The Joe Vicari Restaurant Group (JVRG) has announced the grand opening of its new Barleycorn’s Public House in Shelby Township on Friday, March 12. The JVRG has been owned and operated in Michigan by the Vicari family for more than 30 years.
Best known for its multiple Andiamo Italian restaurants and Joe Muer Seafood locations in Detroit and Bloomfield Hills, the group will be bringing Barleycorn’s Public House to the space formerly occupied by Buc’eez Pub, located at the 50985 Hayes Rd. at the intersection of 23 Mile and Hayes roads.
Head Chef Patrick Bua has worked for the JVRG for six years, including experience as the sous chef and executive head chef at the Andiamo in Warren. For Barleycorn’s, he created an elevated gastropub menu that features bar food staples and gourmet entrees. The food is locally sourced and made from scratch in the kitchen every day.
“The menu stems from how we prepare and flavor our dishes. Our culinary team adds a unique flare that makes ordinary dishes extraordinary,” says Bua.
The signature wings are one example of bar food taken to the next level. The chicken wings will be smoked before a bath in the deep fryer, creating a flavor profile unique to Barleycorn’s Public House.
Other menu offerings include shepherd’s pie with hand-cut beef tips, root vegetables, buttery potatoes, and a savory demi-glace stuffed inside a crisp pastry crust. There are also multiple salads, including the Barleycorn smoked chicken salad topped with goat cheese, tart apples, walnuts, cornbread croutons, and a lemon-honey vinaigrette.
In turn, the tri-blend burger combines angus chuck, brisket, and short rib for a tender patty, and comes topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and house pickles on a brioche bun. A fried egg or slab of bacon can be added for more flavors.
The backlit bar will contain a wide variety of top shelf liquor that can be ordered straight — there will be a featured whiskey each month — or blended into a handcrafted signature cocktail.
This announcement follows the closure of the Dearborn Andiamo in February of this year, and the Royal Oak location in the summer of 2018. On the tails of these closings, however, the JVRG is expected to open the Birmingham Pub, The Hill in Grosse Pointe, and the Statler Bistro in Detroit in spring 2021. The group also owns Brownies on the Lake, The Country Inn, and 29/41 Mediterranean Street Food.
“We are thrilled to be adding these restaurants to our growing restaurant group. Each property has been a local favorite for each community they serve, and they fit really well into our plans for offering a great local gathering place with a unique atmosphere and exceptional food choices for our guests,” says Joe Vicari, president of the JVRG.
The name of the restaurant could have many different origins. The word barleycorn was used widely from the 12th – 19th century as both a way to refer to a single grain of barley, and more esoterically, as a unit of measure referring to either a quarter or a third of an inch in Europe during that time period, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
The restaurant will be open from 4-11 p.m. daily, including an afternoon social hour Monday through Friday. Extended hours, as well as brunch and lunch menus will become available over the next several months. Indoor seating accommodates 170 patrons, and the outdoor patio seats 35, with plans to add an additional 10 tables in late spring.
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