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Saturday Night Surprise

T

he Maple House, a cheer-
ful-looking restaurant in
Farmington Hills, offers
mostly diner-style fare at breakfast
and lunch, but breaks into gourmet
territory at dinner.
And, on two Saturday
nights a month, white
tablecloths are rolled out
for those partaking of a
special themed Chef's
Dinner.
The five-course, price-
fixe meals ($28-$32,
depending on entree) are
"my way of honing my
skills and giving back to
the community," said Maple
House Executive Chef
Aaron Barsaleau. He's a
culinary arts graduate of Schoolcraft
College, as is his business partner and
wife, Tiffany.
"I've been doing some varia-
tion of these dinners for years:' said
Barsaleau, who spent two years as
executive chef at Ciao Amici's in
Brighton and also filled the posts
of sous chef and banquet chef at
Andiamo Bloomfield Township.
Dining and relaxing are the eve-
ning's entertainment at a Chef's
Dinner. Some guests will invite friends
to join them for leisurely conversa-
tion while the courses are presented
in the European style, over a period of
an hour or two. The dinner on April
28 had an Italian theme. Others were
French-themed and seafood-based.
Restaurant customers can pick up
sheets detailing the next Chef's Dinner,
scheduled for May 12.
The Barsaleaus chose an area they
were familiar with for opening their
first restaurant in October. The location
is the corner storefront of a Middlebelt
Road shopping strip at 11 Mile Road.
"We liked 'Maple House' from a res-
taurant database of available names:'
he said. Their place bears no relation
to a former Maple House some older
Detroiters might recall.
"We want to be that favorite local
diner that establishes a relationship
with its regulars who come in for great
food at a great price said Tiffany,
who has been busy preparing for the
couple's baby due this summer.
Open at 7 a.m. daily, with various
closing times, the Maple House offers
breakfast any time. The special menu
choices include fruit parfait cup and
vegetable egg white omelet, peanut
butter cup or strawberry cream French
toast, meat-filled breakfast burrito or
breakfast sliders and a smoked salmon
benedict that also has sour cream,

poached egg and garnish of red onions
and capers.
Midday diners may choose from a
variety of house-made soups, salads
and sandwiches or lunch plates, like
Pilgrim's Turkey. The burger
I tried was tasty and moist,
even though cooked
medium-well-done. The
battered French fries weren't
pleasing to me; I prefer
them left natural.
Five rotating dinner
entrees come with the
choice of a side salad or cup
of soup. Entrees may include
a starch or other accompa-
niment. Always on the menu
are the chef's most popular
dishes: pistachio-crusted
whitefish with rice and vegetables
($14.99), pecan chicken with honey-
garlic beurre blanc sauce, mashed
potato and vegetables ($10.99) and
pasta gorgonzola with grilled beef tips,
spinach and walnuts over fettuccine
pasta ($11.99).
My walleye at dinner ($15.99) was
seared perfectly and topped with
lemon caper butter. Rice and veg-
etables accompanied the fish. Another
interesting choice looks to be roasted
vegetable ravioli with marinara sauce
($11.99).
A sign on the wall at Maple House
with an owl illustration asks: "Whoo
wants to take home our homemade
strawberry jam?"
"The jam is my mother's recipe that
I grew up on," the chef explained. "She
[Lisa Barsaleau] sometimes helps me
out with making a batch. She also does
some of our pies and cheesecake. Her
homemade cherry pie is amazing, and
the Brownie cheesecake with Oreo
crust we added lately is going over
well, too:'

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The Maple House

25938 Middlebelt
Farmington Hills 48336
(248) 579-6431
www.maplehouserestaurant.com
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May 3 • 2012

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