Paesano’s Restaurant and Wine Bar (Ann Arbor, MI) just may be our favorite Italian restaurant in the Metro-Detroit area!

One winter evening on the way to my son’s hockey game at Michigan’s Yost Arena, Julie and I saw Paesano’s Restaurant and Wine Bar after getting off 23 south, heading towards the arena. We had never been there nor heard of the place, but thought why not, it had Wine Bar in the name. At the arena we looked up the restaurant and menu and were convinced we had to try this place. This was like stumbling onto your favorite restaurant without even knowing you were about to have an experience.

Paesano’s is more than just a restaurant. It exudes class, family, and warmth from the moment you enter. The restaurant was the product of a dream of owners Michael and Bridget Roddy when they opened it in 1984. They describe their food as heart healthy, using locally sourced products with a homey comfort feel. The menu is filled with classic Italian dishes with fresh ingredients that are changed seasonally, and they have one of the most extensive wine lists around. In addition to being a great restaurant, they also hold Italian language classes, cooking and wine education classes, weekly wine tastings, Italian wine-maker dinners and special events.

Being that this restaurant was so amazing on our first trip, we decided we needed to visit it again. Recently, Dan and I went to see if it held up to our original experience of warm hospitality, great fresh food, and amazing wines. Pulling into the parking lot, where they have extensive parking, Paesano’s gives the feel of a local neighborhood restaurant. Upon entering, you realize that this is more than a family Italian place, it has a classy winery restaurant ambience. This was not what I expected - Dan. They also have a charming patio for the warmer days. We were greeted warmly, but our table was not ready yet. We chose to sit a the bar and order a glass of wine. The bartender was friendly and helpful in recommending choices to sample.

Paseano’s has several tempting appetizers. Following our tradition, we decided to order the Calamari, and also ordered the bacon-wrapped dates. Both incredible dishes that started this meal off to a tantalizing beginning hinting at a promise of an evening with culinary delights. For the regular people, the food was damn good!!! - Dan.

The Calamari was the perfect amount crispy with these amazing sweet drop peppers, tossed with arugula greens with a sweet red-chili sauce. This was one of the best Calamari’s we have had the pleasure to eat on our journey through Italy in Detroit. The sweet drop peppers pushed this dish into our top-spot and deserves some special attention. They even inspired us to have a conversation with our waiter over their cute tear-drop appearance and full-bodied flavor. We learned that they were called gum-drop peppers and are seasonal. They carried a Mike Tyson punch of flavor - Dan.

But let’s not forget the incredibly tasty bacon-wrapped dates that accompanied our Calamari. The dates were not only wrapped with bacon but were also stuffed with a creamy Gorgonzola cheese topped with herbs and laid on a bed of red-pepper almond pesto. They were a myriad of flavors that were tantalizing our taste buds in every bite. It was like nothing you ever ate before. Every bite reminded me of a scene from Willy Wonka where Violet ate a three course piece of gum before turning into a blueberry. Every bite was a different flavor.- Dan. Although, Dan did not turn into a blueberry but polished off several and we still had some to take home. This was big enough to be a shareable appetizer.

For the main course, we both, for the first time, ordered the same dish, the Veal Scaloppine. This is Paesano’s rendition of the classic saltimbocca. Hand-pounded veal cutlets, with sautéed sage and imported prosciutto which is served with a piquant sauce of lemon, capers and garlic with white wine and herb butter, placed on top of garlic-buttered angel hair pasta. And can I say yum!!! It’s like Dr. Frankenstein yelling at your taste buds, “It’s alive, It’s alive!!” - Dan. This dish was pretty as a picture and could be served in any top Italian restaurant. Any restaurant period - Dan. The sauce was the right amount of lemony, creamy, with the right thickness. The capers added the perfect amount of herby saltiness, and the strips of prosciutto sent the dish to the next level. The veal was tender and pan fried with a nice gentle crust. Topped off with fresh herbs, and then freshly grated parmigiana (which did not make the picture). This was an absolutely order again dish!!! I was thinking about the leftovers all the way home. This was actually my breakfast the next morning. I had to finish it before my teenage kids found it. You have heard of a meal to die for? This is one to live for!! - Dan.

Even with packing up left-overs, and having no room left for another bite, we still had to order the house made tiramisu.

We had to stare at this masterpiece of a dessert for several minutes before diving in, or maybe a couple of seconds. Diving in like Greg Louganis, my fork made a perfect entry - Dan. The tiramisu is Paesano’s “signature” dessert and stood out among the other housemade amazing confectionery selections. Paesano’s offers rotating homemade desserts by their very own pastry chef, Gregory Daley. It may be worth coming here just for the desserts.

The tiramisu, which is also gluten free, is a masterpiece of espresso and rum-soaked ladyfinger cookies layered with a creamy Mascarpone cheese mousse topped with chocolate pieces set on a drizzle of chocolate. This tiramisu was a level above your normal tiramisu. It was light and airy and full of flavor. This dessert was the perfect finalmente to an overall excellent meal!!

Overall this is our top pick for Italian in the Detroit Metro area. And you don’t need to bring two Visa cards to pay for it - Dan. This is a must visit!!!!

This restaurant made me feel like this was the only really good thing I had going on that night, except for the fact that I also had really comfortable shoes. - Dan.