ALL'S FARE
BY ANNABEL COHEN
cheddar chee
Omelet of the Day: Swiss, pepper ja F
with basil and tomato, served with potatoes and cud
French Toast: Three extra thick slic
mascarpone cheese and served with
■
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN
has extra).
Fettuccine Fiore
mushroom slices in a
Life Is Sweet
A north Detroit restaurant has insider appeal.
B
efore you even bring a
fork to your lips at La
Dolce Vita, you're already
thinking about the next time you'll
come — and who'll you'll bring to
experience it.
It's not exactly out of the way,
La Dolce Vita
17546 Woodward, Detroit
(313) 865-0331
Tuesday through Friday:
11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
and 5:30-11 p.m.
Saturday: 5:30-11 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
and 5:30-10 p.m.
8 • MAY 2005 • JNPLATINUM
but you could easily drive past La
Dolce Vita without knowing it.
Located on the east side of
Woodward, three blocks north of
McNichols (Six Mile Road), you
have to know where you're going
to find it. But for exactly 10
years, La Dolce Vita, which
is Italian for "the sweet
life," has been a hot spot
for foodies in the know.
The decor, what general
manager Dean Cicala calls
"European old-style," fea-
tures antiqued walls and
ceiling murals. But, some-
how, there's a contemporary
feel to La Dolce Vita. It feels very
sophisticated and fresh.
Lunch and dinner are top-notch,
but I went for the first time on a
Sunday for brunch. And the
Sunday I went, along with a group
of nine friends, the crowd was
dressed down, in pajamas. But
more about that later.
I can only describe the brunch
choices as yummy. And presented
gorgeously. With main courses
starting at $6.95 for French toast —
prepared with homemade bread,
and stuffed with mascarpone
cheese and real maple syrup — up
to $14.50 for steak and eggs, you
feel like what you are eating is
worth it. Everything is cooked with
extreme attention to taste and eye
appeal.
Almost everyone at our table
ordered something different. And
everybody wanted to taste every-
body else's entree.
The eggs sardou — poached
eggs with artichoke hearts, smoked
salmon and hollandaise sauce —
was a wonderful combination of
savory flavors. Served with a really
good English muffin and the
restaurant's signature roasted pota-
toes, it was a perfect meal.
A couple of others ordered
quiches of the day (four or five dif-
ferent choices each week). Again,
delicious. La Dolce Vita also offers
omelets of the day and cannelloni
of the day (you can't get bored
here).
La Dolce Vita serves at least 10
different main brunch courses and
other assorted starters and sides,
including bagels with Nova lox
and all the trimmings ($6.95). But
more importantly, they serve these
dishes well.
Every Sunday, there's live music
(the day I went, the Gypsy Strings
played). And every other Sunday,
there's a pajama contest (the diners
vote). That's just plain fun.
Since about 30 percent of the
clientele are regulars, reservations
are highly suggested, according to
Cicala. The restaurant seats 103
inside and 54 on the lovely outside
patio (weather permitting).
I left feeling that I just had to
bring my favorite people to La
Dolce Vita to be able to say, "Look
what I found!" It really is the
sweet life. ❑