Getting ready for the con, part one: food options

[trelkez]

FanWorks is right around the corner! We'll be putting up some informational posts over the next few days as we're getting ready to travel to the con. Today's post is on food options at the con.

Part One: Food Options
Part Two: Don't Forget to Bring ...
Part Three (Monday): The Con Space

*

Food Provided by the Con

Ice water will be available in all rooms in the con space during all programming throughout the day.

There will be catered food (mostly snacks and light appetizers) in the 3rd floor con space at various times throughout the weekend. Only catered food and beverages are allowed into the 1st & 3rd floor con space; outside food and beverages of any kind are not allowed in the Salons, Boardroom, or Metro rooms.

(This includes coffee made in your room, food purchased at the Cultivate or Connections restaurants, and drinks purchased at the lobby bar. Only food & beverages catered by the con on Metro Terrace and water provided in the Salon and Metro rooms can be consumed in the con space.)

We have requested that all food be labeled with common allergens such as gluten, dairy, nuts, and others. All food is being served buffet style, and we can't guarantee that there won't be cross-contamination once people are moving down the buffet line; if you have an allergy or food sensitivity and you need early access to the food to minimize risk of cross-contamination, please email access@fanworkscon.com.

(Note: Information on vegan options on the catering menu has been requested from the hotel and will be added to this post when we have it. If there are other specific ingredients you would like information on, please let us know!)

Where food will be served

Catered food and drinks will be set up in Metro Terrace, the wide mezzanine area between the Metro Ballroom and the elevators.

Seating will vary. Friday lunch will have round tables on Metro Terrace; the Night Market on Friday night will have table seating in Metro 1 and in Metro 2 - 4 (the vendor room); and Sparkle Motion on Saturday night will have table seating in Metro 1 (brightly lit and shiny) and Metro 3 + 4 (dimmer, atmospheric lighting), as well as tables adjacent to the dance floor in Metro 5 - 8.

Snacks provided at other times can be enjoyed on the couches and chairs that will be on Metro Terrace throughout the weekend, or taken into the panel rooms in Metro 1, 2, and 3 + 4 during breaks. Snacks can also be brought into Metro 7 + 8 for Fandom Bingo and the Vid Singalong, but please do not consume food during panels or vidshows.

Friday Lunch: 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Sandwich lunch will be provided on Friday to help us all ease into the weekend. Lunch will be available from 12p - 1:30pm.

Lunch includes:

• Choice of one sandwich: club (smoked turkey, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, multigrain roll), free range chicken (herbed chicken breast, sundried tomato pesto, lettuce, tomato, kaiser roll), or roasted vegetable wrap (fresh vegetables, field greens, blue cheese dressing) -- a limited number of gluten free vegetable wraps will be available
• pasta salad
• fruit salad
• individually bagged chips
• a chocolate chip cookie
• a can of soda

Night Market: Friday 8:00pm

Chicken tenders and individually bagged potato chips will be available on the Metro Terrace from 8:00pm - 9:30pm, or until food runs out (if that comes first). Chicken tenders will be served both plain and tossed in hot sauce, with barbecue, ranch, and honey mustard sauce available on the side.

(We recommend you not plan on this as your Friday dinner meal, as it's meant to be a snack - portion size is 2 chicken tenders per person.)

If you purchased a wristband for the Friday night bar, you will have access to the open bar on Metro Terrace from 8:00pm - 11:00pm. The Friday bar menu includes:

• Liquor: Absolut, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Crown Royal, Chivas, Jack Daniels, Hennessy VS, Jose Cuervo Gold
• Beer: Bell's Two Hearted IPA, Heineken, Budweiser, Bud Light
• Wine: Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio
• Juice
• Soda

Saturday afternoon snack: 3:30 - 4:00pm

A light snack will be served during the Saturday afternoon break. You are welcome to take whatever you have left with you into Fandom Bingo at 4:00pm, but please do not take food into the panel rooms to consume it during panels.

The Saturday snack includes:

• Chocolate chip cookies
• Brownies
• Choice of beverage: soda, milk, or chocolate milk

Sparkle Motion: Saturday 7:30pm

An assortment of appetizers will be served before / during Sparkle Motion, starting at 7:30pm. We do not recommend you plan on substituting this for a meal, as provided appetizers are all small finger foods. Appetizers will be available at least until 9:00pm (unless they run out sooner), but may run later if food remains.

Appetizers are:

• Cheese tray: a variety of cheeses, dried fruit, nuts, flatbreads, and crackers
• Tapas bar: roasted garlic hummus, olive tapenade, bruschetta, and assorted breads and crackers
• Sliced fruit tray: melons, pineapple, berries
• petite lamb chops with rosemary glaze
• chicken satay with an assortment of sauces
• hot wings tossed in sauce

If you purchased a wristband for the Saturday night bar, you will have access to the open bar on Metro Terrace from 7:30pm - 11:30pm. The Saturday bar menu includes:

• Liquor: Absolut, Bacardi, Bombay Sapphire, Crown Royal, Chivas, Jack Daniels, Hennessy VS, Jose Cuervo Gold
• Beer: Bell's Two Hearted IPA, Corona Extra, Budweiser, Bud Light
• Wine: Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio
• Juice
• Soda

Sunday morning coffee: 9:30 - 11:00am

Coffee (including decaf) and hot tea will be provided on the 3rd floor on Sunday morning. You are welcome to take coffee or tea into Fic Book Club (Metro 1, 2, and 3 - 4) or the Quiet Morning vidshow (Metro 7 - 8) or enjoy it on the Metro Terrace couches and chairs.

Sunday afternoon snack: 3:30 - 4:00pm

A snack will be provided during the Sunday afternoon break. We ask that you do not take these into any rooms with you at 4:00pm to eat or drink there, including into the Live Fic Reading, as audio recording may be in progress during that event.

The Saturday snack includes:

• assorted muffins
• sliced fruit
• lemonade

Sunday night dessert: 9:00 - 10:00pm

After the Sunday closing panel, snacks will be provided for consumption during the Vid Singalong in Metro 7 - 8. (They can also be consumed in adjacent rooms or on Metro Terrace for socializing away from the singalong.) The Sunday night snack includes:

• assorted cupcakes
• individually bagged chips
• soda

Questions about anything on the catering menu can be sent to jen@fanworkscon.com.

*

Beverages in the Con Suite

We will be providing a selection of beverages in the upper floor con suite for attendees to enjoy in that space during all con suite hours.

• Fresh ground hot coffee (caffeinated only)
• Hot water for tea, with a selection of teabags (black teas, decaf tea, and herbal tea)
• Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, and ginger ale (regular and diet)
• Water

Sugar, honey, half and half, non-dairy creamer, lemon, and ice will be available for beverages.

Outside beverages can't be brought into the 1st and 3rd floor con space; this includes beverages from the con suite. If you haven't finished your drink and want to take it back to your room with you, you can, but please do not take con suite beverages into downstairs con rooms.

Anyone hanging out in the con suite is welcome to bring in their own food to eat or share.

*

Breakfast in the Hotel

The hotel's Cultivate restaurant is open for breakfast from 6:30am to 11:00am daily.

The breakfast buffet in the Cultivate restaurant is included with con block room reservations.

At check in, you will receive vouchers for the buffet. The front desk will give you your full set of vouchers for the entire weekend at that time, so make sure you don't lose them! Double rooms will receive up to four vouchers for each day, and king rooms will receive up to two vouchers for each day (depending on the number of people you have in your room).

We haven't eaten there yet ourselves, but are told the buffet typically includes eggs, bacon, sausage, a waffle maker, potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, cereal, yogurt, coffee, and tea.

If you require gluten free or other allergen-free breakfast, or if the buffet doesn't appeal, you can use your breakfast vouchers on other Cultivate restaurant food selections up to the price of the buffet. Non-buffet menu options include things like pancakes, french toast, smoothies, omelets, ham, steak, and breakfast sandwiches.

The Cultivate restaurant is directly adjacent to the first floor con space, just off the atrium lobby.

*

Restaurants

Just a couple minutes away by sidewalk or car is a strip of restaurants. (We timed it on foot at a casual pace and found it to be about five minutes' walk door to door; the distance between is two hotel parking lots.)

Restaurants in that strip are:

• Beirut Restaurant - Delicious Lebanese food that comes in large portions. We've eaten here multiple times and highly recommend it. Hours: Monday - Friday, 10AM - 10PM; Saturday & Sunday, 11AM - 10:30PM.
• Merriman Street Grill - A mix of cuisines, with burgers, wraps, and assorted entrees. If you've never had saganaki (flaming cheese) before and can't make it to Greektown during the weekend, we recommend you get it here at least once. Hours: Monday - Saturday, 3PM - 1AM; Sunday, 5PM - 11:30PM.
• Fortune Chinese - For dine-in or takeout (no delivery). Hours: Monday - Friday, 11AM - 10PM; Saturday, 3PM - 10PM; closed Sunday.
• Toarmina's Pizza - Romulus, MI location on website. Pizzas up to 24", subs, salads, etc. for carry out or delivery. Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 9:30AM to 1AM; Friday - Saturday 9:30AM - 2AM; Sunday 11AM - 12AM.
• Capitol Bistro & Bar - Sandwiches, burgers, entrees; dine-in or carryout. Hours: Monday - Friday 11AM - 11PM; Saturday 1PM - 11PM; Sunday 3PM - 10PM.
• Subway - Hours: Monday - Saturday, 9 AM - 11PM; Sunday 9AM - 10PM.

