Detroit’s New Modern Mexican Restaurant Will Serve Tortillas Made With Nixtamalized Masa #DetroitFood

Rosa Maria Zamarrón

Wood-fired whole snapper, mezcal cocktails, and handmade tortillas land in Cass Corridor on Friday, April 19

A new modern Mexican restaurant, Vecino, is opening on Friday, April 19, at 4100 Third Street, and with it, Detroiters are invited to experience the joys of what’s believed to be Michigan’s first fresh nixtamalized masa program. At Vecino, chefs make tortillas, tostadas, tlyudas, and more using masa made with heirloom corn prepared through a more than 3,000-year-old nixtamalization process.

Vecino is the passion project of co-owner Adriana Jimenez, along with her husband Lukasz Wietrzynski, and Detroit-based designer, Colin Tury. The space sits inside a restored 1926 corner building that, prior to the group signing a lease and undertaking a lengthy remodel, had been vacant for decades. For the interior, Tury’s design team took cues from the aesthetic found in Mexico City’s buzzy dining scene — utilizing dark walnut wood tones, warm leather, and copper accents — and materials like terracotta and ceramic tile, and custom blown pendants and chandeliers. Bar stools and custom hooks were made by Donut Shop Design, and custom millwork and fixtures were created by GANAS Manufacturing, a Detroit-based fabrication shop whose previous projects include restoration work at the Siren Hotel. At the center of the dining room sits a large black leather and cream bouclé upholstered banquette.

Helming the kitchen is executive chef Ricardo Mojica and head chef Stephanie Duran. Mojica grew up in Ypsilanti and got his start at the age of 19 running the kitchen at a P.F. Chang’s location followed by a stint at Sava’s in Ann Arbor. Duran is originally from Texas and has held positions at several lauded restaurants in Mexico City, including Pujol and Eno from acclaimed restaurateur Enrique Olvera and Huset from Maycoll Calderon. Duran was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and most recently, worked as a line cook at the Aviary, the James Beard award-winning Chicago bar from the Alinea Group. Heading the masa program is Ely Gutierrez, a native of the Mexican state of Guerrero, who before joining the team worked in a tortilleria for more than a decade. Vecino turned to Masienda, a widely respected company that supplies restaurants and home cooks with the material and knowledge needed to produce masa.

Diners can expect a number of wood-fired specialties, including whole snapper, pollo adobado, ribeye steaks, and fire-roasted cabbage. On the masa side of things, tortillas, tostadas, totopos, tlayudas, and other specialties are all made in-house. The menu is also comprised of shareable plates such as aguachiles, esquite beets, and maitake mushrooms in salsa verde. Expect the cocktail menu to lean heavily on agave-based spirits, including a variety of small-batch, artisanal, and additive-free tequilas and mezcals. The wine list will draw from the Spanish-speaking world including Mexico.

Jimenez was born in Mexico City, but raised in metro Detroit, where her family ran two Mexican restaurants in Waterford Township. She tells Eater that after trying a tortilla made with nixtamalized corn from Oaxaca during a visit to the Mexican capital in her 20s, she was inspired to open a restaurant of her own that would showcase the art of nixtamal in the Motor City. Nixtamalization refers to the prehispanic method established in Mesoamerica that transforms maíz into masa — the foundational dough used to make tortillas, tamales, sopes, huaraches, and hundreds of other Indigenous and Latin American delicacies. The method has resurfaced in popularity in recent years as a growing number of chefs have embraced the tradition.

Vecino seats 66 people, including a 16-seat bar. Later this spring, the restaurant will open its patio. Initially, the restaurant will be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Brunch and late-night service will follow in the coming weeks and months.

Jimenez and Wietrzynski initially planned for Vecino to have a more generalized pan-Latin concept when the project was announced in 2019, highlighting Mexican, Brazilian, and Argentinian-influenced cuisine.

Vecino is located at 4100 Third Street in Detroit; open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday with brunch and late-night service coming soon.

from Eater Detroit - All