Leña, Detroit
Music gives us the concept of the supergroup — a band formed by members of other successful acts. The members’ prior successes don’t guarantee the supergroup’s — for every Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, there’s a Chickenfoot that never quite catches on. Leña, which opened this May in Detroit’s Brush Park, is a supergroup of sorts that did it the right way.
“Every single team member is somebody that’s here not just because they need a job but because they want to be a part of this,” says Director of Operations and Hospitality Mindy Lopus.
The restaurant is owned by partners Tarun Kajeepeta and Matt Tulpa, who worked together to open Shelby downtown in 2021. Lopus is a level 3 sommelier and the former owner-operator of Birmingham’s Tallulah Wine Bar and Bistro and Bella Piatti. General Manager Gabriel DeFlaviis and pastry chef Lena Sareini worked together for nearly six years at Selden Standard — where Sareini scored three James Beard nods for her desserts.
Executive Chef Mike Conrad has held the chef de cuisine position at both Takoi and . He also did nine months in an executive chef role for multiple restaurants at the Book Tower (including Le Suprême, which also made our list) before leaving for this venture.
“I just knew that I wanted to be in a Detroit-owned independent restaurant, because that’s where I sharpened my teeth,” Conrad says.
Just about every dish on the menu touches the kitchen’s central hearth at some point during its preparation. The hearth is loaded with firewood (or leña in Spanish) — Michigan cherry and apple wood lend their flavor. As a result, everything tastes light and summery. Spanish influence dominates the menu, from succulent skewers of octopus or swordfish to saffron rice in an aromatic sofrito. You’ll find riffs on Basque pinchos and Catalan tapas, “all through the lens of Michigan,” Conrad says.
A mushroom that grows wild in the Mitten finds its way onto the coca, inspired by the Catalan flatbread nicknamed “Spanish pizza.” The dish features blackened sourdough toast lathered with a house-made ricottalike cheese, topped with buttery maitake mushrooms that have been pickled and roasted, and grated over with a cured egg yolk — plus a smoky salsa verde and shredded button mushrooms.
A very different Michigan ingredient — Better Made potato chips — stars in the jamón Ibérico, Conrad’s “highbrow/lowbrow” offering. The classic Detroit snack is served with the very expensive (and delicious) acorn-fed, acorn-finished Iberian ham. Piparra peppers lend acidity to the dish.
Libations with a Spanish flair include Gin Tonics and, of course, sangria — Leña’s signature blend is rose, Cocchi Rosa, hibiscus, lemon, and Aperol. Lopus’s reasonably priced wine list features off-the-beaten-path selections from the Canary Islands and La Rioja.
Sareini, who took a break from restaurants after leaving Selden Standard in 2020, lets her desserts shine brighter than ever at Leña. “I had the luxury of trying her desserts almost every day [at Selden Standard] for five and a half years — she hasn’t missed a beat,” DeFlaviis says.
In Sareini’s helado de turrón (nougat ice cream), a lightly bitter and fragrant orange blossom sorbet slowly melts over a scoop of almond ice cream, drizzled with honey caramel. It’s sprinkled with edible rose petals, bee pollen, and tiny fragments of turrón (a Spanish nougat made with almonds and honey).
While Leña never fails to dazzle with its scholarly service and unbeatable menu, the restaurant achieves this all because of the way it takes care of its staff, not in spite of it.
“I grew up with the archaic model: nasty dudes working mean shifts that made you want to curl up in bed at the end of the service,” Conrad says. “For this industry to be taken seriously, we need to treat people as skilled laborers. At Leña, we just want to make yummy food in a safe, inclusive space where everybody is learning and being paid a livable wage.”
— Jack Thomas
2720 Brush St., Detroit; 313-262-6082; lenadetroit.com.
Le Suprême, Detroit
This month, Le Suprême — the très chic and très cute 1920s Parisian-style brasserie in Detroit that took Instagram by storm — will have been operating for a year.
Last August, many first-time diners at Le Suprême were also among the first to see the freshly renovated Book Tower (courtesy of Monsieur Dan Gilbêrt’s Bedrock), which had reopened for the first time since 2009. Sneaking out Le Suprême’s back door to wander into the Book Tower lobby and just stare up at the palatial skylight ceiling, retrofitted and encrusted with over 7,000 jewels, remains a breathtaking exercise, no matter how many times we have been there since.
