Late June 2018, Station Square opened up in Troy, taking over the old Papa Vino’s at 15 Mile and Coolidge. I hadn’t heard any fanfare, in fact I hadn’t heard about it at all until I was at Troy Chamber of Commerce networking event and it was recommended to me. That’s what’s so great about the blog. It is a great topic of conversation and someone always has a place to tell you to try. I always get the “Have you tried…?”, “You HAVE to try….” and always “What’s your favorite [fill in the blank]?”. For the last question we always get asked, we are planning to build out a favorites page, but that’s a wee bit down the line.
So Station Square, recommended by many, was top of our list of places to go. I have to start by saying I reached out to Station Square for a donation for our upcoming golf outing my company is hosting along with Automation Alley. Jennifer, the manager, was very accommodating and super friendly. She graciously donated a gift card to our event. Another reason to head up for dinner.
We perused the menu before we headed up as we typically do. The menu looked intriguing, with appetizers including pork belly tostadas, pork belly sliders, meatballs and burrata, avocado toast and more.
A wide variety of salads, soups, and main dishes that included beef short ribs, lamp chops, cedar plank Norwegian salmon to name a few.
The restaurant was not too busy. Although it was a Friday night, it was still pretty early. The place was warm and inviting, with plenty of seating, outdoor patio and well stocked bar. The overall ambiance reminded us of Granite City.
I started the evening with a mojito, and Omar a beer. I know this is a beer blog too, but I honestly can’t remember the beer. We are a bit behind in our writings, so I apologize. The mojito was a far cry better than then last one I had (at Cantoro). The beer was good, but clearly not super memorable.
Our waiter, Paul, brought out the most delicious bread. Very similar to Deer Lake Inn’s bread, that is served in a paper baguette wrapper. warm, chewy, with poppy seeds and dripping with just the right amount of butter. I could make a meal of the bread alone!
For dinner, we opted to split a couple meals. Although it was a hot August night, the raised beef short ribs just cried out to me. Braised in a Cabernet reduction, with crispy onions, on top of a bed of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. The short ribs were cooked perfect, tender, falling apart. The Cabernet sauce was rich and decadent. The mashed potatoes were a bit on the gummy side but still flavorful. The grilled asparagus I didn’t eat but Omar said was good.
The second dish we split was the Parmesan encrusted sole. Thin sole, coated in the most perfect crispy, cheesy breading, on top of a fresh crushed tomato basil sauce with a light arugula, frisee and fennel salad. The fish and tomato sauce were amazing. If it were chicken, it would have been one of the best chicken Parmesans I have ever had. With the sole, it was a fresh new take on the dish. The salad I personally did not care for. The combination of the peppery arugula and licorice tasting fennel was not for me. I am not or ever have been a fennel lover.
All in all, the place was a hit for us. Nice ambiance, great wait staff, good drink selections, great menu offerings and great food. It is no surprise since their head chef hails from the Golden Mushroom in Southfield and later Kruse and Muer in Rochester. We would recommend you go and try it out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.