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COCKTAIL NATION AMICI’S LIVING ROOM The tiny space next to Amici’s Pizza plays host to Berkley’s 30- to 50-year-old professional crowd, including plenty of doctors and nurses from nearby Beaumont Hospital. Amiable owner George mixes martinis that taste spot-on like Girl Scout cookies. You can even order a gourmet pizza to soak up the booze. BLUE MARTINI A cyan glow and the steady drone of beats brought the Six Degrees mag set out en masse. The “man” came down hard, shutting them down for a spell, perhaps partying too hard for B’ham. BOOM BOOM ROOM The creator of Zodiac vodka opens a mega-lounge/restaurant in Pontiac and pretty much brings the entire martini thing down to earth. A mix of club-grub, dancing, steaks, sports, lobsters, lounging and not a single pretension. Anyone who has seen MTV’s Cribs knows the BBR is the place to be. A paradox, it is the place in your crib where you hang, mellow and chill but also the place where you entertain, play and party. You might even eat there, camped in front of the TV watching the game. It is the room that changes with your moods, and always comfortable. So basically this is taking that concept, giving it some performance enhancing substances and unleashing it on the public. BOSCO The big question—is it named after the sweet chocolate syrup or not? The Haberman bros. (of fabric fame) are the dudes responsible for Ferndale’s sleekest club. It’s hard not to be pretentious when you look this good, but they pull it off. Out back, a patio. BRASSERIE ZINC & WINE BAR So popular has this suburban eatery become with its eclectic spreads and super-efficient management that the truth is, Zinc needs no ink. But sometimes overlooked among the specialties like halibut Basquaise and gorgonzola dry-aged steak is the phenomenally sophisticated wine bar. Zinc specializes in nearly impossible-to-find Mediterranean wines, and the ever-changing selection is poured by a staff that includes three sommeliers. Each month features a wine tasting—bargain priced and all-you-can-eat tapas. CENTAUR Named after the Greek creature that has a man’s torso, a horse’s ass and an insaitable libido, this is one of the more popular Parisian art deco-inspired multi-level swank spots you’ll find on Park. A meticulous collection of high-grade hooch and good vino along with exceptional grazing on tapas-style food-bombs served until 2 a.m. keeps us coming back. Furniture looks good and rides well, from the snaking couch to the high-backed chairs. Wind upstairs to find pool tables and yet another bar. CINQ Royal Oak’s contribution to conspicuous consumption of sublime libations. The brain trust behind this “four joints under one roof” entertainment empire are experts—so don’t try this at home. They know more about premium spirits than Rosanna Arquette and Jessica Alba combined. And, if it were at all possible to tire of the perfect mixology at Cinq, you could wander over to Vinotecca for a wine, Bastone for a freshly house-brewed Belgian beer or Cafe Habana for a kick-A mojito. CITY CELLARS Ground zero in Birming?ham’s Palladium is home to City Cellars, one of Detroit’s grandest nods to wine and cuisine. With a cellar ascending floor to ceiling, literally thousands of bottles are available to balance an ambitious menu by Chef James Leonardo, to whom Gourmet magazine offered grand kudos in 2003. THE CORNER If you’re going to drink the best stuff, then it’s worth it to do it in the best location—the real deal. The Corner is the best of Birmingham, usually a lively crowd of good-looking professionals. You can tell—they don’t handle their drinks like amateurs. Part business, part monkey business, sometimes mind-your-own-business, but most are mingling singles seeing and being seen. Situated in the Townsend Hotel, you never know who might be sitting by your side, but chances are they could be in the top 1% of the who’s who of the world. Really good grazing too, but that’s expected when your closest neighbor is the Rugby Grill. DELUX LOUNGE The pretension-free zone ?downtown needed. If a corner bar was going out with a club, this is the type of offspring you would expect—a neighborhood bar for the entire city. The natural brick and the retro hanging lamps give it a look like it was designed by famed architect Mike Brady. More importantly, no