a warm glow · it’s been fun, it’s been crazy, and it’s been hard work.” it’s that time...
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tile roofs and beige glazed bricks still evident in the restaurant’s exterior today.
Originally opened by Mindy Lopus, former owner of Birmingham’s
Tallulah Wine Bar, in March 2013, Red Crown switched ownership, revamped
its menu and expanded its hours that October to reestablish its reputation
as a food gem in Grosse Pointe Park. With managing partner Robert “Bobby”
Nahra, chef and owner of Lakeland Manor Banquet and Event Center in St.
Clair Shores, and the Cotton family of Meridian Health Plan, Red Crown has
certainly stepped up its game to please customers both new and returning.
“A lot of this area had kind of been emptying out a bit,” says Shery
Cotton, who – along with her husband, David, and their sons – has played an
instrumental role in redevelopment projects along Kercheval Avenue and also
within the Park’s neighborhoods. “(Red Crown’s building) had been empty for
about nine years, and my son and I wanted to come in here … We just thought
it would be really cool to have a restaurant here.”
Initially wanting to just be landlords for the building, both David
and Shery admit that it didn’t necessarily work out that way in the long run.
“There’s a lot of drama in the restaurant business,” David says with a laugh.
And while things didn’t work out between the Cottons and Red
Crown’s first owner, Nahra, who has done the Cotton’s catering for years, was
ready to get into the restaurant business when he was approached to run Red
Crown. “He has a lot of passion and a lot of creativity,” Shery says. “I think
we’ve all been learning what it’s like to run a restaurant … It’s been fun, it’s
been crazy, and it’s been hard work.”
It’s that time of year when the cloudy and gray skies seem to never leave. And
when you look out the window, the shade of the sky is just a precursor to what
you’re already thinking: It’s cold, and the world outside looks uninviting.
It’s so easy to just stay indoors and leave the fun and adventure for
the warm-weather season, but at Ambassador’s latest Dinner Party, guests
left their winter blues at home, shuffled in from the cold and entered an
evening of warmth and celebration along Kercheval Avenue at Red Crown
in Grosse Pointe Park.
The SeTTing
When guests first walk into the elegantly renovated Standard Oil service
station – now home to cozy and stylish Red Crown restaurant – there’s no
denying the level of comfort that immediately surrounds them. As part of an
ongoing trend of repurposing old buildings for commercial or residential use,
while still maintaining some of the history and character of the original, Red
Crown captures that special feeling of comfort that comes with familiarity –
even if it’s your first time there.
“My initial impression when I walked in the door was that I felt
warm,” says Dinner Party guest Tarita Coley, who was visiting Red Crown for
the first time. “It was very warm, it was very cozy, and it was just a nice feeling.”
Both inside and outside, Red Crown radiates with hints of cherry
reds, warm creams and winter whites – a color scheme that remains true to
the traditional Standard Oil “Red Crown” castle-style stations with their red-
pomp &circumstance
groSSe PoinTe’S red Crown ProvideS gueSTS wiTh an eleganT evening full of ComforT A WArm glow
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Paige Lustig, Kevin Killebrew
Wood-grilled Salmon
Cathy Champion
Michael Keys
Robert Nahra, Jimmy Rahaim, Sam Stevenson
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Azra Sabanovic
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The drinkS
As guests arrived, they gathered near the bar to take a look at Red Crown’s
vast offering of handcrafted cocktails, craft beers and wine.
“The main thing we focus on here is going to be craft when it comes
down to it – our wine, our beer and our cocktails,” says Zack Wilkinson, Red
Crown’s beverage director, who has been with the restaurant since it first
opened. “We’re up to 22 cocktails at a time – all craft, signature drinks, dating
back to the Prohibition era and then modern twists on those classic drinks,
(plus) completely original drinks that we come up with, as well.”
Cocktail choices include some old favorites like the Moscow Mule
(made with Kozi vodka, ginger beer and lime) or the newer Paper Plane (made
with Maker’s Mark, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon). Beer options include
eight Michigan beers on tap, roughly nine or 10 bottled craft beers and a
limited selection of domestics. For the wine, Wilkinson says he tries to steer
clear of big-name brands unless there’s a huge demand for it.
“I want the customer to be relaxed, to have fun with it,” Wilkinson
says. “I will talk about pinot noir for hours with some customers, but I
really want people to relax and to feel like they’re in a neighborhood bar
still, out with friends.”
The food
Touting itself as a barbecue and comfort food restaurant with Southern flair,
Red Crown offers choices that reflect the feeling of eating a good, hearty
homecooked meal. “That’s the first thing I’ve learned,” says David Cotton.
“That above all else, the food has to be good. Secondly, it has to be consistent.”
Tasked with continuing to keep Red Crown’s menu options
consistent, yet relative to seasonal offerings and customer feedback is
Executive Chef Michael Keys, who just recently joined the Red Crown team in
the summer.
“We’re an outstanding place for a great burger, a great steak, a piece
of fish; and then we do phenomenal specials, too, that we really dazzle out to
make our guests go, ‘I never thought I’d get such a wonderful meal out of a gas
station,’” says Keys, whose culinary experience spans more than 25 years.
