Restaurant Villegas

[Devilkitty]

The Mrs has made reservations for this Saturday (17th April), since we're going to be in Lansing for the Michigan Libertarian Party convention.

Never eaten there, don't know anyone who has, though I have heard good rumblings from the papers.

Lest I be accused of not doing my homework, I've prowled their site (an example of how even text-based web sites can be awful, unfortunately), and the menu looks pretty good to me - lots of emphasis on local ingredients and varied preparations.

However, as I am loath to solely trust a three-paragraph restaurant review and know how much puffery can be found on a menu, I put it to the Heartland readers:

Has anyone eaten at Villegas? Any "must-order-on-first-visit" items? Any real show-stopping (or at least heart-stopping) desserts?

Edited April 14, 2004 by Devilkitty (log)

[clothier]

Libertarian Party?

Cool. I didn't know it was still around.

Are you a party big-wig?

And I only have second hand info Villegas, but they liked it. I don't know there standards, though.

[Alex]

On eGullet, about two years ago, Michael Laiskonis said, "Eric Villegas of Restaurant Villegas in Okemos, near Lansing, is one of the most passionate chefs I know, and he may just be more of a food geek than I!" High praise indeed from one of the top pastry chefs in the country.

As of two months ago, eG member terrarich was in his second year of apprenticeship there; you might want to try a PM. It's been a long time since I've been to RV so unfortunately I can't supply the specifics you're looking for. It's considered the top restaurant in the Lansing area, though.

[terrarich]

Hello All,

Charlie, I do not think that you will be disappointed with your experience at Villegas. Please let your server know that you are an e-gulleteer so that chef can provide you and yours with a tour of the place. He just loves to show off. That goes for any of you out there that might visit.

Also Charlie, if you love meat, I would recommend the roasted lamb rack on tabbouleh with a lime mint "mojo" that is one of our specials this weekend. We have a big party about fifty people tonight so I might be too busy to say hi myself.

[Devilkitty]

Libertarian Party?

Cool. I didn't know it was still around.

Are you a party big-wig?

And I only have second hand info Villegas, but they liked it. I don't know there standards, though.

Yep, still around. I'm hardly a big party wheel, but I did accept the nomination for US Congress, 11th district.

[Alex]

Libertarian Party?

Cool. I didn't know it was still around.

Are you a party big-wig?

And I only have second hand info Villegas, but they liked it. I don't know there standards, though.

Yep, still around. I'm hardly a big party wheel, but I did accept the nomination for US Congress, 11th district.

Congress, shmongress. What's really important is -- How was your meal?

[Devilkitty]

Hello All,

Charlie, I do not think that you will be disappointed with your experience at Villegas.  Please let your server know that you are an e-gulleteer so that chef can provide you and yours with a tour of the place.  He just loves to show off.  That goes for any of you out there that might visit.

Also Charlie, if you love meat,  I would recommend the roasted lamb rack on tabbouleh with a lime mint "mojo" that is one of our specials this weekend.  We have a big party about fifty people tonight so I might be too busy to say hi myself.

Your post came through after I left for Lansing

No, I was not disappointed. Probably the best food I've ever had in mid-Michigan.

I did speak with chef in the bar briefly while we were waiting for our reservation time (got there forty minutes early and figured a bourbon couldn't hurt). The bartender was a pleasant young fellow who now has my simple-and-foolproof recipe for miso soup.

Very nice room.

I ordered the "foie gras of the day" and a glass of hard cider to start (love cider with foie gras, be it duck or goose). The foie was on a couple of rounds of well-grilled toast, the slight bitterness of the char and the bright fruit relish that accompanied combined well to cut the richness a little, and I found it rather refreshing.

The Mrs opted for the ahi tartare, then decided to get an order of frites to share as well. The frites were sublime - herbed, crispy, nicely salted - and accompanied by a truffled aioli that I would have liked to take home a pint of!

