The best things we ate in Detroit in 2017

By on Fri, Dec 29, 2017 at 7:35 pm

As in the past several years, metro Detroit's restaurant community grew exponentially in 2017. A crop of young, talented chefs launched their rookie efforts around the region. Several established and decorated chefs and restaurateurs returned to Detroit to ply their trade in their suddenly hot hometown. Some of the area's biggest names opened or announced new projects, while a few underrated cooks did their thing at pop-ups or in food carts. We not only saw all that in greater downtown and the burbs, but also in the city's outer neighborhoods, where minority and immigrant chefs started getting some deserved attention.

Here are the best dishes we found along the way while traveling through metro Detroit bite by bite over the last 12 months.

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Chicken yassa at Maty's African Cuisine: Chef Amady Gueye opened Detroit's only Senegalese restaurant in March and immediately dazzled us with his salty and garlicky chicken yassa. He makes it by deep-frying a whole bird to a crisp, dipping it in a bright vinegar-mustard marinade, then charring it above an open-flame. The chicken is stuffed with minced garlic, parsley, and onion that permeates the moist meat, and the package arrives next to a vibrant, thick vinegar-mustard and sautéed onion sauce. — Tom Perkins 21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-472-5885
Chicken yassa at Maty's African Cuisine: Chef Amady Gueye opened Detroit's only Senegalese restaurant in March and immediately dazzled us with his salty and garlicky chicken yassa. He makes it by deep-frying a whole bird to a crisp, dipping it in a bright vinegar-mustard marinade, then charring it above an open-flame. The chicken is stuffed with minced garlic, parsley, and onion that permeates the moist meat, and the package arrives next to a vibrant, thick vinegar-mustard and sautéed onion sauce. — Tom Perkins
21611 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-472-5885
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The Brussels sprouts at River Bistro: Chef Maxcel Hardy, who opened his "Low Country and Caribbean" restaurant this summer, first sautéed the sprouts with bacon, then tossed them with garlic and Parmesan, producing a smoky richness. The sprouts are so popular with customers he goes through a case in a day. — Jane Slaughter 18456 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-953-2225; riverbistrodetroit.com
The Brussels sprouts at River Bistro: Chef Maxcel Hardy, who opened his "Low Country and Caribbean" restaurant this summer, first sautéed the sprouts with bacon, then tossed them with garlic and Parmesan, producing a smoky richness. The sprouts are so popular with customers he goes through a case in a day. — Jane Slaughter
18456 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-953-2225; riverbistrodetroit.com
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The Boombap at Ima: The dish is Chef Mike Ransom's take on the Korean bi bim bap. I added ginger beef for an extra $3, then tasted each element separately first, arrayed in their pretty bowl, before swirling them into the mix. Each was flawless on its own — musky shiitakes, fluffy rice, a medium chili sauce — and even better with its friends. Pickle slices were ultra-thin, made in-house by quickly processing cucumber in rice vinegar and mirin in a vacuum seal machine. A crisp-edged fried egg helped them all to play nicely together. — Jane Slaughter 2015 Michigan Ave., Corktown, Detroit 313-502-5959
The Boombap at Ima: The dish is Chef Mike Ransom's take on the Korean bi bim bap. I added ginger beef for an extra $3, then tasted each element separately first, arrayed in their pretty bowl, before swirling them into the mix. Each was flawless on its own — musky shiitakes, fluffy rice, a medium chili sauce — and even better with its friends. Pickle slices were ultra-thin, made in-house by quickly processing cucumber in rice vinegar and mirin in a vacuum seal machine. A crisp-edged fried egg helped them all to play nicely together. — Jane Slaughter
2015 Michigan Ave., Corktown, Detroit 313-502-5959
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And the house-smoked salmon with roe at Ima: Close your eyes and throw a dart at Ima's menu and you'll hit something worth considering for Detroit's best dish of the year, but the bright house-smoked salmon with roe over rice stands apart. Chef Mike Ransom's dry-brined, applewood-smoked salmon fillet is cooked sous vide, which he explains is what leaves it with a silky texture. Mix up fish with avocado, cucumber, cabbage-wakame slaw, pickled ginger, micro shiso, sesame-yuzu sauce, salmon roe, and house furikake seasoning and you have what are some of Detroit's best bites. — Tom Perkins 2015 Michigan Ave., Corktown, Detroit 313-502-5959
