■ all's fare

Adventures
In Dining

Tantalize your taste buds with
something new — or new to you.

BY LISA BRODY

Get the most out of summer by discovering the

bounty of new restaurants — and try some-

thing a little out-of-the-ordinary. Danang, on

South Main Street at 14 Mile Road in Clawson,

offers Vietnamese specialties at reason-

able prices. Japanese cuisine, especially

sushi, has been extremely popular the last

few years, and more Japanese restaurants,

from casual to upscale, continue to open. Fuji
Japanese Buffet on John R, south of 14 Mile

Road, in Troy, has a complete array from

sushi to sashimi, plus a noodle bar and

Chinese dim sum. Edamame Sushi, also on

John R, in Madison Heights, offers a sushi bar

Graceful Dining

A new Birmingham cafe overwhelms, but doesn't overpower.

where you can customize your sushi, Japanese

noodle dishes and Filipino rice dishes. The

elegant Godaiko, in the Fountain Walk Mall on 12

Mile Road in Novi, offers a full complement of

creative Japanese dishes as well as an inven-

tive sushi bar. Also in Novi, be sure to visit the

Grapevine (shown), off Grand River in the Main

BY ANNABEL COHEN I PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANGIE BAAN

Street development.

A new restaurant is a siren's call to
diners looking for the next big desti-
nation. We're a sophisticated, traveled
population who want more of what
bigger cities offer: out-of-the-ordinary
places that — surprise — actually have
fare worth eating.
So, we anxiously awaited
Birmingham's Cafe Via, tucked
— really tucked — ingeniously into a
space you never would believe could
accommodate so much chic and flair,
including a striking patio with fire-
place that is the most romantic in
town.
Appointed in muted tones with
de rigueur low lighting, four intimate
dining rooms with just 15 tables seat
a mere 65 (the patio, open during fair
weather, accommodates another 50).
It is a place to see and be seen. But
it's small, so there often are really long
waits and no reservations taken for
dinner (get there early, give them your
name and cell phone number and don't
wander too far — they'll call you when
your table is ready).
The menu is touted as American
bistro, but the feel is certainly more
formal. My impression as I perused
the menu was more American-
Continental synthesis — a combina-
tion of different influences that go

B6 •

JULY 2009 •

IN platinum

well together.
This restaurant also is a kind of
anti-steakhouse. The portions are not
exaggerated, and the flavors are not
intended to knock your socks off. Like
the ambiance, the food is subtle and
graceful, never an assault. You want
the giant steak, the mounds of side
dishes, the one-pound baked potato?
Go elsewhere.
For starters, my frisee salad topped
with a poached egg — a salade
Lyonnaise by any other name — was
a favorite. I've never ordered one here,
so I was immediately enchanted. My
tablemates ordered the crab cakes
(perfect, they exclaimed), crowd-pleas-
ing Caprese tomato and mozzarella
salad, Caesar salad and steak tartare,
served traditionally with garnishes
of minced olives, capers, Bermuda
onion and hard-cooked eggs. Again,
the never overzealous fusion menu at
work.
For entrees, the lamb chops were
delicious, again delicately served,
with a dark wine reduction. I had the
pan-roasted halibut, with gnocchi and
spring peas. It was sublime. A bone-
in rib-eye was dressed with another
reduction of cognac. The grilled
salmon, served with lentils and spin-
ach, was, as expected, well executed.

Another surprise, a hamburger (not a
monster burger) with frites — okay,
fries.
Desserts, again, are not extreme.
Chocolate creme brulee; a twist of a
strawberry shortcake; apples, pastry
and ice cream — all delicate and deli-
cious.
Of course, as any bistro would have,
the bar is stocked with all you can ask
for.
What's overwhelming about Cafe
Via is that, other than the swank
clientele, the restaurant is not over-
whelming. It's a welcome change. As
my own mother, whom I wholly trust,
commented, "We need more Cafe
Vias around here."

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While designed to

be a wine bar (order

by the bottle, glass

or wine flight off the

extensive wine list),

it is more than that.

Diners will enjoy sim-

ple dishes like small

grilled pizzas, salads

and mini-burgers, or

elegant dishes like

Asian lamb chops. Looking for a good place

for a burger? Head to Willson's Pub 'n Grill on

Union Lake Road in Commerce Township.

With a beautiful interior and a reasonably

priced menu, it offers delicious burgers made

from Angus beef, house-made pizzas baked

on stone-hearth ovens and fish of the day. For

a gourmet-burger choice, check out Bourbon

CAFE VIA

Steak, inside the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel,

310 E. Maple Road, Birmingham

which now features a Burger Bar. Not content to

(248) 644-8800

just serve steaks, celebrity chef Michael Mina

Lunch Entrees: $7-$16

prime beef and American kobe, a lamb burger,

here offers five signature burgers: a combo with

Dinner Entrees: $11-$38

a salmon burger, a turkey burger and a veg-

etarian falafel burger. Finally, who doesn't

Hours:

Monday-Wednesday,

11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11

love a good grilled-cheese sandwich? Be

sure to head to Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

on Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills

for great grilled-cheese sandwiches, tomato

soup, beef stew, meat loaf and lots of other

p.m. (bar closes at 12:30 a.m.)

delicious goodies that will nurture you, body

Closed Sunday

and soul. Bon appetit!

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