Traverse City's Milkweed

Taking street food inside — and out of — the box

By Janice Binkert | Dec. 30, 2017

MILKWEED

 

How two eminent Traverse City chefs teamed up with the owners of an innovative bar to take street food inside — and out of — the box.

 

Jennifer Blakeslee and Eric Patterson are well known to a wide audience in northern Michigan as co-owners and co-chefs of The Cooks’ House, their intimate white clapboard temple of hyper-local, seasonal, creative, and much-celebrated cuisine in Traverse City. And although they are partners in the business and culinary sense only (equal partners, they emphasize), they have formed a family with their co-workers that seems ready to tackle just about anything, including bringing a new “baby” into the fold this past November. That’s when their most recent venture, Milkweed Street Food, began serving up global flavors seven days a week, year-round, at their permanent stand inside The Little Fleet bar and food truck venue just across the street.

BRING IT ON
Now before we get too far, let’s check off a few boxes: Blakeslee and Patterson already run a busy, successful restaurant with an ever-changing menu (check). They regularly host in-house wine and beer pairing dinners (check). They often serve as guest chefs at other restaurants near and far (check). They are deeply involved in the community (check). They teach cooking classes (check). They do off-site catering year round (check). In short, one would think that they have enough on their plates – literally — without seeking out new challenges.

“But I like projects — especially collaboration projects like this one,” said Blakeslee. “We love working with Gary and Allison [Jonas, owners of The Little Fleet] and everyone else here. And we have a very, very strong staff at the Cooks’ House, so it’s not too much for us to have added Milkweed. We know we can handle more — you just have to work smarter.” Indeed, the whole restaurant crew is involved in the food stand as well. “We all go back and forth. I think it’s fun for them because it’s a whole different atmosphere.”

Actually, that back and forth was already somewhat established before Milkweed came into the world. “We’ve been doing something similar to this for a couple of years during the winter months – it’s just a little more convenient now,” explained Blakeslee. “Customers at The Little Fleet could order various curries from us at The Cooks’ House and we’d bring them over. Now we have our own kitchen here and we don’t have to trudge through the snowbanks thirty times a night!” 

TAKE FIVE
That galley-style kitchen, while well-equipped and efficiently laid out, is undeniably small, as is the ordering counter. Asked if they anticipate any backlog in the summer months, when The Little Fleet and its food truck lot are sometimes packed to overflowing with thirsty and hungry customers, Blakeslee just inclined her head and smiled. “This isn’t our first rodeo. I think we’ll be fine. Milkweed is a food stall and not a full-service restaurant. People come up and order what they want at the counter and we call out their name when it’s ready to pick up.”  Getting the food out (whether for dining in or take-out) reportedly takes five minutes at most.

And you may be surprised what five minutes (and ten dollars or less) will get you. Nothing less than a culinary journey around the world. Among the current offerings on the Milkweed menu are two Indian curries (chicken tikka masala or vegetarian Punjabi kadhi pakora with cream curry and chickpea dumpling, each served with basmati rice, cilantro chutney and yogurt raita); Korean bibimbap (beef brisket or vegetarian options served with rice, bean sprouts, veggies, sesame, gochujang sauce and fried egg; pictured above); a Hawaiian plate (roasted pork, cabbage, onion, macaroni salad, sriracha, green onion and basmati rice); and a Mexican tortilla scramble (with cilantro, cheese, avocado, egg, pickled jalapeño, beans and ranch salsa).

“We’re pretty lucky to have some amazing product in this area,” Blakeslee said, “and we make everything from scratch, as we do at The Cooks’ House. But because we are working with global flavors, there are spices and some ingredients – like lemons and limes — that we just cannot get here. But everything else – like the rest of the produce and meats — are from our local farmers.”

NO BOUNDARIES
Eric and I had been thinking about having a food truck for quite a while,” said Blakeslee, “But now I’m kind of happy that it’s a food stall instead of a truck. We can be here year round, so there will always be a food source here at The Little Fleet. Milkweed’s food pairs well with The Little Fleet’s beers, wines and cocktails. The collaboration seems to be benefiting both of us and that was part of the intention. We’ll always have the bibimbap and the curries, and we’re going to do doner kebobs [there’s already a vertical rotisserie for that in the kitchen], and we’ll always have some vegan and vegetarian options,” said Blakeslee.

As for other cuisines that might show up, she says they are open to doing traditional street foods from anywhere in the world. “Eric and I will definitely do some African dishes at some point – he’s particularly interested in Ethiopian food. And I want to start doing some southern Indian food like dosas [stuffed fermented pancakes]. I like to travel a lot, and I love a lot of the different foods, but I especially love street food. That’s really kind of how I eat, even here. I rarely sit down and have a full dinner. I’m more of a snacker. I’m going to India and Germany this spring, so we’ll see what kind of inspiration I bring back from that trip!”

Milkweed is located inside The Little Fleet at 448 East Front St., in Traverse City. Open 7 days a week from 5pm it 11 pm (10 pm on Sundays). Follow them on Facebook and Instagram (milkweedstreetfood) or come into Milkweed during business hours. No telephone inquiries. $

 

WINTER BLUES?
FUGGEDABOUDIT!
Milkweed and The Little Fleet have several special events planned that are sure to help chase away the chill of the coming months. A fondue and beer dinner in January will be followed by an ‘80s ski lodge-themed party, a crawfish boil, and a Hawaiian luau. Mix in collaboration dinners with Happy’s Taco Shop of Boyne City, and Alliance and Raduno of Traverse City, where the chefs will all trade off courses, and an Indian dinner with NJ’s Market of Lake Leelanau, and you start to feel warm inside already. “We’re just trying to be supportive of one another and keep all of our little businesses going,” said Blakeslee. “We like to play in the sandbox together.” Dates will be posted on the websites of The Cooks’ House and The Little Fleet (and soon on the Milkweed website, which was still a work in progress at the time of this writing).

 

AND IF THAT’S NOT ENOUGH …
YES, CATERING
All or part of Little Fleet may be rented for a private gathering, depending on the number of people (minimum of 20), with food provided by Milkweed. Choose from five different menu packages: taco bar, curries, doner kebob bar, charcuterie platter with condiments, or smoked fish platter. For more information, contact Jess at parties@thelittlefleet.com.