Le Suprême’s build-out is also breathtaking. Shortly after opening, it earned national recognition, with praise in T: The New York Times Style Magazine. It was designed by two Philadelphia-based firms: Stokes Architecture + Design and Method Co. The latter is the hospitality company that created and oversees the Book Tower’s now four restaurants, one bar, and extended-stay hotel.
While metro Detroit has plenty of worthy establishments serving French fare, it’s hard to think of one with an interior that captures the vintage Parisian aesthetic better than Le Suprême. If you’ve never been to Paris, this is about the closest thing to going there as you’re going to get in Detroit, at least visually.
The menu at Le Suprême provides a thoughtful overview of dishes you can find
in Paris, curated for the American palate, and was created by Method Co.’s executive culinary director, Brinn Sinnott, and team in collaboration with then-Executive Pastry Chef Ben Robison (who has since moved on, currently headed to Ann Arbor’s soon-to-open Echelon Kitchen and Bar).
One appetizer that never fails to delight is the rich and delectable escargots à la Bourguignonne — snails and button mushrooms in a garlic parsley butter sauce. The snails are served without shell, gently inviting the diner to indulge in the French delicacy.
Choice entrées include the simple and mild trout amandine, which stars Michigan rainbow trout, topped with toasted almonds, haricots verts (French green beans), and brown butter to add to the nuttiness. There’s also plenty of seafood, steak frites, boeuf Bourguignon — and a damn good burger with melty Comté cheese on a buttery bun (if that’s what you’re in the mood for).
The beverage program, curated by advanced sommelier Patrick Jobst, includes a dazzling selection of over 300 Champagnes and wines, plus absinthe and martini service, as well as cheeky co*cktails like the Parisian Laundry, made with gin, Suze, vermouth blanc, chamomile, and pear eau-de-vie.
While Le Suprême is an essential night-on-the-town destination for drinks and dinner, it was also absolutely built for brunching.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the restaurant easily emulates the feeling of a French café. You can’t go wrong with a pastry, from the flaky croissants to the comforting blueberry buckle (even if it was invented in Maine). Each is warm, fresh, never overly sweet, and best enjoyed with an espresso drink. Rustic petit déjeuner staples like quiche Lorraine and classic French omelets made with farm-fresh eggs deliver a light and tasty weekend breakfast that doesn’t make you want to return to bed and sleep it off, as many brunches do.
Le Suprême continues to inspire the imaginations of diners, casting an ultra rosy lens over the eating and drinking experience. In the city once nicknamed the “Paris of the Midwest,” it’s a welcome addition.
— JT
1265 Washington Blvd.; 313-597-7734; lesupremedetroit.com
Basan, Detroit
We can thank the power of a well-functioning team for bringing Eric Lees — most recently executive chef at Chicago’s Michelin-starred Spiaggia — to Detroit. A previous visit to the Motor City back in 2010 hadn’t exactly left the Minnesota native feeling warm and fuzzy. It was a last-minute trip for a Vikings game that was rerouted to Ford Field by a Minneapolis snowstorm. Freezing and waiting outside for hours, he pledged never to come back.
But Four Man Ladder partners Joe Giacomino, John Vermiglio, Michael Gray, and Will Lee — of Grey Ghost and Second Best fame — got him to reconsider.
“I could tell they weren’t opening just one restaurant but maybe something bigger,” says Lees, who first met Giacomino when they both were at Quince in Evanston, Illinois. “This was a concept that we knew and were excited about, so I thought it was a good opportunity.” Lees also worked with Giacomino and Vermiglio at Yusho and A10 in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood.
Opening in November 2022, Basan, symbolized by a Japanese fire-breathing bird, is a contemporary, chef-driven eatery with a scalable menu spotlighting Asian and other eclectic global flavors.
The nearly 4,000-square-foot space, on the ground level of the Eddystone apartment building near Little Caesars Arena, is elegant with fine leather, wood, and ceramic finishes. The 100-person-capacity concept has five areas with different vibes, including 36 elegant dining room seats, four at the exclusive chef counter, 12 in the private dining space, and 45 between the soft-edged lounge couches and swanky bar seats. The airy outdoor patio has room for 40.
“Being close to the stadiums, we knew we would need a concept where you could come in for a multicourse tasting or just have a few skewers or buns pre-event,” Giacomino says. “We made it so guests can create anything they want in this space.”
The menu is a fluid rotation of zestful, bold, and edgy dishes that are novel and creative.
It’s designed for tasting and built around the ingredients and intense flavors that have inspired the chef and partners. An educated staff helps craft your experience by giving sound advice on selections of dynamic skewers, bao buns, and small and large plates.
