Whitney restaurant celebrates Detroit's 323rd birthday
On July 24, the city of Detroit, founded in 1701 by a French explorer, will mark its 323rd birthday. And in honor of the occasion, a historic downtown restaurant is gearing up to celebrate.
Starting Friday, the Whitney restaurant, built in 1894 on Woodward in Midtown, kicks off Detroit’s birthday with a special menu through July 28 featuring Detroit restaurant classics.
The three-course menu – starter, entrée and dessert – is $49 and features Detroit classics like of choice of the Whitney’s interpretation of legendary chef Milos’ famed Golden Mushroom soup or the classic Hudson’s Maurice salad. Entrée choices include Better Made Chip chicken, Carl’s Chophouse chargrilled Delmonico, Vernors glazed salmon and a twist on mousska celebrating Detroit’s Greek heritage. Dessert choices are classic Bumpy Cake and a Coconut Crème Pie reminiscent of Darby’s, a long-gone Detroit restaurant.
On July 24, the Whitney celebrates Detroit’s actual birthday with a celebratory happy hour in the Whitney gardens with a live DJ and dancing to Detroit-curated music. There will also be a meet and greet with author Daniel Crawford, who will sign copies of his book “Detroiter at Heart,” available for $5 ($15 retail). Seating for July 24 will be first come, first served and the Whitney is giving the first 50 people a complimentary Detroit-made “Goody Bag” featuring locally produced snacks. Guests also receive complimentary birthday cake in the garden. For more details, visit thewhitney.com/events-experiences.
French explorer Antoine de la mothe Cadillac founded Detroit on July 24, 1701. According to the Detroit Historical Society, Cadillac led an expedition that set out from Lachine, on the St. Lawrence River near Montreal that “followed the northern route along the Ottawa River, Lake Nipissing, French River, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and, finally, the Detroit River. The expedition camped on Grosse Ile on July 23rd.”On the next day, Cadillac and his crew traveled upstream and chose a site to build a fort named Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit. The fort name, according to the historical society, was in honor of the French marine minister who approved Cadillac’s trip, the location and the narrow strait le détroit.
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The Whitney restaurant is inside the ornate and more than 120-year-old Whitney mansion, built by lumber baron David Whitney Jr. in the 1890s, on Woodward Avenue.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Here's how the Whitney restaurant will celebrate Detroit's birthday