And the house-smoked salmon with roe at Ima: Close your eyes and throw a dart at Ima's menu and you'll hit something worth considering for Detroit's best dish of the year, but the bright house-smoked salmon with roe over rice stands apart. Chef Mike Ransom's dry-brined, applewood-smoked salmon fillet is cooked sous vide, which he explains is what leaves it with a silky texture. Mix up fish with avocado, cucumber, cabbage-wakame slaw, pickled ginger, micro shiso, sesame-yuzu sauce, salmon roe, and house furikake seasoning and you have what are some of Detroit's best bites. — Tom Perkins
2015 Michigan Ave., Corktown, Detroit 313-502-5959
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Brown stew chicken at Jamaican Pot: Detroit's small Jamaican food community doesn't get quite the attention that it should. If you've never sampled curry goat or jerk chicken, a good place to start is the Jamaican Pot, a small carryout spot on Eight Mile Road near Greenfield. But chef Mama Rose's best plate is her brown stew chicken, which is a full and flavorful mix of tender chicken, garlic, scallion, thyme, onion, browning, and other seasonings. — Tom Perkins 14615 W. 8 Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-659-6033
Brown stew chicken at Jamaican Pot: Detroit's small Jamaican food community doesn't get quite the attention that it should. If you've never sampled curry goat or jerk chicken, a good place to start is the Jamaican Pot, a small carryout spot on Eight Mile Road near Greenfield. But chef Mama Rose's best plate is her brown stew chicken, which is a full and flavorful mix of tender chicken, garlic, scallion, thyme, onion, browning, and other seasonings. — Tom Perkins
14615 W. 8 Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-659-6033
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Perfume Fish at Trizest: It's a rarity to find the mouth-numbing dried berries called Sichuan peppercorns in metro Detroit's "Szechuan" restaurants. That's partly because cooks here bent Sichuan dishes to suit American tastes for so many years, and the berries were illegal until 2005. Trizest uses them liberally, and to great effect in plates like Perfume Fish. A fork full of it ignites shifting oral sensations that are to varying degrees warm, tingly, and refreshing — the result of the peppercorns working with three varieties of fermented hot peppers. Trizest's Perfume Fish looks threatening when it arrives in a pool of scarlet oil with bean sprouts, mushrooms, and all those peppers, but it won't singe your mouth. I'd say it offers metro Detroit's most pleasant burn. — Tom Perkins 33170 Dequindre Rd., Sterling Heights; 586-268-1450
Perfume Fish at Trizest: It's a rarity to find the mouth-numbing dried berries called Sichuan peppercorns in metro Detroit's "Szechuan" restaurants. That's partly because cooks here bent Sichuan dishes to suit American tastes for so many years, and the berries were illegal until 2005. Trizest uses them liberally, and to great effect in plates like Perfume Fish. A fork full of it ignites shifting oral sensations that are to varying degrees warm, tingly, and refreshing — the result of the peppercorns working with three varieties of fermented hot peppers. Trizest's Perfume Fish looks threatening when it arrives in a pool of scarlet oil with bean sprouts, mushrooms, and all those peppers, but it won't singe your mouth. I'd say it offers metro Detroit's most pleasant burn. — Tom Perkins
33170 Dequindre Rd., Sterling Heights; 586-268-1450
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Caldo de res at Antonio's Coney Island: It may call itself a coney island, but the Honduran menu is what pulls in customers in this tiny Ypsilanti restaurant. Caldo de res, or beef soup, is a central American standard, but Antonio's does it best with big hunks of super tender beef, vegetables, and starchy yucca in a complex broth. — Tom Perkins 2896 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti; 734-905-7321
Caldo de res at Antonio's Coney Island: It may call itself a coney island, but the Honduran menu is what pulls in customers in this tiny Ypsilanti restaurant. Caldo de res, or beef soup, is a central American standard, but Antonio's does it best with big hunks of super tender beef, vegetables, and starchy yucca in a complex broth. — Tom Perkins
2896 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti; 734-905-7321
