Mark Kurlyandchik

Detroit Free Press Restaurant Critic

Editor's note: On the morning of Feb. 17, 2017, Katoi was gutted by fire, allegedly set by burglars. Read more here.

While Asian flavors permeated this year's new restaurant lineup in a big way, none were more distinct than those emanating from Brad Greenhill's open kitchen at Katoi, a superb Southeast Asian-inspired restaurant nestled in a former Corktown garage.

Katoi began in 2014 as a somewhat spontaneous partnership between Greenhill and restaurant manager Courtney Henriette, who together slung bowls of khao soi noodles out of an immobile food truck at Two James Distillery, then popped up in Ann Arbor before crash-landing permanently in the Corktown space last spring.

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Best New Recipe: Katoi, Detroit

"THE MOTHERSHIP," as the restaurant is aptly referred to by its marketing team, is a distinct, wholly transporting experience. From the gritty sci-fi interior to the deeply funky fish sauces and bird's eye chiles that typify the fare, you'd be forgiven for forgetting you're in Detroit. Yet the evidence is there, in the distressed cinder-block walls of the old garage and on the plates brimming with Midwestern ingredients. (In warmer months, some come from the restaurant's own small urban farm on the other side of the freeway.)

Bring a small group of adventurous friends and sample as much as you can from Greenhill's ever-changing menu. Few items never leave, including the addictively crispy spare ribs, which spend a few hours in the smoker before receiving a sweet and tangy shell of fish sauce caramel. Noodles are always a hit, too, but Greenhill's rice dishes shouldn't be overlooked, especially the pungent naem khao tod appetizer of sour pork and crispy rice served cold. A pedestrian side dish at most places, Katoi's shrimp fried rice is some of the best you'll ever have.

It's hard to find a lackluster dish at Katoi with its tantalizing combo of sweet, salty, spicy, bitter and funky flavors, but the food goes down even easier thanks to inspired cocktails utilizing house-made tinctures made from Thai ingredients.

Detroit's answer to high-profile coastal Thai outposts like Pok Pok and Night + Market, Katoi's name will soon be uttered in the same breath as its forerunners thanks to plenty of high-profile attention from national taste-makers including Gwyneth Paltrow, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and Vogue magazine, to name a few.

In less than a year, the out-of-this-world hotspot has bolstered Detroit's dining profile nationally, but its local appeal is evident in the crush of would-be diners who wait hours during peak times for a coveted seat.

GENRE: Contemporary Southeast Asian-inspired shared plates

VIBE: A gritty futuristic bar out of a Philip K. Dick novel run by hippies; gets clubbier at night with guest DJ sets

GOODFOR: An adventurous night out with a small group; alternative late-night bar food on weekends

STANDOUT DISHES: Naemkhao tod, shrimp fried rice, crispy spare ribs

2520 Michigan, Detroit. Dinner only Mon.-Sat.; reservations accepted only for chef’s table; 313-855-2864 and katoidetroit.com