“It’s fun when John and Joe pop over and we’re all tasting,” Lees says. “We bring all of our experience to the table to evolve and refine a dish, which takes it from good to crazy good.”
The craft co*cktail menu rivals the food. There’s a Bangarang Aperol spritz elevated by fresh juices, a five-spice blend, tequila, and rose water. A Certain Way is a spicy margarita heated by the red chile paste gochujang and mixed with mezcal, reposado, and grilled watermelon syrup. The tiki-inspired It Takes Two comprises pineapple rum with brown butterfat wash, homemade banana liqueur, mango puree, mezcal, and cinnamon.
A piquant handheld from the bao section is the firecracker shrimp, marinated and grilled, tossed in a sweet-and-sour firecracker sauce, and topped with a rice wine interpretation of Italian pepperonata. Larger dishes include the scallops, which are pan-seared and basted in fermented lime butter then placed over a mango nuoc cham with edamame pesto and topped with pickled mango and fried black rice. The tortellini are rich and delicate, with dumpling wrappers enclosing fermented braised greens, surrounded by a ricotta cream and Parmesan fonduta and a bright, soy-pickled cherry tomato and chopped preserved lemons.
The tasting menu is available nightly, with optional wine pairing. Reservations are available on the weekends for the off-menu multicourse tasting counter ($85) and optional beverage pairing, which may include wine, sake, or co*cktails ($45).
— Michelle Kobernick
2703 Park Ave., Detroit; 313-481-2703; basandetroit.com
Ladder 4, Detroit
Ladder 4 is a wine bar. But it’s also one of Detroit’s new best restaurants, even if the owner is adamant about not calling the Southwest Detroit destination a restaurant at all.
“I knew that we needed food, but I think it’s more or less a guiding principle of ours to come at it from being a wine bar and not a restaurant,” owner James Cadariu told us when we reviewed Ladder 4 in the fall.
The wine bar/not-a-restaurant, which gets its name from the former firehouse that used to be located there, serves a wildly inventive mix of local seasonal food influenced by Europe — particularly Romania and Spain — with New American and Asian flavors sprinkled in and shaped by the whims of the chef and whatever is available from local producers at any given time. That results in an exciting and intriguing menu crafted by chef John Yelinek, whose culinary creativity garnered him a James Beard Award semifinalist nod this year in the best Great Lakes chef category.
It’s likely you won’t ever get the same exact dishes twice, but Yelinek does have a method to the menu.
“The food is serious, but I’m coming at it from [the perspective that] this is something you should be able to enjoy casually that doesn’t have to feel fancy, but you can treat it like that,” Yelinek said.
And while the food seems meticulously plotted, oftentimes it’s not, which makes it even more intriguing.
“We don’t have this long [research and development] process for every dish,” Yelinek told us last year. “It’s sometimes like, I really just threw this together, and it’s going on the menu tonight.”
The locally sourced, seasonally driven menu is brief, organized by lighter fare like salad and crudo at the top (along with the infamous pairing of hash browns and caviar); tasty morsels and vegetable-centric plates, which can be anything from swordfish kebabs to roasted cabbage, in the middle; and large plates such as whole
fish grilled on the konro (Japanese grill) and luxurious dry-aged club steak rounding it out.
No matter what’s on the menu, this food is meant for sharing, so you might want to bring friends — as many as you can so you can order as much of the fleeting menu as possible before the opportunity slips away.
Like the food, the wines come from small operations, usually family vintners who produce wines grown organically and biodynamically, Cadariu said. As a Romanian Serb, Cadariu also wants to highlight Eastern Europe and the comeback of post-Soviet collective practices.
“We want to make space for things that have always existed,” Cadariu added. “Like if there’s some weird grape growing on the Canary Islands that nobody knows about anymore but it may have a history of being brought over to North and South America and planted. There are through lines with a lot of these stories that we want to highlight.”
The wines may not be the usual bottle of red that you’re used to, which can be intimidating, but Ladder 4’s well-trained staff members are knowledgeable about what they’re pouring and will guide you toward the best bottle for you based on what your palate is gravitating toward — even if you can’t find the proper terminology, they somehow know what you’re looking for.
That lack of the formality you’d typically find in a fine-dining restaurant with food and wine of this quality is what sets Ladder 4 apart: It’s a place where you can mark a special occasion or just find a seat at the bar to get a bite from the “bar card,” which offers lighter, more casual fare.
