Detroit's newest restaurant, Ivy Kitchen + Cocktails, is in week two of daily dinner service in Detroit's East Village area.
Its debut, which began with a soft opening Dec. 28-29, follows a self-financed upgrade by Nya Marshall. She bought two side-by-side early 20th century buildings in 2014 and oversaw extensive renovations.
Marshall recruited Davante Burnley, a 28-year-old culinary school graduate, as her chef and hired Justice Akuezue, 29, as a bartender. The two men previously collaborated in a series of pop-up meals called The Exchange.
With them on board, "Ivy has hurtled itself into 'one to watch' territory," Freep food writer Mark Kurlyandchik says in a roundup of "what to look forward to in 2020."
Ivy's menu, not yet available online, offers "modern American options with a healthy dash of fusion," according to Eater Detroit's impression from posted photos (below). The fare "will also reportedly feature touches of Italian, Mexican and Caribbean cuisines."
House-made pastries include cheesecake and triple chocolate raspberry mousse cake, both shown below.
The 60-seat restaurant is at 9205 E. Jefferson Ave., east of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.
It opens at 4 p.m. daily and closes at 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Cocktail hours run from 4-6 p.m. For reservations, call (313) 332-0607.
The owner, who grew up on the east side, earned a 2005 master's degree in business administration at Wayne State University. She's a former Ford Motor Co. project manager who started a property development company in 2009 called DIOMO -- short for Doing It On My Own.
The emerging newcomer hasn't launched a website yet.
Here are nine examples of the kitchen artistry, posted on Facebook and Instagram:
agliatelle with shrimp, tomatoes and sprouts.