HAZEL PARK, Mich. (WXYZ) — A metro Detroit couple is bringing modern Romanian cuisine to Hazel Park with the opening of Bar Gabi this week.
Husband-and-wife chefs Gabriel and Gabriela Botezan will open Bar Gabi in the former Framebar location along John R. in Hazel Park.
Watch Jolie Sherman's video report below:
The chefs have previously worked in Italian kitchens across the area, including at Bacco Ristorante in Southfield and Adelina in downtown Detroit.
Both born in Romania, specifically Transylvania and Bucharest, Gabriel and Gabriela Botezan said that they want to highlight Romanian cuisine, which is rarely given high-level treatment.
“This is about sharing who we are,” Gabriela Botezan said in a statement. "Romanian food is almost overlooked in America. We want to showcase our food and hospitality at the level it deserves, and to highlight it and celebrate it more.”
“Opening Bar Gabi for me and my wife, it’s our longtime dream basically coming true,” Gabriel Botezan added. “This means everything to us because we finally find ourselves opening the restaurant that we always dreamed to have — to showcase our culture and showcase our food, our passion.”
Gabriel will oversee the savory side of the menu, while Gabriela will oversee the bread and dessert program.
“One of the appetizers is my absolute favorite... it's called the Langus, so it's a very crispy, light dough. It's deep fried and then it has a little bit of sour cream combination of feta and sheep cheese. And we make this very strong, potent garlic sauce that my husband loves to really kick it. It's 110% garlic,” Gabriela Botezan told 7 News Detroit.
Some of the menu highlights include:
- Tomahawk Schnitzel — breaded bone-in pork chop with smoked paprika and mustard greens
- Transylvanian Goulash — braised beef and potatoes, rustic and soulful
- “Vaca Moo” — a rotating steak with Hungarian peppers and hand-cut fries
- Rotating house-made pastas — fresh, monthly-changing, including ragùs, seafood, and vegetarian options
- Desserts by Gabriela — Romanian staples like Cremes (flaky pastry with vanilla cream), Amandina (rum-soaked chocolate sponge cake), and Albinita (layered honey cake with crème fraîche and honeycomb), as well as Gabriela’s famous tiramisu.
“I always joke with people. I say our favorite vegetable is pork, so we do a lot of pork. So, we have a lot of influence from Austria, from Italy, from Greece, from all the Slavic countries around it," Gabriel Botezan said.
The restaurant will also have a cocktail program from Adelina alum Kenneth Laatz.
The community is excited to have the new restaurant.
"We are very excited to bring this dining opportunity to the city of Hazel Park. To my knowledge, it's one of the first Romanian restaurants in the metro Detroit area, and we're excited to showcase this unique and exciting dining experience here in Hazel Park," Hazel Park City Manager Edward Klobucher said.
Some customers have had the opportunity to try items on the menu before the opening.
"I had the um Transylvanian Goulash, and it was just a balance that was, it was so perfect,” customer Dale Baus said.
Customers are happy to have the Romanian restaurant close to home.
“It was fabulous. I had the chicken dish. It was a half a broiled chicken. It was just right on the money, and I'll be back here very, very soon,” customer Paul Illitch said. “Oh, it's kind of like a dream. Rather than driving 40 miles, it's right here right close to our house.”
Bar Gabi will officially open at 5 p.m. Friday, and will offer weekly dinner service from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. They expect to add a Sunday brunch service later this fall. Reservations can be made on OpenTable.
