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Romanian bistro paired with Michigan offerings set to open Friday in Former Framebar on John R in Hazel Park.Bar Gabi opening Friday in Hazel Park is from the husband and wife chef and pastry chef team who are known for their work at metro Detroit Italian restaurants.
A highly anticipated new Hazel Park restaurant from industry veteran chefs with eastern European roots and others from metro Detroit’s hospitality scene is set to open on Friday, Oct. 24.
Bar Gabi, from the husband-and-wife team of Gabriel and Gabriela Botezan, is opening in the former Framebar and Frame restaurant on John R in Hazel Park. Soft openings are underway ahead of the Friday opening.
Announced in mid-September, Bar Gabi’s focus is on modern Romanian fare. According to its website, the vibe is “Romanian Blood + American Spirit,” and it will serve “food and drink that honor our heritage while daring to evolve it.”
Opening their own restaurant has always been a dream of the Botezans, both veterans of metro Detroit Italian restaurants. Gabriel worked as a chef, and Gabriela’s focus is on the pastry arts. Both worked at downtown Detroit’s Adelina restaurant as well as the legendary but now-closed Bacco Ristorante in Southfield.
Both hailing from Romania, the Botezans met in Michigan and are bringing their heritage to Bar Gabi.
“Opening Bar Gabi for me and my wife, it’s our longtime dream basically coming true,” said Gabriel, who oversees the savory side of the menu at Bar Gabi, in a news release. “This means everything to us because we finally find ourselves opening the restaurant that we always dreamed to have — to showcase our culture and showcase our food, our passion.”
At Bar Gabi, the menu reflects the culture and cuisine that the Botezans grew up with in separate Romanian towns. Gabriel’s birthplace is Bucharest, where he began his career cooking alongside his uncle at a resort on the Black Sea, and Gabriela hails from Transylvania.
“This is about sharing who we are,” said Gabriela in a news release, who runs the bread and dessert program at Bar Gabi. “Romanian food is almost overlooked in America. We want to showcase our food and hospitality at the level it deserves, and to highlight it and celebrate it more.”
Bar Gabi’s dinner menu features familiar Romanian classics that also showcase the couple’s training in Italian dishes.
Menu highlights announced include:
● Tomahawk Schnitzel: Breaded bone-in pork chop with smoked paprika and mustard greens
● Transylvanian Goulash: Braised beef and potatoes.
● “Vaca Moo:” A rotating steak feature paired with Hungarian peppers and hand-cut fries.
● Rotating house-made pastas: A monthly change of fresh pasta, including ragùs, seafood, and vegetarian options.
● Desserts by Gabriela: Expect Romanian staples like Cremes (flaky pastry with vanilla cream), Amandina (rum-soaked chocolate sponge cake), and Albinita (layered honey cake with crème fraîche and honeycomb) and Gabriela’s famous tiramisu.
Kenneth Laatz, also an Adelina alum, leads Bar Gabi’s cocktail program, pairing “Old World sensibilities with playful twists.” Expect cocktails such as the Hugo Spritz with elderflower, prosecco, mint and lime, plus a house Negroni and a bourbon-forward Carpathian Boulevard. Its wine offerings have an Eastern European focus as well as those from Michigan and California. Rounding out the bar program are local and international beer and cider offerings and house mocktails, sodas, and espresso drinks.
Bar Gabi’s general manager and leading the front of the house is Chris Owens, formerly of Detroit’s Atwater Brewery.
For the design of the space, the Botezans collaborated with Colin Tury, a Detroit-based designer who also designed Midtown’s Vecino restaurant. Inside, there are personal touches, including framed embroidery from the Botezans’ family in Romania.
Plans for space formerly known as Frame, a dining space within the restaurant, include wine dinners, chef collaboration and bookings for private parties and events. Later this fall, Bar Gabi will offer Sunday brunch.
Dinner service is 5-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday and 3-9 p.m. Sunday.
Bar Gabi is at 23839 John R in Hazel Park. You can make reservations with OpenTable and visit bargabi.com for more information.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter. Subscribe to the Eat Drink Freep newsletter for insider scoops on food and dining in metro Detroit.
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