Appetizers include five bacon-wrapped shrimp with spicy arugula. (Photos from thegrillemidtown.com)
Molly Abraham, doyenne of Detroit food writers, admires the food, design, service and historic setting at Midtown's newest lunch and dinner choice -- The Grille Midtown, located on the street level of a 1912 reclaimed theater at 3919 Woodward.
The new restaurant in the building that includes the new Garden Theater is notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is part of the restoration of a structure that was a few weeks from being condemned when it was rescued. . . .
The restaurant on the first floor is a compatible blend of contemporary and vintage.
Chrome car grilles hang on the walls, as do prints of old Chevys and Caddys. "The bar includes some of the wood salvaged from the building," Abraham writes in The Detroit News.
Those are just bonuses, though. She also admires what servers bring on the plates.
Chef Kevin Browe and his staff prepare just about everything in-house, from the roasted tomato soup that is on the menu every day to the key lime pie on the dessert list.
Another starter is seasoned calamari with red peppers, scallions and sweet chili sauce.
Abraham salutes these items in her three-star review (out of four):
- Grilled swordfish with lemon beurre blanc and garlic mashed potatoes.
- Salmon in a sweet chile and soy glaze.
- Lamb chops marinated in lemon and oregano.
- Bacon-wrapped shrimp appetizer on arugula with apricot sauce. (Shown below on left.)
- Small spicy-sweet peppadew peppers stuffed with two cheeses and ground veal.
- Appetizer of three grilled beef morsels with sauteed spinach and crostini, dressed with garlic aioli.
In a personal aside on Facebook, the restaurant writer posts:
I love seeing the city rebound, and Midtown is a good place to see it!
