When you think Italian in Detroit, you may think Ottava Via. This restaurant is known for its trendy atmosphere with its brick walls, rustic decor, cool inner city vibe, great outdoor patio, and outdoor bocce ball court. It’s a restaurant that you can come with friends and end up eating, drinking, and hanging out for the evening.
Ottava Via is located on Michigan Avenue in the heart of Corktown in Detroit. Parking is a bit of a first come, first serve with metered street parking. Be sure to come early in case you need to circle and find the right spot. They offer a rustic menu with a variety of shareable appetizers, brick oven pizzas, pasta, as well as some traditional Italian dishes.
We had the pleasure of hosting friends, Genesio and Cyndi, former owners of Timber Creek restaurant in Northville, which is now the Deadwood Bar and Grill. To get an authentic Italian perspective, bring an authentic Italian - Dan.
We started the meal with a few appetizers. We decided to try the garlic and goat cheese, bruschetta, calamari, and the arancini. (Of note, from our last visit the garlic shrimp, sausage and peppers, and percorino plate are also all amazing!)
The garlic and goat cheese was one of our favorites. It was a generous portion of fresh roasted colossal garlic, on top of a flavorful creamy whipped herb goat cheese, with a side of freshly toasted crostini. The perfect little treat. Apparently you don’t feed this cheese to goats. Who knew? - Dan. The garlic was perfectly soft and creamy and roasted to a sweet perfection. Paired with the whipped goat cheese on a fresh crisp crostini served as a perfect marriage.
The bruschetta was served in a medium-size ramekin with toasted slices of fresh Italian bread. Having it served separately, allowed the bread to stay toasty and not get soggy. The topping was a tangy, garlic forward, tomato, basil, extra-virgin olive oil, parmigiano creation. It sat atop the crispy toast like a dollop of heaven. Like a warm blanket of goodness - Dan. It paired nicely with the garlic and goat cheese and wine (which somehow, totally unlike us, we forgot to take a picture of).
The calamari was a nicely salted, crispy mixture of strips and tentacles, our favorite! Served with a side of marinara and lemon caper aioli sauce.
The arancini are a traditional Italian staple made of fried rice balls stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella topped with a Pomodoro sauce, fresh herbs, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. They were crispy on the outside and creamy gooey on the inside. The sauce was the tangy compliment to help add an acidic flavor.
As many of our loyal reader know, how we started blogging was because I am on the search for an Alfredo that matches the exceptionally taste and quality of the dish that I had at Luigi Di Roma, in Deerfield Beach, Florida. (To see older posts, visit our menu on the top right corner of our website and choose the blog page). This was a good dish, but I am still searching for “the one.” Both ladies ordered the Pasta Alfredo with different proteins. The sauce was light and creamy and a worthy dish. The Italian sausage was a nice compliment to the creamy pasta. The chicken was perfectly cooked and did not disappoint.
The men ordered the Penne Alla Arrabbiata which is penne pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with roasted garlic, broccolini, Calabrian chilies, topped with fresh oregano and freshly shaved Parmigiano. My dish was like the movie gone in 60 seconds - Dan. Both the shrimp and Italian sausage proteins added a tasty accompaniment to the rich and tangy pasta.
How do you make an Italian man happy? Serve him a plate of sugar with a glass of Frangelico - Dan. For dessert we ordered the Strawberry French Toast filled and topped with a strawberry sauce and powdered sugar. The smile on his face says it all. We also tried the coffee flavored gelato topped with a vanilla wafer crisp. The gelato was a good example of a full-flavored, creamy Italian classic dessert.
Did the night end after dessert? No, we had to stop and visit a nearby coffee shop around the corner.
This place caught our eye on the trip to the restaurant and deserved a stop.
Momento coffee, gelato, and pastry shop was a quaint little place that served a variety of pastries, gelato, coffee, tea, as well as other confectionery classics. It had a nice patio where you could sit and enjoy your treats. A perfect way to end a great evening!!
We hope we inspired your tastebuds and your spirit of adventure. Detroit has a lot of great restaurant options and deserves the attention and patronage. Please subscribe to our website and follow us on social media for our next adventure. We have not been everywhere, but it is on our list.