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Mohammara at Al Chabab: The umami-rich, deep red Aleppian paste could be mistaken for a form of hummus, but is actually a mix of Aleppo peppers, pomegranate, walnuts, Aleppo pistachios, olive oil, and spices. The Syrian city's cuisine benefits from its unique-for-the-Middle East climate and soil, as well as its position along the former Silk Road, which means centuries of civilizations left their prints on its recipes. It's an altogether singular cuisine, and chef Chamo Barakat's mohammara puts that display. — Tom Perkins 12930 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-2927
Mohammara at Al Chabab: The umami-rich, deep red Aleppian paste could be mistaken for a form of hummus, but is actually a mix of Aleppo peppers, pomegranate, walnuts, Aleppo pistachios, olive oil, and spices. The Syrian city's cuisine benefits from its unique-for-the-Middle East climate and soil, as well as its position along the former Silk Road, which means centuries of civilizations left their prints on its recipes. It's an altogether singular cuisine, and chef Chamo Barakat's mohammara puts that display. — Tom Perkins
12930 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn; 313-582-2927
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The shredded pork tamal at El Catracho: It was made by hand by Honduras native Sandra Padilla: moist, square, substantial, cooked in a plantain leaf, the masa imbued with pork juice, and barely a distant relative to the dry tubes with little stuffing that pass for tamales in Mexican places here. It makes sense that a place where the cook hand-pats corn tortillas — they're thicker, softer, cornier — and grinds her own morro seeds for horchata would put this much care into a $2.25 tamale. — Jane Slaughter 4627 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-784-9361
The shredded pork tamal at El Catracho: It was made by hand by Honduras native Sandra Padilla: moist, square, substantial, cooked in a plantain leaf, the masa imbued with pork juice, and barely a distant relative to the dry tubes with little stuffing that pass for tamales in Mexican places here. It makes sense that a place where the cook hand-pats corn tortillas — they're thicker, softer, cornier — and grinds her own morro seeds for horchata would put this much care into a $2.25 tamale. — Jane Slaughter
4627 Vernor Hwy., Detroit; 313-784-9361
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Jerk chocolate ice cream at River Bistro: Chef-owner Maxcel Hardy said he wanted to marry his Bahamian background to his love of ice cream, so he designed this flavor and got Detroit Ice Cream Co. to whip it up. The big bowl was filled with rich chocolate that holds a hint of caramel — and then a nip of heat at the end of each spoonful. How do master chefs manage to make their flavors reveal themselves one at a time like that? — Jane Slaughter 18456 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-953-2225; riverbistrodetroit.com
Jerk chocolate ice cream at River Bistro: Chef-owner Maxcel Hardy said he wanted to marry his Bahamian background to his love of ice cream, so he designed this flavor and got Detroit Ice Cream Co. to whip it up. The big bowl was filled with rich chocolate that holds a hint of caramel — and then a nip of heat at the end of each spoonful. How do master chefs manage to make their flavors reveal themselves one at a time like that? — Jane Slaughter
18456 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-953-2225; riverbistrodetroit.com
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Open-faced pumpernickel pierogi with beet-cured tuna at Bumbo's:>/b> Hamtramck chef Brian Krawczyk builds dishes at his weekly Wednesday pop-up from a Polish foundation, and from that base he charts a lot of new territory with his creative recipes (like the Hawaiian pierogi stuffed with spam and topped with a pineapple creme). But Krawzcyk is at his best when he cures fresh fish, and there's little under the sun like his open-faced pumpernickel pierogi with beet-cured tuna. The deep red tuna arrives atop the dough with cucumber, pickled mustard seed, and dill vinaigrette. The result tastes almost like a Polish tuna Reuben. Intriguing? It always is at Bumbo's. — Tom Perkins 3001 Holbrook St., Hamtramck; 313-285-8239 Photo via Instagram, Bumbos_Bar
Open-faced pumpernickel pierogi with beet-cured tuna at Bumbo's:>/b> Hamtramck chef Brian Krawczyk builds dishes at his weekly Wednesday pop-up from a Polish foundation, and from that base he charts a lot of new territory with his creative recipes (like the Hawaiian pierogi stuffed with spam and topped with a pineapple creme). But Krawzcyk is at his best when he cures fresh fish, and there's little under the sun like his open-faced pumpernickel pierogi with beet-cured tuna. The deep red tuna arrives atop the dough with cucumber, pickled mustard seed, and dill vinaigrette. The result tastes almost like a Polish tuna Reuben. Intriguing? It always is at Bumbo's. — Tom Perkins
