Recipes Restaurant receives liquor license

Recipes Restaurant, with locations in Troy and Farmington Hills, is preparing to open a Rochester location in October, following approval on Monday, September 25, by city council for a liquor license transfer to its new location at 134 W. University.

Known for its brunch and breakfast menus at its Troy location that opened in 2003, Recipes founder Trung Huynh joined with Joshua Demski with plans to expand Huynh's brand to Rochester. The owners on Monday, September 25 went before Rochester City Council members for a public hearing and request to transfer a Class C liquor license to the restaurant. The hearing and formal request was set in late August, at which point council instructed the owners to have a copy of the proposed menu, a lease agreement and be able to address concerns about the status of the Troy location

Demski told Downtown newsmagazine in July that he joined with Huynh to open the Rochester location, who intends to keep the two existing Recipes locations open and in operation. He said they were hoping to open the Rochester location in early October.

"We found a space that is walkable to downtown, and there are a few hundred parking spaces behind us by the Paint Creek and that run along to city hall and the park," Demski said. "I live in Rochester Hills, so it's close for us and we have family and friends in the area."

Demski said the menu will follow the same style as that of the Troy location, which features breakfast, brunch and casual dining.

"You have a lot of brunch houses, and a lot of those come from the Coney Island background, and roll into a brunch arena. We come from a healthy, little more gourmet background; then there are the Asian dishes," Demski said. "That is Trung's flare, and those dishes do extremely well on the menu, so you have a different flare."

The restaurant's drink menu will include a Michelada, or "Dead Farmer's Bloody Mary” with Witbier; mimosas; beermosas, cidermosas, bellinis, and caipirnha, or cachaca, lime and sugar.

The drinks match with an extensive breakfast, brunch and lunch menu that includes gourmet pancakes; frittatas; eggs benedict; omelets; various types of hash; skillets; sandwiches; salads and Asian house specials, such as lettuce wraps, pan-asian noodles; Thai chicken noodles; pad thai and chicken scaloppini.

Council members unanimously approved the request to transfer the liquor license.