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tile roofs and beige glazed bricks still evident in the restaurant’s exterior today.

Originally opened by Mindy Lopus, former owner of Birmingham’s

Tallulah Wine Bar, in March 2013, Red Crown switched ownership, revamped

its menu and expanded its hours that October to reestablish its reputation

as a food gem in Grosse Pointe Park. With managing partner Robert “Bobby”

Nahra, chef and owner of Lakeland Manor Banquet and Event Center in St.

Clair Shores, and the Cotton family of Meridian Health Plan, Red Crown has

certainly stepped up its game to please customers both new and returning.

“A lot of this area had kind of been emptying out a bit,” says Shery

Cotton, who – along with her husband, David, and their sons – has played an

instrumental role in redevelopment projects along Kercheval Avenue and also

within the Park’s neighborhoods. “(Red Crown’s building) had been empty for

about nine years, and my son and I wanted to come in here … We just thought

it would be really cool to have a restaurant here.”

Initially wanting to just be landlords for the building, both David

and Shery admit that it didn’t necessarily work out that way in the long run.

“There’s a lot of drama in the restaurant business,” David says with a laugh.

And while things didn’t work out between the Cottons and Red

Crown’s first owner, Nahra, who has done the Cotton’s catering for years, was

ready to get into the restaurant business when he was approached to run Red

Crown. “He has a lot of passion and a lot of creativity,” Shery says. “I think

we’ve all been learning what it’s like to run a restaurant … It’s been fun, it’s

been crazy, and it’s been hard work.”

It’s that time of year when the cloudy and gray skies seem to never leave. And

when you look out the window, the shade of the sky is just a precursor to what

you’re already thinking: It’s cold, and the world outside looks uninviting.

It’s so easy to just stay indoors and leave the fun and adventure for

the warm-weather season, but at Ambassador’s latest Dinner Party, guests

left their winter blues at home, shuffled in from the cold and entered an

evening of warmth and celebration along Kercheval Avenue at Red Crown

in Grosse Pointe Park.

The SeTTing

When guests first walk into the elegantly renovated Standard Oil service

station – now home to cozy and stylish Red Crown restaurant – there’s no

denying the level of comfort that immediately surrounds them. As part of an

ongoing trend of repurposing old buildings for commercial or residential use,

while still maintaining some of the history and character of the original, Red

Crown captures that special feeling of comfort that comes with familiarity –

even if it’s your first time there.

“My initial impression when I walked in the door was that I felt

warm,” says Dinner Party guest Tarita Coley, who was visiting Red Crown for

the first time. “It was very warm, it was very cozy, and it was just a nice feeling.”

Both inside and outside, Red Crown radiates with hints of cherry

reds, warm creams and winter whites – a color scheme that remains true to

the traditional Standard Oil “Red Crown” castle-style stations with their red-

pomp &circumstance

groSSe PoinTe’S red Crown ProvideS gueSTS wiTh an eleganT evening full of ComforT A WArm glow

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Paige Lustig, Kevin Killebrew

Wood-grilled Salmon

Cathy Champion

Michael Keys

Robert Nahra, Jimmy Rahaim, Sam Stevenson

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Azra Sabanovic

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The drinkS

As guests arrived, they gathered near the bar to take a look at Red Crown’s

vast offering of handcrafted cocktails, craft beers and wine.

“The main thing we focus on here is going to be craft when it comes

down to it – our wine, our beer and our cocktails,” says Zack Wilkinson, Red

Crown’s beverage director, who has been with the restaurant since it first

opened. “We’re up to 22 cocktails at a time – all craft, signature drinks, dating

back to the Prohibition era and then modern twists on those classic drinks,

(plus) completely original drinks that we come up with, as well.”

Cocktail choices include some old favorites like the Moscow Mule

(made with Kozi vodka, ginger beer and lime) or the newer Paper Plane (made

with Maker’s Mark, Amaro Nonino, Aperol and lemon). Beer options include

eight Michigan beers on tap, roughly nine or 10 bottled craft beers and a

limited selection of domestics. For the wine, Wilkinson says he tries to steer

clear of big-name brands unless there’s a huge demand for it.

“I want the customer to be relaxed, to have fun with it,” Wilkinson

says. “I will talk about pinot noir for hours with some customers, but I

really want people to relax and to feel like they’re in a neighborhood bar

still, out with friends.”

The food

Touting itself as a barbecue and comfort food restaurant with Southern flair,

Red Crown offers choices that reflect the feeling of eating a good, hearty

homecooked meal. “That’s the first thing I’ve learned,” says David Cotton.

“That above all else, the food has to be good. Secondly, it has to be consistent.”

Tasked with continuing to keep Red Crown’s menu options

consistent, yet relative to seasonal offerings and customer feedback is

Executive Chef Michael Keys, who just recently joined the Red Crown team in

the summer.

“We’re an outstanding place for a great burger, a great steak, a piece

of fish; and then we do phenomenal specials, too, that we really dazzle out to

make our guests go, ‘I never thought I’d get such a wonderful meal out of a gas

station,’” says Keys, whose culinary experience spans more than 25 years.

