Marais Grosse Pointe

So my dinner outings this summer haven’t been super yummy and successful, but hope springs eternal. With high expectations, Mom, Dad, and I met our friends Art and Jessica at Marais in Grosse Pointe a little while ago. They are expecting their second child, so we wanted to catch up with them before they have their hands full.

Marais is a beautiful, elegant restaurant right in the middle of Downtown Grosse Pointe, which is adorable. I can see why people love living in Grosse Pointe save for the fish flies and the fact that it’s unfortunately not exempt from yucky Michigan winters.

But I digress – we’re here to talk about Marais. I was a bit hesitant about our visit after reading reviews about it being stuffy but was relieved to discover pretty immediately that was not the case. Instead it began proving its reputation as Hour’s restaurant of the year the moment we walked in. Finally a restaurant I love!

Our waitress (whose name I unfortunately forgot – sorry!) was amazing. Both approachable and professional she knew every detail about the menu. The maître d, also friendly and knowledgeable, helped me choose a bourbon, giving me tastes of two different ones. The Lock, Stock, and Barrel one was a bit too strong for my taste but the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked suited me perfectly. I’m still on a search for Pappy Van Winkle. I don’t typically drink when I’m out, but I enjoyed letting loose a little.

The food impressed me from start to finish. Dad began with creamy black truffle risotto. Art with veal scaloppini, Jessica with gorgeous, perfectly caramelized scallops presented in their shells, and Mom and I split the crab and apple salad with pomegranate seeds and several different sauces. I wish I could remember every single detail and flavor of it because it blew me away.

Onto the entrees, both Mom and Art had the Wagyu strip loin served with caramelized onions and an onion beignet. It was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth (I couldn’t resist a couple of tastes). Dad had what we deemed the “death row chicken,” as the chicken eats only scraps from Michelin starred restaurants during its last days. It also had some truffle, so I think Dad got a little truffled out, not that I think that could be possible 😉

Jessica had the tempura soft shell crab. Again, it was beautifully presented. She didn’t love what it was served with but enjoyed the crab. I had the wild king salmon served with spring vegetables and tarragon cream sauce. I skipped the sauce, but Mom liked it with her steak. I loved the vegetables and only wish there were more of them. The fish tasted great, but I wish the piece had been a little thicker and had crispy salmon skin. I <3 salmon skin!

Finally, the time for dessert rolled around. Jessica had a chocolate dish with cinnamon ice cream. Dad, Mom, and I all had light and fluffy, melt in your mouth pistachio soufflés with crème anglaise. I couldn’t resist a side of the cinnamon ice cream (my favorite ice cream flavor) that the chef had just spun. As if that wasn’t enough, we were then presented with mini glazed doughnuts. All I can say is more doughnuts please!

We ran into the chef on the way out. He was super nice (pretty good looking too :)). Then we strolled around Grosse Pointe before heading home.

Great food, great service, great friends. What more can I ask for? Except maybe to do it again!