Grey Ghost team opens Second Best bar and hangout in Detroit

Pulled pork hush puppies, seven-layer deviled eggs and not-craft-cocktails like Long Island iced tea and kamikaze shots have arrived in the Brush Park area with the debut of Second Best bar and restaurant. 

Announced in November, the casual hangout comes from the team behind applauded Grey Ghost restaurant, just around the corner. Their Four Man Ladder Management were looking to create something more approachable that comes off like a neighborhood hangout. 

“We're incredibly excited to open our second location here in Detroit and to take on the challenge of elevating the notion of traditional bar snacks, while incorporating some of the more refined methods and techniques we’ve acquired through our careers. Our aim is to add a level of sophistication to our 'bar food' menu without losing the charm of the corner pub,” said co-owner and Chef Joe Giacomino in a press release. 

The focus of the 2,300-square-foot space is drinks. Drafts will be familiar labels: Labatt Blue Light, Founders All Day IPA and Blue Moon. The list of bottled and canned beer doesn't get too dramatic either, aside from a $10 40-ounce of Miller High Life, something you rarely see in bars. 

The cocktail list may remind you of college, with Johnny Vegas and Red Bull bomb shots, plus apple martinis, mind erasers and cosmopolitans. There is also a handful of wines, each $9 per glass. 

The bites menu ranges from pub grub like Italian beef and fried chicken sandwiches to some more trendy items like suped-up deviled eggs and steak tartare (this is the Grey Ghost guys, after all). 

The new spot is located in a space formerly occupied by the Heidelberg Project as an administrative building and also for meetings, gallery and studio space. They exited in March 2017 after not being able to purchase the building due to the changing market. 

Second Best is at 42 E. Watson in Detroit. It's open daily 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Visit secondbestdetroit.com or call (313) 315-3077. 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens