Business & Tech
Birmingham Commission Gives Go-ahead to Bistro and Cigar Bar Plan
Churchill's Bistro gets okay in 4-3 vote to open a restaurant where patrons can smoke cigars, eat and drink.
After months of planning and discussion at various levels of city government, it looks like Birmingham is getting a cigar bar and bistro.
City commission approved the final site plans Monday and special land use permit for Churchill’s, a bistro and cigar bar looking to open within months at 118 N. Old Woodward Ave. The bistro will be a rarity in the region as one of the only places where patrons can eat, drink and smoke.
The new bistro will be headed by the same owners of , Nash Zaitouna and his daughter, Amy Zaitouna, and executive chef Jade York. Upon opening the bistro, the Zaitounas would lose their status as tobacconists and will have to close Churchill’s Cigar Shop, which has been in Birmingham since 1984.
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The bistro, designed by architect Ron Rhea to feel like the “combination of an English men’s club and Ralph Lauren,” will have a Cuban flair, cozy booths, warm wood tones and a prominently-featured humidor. The restaurant will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and will move into the space formerly occupied by Jennifer's Convertibles.
The conversation lasted long into the evening at city hall, with commissioners debating whether Churchill’s fit the city’s intention for the bistro license. Churchill’s is applying for the second of two bistro licenses the city issues each year. A bistro is defined as a restaurant with a full-service kitchen, seating for no more than 65 inside and additional space for outdoor dining.
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The 2007 bistro ordinance, commissioner Scott Moore said, was meant to attract a variety of dining options to the city. Bistros are intended to be inclusive and focus on food. A cigar bar and restaurant, he contended, will only appeal to a small segment of the population.
“Is this a concept that we’re comfortable with and we want to encourage?” Commissioner Stuart Sherman asked.
In addition, Moore said he wasn’t convinced food was going to be the main attraction, questioning the group on how profits are expected to be divided among food, alcohol and cigars.
A special exemption
Allowing Churchill’s to operate a restaurant and cigar bar is a special exemption to the 2010 Michigan Smoke Free Law. Under the law, smoking is prohibited in public places and food establishments — with the exception of cigar bars. Cigar bars are defined as establishments that: generate at least 10 percent of their gross revenue from the sale of cigars and humidor rental, have an on-site humidor, prohibit the sale of all other tobacco products, don’t allow minors and sells only cigars that are $1 or more.
Food can be served at cigar bars if the establishment holds an exemption with the Michigan Department of Community Health, which Churchill’s received in spring 2010, the group's lawyer Paul Weisberger said.
Currently, Birmingham is home to Got Rocks Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge, located upstairs at the , which opened in 2009. Churchill’s opened a .
‘You will see things you’ve never seen in Detroit’
Smoking wasn’t the issue at any of the hearings held by the planning board or city commission. While commissioners admitted several times Monday night that they might not patronize the establishment themselves, they still want to make sure it’s all about the food. Weisberger assured them that mixing cigars with food is a natural combination for cigar aficionados.
“We want to have a place where you can sit with a big group of friends and eat, drink and smoke cigars,” Weisberger said at the group’s .
To combat the perception of a smoker’s lounge, Zaitouna brought in York, who has worked in kitchens across the country, most notably Los Angeles, Sante Fe and the Pike Street Restaurant in Pontiac. A Michigan native, York recently moved back to his hometown of Bay City with his family, but is willing to relocate to Birmingham should plans go through.
York brings a Latin and Caribbean flair to the new menu and has plans for dishes such as yellow tail crudite, braised octopus and crispy pork belly and slow-roasted pork shoulder with fried plantains.
The bistro experience is meant to be unique, Weisberger said, and the food at Churchill’s will be one-of-a-kind.
“You will see things you’ve never seen in Detroit,” he said.
A system to scrub the air
Churchill’s owners hired Walt Zimmerman, president of Climate Technologies, to design the filtration and ventilation system used to scrub the air in and outside the restaurant.
Commissioners were worried about the lack of technical details during the , and asked Churchill's representatives to return with information on how neighboring businesses and passersby would be impacted by the smell of cigar smoke.
The system will be multi-faced, Zimmerman said. Built by Bioclimatic USA, the system is similar to those used in casinos, hospitals, schools and hotels. Filtering out cigar smoke should be relatively easy, he said.
“Dealing with cigar smoke isn’t a big issue if you’re willing to spend the money,” Zimmerman said.
The system, both costly to install and maintain, constantly circulates fresh air into the building while expelling smoke. All the air in the building, Zimmerman said, would be replaced every few minutes.
This will be coupled with filters made from activated carbon and potassium permanganate that will scrub the air and remove the visible signs and smell of smoke. The exhaust will then be launched 30-40 feet into the air from an eight-foot-high smoke stack on top of the building.
Similar systems are currently in use at in Northville and La Casa De La Habana downtown, Zimmerman said. Churchill’s Cigar Bar in West Bloomfield only uses commercial smoke filters, he said.
Stretching the bistro concept
Ultimately, Weisberger said the bistro is for the “cigar lover.” Churchill’s Cigar Shop already has a loyal following but opening up a bistro would transform it into a regional destination.
“This is an experience that’s going to draw from all around,” he said.
Weisberger continued to emphasize the “experience,” even as commissioners peppered him with questions on the restaurant’s feasibility and whether it fits the definition and intent of a “bistro.” Mayor Pro Tem Mark Nickita said the concept is like squeezing a square peg into a round hole.
“We’ve been very open with the bistro concept,” he said. “But how far do you want to stretch that? I say we stretched it too far.”
At the Jan. 26 planning board meeting, several community members supported of the plan, noting that having the cigar shop within walking distance of several world-class financial and law firms is a huge advantage when entertaining clients. Having a cigar bar and restaurant would be even better.
Resident Dorothy Conrad was adamant in her disapproval. “I do not believe this is an eating establishment,” she said. “This is going to be a gentleman’s club.”
Ultimately, Commissioner Rackeline Hoff — who admitted early in the evening she was torn on the decision — said it’s not up to the commission to assess if a business will be successful. A last-minute change of heart from Commissioner Tom McDaniel. He said he’s still among the “real serious skeptics” and gave the plan the fourth vote it needed to pass. Commissioners Moore, Sherman and Nickita voted against.
Zaitouna said the group can move ahead with construction drawings, and has plans to open to the cigar bar within a few months.
“We’re on an aggressive timeline,” Weisberger said. “We want to get this moved along quickly.”
Mike Scott contributed to this report.
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