On December 2, Eve Aronoff Fernandez rambled merrily around her brand-new restaurant, eve, in her chef whites and a baseball cap, looking completely at home. It was the invitation-only “pre-opening celebration.” A buffet offered up quail drumsticks, tofu “napoleons,” and curried mussels. Waiters dispensed bubbly and took orders for cocktails with names like “pistachio rose.” A Community High School jazz combo played Duke Ellington softly. Led by her godson, senior Luc LePottier, they sounded like seasoned professionals, and Aronoff Fernandez hopes to make them a regular feature. As old friends drifted in and out, she confessed to “feeling some nostalgia.” She’s missed the big stage–the full-on dinner restaurant with a hefty price tag.
Restaurants often drill their waitstaff and cooks for weeks, staging various events for friends and family to insure a professionally snappy opening, but Aronoff Fernandez didn’t feel the need for it–she was mainly throwing a party to show off the joint and generate a little buzz. And it worked: the place successfully opened to a full house a few nights later.
Like its predecessor of the same name in Kerrytown from 2003 to 2010, eve is Bauhaus-simple in looks–streamlined, white, gray, and silver. One reason opening night went so smoothly is that it is heavily staffed by loyal returnees like Jose Dominguez (“he’s the very first person I hired at eve, and now he’s essentially a partner,” she says) and maitre d’ Natalie Nichols, who left the French Laundry in California to work for eve again. Also back is Carlos Fernandez, who “used to work with us at eve just before we closed and now is here in all capacities–kitchen, bar, errand running.” He and Eve were married over the summer. “We make a good team,” she says.
Aronoff Fernandez closed her Kerrytown restaurant around the time she opened Frita Batidos on Washington. She had broken her back on a trip to Honduras, and two restaurants was too much for her (her back is still an issue–she can’t stand in one place for very long).
There has always been a posh restaurant in her new space–the Bell Tower is a jewel box of a hotel, and Hill Auditorium across the street would seem to lock in a well-heeled customer base. But it’s not a gimme. Mercy’s, and before that Escoffier and the Earle Uptown all struggled in the spot, frequently changing tactics and menus. Aronoff Fernandez knows Steve and Mercy Kasle, the owners of Mercy’s, well. In fact, the Kasles were the final owners of the Kerrytown Bistro, the restaurant that predated eve’s Kerrytown location. “I don’t know if we’re just drawn to the same places or what,” laughs Aronoff Fernandez. “Anyway, we’ve inherited stuff from them, and they’ve been wonderful about showing us the space, all the secrets and tricks.”
Aronoff Fernandez is the queen of slow food. “I’ve definitely evolved as a person and as a chef. I’m bringing back favorites from [the old] eve,” like “simple fish.” She says she’s more vegetable based than before, and insists on sustainable farming practices.
And she’s also offering breakfast. The Bell Tower has always operated a breakfast service for its guests, but Aronoff Fernandez is the first to open it up to the public. She’s already offering “a very simple breakfast buffet” seven days a week for $12; she expects to add weekend brunch in the next month or two.
eve the restaurant, 300 S. Thayer (Bell Tower Hotel), 222-0711. Dinner Tues.-Thurs. & Sun. 5-10 p.m., Fri. & Sat. 5-11 p.m. (Closed Mon. for dinner.) Breakfast Mon.-Fri. 7-10 a.m., Sat. & Sun. 7-11 a.m. everestaurant.com
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This article has been edited since it was published in the January 2016 Ann Arbor Observer. The restaurant’s phone number has been corrected.
