Page 3 - Wayne Dispatch Pages

Not your basic bistro

Innovative cuisine and warm hospitality to create an uncommon dining experience

By Courtney Conover Bistro officially opened its doors
In the culinary industry, there’s after a process of intense renovation.
no shortage of restaurant slang to And the rest is history.
characterize shortcomings. Upon walking through the
The cooks in the back of the bistro’s doors today, one will find
house may find themselves in the that it is the kind of place that keeps
weeds, for example, when they’re patrons coming back. The pristine,
knee-deep in orders, while to eighty- modernized décor fits the bill of up-
six something means to run out of it. scale casual while managing to re-
But here’s a phrase—a good main comfortable and inviting at the
one—that’s a definite crowd pleaser: same time.
scratch kitchen. Duhani says that every diner’s ex-
In a scratch kitchen, the dishes perience—what a diner sees as well
are prepared with fresh ingredients. as what he or she tastes—is a testa-
They aren’t frozen or processed. ment to Avenue’s high standards and
This, of course, is an understand- method of operation. It’s akin to the
able draw for diners who put a pre- orchestration of a successful sports
mium on quality. And we’re not just club: Everyone has got a particular
talking about self-professed “food- job to do, and everyone’s a team
ies”: Nowadays, people want to know player.
what they’re eating and how it was “Our staff here…You’ll never see
made. someone standing around, hanging
It’s an assignment Mohammed out, playing with their Apple watch,”
“Karl” Makky and Tony Duhani, co- says Duhani of the restaurant’s ap-
owners of Avenue American Bistro, Founders and developers Mohammed “Karl” Makky and Tony Duhani with one of proximately 70-person staff. “We ac-
have gladly undertaken. And the re- their operational managers, Jason Crothers (middle). Photo by John Rhaesa tually run a business here. And we
sult is a delectable menu that one give the jobs to the right individuals.”
will be hard-pressed to find any- And those sesame seeds? recall the history behind where Av- “And cell phones are not allowed
where else. “We toast them in house, too,” enue resides today: Back in the sev- on our floor,” adds Makky.
Welcome to Avenue American adds Duhani. enties and eighties, the building “It’s mastering the basics,” says
Bistro, where the chicken is all-nat- And leave it to Makky and housed The Golden Boy, a family din- Duhani.
ural and kosher; the grilled chicken Duhani to take a highly-revered clas- ing eatery that became Rookie Makky and Duhani don’t just ex-
is wood-fired; the beef is prime (and sic—like good ‘ol onion soup—and Sports Café in the nineties. By 2009, pect excellence from their staff, they
kosher); the salmon is Norwegian kick it up a notch. This is where Av- Makky, an entrepreneur who hails lead by example. Ask the duo what
and lightly smoked and dry-rubbed enue’s attention to detail is simply from Dearborn, had owned the hair they do for fun, and they will dole
in-house, and the bread is baked by unrivaled. salon and tanning establishment in out an unyieldingly candid reply:
the restaurant’s very own pastry chef. “Using roasted vegetable broth, the same building on the side which “Not a damn thing,” Makky is quick
And that’s just for starters. ten-hour caramelized onions, freshly faced Michigan Avenue. to say. “You know why? Because we
“It's the technique behind our baked baguette, and Swiss Gruyere, Meanwhile, a few blocks away, work 90 hours a week.”
cooking,” Duhani emphasizes. our onion soup comes alive after also on Michigan Avenue in Wayne, “We’re here seven days out of the
Take their signature Korean Beef three full days of work,” explains Duhani was engaged in his family’s week,” says Duhani.
Brisket, for instance, which is listed Duhani. business, L. George’s Coney Island. With the holidays now upon us,
under the street tacos section of Neither their Korean brisket But he did not just work in the Avenue American Bistro presents the
their menu. tacos nor onion soup are cooked on restaurant industry, he says he was perfect atmosphere to eat, drink,
“There’s a lot of work that goes the fly. Rather, they are the culmina- humbly born in it. and be merry with family, friends,
into one taco,” says Duhani. tion of patience, hard work, and pre- “I was bred into this,” Duhani re- and co-workers.
He’s not exaggerating. At all. cise timing. members of his younger years, back “We make our own simple syrup
It starts with a 14-hour smoked The same can be said for how when his father owned a Coney Is- and our own bloody Mary mix, and
brisket, followed by a sweet soy Makky and Duhani’s partnership land restaurant in Detroit. “At nine- all of our drinks are culinary-dri-
glaze, gochujang (FYI, that’s a red came to be. years-old, I was peeling potatoes.” ven,” Makky boasts of Avenue’s ex-
chili-based condiment used in Ko- "This wasn’t handed to us,” says So, when he discovered that clusive array of cocktails including a
rean cuisine) mayonnaise, and kim- Makky, whose restaurant resume in- Rookie Sports Café was making its Pomegranate Long Island. It’s also
chi slaw. Toasted sesame and cludes managing Subways, working departure, he jumped at the oppor- worth noting, here, that Avenue also
micro-cilantro round out the medley, at his brother-in-law’s pizzeria, and tunity to revamp the property. infuses its Brazilian rum with
which is then served on two dorado- assisting with his own family’s “We said, ‘You know what? Let’s pineapple, and they make their own
style Hacienda corn tortillas—which restaurant. “We worked hard for it. try something different,” recalls ginger simple syrup with fresh ginger
are home-grown in Southwest De- We grabbed it." Duhani. and organic demerara sugar.
troit, by the way. Longtime Wayne residents may In May of 2010, Avenue American See Avenue, page 4

The Wayne Dispatch · December 2022 · 3