Entrees: "Bolivian Mac and Cheese" for me. Came out in a cast-iron skillet - a larger portion than I was expecting. (Had the leftovers for lunch on Monday!) I would have preferred a little more garlic, but excellent overall, nicely browned on top, creamy smooth inside. I think this one is replacing tagliatelle alfredo in my list of favorite pasta dishes. The name might be a little unfortunate, as it really doesn't do the dish justice - it's much more sophisticated than "mac and cheese" implies.

The Mrs chose a wild sturgeon fillet from the daily menu, seared off nicely and bedded on a mix of new potatoes, baby carrots, and broccolini. The sturgeon was done to a turn (I snuck a bite - I really like sturgeon) and beautifully seasoned.

Presentations were all very nice, appropriate to the food in question, and not at all overwrought.

Dessert-wise, I opted for an Armagnac, the Mrs for the Maple Chocolate Walnut Pie. I didn't try it as I'm not particularly fond of walnuts, but I can presume it was as good as the rest of the food based upon the look on her face and the "food coma" she claimed to be in throughout the drive home.

The check was surprising, considering the quality of the fare. I expected it to be higher.

I suppose I'll get that tour eventually, as I will definitely be back. I'd planned on taking the Mrs to the Lark for her birthday (though I wonder at the state of the kitchen after the departure of Marcus Haight), but I may just drive back to Okemos instead.

(edited to include the sturgeon details)

Edited April 20, 2004 by Devilkitty (log)

[clothier]

Libertarian Party?

Cool. I didn't know it was still around.

Are you a party big-wig?

And I only have second hand info Villegas, but they liked it. I don't know there standards, though.

Yep, still around. I'm hardly a big party wheel, but I did accept the nomination for US Congress, 11th district.

Sounds like the meal was great, glad to hear it.

It's on the list of places to takes the mrs next time something comes up.

Congrats on the nomination as well.

Isn't the 11th Kildee's district?

[Devilkitty]

Sounds like the meal was great, glad to hear it.

It's on the list of places to takes the mrs next time something comes up.

Congrats on the nomination as well.

Isn't the 11th Kildee's district?

The service was highly professional also - attentive but not annoying. I suppose I ought to note that we had our reservation for 1800; I like to eat early in the service.

I also forgot to mention that the bread is terrific: nice crust with a good, dense crumb. I smeared the last of that wonderful aioli on a slice.

The frites and the bread alone would be worth the drive.

Thanks. Kildee's 5th district. Incumbent in the 11th - western Oakland and a part of northwestern Wayne county - is Thaddeus McCotter.

Edited April 20, 2004 by Devilkitty (log)

[terrarich]

Charlie,

I am glad that you enjoyed your meal. I do recall you and your wife simply through your description of your meal. You arrived and ate just before the rush and sat right in front of the kitchen window, correct? I was the cook at your far left with the checked "beanie". I really appreciated the thumbs up.

I am sure that chef will be happy to hear that you liked the bread and that your wife apparently liked hear desert. Our pastry chef of several years left and we are now rotating bakery duties through the kitchen and are having a ball with the baking. I believe that we have maintained the quality established by our departed, pastry chef.

Hope you can make it back in some time.

[Devilkitty]

Charlie,

I am glad that you enjoyed your meal.  I do recall you and your wife simply through your description of your meal.  You arrived and ate just before the rush and sat right in front of the kitchen window, correct?  I was the cook at your far left with the checked "beanie".  I really appreciated the thumbs up.

<snip>

Hope you can make it back in some time.

Yep, that was us. It's always nice to be able to give props directly to the kitchen during the meal...

I called yesterday to make a reservation for May 1. Same time, same table.

[Alex]

Thanks for your detailed posts, Charlie. I'm looking forward to hearing about your May Day visit. The posts also are a good reminder that RV is only about an hour from our house in GR, and is more or less on the way to/from my occasional trips to Detroit -- no more excuses for not stopping there!

