New spot in center city

For chef Jared Gadbaw, coming up with a name for his upcoming Detroit restaurant, Oak and Reel, was rather difficult. “It was easier naming my children than it was coming up with a name for this,” laughed the Michigan native. “Oak” comes from the wood they’ll be using in the restaurant’s wood-burning hearth. “Reel” pays homage to the area’s history with cinema and fishing reels. The name isn’t the only area focused on the past. Gadbaw said when they do open – he’s envisioning the grand reveal in spring/summer 2020 – the feel of the original building at 2921 E. Grand Boulevard, Suite 100, Detroit, will very much be intact. But it is getting what he described as a pretty substantial face-lift. With a focus on seafood and Italian, the menu will be in Gadbaw’s wheelhouse, as he worked at the Michelin star seafood restaurants Marea and Vaucluse, both in New York City. Plus, everybody likes pasta, he pointed out. There are also plans to open a speakeasy cocktail lounge in the basement after they’ve been open for a bit. ­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.