For Ambassador’s dinner party, Keys and his kitchen staff prepared
a wide variety of delicious items straight from the restaurant’s regular menu.
Served family-style to keep with the feeling of comfort, guests enjoyed tasty
selections like the Triple Crown imported seasonal cheese & dry-aged meat
board garnished with smoked pecans, marcona almonds and house-baked
crostini; the falafel-inspired black-bean burger with smashed avocado,
tomato, sprouts and garlic aioli; the wood-grilled salmon served over warm
arugula and fingerling potato salad tossed in an apple cider shallot, pickled
mustard-seed vinaigrette; the Red Crown burger topped with lettuce, tomato,
onion, American cheese and fancy sauce; the smoked and grilled Berkshire
pork chop; the wood-grilled rib-eye with sautéed mushrooms; the kale and
quinoa salad; and various sides such as corn bread, Brussels sprouts sautéed
with marcona; mac ’n’ cheese; and truffle fries. “We’re really trying to showcase
what this whole new menu is about,” Keys says.
For dessert, guests enjoyed slices of triple-layer housemade
signature cakes, including flavors such as Red Crown velvet and chocolate
mousse bumpy cake. “The desserts are to die for,” David says, noting that the
coconut cream pie is one of his favorites.
Michelle & Jack Accardo
Grilled Chicken Breast
Shery Cotton
Nadya Nahra, David Cotton
Smoked and Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop
Elizabeth Atkins, Anita Lane
| 107
The gueSTS
The evening’s guests gathered at Red Crown from all around metro Detroit.
Many, like Michelle and Jack Accardo, live in Grosse Pointe and frequent Red
Crown at least twice a week.
“We love this restaurant. Everybody always makes us feel so at
home,” says Michelle, who works in the health insurance industry. “The food is
good, really good. They just treat us so nice here.”
Her husband, Jack, loves Red Crown’s specials. The menu even has a
special treat for their 6-year-old grandson: milkshakes. “Bobby takes him right
into the kitchen and makes him a shake, so he likes to come here, too,” says
Jack, who is the CFO for a manufacturer in Detroit.
The couple is also excited for the holiday season and getting together
with family. “We have Christmas and Thanksgiving with anywhere from 18 to
35 people for dinner,” Michelle says. “We make everything; it’s no potluck.”
Kevin Killebrew and his wife, Cathy Champion, are also Grosse
Pointe natives who frequent the restaurant often. “We were here the first time
it opened, and we probably come at least once a week,” says Champion, who
is a realtor at Bolton-Johnston Associates and the immediate past chair of the
Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce. “The servers know what you want.
They keep changing the menu, so it’s not like we’re eating the same things
over and over.”
For the holidays, Killebrew and Champion cherish the time spent with
family and friends, and creating lasting memories together. “It’s a time for festive
occasions,” Killebrew says. “We travel, but we prefer to be home for part of (the
holidays) at least. We have grandkids in other states, so we go a lot of places.”
Dinner Party guests Jimmy Rahaim and his wife, Nicole Wilski-
Rahaim, expressed their excitement with Red Crown’s turnaround.
“The food is amazing, and Bobby will do whatever he needs to
please anybody. Forget if it’s someone he knows or doesn’t know, he’s just a
stranger on the floor,” Jimmy says. “It’s amazing the culinary creativity that’s
going on here with the food. It’s exquisite, but simple. I’m shocked and very
impressed by the turnaround of the restaurant since (Bobby) has had his
hands on it.”
Sitting with the Rahaims was Nadya Nahra, Robert’s wife, who
jokes that while she loves spending time at home with family and friends for
the holidays, sometimes she likes to skip town, travel and avoid the family
gatherings altogether. As for her husband’s work with Red Crown, she says
she couldn’t be prouder. “I think (Bobby) is doing an amazing job,” she says.
“The food is great. The atmosphere is great. It’s a wonderful place to come to.”
Friends Anita Lane and Elizabeth Atkins sipped on cocktails while
discussing Red Crown and the holidays.
“I like all of the festivities, colors, lights and candy,” says Lane,
who works in public relations and communications. “I love to see my family
members from other states come together.”
Atkins, who works as an actress and author, loves the sparkle of the
holiday season. And while it was her first time at Red Crown, she loves that it
still has that Motor City vibe from it being an old gas station.
With the revived energy along Kercheval Avenue and the ongoing
success at Red Crown, David and Shery Cotton couldn’t be more pleased.
“What we wanted most of all was to develop an area where people would
want to walk, where it was safe, where they had variety, where you have your
boutiques, your hair salons, and you have a variety of different restaurants,”
David says.
“All summer, there were people walking the streets, walking all the
way down and all the way back, and everywhere you went, there were people
walking,” Shery adds. “Revitalizing this area has been really exciting for us. We
just want to see that grow.” — Audrey LaForest
redcrowngp.com
Jason Huvaere
Triple-layer Carrot Cake, Chocolate Mousse Bumpy Cake, Red Crown Velvet
Andreas JosephBrittany & Brooke Treusch Tarita Coley
Emily Bernstein Nicole Wilski-Rahaim