kiddie cocktails here—it is proper glassware, free pour, top-shelf wonders created by some of the best bar techs in the biz. There’s a seat with your name—and enough energy in the place to get off of it. DIRTY MARTINI LOUNGE Shaking things up in Novi, the Dirty Martini is your one stop shop for food and fun. Stir in the popular Andiamo restaurant and Second City Comedy Club, adjacent to the lounge, and you have a recipe for a great time. Cocktails are big, beautiful and professionally poured and served up in a sophisticated room to the sounds of live DJs. DOUBLE OLIVE The first bar to introduce the whole ultralounge vibe to the Mitten State, the Double Olive is still as vital today as when they introduced a younger generation to the triangular glass. While the martini/cosmo/gimlet bar craze could be dismissed as an attempt at faux glamour, the Double Olive walks the velvet tightrope perfectly and probably should franchise the concept. It goes a little something like this: You are hereby constitutionally allowed to drink top shelf liquor served to you by a human being with a sense of humor, and permitted to talk about The Dirty Show instead of the Hamptons. Two plastic swords way up. EDISON’S Having liquor space in Birmingham is a guaranteed draw—specialize in martinis and cigars and you’ve got a cult following. With that alone you get the idea behind Edison’s—everything you need in an upscale lounge. Two levels of cocktail cool reside with a breezy outside patio. Salut! ENOTECA CAMPO MARZIO Big name for this little gem in the city. Campus Martius welcomed this recently opened wine bar that features over 150 wines and spirits from around the world. Wines served by the bottle, glass or flight (three pours meant to give you a "taste tour" of a particular region, style or type of grape). There are 30 delectable cheeses and meats from around the globe to sample and enhance your tasting experience. Perfect stop before or after your event. It's all about the grape! GOODNITE GRACIE Somewhere George Burns is smiling. Top shelf and top notch, Gracie’s is the size of the average closet on MTV’s Cribs. There’s a well-stocked humidor so you can emulate the man who coined the lounge’s titular phrase. Don’t miss the infusions—an upscale version of the jungle juice–soaked fruit you scooped out of the barrel as an undergrad. GOTROCKS ULTRA LOUNGE When it comes to cocktails, nobody does it like Big Rock. This was where the smart money was drinking even before the club was created, because it’s what’s in the glass that counts. Apparently they picked up on this and decided to build a room around the rep. The new room works and more importantly, the drinks are up to Big Rock standards. MELANGE One of the hottest destinations in Ann Arbor’s Gold Coast. Designed and owned by John Janviriya, the designer responsible for some of the most visually arresting spaces in the Detroit area (Mosaic, Crave). The bar is made of semiprecious stone lighted from beneath, creating a relaxing glow that everyone looks good in (and it makes your drink look extra cool.) Behind the bar they make marvelous martinis and creative cocktails: sophisticated sipping for those who appreciate a great drink. They are also a wine bar, as you will ascertain when you see the showpiece wineroom keeping your vin stored at perfect temperature behind the floor to ceiling glass walls. NECTARS Mike and John Karcho get it. Having successfully parlayed Vintage Wine Shoppe into one of the area’s best sources for blockbuster Burgundies and Bordeaux, they decided to lop their store in half, devote part to retail sales and the other to a by-the-glass wine bar that oozes intimacy and sophistication. Pours are between ten and twenty dollars a glass, and include cruvinet-fresh top vintage selections from around the globe. Wine-friendly, French-Italian inflected appetizers and nearly five hundred bottles of sterner stuff—liquor and liqueur—round out the experience. ONE FIFTY You’ll find this uniquely curved space on the back end of the Ponch. Excellent drinks and oozing with ambience, you’ll spend many happy hours here. It’s as much or more of a restaurant, an excellent restaurant at that, with a food-forward lunch and dinner menu that will launch them into the stratosphere, especially during the International Auto Show. PULSE Lauded ultralounge is