So long & goodbye

The last year was full of new restaurants and bars coming to the area, but there were also lots of closures throughout 2019 that you may have missed. A few restaurants had very short runs, such as Cantoro Trattoria Troy, 1695 E. Big Beaver Road, Troy; Katsu Japanese, 5063 Trumbull Avenue, Detroit; and Friend & Associate, 501 Monroe, Detroit, which closed after just two months before re-opening as a new concept. Over in Ferndale, Axle Brewing Co., 567 Livernois, served their last beer over the summer. Others closed after much longer stays, such as Hard Rock Café in Detroit, 45 Monroe Street, which said goodbye after being open for 15 years and Birmingham’s Cameron’s Steakhouse, 115 Willits Street, which had been open since 2001. Golden Crown, 43239 Woodward Avenue, in Bloomfield Township, decided not to sign a new lease after 47 years in the spot. The last meal at Kim’s Restaurant, 102 E. Long Lake Road, Troy, was served after 45 years in business. And Detroit’s Fort Street Galley has changed vendors inside the space at 160 W. Fort Street so many times since opening in December 2018 its hard to keep track of what’s still there. ­Metro Intelligencer is a monthly column devoted to news stories, tidbits and gossip items about what's happening on the restaurant scene in the metro Detroit area. Metro Intelligencer is reported/created each month by Dana Casadei who can be reached at DanaCasadei@DowntownPublications.com with news items or tips, on or off the record.