New bar and grill — Big City — comes to Washington Blvd.

Big City, a bar and grill, has opened at the southeastern corner of Washington Blvd. and Michigan Avenue. While located inside the Holiday Inn Express, Big City is not a just hotel bar. Co-owner Dave Nesti says, “We don’t want to be thought of as a hotel bar, which is why we’ve kept our prices reasonable.”

The jagged U-shaped bar seats about 20, and booths and high-top tables another 80. Bar stand-bys such as plasma screen TVs, a pool table and jukebox are accounted for, and local artist Kevin Cartwright’s mural conveys the Detroit-is-a-big-city vibe that Nesti and partner Dino Karadimas are aiming for.

Three years ago, Nesti moved to Fort Lauderdale fresh out of culinary school. Long-time friend Karadimas, whose family owns Plaka Restaurant in Greektown, wanted him to return to Detroit, but Nesti refused. “I told him the only way I was coming back was if I owned something,” he says, laughing. A month ago, he got the call that brought him back to Detroit.

Big City offers a menu of appetizers, salads, soup and chili, entrees, burgers and sandwiches until 2 am. Clientele includes a mix of hotel guests and downtown residents. Nesti is glad of Big City’s proximity to the Book Cadillac and the People Mover, and marvels at the changed downtown he came home to. “This street alone,” he says gesturing to Washington Blvd. “The renovations are gorgeous.”

Source: Dave Nesti, Big City