Pine Hall, a new cocktail lounge and restaurant, opens today (June 11) and is the first brick and mortar restaurant to open at Hudson’s Detroit.
Located on the 12th floor of the Hudson’s Detroit mid-rise building, Pine Hall features two bars, 300 seats, and a 3,300-square-foot wraparound outdoor terrace. The spacious area offers stunning views of Comerica Park and more. The name — and many elements — draw inspiration from The Pine Room, a wood-paneled restaurant that once occupied the 13th floor of the original J.L. Hudson Company department store.
Pine Hall is the latest concept from Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), a famed New York-based firm founded by New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer, who currently serves as executive chairman. The concept has been nearly three years in the making.
“There’s been a lot of mutual respect between all of us,” Meyer tells Hour Detroit. “I got to know this area about nine years ago, when Shake Shack came here. ..I [also] had a chance to stay at the Shinola Hotel. In those nine years, it’s been getting better and better and better [here].”
USHG partnered on Bedrock on designing the space, which features several nods to the original restaurant.
“[That’s where] a lot of the inspiration was drawn, from the color scheme to the warm woods,” says General Manager Kris Peterson. “You’ll see little artifacts, like an old jewelry bag from the old Hudson building, and other found objects. … We also partnered with local artists to bring contemporary Detroit into the space, as well.”
Snacks, Starters, and Mains
Food-wise, the menu is divided into three main courses — snacks, starters, and mains. Peterson describes it as “flexible,” allowing guests to grab a small bite before or after an event.
“Or you make it the event and have a three- or four- course meal, spend a few hours on the terrace, and really enjoy yourself,” Peterson says.
Snacks and starters include peel-and-eat shrimp, deviled eggs with bacon bits and chives, clams casino, and sausage rolls featuring house made sausage and Dijon mustard dip. Main courses include the Pine Hall Burger, made with a dry-aged patty, New York cheddar, and onion with fries; a Bistro Steak; Butterflied Trout; and Blackened Salmon. There’s even a Maurice Salad — a nod to J. L. Hudson’s culinary history.
For diners saving room for dessert, sweets include a Saunders-inspired Bumpy Cake, toffee pudding, and soft serve flavors that shift seasonally (the current offerings are Fior di Latte and Orange Sherbet, which can also be ordered as a swirl).
The Beverage Program
The drinks program at Pine Hall aims to incorporate Michigan-made spirits and ingredients. For instance, the sweet and salty Cherry Picked features a Better Made potato chip rim, with rye whiskey from Three Oaks-based Journeyman Distillery, with cherry and lemon.
The Detroit Vice includes Weiss Arcane Aquavit (from Clawson) with lime, pineapple, coconut, lingonberry, and dill. Additionally, the Ice Box Martini is served with Two James Distillery gin from just up the road in Corktown.
The program also aims to highlight beers from Michigan and the greater Midwest; and features an extensive wine list.
Danny Meyer on Detroit’s Dining Scene
A billionaire, Meyer founded Shake Shack and has been one of the most influential figures in modern hospitality, authoring the New York Times bestseller Setting the Table in 2007. He was CEO of USHG until 2022, when Chip Wade took on that role.
“I’m from St. Louis, Missouri, originally, and I understand the Midwest, and I understand the pride that comes with being part of a city that maybe not everyone on both coasts fully appreciates,” Meyer tells Hour Detroit. “I so admire what Bedrock has done here, and what the whole city has done. This is a big-league city! We need to be here.”
In addition to Shake Shack (which is now a separate, publicly traded company), USHG has presided over multiple Michelin-starred restaurants over the years. They include Chicago’s GreenRiver (now closed), and New York’s The Modern, Gramercy Tavern, and the three-starred Eleven Madison Park (which Meyer sold in 2011).
In April, Michelin announced Detroit would be among several cities to be featured in its upcoming Michelin Guide Great Lakes edition, making Detroit area restaurants potential contenders for stars and other accolades.
“I was chasing the stars all through the 1990s and when it came to New York, it was a really, really big deal,” Meyer says. “The first thing you realize is the staff feels incredibly proud, and sometimes the chef even asks for a raise. But what you start to see quickly thereafter — and I don’t know how it’ll be in Detroit — but you start to get a lot of out-of-towners, visitors to the city, who really look at that as a badge of honor, and they like to collect those stars.”
Meyer and Peterson both declined to comment on whether there would be any additional USHG projects coming to the building or Detroit.
Hours of Operation
Pine Hall is located at 3000 Nick Gilbert Way, Detroit, accessible via an elevator in the lobby. It opens to the public on Thursday, June 11. Its operating hours are Monday-Thursday from 4p.m.-12 a.m.; Friday and Saturday from 4p.m.-1a.m.; and Sunday from 4p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, visit pinehall.com.
All gallery photos are by Christina Stoever
|
|
|
|
|
|
