Steve & Rocky's, Novi, MI

[PubCrawler]

I must admit that after having grown up in Detroit and honing my restaurant acumen in what I once considered one of the stellar restaurant cities, I was somewhat perplexed trying to navigate the ever expanding selection of chain vomitoriums that now dot the local landscape. I would welcome the red leather banquette of my youthful memory or the charming ambiance of The London Chop House to the abysmal choices the motor city now offers.

Here for a weekend visit to celebrate the birthday of a niece, our weekend started out with a bang with a fine meal at La Bisteca, followed by a great breakfast at Novi’s Joseph’s Coney Island (cash only) and acceptable dim sum at the somewhat decrepit and mildewed Great Lakes in Ann Arbor.

After various family celebrations, the weekend wrapped up with what was proposed as a “nice” meal at Steve & Rocky’s in Novi. OK, anytime a “nice” meal costs more that $55 a person, I expect significantly more that what we experienced this evening.

Four of us were sat at a table that would barely hold two. We waited over 10 minutes before flagging down a manager in order to find a waitperson. Distracted and overwrought, she messed up our entire order from initial drinks to dessert. She actually “forgot” to submit our desert order, which the menu required us to order at the outset. Most annoying to me, she dropped dishes sitting inches off the table edge, probably because of the tight space, but I found myself pushing my guests’ plates onto the table proper in hopes they wouldn’t end up in someone’s lap.

Not a single dish as memorable. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. If anyone actually remembers the Golden Mushroom’s famous mushroom soup, do not expect the gooey gump of flour-thickened slop (with nary a mushroom) to in any way represent its former glory. My point of reference is my four years of service at the Golden Mushroom in a decade hence past.

What can I say about this dining experience except after all the raves I read on this blog, I expected something beyond mediocre. What a complete and total disappointment. Beware!

h

[san]

i know what you mean. the detroit area is really plagued with mediocre restaurants. though there are several very good restaurants, they are spread so thin over so great an area that getting to many of them is more of a journey than most would care to take. though I never had the chance to experience it, the London Chop House (based on everything I have heard) was perhaps the last great destination restaurant. IMHO the best restaurants there today are only very good, or V4 good, but there are none who provide anything that you can't get in most other large cities. the downtown area has been improving for several years now and i do believe that it is only a matter of time before detroit restaurants catch up to those of some of the other cities that have surged ahead over the past couple of decades

[PubCrawler]

i know what you mean.  the detroit area is really plagued with mediocre restaurants.  though there are several very good restaurants, they are spread so thin over so great an area that getting to many of them is more of a journey than most would care to take.  though I never had the chance to experience it, the London Chop House (based on everything I have heard) was perhaps the last great destination restaurant.  IMHO the best restaurants there today are only very good, or V4 good, but there are none who provide anything that you can't get in most other large cities.  the downtown area has been improving for several years now and i do believe that it is only a matter of time before detroit restaurants catch up to those of some of the other cities that have surged ahead over the past couple of decades

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San, what a sin that these types of mediocre restaurants continue to earn positive reviews for their absolutely abysmal cuisine, service and ambiance. I don't mean to be negative, but have been on a whirlwind tour of great U.S. restaurants (Proof on Main in Lousiville, Stephan Pyles in Dallas, Bis on Main in Bellevue, WA (ok, this is my brother's restaurant :-) and am just so sick of paying $50+ per person for absolute crap!

[boagman]

San, what a sin that these types of mediocre restaurants continue to earn positive reviews for their absolutely abysmal cuisine, service and ambiance.  I don't mean to be negative, but have been on a whirlwind tour of great U.S. restaurants (Proof on Main in Lousiville, Stephan Pyles in Dallas, Bis on Main in Bellevue, WA (ok, this is my brother's restaurant :-) and am just so sick of paying $50+ per person for absolute crap!

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It's a bigger shame that you didn't have the option of walking 100 yards or so to Diamond Jim Brady's Bistro, where I can practically guarantee that you would have been *far* more pleased than you were at Steve and Rocky's. If you get back in this area and need to eat in the Novi area, I'd recommend that highly. I've never been disappointed at DJB's even once. Is it going to compete on the same plane as Charlie Trotters or something? No, but if you're wanting great food, service, and good innovation for your money, without going ballistic on the wallet, you can't do much better than DJB's.

I really hope you'll give it a shot if/when you get back to this area.

[PubCrawler]

Boagman,

My niece wanted to walk out the door and go to Diamond Jim's, and I was ready, but her Mom and Step-dad would not go, they are much more tolerant than me. After picking up the $200+ check for four people for a really LOUSY meal, I wish we HAD walked. I didn't even go in to great detail about all the things that went wrong, they messed up our drink order, they never refilled our water glasses, my "Paella" was swimming in some kind of flavorless soupy broth and the shrimp tasted "off", the crab topping on one of the dishes (fish, I think) was mixed with mayonnaise, YECK! On and on.

Next trip back to the area, I am going to Zingerman's Roadhouse to use all the gift certificates the nice lady at Zingerman's is sending me to make up for the latest mail order debacle. Zingerman's - now there is a class operation.