Any fine Restaurant recommendations in Detroit?

Will be traveling to Detroit next week. Looking for some nice restaurants...steak houses or Italian...any recommendations??


Thanks in adavnce,
Tony

 

I will recomend Laffrey's Steaks On The Hearth. Small but has been there many many years.

Don't order from the menu...ask for 2" thick New York strip with cracked pepppercorns...MMMMM!!!! The chef usually comes out and compliments my choice.

Last time I was there I was with a butcher who of course ordered a rib-eye. I gave him a taste of mine and he was converted.

The place is frequented by business owners, particularly the manufacturing business.


http://www.restaurant.com/microsite.asp?rid=152517



Funny sidebar:
One time I was there and the hostess came and apoligized to me. She said "we're sorry sir, but we are going to sit a gentleman next to you that is quite obnoxious but he is a very good customer and we must accomodate him." Turns out it was an old friend I hadn't seen in years, apparently he had not changed.

 

http://www.romacafe.com/

Great italian in Detroit. Been there since 1888.

 

Avoid the Roma cafe, its like bad wedding banquet food now, IMHO (I ate there in the summer). Marios (downtown) might be slightly better.

Instead for Italian try Bacco, a restaurant of the year award winner: http://www.baccoristorante.com/

Steak, try Ocean Prime in Troy or Camerons in Birmingham.

My Favorites are: my restaurant, named one of the six independent restaurants nationwide with a healthy menu by Health Magazine:
www.theinnseasoncafe.com Organic, vegetarian, and vegan with locally grown food, 27 years in business.

For Asian fusion, Hung Hoa (http://honghuafinedining.com) or Mon Jin Lau (Troy on Maple Rd), both award winning places at the top of their game.

Sushi, try Sharaku in West Bloomfield.

Detroit is a big place, will you be downtown only or in the suburbs? There has been a lot of road construction downtown this year and I have been avoiding that area. The new Motor City Casino has some stellar restaurants if you are downtown.

For reviews, try www.metrotimes.com or www.freep.com

 

Sit in the back room.

 

I didn't care for Roma myself.

Yes it's inexpensive,..has a LONG history,..and the waiters wear black-tie (one is a friend of mine),...but the ood wasn't very good. Pasta with entrees as is tradition,..but pasta sauce looked and tasted like Hunts tomato paste from a can.

The best restaurant in the area has to be Big Rock in Birmingham.
(248) 647-7774
The steaks are tops,.and the mushroom, something-or-other reduction sauce they serve with them is outa sight. And you just might see a Ferrari or a Rolls out front.

Next best for me is a tie,... between "Capital Grill" in Birmingham in the Somerset Collection Mall,..and "The Hill Restaurant" in Grosse Pointe Farms.

 

Weird. I haven't eaten at Roma in about 3-4 years, but I remember it being good. Maybe it's changed.

 

I'll see if I can get you a list of the Schoolcraft college chefs' restaurants. The culinary school is the best in the country and there are a number of master chefs who also have restaurants.

 

Oh yea, Andiamo's, a local group of Italian restaurants, pretty consistant and they cover detroit:

http://www.andiamoitalia.com/

 

If you do Andiamo's, avoid the Dearborn one. Nice atmosphere, but I thought the food left something to be desired. I did enjoy the one in Royal Oak though. Never been to the Livonia one.

 

Deleted.

 

Thanks alot guys.....I was wondering if Detroit had a NY style steak house? Laffreys seems to be the closest.

 

Eph McNally's for lunch!

 

Very Good choice. We get lunch there often.

Also Slows BBQ on Michigan Ave.

 

Street Side Seafood in Birmingham on Pierce Street. Small but excellent food a great steak is served.

 

Slow's is good especially if you like beer. They have a four page beer menu. And you get to see the sights of beuatiful Detroit, 1 block away is the in progress demolition of Tiger Stadium. Directly across the street is Grand Central Station. Once a georgeous piece of architecture probably has 10,000 windows; every single one of them is broken!

 

It may not be Italian or a steakhouse, but Pegasus in Greektown is my favorite. I've been craving some lamb and rice from there for months.

 

Yes, but now at 1,000 bums to make up for it.