Chef Brion Wong Launches Pop-Up Series Following Departure From Antietam

Sure, chef Brion Wong has bid adieu to Antietam, but the New York transplant says he's not leaving Detroit anytime soon. "I plan on staying in the city or close by. I'm already booked all the way through the middle of October," Wong tells Eater, adding that he perceives opportunity here and is impressed by the welcoming restaurant community. "I see an increasingly sophisticated palate. I see an exploding restaurant scene . . . There's a great deal of collaboration here."

While the chef's brief stint at the restaurant feels eerily familiar to one major staff departure last year, Wong says he's "trying to keep this as drama free as possible, because there wasn't any." The chef says he felt extremely confident in the food and staff he helped build over the past 10 months and is looking forward to a more relaxing schedule of pop-ups. He doesn't currently have any restaurant projects in the works.

Wong's first events, "A Taste of Things to Come," will take place on September 23 and September 25 at Salt & Cedar. Each night features six courses plus wine pairings. Tickets are $120 and seating is extremely limited. Unlike the menu at Antietam, which drew heavily on Wong's French training, diners can expect an a broader representation of his culinary skills.