Building History
In July 2010, Michael and Tasso Teftsis announced that the restoration of a 120-year-old Detroit building in Greektown was complete with the opening of Red Smoke Barbeque at 573 Monroe. The project took five years to complete. The building most recently housed the Monroe Grocery, which had been closed for 10 years.
The brothers have a passion for food and Detroit. Down the street, the Teftsis family operates Astoria Pastry Shop which they have owned for over 40 years. The brothers envisioned building Red Smoke as a unique and inviting destination. Why barbeque in Greektown? Barbeque food has rich, fragrant aromas and fully-satisfying flavors. There is so much comfort in the act of enjoying this casual food. Even the word barbeque naturally invokes images of opportunities to gather and celebrate.
Mike McCleer, noted for his historic Detroit renovations, was the architect for the project. Modern details using steel, concrete, tiles and soft wood were employed while retaining the facade, original brick and plaster walls. The facade's columns and cornices, which had been removed decades earlier, were rebuilt and returned to the building. The most exciting feature of McCleer's two-story floor plan includes four tiers that scale down so that each diner has an open view of the historic building. 573 Monroe has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.
Local sculptor and metal artist Andy Owens www.aodesigns.com created the steel banister system that outlines the stairs and the upper levels and features a soft glow from the clear red marbles embedded in accented sections. We have 21,000 marbles in all. Contemporary steel mesh sconces warmly illuminate the walls and a massive red pig mobile chandelier hangs from the 30ft. ceiling. Beautiful workmanship and definitely a must-see!