This local couple is launching a new concept eatery with ‘retro-futuristic’ Electric Ramen – Daily Press & Argus

GENOA TWP. Livingston County chef Mark Skelton and his wife Emily Underwood are launching what they calla new concept for the local restaurant scene.

The coupleare gearing up to open Electric Ramen by early next month,at5584 E. Grand River Ave., in a storefront in the Middletown Market building.

"We're using traditional techniques and sensibilities, but with a modern twist," said Skelton, 40, who wanted to open his own place after working as a chef for decades, mostrecently at Brighton Bar & Grill.

Skelton said Electric Ramen's recipes will featurea modern, pan-Asian twist to ramen dishes, influenced by Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indian and other styles of cuisine.

The restaurant will focus on made-to-order takeout, curbside pickup and delivery through DoorDash. The couple have indoor dining for about 14 people and are consideringoutdoor picnic table seating in the future.

"We felt there was a big demand for something like this and nothing around here. You have to go to either Ann Arbor or Royal Oak …Novi. I feel there is a lot of saturation with other concepts, so I think we'll be a new concept," Skelton said.

He said he hopes the restaurant will be approachable forpeople who are not as familiar with the culinary verbiage associated with Asian cuisine. The menu, for example, lists the English names of dishes and ingredients, so everyone will know what they are getting.

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He said he wants to use some non-traditional ingredients and also source as much as possible from local food producers.

"Ramen places usually use the same ingredients and it's usually a battle of the broths," he said.

Michigan mustard greens, roasted sweet corn andjalapeno peppers all made their way onto Electric Ramen's menu.

"We've got great mushrooms (locally). Instead of importing, we have things like Chicken of the Woods," Skelton said.

One dish he is excited about is the Korean barbecue pork belly ramen with a soft-boiled egg, candied bacon, watermelon radish, scallions and a sweet Thai chili broth.

Guests can customize their order by selecting between house noodle, udon noodles or rice noodles, and substituting a different broth.

There will also be several bao, or steamed bun, dishes that feature Asian slaw and miso aioli, including Korean barbecue pork belly, Kobe short ribs, wild mushroom and sweet potato, and smoked chicken, as well as sides and a kid's menu.

The restaurantwill have vegan and gluten-free options, and guests maysubstitute marinated tofu for any protein.

Underwood, 33, said she and her husband have been talking about opening their own place for years. She used to work for restaurants in the front of the house and management, and she will be in charge of the "behind the scenes" stuff, such asaccounting, marketing and social media.

"It's been fun to bounce ideas off each other," she said.

She said the restaurant is an elevated version of fast-casual food.

"Normally for ramen, you would have to sit down to eat it," she said. "We're definitely trying to pivot to mostly takeout, which is a trend."

The couple describes the restaurant's dcor as "retro-futuristic," with neon signs, a brightly colored graffiti pattern wrapped around the counter and the classic arcade game"Tron: Discs of Tron," which was originally released in 1983.

Skelton said he was partially inspired by 1982 futuristic sci-fi "Blade Runner," pointing to a scene in which actor Harrison Ford's character is in a noodle bar.

The couple envisions their Genoa Township location could be the first of several.

Electric Ramen will cookusing only electricity no gas flames hence the name.Skelton said going all-electric makes cooking more efficient. They will do it all with pasta cookers, soup wells and electric ovens.

"This is something that could be replicated somewhere that couldn't accommodate a regular restaurant, like maybe airports, hospitals, kiosks and on campus," he suggested.

He said they would love to open more locations, including in smaller towns.

"There's Fenton, Milford … there are these cool little towns, you get off the beaten path. I think this concept will work well in those markets."

Jerome Kamano recently became thenew owner of Middletown Market, where Electric Ramen is leasing space. Kamano opened his firstUltimate Pizza and Krispy Krunchy Chicken inside the market a few years ago.

Kamano said someone askseveryday about when Electric Ramen will open.

"He's been working really hard to get it together," Kamano said. "I think it's going to bring something to this area, something different."

He said having other businesses in the complex and inside the market, which is also home to It's So Fluffy Gourmet Popcorn, helps all the vendors.

"We have the(pizza and chicken) restaurant in here, but we don't worry about competition. Any business will always bring more people to the complex," he said.

In additiontoadding Electric Ramen as a tenant, other improvements are happening at the market, which is now focused on becoming a spot for specialty liquors, wines and craft beers. They plan to host free liquor tastings each week, starting withtequilaMarch 25-26, andthey also recently added hand-dipped ice cream.

"We're going to fix the parking lot. We're refreshing the signs and repainting the outside, making sure it looks fresh. We've cleaned up the inside," he said."We're trying to take it to the next level."

ContactLivingston Daily reporterJennifer Timar at jtimar@livingstondaily.com.Follow her on Twitter @jennifer_timar.

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This local couple is launching a new concept eatery with 'retro-futuristic' Electric Ramen - Daily Press & Argus