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Rising Sun serves breakfast and lunch at Margaret Place | Food and drink | Gambit Weekly
Leave it to an architect to have a plan.
While his Tulane degree in architecture came in handy with the painstaking renovation of the 1860 Greek Revival townhouse that is now Margaret Place, Trenton Gauthier’s plan isn’t just about restoring the hotel and event space to glory.
With the opening of the hotel’s cheekily named Rising Sun cafe, Gauthier’s vision extends to create a delightful space, where fresh ingredients come together for bites of nostalgic goodness.
The cafe’s team includes the father and son chef duo Matt and Jake Erickson in the kitchen. Pastry chef Violet Badflower provides baked goods with an emphasis on vegan options; and Rachel Blackstone is the lead barista behind the high-tech Decent Espresso machine. The coffee program hinges on small batch local roasters Mammoth, Cherry and Pretty Coffee.
Blackstone conjures some of its own beverages, like the spiced mocha, bright with notes of cayenne and cinnamon. Badflower, who is also a burlesque performer, bakes treats like guava cream cheese pastelitos, vegan bananas Foster muffins and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
For now, the savory menu is compact and changes frequently with seasonal ingredients. The BEAT is Matt Erickson’s take on a BLT, combining bacon, egg, arugula and heirloom tomatoes on ciabatta with a schmear of house-made tomato onion jam.
The pulled-pork sloppy joe has a whisper of gochujang, the Korean chili pepper paste. The fried chicken sandwich is a winner, a juicy, Creole-seasoned, fried breast cutlet dressed with arugula, creamy basil aioli and, on the other side of the toasted ciabatta, a flavor-packed romesco sauce.
Beer-braised pork shoulder is used in the pulled pork breakfast hash served with eggs and cafeteria-style hash brown patties. Most dishes are $10 or under, including a diner plate with more of those crispy hash browns, toast, two eggs and andouille or bacon on the side. There’s a daily soup and a seasonal salad, currently a mix of arugula, house-marinated artichoke hearts, pickled peppers and shaved radishes tossed in a citrusy vinaigrette.
Entrees are served on pretty china, which underscores the eye-popping presentations. “There’s a lot of prep that goes into our dishes, but they come together fast,” Matt Erickson says.
Matt Erickson, who has been in New Orleans for seven years, has cooked in kitchens including Suis Generis, Green Goddess and The Saint Hotel in the French Quarter. This is only the second time he’s worked with his son, who came from Los Angeles a few months ago to join the operation.
Adam Mayer told us about starting Latke Daddy, the pop-up’s menu, and developing his Donostia Supper Club.
Rising Sun channels some of Gauthier’s comfort food memories from places like Dante’s Kitchen and the Country Club. After hosting a dinner series with Dakar NOLA chef Serigne Mbaye during the pandemic, Gauthier saw how much potential the courtyard space could have for regular breakfast and lunch service. He plans to add a daily happy hour and pop-up burlesque entertainment in the near future. There’s a small pool outside, and towel rental is a menu option for guests who want to take a dip.
Gauthier, whose family has a foundation that supports education, arts and culture in the region, says that running Margaret Place and Rising Sun isn’t his primary source of income.
“This is a lifestyle business for me,” he says. “I’m not operating Rising Sun because it’s going to make a bunch of money. I live onsite and I like to look out my window to see a full courtyard of happy people. My wife and I are alternative people who don’t feel completely at home in some spaces. The culture is key here.”
While Gauthier’s onsite, he is letting other people lead. “The only person in charge here is our general manager, Kathleen Nagle,” he says. “Everybody has expertise, and we take a team approach to everything we do.”
Ann Arbor restaurant closing for rest of the year following head chef’s death
ANN ARBOR, MI — The recent death of Bopjib head chef Luis Castillo is prompting the restaurant to close its doors for the rest of 2022.
Castillo died on Thanksgiving, Nov. 24, in a head-on crash in Plymouth Charter Township. Michigan State Police responded to calls around 2:30 am that a driver was heading east in the westbound lanes of M-14 near Beck Road.