3001 Holbrook St., Hamtramck; 313-285-8239
Photo via Instagram, Bumbos_Bar
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The roasted golden beet soup at Lady of the House: Chef-owner Kate Williams is dedicated to surprising the diner with unusual combinations like this smooth soup that hid shredded duck confit. The soup itself delivered sweetness followed by heat, like a parfait in a bowl, and I could feel the chef's orchestrating hand. Then the duck chimed in with its own earthiness. Perched on the bowl was a slab of pine-nut brittle just for fun. All Williams' dishes are like that: a lot going on, all of it good. — Jane Slaughter 1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit; 313-818-0218 Photo via Instagram, Lady of the House
The roasted golden beet soup at Lady of the House: Chef-owner Kate Williams is dedicated to surprising the diner with unusual combinations like this smooth soup that hid shredded duck confit. The soup itself delivered sweetness followed by heat, like a parfait in a bowl, and I could feel the chef's orchestrating hand. Then the duck chimed in with its own earthiness. Perched on the bowl was a slab of pine-nut brittle just for fun. All Williams' dishes are like that: a lot going on, all of it good. — Jane Slaughter
1426 Bagley Ave., Detroit; 313-818-0218
Photo via Instagram, Lady of the House
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The Brussels sprouts at Gather: Chef Jessie Patuano, new to Gather this fall, produced an entrée-size mound roasted with hazelnuts, an inspired pairing. The charring and crispness levels were perfect, the interiors soft, the outsides lightly caramelized. Melted raclette, a Swiss cheese, brought it all together. Patuano sticks with ingredients that are available locally and seasonally, so don't expect to find sprouts on her menu every month. — Jane Slaughter 1454 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 586-850-0205 Photo via Instagram, Gather
The Brussels sprouts at Gather: Chef Jessie Patuano, new to Gather this fall, produced an entrée-size mound roasted with hazelnuts, an inspired pairing. The charring and crispness levels were perfect, the interiors soft, the outsides lightly caramelized. Melted raclette, a Swiss cheese, brought it all together. Patuano sticks with ingredients that are available locally and seasonally, so don't expect to find sprouts on her menu every month. — Jane Slaughter
1454 Gratiot Ave., Detroit; 586-850-0205
Photo via Instagram, Gather
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Detroit-style pizza at Loui's Pizza: It's rare that a past generation's culinary icon stands the test of time. Seemingly as a rule, yesteryear's best restaurants cut corners, opened locations all over town, or found some other way to diminish quality. You'll find no such dip at Loui's. Not only does it make Detroit's best pie, its Detroit-style deep dish belongs in the best pizza in America conversation. The restaurant opened in 1977 in Hazel Park, still uses a pound of Wisconsin brick cheese on its large pies, and ensures that caramelized cheese edges the lightest and crunchiest crust in metro Detroit. — Tom Perkins 23141 Dequindre Rd., Hazel Park; 248-547-1711 Photo via Instagram, Kibblesnpics
Detroit-style pizza at Loui's Pizza: It's rare that a past generation's culinary icon stands the test of time. Seemingly as a rule, yesteryear's best restaurants cut corners, opened locations all over town, or found some other way to diminish quality. You'll find no such dip at Loui's. Not only does it make Detroit's best pie, its Detroit-style deep dish belongs in the best pizza in America conversation. The restaurant opened in 1977 in Hazel Park, still uses a pound of Wisconsin brick cheese on its large pies, and ensures that caramelized cheese edges the lightest and crunchiest crust in metro Detroit. — Tom Perkins
23141 Dequindre Rd., Hazel Park; 248-547-1711 Photo via Instagram, Kibblesnpics
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The salmon at Red Dunn Kitchen: I ordered the Bakkafrost salmon (from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic) rare, and it was, both in the not-very-cooked sense and in the how-often-do-you-taste-this sense — luscious deep pink and melting in the mouth. Pickled chilis cut the richness, and it came with three kinds of carrots, including cumin-roasted. In all of his protein dishes, chef Jay Gundy handily disproved the notion that a hotel restaurant can't be good. — Jane Slaughter 1331 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-887-9477 Photo via Facebook, Red Dunn Kitchen
