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Comfort Food Gone Couture
As one of Detroit’s only AAA four-diamond-rated restaurants, Iridescence is in the ranks of the top restaurants in the country — the crème de la crème of local cutting-edge cuisine. Sitting atop the Motor City Casino with 60-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, Iridescence boasts a most spectacular panoramic view of the city of Detroit. The décor inside befits a hyper-trendy Las Vegas or Miami hotspot.
But image isn’t everything, and a restaurant needs more than just curb appeal to make it truly spectacular. Thankfully, the food at Iridescence is as exquisite as the dining room itself — every plate a shining example of pure culinary art. Chef de Cuisine Derik Watson utilizes his formal background in French and Japanese culinary traditions to put surprising spins on classic Americana dishes. His specialty is classic comfort food gone couture.
Take for example the roasted breast of chicken, served with braised collard greens with bacon, white asparagus and corn cream, with a generous portion of rich, creamy lobster mac & cheese on the side. Chicken … often safe, familiar, predictable, boring. Not here! Never would you imagine chicken and collard greens as an upscale dish, but here it is: the prime example of the new direction Iridescence has taken. The menu is more accessible, and more affordable. Where diners previously may have been intimidated by the esoteric haute cuisine on earlier menus, now anyone can get a great chicken dish at a price point similar to (dare I say it?) T.G.I. Friday’s. That rib-stickin’, down-South chicken dish gone gourmet costs about $18, a fraction of what you might expect to pay at such a restaurant.
The prices are lower, the fare is more recognizable, but what has not been sacrificed is the quality or presentation. This is still four-diamond dining at its finest with an exceptionally well-rounded experience on par with any other five-star restaurant in the world, and those specifically seeking that haute cuisine experience will not be disappointed. The five-course tasting menu is geared specifically towards the gastronomic elite, still exemplifying Watson’s signature classics-deconstructed style with items such as a Foie Gras Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich: foie gras torchon with dried peanut butter crumbles, housemade “jelly” and “toast.”
Also try the Sheppard’s Pie (their deconstructed take on the classic), made with roasted boneless rack of lamb, braised short rib, wilted spinach, potato purée and pea shoots. This is a pinnacle example of a classic dish and gone couture. Tender lamb rib-eye topped with mashed potatoes and beef presented as sort of an inside-out Shepherd’s Pie (no pastry crust, no stew), but, still in its heart, a traditional dish that dates back centuries.
After seven exceptional courses, each as exquisite and tasteful as its predecessor, my meal ended with their most popular dessert: the peanut butter bar. Made by their award-winning Pastry Chef Patricia Nash with peanut butter mousse, chocolate wafers, caramelized bananas, caramel sauce and milk chocolate peanut butter ice cream, this dessert defines decadence. Go for dinner, stay for dessert and pay half of what you’d expect while still getting the full four-diamond experience. | RDW
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