Tannin is moving to East Michigan Avenue in Lansing

Vickki Dozier | Lansing State Journal

OKEMOS — Tannin is moving from Okemos to East Michigan Avenue in Lansing, possibly as soon as the fall.

The Italian eatery's new location will be at 1620 E. Michigan Ave., at the site of the former Tabooli restaurant.

"We like the sort of neighborhood feel of that area," said Tannin owner Chris Roelofs. "Actually a lot of people that have worked here, who’ve really helped us become what we are, have been from that neighborhood. That made me think this is probably a good fit for us."

"I want to get more into the middle of things, he added, "and that corridor seems like an area that is really growing well. The people I’ve run into just while I'm down on site seem extremely interested in what we’re doing and excited about it. It feels like there's a lot of enthusiasm and energy for growth and new restaurants and things like that in that area."

Roelofs opened Tannin in Okemos in 2013. He describes the restaurant as having an Italian foundation.

"Sometimes we stay very true to that, sometimes we branch out in different culinary traditions," Roelofs said. "And we make everything from scratch."

Chef Nick Fila keep things interesting in the kitchen.

"There's a carbonera Nick's making right now that's pretty delicious," Roelofs said. "He’s been making his own bacon, and then doing a carbonera with shallots, house made bacon and then peas we get from a local farmer. It’s a simple dish but it’s so good."

The selections change with great frequency, just so they can try new things. And it changes seasonally.

"Because we want a larger lunch business, we’re actually thinking of trying to have some lower price points on some of our foods," Roelofs said. "And have a selection that sort of appeals to a broader group of people."

Roelofs says he wanted to do the new restaurant in a slightly smaller space, maybe in the 50 to 60 people range. He likes the idea of having everything in one area to give it a little bit more of a community kind of feel.

"We're going to see if its viable to have a semi-open kitchen so you can see what's going on in there, this time around," Roelofs said.

And he'll keep all of the tables that he made from wood pallets from his own fence.

"We are very excited about the fact that Tannin is coming to the east side," said Joan Nelson, executive director of the Allen Neighborhood Center. "I think it will be very successful.

"The east side has a history of really embracing restaurants along Michigan Avenue," she said. "Witness the success of the Soup Spoon or, for nearly 100 years, Emil's. I think that people will be really delighted to have Tannin on the avenue. As restaurants open up on Michigan Avenue, we think it really contributes to the dynamism and the vibrancy of the area."

Tannin and Allen Neighborhood Center already have a personal connection — Chef Fila.

"Nick was the founder of Lansing Pasta Company, one of the first businesses in our incubator kitchen," Nelson said. "We loved having Nick and his giant pasta cutting machine in our kitchen and having him selling his pasta at our farmers market until he was snatched up by Tannin as their executive chef."

Roelofs grew up in Philadelphia. He attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids and graduate school at the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., teaching classes there and at George Washington University.

While in graduate school, he worked in fine dining in Washington, D.C. and found out he really liked wine and food and cooking. So he decided to go into the restaurant field instead.

"I just sort of just moved out here and saw there were a lot of independent restaurants and thought, 'I can do this.'"

Roelofs believes the Michigan Avenue location will give Tannin greater visibility. It's now tucked into a strip mall off Marsh Road.

"We're hoping to show that you can cook really good food, really interesting food. It doesn't have to be that crazy or exotic," he said. "There’s good food at every end of the spectrum and we just are interested in doing it."

Contact Vickki Dozier at (517) 267-1342 or vdozier@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickkiD.