metro >> out to eat
Pop-up restaurants crop up, enchant and then disappear.
Lynne Konstantin
Contributing Writer
O
n the same page as many heavy-
hitting cities across the globe,
including New York City, Los
Angeles and London, Metro Detroit and
Detroit proper have been infused with
pop-up retail shops, galleries and more.
Gaining steam as a creative business outlet
that allows designers, artists and entre-
preneurs to either test the
waters with a product or
concept or tease the public
with a little bit of some-
thing fantastic and leave
them wanting more, the
pop-up concept lends itself
intrinsically and brilliantly
to local innovators, includ-
ing restaurateurs.
Pop-up restaurants, and
other out-of-the-box din-
ing concepts, have been
cropping up everywhere,
often for a mysteriously
magical meal and then
disappearing like it was
just a delicious dream.
Like a private party with Above:
Ketoprak
an elite (read: the quick-
(Batavian
est of the in-the-know to
rice noodle)
reserve a ticket) guest list,
at
Komodo
pop-up restaurants are the
Kitchen
creative answer for every-
one from professional
Right: A float-
chefs who guest an event
ing
edible
to budding entrepreneurs,
orchid
from
and they are popping up
Komodo
everywhere from muse-
ums and galleries to bake- Kitchen
houses and bars.
Born in Indonesia, Gina Onyx was des-
perate for a traditional home-cooked meal
when she headed to art school in Chicago.
"But this was 1989:' she says. "There were
no Indonesian restaurants, and it was
impossible to get the spices I needed to
cook for myself'
Years later, after moving to Michigan
with her husband, Onyx met Deanne
Iovan and April Boyle, and both fell in love
with her cooking, which they sampled at
dinner parties Onyx loved to throw.
"They wanted to do dinner parties
larger scale," she says. "They said, 'You do
the cooking, and we'll throw the party: So
we did. Then Deanna asked me to cook for
her wedding"
Cooking for three days, with volunteers
helping her in a hired-out professional
kitchen in Ferndale, Onyx threw a fabu-
lous feast for 250 people.
"We started talking about opening a
28
December 5 • 2013
iN
restaurant, but we knew it was high-risk:'
Onyx says. "I grew up watching a lot of
family members open restaurants, and I
know how hard it is."
"So Boyle told her friends about the
pop-up restaurants she had heard about
in New York and L.A. "It's brilliant:' Onyx
says. "We all have families now, and open-
ing a restaurant just isn't the answer for us.
"But this is a smart idea. We put no
money down on a space; we bring in
A
Tashmoo Biergarten
music, decor — everything to create a
genuine Indonesian experience — and see
what people think of it. We can talk to cus-
tomers about the food, and we can all be
passionate about it and share this unique
experience:'
Onyx, Boyle and Iovan's creation,
Komodo Kitchen, offered its first pop-up
event at Pinwheel Bakery in Ferndale. All
22 seats sold within a day.
Since then, they have filled venues from
Detroit's Museum of Contemporary Art,
the Oakland Bar in Ferndale to the Tea &
Spice Exchange in Birmingham and spe-
cial events including a Valentine's Day tiki
bar — and coming soon, a Komodo Week
at Treat Dreams in Ferndale. Open seating
is often up to 100 for approximately $35
each, two weeks in advance on its website
(komodokitchen.com ). Tickets these days
sell out within two to seven minutes.
The best part for Onyx? "Now I have
suppliers who can get me even the
most exotic herb. I can even do a whole
Indonesian street food event
if I want to. And I can share
a bit of my culture with my
children:'
Similarly out-of-the-box,
(revolver) is not a pop-up
restaurant, in that it doesn't
move around. Rather
than focusing on a spe-
cialty cuisine, like Komodo
Kitchen, (revolver) offers
an ever-changing rotation
of guest chefs to do what
they love in their own space
in Hamtramck (find them
online at revolverhamtramck.
com ).
Just opened in late
September, (revolver) works in the style
of a table-d'hote (host table), rooted in the
family-style communal meals of 17th-cen-
tury French country inns. Owners Tunde
Wey and Peter Dalinowski, neither of
whom are chefs, were interested in open-
ing a restaurant together, but more along
the lines of carry-out street food.
"The idea was percolating in the back
of our minds:' says Wey, when they came
upon the space on Joseph Campau that
shaped the concept for them. Lending
itself to the simple, rustic set-up of a hand-
ful of six-top tables and one 12-top table,
all lit by exposed-bulb chandeliers, the
space's intimate feel allows diners to luxu-
riate in the menus of firmly established
and up-and-coming chefs in an environ-
ment intended to be social — whether you
know your neighbors or not.
Two seatings each Friday night range
in culinary styles with five- to six-course
meals ($35-40) by guest chefs includ-
ing Dave Mancini, owner of the Eastern
Market's Supino Pizzeria, Nick George (Dr.
Sushi), Phil Jones of Colors in Harmonie
Park, Komodo Kitchen and more (hence
the name revolver — no guns).
"When we eat, it starts with the food;
but it's not just about the food:' Wey says.
"It's about the people, the music, the atmo-
sphere, the great ingredients. That's why
we opened. We want to celebrate the best
of the whole experience and the possibili-
ties of what food and dining can be:'
❑
Creme Of The
Pop-Up Crop
CHARTREUSE This once-a-
month gourmet raw vegan (meaning
fruits, veggies, nuts, oils and vinegars
that cannot be heated beyond a cer-
tain temperature) supper club pops
up throughout Detroit, from farms
to the atrium of the Fisher Building,
and features live music and local art-
ists. Chef Corinne Rice's four-course
menus include exquisite pairings,
including watermelon gazpacho and
crab cakes with Creole slaw. "I feel
like I'm part of this growing food
movement in Detroit, where people
are trying new things and expanding"
Rice says. "But I am also trying to let
people know they can enjoy vegan
food and not sacrifice anything"
Chartreusedetroit. corn.
GUNS + BUTTER Craig
Lieckfelt, a Clinton Township native
who trained at New York State's
Culinary Institute of America, has
served up exquisitely styled and
executed 12-course meals at venues
as far-flung as Midtown's Shinola
showroom and Corktown's Brooklyn
Street Local to New York City and
Mumbai, India. His pop-up dining
experience, Guns + Butter, a stop on
Anthony Bourdain's summertime tour
de Detroit and soon-to-be brick-and-
mortar location in Downtown Detroit,
was built on the idea of developing
Great Lakes cuisine (inspired by visits
to Detroit's Eastern Market), from pil-
lowy pierogi, walleye and wild game
to a "liquid" salad of pressed water-
melon cubes and smoked-tomato ice.
Gbdetroit.com .
TASHMOO BIERGARTEN
An American Indian word meaning
"meeting place" Tashmoo's family-
friendly communal tables and bench-
es (made from recycled materials)
are inspired by Europe's traditional
beer gardens. Except this one offers
beverages produced by Michigan
microbreweries — and artisan foods
by local vendors. Five open-air lots in
Detroit's West Village welcomed more
than 7,000 visitors the first fall that
Tashmoo popped up, in 2011, inspir-
ing Tashmoo to work toward the goal
of creating a permanent, three-season
beer garden in the West Village.
Tashmoodetroit.com .