Other close by restaurants are:

• Big Boy - A couple hotels down the street in the opposite direction from the restaurant strip. Hours: Monday - Thursday, 6AM - 12AM; Friday - Saturday, 6AM - 1AM; Sunday, 6AM - 12AM.
• Urban Steak- The local house o' meat, housed in the nearby Holiday Inn (just past Big Boy). We timed it at about a 6-8 minute walk at a casual pace. Hours: 6AM - 1AM.
• McDonald's - Directly across Merriman Rd from the hotel; use caution when crossing the street. Hours are Monday - Thursday 5AM - 12AM; Friday - Saturday 5AM - 2AM; Sunday 6AM - 12AM.

Food can also be purchased at the Connections restaurant in the con hotel. The restaurant is in the atrium lobby, connected to the bar (sit down at one of the tables around the bar and a server will approach you). Prices at the Connections restaurant range $9 - 15 for appetizers, $6 - 14 for salads, and $14 - 28 for sandwiches and entrees.

*

Groceries

Nearby options for snacks and liquor are the Speedway down the street (past Urban Steak) and a liquor store in the restaurant strip (next to Fortune Chinese).

There are several grocery store options by car, the closest of which is Kroger:

• Kroger is 3 miles from the hotel at 31300 Michigan Ave. in Westland, about an eight minute drive up Merriman Rd. Hours: 6:00am - 12:00am; pharmacy hours differ. Liquor and beer can be purchased here.
• Walmart is 6.5 miles away at 7555 Telegraph Rd in Taylor. Store is open 24 hours. Beer can be purchased here.
• Meijer is 9.5 miles away at 3565 Fairlane Cir. in Allen Park. Store is open 24 hours. Liquor and beer can be purchased here.

Fairlane Green (where Meijer is located) also has a variety of sit down restaurants and shops.

Comments

[killabeez]

This is awesome, and really super detailed. ♥ May I please note that for future cons, vegan/vegetarian options being highlighted would be really great. (I realize that isn't technically an allergy, but if you don't eat meat/animal products, eating them will make you sick, so functionally same as an allergy.)

[trelkez]

Food options that are vegan or vegetarian will be noted on the buffet cards, if that's what you mean? For vegan options we were somewhat limited to trying to work in a lot of fruit salad, but there should be vegan options for chips at snack times and in the tapas bar on Saturday night.

[killabeez]

Thank you, that helps! But for planning purposes, it would be awesome to have that noted in this post. For example, is it possible to get the roasted vegetable wrap without the blue cheese dressing? Is the pasta salad vegan? Are any of the baked goods vegan? There's so much good info in this post, I'm grateful for the level of detail. The specific notation of non-dairy creamer, for example, is super helpful! Just trying to figure out what might be accessible for me. ♥

[killabeez]

p.s. not expecting that info this week. Just noted for future reference!

[trelkez]

Noted! I'll go through tomorrow and note the vegan options on the post - to my knowledge, the ones I mentioned are the extent of the vegan options, but I can double check on that; if you email jen@fanworkscon.com I can work out an alternative to the listed wraps for you for Friday lunch.

[killabeez]

Thank you. I appreciate it—and if few vegan options are available this year, I get it. It's Michigan, after all. :D Just helps to be able to plan.

[trelkez]

I've emailed my catering coordinator to ask for a list of what on the menu is vegan - I don't know whether they have that information immediately to hand or not, so it might be Tuesday or Wednesday before I know more, but I will update you when I hear back! Please email me when you can at jen@fanworkscon.com so we can get a lunch substitute worked out for you.

Also - please don't discount Michigan for food because of my post! There are many vegan restaurant options in Detroit if you have time to go into the city over the weekend; I would be happy to get some recommendations for you from my brother's vegan bff if you want.

[killabeez]

That is very kind, but unnecessary. You have plenty to do. :) More of a "for next time" thing.

[beerbad]

Are we allowed to bring reusable water bottles into the con spaces? Thanks for all this info, I appreciate the level of detail!

[trelkez]

I will check with the hotel staff when they're back in tomorrow and let you know!

[trelkez]

They say that's fine! You can bring in reusable bottles to use with the water stations in the rooms.

[beerbad]

Awesome, thanks for checking :)

[rhoboat]

Ahh, thank you for asking this!