The operators of a new luxury hotel near U-M’s medical campus have chosen a French-inspired brasserie for their all-day restaurant concept.
La Serre is envisioned as an “approachable and unpretentious” community gathering place, according to industry veteran Bill Kohl, a principal with Greenwood Hospitality Group, which will run the 188-room Vanguard Hotel for the owners, Robert Finvarb Companies and Milford Singer & Company. It’s part of the Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection of soft brand, independent hotels.
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Kohl expects hotel guests to dine throughout Ann Arbor, so the main-floor restaurant is aimed just as much at locals and nearby professionals. “We want to be relevant in the local community,” he says. “We want to be competitive with all the best freestanding restaurants in the market, and we want to be best in class in that market.”
His local research revealed an opportunity for more French cuisine, and La Serre supports the “brand positioning of the hotel, which is going to be very upscale.” But it eschews such formalities as white tablecloths in favor of a come-as-you-are approach to French wine and dining. “We will not be at the top of the market in prices by any means,” he assures.
Translated loosely as “the greenhouse,” La Serre invokes a natural theme inspired by John James Audubon, who grew up in France and whose illustrated collection The Birds of America was an early U-M library acquisition in 1838.
“Before everybody talked about farm-to-table, the French just did that without talking about it, right?” Kohl observes. “We will use local products whenever they’re fresh and available in the market, but it’ll be wonderfully simple and rustic, authentic preparations.”
There will be burgers and some classic American breakfast fare, but the early-day focus is on crepes, filled croissants, quiche, and croque monsieur. A signature seafood Louie salad and extensive raw bar accompany a range of dinner entrées—a locally raised braised beef short rib, moules-frites (steamed mussels with fries), lobster spaghetti, and veal Provençal, among others.
Once the staff gains its bearings, La Serre will offer lunch and add dinner specials particular to each day of the week.
The restaurant features a “showcase display kitchen,” Kohl notes, so “you’ll be looking right into the culinary stage.” It seats about 125, plus another thirty near the bar, and includes two private dining rooms. Notably, it also offers the convenience of valet parking.
The broad wine list encourages low-risk experimentation by way of two-ounce tastes or five-ounce pours. “We like to lead with our wine program,” Kohl says. “We think if you own the wine community, you own the dining community.”
La Serre, 213 Glen Ave. (734) 585–5185. Opening May 6: Daily breakfast 7–11 a.m., bar 3–11 p.m., dinner 5–10 p.m. (lunch service starting in June). vanguardannarbor.com/la-serre
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