What would you get if you combined elements of Ann Arbor’s highest-ranked restaurant on Trip Advisor (Pacific Rim by Kana) and Yelp’s top-recommended bar in town (The Last Word)?
The answer is Peridot, a “modern cocktail bar with Vietnamese-inspired small plates and shareables,” in the words of Watershed Hospitality Group’s Adam Lowenstein, one of the partners involved in its recent launch on W. Liberty.
The Vietnamese influence comes from right next door, where Peridot’s executive chef, Duc Tang, continues to own and run Pacific Rim. Tang and head chef Brady Kelley are also partners in the venture, whose name was among the last pieces of the concept to be finalized.
Pacific Rim chef and owner Duc Tang (center) with Watershed Hospitality partners Adam Lowenstein and Robben Schulz at Peridot. | Photo: J. Adrian Wylie
“We had the green tones in here, along with the sparkly bar, and we kinda felt the gemstone vibe,” explains Lowenstein, “so we felt that Peridot was an apt name. Our ownership group is seven or eight people, and decisions take a really long time, but when we come to a decision it tends to be the right one.”
Peridot’s location in the former Grange Kitchen & Bar is central to their hopes for success, Lowenstein explains. “We own Alley Bar on this block, and Chef Duc is here, and we saw that [Grange] went out, and we started talking, because we’re friendly and familiar. What are the options? What can happen here? And it kind of sprang up from that.”
Large plates include whole branzino (sea bass) with rice noodles, crab fried rice, and vegetable curry stew. Among the smaller options are banh mi bruschetta made with roasted pork and duck pâté, sashimi-grade hiramasa crudo, and, from Chef Duc’s childhood, ketchup fried rice. “Chef Duc says that his dad didn’t cook a lot, but that when he did, he would make ketchup fried rice,” partner Robben Schulz relates. “It’s not a lot of ketchup, but it’s just like a subtle flavor, but it’s cool. It’s delicious.”
Dining lasts through midnight, though with a limited kitchen after 10 p.m., when more attention turns to the beers, wines, and cocktails focusing on “craft and ingredients and the balance,” says Lowenstein. Incorporating the creativity of Giancarlo Aversa of The Last Word, another of Watershed’s seven local establishments, it’s “a smaller menu, not so whiskey-focused,” featuring ten concoctions with such names as “the nod,” “t.t.y.l.,” and “this old house.”
Peridot takes reservations, and the second floor can be booked for private events, but Lowenstein says they will keep a “good portion” of the 100-seat venue available for walk-ins.
Updates to the space include a central bar on the main floor and a smaller one upstairs, rich olive banquette and booth seating, a floral mural on one of the exposed original brick walls, and Vietnamese wicker fans arranged into a flower pattern on the upstairs ceiling. During the buildout, however, passing pedestrians may have assumed a Mexican joint was in the offing, based on the front window’s sign.
“We’re okay with a little misdirection,” Lowenstein smiles, explaining that “LaCantina” is the brand name that came attached to the new window.
“Honestly, the location is so good,” he says. “People are gonna walk by it a million times. We feel like once we establish ourselves, the word will get out very, very quickly.”
Peridot, 118 W. Liberty. (734) 773–3097. Tues.–Thurs. 5 p.m.–midnight, Fri. & Sat. 5 p.m.–2 a.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. peridota2.com
