Bites: February 2015

News and notes about the metro Detroit food scene from Molly Abraham and the Hour staff.
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Not So Lazy Venture

Deni Smiljanovski, whose popular Lazybones Smokehouse in Roseville just marked its 10th anniversary, has teamed up with avid home brewer Tim Eisenbraun and his wife, Patti, to open Brown Iron Brewhouse in Washington, Mich. It offers more than 65 beers on tap including its own brews and specializes in American craft beers. The menu includes such beer-friendly fare as brats, burgers, and baby backs. They took over and rebuilt the structure, once a pole barn, that formerly housed Leather Works at 57695 Van Dyke Ave. …

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Chef Shuffle

There’s a lot of folks on the move:

• Reid Shipman has moved from The Stand in Birmingham to Gold Cash Gold in Detroit, as has St. CeCe’s Adam Verville. Both have taken sous-chef roles with executive chef Josh Stockton …

• Sam Stanisz has taken the sous-chef role at The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake. She is a graduate of the culinary program at Schoolcraft College …

• Stanisz replaced Jessi Patuano, who joined Torino in Ferndale …

• Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails (in the Park Shelton next to the DIA) has a chef: Doug Hewitt Jr., formerly of Terry B’s in Dexter. They’re planning a spring opening.

• Payne Mills has moved from the Adoba Hotel in Dearborn (the former Hyatt-Regency) to become executive chef for both Crave locations, Dearborn and the new Ferndale outpost, which adds Mediterranean dishes to its sushi offerings at 22726 Woodward Ave., formerly John D Bistro. …

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Going ‘Indo-Pendent’

Chef Melik Alonzo and her husband, Nick, have opened the area’s first Indonesian restaurant. Indo Restaurant took over the Keego Harbor space at 1535 Cass Lake Rd. once operated by Modern. The chef moved from her post at Da Nang in Clawson.