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CLASSIC & CARNIVORIA ALLEY GRILLE STEAKHOUSE You’ll find true American gourmet classics in every course on the menu. This is more than an homage to refined eating—it’s love. Oysters Rockefeller, lobster bisque and the tableside wilted spinach salad (or the simple beefsteak tomato and Maytag dressing on an iceberg wedge) are just some of the time-tested openers. There is a comprehensive collection of red wine, red-shelled crustaceans and red meat—which happens to be USDA prime (which is at least a grade better than you’ll find at your neighborhood grocer). Sure, there’s trendier stuff among the entrées, such as Chilean sea bass and Kobe filet mignon as well as crowd pleasers like pastas, but it is tournedos Oscar and osso bucco that raise this bar. Since no review of a casino restaurant would be complete without resorting to gaming clichés, we’ll just say you’ll hit the jackpot with these winners. BENTLEY'S Looking for a sensational strip steak in a strip mall that won’t strip your wallet? Try Bentley’s. Classic dishes with a twist and an intimate, formal dining room make it perfect for special occasions. Chef Ghasem Besharat, who has years of catering experience, says the menu changes seasonally. But bet that his take on lobster thermidor, honey-lime roasted sea scallops and steak maitre d’hotel rules year-round. Appetizers are seafood-oriented, fresh veggies and dinner salad superb, vegetarian entrees innovative. Service is smooth and friendly. Bar and banquet hall are part of the scene. BARONS No longer a steakhouse, but since we have yet to order a steak here, it really doesn’t matter. We like lunching on the outdoor patio—an oft-overlooked city escape right behind the hotel. There’s nothing better than sitting back with a light lunch on the river with a nice big drink, calling the office and telling them something’s come up. BIG ROCK CHOP HOUSE Legendary meeting spot for gaggles of designer-label singles, the parking lot is testament to the mobility (upward) of the clientele. Big Rock brews its own beer, but almost as an afterthought. “Liquor is quicker,” said Ogden Nash, so go full-bore and order a martini—it’s perfectly appropriate. The location is a former train depot, so architecturally, it is a very interesting space indeed, highlighted with colorful ceilings both arched and vaulted. Big Rock’s motif is upscale hunting lodge, and the stuffed moose, elk and bear leave little doubt where Big Rock is going; hand-cut aged steaks rule the roost, particulary the butter soft bone-in filet. There are short ribs, a veal chop, grilled ostrich filet and the Big Rock magnum opus, three double-cut rib lamb chops. There is plenty of seafood, salads and a balanced appetizer list for those who are carnivorically challenged. Upstairs, Got Rocks Ultra Lounge offers martinis, cigars, dancing and non-stop hedonism. CARL’S CHOP HOUSE Tops for Motown chops since the ’30s, Carl’s was and still is downtown Detroit’s steakhouse. You and the black cow statue on the roof may remember when going out was a big deal and people dressed for dinner—you actually needed a tie to tie one on. Today, Carl’s is now as casual as our society—the room is a bit worse for the wear but the Black Angus steak is as good as ever. Playboy (we only read it for the articles) ranked Carl’s one of the USA’s 10 best a few years back. The custom carpet with the prize-winning cow now shows wear and they no longer have the swankiest service in town, but Carl’s still recalls the great American dining experience. The bar side has taken a turn towards sports, modernized with a stamped metal ceiling, ersatz blackjack tables and Bada Bing neon, which may ruffle a few feathers. But you will have to admit, they have one of the best filets you ever ate. CASTLE GRILLE AT CANTERBURY VILLAGE We had hoped this faux castle would be a “date impresser” with jousting and turkey legs, instead the flesh palace concentrated on food. So we’ll just settle for tableside prime rib and leave the chain mail vest at home. CAUCUS CLUB Once these hallowed halls were off-limits to anyone but rich white guys; powerbrokers who powwowed over red meat and red wine while deciding the fate of the rest of us. Today, the menu still reeks of the elite but the doors are open to all. Not only are women invited, in a stroke of irony worthy of a movie, one of the owners is (gasp) female. The food and service remain true to their Les Gruber roots. The classics are presented with reverence in this oft-overlooked dining archetype, as loved for the legendary burgers as the big-ticket tastes. Don’t miss what is one of the best, if not the best Caesar salads in a lifetime of eating Caesars—spicy, garlic perfection that they should bottle and conquer the world. CENTURY GRILLE The ultimate spot for dinner and a show—the Grille is inside the Gem Theatre building. Or