While the troopers were headed to the area, it was reported that two vehicles had collided in the middle lane of M-14. Castillo died at the scene, along with a 28-year-old Belleville man who the police said was believed to be the driver at fault.
Read more: 2 killed, 1 injured in Thanksgiving head-on crash
The Korean restaurant at 621 Church St. hopes to reopen in January if possible, Owner Cassandra Knisely said, but Castillo was a huge part of its operations.
Castillo worked at Bopjib for more than six years, and always treated the restaurant like it was his own, Knisely said, adding that he saw the chef as a good friend and often times like a “younger brother.”
Castillo was someone who looked out for Knisely, she said, adding that he wouldn’t even let her buy him a water like other employees. Instead, Castillo would bring his own bottle so he could save some money.
But it wasn’t just Bopjib where Castillo showed his dedication. Knisely said the chef was always taking his family out for breakfast or lunch on Sundays, and would “do anything” for his three children.
The front door of Bopjib at 621 Church St. in Ann Arbor on Dec. 1, 2022.
One of Castillo’s daughters, Fatima, agreed with Knisely and said her father was always trying to spend time with his kids. She said she had recently moved to Ann Arbor to be closer to her children and was excited to live in her apartment with her Shih Tzu Bruno.
Castillo enjoyed and really appreciated his time at Bopjib, Fatima said.
“They are all like a close family,” Fatima said. “That was like his second home. He spent most of his time there helping them with everything.”
Sam Gutman, Bopjib’s business consultant, has created a GoFundMe. as a way to support Castillo’s family and cover some of the funeral costs. Currently, the fundraiser has raised more than $3,000 with a goal of $25,000.
Gutman said the fundraiser is a way to “give back” to a chef who has made a big impact with his food in Ann Arbor.
Along with the GoFundMe, Gutman operates the restaurant’s Instagram page and said he has already seen support from the city and Bopjib customers there.
“I’ve been getting DMs (direct messages) and people reposting their stories and it’s really touching and nice to see how many people have been reaching out, spreading the news and sending the GoFundMe link,” he said.
Read more from The Ann Arbor News:
Plans for senior living project near Dexter reach final stages amid dispute with neighbors
Recent school threats addressed by Ann Arbor superintendent
From airfields to roundabouts, Washtenaw County road commissioner spent a life building
Zhen Kitchen: A Chinese family’s restaurant legacy in Doha | Fork the System
Doha, Qatar – About 20 years ago, in a land far far away, a young Ma Zhong Yan decided to leave Shenyang, China, to make her fortune in the world. She wanted a new start for herself, her husband Zhang Bin and her daughter Zhang Jia Ni.
So she talked to a friend, whom she still refers to as her “sister”, and together they decided they would try their luck in the United States, they had heard many success stories from there. The next step was to speak to an agent who arranged work visas, so they found a guy who knew a guy who knew an agent, and had a conversation. Everything was agreed, and the agent said he would get them visas to the US asap.
But things rarely work to plan, and the agent could only get visas to a place they’ve never heard of before: Doha, Qatar.
Today, sitting in her restaurant in Doha’s West Bay, Zhong Yan says she’s still not sure how that happened, a soft smile on her gentle face that glows in the afternoon sun. But, she says, cradling a cup of green tea, she’s glad things worked out the way they did. Even considering the pain of having to leave her husband and daughter behind so she could start a new life for them.
They’re both here with her and Zhong Yan is coming to the restaurant less often, taking a bit of time to herself now that Jia Ni has taken over managing it while Zhang Bin oversees operations in the kitchen.
She came in specially to speak to us and looks relaxed, sitting next to our friend Grace who has come to dinner to help translate. The cozy setup makes us feel like we’re visiting her at home rather than at the family’s newest venture, Zhen Street Kitchen. This is their second act after they had to close their first restaurant – a cult favorite among those Dohaites in the know – Playstation Cafeteria.