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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