St. CeCe's, Local 212 Get Big Love For Sourcing Success

Even though it really does sound like a wayward union hall gone wrong, Royal Oak's Local 212 is probably just trying to tap in the growing community of bars and restaurants with "local" on the brain. The MetroTimes' Jane Slaughter confirms our suspicion in her skeptical but warm review of the new Fifth Ave. space:

The local-ness means bread from Avalon, meats from an Ann Arbor purveyor, Michigan microbrews, house-made sauces, and 'as much local produce as we can.' Wild boar is from up north, freshwater shrimp is farmed in Okemos

While not a fan of the stark interior, Slaughter does offer her sincerest recommendation for Local 212's Bibb Salad, Thai sausage-stuffed shrimp and their fish selection. Chef Hans Jessen's desserts are promised to be " out of this world," including a cherry tart, strawberry shortcake and a s'mores pizza, which is unsurprisingly the most popular closer for a Local meal. [MetroTimes]

Though Corktown's St. CeCe's has been drawing crowds and local fans for nearly two years, it has not gotten the Molly Abraham treatment until this week. The Detroit News' resident food fan is a fan of the Belanger family's reclaimed Irish gastropub's "contemporary and creative" menu.

She's right — the menu at the wood-paneled little pub on Bagley is rather hard to categorize. Still, Abraham found much to like on her visit, including the popular black bean burger, pork belly and salad Niçoise.

Besides the well-earned praise for St. CeCe's active efforts for seasonably appropriate cuisine, Abraham notes the wide range of menu items that make it easy for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans to sit down and share a meal without extra fuss. The Tuesday kitchen swap, which is rapidly becoming one the city's more interesting experiments in chef-driven cuisine, is also given a quick shout-out. [DetNews]