The Sauced Chef

Compari’s

Plymouth, MI

www.comparisdining.com

Downtown Plymouth is a hidden gem with some great places to eat and drink.  They also do a great job of holding fairs, festivals and interesting events to bring the people in. Compari’s is right in the heart of where you want to be.

 Get Sauced:  2 1/2 out of 4

For a moderately priced Italian Bistro, the wine list was as expected; a spackling of Cab Sav’s, Merlots, Pinot and one Zinfandel.  They only had 4 beers on tap and two of them were Bud and Miller! The only saving grace was the large bottled beer list which was somewhat diverse. 

The Sauce: 2 1/2 out of 4

My first disappointment took place when I ordered a beautifully prepared house salad only to realize that they were using bottled bleu cheese dressing.  There is nothing worse than tasting that faux bleu cheese processed flavor on a salad. Nothing! Here’s the kicker, they had fricking bleu cheese crumbles readily available! Why wouldn’t you make your own dressing! To me, that’s just laziness based on the hope of customer ignorance! However, the redeeming bite was on the asparagus/mascarpone stuffed ravioli with a wild mushroom cream sauce that I ordered.  The light sweetness of the mascarpone paired wonderfully with the earthiness of the cremini/shittake mushroom sauce.  The sauce had hints of garlic and pepper and relaxed my previously annoyed taste buds with a robust nutmeg finish.  Unfortunately, my meal was the best of the table and its not a regular menu item.  If you go there, do not order the whitefish! I tried my sister’s and instantly regretted the mushy, unseasoned, overcooked cardboard that hit my saucy lips!

The Reduction: -1 Customer Service  for  4 out of 10

The server was unenthusiastic and boring.  He did a sub-par and inaccurate  job describing the menu.  I witnessed my sister ask for water multiple times with multiple people before she was refilled.  They had an oil and vinegar bottle on the table next to a fresh parm shaker which (I assume) was to make a dipping sauce for the fresh bread.  I was the one that had to make the sauce for the table and it wasn’t even suggested to us by the server.  The ambiance was as expected, nothing amazing, nothing really shitty either.  The bathrooms were clean and elegant. The tables a bit too small, but nothing that one wouldn’t expect from a bistro-type setting.  Overall, next time I am in Plymouth I won’t be visiting Compari’s.

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Coach Insignia

Detroit, MI

http://www.mattprenticerg.com/urc/coach.asp

An homage to the history and culture of the Motor City. Coach is the 2nd highest restaurant in the world, it is located on the very top of Detroit’s Renaissance Center.  It actually used to slowly rotate but the previous owners didn’t oil the gears as specified and the once mobile is now stagnant.  The only solution is for owner Matt Prentice to pump millions of gear greasing cash into the futuristic, spherical structure to get it moving again.

 Get Sauced:  2 1/2 out of 4

Coach has an extensive wine list and a knowledgeable and friendly sommelier (Patrick) who recommended and decanted two flavorful bottles of wine for the table. The cocktail list was as expected for a fine dining establishment with some interesting fresh variations like the blueberry/raspberry mojito and pomegranate champagne. Both were boozey, poppy and refreshing.  I ordered the Sauced Chef staple tester; an extra-dirty Kettle One martini with bleu cheese stuffed olives.  Mixed very well, but was clear in the glass which means not enough OJ (olive juice), which is imperative for an “extra-dirty” styled martini.  Really disappointed in the beer list.  Beer is gourmet, people! Not one single Michigan micro-brew on draft and a meager bottled selection once again leaves the beer drinker wonting. 

The Sauce: 3 out of 4

The red wine and shallot reduction for my sous vide chicken was memorable.  A tart topnote, followed by savory and finished with garlic shallot hints. The amount  was perfect, sauce was strained and added a radiant color to the plate.  It could have been a tad bit thicker but was done very well.   The choclate sauce for the hazelnut torte was rich and thick but that was it.  I was hoping to experience a unique take by the pastry chef, perhaps some unique spice (cardamon?) or herb (lemon mint?) but was sorely disappointed.  In taking it for what it was, it was good, but not what I wanted it to be.  Follow me, people?

The Reduction: -1 Customer Service and  +1 Ambiance for  5 1/2 out of 10

The most appalling thing for this very expensive place was the initial lack of service.  We waited unattended for about 10 minutes, even though we were on time for our reservation.  Upon being seated late, the hostess did not offer any apologies for the delay.  After being seated, we were not greeted for another 10 minutes, when our table was acknowledged it was by the sommelier, not the server! For a $100 per person experience, this saucy chef expects be pampered! Admittedly, once we were greeted the service was maintained at a very high level throughout the meal.  The most memorable thing about Coach Insignia was the breathtaking view of downtown Detroit and Windsor.  The decor, lobby furniture (over-sized stuffed red chairs so I could be the Sauced King), unique circular structure and sheer height the place  humbled our group.  The ingenuity, creativity and vision of Coach Insignia is impressive.

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My colleagues, friends and family have always taken my restaurant critiques very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they want me to actually write down my system.  It’s simple, fun and saucy. Here goes…

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My rating system is a 10 point scale

4 possible points for “Get Sauced”

Get Sauced is a ranking of the establishment’s beer, wine and cocktail list in creativity and fun.  I do not discriminate in my reviews and will review fancy, poshy, snooty and gourment places with the same vigor as I review Mom and Pop pizza stands or dive bars.  Therefore, I would never mark down a pizza place for not having a diverse regional wine selction, but I might see if they have some fun microbrews.

4 possible points for “The Sauce”

The Sauce ONLY GRADES THE SAUCE! I like sauce and find that usually as the sauce goes, so does the restaurant.  Can I say sauce again? SAUCE!

2 playful points for “Ambience and Service”

Welcome to the Sauced Chef Slider Rule.  If service is ok, nothing special, nothing bad I award a big fat ZERO. If service is fricking amazing and the server is knowledgeable PLUS ONE.  If the server is annoying, or annoyed with me or just plain sucks MINUS ONE. The same goes for ambience.

Overall summation in “The Reduction”

What a clever name! Whoever thought of this is probably a genius.  Anyway, you get my final breakdown and rating here.  I also add any tidbits that are floating around in my brain sauce.  Keep a lookout for my first review. 

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