Zip sauce, zip sauce. Honestly, it's about the only great thing about Big Rock. The atmosphere is candid, white tablecloths without the service to accompany. The menu has a great array of chops, steaks, game, poultry, and seafood. From the menu standpoint, along with the great cuts and quality of meat, (and the price point) this restaurant should be amazing. A decent variety of mini-meal sized appetizers make a great bonus to this menu. Where Big Rock loses me is with 2 major things.
1. I have, nor has any of my other table guests, ever received a steak prepared the way we have ordered it. If you have "chop house" on your restaurant's name, your chef's should know what medium-rare means.
2. White linen. The service is not white linen. It's not terrible, but when food is coming out on a tray, with steam tops, and sits in a corner 5 feet from your table until your server gets around the serving it-and doesn't remember who ordered what...perhaps you shouldn't have white linen.
I believe if Big Rock could create the atmosphere that reflects their service, became more educated in how to cook their steaks, and dropped their price point an average of $5/plate-it would be worth going to.
Luckily, they have a cigar lounge upstairs that will probably help keep them in business. Business meeting for appetizers, if you plan on ordering seafood rather than steak, the cigar lounge, the wine, and a wonderful longpour cocktail from the bar-this place has my vote. Dinner date or if you really enjoy a steak cooked the way you like it, I'd take a pass.
$$$$1/2 total satisfaction: 6.5
Monday, March 29, 2010
Town Tavern, Royal Oak
If you are looking for a staple restaurant to go on a date, take out your in-laws, break bread with a girlfriend, or meet up for business-Town Tavern is the place to do it. It is quiet, yet energetic-and the food is consistent.
The menu offers only a few items-all slightly strange, like pork enchiladas, meatloaf and mashed potatos-but then is carried with 3 different steak choices and a la carte sides. They also have 3-5 fresh catch entrees from the sea that change daily. The chef does an amazing job of serving a creative variety of fishes along with great pairings of chutneys, marmalades, sauces, and light starches.
Last visit, we had the filet, always cooked properly and a variety of toppings and/or sauces to accompany. It comes with fresh asparagus, which is always cooked just right. I decided to try the pork enchiladas, which I actually would not recommend. They were cooked properly, and weren't horrible by any means, but it was bland, and it was not accompanied by anything. The service is always fantastic, and lets not forget the amazing garlic bread that comes before your meal!
Town Tavern offers several appetizers, a few salads, and again-the strange, yet small menu of several other choices like braised ribs and chicken, along with the a la carte steaks. Its a menu fit for the picky, and for a table of folks who some want steak, some want meatloaf, and the other wants fish.
The wine selection is fair, the bar area is more energetic than the restaurant, and is a great place to start a crawl of Royal Oak on a weekend evening.
$$$; total satisfaction 9.25
The menu offers only a few items-all slightly strange, like pork enchiladas, meatloaf and mashed potatos-but then is carried with 3 different steak choices and a la carte sides. They also have 3-5 fresh catch entrees from the sea that change daily. The chef does an amazing job of serving a creative variety of fishes along with great pairings of chutneys, marmalades, sauces, and light starches.
Last visit, we had the filet, always cooked properly and a variety of toppings and/or sauces to accompany. It comes with fresh asparagus, which is always cooked just right. I decided to try the pork enchiladas, which I actually would not recommend. They were cooked properly, and weren't horrible by any means, but it was bland, and it was not accompanied by anything. The service is always fantastic, and lets not forget the amazing garlic bread that comes before your meal!
Town Tavern offers several appetizers, a few salads, and again-the strange, yet small menu of several other choices like braised ribs and chicken, along with the a la carte steaks. Its a menu fit for the picky, and for a table of folks who some want steak, some want meatloaf, and the other wants fish.
