Woodbrigians now have a new outdoor space to pull up a chair and grab a bite or quaff a brew. Just in time for warmer weather, the Woodbridge Pub has a new patio facing Merrick St. that seats 16. The eight-by-30-foot space is enclosed with a wooden fence, and owner Jim Geary plans to build tables and chairs for the space. (He's leaning towards picnic tables at the moment.)
Geary wanted patio space for his restaurant since day one, but permit delays kept it from becoming a reality until now. "It's a neighborhood bar, a neighborhood restaurant, nestled in a neighborhood," he says, as to why he was determined to go through the bureaucratic process. "Being able to sit outside on a nice sunny day is a luxury, and (with that is the) potential for more profitability."
Woodbridge also recently changed up its menu to put an emphasis on fresh preparation and local sourcing, with products from Avalon International Breads, Mexicantown Bakery, R. Hirt Jr. and Detroit Wholesale Produce. The lunch menu is geared toward the business crowd -- i.e., less expensive and quicker -- and the dinner menu features bistro-style entrees. Plans are to change it up every season, so expect a new spring menu at the end of March.
With change -- no more pizza, for instance -- came some grumbling, but mostly praise. "The response to the new menu has been really strong," says Geary. "For the most part, once we explain to (customers) what we're doing, they're really happy -- it's fresher food, it's better for them and it tastes better than it would if it wasn't good for them."
Woodbridge Pub is at 5169 Trumbull. Call 313-833-2701.
Source: Jim Geary, Woodbridge Pub
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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