Putting food and wine together is an age-old concept that can be presented in the most formal or casual setting. At Ladder 4, it’s come as you are. “It’s food and wine together in a space,” Yelinek said, and everything else is “about what you’re there for. Do you want to have a dinner party with your friends? Do want to celebrate an anniversary? Or are you trying to have a special night out? It can be any or all of those things or none of them.”
—Dorothy Hernandez
3396 Vinewood St., Detroit; 313-638-1601; ladder4winebar.com
Peridot, Ann Arbor
At face value, Peridot represents the coming together of established Ann Arbor restaurateurs. One is Duc Tang, the chef-owner of nearby Pacific Rim by Kana since 2007. Another is Adam Lowenstein of the Watershed Hospitality Group, his venture with Justin Herrick and Robben Schulz. In addition to its stake in Peridot, the firm owns The Last Word, Alley Bar, and longtime college student haunt Good Time Charley’s.
However, both Tang and Lowenstein are quick to point out that the project is larger than them — it’s a team effort. “We’ve done everything by committee, almost since day one,” Lowenstein says.
As executive chef, Tang crafted the Vietnamese-inspired menu, but now his role is “pretty hands-off,” Tang says. He’s largely handed the reins to French-trained Head Chef Brady Kelley, who’s always adding new dishes to the constantly evolving rotation. “It’s a great blend, because a lot of Vietnamese food is influenced by French cuisine,” Tang says. “He’s picking up some of the vocabulary of Vietnamese cuisine and incorporating it.”
One item that has stayed is a dish from Tang’s childhood — ketchup fried rice, made with jasmine rice, sriracha, scallions, egg, puffed rice, and fried garlic. Tang was born in Saigon, once the capital of South Vietnam, whose 1975 capture by Northern forces marked the end of the Vietnam War and subsequent birth of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. When Tang was a child, his family fled to refugee camps in the Philippines and Hong Kong before reaching California in 1980.
Tang’s parents worked grueling hours to put food on the table. Ketchup fried rice was the dish that Tang’s dad most liked to cook for his children when Mom was away, strung together with what was available in the fridge. “I wanted to feature that as a homage to my upbringing and the kind of food I grew up eating,” Tang says. “We didn’t expect it to be so well received, but it’s definitely one of our more popular items.”
A newer and notable small plate is the kanpachi and prosciutto, Kelley’s invention. The unusual combination of Italian dry-cured ham and amberjack sashimi is a craveable snack — fatty and savory, rounded out with honeydew, pickled Fresno chiles, and pistachio, plus tomatillo ponzu sauce and smoked soy gel. Kelley calls the dish one of his favorites, drawing inspiration from the classic combination of bacon and scallops. “As much as I believe in a chef’s intuition for how flavors and textures will work together, that dish in particular did require several tries before it was menu-ready,” Kelley says.
Peridot is as much a bar as it is an eatery. The short-but-sweet beer and wine list was curated by partner Andrew Gorsuch and balances approachable essentials with refined selections. The co*cktail menu was first created by bartender and managing partner Giancarlo Aversa, whose drink contributions at The Last Word and Good Time Charley’s have long been praised. However, like other areas of the restaurant, the drink selection is informed by the democratic process — each drink requires a majority vote of approval from the bar team before it’s introduced.
Peridot’s mixed drinks incorporate many of the same ingredients as the cuisine — tamarind, Thai basil, Vietnamese cinnamon, and cilantro, to name a few — while blending in European influences. “Once we landed on Vietnamese-inspired food for the kitchen concept, I knew I would have fun with the co*cktails,” Aversa says. One such is the Vernazza, inspired by the French 75 co*cktail and named for the ancient village on Italy’s Ligurian coast. It achieves a citrusy effervescence with Roku gin, cava, lemon, and Italicus (a liqueur made from bergamot oranges and rose petals) with Thai basil and Castelvetrano olives for garnish.
Like the co*cktails, Peridot’s 55-seat interior is a lovely sight. The building, 118 W. Liberty St., has been home to restaurants since the early 1900s — most recently Grange Kitchen & Bar, a farm-to-table eatery that closed amid the pandemic. Now, verdant walls stud the exposed brick — which was previously hidden under drywall. Painted flowers adorn the walls, created by muralist Louise Jones, whose artwork is also scattered throughout downtown Ann Arbor. Look for a yellow Mai flower, the symbol of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year.
Now, after 10 months in business, Peridot has managed to succeed without much marketing, instead relying on word of mouth (and the media) to spread the message. “And we’ve been busy,” Lowenstein says. “It’s really created this awesome team environment that has come to define the culture a little bit. We’ve also had very little turnover, and I think that is a testament to the fact that people have enjoyed the work environment.”
