right now we have a Substack and we have an Instagram, that's where we're putting majority of the content, so you'll be able to follow that at footballfurioso.substack.com as well as Football Furioso on Instagram. We'll also be covering things like the Champions League, the Premier League, and the Women's World Cup, which is next year. People forget this isn't just World Cup this year—no, the girls get their chance next year!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>All right, well feedback is always daily-detroit@gmail.com or 313-789-3211. We'll be doing a mailbag episode very soon. We've gotten a ton of feedback, we want to address some of it. I really love the constructive stuff that everyone has to say about things.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yeah man, I'm excited to hear everybody too, and you guys know I love the mailbag episodes. By the way, good or bad, we love to get your feedback, we love to get your reviews as well. Five-star reviews always help us get seen.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>And you know what, we're putting those reviews on our brand new website where you can actually go on the homepage and see a selection of them because we have hundreds of reviews, more than 4.8 or 4.9 stars depending on the platform—Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get shows. And by the way, if you don't follow us, make sure that you do! Apple Podcasts, Spotify, we also post our episodes to YouTube whether it's video or an audiogram because we want to be everywhere for folks.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>Yep!</v>

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<v Jer Staes>All right, well until next time, I'm Jer Staes.</v>

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<v Norris Howard>I'm Norris Howard.</v>

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<v Jer Staes>Thank you so much for listening. Remember that you are somebody, and we'll see you around Detroit.</v>