Los Galanes – Detroit Mexican Town

Sep 5th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | Comment

Detroit boasts a huge Mexican Town with many restaurants and taco trucks. This was my second visit to Los Galanes. They are known for their seafood and authentic Mexican cuisine. There is so much on the menu that I want to  eventually try, from the Menudo (tripe soup) and goat tacos to their whole fried red snapper.

They have something rare for the city, outside seating! It’s very informal and quaint and a great asset on gorgeous summer days.

Note: I have paint on my finger from a spur of the moment decision to paint a wall green in our sun room. Don’t ask.

My hubby trying to give the straightest face. Very hard task apparently.

Like I said, they are known for their sea food. Last time I had the big ceviche appetizer, this time, I wanted to save room and got the ceviche tostada ($2.50) instead. I asked for a marlin tostada, also something I had loved the first time, and they said it was off the menu (bummer, it was gooood). I had also had the fish taco before and it hadn’t really made an impression, so I didn’t get it again.

The ceviche was bright and light, and was a generous size. Would definitely recommend.

Sam, the hubby, has an aversion to beans, guacamole and cilantro. He also likes what he likes and while he might taste whatever crazy thing I’m having at the moment, he will order the same simple dish. This time it was the Botana Galanes (small 7.25), minus the chorizo and beans. lol.

I wanted to try something I’ve been dying to try ever since getting a crush on renowned mexican food genius Rick Bayless. Mole. Granted I already knew that whatever mole I was going to have would have nothing to do with him, but until I finally made it to Chicago, this would have to do.

So, I ordered the cheese Enchiladas De Mole ($7.95).

It came with the regular staples of rice and refried beans.

Now, I have never had mole before, so I can’t really compare it to anything. But, this mole really didn’t have a depth of flavor that everyone always talks about. It was a tad chocolaty, but not really spicy. It kinda fell flat. There also seemed to not be enough sauce. The enchiladas just seemed dry. I basically did not get the “mmmm…” factor like the ceviche did for me.

The one thing that did bother me in the beginning was that the waiter rushed me to order and he seemed in a hurry (they were busy). But other than that, he was fine.

I will be back. Overall, the place is a gem. Great authentic vibe and a really great menu. So much more seafood for me to try.

Bistro 222 Restaurant – Dearborn

Aug 13th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 3 Comments

Its an understatement to say that Dearborn is lacking in culinary diversity and dazzle. There are very very very few restaurants I enjoy eating at here, and it’s kinda sad. I’m an adventurous eater, and don’t expect much. Just fresh ingredients, prepared to tease my taste buds.

Bistro 222 did not let me down. It really got me excited about Dearborn dining again. From the fresh funky colors in the quaint intimate setting to the different fresh choices that chef and owner Michael Chamas has created. Not to mention, everything is house made, the way it should be.

So we semi-dressed up, which basically means no jeans or shorts per dress code and decided to try what many are raving about.

My hubby loved the old style coke bottles.

We decided to split an app. The stuffed gnocchi were pillowy and creamy and melted away making your tongue beg for more. The sauce it is bathed in makes you want to just grab the plate and lick it all, and the delicious bread they give you is the perfect vessel to mop up all that umami flavor and make sure you don’t miss a molecule on the plate. The bread is also good with the house made basil olive oil.

*The stuffed gnocchi. It’s stuffed with Asiago, Peccorino, and Ricotta cheese over Palomino sauce

Samer had the David Allen pasta. It was cooked pefectly al-dente, and the herbs just elevated a regular creamy sauce into fresh punches in your mouth.

I usually know what I’m getting before I go somewhere, and on this occasion, I changed my mind. I regret that now. I had originally wanted the sauteed Lake Perch, with caper creamy garlic sauce over crispy and garlic mashed potatoes. I got the smoked salmon pizza, since I’m a huge smoked salmon fan. Unfortunately this was the one thing I felt fell short of the mark. The crust felt a bit heavy and the whole dish was just not harmonious. I’ll leave it at that and say that I will be going back for the fish dish.

