I convinced Omar, with much cajoling for us to try Gran Casor, the new(er) Latin-American Fusion restaurant in Troy. The reason I had to convince him to go is because Mexican food in general is not his favorite food. He doesn’t share my deep love affair with all things taco and nacho related. Yes, I know Latin-American fusion is not Mexican food. But the menu offerings are similar and included such items as tacos, nachos, queso, etc. All the offerings that do not give Omar the same foody giddiness as it does me.
Cleverly named Gran Castor, which translates to Great Beaver. Well played Gran Castor, as this restaurant is one of the new offerings on Big Beaver’s restaurant row. The restaurant is one of the Union Joint’s many awesome restaurants. Some of which include The Woodshop in Clarkston, The Clarkston Union and Vinsetta Garage. You will even find the famous Clarkston Union Mac and Cheese on their eclectic menu.
We went early as is typically our M.O. on the weekend. We hate waiting for a table anywhere. When we arrived about 5, we had our choice of table, or seats at the front bar, or large back bar. The front bar was located right next to a large fireplace and with such a chilly night was a welcome comfort,
We were immediately greeted by a fun, friendly and knowledgeable bartender, Stephanie. Stephanie had some great suggestions on what to try on the menu. We learned that many of the meats for their dishes come from The Woodshop, including their slow smoked brisket and pulled pork. Stephanie really suggested the brisket, but I was more in a pulled pork kind of mood.
We started our meal with a Negra Modelo, with a reasonable 5.4% apv. A darker Mexican beer with overtones of caramel and malt. Although considered a dark beer, this beer is light and highly drinkable. A standard go to when eating any type of Mexican/Latin food when you are just not feeling a Margarita. It was ice cold and a perfect start to our meal.
They had so many interesting options on the menu from a sweet pea guacamole, to Tuna Ceviche. There was so many options it was difficult to decide. Omar opted to try a couple of the tacos, Bana Mi, a Korean inspired taco with pulled pork, cabbage, pickled jalapenos and carrots, and a cilantro-sesame aioli. The second was their Jackfruit Carnitas, pulled pork braised with fresca and tomatillos, artichoke lime crema, cabbage and cilantro. Both tacos served on a real corn soft shell. The tacos were good, although in the dark restaurant Omar was having a hard time differentiating which was which.
I had to do it, and ordered the Honcho Nachos with pulled pork. I also ordered a side of their salsa sampling, including the Salsa Verde and Union Salsa. The nachos already came with the Peruvian green chili sauce, so I didn’t have to add that one. As you know with nachos, there is usually a perimeter of untopped nachos, requiring extra salsa to dip those naked chips in. This was simply not the case with these nachos. Every single chip was amply covered with deliciousness. The nachos were unlike any I have ever had. The chips covered with a melted cheese blend (real melted cheese, not that cheese goo disaster), a Peruvian chili sauce which was similar to a salsa verde crema. It seemed a creamy blend of jalapeno, tomatillo and chilis. It lent a really unusual flavor to the nachos. Add some chopped tomatoes, pickled jalapenos and carrots (a staple here and really works well on the nachos) all topped with a ton of pulled pork. Honestly, we didn’t need to order the tacos. We struggled to finish the nachos. The plate does not look to overwhelming when served, but once you start digging in, it is a massive amount of food. The salsa verde was flavorful and not too spicy. The union salsa was also very good, and not too spicy. Both salsa’s completely different, with the green jalapeno/tomatillo salsa and the second more traditional tomato based salsa.
We sat at the bar and with an open kitchen concept, we had the opportunity to watch the kitchen staff, who were constant professionals, with a clean work area, proper use of gloves and food handling. We also had the pleasure of watching homemade doughnuts made to order, being pulled out of the fryer and tossed in a sugar mixture, served with salted caramel and spicy Mexican chocolate dipping sauces. We were disappointed (and kind of relieved) that we were way to full to order, but boy did they look good, leaving the kitchen by the dozen.
All in all, we had a great experience. Omar even had to admit he was wrong (whaaaaa?) and agree that the restaurant was a nice change from the standard fare. We will most definitely return! Especially since we just eyed some Peruvian breadsticks on the menu that sound remarkably like our beloved woodsticks from The Clarkston Woodshop. Stay tuned and we’ll let you know if they are similar!