—JT
118 W. Liberty St, Ann Arbor; 734-773-3097; peridota2.com
Sexy Steak, Detroit
Sometimes, drinks and dinner are only part of the equation on your night out. You need a dash of extravagance, spectacle, and showmanship. Sexy Steak has all three on steroids. The Miami-inspired eatery in the historic Grand Army of the Republic Building features an opulent atmosphere and dishes that aim to please. Prime Concepts Detroit managing partner Stoli Liti and his team took the idea of a traditional Italian steakhouse and, in the words of Kendrick Lamar, “made it look sexy.”
The 1899 GAR Building was once the official hangout for the Detroit chapter of
a Civil War veterans’ organization. Now, on any given night, it’s packed with customers dressed down in nightclub attire, clambering to grab an iPhone pic in front of Sexy Steak’s many loud backdrops. Among them are a giant mouth with a golden tongue; a life-size Monopoly man; a mannequin covered in Chanel logos; and a neon sign that reads “Detroit, You’re So Sexy.” The aesthetic is a near-psychedelic take on consumerist iconography, the place you’re transported after 48 hours of playing slots.
The servers wear wacky suits and perform showy tableside service, from mixing Caesar salads to deboning Dover soles. Libations include premium wines from Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto. Plus, there are fun co*cktail riffs like a smoked rosemary old-fashioned and the refreshingly minty Margarita Italia, which substitutes orangecello for the typical Cointreau.
The entrées often branch out from the rustic flavor profiles one might associate with Italian cuisine. “You won’t find anything bland here,” says Executive Chef Martin Attisha. Calabrian chiles — a southern Italian delicacy — boost the Scoville rating on the pasta carbone, which includes house-made rigatoni tossed in a creamy vodka sauce. The chiles also lend a pungent kick to the spicy shrimp diavolo, sprinkled into a made-to-order red sauce where the heat is answered with lemon, garlic, butter, and white wine. The steaks themselves pack a bold flavor, generously seasoned and sizzling with a coat of clarified butter and a touch of a sauce similar to Zip Sauce, with fragrant rosemary and a garlic bulb. If you so desire, you can select your own cut from the walk-in fridge.
Liti knows Italian restaurants. As an 18-year-old college kid, he started out serving at La Dolce Vita in Palmer Park before becoming a manager at Southfield’s much-acclaimed Bacco Ristorante in 2003, where he was eventually promoted to partner. He’s also versed in the art of revamping historical properties — like Detroit’s 1920s-era Hotel Briggs building, now home to Pao, which made People’s list of the 50 most beautiful restaurants in America.
Sexy Steak’s design does less to point to the building’s historical origins than the designs of previous occupants Republic Tavern and Parks & Rec Diner. But beyond superficial fixtures like furniture and lighting, Sexy Steak’s interior highlights the original elements, including floors, windows, tiling, and staircases. Additionally, historian Bruce Butgereit is planning a display for the restaurant, which will feature old uniforms, photos, and other various recovered items that highlight the building’s more than 100 years of history.
The name “Sexy Steak,” just like everything else about the restaurant (down to the glitzy, thronelike toilet seats), seems intrinsically designed to draw attention to itself. And it has — producing a cacophony of opinions on social media, both positive and negative. Liti and Attisha are quick to acknowledge this. “At the beginning, people were questioning it,” Attisha says. As Liti tells it, the name was born organically when the opening team was reviewing the renderings from interior designers at Royal Oak’s Art Harrison firm. “The word ‘sexy’ was coming up a lot, as far as the interior and the looks, so we went with it,” Liti says.
Six months later, the controversy has faded. The restaurant has found its lane. It’s more about the steaks than the sexy. “Now, no one who comes in says anything about the name, except they love Sexy Steaks,” Attisha says.
—JT
1942 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-403-1000; sexysteakdetroit.com
Vecino, Detroit
Brand-new Midtown restaurant Vecino, from Midwest Hospitality, captures the exciting regionality of Mexican cuisine in a setting that, thankfully, threads the needle between fine dining and familial.
Decorated chefs Ricardo Mojica and Stephanie Duran guide the experience, while chef Ely Gutierrez heads up the esteemed masa program. It’s one that’s singular in Michigan —Vecino is believed to be the first restaurant in the state to feature in-house nixtamalized corn masa.