if you’ve already seen Detroit’s longest running production, how about just dinner? The classics aren’t just on stage, they’re also on your table. Hard-to-follow openers like soft-shell crab and a perfect shrimp cocktail (with Absolut cocktail sauce) set the stage. The A-list main acts include juicy steaks and chops, succulent seafood and shellfish. Most are served with their extraordinary mashed potatoes, whose flavors change daily. It’s one of the few places you’ll find the elusive beef Wellington (which Chef Hamiel prepares with a mushroom rather than a liver pâté). There is a happening patio with a more casual menu and atmosphere; the live band not only lights it up, it elevates the surrounding city for blocks. CHEF'S CUISINE Have we told you how much we love elk lately? Maybe that’s because we didn’t know until we visited this Lake area treasure. It’s a high-demand special that is frequently on the menu, popular because Chef Michael Hill is at the top of his game, literally, as in what he cooks and how well he cooks it. Elk is like beef, only beefier. The accompanying apps, salads, sides, and starch were all creative, everything you would expect from a four-star hotel —except the price, which was more in tune with White Lake than Lake Tahoe (where Schoolcraft/Greenbriar grad Chef Michael spent some of his 22 years honing skills, along with area class acts Duglass, Great Dane, and Petit Jardin). This is a knockout place with an impressive wine list, a lot of care, a lot of know-who, and it is plain to see this 36 seat gem is labor of love. THE CLAWSON STEAKHOUSE Popular with the highball crowd, Clawson’s class joint has been going strong since steakhouses were in style the first go-round. Now that the classics are being rediscovered and ripped off, Clawson’s seems as hip a joint as any designer might dream up in a franchise laboratory. This is lion food at its finest. The crowd is mostly older people, because they keep coming back. One of the few places that can afford to turn away the shoddily dressed, so wear something nice for a change. FOX AND HOUNDS When you were a child, nothing looked cooler than the big “castle” on Woodward. As a jaded adult, it continues to impress and we don’t have to beg our parents to please stop. The softly illuminated English-style restaurant continues to thrill us with incredibly well prepared steaks and upscale Americana meals. Perfect for big dates, business folk, families and that ever-growing army of area divorcées. GANDY DANCER Quality and service have always reigned supreme in a converted train depot that has become Ann Arbor’s landmark white-tablecloth restaurant. Considered the best Sunday brunch in A2, it’s also a top spot for a great fresh catch or steak. Szechuan style King crab cocktail rocked our world, along with the super fresh raw bar. THE GRILL AT THE EARLY AMERICAN ROOM A romantic and elegant 1930s ambience makes it the perfect spot to woo that special someone—especially since you can get a room. The Grill at the Early American Room is known for having some of the best food in Ford Country. With the respectful doting service you expect in better hotels, the Grill offers up classic American cuisine at its very finest. Favorites like lobster bisque, rack of lamb and Dover sole Meuniere, and cedar plank-roasted arctic char with apple-infused butter are well-executed and well-received. Chateaubriand-for-two is always an amore-inspiring entrée and, if you are going Dutch, not too hard on the wallet. HARBOR STEAK HOUSE Ahoy, landlubbers, here’s a nautical-themed steakhouse that seems more like a joint you went to on that Florida vacation with your parents than the here and now. The bar side has more of the mizzenmasts, gangplanks, jibs and thick ropes with knots and other sailor hiberty-jiberty. Go for the two-pound prime rib, which is one big hunk of cow by any standard. As for the crowd—well, the mega bottles of Chivas and Crown hang upside down. THE HILL SEAFOOD & CHOP HOUSE Since its inception, The Hill has more or less reigned as the best restaurant in Grosse Pointe, drawing accolades from critics (HOUR Detroit magazine Restaurant of the Year, etc.) and the public alike. A bevy of fresh-quality seafood anchors the menu and is balanced with enough can’t-miss carnivora to satiate any appetite. For a restaurant of its culinary stature, the Hill is a real value. With soup or salad, starch and vegetable included in the already reasonable prices, you have a Grosse Pointe success formula. Preparation is respectfully classic, with enough modern touches to keep it in the now. And save room for the chocolate molten lava cake. The Hill is definitely worth the drive from the landlocked ’burbs. THE HOLLYWOOD BROWN DERBY Technically, it would be the Detroit Brown Derby, but who wants to pick nits? This resurrected Hollywood-heyday glamour haunt has been reborn, and there really