riracha and peanuts. Five more food photos are below. (Photos: EastEats)
"Times are changing and so are business models," say the three creators of a new Detroit dining destination for this shook-up year. It serves imaginative "small fusion plates" in ten igloo-shape huts on a lot off East Jefferson Avenue.
"We designed EastEats with Covid-19 in mind. We know people are operating socially in their bubbles and we wanted to create a space catered to that," the founders add on Facebook.
The tacos-driven concept had a preview event Friday night and offers soft-launch meals Monday through Thursday at 1018 Navahoe St. in the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood. Its for-real debut is Friday and a weekly brunch runs from 10-4 p.m. Saturday.
GardenIgloo brand heated domes seat two to eight people for up to two hours, and servers work from a pair of adjacent domes. Meals are prepared in a curbside food truck. This is socially distant dining out, with no host station, waiting lounge or check presentation at the end. It's billed as "Detroit’s first pandemic-proof outdoor restaurant."
Reservations are required, and each guest chooses up to five items via phone after arriving. "Bring your own adult beverages," the website says. "For a [$10] 'corking fee' we will provide cups, ice and curated mixers."
The entrepreneurs -- chef Nygel Fyvie, Lloyd Talley and Kwaku Osei-Bonsu -- describe their offbeat startup as "a tiny dining experience" with "carefully curated menu items." The location is a purchased side lot next to Osei-Bonsu's home, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Six styles of tacos named for local notables are served on tortillas, wonton shells, bao buns or as lettuce wraps. (See photos below.)
Ingredients include shrimp, chicken, steak and fried cauliflower. The menu has four desserts.
Prepaid reservations are $45 per person, which buys four tacos and dessert or any mix of five items (if you want two desserts or none). Guests sit on repurposed wire spools and dishes are placed on a covered shipping crate, as pictured below. "Dress warmly," suggest the hosts, who plan to operate all months.
Book a dome
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Location: 1018 Navahoe, just south of East Jefferson and a block east of Conner. (Limited street parking. "Carpooling is encouraged.)
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Menus: Dinner and brunch
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Reservations: $45 per guest, plus any add-ons (see menu). Transferable, but no refunds or rescheduling.
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Email: info@easteats.us
Food photos from EastEats