Nixtamalization is a process more than 3,000 years old, and one that is paramount not just to producing quality tortillas but also to preserving Indigenous culture. While many tortillas are made with processed corn flour, at Vecino, fresh corn imported from Mexico is soaked in an alkaline solution and then mashed into beautiful, workable masa. These tortillas serve as the overarching theme at Vecino, and there’s a wealth of rousing flavors for diners to experience with them.
Of the many riffs on taqueria classics, you will naturally be drawn to the tuna tostada, which features an impossibly fresh, crispy-fried tortilla shell with thin slices of sushi-grade tuna, chipotle aioli, a generous handful of fried leeks, and some methodically dotted avocado. There’s a fatty sheen to every component of the tostada, and as such, each bite melts away in your mouth. This isn’t a brittle, oversalted store-bought tostada; you can feel the many pairs of human hands that guided this tortilla to your table.
The tlayuda is where you’ll start to grasp the range of Oaxacan street food and, ultimately, Vecino’s prowess. For the uninitiated, a tlayuda is a giant grilled tortilla slathered with rendered pork fat, refried beans, cabbage, cheese, and meats ranging from steak to chorizo or even blood sausage. Vecino’s tlayuda is much smaller than the 10-inch-plus varieties you’ll find in Oaxaca, but it’s nonetheless a delicious mixture of meaty, loud flavors meant to be folded up and eaten like the street food icon that it is. The spiced sirloin, refried beans, melty and milky Oaxacan cheese; the pile of cilantro, tomato, and avocado — this tlayuda is deeply satisfying and wonderfully messy. It’s just as likely to be eaten at a fine-dining restaurant as it is standing on a street corner in Mexico City, where co-owner and Midwest Hospitality founder Adriana Jimenez was born.
The half red snapper is reminiscent of the iconic snapper served at Contramar in Mexico City. It’s a simple yet seminal dish featuring skin-on snapper brushed with salsa roja and salsa verde, then grilled over a wood hearth. This snapper is super clean, flaky, and the perfect protein for tacos. It can easily feed four people and is an excellent “for the table” order.
Also be sure to order the espárrago, which is a clever marriage of Michigan-grown asparagus and dark mole Oaxaqueño. A side order of Vecino’s fresh tortillas is a must, and the trio of salsas complement nearly everything on the menu. The salsa macha is particularly stunning — a dark, spicy, vinegary, nutty paste that enhances anything you apply it to. Oh, and you’ll want a co*cktail. The mezcal program at Vecino is equally stunning, featuring a refreshing Negroni blanco that just might be the drink of the summer.
At Vecino, you’ll undoubtedly be smitten by the sweet, smoky smells of palo santo wood burning and the lively chatter. The ranchera and norteño music in the background creates a welcoming atmosphere that captures the buzzy nature of Mexico City. Though the restaurant has a refined setting, you’re just as likely to see a guy wearing a backwards hat as you are someone in a blazer. Ultimately, Vecino is a place for everyone. As it should be.
— Danny Palumbo
4100 Third Ave., Detroit; 313-500-1615; vecinodetroit.com
Alpino, Detroit
When restaurateur David Richter dreamed up a restaurant concept inspired by the “backbone of Europe,” ingredients came first — literally. He connected with the right importers: ones who could get the niche products he needed. Then, he started stockpiling flours, rices, pastas, and oils from France, Austria, and Italy. Finally, he created a virtual marketplace called AlpinoDetroit.com.
“I would market goods as an effort to collect emails so I had an email list ready to go,” Richter told Hour Detroit in February.
The Sterling Heights native had just returned to Michigan in 2019 after a hospitality career that brought him to New York City and Nashville, Tennessee. Most recently, he’d spent nearly a decade in leadership positions at City Winery, where he worked alongside his wife, Rebecca Spindler.
“We knew that we wanted to try to have a family (and we now have a beautiful son),” he said. “But we decided this was the time to come back; the culinary scene in Detroit was flourishing and was being taken seriously on a national level. I knew that I wanted to be part of it and help contribute in any way I possibly could.”
His contribution, in its final restaurant form, opened its doors in May 2023 in Corktown. It features a menu influenced by regions of the eight countries touching the Alps. “It’s a cuisine that has four seasons, just like we have here,” Richter said.
The inviting interior showcases lots of natural wood tones. There are fur-covered chairs by its glowing centerpiece — the wood fireplace. The long booths with community-style tables facilitate friendly banter between strangers, creating what Richter calls “a community of one under one roof.”
