By a happy accident, some wonderful friends of ours, Ray and Denise, bought me a gift card for my birthday for what they thought was the restaurant we typically frequent, Eddie V’s. Instead they bought a gift card to Eddie Merlot’s in Bloomfield Hills and what a great mistake! I was thrilled to have the opportunity to try somewhere new and get new fodder for this blog.
As we like to do, we arrived early in an effort to take advantage of the 5-7 p.m. happy hour. We were also starving as our hard day floating in the pool made us ravenous. We were pleased to see a complementary valet. There is nothing worse than an upscale restaurant charging for valet service. The bar is vast, open, airy and bright. They have a long expansive bar area and comfortable table seating. A full wall window opens to the outdoor patio area. Immediately we were greeted with a handshake and introductions to our bartenders Giulia and Blake. They made a point to not only ask our names, but use them throughout the night. I have to say this goes a very long way in creating a memorable experience.
To drink, as summer is winding down, I ordered a Summer Ruby Spritz which consisted of Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, Maschio Prosecco, lemon juice, simple syrup and fresh raspberries. The drink was a bit sweet for my taste, but made well and very refreshing. Omar began his evening with a burnt orange Manhattan with Eddie Merlot’s Single Barrel Bourbon by Knob Creek, Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth, flamed fresh orange zest and Bordeaux Cherry. The drink was good, not sure about the “burnt orange” as it was just an orange peel that Giulia held some fire to. Not really that deep flamed taste one would expect. Omar later ordered his classic martini, Tangueray Gin, with 3 anchovy stuffed olives. Whenever he can find a restaurant that has olives already stuffed with those vile little fish, he is a happy man.
The happy hour menu is pretty decent, with a selection of a variety of fried veggies such as green beans, pepperoncini and artichokes. They also have a varied selection of sliders, tacos and small plates. Plenty of selection for any discerning palate.
This night however, we both were leaning towards the main menu. Offering hot and cold appetizers, salads, soups, beef, fish, chicken and even a “Chef’s Fave” meal that included salad and an entree. So many options caught my eye. A filet with one of their many dipping sauces like bearnaise, peppercorn, horseradish cream, Diane sauce or Hollandaise? Their meatloaf with a red wine reduction and garlic mashed that sounded like a heavenly meal of pure comfort food? The Chef’s Fave of Caesar Salad with Filet de Mar, which is a Filet topped with lump crab, shrimp, dijonnaise sauce and fingerling potatoes? And oh my goodness, what is that I see? Loaded hash browns with cheddar cheese, bacon, jalapenos and topped with a perfectly runny fried egg! What to do!!
I spied the French Onion soup and as I have stated before, I measure the mark of a restaurant by the quality of its French Onion soup. Sold! I also ordered the Eddie’s Favorite Chopped Salad which included crisp lettuce, prosciutto, Gruyère cheese, red onion, celery, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, seasoned almonds tossed with a creamy herb dressing. In typical Jen fashion, where my eyes are always bigger than my belly, I also ordered the filet pot stickers. They sounded too intriguing to pass up!
Omar took my lead, ordering a Caesar salad, 1/2 dozen oysters and his measure of restaurant, Calamari. Now Blake warned Omar that the Calamari came heavily battered and if he did not want that, he probably should not order. I love a bartender who tells you the truth. Omar took his chances and ordered anyway. The salads were impeccable. The Caesar had a tangy dressing, shaved Parmesan, handmade croutons topped with a trio of vile awful anchovies. Short of the fish topper, the salad was one of the best Caesar’s I have ever tasted. Omar thought the dressing too tangy, but I would have to disagree. My salad was a chopped wonderland of flavors that melded together in a symphony of taste that I absolutely could eat every day of my life. Now Omar hates chopped salads as much as I hate anchovies. He says the texture is like someone pre-chewed his food for him and has carefully put it back on the plate. I disagree. I think a chopped salad saves so much work trying to get all the flavors together in a single bite, and prevents that awkward stem sticking out of your mouth as you delicately try to eat a plate of stem filled field greens.
My soup was great. No disappointments here. Cheesy, with Gruyère as it should be, with the right croutons nestled under the cheese, a rich beefy broth with just the right amount of caramelized onions. It was delicious. Omar’s oysters were the largest we had ever seen. He said they were so large it was difficult to shoot them down!! LOL. The Calamari was the star of his meal. The breading was thick, agreed, but it was light and flavorful. The Calamari came with a trio of dipping sauces. A honey mustard, a wasabi aioli which was my favorite and a ginger soy sauce that was Omar’s favorite.
The star of the night, hands down, were the Filet Mignon potstickers. You can tell that these were hand made, with savory ground filet, mixed with just the right amount of seasoning, in a wonton wrapper, with a glaze of that same ginger soy sauce. They were unusual with the beef as one is used to chicken or pork in a potsticker. We would return alone just for these.
The food was amazing and the evening near perfect, except for one small complaint. The manager made his way out into the bar area and visited an older looking couple next to us to ask how their meal was, and if they were enjoying themselves. That was very nice, except that he made a point to work his way around the bar and to all the patrons to check on their experience, EXCEPT for us! He seemed to intentionally ignore us. Now if he just went to the one couple, even maybe two I wouldn’t have even noticed. But the fact he made a point to talk to just about everyone, even those on the patio and slighted us, was very rude. That though, I was not going to let spoil my overall experience. Apparently he just didn’t know who we were!! LOL
One last tip: Like Morton’s Landry card, they also have a Eddie Merlot’s Platinum Card. Like the Landry card, it costs $25, but they immediately load it with $20 off your next visit, and the other $5 goes to your server/bartender for “selling” it. You then also get special savings throughout the year as well as $25 for your birthday and anniversary. If you dine out alot, these cards can be very beneficial. Heck you can even save up all your points and as soon as you spend $150,000 (that’s right $150,000) at Eddie Merlots’ you can trade in for a trip to France!!
So take a trip to Eddie Merlot’s. Just remember, it is Eddie Merlot’s on 16 & Woodward and not Eddie V’s on 16 Mile in Troy. We are thrilled about the “mistake” and a huge thanks to our great friends, Ray and Denise again for the generous gift!
