New Restaurant Coming To Downtown, Again!

**jw101** · May-02-14, 03:12 PM

Now I'm feeling stupid. This is the third restaurant I've posted about this week! Anyway, this time it will be in Chrysler House, and it's name is Dime Store.

After meeting and working together at a restaurant in Ann Arbor, a trio of self-described foodies are coming together to open their own bar and eatery. Called Dime Store, the 75-seat restaurant is set to open by July in the first level of Chrysler House, a 23-story office tower located at Fort and Griswold in downtown Detroit.
“It will be an American brunch bar, which is a new concept for the central business district,” says Ann-Marie Murphy, co-owner of Dime Store with her fiancé, Larry Kahn, and investor Jeffrey Alexander. “We’ll be open for breakfast, lunch, and we’ll close at 8 p.m. We want to raise the bar for restaurants in downtown Detroit.”
Located on the Griswold side of Chrysler House, the restaurant will feature an open bar and an open kitchen, with seating for 13 people. The remaining seats will be set in the restaurant and a portion of the atrium lobby. The principals hired Chef Joshua Taylor, formerly with the Moto Restaurant and the Park Grill, both in Chicago. He was trained at the French Culinary Institute.
The menu, still under development, will include such dishes as duck bop hash, a take on a traditional Korean dish, as well as a Korean barbeque sandwich featuring marinated beef, pickles, and vegetables, and a veggie burger made with back beans, wheat berry, and other ingredients.

**compn** · May-02-14, 04:12 PM

a white boy cooking korean food? not my thing.
its like going to taco bell for authentic mexican dishes.

**stinkytofu** · May-02-14, 05:07 PM

Not really a win for downtown unless Rio Wraps reopens somewhere...

**rjlj** · May-02-14, 05:41 PM

Pretty narrow and feeble minded comment.

Originally Posted by compn

a white boy cooking korean food? not my thing.
its like going to taco bell for authentic mexican dishes.

**ParisianLesion** · May-02-14, 08:04 PM

________^ + 1

**compn** · May-02-14, 11:02 PM

i'm not going to apologize being racist about chefs.

i dont like fusion foods and i dont like chefs trying to cook something they arent familiar with. for the same reason i dont cook other cultures foods, because i'm not familiar with it. i didnt grow up cooking it, or watching it being prepared and eating it on a regular basis.

the vietnamese have a bbq/grilled meat sandwhich on a baguette due to french influence on the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bánh_mì
pretty good viet sandwich place on dequinder next to the little caesars in madison heights. if you stop by one of the vietnamese places around town try an avocado shake. its surprisingly great.

its why i love detroit. its an international city with people and foods from all over. lots of great things to try. what do i want tomorrow? mexican food truck? el salvadorian? ethiopian? brazillian? chinese? polish? italian? indian? greek? lebanese? vietnamese? thai? japanese? korean? so many countries so little time.

if you want white people cooking you "cuban inspired" food, by all means, go to ann arbor and enjoy frita batidos. http://www.yelp.com/biz/frita-batidos-ann-arbor
for me i'll stick to authentic chefs and places to get good food.

**Zozo** · May-03-14, 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by compn

i'm not going to apologize being racist about chefs.

i dont like fusion foods and i dont like chefs trying to cook something they arent familiar with. for the same reason i dont cook other cultures foods, because i'm not familiar with it. i didnt grow up cooking it, or watching it being prepared and eating it on a regular basis.

the vietnamese have a bbq/grilled meat sandwhich on a baguette due to french influence on the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bánh_mì
pretty good viet sandwich place on dequinder next to the little caesars in madison heights. if you stop by one of the vietnamese places around town try an avocado shake. its surprisingly great.

its why i love detroit. its an international city with people and foods from all over. lots of great things to try. what do i want tomorrow? mexican food truck? el salvadorian? ethiopian? brazillian? chinese? polish? italian? indian? greek? lebanese? vietnamese? thai? japanese? korean? so many countries so little time.

if you want white people cooking you "cuban inspired" food, by all means, go to ann arbor and enjoy frita batidos. http://www.yelp.com/biz/frita-batidos-ann-arbor
for me i'll stick to authentic chefs and places to get good food.

What an ignorant wank you are. There's a lot of racist crap about white people on this forum, but this is one of the worst posts I have ever read here. You huff and puff that you don't like fusion food but rave about a BBQ bahn mi, which is itself a fusion food, even according to the way you have a defined the sandwich. Your claim that white people can't authentically cook food from other cultures because they didn't grow up with it in their kitchen reveals that you don't know your way around a kitchen. If you think a gringo can't cook Mexican food just because they aren't Mexican that probably means you yourself don't know how to cook, and obviously you haven't been to Austin. I don't think you know how to cook anything from any culture and probably don't know good food from bad, despite your claims and your trumped up international palette.