[mrs_devilkitty]

Hi Terrarich,

We're really looking forward to returning to RV on May 1st. (I'm Charlie's wife - in retrospect, I should have requested MRS_DEVILKITTY for a userid) Only thing is I'm dieting, and the temptations are great. We both loved the frites; and having seen the prep on FITR, I want to try using Kohlrabi, turnip, eggplant or ??? for a Lo-carb version. We don't have a fryer at the moment, so the experiment may not occur real soon. We made some kohlrabi and turnip 'chips' a couple of months back which were reasonably interesting, but frying in a 2 qt sauce pan with a pint of oil was pretty slow - 4 to 6 'chips' at a time (didn't want to invest too heavily in the initial experiment). Also, that was before we saw the FITR episode about frites - that certainly has some good tips that we'll try next time.

Hope to see you next week at RV!

phoebe

Walled Lake

[terrarich]

Hello,

I don't think that Chef Eric's potato frying principles apply to the vegetables you listed. Eggplant might be impossible to crisp. I suspect that you might have to slice the kohlrabi and turnip into thin chips to attain the proper texture, but be careful to avoid burning. Generally, it is the vegetables with high starch, therefore high carb, that fry up nice and crisp. I suggest trying to pose this question in the cooking forum for more expert replies. I am, after all, merely an apprentice.

Good luck

Good luck

[dweller]

We'll be in Okemos Friday night July 30th -- how far ahead should we book?

I live in the UK but my family live in North Manchester, Indiana, and we are coming over for my niece's wedding. <My wife and I are also doing a Michigan road trip, ending up with a dog agility show in Lansing on the 31st.

Doug

[mrs_devilkitty]

Depends on what time of the evening, I think. Between 7 and 8 p.m. seems to be very popular.

We usually make a reservation for 2 people - Saturday evening between 5:30 and 6:30 - a week or two in advance. Also, we request the table by the window into the kitchen to watch the prep action.

They open at 5 p.m., and seem to get busy by 7 p.m. the times we have eaten there.

Never hurts to make your reservation ahead of time - they don't need a credit card or anything

Hope you have a great trip!

phoebe

[terrarich]

We'll be in Okemos Friday night July 30th -- how far ahead should we book?

I live in the UK but my family live in North Manchester, Indiana, and we are coming over for my niece's wedding. <My wife and I are also doing a Michigan road trip, ending up with a dog agility show in Lansing on the 31st.

Doug

Doug,

Making a reservation isn't entirely necessary, but could be helpful in securing a table with a view of the kitchen if desired. Don't worry about it though. Just call a week or so ahead of time.

Charlie and Phoebe. Sorry to have missed you this last weekend, although I did get to wave to you while you were at the bar. I am currently going through my pastry stage of my kitchen rotation as part of my apprenticeship. That is why I wasn't on the line. I do miss the rush of service, but am enjoying my time learning about the intricacies of the bakeshop. Not as easy as I thought it would be.

You really should make yourselves known to Chef Eric. He would love to show you around one of these times if service is not so busy that he can't pull himself away from the line. I would love to do myself, but I always seem to be right in the middle of something whenever I have seen you. Maybe next time.

[dweller]

We went! I had a great steak and lovely garlic mashed potatoes. Helen had the roasted veggie brioche, and we had the Valhrona chocolate cake (huge) and lime basil pound cake with lime basil syrup. A great meal.

Doug

[mrs_devilkitty]

Cool - I wonder if the lime basil pound cake is still available. Charles and I are bringing his folks tomorrow night (8/14) for a mutual anniversary celebration (theirs 8/11 & ours 8/18)

Bon appetit!

[ronnie_suburban]

A big congrats to Chef Eric Villegas on winning a regional (Michigan) Emmy. From a press release I received earlier today:

. . . Eric Villegas was awarded the coveted regional EMMY® Award for On-Camera Talent Program Host/Moderator, “Fork in the Road Eric Villegas” on Saturday, June 17th by The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences - Michigan Chapter at their 28th Annual EMMY® Awards Gala held at The Diamond Center of the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, Michigan . . .

=R=

[terrarich]

It has been mentioned in other posts already, but I'll shout out anyhow.

Villegas closed its doors right after the New Year. The Capital Area (Lansing/East Lansing) dining scene really blows right now. It is all middling...

Edited July 9, 2008 by terrarich (log)