aren’t enough of them to call them a chain. Of course the namesake owners’ (MGM) roots reach right back into the golden age of cinema. One of the few half-handfuls of restaurants that actually know how to make a Cobb salad—they better, it was created in the long-gone original. The rest of the food is just what the glamorous stars of yesteryear loved to eat, with a few modern updates just in case Brad and Angelina stop by. KIERNAN’S STEAKHOUSE Decorated in red with fancy beaded lampshades, it kind of has that classy bordello vibe. That’s because Kiernan’s is the real deal and has been since the mid-’60s, when that 1890s look was on the cutting edge of high style. No pretense, just the incredible steaks that made them a Dearborn landmark. LA BISTECCA ITALIAN GRILLE Located east of town on a strip of road between nothing and nothing, this Italian steakhouse had to become a destination, which it did very well. One of the first restaurants in the country to serve Piedmontese, you could call it a heart-smart beefhouse. They have pollo, pesce and pasta, but it is the meat that moves the menu, because in Italian, La Bistecca probably means “really good.” THE LARK The only restaurant that ever won HOUR Detroit magazine’s restaurant of the year, twice. Slipping into the toque of worthy predecessors, the Lark’s newest kitchen commandant John Somerville is a refreshing breed of chef—ego-free and talent-heavy. Showcased by a warmly beautiful, supremely intimate dining room that oozes personality, Somerville’s plates are true to his decade of training under such culinary luminaries as Gary Danko, Marcus Haight and Marc Collins, but always reflective of the Lark mission: eclectic creations with a nod to French technique. Flavors can be bright and bold (truffled lasagna with pumpkin filling and parmesan-reggiano sauce, bistro-rustic (prime beef strip loin with pommes frites, worthy of the 6th arrondissement) or Cordon Bleu classical (lobster thermidor Café de Paris). And safe to say, the most inveterate Francophobe may rethink his position over a steaming tureen of traditional Provençal bouillabaisse. The wine list is deep and the dessert trolley inventive, making The Lark a restaurant by which most Detroiters measure all others. MICHIGAN STAR CLIPPER When Johnny Cash sang, “I bet there’s rich folks eating in them fancy dining cars…” he might have been referencing the beautifully restored passenger cars of the Michigan Star Clipper Dinner Train. More than just a nostalgic night out, these streamlined vintage railroad cars actually put fine dining in motion, serving up beautiful five course meals while you enjoy the constantly changing scenery. We suggest the signature slow roasted prime-rib, which has been the favorite for 23 years. It is dinner and a show; entertainment is often a musical performance or theatrical production such as a murder mystery. No need for a designated driver, as you can include a private room in one of the historic Pullman cars. You can also book the train for private parties and events. Choo-chew. MACKINNON’S The selection of red meat at Mackinnon’s is nothing short of amazing. It starts with USDA prime and only gets better: Choose from extra-lean Piedmontese and please your doctor or go for the heart-stopping succulence of American Kobe and see why these coddled cows are considered a cut above. Or you may want to blow off the bovine altogether and indulge in the big taste of Colorado bison. The reds aren’t just reserved for chops; he’s got a stellar wine list including a healthy port selection. MORTON’S Used to be a Manhattan saying: If he takes you to Morton’s, he’s worth a second date. In blue-collar Detroit, Morton’s is the standard by which we judge forty-pound potatoes and enough cow per meal to feed the city. If that’s not enough, there’s a martini and cigar bar to aggravate your bent toward rampant hedonism and round out the Deadly Sins. At Morton’s you eat, drink and are merry, for tomorrow you’ll deal with the cholesterol counts. Morton’s remains a fine and imperturbable old-guard steakhouse where quantity and quality are mind- and heart-blowing and we always trust that the wait staff is up-to-date on their Heimlich maneuvering. MR. PAUL’S CHOPHOUSE Ask any eastsider and they’ll tell you, Mr. Paul’s is the greatest steakhouse in all of Detroit?dom. This family operation has been doing beef right for forty years, and they have rightfully earned their legendary status. Mr. Paul’s is exactly what a great steakhouse is supposed to be—upscale, with a relaxed atmosphere (yes, that is a piano twinkling), professional and personable service (the staff is loyal), stellar cocktails (and a lively bar) and above all, great food. The steaks themselves are unbeatable, from the tender filet to a monster plate-filling porterhouse, you just can’t make a mistake with the meat (unless you like it well done, which