The Apparatus Room Debuts in Downtown Detroit on May 15

One of the season’s most anticipated new restaurants has finally set the date. The Apparatus Room at downtown’s newly renovated Detroit Foundation Hotel is slated to debut on May 15. The reservation books are now open.

Aparium Hotel Group, which operates hotels across the United States, first announced plans to renovate the former Detroit Fire Department Headquarters at 250 West Larned St. into a five-story, 100 key boutique hotel back in 2014 and that rehab is also expected to be unveiled next month.

The Apparatus Room is the Foundation’s flagship restaurant and will occupy approximately 4,600-square-feet of space on the ground floor of the building that was originally designed to house fire engines. Chef Thomas Lents, a Michigan native, is overseeing the hotel’s food and beverage program including the 106-seat Apparatus Room; a 10-seat, prix fixe Chef’s Table and culinary talent incubator; catering and events; and the in-room dining program.

Lent’s previously helmed the acclaimed Chicago Trump Hotel restaurant Sixteen that under his direction earned two Michelin-stars. At The Apparatus Room he plans to curate a regional experience for guests with modern American dishes that highlight local flavors. “In many ways the growth of the culinary scene in Detroit mirrors the growth and transformation we’ve seen in the city as a whole,” Lents says in a release. “As a chef, I am eager to work alongside the local farmers and food purveyors to bring our menu to life.”

Designed by McIntosh Poris Associates and Simeone Deary Design Group, The Apparatus Room features an open kitchen layout with a centrally-located, 12-seat bar. Diners can expect dishes like pici pasta with beef heart and grated horseradish (billed as “an ode to Detroit’s love of coney[s]”), sustainably-sourced langoustine grilled over fresh pine with honey glaze and spring turnips, sea trout with roe and spiced cucumber broth, poached halibut, confit suckling pig shoulder, and green and ripe strawberries (served with Malabar black pepper and spring mint notes of orange, rhubarb, and aperol).

The beverage program will offer a mixture of classic and locally-inspired craft cocktails, beer, and a curated, “esoteric” wine list. During the day the bar area will transition into a cafe serving Anthology coffee and house-made sweet and savory pastries.

As the Detroit Free Press previously reported, the restaurant is expected to begin soft opening services on May 8 in preparation for the official debut. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Apparatus Room is located at 250 West Larned St.; open daily, serving breakfast 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday; lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday; and dinner on Sundays; brunch will also be served from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; all-day bar menu from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.; reservations on OpenTable or call 313-915-4422.

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