Pushing Past Pretension: Rock City Eatery Expands Space & Menu
Moving from Hamtramck to Midtown, Rock City Eatery pushes past pretension with dehydrated ants and creative cocktails
“I don’t think that people should necessarily be afraid of changing, they should be excited about it growing.” – Rock City Eatery General Manager Jessica Imbronone
From the Motor City by way of Moscow, Chef Nikita Sanches and Detroit native General Manager Jessica Imbronone run the Rock City Eatery in Hamtramck. For the last few years, the place has garnered a reputation for its expertly and creatively executed take on comfort food in a space that’s relaxed and raw. After all, it was built on the back of pies Sanches was dishing out regularly at the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement around all the new food spots popping in Detroit, but this recent flourish wouldn’t have been possible without risk takers like the Rock City team. It’s a personal mission of Nikita’s to make sure no one misses out on the deep wonders of bone barrow.
Rock City Eatery is soon expanding to 4216 Woodward Avenue, taking over 3600 square feet in what used to be an old Thai joint on the east side of the street, between Canfield and Willis
In the midst of their move, Travis Wright caught-up with Sanches and Imbronone to talk about the Rock City Eatery philosophy and where the chef gets the ants for his boundary-pushing Ants on A Log plate (pictured below).