we personally think is a mistake anywhere). Feeling less predatory? The fish is always excellent, and king crab legs are a crowd pleaser as well, but less popular hard-to-find favorites like frog legs or calve's liver truly make the menu special. Mr. Paul’s specializes in tableside preparation, the chateaubriand is a knock out, the Caesar is the best in town, and when you cap off with a flaming dessert, your evening is guaranteed to be memorable. Mr. Paul’s is indisputable proof of the old adage, “they don’t make them like they used to.” NERO’S STEAKHOUSE A contemporary spin on the classic steakhouse—sleek and stylish, more cool than clubby. The selection of appetizers is well balanced; we found ourselves perched between the tuna tartare and foie gras sliders (it was worth ordering both). Or order the shellfish platter—lobster and stone crab being the star of this bounty that pretty much turns the entire table into a raw bar. The menu winds through the typical chophouse turf, but there are so many left turns and diversions on this road that typical is not the best adjective to describe—enlightened is far more appropriate. Factor in a staff that knows their chops, picture perfect plating, and a killer wine list and Nero's is as perfect a fine dining experience as you are likely to find. Usually our area’s best chefs go to Vegas. This may be the first case where we get to take a bite out of Vegas. NO.VI. CHOP HOUSE If you are a businessman coming to the area and put up in the Hotel Baronette, you’d be very lucky if you only had time to “grab a bite at the hotel.” This is one great place for a steak. They even have steak tartare, which we figured the food police would have outlawed by now. Overall, NO.VI. has some of the best appetizers in town, both creative and classic, and you could make a meal of them, but why would anyone with an expense account even think of doing that? PHOENICIA Those who frequent Lebanese restaurants may find Phoenicia a little pricier than the typical storefront variety—this is a full-on, high-end Middle Eastern chophouse. White tablecloths and attentive service accompany some of the most succulent cuts of lamb and beef ever to kiss the grill, not just kabobs but a full spectrum of chops, seafood and those award-winning ribs. The presence of the warm and unforgettable host of hosts, Samir, makes it a must.
ROCHESTER CHOP HOUSE & OYSTER BAR Maybe it’s our luck at restaurant roulette, but we’ve never had a losing experience here, from the service to the chow, which is big, flavorful, and super fresh. It took a Muer house and his main man (Kruse) to produce Rochester’s first really successful restaurant. Their specialty is the “Detroit strip,” broiled, sliced and served with zip sauce and bleu cheese. Of course with the M-name attached, waterborne delights must prevail, and it starts with a raw oyster bar on the more casual bar side and continues throughout the undersea food chain with Maryland jumbo lump crab cakes, king crab and still-kicking lobsters. Gourmet magazine gave them a Best in the Midwest award. RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE Known for uber-steaks, ultra-tender filets and a general atmosphere of carnivorous camaraderie, Ruth’s Chris is a bastion of beef not meant for the faint of heart. Owner Ruth Fertel has made sure that there are market-fresh fish selections and even a vegetarian portabella mushroom entrée for those who balk at beef. Ingredients go the extra mile at this surprisingly consistent chain, making it an upper-end destination for business meals, celebrations, and a general topping off of cholesterol levels. SHULA’S STEAK HOUSE Its namesake, legendary Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula, has brought the best of the Sunshine State to the Great Lakes. The beef is Black Angus, considered by many to be the finest breed for great steaks. Expect the expected, all the cuts and sizes you could want, or like us, go for the biggest, which is a 48-oz. porterhouse that could feed a family of five. Like any steakhouse, it is not just the meat, but the motion in the kitchen. Shula’s is rated in the top five of the best steakhouses in the country. WIN SCHULER’S Way back before the advent of the chain restaurant, people used to drive all the way out to Marshall for a great meal. Win Schuler’s has always been the consummate host. Since opening in 1909, it has been the fanciest place you’ll find between Ann Arbor and Chicago. The walk to your table can take as long as the drive—the place is huge. The beams and walls of the great hall are bedecked with famous sayings of celebrated men (this is pre-PC décor) and the tablecloths are white. Accordingly, most everything on the menu is referred to as either a classic or famous, from the meatballs to the tangy Bar Cheese spread (which you can find on your grocer’s shelves). © 2008 Guide to Detroit, LLC |