A few lucky fans got a special taste of Mom’s Spaghetti on Wednesday — hand-served by Eminem himself.
The Detroit rapper spent several minutes manning the alley window of the new eatery on Woodward Avenue, treating the first 10 fans in a blocks-long line to takeout boxes of spaghetti and selfie snaps as he inaugurated the new restaurant inspired by one of his hit lyrics.
Eminem and his entourage soon zoomed away in a pair of SUVs, chased Beatlemania-style down Woodward by packs of fans.
It was a rare public appearance by the generally reclusive star, part of a festive set of activities that included the Cass Tech Marching Band parading down Woodward playing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
Eminem declined to answer a reporter’s shouted questions as he held fort at the window.
Fans lined several blocks ahead of the restaurant’s official 5 p.m. opening. Many had camped out since early morning.
The spot from the Detroit rapper is within Union Assembly restaurant, a recently opened restaurant on the ground floor of Little Caesars world headquarters on Woodward Avenue across from Comerica Park.
The Mom’s Spaghetti walk-up window is in an alley between Union Assembly and the Fillmore. Above the window is a sign featuring a red heart, with a fork through it and a sash with the “Mom’s Spaghetti’ name.
As the name implies, the menu is all spaghetti, and it’s a simple menu with just a few items. There’s Mom’s Spaghetti for $9, Mom’s Spaghetti with Meatballs for $12 and a ‘Sghetti Sandwich for $11. A vegan option, according to momsspaghetti.com, is spaghetti with vegan balls for $14. The vegan balls are made with black beans, quinoa and sweet peppers. Pepsi product beverages and water are $3 each.
The project is a partnership with Union Joints Restaurant Group, co-owned by Curt Catallo; his wife, Ann Stevenson, and managing partner Erich Lines. Union Joints also owns long-standing suburban restaurant hot spots Clarkston Union, Union Woodshop, Vinsetta Garage and more.
The eatery is described as a “small bodega space” inside Union Assembly. Seating is limited.
“The opportunity to build a permanent location based on an incredibly meta-reference was one that everyone at Union Joints, as a Metro Detroit restaurant group, took very seriously,” Catallo said in a news release. “We’re proud of the fact that we created a scratch sauce that tastes like it’s straight from the jar, and wok-firing the noodles gives it that leftover pasta snap.”
On Union Assembly’s second floor is a merchandise store called the Trailer, a nod to B Rabbit’s mobile home in “8 Mile.” Items include vintage Detroit apparel and Shady Records shirts, mugs and other items.
The store will exhibit rotating items from the Eminem archives. On display now are the rapper’s original superhero costume from the “Without Me” music video and a pair of his custom Nike Air Jordan “Shady XV” sneakers.
Stevenson, Catallo’s wife, designed the Trailer space.
Catallo described the Trailer as “something that belongs in Detroit, and it feels right at home in this space.” It is described as a small space and will be limited to eight customers, or “Stans,” at a time.
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TV teasers were swirling last week suggesting a permanent Mom’s Spaghetti was opening in Detroit, possibly next to Union Assembly.
The new eatery takes its name from the famous opening verse of Eminem’s biggest hit, 2002’s “Lose Yourself.” In the song, he describes a nervous rapper with sweaty palms, weak knees and a tummy that’s uncooperative with mom’s dinner.
Eminem’s association with Catallo dates to at least 2010, when Catallo’s design agency, Union AdWorks, collaborated on a Chrysler commercial with a choir singing “Lose Yourself.” The ad was a prequel to Eminem’s Super Bowl spot with Chrysler the next year.
In 2017, Union Joints set up a Mom’s Spaghetti pop-up at the Shelter in downtown Detroit — a club where Eminem performed in his days before global fame.
Paul Rosenberg, Eminem’s manager, said in a statement that “previous pop-ups were really a test for us to determine whether there was enthusiasm for a regularly occurring Mom’s Spaghetti spot that would be open all year long.”
The new Eminem restaurant is three blocks from the former site of Kid Rock’s Made in Detroit, a Little Caesars Arena dining spot that closed in 2019 amid protests. The rap-rocker had come under fire from local activist groups for his support of President Donald Trump and an onstage outburst directed at Oprah Winfrey.
For more information on Mom’s Spaghetti, go to momsspaghetti.com or call 313-888-8388.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Sue Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
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