The Detroit News

High-end Birmingham spot transitions to more casual ‘Casa Pernoi’

The Detroit News

High-end Birmingham spot transitions to more casual ‘Casa Pernoi’

Melody Baetens, The Detroit News | June 12, 2020

During the shutdown of dining rooms across Michigan, chef Luciano DelSignore kept things going at his new Birmingham restaurant Pernoi with a more casual approach and carryout service.

That model is going to stick as the restaurant is re-branded as Casa Pernoi, a “nostalgic and refined Italian dining experience.”

When Pernoi opened in September, DelSignore and partner Takashi Yagihashi, both award-winning chefs with successes in the area, had planned for an extremely contemporary approach that was a mix of Italian, French and Japanese cuisines.

During shutdown, DelSignore — Yagihashi left the business in December — modified the menu to better-suit the carryout model, adding family meals and making things more casual. He called it a “trattoria pop-up.”

“We’ve been fortunate enough to continue serving our guests through carry-out and an adjusted menu geared towards family style meals at home these last few months,” said DelSignore in a media release Friday. The chef is also behind the popular Bacco Ristorante in Southfield. “With an overwhelmingly positive response, we decided to expand the pop-up menu to reflect the dine-in experience.”

Casa Pernoi will open for dine-in dinner service Tuesday. The new menu will focus on classic Italian antipasti, appetizers, bread and entrees like veal chop Parmigiano, tagliatelle bolognese and charred octopus. DelSignore and his team will also serve a complimentary bread basket with five varieties of breads. Add-ons for this house-baked carb load include roasted olives, grilled fennel sausage, mortadella, cheese and more.

While it’s a more casual approach than before COVID-19, price points are still on par for the upscale neighborhood. Pasta dishes run $19-$26 and meat entrees are $28-$65.

With social distancing requirements, the 2,700-square-foot restaurant will seat 80 between the main dining room and patio.

Starting next week, Casa Pernoi is open at 5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. The bar and patio open an hour earlier.

Get updates about Casa Pernoi specials and news.

    We hate spam more than you. We promise only to send news once a month or so, and never sell or share your data.