Introducing The Apparatus Room, The Foundation Hotel’s Flagship Restaurant

Downtown Detroit’s soon-to-open Detroit Foundation Hotel is slowly pulling back the curtain on its compelling restaurant projects. The boutique hotel project located in the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters on the corner of Larned and Washington has been under development since 2014 and is expected to feature a food and beverage program led by Michigan-raised chef and recent Chicago expat Thomas Lents. Lents earned two Michelin-stars while serving as chef at Sixteen.

Today the developers revealed new details to Eater about the flagship eatery including the name. Dubbed The Apparatus Room, the moniker references to the space’s original purpose for storing fire engines. At 4,600-square-feet the restaurant spans the entire ground floor of the building and seats roughly 106 diners. Apparatus will feature a centrally located, 12-seat bar and an open kitchen serving “hyper-regional” new American fare, according to a representative for the hotel.

The restaurant’s bar program will offer both classic and signature cocktails as well as local beers and a curated, “esoteric” wine list designed to complement the food. During the day diners can expect the bar area to transform into a cafe serving Anthology coffee and house made pastries.

Alongside the main dining room experience, Lents is also developing a separate Chef’s Table. That project will occupy 598-square-feet with seating for 10 patrons. The Chef’s Table — in addition to offering a regular multi-course tasting menu — will serve as a culinary talent incubator and as a space to host weekly pop-ups with visiting chefs.

The restaurants are expected to launch this spring in concert with the open of the hotel. Stay tuned for updates.

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