metro >> dining around the d
Apple Grill
A
s my husband, Mike, and I got
ready to dig into our steam-
ing bowls of soup at Apple
Grill, frequent diner Gail Kerwin of West
Bloomfield couldn't resist telling us: "They
have the best hot-and-sour soup. I've had
anywhere. And that includes downtown
Windsor and mainland China."
I think she might be right!
For sure, we'd never gotten this soup
made with such an array of fresh veg-
etables. Besides the usual tofu, there were
peapods, broccoli florets, carrots, celery,
water chestnuts and onions to enhance the
flavor of a perfectly balanced spicy/sour
broth. House-made wonton chips were
available.
The a la carte soup priced at $2.95
(miso and wonton are two others) pro-
vided a satisfying beginning to our dinner
at Apple Grill, an Asian restaurant that
specializes in Chinese and Thai cuisine.
Chef Freddy and Amy Liu, who have
two sons in their early 20s, opened their
storefront restaurant in West Bloomfield in
January. The serene, modestly decorated
space with seating for 60 is located a few
doors away from Brody's Camp Supplies
on Orchard Lake Road, south of Maple.
K OF
Apple Grill
Apple Grill started out offering lunch
service, but "it was too slow:' Freddy
said, so they switched to dinner only. He
isn't sleeping in, though. Every morning,
Freddy cooks alongside family members
at one or more of the Rice Bowl Fresh
Asian Kitchen restaurants in Detroit.
Amy, a friendly presence
at the front of the house,
volunteered that Freddy and
all of her in-laws cook but
she does not. The Liu family,
originally from China, started
the Rice Bowl business 22
years ago; more recently, Paul
Kado became a partner. The
main location today is on the
second floor of the Millender
Center, with Rice Bowl Express
outposts at the Renaissance
Center Food Court and the
Fisher Building complex in the
New Center.
Apple Grill's food takes its cues from
the popular Rice Bowl chain. Both menus
are primarily focused on Chinese food,
with 11 familiar dishes on Apple Grill's
list of Chef's Specials. Sesame or General
Tso's Chicken, anyone?
Stir-fry vegetable, protein and tofu
entrees, served with white or plain fried
rice, comprise another main category. Or,
substitute whole grain brown rice or fried
rice with additional items to add $1-$4 to
the entree price. Szechuan, Indian Curry,
Mongolian and Teriyaki are some of the
stir-fry treatments. They're pre-
pared with the diner's choice of
no spice to extra hot.
The same spicing options
apply to seven Thai selections,
including Pad Ped, Gang Gai and
a name I liked: Curry in a Hurry.
The dish has eggplant, green
pepper, onion, basil, bean curd
and spicy Thai curry sauce. A
Thai classic, Pad Thai, is found
among the Noodle Bowls.
Those not inclined to eat
Asian can order an Apple Grill
Special, served with mashed
potatoes, white or fried rice and steamed
vegetables. The four entrees are chicken or
beef with steak sauce or Bourbon orange
chicken or fish.
Mike and I definitely wanted Asian food
when we ordered from the "Our Famous
Rice Bowl" list. My entree had strips
6700 Orchard Lake
Road
West Bloomfield, MI
48322
(248) 932-2889
$$-$$$ out of $,$$$$
of tasty Angus beef while his Three's
Company Rice Bowl featured beef, large
shrimp and tenderly cooked white-meat
chicken. Besides protein, each Jasmine rice
bowl included cooked egg, broccoli, onion,
green pepper, mushroom, celery, carrots
and — only at Apple Grill, said Freddy —
cilantro. He didn't say why.
The main things to take away about the
rice and noodle bowl dishes is that they're
delicious and healthy, and neither saucy nor
salty. Diners with normal appetites will be
taking home food for another meal; smaller
appetites might get two meals.
I highly recommend Apple Grill for its
fresh and expertly prepared cuisine, the
reasonable prices and very nice owners.
Our community should support a special
restaurant like this one! ❑
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Please Vote to Re-elect Treasurer Teri Weingarden
Paid foi by the Committee to Elect Ten Adelberg Weingarden
24 August 2 • 2012