For dessert we had the homemade lemon sorbet. I am a huge lemon sorbet fan and this was spot on. It was a perfect end to the meal. Tangy, sweet, fresh. I was glad I picked that over the tiramisu.

The chef even presents it in a lemon, and its just so yellow and inviting.

I would definitely recommend going in for dinner. It has great ambiance and service. They also have a sommelier on hand. We don’t drink so I can’t comment much on the wine selection, but there are alot of good reviews out there. Also,  the chef always changes up the menu and adds seasonal specials. We will be back for sure. So far, this has been one of the best meals I have ever had in Dearborn.

Dale & Thomas Popcorn – Purple Spoon Ice Cream

Aug 6th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 4 Comments

Last Royal Oak visit, we decided to get some Popcorn at Dale & Thomas. Purple spoon has opened in the same space and I guess its a knock off of pinkberry. I’ve never had the latter so I can’t compare the two. 

I really loved the signs, design and feel for the place. There was a huge image of a corn field that was lit and it set a light and happy tone for the location. 

Many popcorn flavors like you see below, from BBQ to cheddar-chipotle. We tend to be sweet salty luvin kinda ppl so we went for… 

…The chocolate Chunk Caramel. We ate it for 2 days, and it was divine. The cookies n creme would be interesting to try next time. 

Very cute decor, very bad acting on my part. 

I loved how they presented the popcorn, in the farmers wood buckets. 

In the back the popcorn was popping away, the smell wafting beautifully thru the room. 

They had a turning urn thing that you add the flavor to and it keeps rotating to cover all the popcorn. 

They made the chocolate caramel by drizzling it all over a pan of popcorn, and letting set. 

It was crunchy, fresh, sweet, salty and perfect. I loved that there were big chunks of chocolate here and there. It was a really good treat. 

As for the Purple Spoon part of it, the decor is a bit more modern and minimalistic. It’s theme doesn’t mesh 100% with the farmers theme of the popcorn part, but it’s not too bad. Also, if you buy the popcorn first, they will give you a coupon (1$ off) of the icecream. 

Positives is the low calorie. Negatives are that flavors are limited, but they cycle them. I had the original tart. It was good. Not great, but good.  

You can add toppings for 75 cents each. I’m not a toppings fan in general, but if I were going to try something it would be the fruit or candy. I would skip the cereal. 

The frozen yogurt was good, but I don’t see myself ever craving it. I’m a bit of an ice cream snob i guess.

As for the popcorn, I loved it, and my glass ball says there is more salty sweet popcorniness in my future.

always uncut.

24 Grille Restaurant- Detroit

Jul 25th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 5 Comments

The legendary historic Westin Book Cadillac Hotel is as beautiful as ever following a 200 million renovation. Interesting fact: it was the tallest building in Detroit and the tallest hotel in the world at its completion in 1924.

I’ve heard recently, with all the movie biz going on in Michigan, it’s become a celebrity hang out, with the likes of Ben Stiller, Wesley Snipes and Gerard Butler seen eating there.

I was more interested in the restaurants that are in it. Michael Symon’s Roast, and 24 Grille.

On this occasion, we went to 24 Grille. I have to say I had high expectations after reading online reviews, and so we went! It didn’t hurt that we had a restaurant.com coupon that took $50 off our bill.  

The Hotel is gorgeous and  you have to go in to get to the restaurant. You have to valet park because parking in the city is impossible. 24 Grille has very nice decor and ambiance, with dark tones, wood, and fire touches. Very comforting. It was moderately busy, I had also made reservations, and we were seated right away. I always stake out a restaurant’s menu online, so I usually already know what I want to order (plus I try to make sure they have vegetarian/seafood options if they aren’t hallal/kosher).  