Richter developed the menu in close collaboration with Executive Chef Colin Campbell. It includes thoughtful dishes like the raclette, made with French raclette cheese scraped from a piping hot platter onto a buttery brioche slice, topped with speck and a small drizzle of honey. Alpino also makes a fine Wiener schnitzel, topped with a morel rahmsauce, and a crowd-pleasing fondue. Recent additions include a Great Lakes-caught walleye, served with juniper bacon, sweet pea velouté, and various herbs. The summery entrée is extra good to eat on the patio.
If you’re seeking a forward-thinking treat that tickles the senses, try one of pastry chef Samantha Hamrick’s dessert offerings, like the herb torte, baked with Alpine herbs and topped with pear soaked in mulled wine (glühwein), with diplomat cream and candied nuts.
Alpino’s co*cktail program is headed by Detroit native Andre Sykes, whose beverage skills earned Detroit’s Shelby a James Beard Award semifinalist nod in 2022. His signature mixes incorporate a diverse selection of Alpine flavors, like pine syrup and spiced pear — plus regional spirits and lots of vermouths.
Just over a year in, Alpino has already received national acclaim as a 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist in the best new restaurant category. While it didn’t make it to the next round, Alpino is a winner in our eyes.
—JT
1426 Bagley St., Detroit; 313-524-0888; alpinodetroit.com
Coeur, Ferndale
At Coeur in Ferndale, Culinary Institute of America-trained chef-owner Jordan Smith brings metro Detroiters a Californian, New American menu deeply rooted in classical French technique. If you think a top-notch restaurant needs to be stuffy, think again. Instead of the starched white linens, $300 per person price tag, and intensely pressurized kitchen conditions, Coeur’s vibe is relaxed and approachable.
Smith has spent the bulk of his career in notable fine-dining establishments around
the country, such as James Beard Award winners Quince and Mina Group (the former
is also a Michelin-starred restaurant) in San Francisco. The former metro Detroiter decided to return to the area after a few well-respected colleagues relocated here. Last August, he opened Coeur in Ferndale.
Alongside Smith are Beverage Director Sean Crenny, a CIA grad and trained sommelier, and pastry chef Carla Spicuzzi. A West Bloomfield native, Spicuzzi is a graduate of Schoolcraft College’s baking and pastry program in Livonia.
The three bounce concepts off one another daily, pulling from their individual expertise; nothing gets past the kitchen without everyone’s approval. Some dishes are inspired by Crenny, who may have an exciting new wine to feature, and some are birthed from the organic overlap that exists between French cuisine and French pastry.
“I like to put my two cents in on the savory menu because every once in a while, you end up with a cool collaboration,” Spicuzzi told Hour Detroit earlier this year. “You don’t always get that without a strong pastry person that you can play ideas off of.”
An interesting savory and pastry merger was the rye and bûcheron gougère, a savory version of an éclair featured on the tasting menu when we went earlier this year, which changes weekly and has an optional wine pairing. Other small plates included the potato and Comté croquettes, the beloved fried finger food with French origins, bound together with mashed potatoes, flour, and cheese alongside a charred-leek crème fraîche dipping sauce.
Larger plates we loved included the French classic chicken roulade, a rolled deboned chicken dish filled with mousseline and mirepoix and served with braised green cabbage and cipollini onions on a bed of fines herbes sauce. The short ribs offered a deconstructed version of the classic red wine-forward boeuf Bourguignon, served with trumpet mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes.
As for dessert, Spicuzzi pulls on our nostalgic heartstrings with familiar gems that taste better than you remember. On the tasting menu, she featured a play on her grandmother’s apple pie by replacing the pie crust with house-made mille-feuille — layers of rich puff pastry — filled with vanilla mousse pastry cream and cinnamon apples. The banana madeleines, French butter cakes, are a Fluffernutter sandwich knockoff, served with a toasted marshmallow fluff and chocolate peanut butter ganache. She replaced the glass of milk traditionally paired with a plate of cookies with a malted vanilla mousse for dipping.
Weekend brunch has a variety of sweet and savory options. There’s the eggs Benedict with peameal bacon, poached egg, and hollandaise on an English muffin. The challah French toast is served with a seasonal jam and smoked maple syrup. For something heartier, Coeur offers a brisket hash that features smoked Wagyu brisket, poached egg, potatoes, onions, and peppers with a red wine jus.
One especially popular concept is Coeur’s tasting menu. It has grown so much that Crenny estimates one-third of the diners on any given night are participating. “We’re lucky to have so many people trust us as a new restaurant and allow us to guide that experience for them,” he said.
