Chicago Chef Duo Reveals Plans for Grey Ghost, a Meat-Centric Midtown Restaurant

A little less than two months ago, Chicago culinary duo John Vermiglio and Josef Giacomino announced their intentions to open a restaurant in Detroit. Today the pair, alongside partners David Vermiglio, and Selden Standard's Will Lee, revealed that they've secured a space in the Midtown area for their upcoming project Grey Ghost.

The name Grey Ghost pays homage to an infamous Prohibition-era pirate who historians say plundered shippers on the Detroit River and traded in counterfeit money. While the group isn't ready to divulge the location of the restaurant, they do confirm that the eatery will be located near Brush Park. Plans call for a "meat-centric" menu and a full cocktail program. Additionally, the partners are launching a pop-up series called "Ghost Tour" featuring dishes sourced from different animals. Yemans Street is hosting the first five-course dinner on December 4. The event will focus on cow, with dishes like veal tongue, rock shrimp with beef tendon, short ribs, steak, and cow's milk sorbet on the menu.

Vermiglio and Giacomino recently decamped from chef Matthias Merges’s restaurant group, where Giacomino acted as executive chef of A10 and Vermigilio as culinary director. Vermiglio is a Detroit native who left the metro area in 2002, but always planned on returning to the city. "I've been waiting for the city of Detroit to get to a point where I was comfortable our restaurant can survive," he told Eater in September. Grey Ghost is slated to open next spring.