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The grand opening of Brew Detroit’s new kitchen was on August 13, 2022, and their secret ingredient is Chef Tara Abdusshakur her excitement about pairing beer with food.
Chef Tara talked about her vision for Brew Detroit’s menu during an interview on Brew Detroit’s Facebook page.
“When I was building the menu, I wanted it to be extremely Detroit area, city focused," she said. "I wanted to pull in as many people as I could out of the Metro Detroit Area. Utilizing urban farmers and small batch companies. That is my whole mind of how I went into this.”
So, why open a kitchen? Why now and why here?
Brew Detroit General Manager Xena Shaban-Schelter was the right person to ask.
By Brenda Marshall
Brew Detroit cooks up the future with new kitchen
MIBREW TRAIL MAGAZINE
Fall 2022
“The Brew Detroit’s owner had been interested for years in adding a kitchen," Shaban-Schelter said. "Certain foods go nicely with beer. The Idea was always brewing. Days and years passed, and finally, the right heads merged together.”
“The menu was very carefully picked for you," she continued. "Every item on the menu is unique in its kind and has its own taste. And that's why the Reuben Fritters are exceptional. They're very popular too. Especially when you take that first bite, they're crispy on the outside and warm on the inside. They just melt in your mouth like when you eat a taco or a nacho or like a Ruben sandwich."
When I finished eating my Reuben fritta, I wanted to lick the plate; it was that good. I don’t like chicken, so I tried to say no thanks to the Detroit Honey Bites. When I saw Chuck’s face after he took his first bite, I knew I better get a bite - the crunch, OMG. The honey is from T.M. Kline & Sons in Saint Charles, Michigan.
Oh boy, this could be bad news, I thought when they set the Chronic Fries on our table. I was right. The SarVecchio Parmesan cheese is an interesting pairing with the balsamic, bacon and rosemary. As the name suggests, it is hard to stop eating them. We had potato pierogies. They were good, but the caramelized onions in Cerveza Delray Oscura beer stole the show.
The Smokey Haystack sandwich’s description makes my mouth water - Smoked BBQ beef brisket, coleslaw, BD Signature BBQ sauce on a brioche bun.
“What is in the BD Signature BBQ sauce? It is delicious,” I asked. Chef Tara had no problems sharing, “It's the 313 Polish Lager.”
Even the pizza dough is made with beer, the Cerveza Delray, which won the 2018 Bronze International Style Pilsener at the American Beer Festival. It is described as “Clean. Crisp. & Easy Drinking. Pilsner, Vienna, & Munich malt were used in the brewing process. Munich malt adds a touch of sweetness and complexity while complimenting the cascade hops.”
The pizza crust was thin with just a touch of sweetness. Chuck’s favorite pizza was The Joe. Hot. Hot. Hot. I wrote in my notes. The arrabbiata sauce paired with pepperoni and hot Italian sausage makes for one spicy dish. My favorite was the Red Wing. It has crispy fried chicken, garlic cream sauce, cheese, and tangy buffalo sauce.
Brew Detroit
1401 Abbott Street,
Detroit, MI 48216
(313) 344-7185
www.brewdetroit.com
We didn’t sample the Dearborn pizza, but Shaban-Schelter shared her thoughts: "all the ingredients are from Dearborn, and they're like Mediterranean; different. Put them all together. You have this explosion of flavor in your mouth.”
We asked Chef Tara if she’d watched The Bear, the new series on Hulu. The question nearly brought her to her knees. “OMG! Yes!” was her reply, laughing. She assured us Brew Detroit’s kitchen was nothing like that kitchen, but they do address each other as “Chef” out of respect. She has nicknames for everyone on her team. She’s nicknamed their pizza chef, Lenny, Chef Kravitz.
Check out Hearst’s newest brand showcasing Michigan Breweries at MiBrewTrail.com.
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