With the specter of winter approaching, it's nice to already have something to look forward come springtime in Grand Rapids. How about delicious, mouth watering bar-b-q from Detroit.

The famed Slow's Bar-B-Q announced they will open a location in the Downtown Market on Ionia Street SW, and I for one, am looking forward to it.

My brother introduced me to Slow's a few years back when I was visiting him in Detroit. Tucked away in the beleaguered Corktown neighborhood, just west of the old Tiger Stadium, Slow's offers a full menu of slow cooked meats like pulled pork and brisket and an array of side dishes like macaroni and slaw. I was impressed on my first time through, so much so I made a special stop the next time I was in the Motor City.

Is it the best bar-b-q I've ever had? No, but it's top five.

loading...

Chef Brian Perrone of Slow's made the announcement yesterday at the Downtown Market. The well regarded restaurant is expected to be a shot in the arm for the Market, which has been shuffling along without a big name eatery to hook more people in. The restaurant will also operate a carry-out and a catering business from its new location.

The restaurant is owned by the Cooley family, led by former male model Phillip Cooley, whose company has made it a goal of redeveloping Detroit. Cooley once told Crain's Detroit, "Traveling and living out of a suitcase made me sensitive to my environment and helped me re-evaluate what I needed out of a place I would call home. Detroit, to me, is a blank canvas. It's a chance for us to create a balanced and sustainable urban landscape."

Slow's is also on the forefront of using antibiotic and hormone free beef and pork, all of which has been raised on farms practicing sustainable agriculture.

Expect long lines to come with those tasty sandwiches and savory meats, the original Slow's usually develops a two hour wait not long after opening for daily business in Detroit.

“Ideally, it will have the same feel,” Perrone told MLive.com. 

“What we want to do is find someone is who is based in the Grand Rapids area who we can hire as a chef and have that person come to Detroit and work with us until we get the restaurant up,” he said.

The Grand Rapids restaurant will occupy the southeast corner of the Downtown Market building that was originally set aside for a brewery or distillery.

One of the sandwiches served at Slow's is the Yardbird, a pulled chicken breast marinated in mustard, served with mushrooms, cheddar and applewood bacon, all inside a poppy-seed bun. The sandwich made the final round of Adam Richman's "Man v. Food" Best Sandwich In America competition, losing out to a roast pork sandwich from Philadelphia.

Another notable sandwich, one tried by Richman during his 2009 "Man v. Food" visit to Slow's, is the Triple Threat Pork, a 1-pound sandwich stacking together applewood-smoked bacon, pulled pork, and grilled ham, on a poppy-seed bun.

Bon Appetit, Grand Rapids!

 

 

More From 98.7 WFGR