For the wine program, Crenny focuses on the quality wines of the world, which is reflected in his regularly refreshing the wine-by-the-glass program. He wants to make these classics more approachable so that Coeur becomes a destination for people who want to sip something special. Crenny hosts regular wine tasting events and offers membership to a monthly carryout wine club that includes three bottles explored by region or varietal.
There’s no ceiling to Coeur’s potential. With this team’s background and training, there will always be something new on the menu. “At the end of the day, we are a bunch of food and beverage nerds, and we just want to share the cool things we come up with,” Smith said. “I want the locals in Ferndale to embrace a place that they don’t ever need to feel intimidated to come to, even if it’s for a fancy occasion.”
— MK
330 W. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale; 248-466-3010; coeurferndale.com
Bar Pigalle, Detroit
Travis Fourmont worked for about a year and a half on the idea of what would become Bar Pigalle in Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood.
After he had figured out the theme (partly inspired by a Cognac-tasting trip to Paris and a stay in the business place, he secured funding and signed the lease — the week of the COVID-19 lockdown, a move he admits was risky given the timing. And while the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the restaurant industry, the delay between his securing the funding and opening the doors in June 2022 was actually a positive. “It gave me time to get training materials together and [my] business model tighter and watch the market,” he says. Despite the tumultuous beginning, his vision for Bar Pigalle and the business model never wavered.
In addition to the trip to Paris, Bar Pigalle was also shaped by its location on the ground level of the Carlton Lofts, a historic building that was designed by architect Louis Kamper and a hot spot for the city’s jazz scene in the 1920s and 1930s.
Fourmont likens the food’s approach — New American with a playful French twist — to a jump ball in basketball. “We can tip it French if we want to or go classic American” depending on the freshest ingredients they can find, Fourmont says.
The French part is well represented by dishes like escargots de Bourgogne (snails, roasted garlic butter, and black garlic aioli), short rib Bourguignon, and Lyonnaise potatoes, as seen on a recent menu. But the food is also very much driven by the seasons and what’s local; a spring menu featured charred asparagus, while the Lake Superior whitefish came with snap peas. Executive Chef Norman Valenti has many connections with small, local producers from his time at Plum Market, Fourmont says, and plans to lean on those more on future menus.
While Bar Pigalle is a fine choice for date night or celebrating with a group of friends given its refined and confidently clever menu, it’s also a solid choice for when you want to grab a burger and a drink at the bar. (Its Pigalle Burger is excellent.)
One of the most popular dishes from the beginning was the frog legs, the one dish that would sum up Bar Pigalle in a singular plate. When we had them last year, the legs were cooked perfectly, with a golden brown crispy exterior thanks to being encased in guanciale and a tender and juicy interior, served in an herb-forward nage. As of this writing, the frog legs have been taken off the menu temporarily, but Fourmont promises the crowd-pleaser will return.
Equally important at Bar Pigalle is the co*cktail menu (Fourmont is a mixologist, after all). When it comes to the drinks, it’s “all about the quality of products and quality ingredients,” Fourmont says. “When other places try to get too complicated, that’s when they miss the mark. We do four to five components, tops, and it’s typically inspired by a classic [co*cktail].”
Detroit’s dining scene, which has had a dearth of French restaurants over the years despite the city’s rich French roots, has grown in recent years thanks to hospitality pros like Fourmont pushing it forward with ambitious projects like Bar Pigalle. The French concept may give off the impression it’s a white-tablecloth, fine-dining establishment, but while Bar Pigalle is very much operating at that high level with the execution of the food and the polished hospitality, the last thing Fourmont wants Bar Pigalle to be is a spot that puts on airs.
Since the restaurant opened, general manager Joseph Allerton and chef Nyle Flynn have both moved on, and the price of everything has skyrocketed. Despite the challenges, Fourmont, always the optimist, is already looking ahead with a new project in the works in Berkley, which he says will be like Bar Pigalle but focus more on farm-to-table comfort food.
“I’m passionate about this industry. For me, I’m excited I just created a job for myself. … We are busy, and we are considered a successful business,” says Fourmont, who started working in the industry at age 15 washing dishes in a restaurant before going to culinary school in Washington state.
“What kept me going is there is no other option — this is my life.”
— DH
2915 John R St., Detroit; 313-497-9200; barpigalle.com
This story originally appeared in the August 2024 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Our digital edition will be available on Aug. 6. Plus, click here to read our list of the best new causal eateries.
