Where to Eat in October: Sozai, Bohemia at The Detroit Club, and More

Unlike the exclusive members-only restaurant inside the competing Detroit Athletic Club on the other side of downtown, the main floor restaurant of the recently revived Detroit Club is open to the general public — at least for now. Not to be confused with Mediterranean newcomer Bohemia in Royal Oak, Bohemia at The Detroit Club trades in modern New American dishes served in a romantic dining room brimming with history.

The high-low mashup extends to the menu, too, with sacks of smash burgers sharing space alongside filet mignon tartare on the appetizer list. On the entree side, choose from dry-aged branzino with whiskey ponzu or the Nashville hot chicken served with crispy smashed potatoes. After dinner, be sure to grab a digestif from The Library, the club’s opulent craft cocktail bar.

In a few short years, the once quaint Oakland County suburb of Clawson has become a go-to dining and entertainment destination for locals. Now, even the national press is beginning to notice. Though it flew under the radar in early goings, the word about Sozai is about as out as it can be. Located next to a Hungry Howie’s in a prosaic strip mall, Chef Hajime Sato’s temple to sustainable sushi was recently named to Bon Appetit’s list of the 50 best new restaurants in the country. Of course, Soto is no stranger to the limelight, having pioneered the sustainable sushi movement in Seattle for decades with award-winning Mashiko before moving to Michigan in 2019. Now that word is out, reservations are tougher to snag than ever.

Call 248-677-3232 for reservations.

For its first October, Weiss Distilling is leaning hard into its mystical leanings, turning up the spookiness for an immersive celebration of Halloween. Dubbed “Halloweiss,” the monthlong party takes cues from the ever-popular Miracle pop-up bar but replaces rosy-cheeked Santas with skeletons and strewn tinsel with spindly spider webs. The horror show vibes are pretty on brand for a distillery that named its absinthe after a creepy Slovakian forest witch. Throughout October you can sip on seasonal cocktails such as the vodka-based Catacomb Collins with soursop and lavender bitters or a pre-batched shot of Weiss’s moonshine made to resemble Fireball. Don’t be scared now.

Warda Patisserie namesake Warda Bouguettaya has had a very good summer, bookended by recognition from some of the food and beverage industry’s most prestigious institutions. Still high from her win for Outstanding Pastry Chef at the James Beard Foundation Awards in June, Bouguettaya recently claimed the title of Food & Wine Best New Chef 2022, joining an exclusive circle of winners that previously included the likes of industry titans like Thomas Keller, Nancy Silverton, and Daniel Boulud, among others. Thanks to the very big year she’s having, the bakery recently expanded service to five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday. Get there early, because the lines have only grown.

Find more info here.

Theater season is back in full swing this year after limited runs since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and that’s great news for New Center stalwart Cuisine, a pre-show favorite among theatergoers. Most days, owner and veteran chef Paul Grosz can still be found working Cuisine’s hotline, building elegant plates of French-inspired fare with modern American twists, as he’s been doing in this old mansion in the shadow of the Fisher Building since 2001. In the fall months, a three-course theater menu featuring classic French dishes like potato leek soup and duck cassoulet is available for $65 per person.

If Broadway in Detroit is a little too formal for your dinner-and-a-show plans, head to this sexy, swanky jazz club in the old Cass Corridor for your evening entertainment instead. A revived relic from the days when the neighborhood was awash in seedy show bars, Willis brings a new level of class to the mostly defunct genre, crafting some of the best cocktails in town in the process. While there is no food service at Willis, the stage at this stylish cabaret frequently features some of the city’s most talented musicians before the DJ takes over later. Be sure to fill up before you head in to bob and sway the night away.

After starting slowly at the beginning of the year with mostly just wine service and a few snacks, over the summer Ladder 4 has evolved into a go-to weekend dining destination thanks to local chefs like John Yelinek, of Park Ranger, and Logan Robb, formerly of Casa Pernoi, popping up in the guest kitchen of this former firehouse. The food menu is as irreverent as the natty, mostly Eastern European wines highlighted at Ladder 4. A recent highlight playfully offers a 28-gram osetra caviar supplement for just $1. The only catch? The chips and French onion dip it comes with will cost you $99. Though the food and wine are quite serious, the attitude at Ladder 4 is refreshingly less so.

No reservations required. Find more info here.

Ima means “now” in Japanese kanji. So it makes sense that the flagship Ima location — having moved into larger digs up the street — has become NOW in its wake. In essence a pop-up and event space, NOW has been hosting regular Tuesday and Friday dinner services from Pakistani pop-up Khana Detroit. In September, Khana hosted a wildly popular fundraiser for Pakistan flood relief while a Pakistani DJ spun Desi music. In its early goings, NOW has also hosted an oyster and wine pop-up from Oak & Reel sommelier Bruce Felts and a vegan barbecue pop-up from Verna Detroit. Expect the programming to become even more dynamic as the space gets its legs firmly under it.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Having cornered Dearborn’s stylish all-day brunch cafe market in its first few years of existence, the Great Commoner introduced an ambitious dinner menu following a full-scale renovation this summer. As with brunch, chef Zane Makky cleverly introduces little touches of his heritage in the dinner fare, with za’atar lending an earthy depth to otherwise tried-and-true cacio e pepe. Kale salad comes dressed in tangy sumac vinaigrette. But calling the Great Commoner Middle Eastern wouldn’t be accurate, either, as the wagyu double-double burger and grilled shishito peppers can attest. If anything, this is New American all day.

While Dearborn’s rich tapestry of Arabic culture offers a diversity of dining options, few trade as exclusively in the fruits of the sea as Aliz Seafood House, a buzzy newcomer to West Warren that dropped into the old Khalaf Grill space this summer. The menu follows familiar Middle Eastern frameworks, with the requisite plates of hummus and fattoush salad. Except here, the kibbeh is made from fish instead of lamb and the hummus can come topped with shrimp. The real star of the show, though, is the fire-roasted whole fish served with a side of rice and grilled vegetables. If you’re lucky, the chef will even come to fire your food tableside.

Find more info here.