The wine selection is fair, the bar area is more energetic than the restaurant, and is a great place to start a crawl of Royal Oak on a weekend evening.
$$$; total satisfaction 9.25
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Kyoto Steakhouse, Clawson
This restaurant took over the old french BooCoo. After almost 2 years of a beautiful space being empty, I was more than thrilled to have a restaurant take it's space. I was even more excited that it was a hibachi grill and sushi, as I love hibachi!
It was a Saturday evening, around 7:00, we called to make a reservation and were able to get in within 15 minutes. Although the hostesses seemed confused, we were taken to our table within 10 minutes of arrival. The place seemed incredibly slow for a Saturday. When taken back to the hibachi area, I was very impressed with how they converted the space. The tables can accomodate up to 25 people, with 2 grills a piece, so this restaurant would be fantastic for large groups. When we sat, we were promptly greeted by a server, and in typical hibachi style restaurants, getting a drink (including water) proved annoying. We had to keep flagging our server down for refills on water, and ordering more drinks from the bar. I don't let this issue get to me too much at hibachi style restaurants, as I have noticed-they are ALL like that! We noticed right away that the prices on the menu were an average of $6 cheaper/plate compared to other hibachi style like BeniHana or Katana. I also noticed that they had an ABUNDANT menu, including lunch. We started off with some tuna sashimi, in which we were incredibly satisfied with. It was very fresh, perfectly fatty, great portioned, and delicious! I ordered the filet and scallops, and my date ordered the filet with lobster. We started with the traditional miso soup, in which we commented lacked miso! Otherwise hot and filling. The traditional ginger salad tasted watered down and was missing the "zip" you typically get from the traditional salad. Our chef came out to treat us to a show, along with our food, and we were pleased. He had a ton of fun and had a ton of interaction with us. Our food turned out absolutely fantastic. Part of the fun the chef had with us was when he pulled out a large ketchup looking bottle, filled with saki, and began to squirt them in his guest's mouth while getting the table to begin counting how long of a pour they would receive. We personally did not partake in the saki, as we don't like saki...however, it was a fun spectacle, and I would recommend going here if you like saki! I also want to note that by time we left, around 9:00ish, the place was jam packed. I was happy to see that a place with such potential was being used and enjoyed.
$$$; total satisfaction score 7.75
It was a Saturday evening, around 7:00, we called to make a reservation and were able to get in within 15 minutes. Although the hostesses seemed confused, we were taken to our table within 10 minutes of arrival. The place seemed incredibly slow for a Saturday. When taken back to the hibachi area, I was very impressed with how they converted the space. The tables can accomodate up to 25 people, with 2 grills a piece, so this restaurant would be fantastic for large groups. When we sat, we were promptly greeted by a server, and in typical hibachi style restaurants, getting a drink (including water) proved annoying. We had to keep flagging our server down for refills on water, and ordering more drinks from the bar. I don't let this issue get to me too much at hibachi style restaurants, as I have noticed-they are ALL like that! We noticed right away that the prices on the menu were an average of $6 cheaper/plate compared to other hibachi style like BeniHana or Katana. I also noticed that they had an ABUNDANT menu, including lunch. We started off with some tuna sashimi, in which we were incredibly satisfied with. It was very fresh, perfectly fatty, great portioned, and delicious! I ordered the filet and scallops, and my date ordered the filet with lobster. We started with the traditional miso soup, in which we commented lacked miso! Otherwise hot and filling. The traditional ginger salad tasted watered down and was missing the "zip" you typically get from the traditional salad. Our chef came out to treat us to a show, along with our food, and we were pleased. He had a ton of fun and had a ton of interaction with us. Our food turned out absolutely fantastic. Part of the fun the chef had with us was when he pulled out a large ketchup looking bottle, filled with saki, and began to squirt them in his guest's mouth while getting the table to begin counting how long of a pour they would receive. We personally did not partake in the saki, as we don't like saki...however, it was a fun spectacle, and I would recommend going here if you like saki! I also want to note that by time we left, around 9:00ish, the place was jam packed. I was happy to see that a place with such potential was being used and enjoyed.
$$$; total satisfaction score 7.75
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