South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor has been bustling lately. In addition to the expansion of Black Pearl, another restaurant is planned a few blocks away. According to information on the restaurant’s website, Echelon Kitchen + Bar, taking over the former BD’s Mongolian Grill building at 200 S. Main, is slated to open this summer. The news was first seen on MLive.
Echelon’s website describes the new restaurant’s cuisine as “wood fired, vegetable forward.” Positioned as an elevated casual neighborhood restaurant, the new eatery will source its ingredients locally and highlight a farm-to-fork experience. The menu focuses on fresh, seasonal vegetables but will also include meat and fish items. The dishes are meant for sharing, and a daily menu will be posted online in lieu of a traditional, standard menu. The restaurant will also serve cocktails, beers, and wines.
Design documents show the restaurant will have a Chef’s Counter, a main dining room, and an open-air terrace. The restaurant will be operated by Equal Measure, a Florida-based restaurant and bar management firm owned by Echelon’s managing partner Doug Zeif. Zeif is also a hospitality industry veteran
“We think that Ann Arbor is an unbelievable community. It’s very sophisticated and we think this restaurant is going to be hopefully a lot different than what current exists in Ann Arbor,” Zeif told MLive Ann Arbor.