For Ambassador’s dinner party, Keys and his kitchen staff prepared

a wide variety of delicious items straight from the restaurant’s regular menu.

Served family-style to keep with the feeling of comfort, guests enjoyed tasty

selections like the Triple Crown imported seasonal cheese & dry-aged meat

board garnished with smoked pecans, marcona almonds and house-baked

crostini; the falafel-inspired black-bean burger with smashed avocado,

tomato, sprouts and garlic aioli; the wood-grilled salmon served over warm

arugula and fingerling potato salad tossed in an apple cider shallot, pickled

mustard-seed vinaigrette; the Red Crown burger topped with lettuce, tomato,

onion, American cheese and fancy sauce; the smoked and grilled Berkshire

pork chop; the wood-grilled rib-eye with sautéed mushrooms; the kale and

quinoa salad; and various sides such as corn bread, Brussels sprouts sautéed

with marcona; mac ’n’ cheese; and truffle fries. “We’re really trying to showcase

what this whole new menu is about,” Keys says.

For dessert, guests enjoyed slices of triple-layer housemade

signature cakes, including flavors such as Red Crown velvet and chocolate

mousse bumpy cake. “The desserts are to die for,” David says, noting that the

coconut cream pie is one of his favorites.

Michelle & Jack Accardo

Grilled Chicken Breast

Shery Cotton

Nadya Nahra, David Cotton

Smoked and Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop

Elizabeth Atkins, Anita Lane

| 107

The gueSTS

The evening’s guests gathered at Red Crown from all around metro Detroit.

Many, like Michelle and Jack Accardo, live in Grosse Pointe and frequent Red

Crown at least twice a week.

“We love this restaurant. Everybody always makes us feel so at

home,” says Michelle, who works in the health insurance industry. “The food is

good, really good. They just treat us so nice here.”

Her husband, Jack, loves Red Crown’s specials. The menu even has a

special treat for their 6-year-old grandson: milkshakes. “Bobby takes him right

into the kitchen and makes him a shake, so he likes to come here, too,” says

Jack, who is the CFO for a manufacturer in Detroit.

The couple is also excited for the holiday season and getting together

with family. “We have Christmas and Thanksgiving with anywhere from 18 to

35 people for dinner,” Michelle says. “We make everything; it’s no potluck.”

Kevin Killebrew and his wife, Cathy Champion, are also Grosse

Pointe natives who frequent the restaurant often. “We were here the first time

it opened, and we probably come at least once a week,” says Champion, who

is a realtor at Bolton-Johnston Associates and the immediate past chair of the

Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce. “The servers know what you want.

They keep changing the menu, so it’s not like we’re eating the same things

over and over.”

For the holidays, Killebrew and Champion cherish the time spent with

family and friends, and creating lasting memories together. “It’s a time for festive

occasions,” Killebrew says. “We travel, but we prefer to be home for part of (the

holidays) at least. We have grandkids in other states, so we go a lot of places.”

Dinner Party guests Jimmy Rahaim and his wife, Nicole Wilski-

Rahaim, expressed their excitement with Red Crown’s turnaround.

“The food is amazing, and Bobby will do whatever he needs to

please anybody. Forget if it’s someone he knows or doesn’t know, he’s just a

stranger on the floor,” Jimmy says. “It’s amazing the culinary creativity that’s

going on here with the food. It’s exquisite, but simple. I’m shocked and very

impressed by the turnaround of the restaurant since (Bobby) has had his

hands on it.”

Sitting with the Rahaims was Nadya Nahra, Robert’s wife, who

jokes that while she loves spending time at home with family and friends for

the holidays, sometimes she likes to skip town, travel and avoid the family

gatherings altogether. As for her husband’s work with Red Crown, she says

she couldn’t be prouder. “I think (Bobby) is doing an amazing job,” she says.

“The food is great. The atmosphere is great. It’s a wonderful place to come to.”

Friends Anita Lane and Elizabeth Atkins sipped on cocktails while

discussing Red Crown and the holidays.

“I like all of the festivities, colors, lights and candy,” says Lane,

who works in public relations and communications. “I love to see my family

members from other states come together.”

Atkins, who works as an actress and author, loves the sparkle of the

holiday season. And while it was her first time at Red Crown, she loves that it

still has that Motor City vibe from it being an old gas station.

With the revived energy along Kercheval Avenue and the ongoing

success at Red Crown, David and Shery Cotton couldn’t be more pleased.

“What we wanted most of all was to develop an area where people would

want to walk, where it was safe, where they had variety, where you have your

boutiques, your hair salons, and you have a variety of different restaurants,”

David says.

“All summer, there were people walking the streets, walking all the

way down and all the way back, and everywhere you went, there were people

walking,” Shery adds. “Revitalizing this area has been really exciting for us. We

just want to see that grow.” — Audrey LaForest

redcrowngp.com

Jason Huvaere

Triple-layer Carrot Cake, Chocolate Mousse Bumpy Cake, Red Crown Velvet

Andreas JosephBrittany & Brooke Treusch Tarita Coley

Emily Bernstein Nicole Wilski-Rahaim