While traveling to Detroit for business, I have a few opportunity to try some nice restaurants. On the first evening, I went out with a small group of people from Japan. They usually are taken to steakhouses, for that is what they are familiar with when they travel to the US. Now, I wanted something more unique, different, and interesting, but I was not sure if they were ok with “interesting” food… But they are aware of my awesome reputation with food recommendation, so they were all down for it! Yes! So, I took them to this spot that serves contemporary soul food. The restaurant was located upstairs, with a cool mural on the way.
We had a reservation so we didn’t have to wait but a few minutes. They had a bar right at the entrance, with nice-sized lounge. They even had a piano there. This room is called “Living Room,” and the dining room was right behind it. The size of the dining room is about the same size as the Living Room, so not very large. Cozy and inviting, warm and relaxing atmosphere.
Once we were settled at our table, they brought huge pieces of cornbread! My goodness! I lived in Georgia for about a decade, so I love me some southern/soul food every now and then. This cornbread was a-ok, kind of dry… It had some shiny sweet coating on the top (honey?) which was nice, and helped a tiny bit with the dryness. Not the best cornbread I’ve had…
For drink, I ordered French 75 ($12), made with Bombay Sapphire, Oleo-Saccharum, Lemon, and Prosecco. It was a solid drink, strong, flavorful, and refreshing.
Now, the food. I told the Japanese guys about what they have, and they were mostly interested in Fried Catfish. Why? It is one of the staple Southern-style dish, and, you can’t really find that in Japan. They all ordered it with different side dishes, and they all absolutely LOVED it! For me, I had something different in mind. I wanted something I saw a photo of…which was Whole Red Snapper w/ Savannah Red Rice ($28). It is a cornmeal dredged fried red snapper, resting atop arborio rice made with beef andouille sausage, pork bacon, tomato broth, and scallion. Can I get “WOW!” on the photos here?
And the fish was quite amazing, it was as good as it looked! The crispy exterior was keeping the inside moist and juicy, packed with flavor! It was a fun dish to have for sure. The rice underneath was really good too, with a little kick to it. I enjoyed every single bite! I really missed my partner in crime, oh, I mean, partner in food! This dish was so huge and filling, I could not eat them all… If my husband was here, he would’ve helped me with no problem!
I also had Collard Greens and Mac N’ Cheese. The collard greens were good, but the Mac N’ Cheese, not so much… I heard their Yams are quite tasty, I should’ve went with that. And since the main dish was so amazing, compared to that, these side dishes didn’t shine at all.
The service was good, not overly friendly but polite and professional. We were well taken care of. Overall, the fish was the star of the evening, both my red snapper and their catfish. My colleagues enjoyed it so much, they wanted to go back the next evening! We didn’t have such opportunity, but they did get an awesome dining experience they will not forget!
SavannahBlue – 1431 Times Square, Detroit, MI 48226