‘Birriadillas’ with consomme at Antojitos Southwest

During the pandemic’s early stages, Gloria Contreras turned a layoff into an opportunity to pursue a dream: opening a restaurant. She and her family launched a birria-centered operation out of their Southwest Detroit home, and word of her incredible “birriadillas” — or birria quesadillas — spread quickly. The Contreras family now runs a popular food truck, delivering birrilla impressive for its depth and richness. Contreras starts with beef that's browned before simmering for hours in its juices, leaving it super tender while building the fatty base for the hearty quesadillas' big flavor. Garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, and a range of other spices and aromatics stew with the meat, while guajillo, a brightening chile, adds a component that's more tangy and fruity than spicy. That’s wrapped in a shell with a handful of mozzarella cheese, then griddle-fried in the beef’s oil to deepen the package with another interesting flavor layer and create a crunchy counterpoint to all the tender meat. The birria juice is again repurposed as a consommé, which allows the diner to ensure that each bite is awash in the rich, high fat broth. Finish it with diced onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime for more flavor and textural depth, and the incredible package is complete. (1975 Sharon St., Detroit; instagram.com/antojitos_southwest)
—Tom Perkins

Courtesy photo

Crudo at Oak and Reel

Michelin-starred chef Jared Gadbaw plugged a hole in Detroit’s dining landscape with his high-end, Italian seafood restaurant, and while it’s hard to go wrong anywhere on his menu, the brightest spot was his crudos. The menu changes, but, in May, Gadbaw’s hamachi — sourced from the excellent Motor City Seafood distributor — arrived adorned with caper berries and calabrian pepper oil that deliver pops of acid and heat, while pine nuts keep things texturally interesting and round out the profile. The snapper is thinner, longer, and a bit more delicate than the hamachi, lightly cured in a salt, sugar, and citrus mix with fennel pollen, an olivada that makes its presence known just to the right level, and pistachio. (2921 East Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-270-9600; oakandreel.com??)
—Tom Perkins

Photo by Tom Perkins

Crudo at Oak and Reel

Michelin-starred chef Jared Gadbaw plugged a hole in Detroit’s dining landscape with his high-end, Italian seafood restaurant, and while it’s hard to go wrong anywhere on his menu, the brightest spot was his crudos. The menu changes, but, in May, Gadbaw’s hamachi — sourced from the excellent Motor City Seafood distributor — arrived adorned with caper berries and calabrian pepper oil that deliver pops of acid and heat, while pine nuts keep things texturally interesting and round out the profile. The snapper is thinner, longer, and a bit more delicate than the hamachi, lightly cured in a salt, sugar, and citrus mix with fennel pollen, an olivada that makes its presence known just to the right level, and pistachio. (2921 East Grand Blvd., Detroit; 313-270-9600; oakandreel.com??)
—Tom Perkins

Photo via @oakandreel

Carne y hueso at Barda

Chef Javier Bardauil opened his Argentinean steakhouse in the former Magnet spot and has quickly made a name for himself with bangers like the carne y hueso, a plate of hot bone marrow and cold beef tartare. The marrow is as it should be: viscous, rich, and fatty, while the tartare's striploin is mixed with capers, garlic, onion, jalapeño, whole grain mustard seed, lemon, olive oil, plenty of salt, and a smear of horseradish — intense. Even the bread is amped up and meaty as Barda makes tallow that's brushed on the toast. (4842 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-952-5182; bardadetroit.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo by Emma Sandler

Carne y hueso at Barda

Chef Javier Bardauil opened his Argentinean steakhouse in the former Magnet spot and has quickly made a name for himself with bangers like the carne y hueso, a plate of hot bone marrow and cold beef tartare. The marrow is as it should be: viscous, rich, and fatty, while the tartare's striploin is mixed with capers, garlic, onion, jalapeño, whole grain mustard seed, lemon, olive oil, plenty of salt, and a smear of horseradish — intense. Even the bread is amped up and meaty as Barda makes tallow that's brushed on the toast. (4842 Grand River Ave., Detroit; 313-952-5182; bardadetroit.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo via Prince Concepts

