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Eatóri at 1215 Griswold in downtown Detroit's now-fashionable Capitol Park is the latest hip bar-restaurant (and little grocery store) to hit the scene.
Jane Slaughter of Metro Times writes:
Eatóri has quickly become just what it was intended to be — a neighborhood place for downtowners. On a snowy night with a travel advisory in place, we watched the small Capitol Park place fill up with folks who could get there by walking.
Lots of new downtown restaurants are aimed at the affluent, of course, but Eatóri Market puts a bulls-eye on those who live there. You could say it's the Platonic ideal of a gentrifying spot, with all the pluses and minuses thereof.
It's designed to feed and water urbanites, many of them new to the block, but also to eliminate their need for a car-based grocery run. "Fine food in a pinch" is the official slogan. A market, a bar, and a restaurant — you'll come for the cocktails but stay for the marinated beef tenderloin, ready to take home. I saw a couple leave with three grocery bags full.
Slaughter has had mixed experiences with the food, though. An $18 hamburger was overcooked and "was fine, but not $18 fine." Duck Bolognese tasted like generic meat.
Another night, we ordered an Argentinean shrimp Caesar salad because the shrimp were purported to come from Argentine waters and have the texture of lobster. That seemed deliciously accurate, and the creamy dressing was shrimpy, too.
The Moroccan Bowl, with chickpeas, couscous, tomatoes, and perfectly done eggplant, was an unusual mix of textures and flavors that worked perfectly.
