tLocal author and television personality Johnny Prepolec, also known as Chef Johnny Prep, has updated his culinary portfolio with the recent acquisition of Mr. B’s Pub on Main, near Third Street, in downtown Royal Oak.
t“I wanted (a restaurant) that had a history of success to build upon, and Mr. B’s has an incredible legacy,” says Prepolec, author of The Five Star Entertaining Casual Cookbook and host of Soup & Co. on Bloomfield Community Television (BCTV). “They’ve been a healthy business for 30 years, and I’m thrilled to be able to take the legacy they built and put my stamp on it."
tChanges will be made to the 9,000-square-foot facility and its menu on a rolling basis, Prepolec says. By mid-July, he plans to convert a lower level banquet space into a game room with bar pong tables and bags (corn hole). He also hopes to begin offering craft, beer, wine, and food tastings in the restaurant’s martini longue by mid-September.
tPrepolec says the emphasis for the menu will be “taking good, classical cooking techniques and applying it to casual food.” He says the restaurant will freshly grind the meat for its burgers, which will be paired with homemade ketchup and caramelized onions on a brioche bun. The culinary staff will also make a bolognaise sauce with Mr. B’s own Italian sausage, as well as a few healthier options, including a fresh herb garden pasta and power smoothie with various fruits, kale, carrot juice, and flax seed.
t“We’re going to have some new items, and we’re going to have some of the same things with some new recipes,” Prepolec says. “But Mr. B’s is a high-volume operation. There’s no way you can walk into a place with an existing staff and snap your fingers and all of a sudden, you’ve got this beautiful new menu that’s going to please everybody. We’re going to take pieces of it and do it over the course of the next few months.”
tHowever, considering the popularity of certain foods, there are some recipes that will stay the same, Preploec says. “Mr. B’s is really known for its seasoned fries, so that’s something we’re going to be hands-off on."
tFor more information about the restaurant, at 215 S. Main St., visit mrbspub.com or call (248) 399-0017.
