Prime + Proper Starts Grilling Steaks Downtown in July

Capitol Park’s forthcoming steakhouse, Prime + Proper, is readying to debut late next month in downtown Detroit, restaurateur Jeremy Sasson tells Eater.

The fine-dining restaurant has been under construction since early last year on the ground floor of the Capitol Park Building at the intersection of Griswold and State Street. Prime + Proper spans 10,000-square-feet across two floors and seats roughly 175 diners with an additional 20 seats in the lower level private dining area. It will also include an invitation-only lounge called Cash Only.

Sasson, whose Heirloom Hospitality Group also operates Townhouse, says when developing the look of the Prime + Proper he wanted to depart from the typical American steakhouse design archetype. “This is not your quintessential red leather couch in an overly intimate space,” he says. The designs by Birmingham’s McIntosh Poris Associates will have an Art Deco feel, according to Sasson. The dining room will be filled with round booths and offer customers a view of an open kitchen with a large grill.

In the bar area, expect to see white and black marble and brushed brass as well as cowhide. Sasson says that the bar itself is also somewhat circular to give the space a more communal feel.

Outside, Prime + Proper’s 65-seat patio area will be divided into two distinct spaces: a regular dining area along State Street and a separate lounge with a unique al fresco bar menu facing Griswold. Sasson says the outdoor bar will focus on smaller plates rather than the regular restaurant menu with “seating that’s slightly lower and a little more soft.”

Meat will obviously play a central role in executive chef Michael Barrera’s menu, alongside seafood and shellfish. Patrons will be able to choose from a variety of cuts, prepared by the restaurant’s head butcher Walter Apfelbaum. Customers will also be able to select how their meat is cooked whether that be sous vide or grilled. Sasson says Prime + Proper is aiming to personalizing experiences to each customer. Regulars, for example, can receive their own custom steak knives.

At the bar, look out for original cocktails and a mixture of Old and New World wines selected by Sommelier Liz Martinez. The restaurant will house between 3,000 and 4,000 bottles in its inventory including a few hard-to-find bottles from Sasson’s own personal collection.

As for the exclusive bar, it’s expected to open roughly around the same time as Prime + Proper. “Cash only is an amenity,” Sasson says. “It’s really no different than what we’re doing with steak knives.” Invites will be mailed to regular customers who the owners feel “are doing things for the quality of our city,” he adds.

Prime + Proper is on track to open between late July and early August. Stay tuned for more updates.

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