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Harmonie Park's COLORS, which formerly was a lunch-only eatery and early career training center for students, is coming back in a big way next week.
The restaurant, which has been closed since July 26th for a renovation and reformatting, is set to re-open on Tuesday, Aug. 20. The space will continue to serve lunch, but there's more in store for customers, said COLORS' Bekah Galang.
"We realized that our students weren't getting proper front-of-house job experience just serving lunch," Galang said. "So we're coming back, with a menu and vibe that's trying to appeal to the downtown crowd."
The new COLORS is in the same attractive underground space on Centre Street in a rapidly renovating circa-1913 building that's also home to the Carr Center for the Arts. Pewabic Pottery-esque tile pieces decorate the floor and lower walls of the open dining room, which will soon feature lunch, happy hour specials and full dinner service.
"We're trying out a range of international dishes to reflect the international flavor of Detroit," COLORS chef Phil Jones said. Those dishes include sweet potato wontons, a baked goat cheese appetizer plate and a shawarma salad.
COLORS is also hoping to move toward more locally-sourced suppliers for its cuisine, Jones said. Local suppliers in line range from Utica Packing — a revamped poultry supplier — and custom sausage created by either Porktown or Corridor Sausage, Jones said.
Jones is also excited about his planned "Everyone Eats" program, which hopes to provide high-protein, high-value meals at reduced costs to customers. "You'll be able to come in and have some of our more financially-challenged residents can get some of that highly-dense, nutritional items that we can afford to significantly discount," Jones said.
The new COLORS will also feature some old favorites, including their old hamburgers and popular vegetable plates. "Coming in, it doesn't matter if you're a vegan or a carnivore," Jones said. "Everybody's gonna have something they can order and enjoy."
COLORS reopens on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Work-training students will continue to serve on Mondays and Tuesdays, with a full professional service team working from Wednesday through Friday. COLORS is located at 311 East Grand River in downtown Detroit's Harmonie Park neighborhood.
· COLORS [Official]
· Carr Center [Official]