Heres the steak article detroit free press
Beef is stunning at new MGM Grand spot -- so are the prices
BY SYLVIA RECTOR • FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC • March 6, 2008
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No matter how much you enjoy a beautifully seared, medium-rare porterhouse, you have to admit that steak houses, as dining venues go, aren't very exciting places.
With their traditional styling and wood-paneled walls, most are pretty much alike, and so are their menus of thick steaks and giant spuds.
But the industrial-chic Bourbon Steak at the MGM Grand Detroit spins steak house styling in a bold, contemporary direction while offering a menu of boutique beef and unexpectedly creative and refined starters and sides.
It makes a big impression, but so does the bill. Steaks average more than $50 each, not including the $150 Japanese Kobe selections.
The dining room sets the tone: Every corner is different and dramatic.
To the right of the entrance -- just beyond the sleek, massive bar -- hundreds of blue, green and clear glass bottles are arranged against a backlit, frosted-glass wall, forming a gorgeous mosaic of glowing colors and shapes.
Elsewhere, the look is darker and edgier, dominated by oversize bricks and huge wooden beams salvaged from old Detroit industrial sites. The sturdy bricks accent some walls, while the beams connect overhead and form the framework for the cages -- the semi-secluded tables set inside filigreed metal cubicles.
At the back of the room is a glass wall offering a view of the kitchen. Be sure to walk back and watch the grill master searing steaks and chops on the wood-burning grills in the front corner.
Don't skip appetizers here. Their complex flavors and handsome presentations make them among the best items on the menu.
Most I tried were very good, including the shabu-shabu ($19), in which beef-wrapped bundles of mushrooms and daikon sprouts are cooked, fondue style, in a steaming pot of fragrant dashi-mushroom broth. The Kobe beef carpaccio ($15) with a Thai-accented dressing is beautiful and delicious. And I loved the baby beet salad with wild arugula, balsamic and tender, snow-white burrata cheese ($15).
Two less successful choices were the trio of tuna tartare poppers ($18), which were oddly flavorless, and the clever little Lobster Corn Dogs, whose lobster mousse filling tasted more of tarragon than crustacean.
The menu offers three types of beef: Piedmontese, the least expensive; Masami Farms' so-called American Kobe in the mid-range; and imported A5-grade Japanese Kobe, which is $150 for a 6-ounce rib eye or cap steak.
I skipped the Japanese Kobe, whose pale pink meat is said to have the mouth-feel of butter or foie gras.
Kobe, incidentally, isn't a breed of cattle, like Black Angus or Piedmontese. Kobe is the region in Japan where cattle of the Wagyu breed are grown in the manner that creates the product known as Kobe beef. So-called American Kobe is American-raised Wagyu, and Masami Farms is considered its finest producer.
On the Bourbon Steak menu, the 8-ounce American Kobe filet mignon, at a breathtaking $72, was incredibly tender with a fine-grained texture and deep, smooth flavor.
But tasted on the same night, the 18-ounce Piedmontese dry-aged, bone-in rib eye, at $46, was even more pleasurable. Its melt-in-your-mouth marbling and deep beefy flavor will make you want to eat every little bite of fat.
Don't overlook other entrée options such as the expertly grilled Colorado lamb chops ($41) and grilled fresh seafood selections, including Ahi tuna and King salmon. The fork-tender, all-natural beef short rib ($42) is fabulous, served with satiny horseradish-potato puree, pearl onions and caramelized vegetables.
Standouts among the interesting side dishes ($7-$11) include unusually light and flavorful tomato-dusted onion rings, rich blue-cheese scalloped potatoes and truffled macaroni and cheese. If you're a fan of brussels sprouts, these with bacon and grainy mustard are a treat. The roasted wild mushrooms, however, can be tough.
Finish the meal with crisp little beignet pillows served with sophisticated dipping sauces, including a memorable butterscotch pudding made with 12-year Macallen scotch.
Service is professional and attentive but unpretentious, reflecting the restaurant's relaxed, contemporary style.
Created by award-winning San Francisco chef Michael Mina, Bourbon Steak is an outgrowth of the star-chef-does-steak trend that began a couple of years ago in Las Vegas and New York. By now, everyone from Emeril to Jean-Georges is grilling red meat and packing houses from coast to coast.
At Mina's local spot, the food for the most part is excellent, and the space is one of metro Detroit's coolest-looking restaurants. Just be prepared for a Las Vegas-size price tag.
Contact SYLVIA RECTOR at 313-222-5026 or
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