Metro Detroit: Clarkston’s The Fed Community
We have featured a lot of Clarkston places in the past, but they have all been part of the Union Joints group. This week. we are back in Clarkston, but at a place that is not part of that restaurant group. The Fed Community. Husband and wife team Sarah and James Schneider, who were always looking for a reason to host their next dinner party or event, look at The Fed as an extension of their home. They encourage guests to “come as they are” with their exquisite, yet laid back atmosphere . . . and no dress code. I’m not sure if James and Sarah had previous restaurant experience, but they DO like to entertain! The Fed Community is a way for them to host a couple hundred people every night for dinner.
The name The Fed Community is sort of a play on words. It is easy to assume it is because it used to be a bank, which is half true. It is also because the community can come there to be “Fed”. The building itself was home to the Jossman State Bank, in the early 1900’s, and most recently The Clarkston State Bank. The Schneiders bought the building in 2015 and spent 2 years renovating it. The décor is eclectic with high vaulted ceilings, dark wood plank flooring and a variety of wicker and leather or pleather furniture throughout.
Most people, who were familiar with it as a bank, don’t recognize it when they walk through the doors. Several items remain intact . . . like the main vault, which is located in the center of the main dining area. It can be reserved as a private dining area for larger groups of up to 12.
Downstairs is a Speakeasy style bar known as The Gold Bar. It is darker and more intimate with stone walls, a wood beam bar and plank ceilings. There is another vault down there that offers secluded private seating and is commonly used for private parties and events. In the restrooms you will find a wall of the original safe deposit boxes that were used at the bank through the years. It’s a cool place to hang out, have cocktails and enjoy some live music which they have on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Now let’s talk about the food. We’ll start by saying this is a Farm-to-Table restaurant which offers “a little bit of everything” on their menu. It’s a “melting pot of modern American eclectic” menu that changes frequently. The nice thing is, if you have had something there before, that is no longer on the menu, they will still make it for you if they have the ingredients. They also have some delicious cocktails and an extensive wine list with nearly 50 wines by the glass and over 150 wines by the bottle.
The menu is broken down into 5 categories. Sharables which has everything from Tempura Fried Cauliflower and Wild Mushroom Crostini to a Tuna Poke Bowl and Hamachi Crudo, which is made with raw Yellowfin Tuna. Next are the Starters - soups and salads with some great choices like Heirloom Carrots and Elote Caesar Salad. Next is Charcuterie which is not something you see on most menus with a nice selection of meats and cheeses. Then there are Sides and Substantial’s, or Main dishes, with a selection of steaks, seafood, pastas and their Fed Burger.
We went with the Fed Burger and Truffle fries, an order of their Sweet & Sour Tempura Battered Cauliflower, and The Roasted Brussels with Hot Garlic Honey. We love a good burger, especially at an upscale restaurant. It can be a crapshoot . . . especially when you are paying $20 for a burger. This one met or exceeded our expectations. It was up there with some of our other favorites line Grey Ghost, Prime & Proper and Olin Downtown. It was cooked perfectly to a medium temp and served with a heaping pile of fries which we upgraded to Truffle fries. The Cauliflower was a meal in itself and was delicious. It seemed like it was a whole head in one order. And the Brussels Sprouts were the perfect combination of sweet, bitter and spicy.
Of course we wanted to order everything on the menu, everything we saw looked amazing. We will definitely be going back to try a few more of their selections and delicious cocktails.
The Fed Community is located at 15 S Main St in the heart of downtown Clarkston. They are open Wednesday and Thursday from 4 PM to 10 PM, Fridays and Saturdays from 4 PM to 11 PM and Sundays form 10 AM to 9 PM offering brunch service until 2 PM.
Until next time . . . live well, eat well and enjoy life!
-Keith & Teresa Becker