Chartreuse Kitchen Cocktails

The food: A well-edited menu explores the globe with dishes like Verschicken Chicken (whiskey, green beans, piri piri sauce); sticky ribs with best restaurants in detroit mi black tea, apricot, and allspice; and the big draw, the döner kebab, with three different versions (lamb and beef, chicken, and eggplant).

The food: The food is upscale and meticulously prepared but doesn't take itself too seriously, with playful dishes like Escar-no," which is cremini mushrooms with parsley breadcrumbs and mushroom bouillon, and creative combinations like the smoked whitefish financiers.

The food: Combining local ingredients with ethically sourced seafood, Oak and Reel boasts contemporary Italian cuisine punctuated with bright and clean flavors as evident in dishes like hamachi with calabrian chili and caperberries, scallops with peas and prosciutto, and paccheri with tuna bolognese.

The gist: The former New Center Eatery, which was known for its waffles and chicken, is now Joe Louis Southern Kitchen, named after the legendary boxer who has been immortalized along the riverfront with the iconic fist sculpture and is now immortalized through Southern comfort foods.

Sato, who ran and operated sustainable sushi restaurant Mashiko in Seattle for 25 years before moving to Michigan a couple of years ago, is trying to raise awareness of the omakase concept, which isn't as common in Michigan as it is in New York or Los Angeles.