The spinach gratin was good but nothing outta the ordinary. I liked the chunky artichokes in it.

*Spinach Gratin- MI- boursin cheese, marinated artichokes- $10

Our friend Mike had the calamari. He said they were ok. I didn’t taste em.

*Calamari- Boston, MA- fried capers, chili aioli- $12

I ordered the tuna tartare. It was REALLY good. You really have to mop up the soy sauce with what i’m assuming is a crispy wonton, to really get a complete bite, otherwise it would feel underseasoned. But all of it together was really yum.

*Tuna Tartare-Sea of Japan- pickled shallots & jalapenos, cucumber, soy ginger sauce- $12

My hubby had the caesar. I tasted it. It was ok. And the trend with the salads seemed that the dressings were underseasoned, too rich, no acid. And I can say this because I tasted all the following…

*Roasted Tomato Caesar- oven dried tomato, roasted tomato dressing- $7

I had the frisee. It said peppercorn dressing. Let me tell ya, it seemed there was no dressing at all. No salt, no pepper, no acid. Really dissappointing. I had to add a ton of salt to it, and I never salt my food.

*Frisee salad- arugula &frisee, poached apples, blue cheese, hazel nuts, cucumber riata, peppercorn dressing, poached egg- $8

Mike (our friend) also had a salad. He got the beet salad. He felt the same way. That it was underseasoned.

*Roasted Beets- Mi- baby arugula, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, vanilla truffle oil, aged balsamic vinegar- $8

For the main, my hubby wanted the salmon, but he opted out from getting it with the onions and just wanted asparagus with it. It was good, and cooked perfectly.

*Scottish Salmon- $25

Since I had ordered a appetizer, I knew I would be too full for a full plate so I ordered the truffled mac and cheese. It was divine. Probably one of my favorite things I had there. The crunch of the crumbs on top was the icing.

*Truffled mac & cheese

Mike had the scallop main. He liked it except for one thing, the clam sauce. He said the dish was too fishy, but otherwise good.

*Day boat scallops- MA- heirloom carrots, potatoe puree, asparagus, clam sauce- $26

The cheesecake was a cheesecake. Nothing earth shattering here.

I will give the decor and ambiance a thumbs up but the service was soso because our waiter seemed to have something stuck up his wazoo.

Overall, I wasn’t really impressed. I mean the food wasn’t bad, there was nothing wrong with it per se, but underseasoned food is a sin! I was just expecting alot more especially for the prices they are charging. I mean they have a main dish priced at $60.  Also, everything sounded much better on paper than it really was. Don’t get me wrong, I will pay anything for that perfect bite, but it has to be…perfect.

If you still want to try this place for yourself, they do have a happy hour, or use a coupon. Otherwise, don’t spend your hard earned money here.

always uncut.

Astoria – Royal Oak

May 29th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 5 Comments

Whenever we’re in Royal Oak, Michigan, we love to walk up and down the streets and just take everything in. Its a nice walk, especially in the summer. We always pass by Astoria, a sweet/dessert shop. The stuff in there always looks amazing, (we’ve had it on many occasions) and everyone raves about it, so we gave it a try AGAIN.

That strawberry shortcake looked good, but, i’m a chocolate mousse kinda gal

Like I said, I’m a chocolate mousse kinda gal. I was really excited to have this, but I was dissappointed

I LOVE chocolate mousse, especially when done right. Unfortunately, It was too rich, not airy and light, and half the cup I had was filled with whipped cream that was gloopy and as stiff as Anthony Bourdains’ drinks. So, I scooped it all out. Even then the mousse on the bottom was dissapointing. Not as chocolate-y as I had hoped for, but the real kicker was the texture. It was not at all pleasant.

