arts & life dining around the d Gold Cash Gold I like the humor of the farm-to-table res- and less of the braised meats and citrus.” taurant in Detroit that calls itself Gold Farms in the local Corktown neighbor- Cash Gold. Fashioned out of a genera- hood and around Detroit are the primary tions-old pawnshop on Michigan source of produce and other food Avenue at Wabash, its sign flashing for the restaurant. Gold Cash Farm, “Gold Cash Gold” once encouraged a few blocks away, grows its own visitors to trade golden valuables for select plants and herbs. The dedica- cold hard cash. Now GCG invites tion to excellence extends to serving everyone inside to try its innovative house-made bread (look for hearty, dining. chewy rye), cheese and charcuterie, Frequently named to local “best” plus preserving and pickling. restaurant lists, Gold Cash Gold Oh, does GCG love pickles! Three Esther opened near year’s end in 2014. Of shelves in the dining room hold jars Allweiss five managing partners, General of pickled items. Ingber Contributing Manager Eli Boyer and Chef Josh “Instead of using lemon or lime Stockton are on premises most days. Writer juice, we will flavor with pickle — The Culinary Institute of America- something a little more organic,” trained chef has a cooking style that Boyer said. Gold Cash Gold’s signa- reflects his experience working at Blackberry ture pickle-brined chicken is fried in canola Farm, a luxury hotel-resort in Tennessee. or another neutral oil, instead of butter, The fine cuisine at Gold Cash Gold is because the restaurant seeks “clean flavors, American with Southern influences. without a lot of added fat.” Each plate of “Our chef likes to keep things as fresh as three or six pieces of chicken is accompanied possible,” Boyer said. He and Stockton design by a buttermilk biscuit and pepper gravy. the restaurant’s changing bill of fare — “the My judgment: crispy and juicy, but hold the best of everything” by the seasons, Boyer gravy. said. For summer, “you’ll see lighter dishes Pickle juice also turns up in other dishes, CHAMPAGNE WISHES AND GRAVLAX DREAMS On Sunday, July 24, from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, local Detroit chef Aaron Egan of Eastern Market Community Kitchen will teach you how to cure your own salmon at home. After you learn the process and try your hand at it, join a brunch including mimosas and leave with your own gravlax, a Nordic dish consisting of raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar and dill. The event is free, space is limited and RSVP is required. Registration begins July 7 at noon and is first-come, first-served. Stay tuned for details about registration on the IADS Facebook page. * 36 July 7 • 2016 dients from local businesses Stone Coop Farms, Fairway Packing and Del Bene Products, among others. Rusted Crow Spirits will be serving up cocktails along with appetizers. A bonfire and live bluegrass music fol- low the dinner. The event takes place Saturday, July 23, from 6 p.m. to midnight at Farnsworth Orchard, corner of Farnsworth and Mount Elliott streets, Detroit. $130 per person. There is only space for 150 attendees so get a ticket before they’re all gone at https://app. gopassage.com/events/dglp- bootlegger-s-dinner-in-the- orchard. * John Hardwick News To Use DETROIT GATSBY LAWN PARTY Looking for something a bit unusual? The Detroit Gatsby Lawn Party (DGLP) is having its first (and hopefully) annual DGLP Bootlegger Dinner — a seated, outdoor supper of locally sourced food, liba- tions and music with a 1920s theme. The dinner benefits the Farnsworth Street Orchard and Cider Mill. Longtime resident Ron Shelton, master mechanical machine magician and carpenter, has been cultivating an apple orchard at the end of his block on land that once held blighted houses. For two years he studied and researched heritage apple tree varieties and has single- handedly purchased trees and planted them on lots at the end of his block. Now he’s building a cider mill that will add a wonderful com- munity asset to the neighborhood that everyone can enjoy. Chefs Brian Psenski and Matt McGrail have sourced their ingre- such as frites with pickle mayo. With Laurie Ewesak, the resident pastry chef, Boyer noted that “our buttermilk pie is everyone’s favorite.” The pie has a vanilla cookie crumble. I’m glad I saved room for the nicely tart-and-sweet rhubarb cobbler (now rotated off the menu) with breadcrumb batter. Prepared and served in a cast-iron pan, it came with brown sugar and whipped cream. A current dessert is strawberry short- cake, offering different toppings. My meal began with a spring salad of mixed greens and shaved vegetables, includ- ing watermelon radish. A light champagne vinegar dressing toned down the slightly peppery taste of the arugula. My dining com- panion adored her pici pasta, hand-rolled large udon noodles paired with lemony grilled asparagus and pecorino cheese. Gold Cash Gold put the same thought and craftsmanship into the bar selections. For certain cocktails, “the kitchen preps our fennel-ginger and thyme syrups and pear puree,” Boyer said. There’s a lot of repurposing in Gold Cash Gold’s interior design. For example, at the entrance is a terrazzo floor with part of its CHEF CARI AT CAMPUS MARTIUS Chef Cari Kosher Catering will be in Downtown Detroit beginning Monday, July 11, for two weeks at the Spot in Campus Martius from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Chef Cari is known for some of the best falafel ever as well as chicken shawarma, hand-cut fries, quinoa, tabouli, fresh lemonade with mint and more. Street parking $1; structure parking $10. Live music starts at 11 a.m. * eagle mascot intact. It was the gym floor in a former elementary school. Ceiling tiles have striking arrangements of thin wood strips, made from panels salvaged from this very building. According to Boyer, the panels were removed carefully, piece by piece, and two workers spent a month offsite building the tiles. The same tiles front the bar. A separate dining space has the Chef ’s Table, available for eight-13 diners by reser- vation only (email: inbox@gcgdetroit.com). Seated outside the open kitchen, these guests get a more intimate view of the crew’s food preparation. Gold Cash Gold offers a patio and secure parking ($5) in the lot directly behind the Mercury Burger Bar, nearby at 2163 Michigan Ave. Weekend brunch starts at 10 a.m. and dinner is offered at 4 p.m. daily, except Mondays. * Gold Cash Gold 2100 Michigan Ave. Detroit, MI 48216 (313) 242-0770 www.goldcashgolddetroit.com $$$ out of $$$$$ LOCAL DISTILLERY INTRODUCES NEW OFFERINGS Our/Detroit (2545 Bagley St.), a Southwest Detroit micro-distillery, is roll- ing out a new cocktail menu, introducing classic summer cocktails with a local twist, mixing drinks ranging from Tumeric Tonic and Serrano Strawberry to a vodka Pina Colada and Pineapple Fennel Shrub. Rotating the menu seasonally, Our/ Detroit partners with local farmers and purveyors to bring an authentic Detroit flavor to the cocktails. Every cocktail ingredient is sourced from a local vendor. Hamtramck local DJ Stef Chura jams karaoke every Friday night while Jay Rayford and Grace Montero create works of sushi art with Social Sushi every Saturday. For more information about Our/Detroit and their schedule of events, visit www.ourvodka.com/ourdetroit. *