arts & life >> Out To Eat

• Fishman

ative St eet Food

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Luxe blue
cheese and
brioche
tenderloin
sandwich

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Chicken gyro and Greek feta fries at
Estia Greek Street Food

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GREEK

Luxe garlic wings

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ast month, the doors opened on
an exciting new concept for a res-
taurant at the southeast corner of
Maple and Coolidge, just past Birmingham's
rail district — Estia Greek Street Food.
A sort of Chipotle meets Leo's, the res-
taurant serves up a limited menu of classic
Greek fare for lunch and dinner. Driven by
three entrees — the classic gyro, a salad or
a "gyro bowl" with your choice of
rice or quinoa — they've kept the
menu concise enough to keep the
line moving quickly but haven't
sacrificed when it comes to sub-
stance or quality.
Every dish comes with chicken,
lamb or roasted pork. They also
feature a vegetarian-friendly goat
cheese and zucchini wrap.
The pita is made to order —
offering whole wheat, multigrain
and gluten-free options in addition to the
traditional white flour pita. Salad ingredi-
ents are fresh and bountiful, with everything
from the familiar olives and pepperoncini to
spinach leaves in lieu of lettuce and sundried
tomatoes.
I was impressed seeing skordalia behind
the counter as well as the typical yogurt
sauce found at most contemporary Greek
restaurants — the garlic and potato puree
has always been a favorite of mine.
Soup, saganaki-cooked kasseri cheese,
spinach pie and delicious "Greek-style" fries

covered in feta and oregano round out the
menu, along with a selection of traditional
Greek desserts.
For a fast, casual meal, either dine-in or
carry out, it tops many of the area's diner-
style Coney Islands, and the clean, modern
decor and large outdoor patio make it a cut
above nearby options at a comparable price
point.

Luxe Dining
I have to admit, I wouldn't typically
think to carry out dinner from a
restaurant like Luxe in Birmingham,
but when my fiancee and I wanted
to spend some quality time with our
dear friends Alix and Steve Craig
and their newborn, Hudson, we
needed to do better than a pizza and
wouldn't dare drag them out of the
house.
To be clear, I'll never overlook a restaurant
again that doesn't cater to carryout
exclusive dining for an amazing meal at
home.
I've always been impressed with their
menu, particularly their fresh grilled mahi
sandwich and the go-to Luxe burger — both
served on their homemade white sesame
brioche bun, but was even more impressed
by how good everything we ordered was an
hour — and several glasses of champagne
— later.
The restaurant does an elegant take on

comfort food — dressing up options like
nachos by combining their house chips with
chili, cheese and queso or their own spin
on a Brussels sprout salad, with dried cher-
ries, haricot verts, pumpkin seeds and their
maple dressing.
I opted for the grilled cheese and gazpa-
cho and was blown away by what they could
do with such a simple entree.
On toasted multi-grain, they piled
Gruyere, Muenster and goat cheese, along
with arugula, pickled jalapeno and red
onion relish. The word delicious can't do it
justice. Candidly, after sharing a few bites,
I was fighting to get to eat the dinner I
ordered!
Whether you drop in for their always top-
notch service in house or decide to double-
park on Old Woodward and carry out, Luxe
is a Birmingham mainstay worth
visiting.

Mazel Toy •••
To my mom and dad, Ann and
Marc, on their 30th wedding anni-
versary later this month. Can't wait
to celebrate with you!
To the Shemtov and Dubov
families on the marriage of Levi and
Mushky. It was a thrill to celebrate
this simchah with you.
To David Colman and Christine
Tobias on your marriage.
To Stephanie and Cory Trivax

on the birth of Jax, and Justin and Nicole
Becker on the births of Sloan and Blake.
And to their kvelling grandparents, I'm sure
it's been an incredibly exciting and exhaust-
ing month.
To Jonathan Frank on joining Maddin,
Hauser, Roth & Heller PC.
To Steve Migliore, a partner at Honigman
Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, on the start
of his term as president of NextGEN Detroit.
To the Lark restaurant, celebrating its
35th anniversary in West Bloomfield this
month.
To Volare Ristorante in Wixom, celebrat-
ing its 10th anniversary.
To Detroit on visits this month from top
Silicon Valley executives and the jet-setting
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, all
looking to make significant investments in
the Motor City.
And good luck to everyone rid-
ing in this year's Make-A-Wish
Wish-A-Mile Bicycle Tour later this
month. Many of us will be riding
to honor the memory of our dear
friend Jeffrey Surnow even if we
could never keep up with him on
two
wheels.
The late
Donations
can be made to help
Jeff Surnow,
grant
the
wishes
of children with
who raised
life-threatening
medical
conditions
so much
at
www.michigan.wish.org.
money for the

❑

Make-A-Wish
Foundation

July 2 • 2015

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