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Best Restaurant 2010
Wolfgang Puck Grille is one of four “Grilles” in the Wolfgang Puck family of restaurants. The premise of the Grille is to incorporate a little of everything from all of the Wolfgang Puck menu concepts under one roof. The end result is an establishment that caters as much to the clientele looking for a simple pizza and beer combo before a Red Wings game as it does to the wealthy business types looking for Prime Rib with a bottle of Chateau Lafite Bordeaux.
You can tell a lot about a place by its wine list: and this one is carefully separated into “Old” and “New World” categorizations, heavy on the big name French and Californian producers and runs the full gamut of styles and price points in between. The cheapest bottle is a Pinot Gris from California at $32 — the most expensive, a bottle of 1982 Chateau Latour Bordeaux for $2450. (Realistically expect a midrange of $60-80.)
Executive Chef and native Michigander Marc Djozlija, who has worked for Wolfgang Puck for 17 years and opened all of the other three Grilles, heads up the restaurant’s operations (which includes all the room service for the hotel). He is proud of the Grille’s prix fixe Tasting Menu which is offered Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. For $29 (excluding tax and gratuity; $45 includes a glass of wine with each course), diners receive a three-course meal, which rotates daily and allows the Grille to showcase different specials and seasonal ingredients. Portions are smaller, which allows for a more concise package without skimping on the quality.
During my recent visit, I sampled the Spicy Sashimi Grade Tuna Tartare, a beautiful, colorful presentation of exceptional tuna (and yes, “tartare” means raw) with myriad complimentary accompaniments. For the pairing of flavor, texture and color, this one hits it out of the park. Or, rather, gaming facility.
I also sampled the Endive & Apple Salad, with shaved fennel, apple, tarragon, spiced Marcona almonds, Shropshire Blue Cheese (cheddar with blue veins) and a sherry lemon vinaigrette with aged balsamic. Bitter and sweet, pungent and light are the sensations at play in this dish, creating harmony out of a seemingly discordant combination of flavors. The roasted pork chops are served with creamed spinach, cippolini onions, a sherry mustard sauce and smoked pork belly, which tastes just like … bacon. Delicious bacon.
The dessert was straight from the Tasting Menu: a decadent 12-layer chocolate torte made in the traditional Viennese style with flourless chocolate cake, mocha praline mousse, crushed hazelnuts, sauce anglaise and housemade chocolate gelato. Once again, the different flavors temper each other well, with the slightly sour sauce anglaise balancing the sweet chocolate and mousse (which isn’t to say it wasn’t still terrifically rich). Eat your clef note out, opera cake.
And for all you Cisco haters out there, almost everything on the menu is made in-house, including the pastries and pastas. They also cure and smoke their own meats and make their own sausage. Mmm ... divine. | RDW
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