Steak in Detroit: Staff Pick

Steak dominates the fare and there’s nothing on the menu that would make a meat-and-potatoes lover squirm. Six dishes under the heading “VIP” are flambéed at two stations in the dining room. All of the entrées we tried were very good: seafood strudel ($16.95), fettuccine carbonara (prepared with chicken), veal Marsala, seafood marinara ($17.95). Sides are predictable, such as green beans. Soup or salad comes with entrees; the clam chowder, which we had in both the New England and Manhattan variations, is terrific. Service is a serious issue that needs attention from management.

"Carl's Chop House is the oldest, most beloved steakhouse in Detroit - a city landmark for more than 60 years. Nationally renowned for its blue ribbon steaks, chops and prime rib, Carl's also features fresh seafood and live Maine lobster, and our award-winning wine list completes the perfect dining atmosphere. Afterward, use our free shuttle service to downtown casinos, sporting events and theatres." Carl's Chophouse is the only Detroit steakhouse that can boast sending 60 boxes of cuts to Paris last year. Their entire banquet space can hold 1,000 diners in one sitting. Since 1920, this has been the place to bring that first date, get engaged, or just catch up with the folks. Gift certificates are available.

Many of the Hill's signature dishes cater to a Reagan-era notion of good eating: surf and turf, lots of blue cheese and bacon in the house salad. Seafood is a strong point: The grilled swordfish is tall and terrific and the calamari appetizer is out of the ordinary. Desserts are quintessentially American: The molten lava cake has a lucious liquid chocolate center. The steaks are the usual cuts: filet mignon, New York strip, porterhouse and ribeye and all are certified Angus beef, char-grilled and prepared to spec, and finished with a burgundy demi glace. The strip is available au poivre. Meat lovers will also find lamb chop finished with rosemary balsamic natural sauce and french pomery mustard, and barbecued pork osso bucco.

"This is MotorCity Casino's pride and joy, as fine a restaurant as you'll find anywhere in the world. [Executive Master Chef] Michael Russell, one of only two practicing Certified Master Chefs in Michigan, promises this is where his vision will come to fruition."

Detroit's oldest log cabin restaurant -- "Where everyone hangs out, in the middle of nowhere!"

A presentation cart of raw meat and fish comes to each table so diners may preview their Porterhouse, double filet mignon or live lobster before actually ordering it. Even the huge potatoes and stalks of broccoli get shown off. The well-trained staff narrates as all this goes on. The setting is elegant, clubby and a monument to red meat -- and everything is big enough to split. Since the menu is a la carte and expensive, it's far from a bad idea. ****

As plush a steak and seafood house as can be found in the area, this one offers top-of-the-line fare in a darkly sophisticated setting. All of the meats are prime, from the filet mignon to the veal chop. Expect to plunk down good money for fine meat. Prices range from $32 for the 7 oz. filet mignon to $43 for the 24-ounce porterhouse. Steaks can be topped with bleu cheese glaçage, foie gras, carmelized onions, portobellos with shallot madeira or a morel mushroom sauce. Steaks are broiled at 1,700 degrees to sear in flavor. The one-time seafood bar is no longer there, but customers will still find seafood on the menu. The remodeled bar now has plasma TVs and is cigar friendly.

The clubhouse-like dining room has a golf theme, lots of wood and brass, and white linen swathed tables. Steaks, ranging from a small filet mignon to a huge Porterhouse, come to the tables on platters sizzling with butter. That hints at the New Orleans origins of the now-international chain of very good steakhouses. Extras are all a la carte, in classic steakhouse fashion. ****

Dinner at Sindbad’s is roadhouse fare, in a multilevel restaurant with a view of the Detroit River. There’s an emphasis on steaks, chops and especially seafood. Try their fresh-made beer batter. Seafood appetizers include Snug Harbor mussels or Campeche Bay shrimp, and New England clam chowder. Steaks include a 16 oz., certified Angus beef center cut New York strip ($26), a choice 8 oz. center cut filet mignon with zip sauce ($27) and the “Coxswain’s Striker,” a choice 9 oz. Delmonico steak ($17).