Meet one of the cooks at Grey Ghost, Detroit’s newest entry in fine dining

It’s been some time since Detroit’s Brush Park neighborhood has had some restaurant buzz. Off top, the last restaurant that comes to mind is the long-closed Edmund’s Place – though we’re sure someone will prove us wrong and laundry-list a few other eateries that have come and gone.

Foodies are going to swarm the neighborhood today (is it Midtown or is it Brush Park, by the way?) today as a new restaurant, Grey Ghost, makes its debut.

Grey Ghost describes itself as a “neighborhood steakhouse and cocktail bar.” BLAC caught up with Marcus Lott, one of the line cooks at Grey Ghost, to – ahem – dish on what we can expect.

“It’s definitely a meat-centric restaurant. Steaks, lamb chops, burgers, scallops,” Lott says. “Definitely try the steaks or the bologna sandwich.”

A bologna sandwich? Like Oscar Mayer?

“We make our own meat,” Lott clarifies. In other words, not your average deli cut. The majority of the meat and other produce are sourced directly from Michigan farms. “People don’t realize Michigan is a large agricultural state,” Lott says, noting that chefs take an interest in opening up shop here because produce can be sourced year-round.

Expect Indian, rustic American and French takes on entrees, too. And no meals made on one day are held over until the next day; everything is always fresh.

Meats aren’t the only menu items housemade. All of the cocktails are hand-crafted – “no mixers,” Lott says.

Lott comes to Grey Ghost from Selden Standard, another hot entry on the scene on the other side of Woodward. He heard Grey Ghost was opening, worked his connections and got in. “It’s kind of a blessing that I got there,” Lott says. “And (Chefs) John (Vermiglio) and Joe (Giacomino), they left Chicago to come here. That says something when you leave the Chicago restaurant scene to come to Detroit.”

Anything that opens in the 7.2 these days no doubt going to be saddled with the “where are the black folks” question, and Lott is well aware of that. “It’s kind of hard to find black chefs in fine dining in Detroit,” he acknowledges.

“But here (at Grey Ghost), it doesn’t feel like it. I’m the only one, but I actually feel like it’s my restaurant. It feels like a family,” he says.

For more information on Grey Ghost, click here.