Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails: Eating at Chartreuse will make your friends green with envy (unless you bring them…)
- pkresta8
- Dec 29, 2024
- 6 min read
Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails is a restaurant that, not only was recognized many times for being a top rated favorite in Detroit, but has also earned the honor of a 2023 and 2024 Semi-Finalist for James Beard awards for outstanding restaurant, and outstanding chef in the Great Lake region, from Chef Doug Hewitt. Amazing food in the heart of Detroit’s Midtown between the Detroit Institute of Arts, The Center for Creative Studies, and Wayne State University. Here lies this small but quaint small plate restaurant. They pride themselves in supporting local farmers and foragers by preparing their quality fresh ingredients in a creative fresh manner that allows the ingredients to stand tall and be the star of the plate. The menu was full of great choices and we had to limit ourselves to only 6 tastings of several that we regrettably left behind for our next visit. As Arnold Schwarzenegger famously said, “We’ll be back” - Dan.
As their name implies (Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails), fancy cocktails are a nice way to start the evening. I asked, Sam, our friendly and informative waiter, to make this drink spicy. He went the extra mile and inspired the bartender to mix an extra spicy margarita. If your lips don’t tingle, then it’s not spicy enough. This was not only spicy enough, it was so good that I had to have two. They also had a few interesting cocktails on the menu that were created to inspire adventure with a unique blend of ingredients, but we did not go that route this evening, so you will have to come check them out yourself.
For the first course we ordered the Seafood Chowder, the Grilled Octopus, and the Crispy Pork. This was a better trifecta than you would get at the Kentucky Derby! - Dan. All dishes made our “would order again” list. That is my favorite question at the end of a dish, “would you order it again?” (This time at the end of the meal, we decided to force rank the six dishes in order of preference as a way to compare - see below for the order).
The Seafood Chowder is prepared with Key West shrimp, bacon, roasted corn, and potato in a creamy broth topped with a fermented hot sauce that gives the soup a warm, tingling finish on your tongue. The first bite made your mouth hum with a creamy blend of flavors, to the last bite that made you scrape the bottom of the bowl for every last drop. The finish was warm and spicy with the splash of hot sauce, which called your spoon back for more. It wasn’t too much for the fair-hearted, but it was a welcoming spice for those that need just a little bit more. This is definitely an order again and Sam our waiter let us know it is on their All-Star list of frequently ordered dishes. It warmed your stomach and your heart, among other parts! - Dan.
Paired with the Seafood Chowder, we also sampled the Grilled Octopus. This dish was prepared with cucumber, fennel, grapefruit, chorizo sausage, in a saffron emulsion topped with fresh dill. This dish was not only a feast for the eyes, it also was a perfect medley of flavor. From the smoky seafood rich flavor of the octopus, to the bitter-sweet juicy grapefruit, the crisp cucumber, the richness of the chorizo sausage, the fresh bite of dill, and the warmly acidic emulsion, made this a harmonious blend to awaken the taste buds. This is another order again (and also on the frequently ordered All-Star dish - Thanks Sam for the informative clarificatiion and validation that this was a good choice.) The Octopus suckered me in! - Dan.
The next dish we tasted was a Crispy Pork. This was an Asian inspired, crispy fried mirin brined pork shoulder laid on a crispy scallion pancake, topped with a mild kimchi, Chinese bbq sauce, and scallions and served with a sweet soy dipping sauce. The pork was a combination of deep fried parts and soft tender morsels. The crispy pancake, was like a triangular cracker which held and supported the bbq pork even after drizzled with the sweet soy sauce. It is overall a crispy, tasty little bite. All of it went together like tattoos on a biker! - Dan.
And now…for the second course. We ordered the Chicken-in-Bisquit, Lobster Fried Rice, and the Jerk Sweet Potato. This was another amazing course of flavorful dishes.
The Chicken-N-Bisquit was a gourmet version of the old classic. It is a roasted chicken breast prepared in a fricassee, with a duck-fat biscuit, a side of creamy mashed potatoes and topped with fresh mustard greens. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender and juicy. The fricassee sauce was mildly rich and married the chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuit, together like a seasoned priest. The biscuit was a good version of a biscuit. Heavy and soft in all the right places. Would make any southerner proud - Dan. This dish also made our list of order again and was again on their All-Star list of frequently ordered dishes. It was the perfect heaviness to balance a light and inspired meal.
Who could go wrong with Lobster Fried Rice? This dish was a blend of Carolina Gold Rice, carrots, peas, scallions, egg, and peanuts topped with a piece of lobster. This had the customary soy sauce, fried rice flavor with a tender lobster bite. The flavor was as full as the dish was hearty.
Last, but not least, (exactly the opposite of least), the Jerk Sweet Potato. This was a confit of sweet potato wedge seasoned with pepper, kale, leek, chorizo sausage, and topped with a habanero honey and fresh mustard greens. This dish was a bounty of flavor and texture that quickly rose to the top, as my personal favorite. I don’t believe Sam mentioned this as an All-Star dish, but it has my vote. The sweet potato was a soft-firm bite of deliciousness seasoned perfectly. The chorizo sausage bites blended with the sweetness of the potato, and the added richly seasoned and perfectly pan fried kale and leek, accompanied with the hint of the fresh mustard green took this dish to the next level. A blend from heaven. I would not have noticed this dish on the menu, considering that I don’t like sweet potatoes, but I absolutely loved this dish!! - Dan.
Six dishes later, and very full bellies (they only recommended 4 or 5 dishes for two people), this was a meal that gave us an array of tantalizing textures and flavors in the form of small plates and delicious bites. It’s not too much of any one thing. You don’t get flavor drunk! - Dan.
The culinary satisfaction following this meal rose this restaurant to the top of our all time favorite restaurants. And we are picky. I still need to try the Lamb Meatballs, Braised Short Ribs, and Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto among others such as the fried Caesar that was also mentioned as an All-Star dish. So how do these six dishes stack against each other. Here is our forced ranking of these dishes….
Pam
#1 Jerk Sweet Potato
#2 Grilled Octopus
#3 Chicken N Biscuit
#4 Seafood Chowder
#5 Fried Pork
#6 Lobster Fried Rice
This does not mean I did not like the lower ordered dishes. I actually loved all of them, but my favorites are at the top. The forced ranking is like picking your favorite child. You have one but don’t want to admit it! - Dan.
Dan
#1 Grilled Octopus
#2 Jerk Sweet Potato
#3 Seafood Chowder
#4 Fried Pork
#5 Chicken N Biscuit
#6 Lobster Fried Rice
We hope we inspired your tastebuds and your spirit of adventure. Chartreuse Kitchen and Cocktails is on our must-do, return often, restaurant list. Metro-Detroit has a lot of great restaurant options and deserves the attention and patronage. We try to visit and bring to you our favorite places and dishes to help support their hard earned efforts to please your taste buds. We only publish our favorites. The restaurant industry is a hard industry and we hope to encourage and support worthy establishments with positive reviews of dishes and places you should not miss. If we don’t like it, it does not earn a mention. We are just everyday foodies like you and are willing to waste our money to help you find delicious food. Please subscribe to our website and follow us on social media for our next adventure. dEATtroit Eats, we have not been everywhere, but it is on our list.
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