**compn** · May-03-14, 05:31 AM

if you want to claim tex-mex from austin is mexican, i cant help you there. but yeah i've heard texas has very good tex-mex dishes.

i'm surprised wanting region specific cooks for region specific food would be that big of a deal. perhapse i was inartful in my desired request.

**401don** · May-03-14, 07:49 AM

Is any of this in the space that would have held Papa Joe's?

**stasu1213** · May-03-14, 09:02 AM

I see that downtown will be full of bars and restaurants. Gilbert did say that clothing stores are already out in the retail districts in the burbs so he want downtown to be unique. It is good that space is being filled. However, I would rather hear news about retail is opening soon downtown/midtown such as Apple, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, or any other basic needs retail. One thing that is a road block for many stores for opening is the painstaking wait for the building and safety inspectors to come and give the green light to exceed to the next level of construction, renovation, or opening. These same inspectors would turn a blind eye to these apartment buildings such as Lafayette Towers and others apartment buildings when they are in violation. When someone want to open a diner, café, non popup clothing or basic needs retail, then these inspectors come out and find any minor problem with the structures being renovated for use

**Hypestyles** · May-03-14, 09:33 AM

Interesting. I might check it out.

**poobert** · May-03-14, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by compn

i'm not going to apologize being racist about chefs.

i dont like fusion foods and i dont like chefs trying to cook something they arent familiar with. for the same reason i dont cook other cultures foods, because i'm not familiar with it. i didnt grow up cooking it, or watching it being prepared and eating it on a regular basis.

the vietnamese have a bbq/grilled meat sandwhich on a baguette due to french influence on the country. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bánh_mì
pretty good viet sandwich place on dequinder next to the little caesars in madison heights. if you stop by one of the vietnamese places around town try an avocado shake. its surprisingly great.

its why i love detroit. its an international city with people and foods from all over. lots of great things to try. what do i want tomorrow? mexican food truck? el salvadorian? ethiopian? brazillian? chinese? polish? italian? indian? greek? lebanese? vietnamese? thai? japanese? korean? so many countries so little time.

if you want white people cooking you "cuban inspired" food, by all means, go to ann arbor and enjoy frita batidos. http://www.yelp.com/biz/frita-batidos-ann-arbor
for me i'll stick to authentic chefs and places to get good food.

I'm a little torn by this, but actually somewhat agree. For me it isn't necessarily a race thing - I imagine skin color plays very little factor in food preparation - but I'm rather bored with yuppies and pan-whatever-ethnicity brunch places. The food is usually overpriced, but mildly interesting. As these places open up, neighborhoods lose their character. It's a good sign for the economy of a place, but you look around and with all the beards and thick glasses you could be in Anytown, USA. Meanwhile, head up the road to Hamtramck, an actual ethnic enclave, and you can get a big plate of Bangladeshi food for 1/10th the cost, and while likely simpler, it probably heartier. Now some yuppie is going to open a Bangladeshi fushion restaurant in a Gilbert building, for $20 an entree. It's all so trite.

Really, there are only a handful of places I would bother eating out anymore, and they're local fine dining places for special occasions. Joe Muer's, Giovannis on Oakwood, even Brizolla in Greektown Casino. Otherwise just save your money. You can make the same thing at home for 1/100th of the cost.

More power to downtown and the yuppies who want to eat yuppie food though, I guess. Always glad to see a new business open in our city.

**mwilbert** · May-03-14, 10:41 AM

I look forward to a day when chefs can be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their plates.

If you want to support ethnic restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods, by all means do so. Assuming that people who aren't of a particular origin can't cook dishes of that origin properly is not justified.

**Hardhat** · May-03-14, 11:02 AM

If this is going where the Rio Wraps is/was, does anyone have an idea why they closed? They have always been busy, many times with a line out the door, when I have been there.

**canuck** · May-03-14, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by compn

if you want to claim tex-mex from austin is mexican, i cant help you there. but yeah i've heard texas has very good tex-mex dishes.

i'm surprised wanting region specific cooks for region specific food would be that big of a deal. perhapse i was inartful in my desired request.

I think poobert said it best. Really doesnt matter what color or origin cross-culturally speaking whoduzz da food. You're right, you were inartful but I think that what you meant was how poobert put it.

I go for the same type of ethnic or downhome cooking type places in my burg, or in Toronto as opposed to the trendy fusiony places for the same reasons stated above.

Maybe 401don knows about a little place in Toronto that is excellent and cheap with nice décor, excellent service; "Young Thaïland" on Parliament street. They claim to be the oldest Thaï restaurants in Canada and they are just what I like in solid, unpretentious ethnic fare that usually is more reliable over time, except when ownership changes hands.

**wolverine** · May-03-14, 01:07 PM

Just blows my mind what a picky bunch a few of you are. As if you feel the right to even judge a place before it's even opened....let alone in a downtown full of vacant storefronts. It's outrageous.

