Marrow, a butcher shop with dinner and brunch menus, is at 8044 Kercheval. (Photo: Facebook)
Less than two years after opening in Detroit's West Village neighborhood, Marrow earns pride of place alongside popular spots in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Portland and elsewhere on a food site's list of "The 16 Best New Restaurants in America."
The innovative "farm to fork" startup boasts of being "Detroit's first neighborhood butcher shop and restaurant hybrid." Brenna Houck, editor of Eater Detroit, praises it for multiple reasons as part of a roundup this week at the Vox Media outlet's national site:
Beneath red-and-white vintage posters hawking bologna and steak, Marrow’s dinner tables beckon guests to commune over plates of seared corned-beef tongue, bowls of crunchy pork skin “popcorn,” and glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with juicy ground beef and topped with slivered radishes and either whitefish or salmon roe.
Each meal nimbly challenges notions of what butcher-style fare can be by largely ignoring steak in favor of tart jars of pickled shrimp and yakitori skewers.
Chef Sarah Welch crafts the menu and runs the kitchen. (Photo: Marrow)
Houck also salutes owner Ping Ho, an immigrant from Singapore, for wages and benefits that provide "a more sustainable work environment for kitchen staff."
Marrow's chef is Sarah Welch, a former Eater Detroit chef of the year. She had been executive chef at Republic Tavern and Parks & Rec Diner, and also gained experience as a sous chef at MANI Osteria & Bar in Ann Arbor, her hometown.
The Kercheval Avenue restaurant, which has about 80 seats, sketches her background at its site:
Chef Welch was raised between Jamaica and Michigan, surrounded with culture, cooking and eating. Sarah left Michigan to pursue culinary studies at New York’s French Culinary Institute.
. . . Her time in Detroit has yeilded close connections with the local farming community, which now serves as the muse for the food you can find at Marrow's restaurant.
► Where: 8044 Kercheval Ave., near Parker Street
► Menus: Dinner and weekend brunch
► Dining hours: 5-10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday brunch; 5-9 p.m. Sunday dinner.
► Reservations: info@marrowdetroit.com or (313) 652-0200.
Four photos from the restaurant:
Smoked rainbow trout with mushrooms and broccolini.
