Lady of the House, the first solo restaurant venture for local chef Kate Williams, will open in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood later this month, combining traditional Irish hospitality with her signature style, which includes nose-to-tail cooking, whole animal butchery, and working with local farms.
Prior to opening Lady of the House, the Detroit native served as executive chef at Detroit’s Republic Tavern and Rodin Bar and Restaurant, as well as Relae in Copenhagen, Denmark. Willaims will be joined by Larissa Popa, a butcher and charcutier who will serve as sous chef; and Christian Stachel, previously of Detroit’s Wright and Co., who will be general manager and beverage director.
Williams says she will the menu will be inspired by her Irish heritage, travels, and culinary experiences and will combine Irish influences with contemporary dishes. The menu highlights her specialization in nose-to-tail preparation, which utilizes and preserves the whole animal and minimizes foot waste.
Williams says she also plans to use locally sourced food throughout the menu, including lamb steak with charred cucumber, sweet corn and crispy corn silk, chilled squash soup with Asian carpe gribiche, salmon roe and nasturtium oil, wood grilled onions with hollandaise and pistachio, and white potato donuts with chamomile cream, dried yogurt, and sugared thyme.
Lady of the House’s beverage program will be wine-forward, with a variety of youthful expressions and a vintage library that highlights maturity and evolution. There will also be a curated selection of craft beers ranging from benchmark styles of the old world, early American craft, and modern brews.
The restaurant will also be Michigan’s first to offer sherry on tap, specifically an 8-year-old Manzanilla Sherry from Bodegas Yuste. Sake on tap will also be available, an undiluted Ginjo built for oysters and heartier fare. The cocktail program will also feature a rotating selection of seasonally-inspired cocktails, including a proprietary Lady of the House Gin made in collaboration with Detroit City Distillery. The spirit will feature a unique floral taste with notes of peppercorn, rosemary, thyme, and olive, made especially for gin martinis and other cocktails.
Lady of the House, 1426 Bagley Ave., occupies the space formerly known as St. Cece’s Pub, and has been restored while preserving the 3,200-square foot space’s original warmth and community vibe. Patrick Thompson Design was contracted to help redesign the restaurant, which seats a total of 65 guests. Michigan sourced wood was used as a foundation for the dining room table tops and other décor features include a hand-painted mural by artist Michelle Tanguay, and the exterior includes painted wildflowers.
Lady of the House will be open with dinner service from 4:30 – 11 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday and the bar will remain open until 2 a.m. Saturday, and Sunday brunch service is also expected to launch later this fall.
