No. 3: The Rind, a cheese shop that grew into a top metro Detroit restaurant and wine bar

The Rind lands at No. 3 on the Top 10 New Restaurants & Dining Experiences list for its casual approach to upscale dining and its commitment to supporting Michigan's local food economy.

Opposite a charcoal-painted wall lined with rows of olive oils and jarred peppers at Mongers’ Provisions’ in Berkley is The Rind, a cozy farm-to-table restaurant and wine bar with soft yellow lighting and charming wallpaper illustrated with rows of tinned fish.

Mongers’, the charcuterie, cheese and chocolate shop with another storefront in Midtown Detroit, has become a local staple for gourmet pantry items and specialty foods for more than five years. It’s where you’ll find mole bitters in flacons that resemble vintage apothecary bottles and a wedge of Tennessean blue cheese wrapped in whiskey-soaked fig leaves.

A natural next phase for the shop was a dine-in restaurant that would bring to life the meats, cheeses and accoutrements that line its shelves, paired with a wine element. Most important to Mongers' co-founders, though, was to reimagine the highfalutin nature of wine, cheese and other delicacies into a format that is laid back.

“So many people find cheese and conservas to be esoteric and don't feel like they know how to interact with this food,” said co-owner Zachary Berg.

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The team’s first foray into hot food: grilled cheese.

Berg and fellow co-founder William Werner tested the concept of introducing diners to the potential of the shop’s finest cheeses with the American classic at its Midtown store. Smokey gouda or sharp cheddar would get pressed between crisp, buttery slices of griddled bread. A layer of berry jam, prosciutto or piquant mustard pulled from Mongers’ would make the occasional appearance, elevating the nostalgic sandwich.

Berg described the grilled cheese approach as an attempt to ease into the experience diners who might otherwise be intimidated by a cheese counter. The casual sandwich allowed the team to develop trust with customers and start conversations about the ingredients in front of them. Berkley, he said, “felt like the neighborhood to settle in and continue that conversation.”

When it opened last summer, the Rind introduced a more mature, yet equally relaxed menu of dishes that works to satisfy the same mission of the grilled cheese sandwich — to democratize wine, cheese, charcuterie and other traditionally upscale ingredients.

“Being able to break it down and actually serve the food, to demystify it a little bit further, was also part of the excitement of being able to go beyond grilled cheeses,” Berg said.

Here, whitefish sourced from Eagle Creek Fish Co. in Jackson, Michigan, is simply prepared. A mild-flavored fillet flaunts a thin layer of crispy skin with the airy snap of a sugar wafer and a sprinkling of salt crystals. The fish sits atop a full plate of velvety beurre blanc perforated with umami capers from the Mongers’ stash and a fresh lime wedge.

Rancho Gordo beans, the king of heirloom bean purveyors, are cloaked in a sweet butternut squash sauce. Thin sheets of melted cheese with pieces of rind still attached cling to tiny potatoes and crisp cornichons in a small plate of raclette. Briny tinned fish and salted butter are served as accoutrements for crackers and fresh bread. All of these foods are found just on the other side of that restaurant wall.

“That’s the cool part about this opportunity,” said chef Will BeDell. “All the knowledge and the products that are right next door, I get to play with it all and show people why it's so good.”

Incorporating a number of Mongers’ offerings also allows the Rind to support local, small businesses committed to creating craft products.

“Some of these brands are run by awesome people,” Werner said. “They're super passionate, but they're busy making the thing that's amazing.”

Werner believes it is his and Berg’s function as mongers to be the liaisons that allow diners to see the magic of the most notable elements of each dish. “That's the job,” he said. “It’s the best form of being a middleman because you're a middleman of relationships and of storytelling.”

Evidencing the Rind’s commitment to local purveyors is the company’s investment in Michigan’s dairy industry as a founding member of the Michigan Cheese and Dairy Guild.

“The Guild is a not-for-profit that’s meant to strengthen the community and the connective tissue between all these different entities throughout Michigan,” said Berg, the Guild’s founding president. Other founding membersinclude Zingerman’s Creamery’s, Leelanau Cheese and the Cheese Lady.

“At the Rind, we are absolutely committed to tapping in and strengthening the Michigan dairy footprint and whenever we can source local, we do.”

The Rind

3125 12 Mile Road, Berkley. 248-468-4487; rindbar.com

Ticket sales for the upcoming Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Top 10 Takeover dinner series benefit Forgotten Harvest, an Oak Park-based nonprofit committed to fighting food insecurity in the Detroit area. Dates for the 2024 dinner series will be announced later this month. Visit freep.com/top10 for updates on the events. For a chance to win $500 to dine at five restaurants on the 2024 Detroit Free Press/Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers Restaurant of the Year and Top 10 New Restaurants & Dining Experiences list, visit freep.com/roycontest24. Contest ends March 11 at 11:59 p.m.