ALL'S FARE
Inspiring Romance
The new Morels enhances the old reputation.
:t7sw-4
Above: Morels is newly renovated and ready for romance. Left, top to bottom: Artisan Cheese Platter features rotating selections from around the world,
including Michigan; the American Bento Box, a take on the Japanese classic; and the decadent Chocolate Caramel Cashew Tart.
BY DAVID MOSS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY'.NGI
W
'diking into the newly reno-
vated Morels is like walking
into a candy shop — for
grown-ups, that is. The feel is lush
and elegant, but not pretentious.
Dramatic red walls and accent pieces
frame the bar area. Wine posters adorn
the walls. And the atrium — illuminat-
ed and snow-covered — adds the per-
fect touch for a romantic evening out.
The intelligent wine list receives
much attention here, in no small part
because it's priced just over retail.
Instead of paying $50 or more for the
cabernet that Cloverleaf Fine Wines in
Southfield sells for $20 (as you would at
most restaurants), you pay around $25.
At Morels, An American Bistro,
owner Matt Prentice gets creative with
"small plates" categories like "Pick-
Up Sticks," "Bowls," "Flat Breads"
and "Sliders." As a public service to
our readers, my dining companion and
I tried something from each.
Along with a bottle of Testarossa
pivot noir, we started out with a treat
from the Sticks menu — Lobster Corn
Dogs, which are two skewered chunks
6
• F E R
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of tender, fresh lobster meat, lightly
breaded and garnished with a citrus,
honey and ginger vinaigrette. Next
was a spectacular Hoisin duck flat-
bread — strips of duck meat with shi-
itake and oyster mushrooms, bean
sprouts, cabbage and onion on home-
made pizza bread.
The great thing about small plates
is that you order one or two dishes at a
time and get to sample several items.
For our next round, we tried the deca-
dent mushroom mac 'n' cheese.
Chock-full of morel, shiitake,
and portobello mushrooms, Gruyere
cheese and topped with a morel-
mushroom sauce, it was so rich and
creamy that the diminutive portion
was plenty to share. We also tried the
beef tenderloin sliders – twin mini-
tenderloin steaks that melted in our
mouths – topped with arugula, roasted
tomato and horseradish sauce.
Our next course was the seared
Tasmanian salmon with sweet corn
chowder. This was fish at its finest:
fresh, grilled to perfection and meld-
ing a wonderful mix of flavors.
AA N
.
Although the menu changes daily,
Morels always has offerings that will
please meat and fish eaters as well as
vegetarians — who can enjoy veggie-
burger sliders, several salads, morel-
mushroom bisque or a spinach, arti-
choke, pesto and asiago flatbread.
For dessert, we shared a scrump-
tious chocolate caramel cashew tart
Ivith house-made caramel ice cream.
Other desserts included pumpkin-
bread pudding, apple-cranberry crisp
and fondue with biscotti.
Morels is a perfect "date destina-
tion" and a likely venue for many
Valentine's dinners this year. ❑
Morels, An American Bistro
30100 Telegraph, Bingham Farms
mattprenticerg.com/urc/
(248) 642-1094
Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Saturday, 5 p.m.-midnight
Closed Sunday
For details about Morels' Valentine's
Feast, call the number above.