Root Veggies In Core City

A culinary island of its own here in Detroit.

Fall is in full swing, with the leaves changing in bursts of color that light the trees on fire. Flowers are popping up all around the garden, stirred by the recent heat wave, and we just bumped into our elderly neighbor out collecting leaves on his walk with his fifteen-year-old chihuahua, Buddy. He treasures the various shades by pressing them under glass coasters, a gesture he started for his late wife when her health began to decline. It’s a reminder to appreciate the small moments and beauty right in front of us before it slips away.

That thought lingers as I glance over at our hoop house, overflowing with marigolds that practically beg to be plucked for dyeing. I make a mental note to dive into that project sooner rather than later, creating space for some dinner parties before the cold sets in and planting root veggies for the months ahead. And speaking of root vegetables—Core City you’ve really got it going on!

There’s HiO Farms, which is located a mile from their sister restaurant Takoi. They occupy an acre of land in Core City, cultivating a diverse selection of gourds, peppers, and other unique varieties not often found downtown. Since 2020, they’ve been building a closed-loop system from seed to table and recently celebrated their fifth season. I’m obsessed with both the farm and the restaurant, so do yourself a favor and go enjoy a meal while appreciating the dedication behind their commitment to improving the industry and providing healthy dishes, from the soil to the table.

A few streets over, two other restaurants share the same mentality, showcasing dramatically different ways to cook and work with root vegetables, just steps apart from one another.

Barda embraces cooking over the flame, which checks out since Chef Javier himself is known as the Face of the Flame. While you might typically associate beef with an Argentinian chef and restaurants (and rightly so), their veggie dishes are among my absolute favorites in the city. Charred fennel offers sweet, smoky notes; spicy Peruvian potatoes are drizzled with zesty chimichurri; roasted cauliflower is kissed by the fire; and the beets, meticulously sliced and folded before being dusted with dehydrated raspberry powder, are simply stunning.

Lady of the House, right across the park, has dozens of vegetarian dishes on their menu, and I say this as opposed to veggies because here, they truly take center stage. When we visited, we ordered a feast for two and, unknowingly, ended up with an entirely vegetarian meal, which was a real treat. Their dishes don’t rely on the unpredictable nature of taming the fire; instead, they are meticulously prepped days in advance to achieve the desired flavor profiles. Throughout our meal, I found myself repeating, “I get it now,” over and over again, especially when it came to the carrot steak.

It’s the unique flavors, the techniques these incredible chefs have learned over decades, and their meticulous care in what they serve and how it impacts the surrounding neighborhood—a bit off the beaten path and almost an island of its own in the culinary landscape—that keeps me coming back to Core City again and again. Pro tip: After enjoying a meal at Barda or Lady, head over to Puma for a late-night aperitif, fernet and coke, or wine served from el pingüinitos, and enjoy an outdoor bonfire unlike any other. It’s the perfect way to wrap up these gorgeous fall days we’ve been blessed with.