30 | MARCH 7 • 2024

is Chef Will BeDell, most recently employed at Sarah
Welch’s well-regarded Marrow restaurant in Detroit.
Cheese-lovers may create boards with three to five
choices and perhaps include charcuterie. My flavorful
assortment one evening included Bay Blue, a rustic-
style blue cheese; Fromager d’Affinois, a mild cow’s milk
cheese; Appalachian, another cow’s milk cheese with a
velvety texture from southwest Virginia; and Pleasant
Ridge Reserve, a bolder artisanal cheese made from the
milk of Wisconsin cows.
My appetizer board also included a thin dark slice of
cured Bresola beef and accompaniments of grainy French
mustard, yummy fig jam, and assorted crackers and bread
rounds.
The listed “Snack” items include warm olives, anchovies
and razor clams. The menu gets even more interesting
with the addition of “Vegetable” items, such as the
popular Raclette Potatoes and
Garbanzo & Squash. I was blown
away by the taste of Braised
Fennel, a vegetable I’ve never
eaten that has the firm texture
of artichoke hearts. The fennel
is prepared with parsley and
Parmigiano cheese. I’d eat it
again.
I also highly recommend an
entree: Michigan Rainbow Trout.
The delicate pan-fried fish with
plentiful chopped Marcona
almonds is placed over a parsley
and spinach green sauce. The
only other entrée offered on my
visit was a nicely seasoned Half
Chicken. It’s plated with bitter
greens and garlic aioli.
No dessert for me this time,
but I’ve read online reviews praising Tunisian Olive
Cake. It’s served with crème fraiche whipped cream and a
rotating marmalade. Another dessert is Chocolate Tasting
Flight, featuring Craft Chocolates. Zingerman’s Gelato in
assorted flavors makes for a cool ending.
Operating from 5-9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday,
the Rind does double-duty as a place for eating lunch
ordered from the store’s “Mongers’ Menu.” Lunch hours
are 11 a.m-4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. The choices include
made-to-order and mostly warm sandwiches, gluten-free
tomato and a daily soup, a house salad and non-alcoholic
beverages. I especially like the blended flavors of Flaming
Fig grilled cheese sandwich and the meaty Wagyu
Pastrami Reuben. Turkey may be substituted.

Werner and Berg, friends
since they attended Tamarack
Camps, both worked for a
few years in San Francisco.
Berg ran Bi-Rite Market’s
cheese department. When
Werner returned to Detroit
to get married in 2016, Berg
followed.
For a time, Werner managed
his cousin’s former store,
Gayle’s Chocolates, in Royal
Oak. The partners’ first retail
space was in Ferndale, prior to their opening in 2017 a
Mongers’ Provisions with just under 1,100 square feet on
Cass Avenue in Detroit. The partners started out offering
a curated selection of cheese, charcuterie and chocolate.
As time went on, Mongers added conservas (tinned fish)
and other preserved quality items, as well as wine and
non-alcoholic beverages. There is a focus on Michigan
producers.
Mongers’ Provisions in Berkley, the second location
operating since 2021, offers 2,700 square feet for its ever-
changing specialties. The 1,200-square-foot addition
next door has seating for 50 at bare tables and also at the
well-stocked bar. Nicely decorated but not fancy, it’s a
comfortable space for anyone to dine or hang out.

March 13 at The Rind
Join The Rind for its first-ever spirits
tasting. Chris McDaniel from Four Roses
will be in town guiding tasters through
their lineup of unique bourbons. The
Mongers crew are putting together a
signature cocktail and some delicious
bites to be paired with the different
bourbons. Each guest will receive a
welcome cocktail, a taste of Four Roses’
four signature products (Bourbon, Small
Batch, Single Barrel, Small Batch Select),
and four small plates from the kitchen.
Starts at 7:30 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. One
$100 ticket admits one adult (21+ only).
Order at mongersprovisions.com.

NOSH
DINING AROUND THE D
A view of the
dining room

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