Ful mudammas at Great Commoner

The Great Commoner is a collaboration between French pastry chef Matt Knio and fast casual chef/purveyor Zane Makky. Among their greatest hits is the ful mudammas, a standard Middle Eastern breakfast that's brighter here than most versions that I’ve had at other restaurants. The stew-like dish arrives with a mix of fava beans and chickpeas in a garlicky broth of lemon juice and olive oil. It's coated with minced mint and parsley, then topped with a small mound of sweet cherry tomato and chopped radish. Knio's excellent sourdough is utilized as the perfect tool for soaking and scooping the mix. The package is enhanced with acidic punches from a creamy, pea green version of shatta, a Middle Eastern hot sauce that Great Commoner makes with dehydrated jalapeños blended up with oil, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice. My only previous experience with shatta was a looser, minced version in Hamtramck's Yemeni-American sandwich shops, and there's no arguing with Makky's take. (22001 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-403-1200; greatcommoner.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo by Tom Perkins

Ful mudammas at Great Commoner

The Great Commoner is a collaboration between French pastry chef Matt Knio and fast casual chef/purveyor Zane Makky. Among their greatest hits is the ful mudammas, a standard Middle Eastern breakfast that's brighter here than most versions that I’ve had at other restaurants. The stew-like dish arrives with a mix of fava beans and chickpeas in a garlicky broth of lemon juice and olive oil. It's coated with minced mint and parsley, then topped with a small mound of sweet cherry tomato and chopped radish. Knio's excellent sourdough is utilized as the perfect tool for soaking and scooping the mix. The package is enhanced with acidic punches from a creamy, pea green version of shatta, a Middle Eastern hot sauce that Great Commoner makes with dehydrated jalapeños blended up with oil, red wine vinegar, or lemon juice. My only previous experience with shatta was a looser, minced version in Hamtramck's Yemeni-American sandwich shops, and there's no arguing with Makky's take. (22001 Michigan Ave., Dearborn; 313-403-1200; greatcommoner.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo via Great Commoner/Facebook

Rib tips at BBQ Central

The fact that Detroit isn’t nationally known for its barbecue pits is a crime, and the dish the city does best is the rib tip. The humble rib tip is what it sounds like — the tip of the rib — that’s whacked from the bone with a big cleaver. The rich, moist, flavorful nubs at BBQ Central are some of the city’s best. The meat is entwined with a bit of cartilage, and getting at it requires a little more effort — tearing at tips with your teeth is carnal but there's a payoff when the dish is done right, as it is at BBQ Central. Owner-chef Denita Ramsey perfects her tips by serving them in a pool of Central's excellent sweet and savory sauce. Though they’re made with pork, Ramsey offers beef dishes for health and religious reasons, and the concept seems to be working out well. Her small carryout shop at Seven Mile and West Outer Drive is regularly packed with customers, and her most recent location at McNichols and Southfield also remains busy. (12729 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-397-7523; bbqcentraldet.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo by Tom Perkins

Rib tips at BBQ Central

The fact that Detroit isn’t nationally known for its barbecue pits is a crime, and the dish the city does best is the rib tip. The humble rib tip is what it sounds like — the tip of the rib — that’s whacked from the bone with a big cleaver. The rich, moist, flavorful nubs at BBQ Central are some of the city’s best. The meat is entwined with a bit of cartilage, and getting at it requires a little more effort — tearing at tips with your teeth is carnal but there's a payoff when the dish is done right, as it is at BBQ Central. Owner-chef Denita Ramsey perfects her tips by serving them in a pool of Central's excellent sweet and savory sauce. Though they’re made with pork, Ramsey offers beef dishes for health and religious reasons, and the concept seems to be working out well. Her small carryout shop at Seven Mile and West Outer Drive is regularly packed with customers, and her most recent location at McNichols and Southfield also remains busy. (12729 W. Seven Mile Rd., Detroit; 313-397-7523; bbqcentraldet.com)
—Tom Perkins

Photo via @bbq_central_detroit

Harhoura at AlTayeb

Though AlTayeb is known for breakfast, this lunch dish was my favorite. It's a big pile of shredded beef, peppers and slightly sweet onions, enough for two. It manages to start off mellow, with a cozy mouth-feel because of the high fat content, and finish with a gratifying after-glow. Tahini on the side serves as a bland counterpoint, if you can only take so much goodness at a time. (15010 W. Warren Ave., Suite 111, Dearborn; 313-908-9527; altayebrestaurant.com)
—Jane Slaughter

Photo by Ali Elreichouni/Google Maps