Complain when things are bad. Complain when things are good. It's this sour attitude that doesn't help the city one bit.

**Enduro** · May-03-14, 01:15 PM

I don't eat Italian food with tomatoes in it because tomatoes are not native to Italy. They were brought over from the new world so no thanks, only a poser would be seen eating a Italian food made with tomatoes.

**Spartan** · May-03-14, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Hardhat

If this is going where the Rio Wraps is/was, does anyone have an idea why they closed? They have always been busy, many times with a line out the door, when I have been there.

The Pizzapapalis one? Yeah that place was always packed when I went, it closed?

**Spartan** · May-03-14, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by jw101

“It will be an American brunch bar, which is a new concept for the central business district,” says Ann-Marie Murphy, co-owner of Dime Store with her fiancé, Larry Kahn, and investor Jeffrey Alexander. “We’ll be open for breakfast, lunch, and we’ll close at 8 p.m. We want to raise the bar for restaurants in downtown Detroit.”

Hm... a restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch, and closes at 8... great new concept for the CBD!

**DetroitPlanner** · May-03-14, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

Is any of this in the space that would have held Papa Joe's?

Nope. Pappa Joe's is supposed to be in a different building. There is not enough room for a grocery store in the Dime/Chrysler Building. It looks like it will definitely be a foodie joint as it indicates that it will only seat in the high teens. Too bad, as the lunch crowd downtown has expanded greatly over the last year and could use some good places that seat quite a few more than that.

**compn** · May-04-14, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

It looks like it will definitely be a foodie joint as it indicates that it will only seat in the high teens. Too bad

you misread. 13 seats in the open kitchen, more in another room and lobby.
its written very poorly. who talks about 'seats' anyway? 'tables' are how its supposed to be counted.

open bar, for breakfast?
so they are going to cook breakfast and fusion ? i've seen so many different ways to ruin breakfast. i hope they know what they are doing.

maybe if they skipped the eggs stuff and just have a cereal bar with choco milk.

**compn** · May-04-14, 01:15 AM

that actually sounds like a good idea.

the menu would be
a bunch of cereals. different kinds of milk on tap.
'complete balanced breakfast' combos, like seen on tv with a grapefruit, oj, muffin etc

fresh strawberries, blueberries extra
free banana + applesauce w/ purchase.
cold pizza? buy pizzas previous day and refridgerate. serve cold only!

tvs playing saturday morning cartoons
pajama parties

**Honky Tonk** · May-04-14, 06:55 AM

Originally Posted by compn

that actually sounds like a good idea.

the menu would be
a bunch of cereals. different kinds of milk on tap.
'complete balanced breakfast' combos, like seen on tv with a grapefruit, oj, muffin etc

fresh strawberries, blueberries extra
free banana + applesauce w/ purchase.
cold pizza? buy pizzas previous day and refridgerate. serve cold only!

tvs playing saturday morning cartoons
pajama parties

Ye gads, compn.....

**Downriviera** · May-04-14, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by mwilbert

I look forward to a day when chefs can be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their plates.

If you want to support ethnic restaurants in ethnic neighborhoods, by all means do so. Assuming that people who aren't of a particular origin can't cook dishes of that origin properly is not justified.

I tend to agree with you, but its hard to argue. I'll use Thai food as an example. Since Thai food bacame popular a lot of Thai places have opened up. Many of them by non Thais. Some of these are really good. But I have to admit the best Thai food I've had is always made by Thai people. When Bobby Flay challenged a Thai woman who owns a restaurant to see who could make the best pad thai, the judges picked the Thai women's dish hands down in a blind tasting.

But now I hear one ot the most popular restaurants in DC is a Thai place and the chef is Greek. Who knows. I think it might be a sub-concious thing where it always seems better and more authentic if made by someone from the country of origin.

**mwilbert** · May-04-14, 12:10 PM

Originally Posted by Downriviera

I tend to agree with you, but its hard to argue. I'll use Thai food as an example. Since Thai food bacame popular a lot of Thai places have opened up. Many of them by non Thais. Some of these are really good. But I have to admit the best Thai food I've had is always made by Thai people. When Bobby Flay challenged a Thai woman who owns a restaurant to see who could make the best pad thai, the judges picked the Thai women's dish hands down in a blind tasting.

But now I hear one ot the most popular restaurants in DC is a Thai place and the chef is Greek. Who knows. I think it might be a sub-concious thing where it always seems better and more authentic if made by someone from the country of origin.

But think how many bad Thai restaurants are run by Thais, bad Chinese restaurants by Chinese, etc. It would be totally unsurprising if the best Thai restaurants were run by Thais, as there are a whole lot of Thais running Thai restaurants, and probably not nearly as many non-Thais, but nothing in that statement implies that a non-Thai couldn't run a really good Thai restaurant.