Courthouse Brasserie

**BrushStart** · December-01-10, 06:54 PM

Anyone remember this restaurant on Brush? I don't know when it closed [[maybe 2006?), but I feel like it was one of downtown's hidden gems. Anyone have any information or stories about this place. Something I found online said that the city's movers and shakers ate lunch there regularly.

**oldredfordette** · December-01-10, 07:12 PM

I loved that place. I was drinking there one night during the newspaper strike, waiting for friends to get bailed out of jail [[CD). The waiters kept buying shots as people were freed and showed up. Hilarious. Their poppers were the best.

**BrushStart** · December-01-10, 09:10 PM

Great story oldredfordette! I really wish I would have had the chance to go there!

**texorama** · December-01-10, 10:21 PM

I really liked that place and was sorry to see it close. Anyone know if the chef is cooking someplace else? He had a totally distinctive slightly Indian-influenced cuisine.

**Gianni** · December-01-10, 11:21 PM

One of those rare and wonderful places where the owner, the chef and the waiter were often one and the same.

**detroitbob** · December-01-10, 11:51 PM

A great spot...the Calves Liver Madagascar was my favorite menu item...funny this thread appeared as when leaving downtown dinner after Angelina's last week we discussed some of our favorite places of yesteryear...Courthouse Brasserie was at the top of the list.

Does anyone remember the Cedar's, located on Columbia, behind the stage of the Fox Theatre?

**ronaldj** · December-02-10, 02:07 AM

Wasn't it the home of Benno's prior?

**EastsideAl** · December-02-10, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by texorama

I really liked that place and was sorry to see it close. Anyone know if the chef is cooking someplace else? He had a totally distinctive slightly Indian-influenced cuisine.

Ravi was the man. My sister used to work with him and loved him. Don't know what happened to him though.

And, in answer to a different poster, yes, this was also the location of Benno's for a little while, after that restaurant moved downtown from its long-time West Village home.

**kryptonite** · December-02-10, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by ronaldj

Wasn't it the home of Benno's prior?

Yes, I was at Benno's at that location a couple of times. I never got around to trying Courthouse Brasserie.

**REL** · December-02-10, 09:37 AM

I LOVED that place! A speakeasy feel to it. And the food was fantastic.

**1KielsonDrive** · December-06-10, 01:45 AM

Originally Posted by ronaldj

Wasn't it the home of Benno's prior?

Yes. Benno kept saying he wanted to buy my place. He was operating his place on Agnes in Indian Village and looking to open downtown. He finally settled on that site. Benno was very unusual - a serious character, as anyone who knew him and/or ate at his places, knew. A friend of mine was involved in decorating Benno's place prior to opening. They'd often come over to my place for drinks. A very odd couple. Regardless, they both were extremely good in their respective fields.