Web Exclusive: First Tastes of Marais’ New Menu

Grosse Pointe restaurant unveils 10 courses under new arrangement
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The new menu at Grosse Pointe’s fine dining spot Marais, where owner-chef David Gilbert has joined forces with former Torino chef Garrett Lipar, got off to a strong start this Labor Day weekend with a 10-course chef’s tasting menu.

Under the new arrangement, Lipar runs the kitchen, while Gilbert has stepped out of his chef whites to become general manager. Monica, his wife and a sommelier, handles the wine program. Both chefs refined the new tasting menu, priced at $135 and built on a theme of Michigan produce and concentrated around vegetables. (An a la carte menu is also available.)

Items in the 10 courses include an intense but delicate broth made of melon and tomatoes, and a roasted shallot, in the center of which was a custard with a touch of sherry and whipped white cheese. A sweet summer squash dotted with chopped pistachios was set atop a sweet and sour shredded cabbage. A small cut of roasted pork shoulder was served with crab apple and a demi-glace sauce.

The simple sounding menu items reflect a back-to-basics philosophy that has evolved from new culinary movement in Europe; chefs like Magnus Nilsson, Michel Bras, Pascal Barbot, and René Redzepi; and restaurants such as Taillevent and Astrance in Paris, Noma in Copenhagen, and Moto in Chicago.