Third times a charm

The former location of Birmingham restaurants The Stand and Zazio has new owners, Beth Hussey and Executive Chef Emmele Herrold, both of One-Eyed Betty’s and Pop’s for Italian in Ferndale. Keeping with their tradition of unique names, this one will be called Hazel, Ravines and Downtown. The name was inspired after Hussey took photos of the space, which her cell phone then grouped into an album with the same name. “I did a little research and found out that those are the names of three neighborhoods in Birmingham that all come together right where that building is,” Hussey said. With the general theme of being a friendly, comfortable neighborhood place, the name couldn’t have been more fitting. Much like the restaurant’s name, the menu is broken into three parts. “Hazel” will have very familiar and comforting foods, while “Ravines” will feature food stemmed from other countries and ethnicities. “Downtown” will be more of what’s trending right now in the culinary world, with plans to be constantly evolving. Each category on the menu – think salads, soup, entrees, etc. – will have something from each category. Since the space is so large, at 10,000-square-feet, they also have plans to focus on their four, flexible banquet spaces, which Hussey said can be divided into separate rooms or one large one. Oh, then there’s one other component, a marketplace at the front of the space that will be open daily for grab-and-go breakfast and lunch. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner, with plans to do brunch on the weekend. They’re aiming for a fall opening.

Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area. Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Dana Casadei who can be reached at DanaCasadei@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.