Detroit: Coriander Kitchen and Farm
This week we are visiting Coriander Kitchen and Farms, in Detroit’s Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of canals . . . sometimes referred to as “The Venice of Detroit”. Coriander is a farm to table restaurant that not only uses locally sourced food in their dishes, but they are also the farm that grows the food, making them the only restaurant in the city that owns the farm and the table.
Coriander, which is owned by Gwen Meyer (the farmer) and Allison Heeres (the chef), opened its doors in the winter of 2020. They limited their service to outdoor dining due to the Covid restrictions that were in place at the time. The restaurant shares their space with Detroit River Sports which is owned by Gwen Meyers husband Alex Howbert at Fisherman’s Marina in Jefferson-Chalmers. Meyer and Heeres had been working together, running a catering business, since 2014 using ingredients sourced from their farmland they own near Eastern Market. They were one of the farms sourcing other local “farm to table” ingredients to restaurants.
This place is cool!!! It doesn’t look like much. When you pull up, it looks like a place to rent kayaks and dock boats. The sign is so rusted you can’t even read it, which to me adds to the charm of what is going on here . . . nothing flashy!
Now that there are no longer Covid restrictions, they are able to offer both indoor and outdoor seating. Of course, we prefer the outdoor dining, when weather permits. The marina always wanted to have food. In 2016, Meyer and Heeres collaborated with Detroit River sports, hosting “Paddle to Table” events. Guests would be guided on a tour through the canals, in kayaks and paddleboards, and end with a waterside meal.
Today they are a full service restaurant open to everyone. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are also welcome. A big bonus: they are dog friendly. The staff is always friendly and seem to be enjoying themselves, which adds to the experience.
To say this place is eclectic would be an understatement. Their tables and chairs are a hodge podge of patio sets, Adirondack chairs, picnic tables, lawn chairs and other non-matching items.
Their menu is not huge, but it has something for everyone. There are a lot of gluten free options as well and many vegetarian and vegan options. All are clearly marked as such on their menus. They offer a good amount of sharable starters, a few entrees, salads and sandwiches. As you can see by these pictures, everything looks amazing!
On our most recent trip, we started with their Jalapeno Hush Puppies, which is served with herbed ranch for dipping. We were torn on what else to order, but we opted for the Falafel Wrap and Jerk Cauliflower and Summer Squash Tacos. The Fish & Chips looked awesome, and of course I wanted to try the Marrow Burger. No, it’s not made from bone marrow, but is beef sourced from the restaurant/meat market “Marrow” that raises Michigan pasture-raised beef. We were always rubber necking it to see how other guests food looks . . . and it all looked so good. Since the menu changes regularly, based on the availability of fresh ingredients, you can always expect to see new and exciting features. We can’t wait to go back!
They also have a full bar serving some great unique house made cocktails like “The Farm Marg” which is a traditional Marg made with cilantro and jalapeno and “This Cocktail Helps Bees” a herb infused bourbon, Detroit Honey, lemon and dried edible flowers.
Coriander hosts weddings, and other special events. You never know what is going to be going on. The vibe is off the charts. Just sitting and having a cocktail can be a lot of fun!
Coriander Kitchen & Farm is located at 14601 Riverside Blvd in Detroit. They are open daily (except Tuesdays) from 11-3 for lunch and 5-10 for dinner (9PM on Sunday)
Until next week . . . live well, eat well and enjoy life!
-Keith and Teresa Becker