The moment I discovered that Jacques Driscoll and Chef Les Molnar, the men who created popular Detroit eateries Green Dot Stables and Johnny Noodle King, were opening a new restaurant in the city, I knew I was going to have to check it out. They decided to name this restaurant Huron Room — Great Lakes inspired — and open it on Bagley Avenue in southwest Detroit.

I walked into the restaurant with my sister on a Wednesday afternoon and though almost every seat was occupied, its atmosphere was quite relaxed. The room was painted ocean blue and different sea decor hung from the walls. The room was small and consisted of a bar, several booths, a couple of high-top tables, and a majority of low-top tables. As you approach the restaurant from the outside, you can see what’s happening inside (and vice-versa) due to the large window-walls that make up the first half of the restaurant. This transparency added to the overall experience — helping guests to feel connected with southwest Detroit.

As we walked in, our kind waitress approached us and sat us down with menus immediately. She then grabbed us two blue mason jars filled with ice water (I’m a sucker for restaurants that use mason jars!). The three main items to choose from on the menu are fish and chips, a fried-fish sandwich, and fish tacos. After deciding on one of three dishes, you can then choose the type of fish that it will be made with. Options included perch, walleye, smelt, whitefish, river trout, shrimp, or whatever the catch of the day happens to be. Although fish is the main focus of the restaurant, the menu also includes different forms of venison, chicken, steak, duck, greens, etc. Although I had never tried fish prior to this experience, my sister and I decided to go with the perch fish and chips and walleye fish tacos.

Our food came out in a timely manner, and the presentation was admirable. The fish and chips came in a steel basket that looked similar to a miniature frying basket, and the fries were perfectly seasoned and garnished. The fish tacos, three to be exact, were organized in a curved line and came with sides of their house salsa, sour cream, and coleslaw. When I bit into the fish and chips, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. The beer batter coating the perch was so oily that it was almost overwhelming. Under the batter, the skin was also left intact which, though it comes down to personal preference, may deter patrons who don’t like to eat fish with the skin on. The fish tacos were slightly better, aside from the fact that the skin was also left on the walleye. While the food wasn’t terrible, I will definitely be trying the shrimp or a non-fish entree the next time I visit.

Although I was not 100 percent satisfied with my meal, I do have to say that I very much enjoyed the restaurant’s atmosphere and wonderful service. Not being a big fish-eater myself, I recommend that everyone go and check out the other items that Huron Room has to offer, or at least give the online menu a glance! They also have a variety of dessert items and crafty cocktails if you’re of age!