DETROIT -- After years of planning and anticipation, San Morello, the restaurant inside the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit will open to the public Tuesday evening for dinner service. The minds behind the Italian eatery say guests will be treated to an experience that makes them feel like home when they arrive, thanks in large part ot the approach in creating the dishes served.
Chef Andrew Carmellini says he’s excited to bring the menu to the public as he feels it combines a blend of traditional Italian flavors with local ingredients to provide a truly unique experience for guests.
“It’s delicious, but rooted,” Carmellini said. “It’s very approachable, but very rooted in tradition. The food here is influenced by southern Italy.”
The highly-decorated chef went on to say the menu will be very chef driven, but not overly complicated. The foods rely on flavorful herbs, acidic ingredients and more traditional Italian styles to provide a familiar, but authentic Italian experience.
San Morello will use locally sourced ingredients for its dishes in as many cases as possible, but Carmellini admits varying seasons in Michigan will make it hard to get some of the stuff needed to make everything on the menu. Still, he says having the menu reflect the foods and ingredients local to Detroit is an important part of what will make San Morello stand out.
“To cook in traditional Italian way, you need to do that,” Carmellini said.
The bar will feature Michigan spirits along with signature Italian cocktails that will rotate with the seasons.
“The cocktail program will be rooted in Italian cocktails. The Negroni is the most classic cocktails and one of my favorites,” Carmellini said.
While he wouldn’t commit to a “signature dish” Carmellini’s philosophy is that most guests like to have one or two dishes at a restaurant that they come back for each time. At his other properties -- San Morello will be Carmellini and his partner’s 14th venture -- the grandmother’s ravioli is typically a huge hit with guests. Featuring handmade ravioli and a fresh tomato sauce made with basil and Parmesan cheese, Carmellini says the dish is simple, but flavorful.
For the first few weeks after opening, San Morello will only be open for dinner service, but after the Detroit auto show in January, breakfast and lunch will served as well. Carmellini said the design of the space works perfectly to set the mood for each portion of the day and sets the tone for a wonderful meal.
“We have amazing natural light here. It’s going to feel great for breakfast and brunch,” Carmellini said. “But at night, with lighting and the way the colors combine, it’s going to feel sexy and be a place you want to hang out.”
Once spring hits, an outdoor beer garden will also launch and the restaurant will of course feature patio seating along Woodward Avenue in the summer.
Carmellini, has spent more than 25 years in restaurants in the U.S. and operates restaurants in New York, Baltimore and Miami. He says San Morello is the sort of restaurant that is approachable to anyone as he wants it to give off a “feels like home” sort of vibe to regulars, but is also a destination for people outside the city.
The decision to come to Detroit for his latest venture was the result of a combination of opportunity and desire to bring something home for one of Carmellini’s partners, Josh Pickard, a Huntington Woods native. Pickard’s yearning, combined with the opportunity to be part of the highly anticipated Shinola Hotel made the decision an easy one. And one that Carmellini says has surpassed expectations.
“Detroit spoke to us because there is a realness here. People have been really nice and I think this project is a world-class project. On the hotel side, Bedrock did a world-class job,” Carmellini said.
When the doors open Tuesday, it will be the culmination of project that Carmellini thinks will add to the growing food reputation in the city.
“We’ve been working on this project here for three years now and it’s amazing to see it all come together,” Carmellini said. “Detroit’s been really awesome. Especially the restaurant community. There’s a lot of great restaurant’s here already and we’re excited to be part of it.”
San Morello is located at 1400 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. For more information, visit the San Morello website.