one of the latest additions to sophisticated swilling in the D. Starkly modern, yet the warm red walls and film noir lighting and shadows soften the surrounds; very inviting and comfortable. It’s all on a VIP scale, from the almost secretive sign on the sleek wooden entrance to the art-glass sinks in the powder rooms in the back. Despite the swank, it is a friendly joint with a friendly bar, intimate but by no means cramped. There is comfy seating in the rear, equally suited to mingling or chilling. The alcohol is the entertainment here, and the world’s finest brands headline on free-form glass shelves that reach the heights of the ceilings, as well as an astute collection of wines and beers. RATTLESNAKE CLUB A good bar even when you’re not waiting for a seat—because here they do make ‘em like they used to—bartender Farouk’s genealogy traces back to the London Chop House. Also, they have some of the best wine tastings you’ll experience, especially if you pair it with Chef Schimdt’s prix fixe.. ROBUSTO’S Cue the James Bond theme. Offering 185 different martinis served using vodka chilled to 15 degrees below zero. The world’s most famous spy would have to make a hell of a lot more movies to cover Robusto’s list. A world-class humidor and African mahogany walls add to an elegant ambience. A great place for a drink after you dock the yacht, but make sure you change first—Robusto’s does have a dress code. THE STUDY This cozy nook above Ronin sushi bar is an organic chill-fest of copper and wood. Secretive and sturdy, yet country club comfy, a rustic, idyllic lounge that is not like Miami, Vegas or New York, it is refreshingly original. An unexpected escape from the madness that can be Royal Oak, you feel you belong here, yet can't put your finger on what that "here" is exactly, other than the right place for a vigorous hand-crafted drink. Behind the glowing amber bar, there's a collection of oddball '70s-era electronics that look like they came from the Jetson's garage sale, including a space helmet-looking video sphere and a TV that shows only static and the words "The Study." Presently only open three days a week (Thursday through Saturday), the spot is ideal for a pre-date get-to-know-ya beer or a post-date how's-your-father shot of tequila. Your backseat in the nearby parking garage is a poor substitute. VINOLOGY Designed to reflect every aspect of wine production, it is educational and anything but boring. Kristen Jonna’s baby, Vinology is a grape lover’s paradise—without pretension. You can drink, shop, eat and experience every aspect of wine. (Sommelier’s Hint: For the most fun, stick with the drinking part.) This is one of the best menus we have experienced—upscale, ?creative and not too pricey. Need more info? See next review. VINOTECCA So synonymous is the name Jonna with wine in the Detroit area that Roget’s Thesaurus was seriously considering adding “Jonna Juice” under the category. We exaggerate? Having conquered the retail world of wine with the incomparable chain of Merchant’s (both Warehouse and of Vinos), the Jonnas mostly sold up, but retain a toe in the crushing vat. The poetically named Vinotecca, a wine bar extraordinaire, is in the nether regions of Bastone. They offer a kaleidoscopic array of vintages by the glass in a pretension-free environment, so if you’re a wine snob, check your ego at the front door.. TU-CAN TANGO It may be Spanish, but the bartenders are fluent in Martini as well. There are three bars inside the cigar-friendly spot and each could stand on its own. Throughout the place couches and tables are set up for lingering, mingling and eating, which by the way is very good thanks to a multi-page tapas menu and a kitchen that can back it up. Sangria is a must-try house specialty. THE RHINO AT HARMONIE PARK The Rhinoceros was one of the original places for a good libation. It’s now the 21st century and frankly, now is better—seriously, back then Smirnoff was about the only premium vodka. In additon to today’s bigger, better, faster premium pours you’ll find a pretty sophisto wine list and a selection of cognacs that will impress your tongue. Good music has always been a measure of a great nightspot and you’ll get it in both ears here. Don’t worry about drinking on an empty stomach, the kitchen can hit the high notes as well. © 2008 Guide to Detroit, LLC |