Anyone been to Tribute, Detroit area, lately?

[spinach]

First, I would like to say that this is my first post, but I have been watching the community for almost two years now. So hola!

Has anyone been to <a href=http://www.tributerestaurant.com/>Tribute</a> lately? I have gone twice this year since Chef Takashi left (once for personal, once for business).

Both times I have considered the experience to be sub par compared to the 8 times I have been previously. All of my comments are compared to when Takashi Yagihashi was there.

Since he left I would say that the changes have been drastic and disappointing. The menu made a major overhaul. The ala carte menu was almost completely eliminated leaving just 3 tasting menu's. For a business dinner of 7, all of whom which had different appitetites, this was very disappointing. The prices also went up, yet there seemed to be less on the plate.

The type of cuisine has seemed to become more traditional French with a few ethnic influences. Not that this is a bad thing, but it's something that I wasn't expecting from a meal at Tribute. And for me, not something that I generally look for. Traditional French restaurants have not faired very well in the Detroit are over the past 20 years

The last time I went there was somewhat of an ala Carte menu, but I would say it was a third of the items that there used to be.

The wait staff seems to have gone through a major turnover within the past year, but the standards have dropped. Their attitude seems like you are not their #1 priority and they have something or someone else that they need to attend to. I could see that from a high volume establishment, but not from a top fine dining restaurant.

I thought there was supposed to be a “Passing of the torch” dinner with Takashi returning to cook. I know he was here a few months ago to a Demonstration. Why didn’t it happen then? There was a Chicago Chef’s dinner earlier this year that I was not able to attend, but I heard someone say that there was a poor turnout.

I have always loved going to Tribute. The food, drink, and atmosphere were well worth the price. There was nothing else compared to it in the Detroit area. Now I feel that they are just resting on there past reputation hoping that people will come just for that.

Anyone else with similar experiences? Anyone disagree?

[jende]

I'm bumping this up because I just went to Tribute for the first time last night and I'm interested to hear what others think. I'm still processing my experience (am I the only one who does this?!), but overall it was enjoyable. I think the tasting menu had some hits and some misses, service was good but had a couple of issues, etc. They had a wonderful wine list, although they were out of many bottles.

The coolest part was that my friend and I were strongly encouraged to tour the open kitchen when we were being shown to the ladies room in the same area. We were welcomed in and given a tour, including introductions to all of the cooks, by a very nice guy whose name eludes me.

[boagman]

I'm bumping this up because I just went to Tribute for the first time last night and I'm interested to hear what others think. I'm still processing my experience (am I the only one who does this?!), but overall it was enjoyable. I think the tasting menu had some hits and some misses, service was good but had a couple of issues, etc. They had a wonderful wine list, although they were out of many bottles.

Well, I've been tempted to drop by for their new lunch offering, which just started in December. I've never done the "full" Tribute experience, usually (especially since I'm often there alone) preferring to sit at the bar and enjoy one of Kevin's (is he still there?) concoctions, expensive though they may be. They are pricey cocktails, but he's an *excellent* bartender...this comes from a person who may consume 10 alcoholic beverages in a year, and that's on a really "lush" year!

I have had dessert there, which didn't impress me the way I thought it should, and *really* didn't justify the price I paid for it (plus, they didn't have "The Egg"). This is not a Tribute-exclusive problem, though, as I've had the exact same reaction at Cuisine in Detroit (with crappy service to boot!). I do have to wonder why places charge what I consider to be an exorbitant rate for dessert, and really don't bother to test them by taste. In the Cuisine example, the souffle I had was nice and airey, but had a "chocolate" flavor that I would have been embarrassed to serve to any guest of mine. The Tribute dessert, while aesthetically pleasing, wasn't very good, either. All that effort, wasted.

I'd be more prone to try out the certainly-affordable lunch before I commit to taking a friend or three for a wallet-taxing experience of unknown quality. I'll let them impress me with the small commitment before I commit to the full monty, so to speak.

[ulterior epicure]

The coolest part was that my friend and I were strongly encouraged to tour the open kitchen when we were being shown to the ladies room in the same area. We were welcomed in and given a tour, including introductions to all of the cooks, by a very nice guy whose name eludes me.

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Did you notice the "Chef's Table" in the kitchen? If it's where it used to be (wedged between pastry and the line), it seemed like an awkwardly in-the-fray spot. But, at least you can see all the action, unlike at TRU, where the kitchen table is in an entirely different room with hardly a view of anything.

[tammylc]

I've eaten at that Chef's table, and it does give a nice view of the action. We didn't feel like we were too in the way at all.

[jende]

The coolest part was that my friend and I were strongly encouraged to tour the open kitchen when we were being shown to the ladies room in the same area. We were welcomed in and given a tour, including introductions to all of the cooks, by a very nice guy whose name eludes me.

←

Did you notice the "Chef's Table" in the kitchen? If it's where it used to be (wedged between pastry and the line), it seemed like an awkwardly in-the-fray spot. But, at least you can see all the action, unlike at TRU, where the kitchen table is in an entirely different room with hardly a view of anything.

←

Yes, the chef's table is still in that spot. I agree that it seemed kind of close to the action. It wouldn't be bad if you only had a couple of people and could sit on the side furthest from the kitchen, but

anyone on the other side wouldn't have a view of the kitchen and may be in the way.