Fiddleheads, RO Michigan

[jende]

I went to Fiddleheads this weekend looking forward to seeing what if anything has changed under the direction of new executive chef, Tim Voss. I had dinner there about two months ago, very soon after Voss took the position, and the menu was virtually unchanged except that there were no specials being offered at the time due to the transition, according to our waiter. Some of my favorite dishes have been on their specials list, so I was somewhat bummed but not really surprised.

I WAS surprised, though, that there were no specials this time either. I didn't really press the waiter, so I don't know if this is a fluke or if they're doing away with them.

The current menu is much the same with a few tweaks. The potato gnocchi with asparagus, porcini and parmesan was incredibly delicious. The homemade gnocchi did a great job soaking up the fresh vegetable flavors and absolutely melted in your mouth.

The seared scallops with purple yam puree, Chinese sausage and citrus sauce were as good as ever. The rich potatoes and tart sauce were a perfect accompaniment to the perfectly cooked scallops, as were the slivers of sausage which had a sweet, gingery flavor.

We were stuffed at the end but my curiosity was piqued by the dessert menu which contained the usual suspects that had also been tweaked. So we ordered the moon pie which I previously found to be an unremarkable chocolate cake layered with a grainy vanilla filling that tasted mostly of Crisco. The new one was advertised as having a butterscotch mousse filling and chocolate chunk ice cream.

The cake was much improved in taste and texture and the filling was very tasty, creamier than a mousse and with a subtle butterscotch flavor (very white in color, though, which seemed unusual given its caramelly flavor). The chocolate chunk ice cream was standard Guernsey but the chocolate chunks added nice texture.

Service was very good as always. My only complaint is that the wine list is still fairly uninspired. They always have a couple of decent wines by the glass, but not enough variety and they don't change frequently.

Edited to add this funny side story: my husband and I raved to the waiter about the warm whole grain bread brought to our table and (semi) jokingly asked to take home the leftovers. He told us that it came from a "great little bakery in New York City," which served to make us even more enamored with it, and that we could purchase half-baked loaves for $5. We told him to add one to our bill and upon receiving it with the check we read the packaging which clearly stated that it was made in New Jersey. Oh well. The bread was still delicious.

Edited March 27, 2007 by jende (log)

[Naftal]

I went to Fiddleheads yesterday. I went there for lunch and I went there to celebrate my birthday.It was wonderful

I had:

lobster corn chowder with pico de gallo garnish

flash fried salt and pepper squid with roasted garlic remoulade

roasted lamb sandwich with garlic aioli and a side of sweet potato/bacon

hash

Wine: Renwood old vine Zinfandel '03

Can you tell that I loved the meal ?

In my opinion, the fact that the menu changes seasonally more than makes up for the lack of specials and they even say on their take-out menu that their offerings may change due to the availability of seasonal items.

I did find the phrase 'garlic ailoi' a bit redundant. But, that was the only thing I questioned about my meal there.

Again, I loved Fiddleheads.

[terapinchef]

Gotta love that lamb sandwich. It has survived on that menu for...lets see, I think that it's on it's 4th chef there. It's tough to get rid of such a great flavor, and it makes you feel so good about just having a sandwich for lunch!

[boagman]

Gotta love that lamb sandwich. It has survived on that menu for...lets see, I think that it's on it's 4th chef there. It's tough to get rid of such a great flavor, and it makes you feel so good about just having a sandwich for lunch!

←

When I went there, that's what I had, as it pretty much does just pop off the menu. I must say that the description of it lured me into thinking it would taste differently than it did. It was very, very good, but not really what I was expecting.

The one thing I would have changed about the sandwich was the thickness of the lamb itself. It was sliced so thin that the flavor of the meat was hard to decipher from the sauce in the sandwich. When I have lamb, I like its taste to shine on through like a National guitar.

As I said in another thread, Fiddleheads impressed me. Nothing more so than the service and ambience. The food all sounded good, and what I had, I enjoyed. I really do need to drop in there again relatively soon. Ignore something, and it'll go away and all that.

Edited August 14, 2007 by boagman (log)

[Naftal]

I went to Fiddleheads yesterday. I went there for lunch and I went there to celebrate my birthday.It was wonderful

I had:

       lobster corn chowder with pico de gallo garnish

       flash fried salt and pepper squid with roasted garlic remoulade

       roasted lamb sandwich with garlic aioli and   a side of sweet potato/bacon

              hash 

       Wine: Renwood old vine Zinfandel '03  

Can you tell that I loved the meal ?

  In my opinion, the fact that the menu changes seasonally more than makes up for the lack of specials and they even say on their take-out menu that their offerings may change due to the availability of seasonal items.

  I did find the phrase 'garlic ailoi' a bit redundant. But, that was the only thing I questioned about my meal there.

  Again, I loved Fiddleheads.

←

Gotta love that lamb sandwich. It has survived on that menu for...lets see, I think that it's on it's 4th chef there. It's tough to get rid of such a great flavor, and it makes you feel so good about just having a sandwich for lunch!

←

When I went there, that's what I had, as it pretty much does just pop off the menu. I must say that the description of it lured me into thinking it would taste differently than it did. It was very, very good, but not really what I was expecting.

The one thing I would have changed about the sandwich was the thickness of the lamb itself. It was sliced so thin that the flavor of the meat was hard to decipher from the sauce in the sandwich. When I have lamb, I like its taste to shine on through like a National guitar.

As I said in another thread, Fiddleheads impressed me. Nothing more so than the service and ambience. The food all sounded good, and what I had, I enjoyed. I really do need to drop in there again relatively soon. Ignore something, and it'll go away and all that.

←

Yes Fiddleheads is a great restaurant. It has all the things I look for in a great eatery.Lets get the word out... Edited August 14, 2007 by Naftal (log)

[Naftal]

Did you know that they have their own website ?

Edited August 15, 2007 by Naftal (log)