Detroit's Zippy Sauce
Michael Esshaki began his restaurant career in 1988 working for Mike Lelli as a waiter in his restaurant Lelli’s. Lelli’s, a Detroit hot spot, specializes in northern Italian dishes and became famous for their filet mignon with Zip Sauce. One year later, he bought the Larco’s restaurant in West Bloomfield from Mike Lelli’s cousin Mike Larco. It was during his time at Larco’s that he learned how to make Zip Sauce. Although Zip Sauce was born at Lelli’s, the popularity and demand for the sauce forced many of the finest Italian restaurants in Detroit, such as Andiamo’s, Rochester Chop House, and Mario’s, to try and duplicate a similar sauce. Every chef has his or her own “best way” of making Zip Sauce. Yet, the main obstacle was how to portion the ingredients to be practical for cooking at home. After almost three years of experimenting, he was able to perfect this combination using the same ingredients found in up-scale restaurants. Try it, you’ll love it and recognize the taste immediately

Ingredients

"This is the famous zip sauce that goes with steak served locally in Detroit. It really brings out the best in beef, and adds a spicy punch to the flavor."

1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup beef drippings

Instructions

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, parsley flakes and salt. Mix in the mustard, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Warm gently for about a minute. Mix equal parts of the sauce with beef steak drippings to complete the sauce just before serving


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