Echelon Kitchen & Bar Is Ann Arbor’s New Restaurant for Michigan-Grown Ingredients | Eater Detroit

"Joseph VanWagner observed while working at powerhouse restaurants like Alinea, Blackbird and Daniel that much of the produce came from farms in his home state; upon returning to Michigan he saw an opportunity to combine his culinary talents with the Mitten’s bounty of local agriculture, which forms the basis for the menu. Armed with local produce from Michigan farms, many within 50 miles or less — like Goetz Farm, Prochaska Farms, and Tantré Farm — he plans to change the menu near-daily and to cook using a wood-fired oven. Brought on by managing partner Doug Zeif of Next Hospitality Advisors, the restaurant is set to open on Thursday, February 6 in a 7,000-square-foot space in a century-old building designed by Anne Faherty of Chicago-based Faherty Interiors and includes seating for 150. Dishes designed with seasonality in mind include a salad featuring shaved winter vegetables topped with chive oil, lemon, fresh herbs, and horseradish crème fraîche; house-made bucatini pasta with lobster, butternut squash, preserved oranges, chili, and toasted milk-solid pancito; and an entrée called "All of the Chicken," a whole bird prepared four ways — crispy fried legs, duck fat‑confit thighs, Beijing-style cured breast, roasted breast, and a stuffed chicken wing — served with a Mandarin pancake. In addition to regular menu offerings, there is a chef’s counter experience: an off-the-menu six-course meal of the chef’s choosing served at an eight-seat counter alongside the kitchen for $110 with an optional beverage pairing. VanWagner is joined by pastry chef Ben Robison (previously of Le Suprême, Freya, and Chartreuse), who aims to offer diners a broader view of what a dessert can be by bridging savory and sweet; an example dessert uses seasonal ingredients: a vegan chocolate cake made with an almond-based milk chocolate ganache, topped with a sweet potato purée, miso-infused caramel, and pepita granola. Managing director Emily Habib will head operations and says she wants to redefine the culture of working in a restaurant by offering benefits, including team members in decisions, and implementing a "Well-being Fund" in which 3 percent of all food and drink sales is collected to provide additional monthly support to non-tipped workers; she is also helping to launch the Women in Hospitality Leadership Ann Arbor group to build a support system for women in the industry. Sommelier Taylor Schmidt Johnson (who has worked at the Royce Detroit and the defunct Michael Symon’s Roast) is heading the beverage program, with cocktails that complement the food like the "Mace" (Detroit City Distillery’s Butcher’s Cut Bourbon, Dr. Bird Jamaican Rum, vermouth, bitters, and mace) as well as low-ABV and spirit-free drinks such as the "Garden" (Seedlip Garden non-alcoholic spirit, vegetal pea garden syrup, and lime). The project is part of a broader local-sourcing trend in the city — among a growing number of restaurants, including the James Beard Award‑nominated wine bar Spencer, turning to local producers and tasting-menu formats to help shed the local dining scene’s reputation for college-town greasy spoons and pizza slices." - Serena Maria Daniels