The May Hit List: Selden Standard, Forest, Social Kitchen, and More

Apparently, the fifth time’s the charm for Selden Standard chef-partner Andy Hollyday. After four blushes with the Beard Awards as a semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes, the veteran Detroit chef is formally invited to this year’s ceremony as a finalist. Hollyday’s farm-to-table flag bearer recently resumed Monday dinner service and now is just a Tuesday shy of its seven-day-a-week pre-pandemic window, though we all still pine for the return of one of the best lunch options in town. “Coming soon,” they say. Here’s hoping the wait is shorter than the one for a Beard.

James Beard Emerging Chef nominee Charlie Mitchell, chef-partner at Michelin one-star Clover Hill in Brooklyn Heights, cut his teeth in the kitchen at Forest under executive chef Nick Janutol. The native Detroiter left for New York in 2016, but Forest continues to cultivate the next generation of culinary talent. Current chef de cuisine Zachary Bergquist is making his mark on the glass-enclosed Mediterranean jewel with dishes like rigatoni with housemade Italian sausage and vodka sauce. It may sound simple, but this is no rustic pasta dish. The minimalist aesthetic that permeates the menu and restaurant hides a level of meticulous complexity below the surface. Turns out restraint is a prime ingredient for greatness.

The ghost of James Beard may not be poking around the kitchen of Birmingham’s Social Kitchen & Bar anytime soon, but the straight-ahead American fare coming out of chef Zack Sklar’s flagship restaurant would’ve likely satisfied the legendary hunger of the man himself. It certainly satisfies the weekend brunch crowds, which continue to pack Social for both chicken & waffles and chicken & waffle Old Fashioneds, garnished with the classic combo on a skewer. Social’s continued popularity is an impressive feat for a bistro turning the ripe restaurant age of 11 this summer. Sometimes, not overthinking it is the best recipe for success.

The new kid on the Birmingham block, Employee Meal is the sister restaurant to the happy hour hot spot Market North End. And though both are owned by the Bongiovanni family (of Salvatore Scallopini’s fame), the new project is driven by the mostly Mexican kitchen staff of their restaurants.

The name and concept derives from their staff meals, which often featured regional Mexican dishes like tortas, tacos, aquachiles, ceviche, huevos rancheros, and more. Executive chef Hector Manuel Perez turns out stylish takes reflective of his Guadalajaran roots alongside crispy whole fried fish with pickled onions and habanero salsa. Staying true to the inspiration for the place, the restaurant serves a nightly “comida” meal just before midnight, utilizing kitchen scraps and leftovers. (It’s free.)

On the beverage side, Employee Meal’s Tequila and mezcal list is thoughtfully organized by style and region and includes some options you won’t find on many menus, especially in Birmingham.

Call or text 947-234-0819 for reservations.

The culinary gem of Detroit’s “Little Venice” has returned for what’s set to be a busy summer season. Coriander reopened April 1 after a long winter hibernation, with extended hours and expanded grab & go offerings to satisfy the earlier crowds. Hot farm-fresh food is available during midweek dinner hours and all day long on weekends. Grab a soba noodle tofu bowl packed with umami from Coriander’s own farm-grown black garlic or a dry-aged burger made with Marrow’s grass fed Michigan beef as you watch the kayakers paddle through the neighboring canals.

Justin Tootla and Jennifer Jackson’s idiosyncratic Indian/South African/Southern American culinary mashup refuses to go down without a fight. The chef couple launched the Gratiot Avenue concept amid pandemic lockdowns as a traditional regional Chinese carryout spot, then pivoted to a full-service restaurant more reflective of their family’s roots, then announced they would be closing, only to revive Bunny Bunny a few months later as a casual counter-service walk-up. Get your basmati crab fried rice and curried chicken buns and roti canai Thursday through Saturday, and come back Sunday for the pair’s Big Girl burger pop-up. The best seat in the house is on the rooftop patio two flights up. Just make sure to grab a beverage from the adjoining Collect beer bar during your ascent.

Just a couple doors down from Bunny Bunny, La Ventana Cafe debuted in a space on Gratiot in February, bringing Intelligentsia coffee and community vibes to Eastern Market. The brainchild of Juan and Kat Perez, the minimalist haven invites guests to bask in the sun on the enclosed patio and connect with friends over iced matcha lattes. With a versatile space designed for work and connection, La Ventana adds to the growing number of cafe options in and around the market. Swing by daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to experience the buzz.

The Bricks executive chef and partner Trenton Chamberlain is a busy man. In addition to running this wood-fired neighborhood pizza joint that goes to extreme lengths to farm its produce, sustainably harvest its wood, and mill flour for its pizzas and pastas on-site, Chamberlain and his team recently opened a bakery nearby and are now in the midst of converting the long-vacant Janet’s Lunch building into a two-story New Orleans-style oyster bar, complete with a wraparound second-level porch.

An opening date for Brine Oyster House has yet to be announced, but the team has been teasing shots of the swanky interior on social media. For the full skinny, grab a seat at The Bricks’s bar and chat up the pizza chef while he works the fire. He’s pretty good at multitasking.

Speaking of corner institutions, this month Como’s celebrates four years since chef Zack Sklar and his Peas & Carrots Hospitality group reopened the tired but iconic Ferndale pizza joint with cheffed up Detroit-style pizzas and Sklar’s trademark American fare. With its sprawling oasis of an outdoor patio, Como’s hops extra hard during the warmer months, and weekend brunch has been a huge success. But here’s a secret: This place might be known for its killer pizzas, but don’t sleep on the double-patty diner burger.

Takoi chef-owner Brad Greenhill is returning to his roots with Spiedo, a casual Mediterranean-inspired restaurant slated for the Ann Arbor space where Takoi first popped up. While the space gets built out, Greenhill and his team are running a Spiedo test kitchen pop-up Thursday through Saturday out of Root, showcasing the versatility of the flat-top griddle and the vertical rotisserie that is the heart of the operation. (Spiedo is Italian for “spit.”)

One could make a case that the stretchy, super soft laffa bread that holds most of the offerings is the true star here, though the aptly named “Beef Situation,” which features harissa-marinated steak and merguez sausage, has been an early hit. Drawing inspiration from Italian and Mediterranean flavors as well as some of the Thai-inspired flourishes of Takoi, Spiedo is indicative of Greenhill’s wandering palate.

Keep an eye on Spiedo’s Instagram for updates.