19 Detroit restaurants to hit up when someone else is paying

By Metro Times Staff on Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 2:42 am

Detroit is full of fine dining restaurants, both contemporary and historic. Sure, they're not everyday dining spots, but the price tags can sometimes keep prospective customers at bay. Which is why they're the ideal spots to suggest when someone else is paying.

Editorial interns Miriam Marini and Anthony Spak contributed to this slideshow.

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London Chop House
155 W. Congress St.; 313-962-0277
Reopened in 2012, the London Chop House pays tribute to a celebrated era of high class in Detroit. The restaurant prides itself for serving aged steaks to Detroit’s “elite.” With a cigar lounge and fresh seafood to boot, the London Chop House is must for every fine dining aficionado.
Photo via Instagram, user LondonChopHouse

Marais
17051 Kercheval Ave., Grosse Pointe; 313-343-8800
This market and restaurant serves up contemporary French cuisine. If you prefer to eat out early in the day, stop in for delicious fresh-baked pastries, espresso, coffee, and cappuccino. If you’d rather come in later for an elegant dinner, there’s steak tartare, quail and mushroom risotto, cedar roasted Scottish salmon, and more to choose from.
Photo courtesy of Marais

Cafe Cortina
30715 W. 10 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills; 248-474-3033
Cafe Cortina combines fine dining with countryside vineyard vibes to provide an all around Italian experience. Leading the kitchen staff is Chef Ernesto, a student of the Culinary Institute of America who began cooking at age 13. Delish.com recently named Cafe Cortina as the Most Romantic Restaurant in Michigan.
Photo via Instagram, CafeCortina

Caucus Club
Penobscot Building, 150 W. Congress St.; 313-965-4970
Another historic dining destination, the Caucus Club was opened in 1952 as the sister restaurant to the world-famous London Chop House. Now renovated and restored, the Caucus Club reopened in 2017 to bring this classic spot back to the Motor City. The dinner menu leans heavily on steaks and chops, featuring lamb, pork, and veal chops and a massive 32-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye Chop for $114.
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Prime + Proper
1145 Griswold St.; 313-636-3100
Prime + Proper is a swanky steakhouse with an adjoining bar. The steakhouse uses 100 percent USDA prime beef and lamb, and jidori chicken, and an on-site dry aging facility. In addition to allowing customers to pick their cut while dining in the restaurant, they can also opt to have meats wrapped up at the butcher counter to cook at home.
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Iridescence
2901 Grand River Ave.; 313-237-6732
Located inside of Motor City Casino and Hotel, Iridescence offers modern American Cuisine with beautiful views from high above the Detroit skyline. This is the only AAA 4 Diamond Award-winning restaurant in Detroit with a menu featuring roasted rack of Michigan lamb, lobster claw with saffron cavatelli, elk shank potage, and neman ranch prime ribeye.
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Joe Muer Seafood
400 Renaissance Center #1404; 313-567-6837
Joe Muer offers a plethora of fresh seafood dishes, including sushi and a raw bar. Their famous Joe Muer roll comes jam packed with salmon, campyo, crab, shrimp, avocado, cucumber, tuna, and spicy mayo. For those who don’t like their food in maki form, there’s the Dover Sole a la Meuniere and other fancy entrees to choose from.
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La Bistecca Italian Grille
39405 Plymouth Rd., Plymouth; 734-254-0400
This Plymouth spot is known for their great service, U.S.D.A. certified Piedmontese Beef, and an extensive wine selection. Not sure of which bottle to order with your meal? Check La Bistecca’s blog before you come in for a quick explanation of what you should know about Italian wines and which part of the country they come from.
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The Whitney
4421 Woodward Ave.; 313-832-5700
Opened in 1894, The Whitney has been a staple of Detroit fine dining in the Motor City even before the assembly lines started rolling. This establishment is more than just a restaurant — its a historical estate and former home to Michigan lumber baron David Whitney Jr. Guests can spend hours enjoying the Whitney’s four main sections — restaurant, The Katherine McGregor Dessert Parlor, Ghostbar, and Gardens. The menu include fancy favorites like beef Wellington, lobster tail, Muscovy duck breast, and Tomahawk pork chops with a pistachio honey cider glaze — yum.
Photo via Facebook, user The Whitney Restaurant

Mario’s
4222 Second Ave.; 313-832-1616
From the filet mignon bourguignonne to a New York strip steak, there’s no shortage of choices when it comes to cuts of meat at this old school Italian restaurant. The establishment also caters to fancy goers with a shuttle service to local theaters.
Photo via Facebook, user DetroitMarios