Midtown Detroit – If you frequent the area of Midtown Detroit, that plays host to restaurants like the Selden Standard and Honest John’s, you may have noticed the old welding company, Smith Welding Supply Company, quietly transforming into something new. The sign on the outside may not have changed, and you can still see they have been “serving the welding industry for over 70 years,” but the inside has been remade into a beautiful industrial-chic restaurant.
Smith & Co borrowed its name from its predecessor, but that is not all it borrowed. When you first walk in, you can see the original Pewabic tile floor, the walls are mostly bare showing off the exposed brick, and there are a lot of metal elements throughout the restaurant, a nod to its past profession. It is quite a large restaurant, divided into a bar side with communal tables and a dining area. There is also a comfortable lounge with several couches, chairs, and benches to sit on as you wait.
While the building the restaurant is in may be over 100 years old, the food they serve is very modern. Executive Chef Greg Antioho has come up with a globally inspired menu that features local ingredients.
“We really wanted to focus on carefully procured ingredients. Everything that we serve has at least one or two Midwestern or Michigan ingredients on the plate,” said Antioho.
He tends to fuse different cuisines together into one dish. For example, his fried chicken sandwich has a Korean flare to it, served on top of kimchi and a gochujang aioli, but also has pico de gallo on it as well, and a challah roll. Other popular dishes include the carne asada bowl and the rainbow trout. You are sure to be surprised and delighted by his unique flavor combinations.
Smith & Co. is located at 644 Selden St. in Detroit.