3111 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-831-2241; atlasglobalbistro.com
Have you ever tried a green apple gelée? How about lemon horseradish vinaigrette? Or a chicken liver tart with celery root purée? Surely you haven't tried duck breast with braised baby fennel and an apple cider red peppercorn sabayon? We bet you haven't — unless you happen to have dined at Detroit's Atlas Global Bistro. Atlas has been around for nearly a decade, and — though chefs have come and gone — proprietress Nicole Barbour has maintained the restaurant's commitment to innovation. Tentative eaters will find familiar ingredients, such as shrimp or chicken, but paired with such unlikely companions as ale and caraway with a jicama-grapefruit slaw or the aforementioned chicken liver tart. If this all sounds too wild and crazy, rest assured that you're in good hands; we've sampled many of chef Zachary Stotz's dishes and didn't find a single one disappointing.
