Right On Time: Introducing Coeur Happy Hour
May 2025
The patio is open. The garden is growing. Ferndale is partying, and summer is coming.
It’s officially patio season, and my dad loves the patio at Coeur. Every chance he gets, he’s out there dining al fresco. I totally get it. Our patio is cute as hell. It’s chill, spacious, tucked away, and snug. It’s also behind the restaurant, so not a lot of people know about it. A sort of IYKYK situation. It’s quiet and spacious, with room to spread out. String lights connect the corners of the building to illuminate the space during night time, and garden gnomes poke out from the soil with their pointy little hats.
Coeur’s patio is very much a part of our garden, where raised beds house fresh herbs like oregano, thyme, cilantro, parsley, and rosemary. Tomatoes, bell peppers, and chili peppers grow in the summer, and we pluck them as necessary during the summer months for the kitchen. Dining outside near a garden, close to the food that sustains us, is one of those enchanting experiences everyone should do at least once. I really think our patio is one of the best around, and the perfect place to enjoy some brunch.
This month is also Ferndale Pride, which is a big deal in this town, and we love to participate in the events. This year, in addition to having outdoor seating in the back, we’re also setting tables up on the street out front, where the party stays lively and energetic. I’m not sure if people know this, but Ferndale’s Pride, which is on May 31st, is the largest free-to-the-public LGBTQAI+ festival in Michigan, so come hang out, have some drinks, some food, and celebrate the good vibes. We’ll be here Noon to 10 p.m.
Speaking of good vibes, one thing I’ve come to realize is that customers at Coeur love our short ribs. It’s something we always receive glowing feedback on, and as such is one of our best selling dishes. I get it. Braised, fatty cuts of meat are classic for good reason. Our current menu features short rib with polenta and guanciale, which is hearty, rich, and decadent.
Your love of short ribs has in turn inspired me to find new and creative ways to serve comfort food. Currently, I’m working on a braised oxtail and gnocchi dish, which shares a spiritual kinship with short ribs and polenta. We make the semolina and ricotta gnocchi from scratch, then toss them with braised oxtail, fava beans, confit pearl onions, and pickled ramps. The gnocchi are plump, pillowy, and rich with sweet ricotta cheese. The oxtail is braised in guanciale spices: fennel seed, black pepper, oregano, thyme, juniper, allspice, crushed red pepper, and garlic. If you’ve never had oxtail, boy, it is phenomenal — meaty, deep, tender, and just melt-in-your-mouth good.
Oxtail and gnocchi is a dish for all seasons, and something I’ve been tinkering with for weeks now. I don’t know when it’ll be on the menu, but I thought sharing some of our process might be fun. Everything’s a puzzle, and I love puzzles. We take the creative process here at Coeur seriously by taking the fun seriously. I truly believe that’s the key to any long-lasting creative success: stay loose, have fun, and enjoy your work to an obsessive degree.
Also of note: We’ve heard you loud and clear, and happy hour is coming. We’ll have drink specials and a happy hour food menu with some fun, off-menu snacks. Happy hour starts this week and will be available at the bar and on the patio from 5-7 p.m. on the weekdays we’re open (Wednesday to Friday) and from 3 p.m to close on Sundays.
What does happy hour at Coeur look like? Expect creativity, seasonality, limited-run dishes, and cheaper prices on drinks and food. What I’m most excited about is that the happy hour menu will be totally different from anything else we do. It’s going to be full of fun, experimental ingredients and dishes. Nothing online. Exclusive.
The happy hour menu is our opportunity to be hyper seasonal because we can only get so much of a product. If we have a lot of peppers coming from our garden out back, we’re going to make sausage and peppers. If a farmer comes in and says, “We have a lot of rhubarb,” well, by God, we’re going to make homemade rhubarb ketchup for a Toulouse garlic-sausage hot dog (this, for certain, will be on the menu). Happy hour will be another form of creative expression for us. And you, the diner, benefit with fresh, inspired food at happy hour prices. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more happy hour updates.
The seasons are changing, and with it, Coeur changes, too. I sincerely appreciate all of your love and support this year, through every iteration of this restaurant that means so much to me. I’m excited to keep providing this neighborhood with fun, accessible, and delicious ways to dine.
Cheers, and hope to see you soon,
With 💜,
Jordan Smith
