A Night Downtown at Angelina’s Bistro

My godother and aunt (I call her Zia which means aunt in Italian) has spoiled my sister and I by “culturing us” with invitations to musicals, plays, concerts, etc. I had never shown much interest in the opera, but when my sister moved to Portland, OR for the summer to work in a research lab, my aunt had an extra ticket and pretty much told me I was coming, whether I wanted to or not!

Now I’m always willing to try something new, so I figured I’d give this opera thing a shot. Who doesn’t like getting snazzy and going downtown for a night out? Oh and my favorite part… a great dinner!

Zia & her Polenta and Eggplant Torre

Zia had made reservations at Angelina’s Bistro in Detroit, located at 1565 Broadway right across from the Detroit Opera House. We were meeting my aunt’s friends, Tom and Teresa, at the restaurant at 5:30. Surprise Surprise we were late, as Zia tends to be, but Tom and Teresa were understanding as they always are. Angelina’s was pretty packed on a Sunday, and the volume was at a comfortable level. The tables were very close together, which made me feel a little crowded at first. 

The opera started at 7 so we had to make a quick decision. Since that’s nearly impossible for me, we decided on a calamari appetizer. We dove in so fast I forgot to take a pic! It was lightly fried, a little crispy and very light in taste. The carmelo dipping sauce added the perfect sweetness to the squid and overall it was very good. The calamari was cut into long strips, which I don’t mind, but I enjoy the baby squids–sorry that sounds pretty gross to say!

Teresa & Tom at Angelina's

Tom decided on the Whitefish (Herb Pine Nut Crusted Lake Superior Whitefish / Cous Cous / Spinach / Feta Cheese / Basil Oil  21) and Teresa the steak special. The menu didn’t blow my mind away but there were a good amount of options. Most of the dishes were rather basic except what Zia ordered (Polenta and Eggplant Torre / Grilled Portobello / Goat Cheese/ Arugula / Balsamic Reduction 13.5). My Nonna makes the best polenta so I wanted to put it to the test, but when Zia decided on it (and I never get the same thing as someone else) I had to move on.

Angelina's Half Roasted Amish Chicken

I was debating between the Gnocchi (All Night Tomatoes / Cippolini Onions / Asparagus / Garlic / Extra Virgin Olive Oil  15) and  the Half Roasted Amish Chicken (Italian BBQ Sauce / Mashed Red Skin Potato / Broccolini  18). After considering how heavy pasta is and that I’d be sitting for three hours in a fitted dress, I decided to go with the chicken. 

The portion of chicken was very large, two well sized pieces, along with (my favorite) mashed potatoes and broccoli. The “Italian BBQ Sauce” was essentially regular BBQ sauce–well I couldn’t tell the difference anyway. The chicken was moist and well cooked, the potatoes were tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. I only finished one piece of the chicken because, as always, I had to save room for dessert. Overall I’d give my dish a B+, it was good, but I don’t think I’d get it again.

Tom, Teresa, and Zia all enjoyed their meals, look for their comments below on their review of Angelina’s. 

We ordered the Apple Tart  (michigan apples / calvados / caramel sauce / vanilla ice cream 7) and the Chocolate-Amaretti Cake (crushed almonds / chocolate sauce / whipped cream 7) to split between the 4 of us. This was by far the my favorite part of the meal The apple tart was baked fresh and I love the warm & cool sensation. The chocolate cake was extremely rich and moist, a chocolate lover’s dream.

Overall I enjoyed my dinner at Angelina’s and would definitely go back to try more of their menu, but wasn’t that impressed with the entree I chose. 

 

Grade: B+

Angelina’s Bistro – 1565 Broadway – Detroit MI – 48226

Apple Tart

This picture does not do it justice! What was left after we devoured it... The Chocolate-Amaretti Cake