AT THE TABLE
Rick Halberg opens Local Kitchen & Bar in Ferndale By Eleanor Heald
R
ick Halberg has been a celebrity chef in the Detroit metro area restaurant scene for more than three decades. Now, at age 63, he’s intent upon reaching out to urban clientele in his newly opened Ferndale Local Kitchen & Bar. Halberg began his career in Aspen, Colo., then Tucson, Ariz., and Ann Arbor before his student years at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY. After graduating in 1977, he returned to his native Michigan, where he worked with the talented Yvonne Gill at Tweeny’s and at the Holly Hotel before opening RIK’s (no longer open) with Ira Mondry and the late Ken Fink. He founded the popular Emily’s in Northville in 1994. It closed in 2006. A short flirt with a storefront Tuscan-style carryout, Tutto Bene, became a victim of the slumping economy the same year. Among other restaurant endeavors, Halberg took a position as director of culinary services at Hiller’s Markets and operated Rick Halberg’s Home Cooking to Your Door. In July, he opened Local Kitchen with active partner Brian Siegel, also a partner in Joe Dumars’ Fieldhouse in Shelby Township and the Michigan State Fairgrounds, Detroit. Several silent partners are backing Halberg’s new venture. “The name Local,” Halberg says, speaks to his “being all about the community. Ferndale has a broad, culturally diverse population. From what I’ve experienced, it’s a melting pot that has welcomed me as part of the business community.” Well-crafted comfort food Current food trends revolve around sustainability, organic growing and local produce from area farms. Yet, pricing cuts into Lunch & Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday; Breakfast & Lunch, Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 63 Kercheval Avenue, Grosse Pointe Farms, 48236. 313.882.9555. Kiernan’s Steak House: Steakhouse. Lunch, Monday-Friday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 21931 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, 48124. 313.565.4260. Kitchen Hanzo: Japanese. Dinner, MondaySaturday. No reservations. Liquor. 6073 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.624.8666.
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these, as people have become more price conscious. An expertly edited one-page menu does not over reach and matches Halberg’s mantra, “Life is short…eat real food.” And judging by Local’s sensible prices, this is possible. The menu uses one-word categories: start ($610), bread ($8.50-12), green ($6-10), plate/bowl
Fried green tomatoes, baked mac & cheese, and bbq beef brisket sliders. Xpress photo: Laurie Tennent
($15-24 or market price) and side ($6-8). Be thankful that Local is not another menu using the French word entrée (dish served before the main course) when the desired meaning is main dish. An interesting side from north of the border is poutine, the French Canadian dish made with fries, fresh cheese curds and gravy (in Local’s case, mushroom). Burgers on a challah bun are comfort priced at $8.50 and can be upgraded with a farm egg, crispy smoked bacon, cheese, mushrooms or onions for a pittance extra. The kitchen is run by a team of sous chefs, Ricky McCormick, formerly at Café Muse in Royal Oak, and Lawrence Lumetta from the Roberts Restaurant Group.
Kona Grill: Asian. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 30 East Big Beaver, Troy, 48083. 248-619-9060. Kruse & Muer on Main: American. Brunch, Sunday. Lunch, Monday-Saturday; Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 327 South Main Street, Rochester, 48307. 248.652.9400. La Dolce Vita: Italian. Brunch, Sunday. Lunch, Tuesday-Friday; Dinner, Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations. Liquor. 17546 Woodward, Detroit, 48203. 313.865.0331. La Pita: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily.
Libations The reverse side of the menu includes a wellconceived list of wines by the glass, principally wellpriced imports. A separate wine list has some enticing offerings, many under $40. If you are a wine aficionado, you’ll make Local your favorite wine bar – so many unique offerings, domestic and imported. Try the Villa Rubini Schioppettino, a red from Italy’s Friuli region, $28, with Pappardelle Bolognese, $15, or Bistro Steak, $17. There are craft cocktails, beers by the bottle and five Michigan-produced draft beers. Also on tap is M Lawrence “Green” from Michigan’s top bubble maker Larry Mawby on the Leelanau Peninsula. Comfort environs A four-season patio with a wood-burning fireplace is featured at the front of the restaurant. There’s a small bar seating 16 and a community table where people can choose to sit with others. After all, this is a community spot, rustic, comfortable, a mix of contemporary, classical and country farm house in earth tones with splashes of red and blue. Halberg faces the challenges of a small business owner. Yet, he knows the adage: if you don’t change, you fall behind. He is counting on interaction with the broader Ferndale community as a major key to his success. “I want to make authentic connections with people through food and service,” he concludes. He already has a head full of ideas for the future: Sunday family style meals, a chef’s table in the kitchen and monthly wine dinners. Local Kitchen & Bar, 344 W. Nine Mile Road (at Planavon), Ferndale. 248.291.5650. Dinner beginning at 5 p.m. daily. Reservations for six or more. Also 30-minute call ahead. Parking: street and metered public lot at rear of restaurant. Eleanor Heald is a nationally published writer who also writes the wine column in a double byline with her husband Ray for Downtown. Suggestions for Quick Bites section can be e-mailed to QuickBites@downtownpublications.com.
Reservations, parties of 8 or more. Liquor. 22681 Newman Street, Dearborn, 48124. 313.563.7482. La Saj Lebanese Bistro: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. Liquor. 13776 Southcove, Sterling Heights, 48313. 586.566.6600. La Shish: Middle Eastern. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations. 12918 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, 48126. 313.582.8400. The Lark: French. Dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Reservations, required. Liquor. 6430
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Farmington Road, West Bloomfield Township, 48322. 248.661.4466. Lily’s Seafood Grill and Brewery: Seafood. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 6 or more. Liquor. 410 South Washington Avenue, Royal Oak, 48067. 248.591.5459. Local Kitchen and Bar: American. Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 5 or more. Liquor. 344 West 9 Mile Road, Ferndale, 48220. 248-291-5650. Lockhart’s BBQ: Barbecue. Lunch & Dinner, daily. Reservations, parties of 8 or more.
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