Arts & Entertainn en

I Ht. BEST OF

\l - RYTHING

Prime Time

Ocean Prime hits its stride as a top-tier seafood spot.

W

hen entering for the first time, Also among best sellers are its
the immediate reaction was
prime-cut steaks and specialties
that it is among the prettiest
like the 12-ounce rack of lamb,
dining spots around ... But beauty alone
Amish chicken, crab cakes, etc.
is not a prime requisite for success in the
Those who haven't been to
restaurant business.
Ocean Prime in a while will see
Cleanliness, food and service give all
items not there before like lob-
other considerations a back seat ... And
ster bisque, crab-crusted Blue
this is where a restaurant such as Ocean
Tilapia, etc.
Prime, Big Beaver at Coolidge, Troy, comes
Executive Chef Geoffrey
in, having the three requirements as well
Harmon is highly regarded in
as beautiful inside decor.
the culinary arts field ... His
Now that Ocean Prime has been open
preparation and presentation
a while, newness problems that almost
of the 100 percent organic Blue Peruvian
always beset a freshly opened restaurant,
Tilapia, imported from a fishery in Peru
have been fully resolved
cannot be gotten anywhere
... The service, a bit slow
else in this locale ... Chef
at first, has been vastly
Geoff's Goat Cheese Ravioli,
improved as the Troy loca-
one of Ocean Prime's signa-
tion of Cameron Mitchell
ture dishes, is rarely if ever
Restaurants goes after the
found elsewhere in this area.
lead in seafood dining
As example of his extreme
hereabouts ... In a recent
customer-pleasing ways,
survey by TV Channel
Chef Geoff recently ran out
4, Ocean Prime was first
to get items needed to make
among 10 restaurants
a Beef Wellington for a cus-
noted in this area for its
tomer desiring one ... And
seafood dining.
even if not on the menu, he
Cameron Mitc hell
It was most apparent
will make for one or more
on a second visit to Ocean
persons his favorite food at
Prime that the slow service problem had
home, Chef Geoff's delicious meatloaf
been completely eliminated ... Immediate There is nothing, it seems, that he can't
attention to problems such as this is an
make if the ability is there to obtain the
important feature not neglected by expe-
ingredients ... 33-year-old Geoff is the
rienced restaurateurs and most times
kind of chef people dream about, with
has a large bearing on a person's visit
youthful imagination that brings out won-
... A chef's hard work is also threatened
derful personal concepts of dining satis-
because poor service in many instances
faction, whether it is a grilled cheese sand-
can actually make the food taste differ-
wich or an elegant prime steak dinner.
ently to a dissatisfied customer.
Seating in the main dining room at
But exquisite seafoods are not the only
Ocean Prime is for 243, plus three pri-
fine dishes served at Ocean Prime ...
vate dining rooms seating 18, 30 and 25

guests ... Its hours are lunch,
Monday-Friday, 11:30-4;
dinner, Monday-Thursday
4-10, Friday-Saturday, 4-11,
Sunday, 4-9.
Owner Cameron Mitchell,
himself a culinary expert
and nationally recognized
restaurateur, owns promi-
nent knowledge that the
expectancies required of
his restaurants are above
the normal ... He has gone
from being a former dishwasher and line
cook to attending the Culinary Institute
of America, and at age 23 becoming an
executive chef, and at 24 a general man-
ager, to president and founder of one of
America's highly regarded fine dining
chains, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
Huge reasons exist prominently why
Mitchell's and his regional manager Mark
Weiss' expectations are so high ... This
is greatly reflected on the food and vastly
improved service at Ocean Prime, Troy ...
Quite obvious that they will not settle for
less ... and it shows, strikingly.
THE SUPPOSED rumor that the great
former London Chop House may open
again keeps gaining fire ... According to
talk, Ted Gatsaros, owner of Fishbone's,
Southfield and Greektown, Detroit,
Athenaeum Hotel, etc., will reopen Chop
downstairs at the same site, the Murphy
Building on Congress, Detroit ... Also
retaining the London Chop House name
... If so, Ted will have to do it without
those wonderful celebrity paintings by the
late Hy Vogel ... Nobody knows what hap-
pened to them ... But former LCH chef,
Jimmy Schmidt, might still. be available ...
He is now a consultant for the Rattlesnake

Club, Detroit ... And although retired, why
not another former LCH chef, Master Chef
Milos Cihelka, as adviser.
SEEMS LIKE THERE is no limit to
what most people still call a Caesar Salad
although in many restaurants it is strictly
a plain lettuce and grated cheese salad
with bottle Caesar dressing.
In many cases today, originator Cesare
Cardini wouldn't recognize his original
concoction.
Adding chicken to it is tame compared
with some restaurant variations in a recent
New York magazine article ... Like at
Vandaag where it is made with creamed
pickled herring, olives and sausage ...
Or at Five Leaves that puts in Thai chiles
and aged Gouda cheese ... At Millesime,
grilled hearts of romaine lettuce are filled
with parmesan cheese and accompanied
with slices of smoked sable ... M. Wells in
Long Island serves theirs with herring, red
wine vinegar, olives and mustard ... And,
according to the magazine, Ciano puts in
tomato sauce and Bartlett pears ... Yuck!
WHAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ...
Restaurant writers who drink alcohol and
then wonder why the food tastes different ...
The jumbo Panco shrimp and Chardonnay
sauce at RJ's American Grille, Northwestern
Hwy., Farmington Hills ... Big Daddy's
Greek Parthenon opening again in Livonia.
CONGRATS ... To William "Bill"
Nosanchuck on his 86th birthday ... To
Clara Dubin on her 93rd birthday ... To
Heidi Martin on her birthday ... To Harold
"Hutch" and Ethel Bobroff on their 67th
anniversary ... To Herbert and Beverly
Brown on their 50th anniversary.

Danny's e-mail address is

dannyraskin@sbcglobal.net.

Authentic Italian Cuisine served in your Neighborhood!

Simple, flavorful ingredients. Generous all-inclusive entrees. Warm, personal service.
Come rediscover why Andiamo Bloomfield Twp. has been voted Best Italian - year after year!

6676 Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Township
248-865-9300

Tortellini Alla Panna

38

January 6 • 2011

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