The salmon at Red Dunn Kitchen: I ordered the Bakkafrost salmon (from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic) rare, and it was, both in the not-very-cooked sense and in the how-often-do-you-taste-this sense — luscious deep pink and melting in the mouth. Pickled chilis cut the richness, and it came with three kinds of carrots, including cumin-roasted. In all of his protein dishes, chef Jay Gundy handily disproved the notion that a hotel restaurant can't be good. — Jane Slaughter
1331 Trumbull Ave., Detroit; 313-887-9477
Photo via Facebook, Red Dunn Kitchen
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The tuna poke bowl at Sushi Coup: It came with a startling amount of ruby-red tuna, as fresh and satiny as a rose petal, and red onion slivers, cucumber slices dusted with black sesame seeds, romaine, seaweed salad, and avocado smashed to just the right consistency, all atop warm sushi rice. Each ingredient, rich or tart, warm or cool, in whatever combination, brought out the best in every other ingredient. The tuna (from True World Foods, which specializes in Asian seafood) was hand-line-caught rather than net-caught. Praises be that this Hawaiian specialty finally made it to Detroit. — Jane Slaughter 147 W. Auburn Rd., Rochester Hills; 248-260-7633 Photo via Instagram, SushiCoup
The tuna poke bowl at Sushi Coup: It came with a startling amount of ruby-red tuna, as fresh and satiny as a rose petal, and red onion slivers, cucumber slices dusted with black sesame seeds, romaine, seaweed salad, and avocado smashed to just the right consistency, all atop warm sushi rice. Each ingredient, rich or tart, warm or cool, in whatever combination, brought out the best in every other ingredient. The tuna (from True World Foods, which specializes in Asian seafood) was hand-line-caught rather than net-caught. Praises be that this Hawaiian specialty finally made it to Detroit. — Jane Slaughter
147 W. Auburn Rd., Rochester Hills; 248-260-7633
Photo via Instagram, SushiCoup
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The marrow at Conserva: It's impossible to think of anything richer and more umami-laden. The big bones were split and roasted, leaving the diner the well-worth-it chore of digging out the concentrated fatty delight and piling it on toast. The amounts were small but would have been cloying if the chef had provided all you thought you wanted. A tapenade of wild royal trumpet mushrooms was heaped on top. Chef-owner Matthew Baldridge said, "I'm just going to cook and stay away from normalcy," and delivers. — Jane Slaughter 201 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-291-6133 Photo via Facebook, The Conserva
The marrow at Conserva: It's impossible to think of anything richer and more umami-laden. The big bones were split and roasted, leaving the diner the well-worth-it chore of digging out the concentrated fatty delight and piling it on toast. The amounts were small but would have been cloying if the chef had provided all you thought you wanted. A tapenade of wild royal trumpet mushrooms was heaped on top. Chef-owner Matthew Baldridge said, "I'm just going to cook and stay away from normalcy," and delivers. — Jane Slaughter
201 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-291-6133
Photo via Facebook, The Conserva
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The steak and eggs at Parc: The name was a misnomer, prices were high, and the dish was ugly to behold, resting in a foamy green sludge of puréed parsley. But chef Jordan Hoffman had worked some sort of magic trick on the braised short ribs, which emerged spectacularly tender, and even the lowly poached egg added more than seemed possible for an egg. Watching the skaters on the ice rink outside, while eating warm food within, was a bonus. — Jane Slaughter 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-922-7272 Photo via Instagram, Parc
The steak and eggs at Parc: The name was a misnomer, prices were high, and the dish was ugly to behold, resting in a foamy green sludge of puréed parsley. But chef Jordan Hoffman had worked some sort of magic trick on the braised short ribs, which emerged spectacularly tender, and even the lowly poached egg added more than seemed possible for an egg. Watching the skaters on the ice rink outside, while eating warm food within, was a bonus. — Jane Slaughter
800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-922-7272
Photo via Instagram, Parc
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