A popular Japanese-style noodle restaurant intends to expand beyond Corktown and Madison Heights.
We could be a few months away from Ima's "most ambitious outpost yet," Mark Kurlyandchik reports at the Free Press. Chef Mike Ransom "plans to unveil Ima Midtown this fall in the former Sweet Lorraine's Fabulous Mac n' Brewz space at the corner of Cass and Warren," the food writer adds.
Mike Ransom: "I grew up in East Lansing, so it's very nostalgic to be in a college neighborhood." (Photo: Facebook)
The new site will be the two-year-old group's largest.
Ransom opened the original Ima noodle bar in a shoebox-sized space in Corktown after his original building fell through, forcing him to tighten the menu to fit the smaller confines. Ima Midtown is a return to his original grander vision. . . .
"With the bigger space and bigger kitchen we will be able to have some fried food offerings and a larger dessert menu."
In his last paragraph, the journalist gets around to the fact that Ransom has a critical hurdle:
There have been some delays in getting the lease signed. Still, he said he's confident it will get done and the new location will be open this fall.
In the meantime, Ima serves fans at 2015 Michigan Ave. in Detroit and 32203 John R Rd. in Madison Heights. Kurlyandchik six months ago honored "the scrappy Corktown udon noodle sensation" as Detroit restaurant of the year.
Examples of three items on the Corktown location's menu. (Photo: Ima Restaurant Holdings)
