It was the summer of 2016 that restaurant Grey Ghost made its hotly anticipated debut. Years later, the revered Brush Park eatery has weathered the pandemic and is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Later this month, Grey Ghost, from Four Man Ladder Hospitality, marks its 10-year milestone by hosting a “Greatest Hits” menu offered across 10 days. Starting July 18 and running through Monday, July 27, owners are bringing back some beloved dishes and cocktails that have been deemed favorites over the last decade. Returning are menu favorites, including fried bologna, Chicago-style oysters, smoked whitefish dip and jerk wings, plus cocktails such as Grandma’s Garden, Pretty Magic and Effeneff. On July 28, the celebrations wrap up with a special sold-out multi-course dinner by founding chefs and chefs at other Four Man Ladder Hospitality properties.
When Grey Ghost opened 10 years ago, it became a hot spot for its craft cocktails and eclectic chef-driven menu. The restaurant earned accolades, including landing on the 2017 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 Best New Restaurants list.
“Ten years later, we’re incredibly grateful to the guests, team members, and city of Detroit that have supported us along the way,” Grey Ghost co-owner John Vermiglio said in a news release. “This anniversary is a celebration of everyone who has been part of our story.”
In Detroit’s Brush Park, Grey Ghost sits on Watson Street, a stone’s throw from Woodward Avenue. Its space is the former Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe on Woodward. The entrance to the restaurant and much of its window seating faces Watson. Its name Grey Ghost, according to its website, comes from an alleged Prohibition-era Detroit rum runner.
Executive chef John Vermiglio and his twin brother, David, executive chef Josef Giacomino and beverage director Will Lee own Grey Ghost.
All are the team behind Four Man Ladder Hospitality.
John Vermiglio, a Clinton Township native, and Giacomino, from Madison, Wisconsin, both met and worked at restaurants in Chicago.
Since opening Grey Ghost, the group’s portfolio has expanded downtown Detroit, along with its first foray outside of the city. The group opened Second Best, the bar and eatery, steps away and across the street from Grey Ghost and Basan, a restaurant about a mile away on the ground floor of the Eddystone and near Little Caesars Arena.
It was nearly a year ago that the team opened Little Ghost, the group’s first foray in the fast casual scene and first outside Detroit. In Ferndale, Little Ghost is a small spot at 22305 Woodward that highlights the beloved Grey Ghost burger, popularized at the group’s Midtown restaurant.
Over its decade open, the nearly 90-seat plus patio seating Grey Ghost welcomes diners to its tables and bar, with an eclectic menu and crafty cocktails. Its current menu lists items like tilefish with caper, lemon, kale, romanesco, and pappardelle topped with a wild boar ragu and green garlic. As a nod to steakhouse roots with unique pairings a la Grey Ghost-style is the ribeye cap with Korean barbecue sauce and a dry-aged New York Strip with Cheddar, red onion, and avocado.
With bar, table and banquette seating, the Grey Ghost atmosphere is casual yet gussied up.
Its Grey Ghost burger, listed simply as a “cheeseburger” on the menu with “put an egg on it,” which is a menu favorite. Over the years, the burger earned nods as one of the best burgers in the city and has a cult-like following.
Reservations for Grey Ghost’s “Greatest Hits” menu are filling up fast. Make reservations through Resy.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SusanMariecooks. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Acclaimed Grey Ghost spotlights 10 years with anniversary menu
Reporting by Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
