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in
the

on the cover
eats | drinks | sweets

The
Sandwich
Circus

LANCE SABBAG

E

Chef Aaron Egan

astern Market, just outside
of Downtown Detroit, is
a venerable institution.
Since the original sheds were
built in 1891, the district around
them has changed dramatically,
but the core has remained the
same: good food, bought and
sold, by people trying to make
their way in life.
On the south side of the
Gratiot connector from I-75,
you might recognize Gratiot

STACHE INTERNATIONAL

1416 E. Fisher Freeway, Detroit
Hours: Tuesday-Friday:
11 a.m.-midnight;
Saturday: 10 a.m.-midnight;
Sunday: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
(313) 974-6895;
stacheinternational.com

Central Market from your previ-
ous visits and recall a building
next door that you never could
quite figure out. For a while, it
held Germack’s store, but they’ve
moved down the way a bit. Now,
part of the building is home to a
restaurant (and bar) that’s well
worth the visit.
Step right up, exhorts a neon
sign above the door. A chalk-
board brags of the house-made
bologna and now of the bar’s
offerings. The circus theme
echoes loudly in the space: A
midway-style sign hangs above
the bar; carousel horses ride
above the corners of the bar;
and circus posters hang on the
wall. It works with the open,
industrial space that Stache
International occupies — playing
on the temporary permanence
of the circus, it feels almost like
you could return to this building
after a week away to discover an
empty room where you would
eagerly devoured lunch mere
days before.
Stache, hopefully, is here to

stay though. It recently opened
its bar, stocked with a small but
enjoyable variety of beer, leaning
more toward macro than micro;
after all, a High Life is a great
sandwich accompaniment. The
service is personal. The owners
are in the building almost every
day, leading the kitchen and the
front of house, and ensuring that
every guest is well taken care of.
The sandwiches are amazing.
My go-to is the Stache Favorite,
made with thick slices of house-
made bologna (all beef no less),
bacon, American cheese and
caramelized onions, all topped
with mustard. Get it simpler if
you like, or add a fried egg. It is,
hands down, my favorite bologna
sandwich in Detroit.
A very close second, and
the first sandwich I ever ate at
Stache, is the Uncle Jesse. Lamb,
marinated and braised, is sand-
wiched in between two slices
of sourdough bread that’s been
grilled with a little za’atar. There’s
onion, tomato, kasseri cheese
and tzatziki. It’s like a gyro, but

more so; richly flavored and bal-
anced, it’s a delightful lunch.
There are a couple turkey
sandwiches, done deliciously
as well, each exhibiting a cre-
ative approach to a “healthier”
sandwich meat — a turkey BLT
(the Southern Belle) is made, for
example, with braised collard
greens taking the place of the
usual boring lettuce leaf. The
Cubanelle displays a fun twist
on the classic Cuban sandwich,
with a grilled pepper, turkey and
ham, and pickled pineapple on
the side.
Stache is a welcoming place
throughout the week and a pop-
ular lunch spot on Saturdays in
the market. The staff is friendly
and the atmosphere quite
relaxed. It’s a great location to
meet your Downtown friends
for a weekday lunch, a perfect
destination for a light meal after
an event or just a good excuse
to go visit Eastern Market on a
random afternoon. Step right up
and enjoy. •

1300610

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May 18 • 2017

jn