Now, don’t think I’m hating on the place. I was just unhappy because when you walk in, you really want to get one of everything! The stuff looks amazing. But each time the flavor lets me down, and each time I try something else and hope it won’t because I really want to love the place. I do. But even something as simple as peanuts covered in chocolate I make better at home. We had to throw them out. And, in a place where you are paying 3-7 $ a dessert, you don’t want to throw anything out. Sorry Astoria, but you remind me of Mariah Carey. Beautiful on the outside, all fucked up on the inside.

Giulio & Sons – Hyatt Regency Dearborn

May 9th, 2010 by ++Mira++ | 2 Comments

My last visit to Giulio’s was 3 days ago. To say it was my first time would be an understatement (the pictures are from a visit back in december). I’ve been there many times and thanks to Restaurant.com I NEVER pay full price. Especially since they also email you coupon codes to use on your coupon codes, so alot of times we pay less than $10 for a $25 coupon!

The restaurant is tucked away on the second floor of the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn. The decor theme starts from the outside and depicts an Italian village in the country. The hand painted murals are on the walls through out the restaurant.

Giulio's entrance

Mural at Giulio's entrance

Inside Giulio's

I have heard they have a great brunch on Sunday, but I haven’t been to anything but their dinners. At dinner, their Market Stand/glorified salad bar buffet comes free with the entree. To be honest, that is the main reason why I continue to go there. It has everything from your choice of greens, to shrimp, smoked salmon, cold cuts, grilled veggies, soup, pasta salad, couscous, hummus, cheese, fresh garlic bread and other daily delights. It has a great variety for veggie lovers to meat lovers and is always fresh and different.

The Market Stand

Shrimp, Artichoke salad, Mushrooms, Pasta salad

Cold cuts, Smoked salmon and more

My hubbies choice at the Bar- good ol' green salad

My choice: shrimp, couscous, salmon, veggies

For main course, I ordered the chicken marsala ($24). Thick piece of breast, on bed of angel hair pasta, smothered in mushrooms. My chicken was cooked well, and moist and the marsala sauce was very good, I just wish I had more of it. I’m not huge on the peeled baby carrots and beans, it just seems like such a throwback.

By the time I got to the main course I was pretty full from the Market Stand (which I love). What can I say, I love variety.

Chicken Marsala

After dinner, our very attentive waiter asked if we would enjoy dessert on the house! Now, I’m not sure if this is a common thing, because we have paid for dessert there before ($10 without dinner, $5 with dinner). My theory is that they are providing it as a courtesy to keep customers because of the bad economy.

I did notice that their dessert bar has much more “less” than it used to. They used to have a softserve with help yourself topping station, that was gone, but you could get icecream from the kitchen. I recall there being much more, however, there was still alot to choose from.

They had everything from mini eclairs, to cheesecake, carrot cake, bread pudding etc…The chocolate mousse cups were divine! I was too full to enjoy much, but what girl ever passes up free chocolate?

Desert Bar

Yummy minis

Cheesecake

Chocolate mousse cups

Overall, dinner was good, nothing earth shattering, but straightforward and good. What I like about Giulio’s is that the quality is consistent, even though there  a few corners are being cut on dessert. The service is amazing. The waiter was very nice.

When I have been there, the restaurant is never full, never even what I consider busy. It’s no surprise since it is smack dab in the middle of the auto meca, and we all know how buisness is going in that arena. So, if you are looking for a hip busy joint this is not the place for you. It’s more for a quiet dinner, maybe even anniversary or something to celebrate.

Now, on to the secret to making this place more affordable! We were able to purchase a coupon on Restaurant.com. It really brings down the price, and combined with the all you can eat salad bar, and the complimentary desert they seem to be providing, its really affordable and well worth it.

Overall,  the decor is nice but a tad dated, the food simple and to the point, the service is great, and like I said the salad and dessert bars make it worth it. Frankly speaking, if it wasn’t for the Market Stand I don’t think I would pay that much for chicken marsala, and the discounts help alot. I don’t consider it gourmet food, it’s just simple food done well and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

Click here for a list of their menu’s, prices and hours.