Ocean Prime’s snazzy supper club interior sets the stage for romance or getting down to business
You may desire a “getaway” but only have time for a “date night.” If so, Ocean Prime, the snazzy restaurant in Troy, Michigan, is a dining experience which seems to transport land-lubbers and seafood searchers. Ocean Prime is a long way from the Atlantic or the Great Plains, but it brings both surf and turf the table of the traveler.
Ocean Prime is a stand-alone, clean-lined contemporary glass, light brick and steel building at the corner of Big Beaver (16 Mile Rd.) and Coolidge in Troy – just across from Somerset Collection. The sense of arrival whets your appetite immediately – and wall of impressive wines in a floor-to-ceiling glass case looms the above and behind the reception stand. The bar, too, features what appears to be a back-lit avalanche of every liquor bottle imaginable careening down into an elegant cherry wood, art deco setting highlighted with blue neon and soft gold lighting.
If you dine in a booth or at a table in the swanky bar area you can enjoy live piano music on given evenings and relish a modern, supper club/nightclub-like setting you’d expect in someplace like Miami or Los Angeles. The darkness is cut a touch by the glow of the I-Pads handed to each diner to serve as an interactive menu. This is especially helpful to peruse Ocean Prime’s thoughtful wine list: one swipe of a finger gives you the complete tasting notes for a bottle or glass of Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, for instance. And there’s no need to crane your neck to see entrees on other tables since your I-Pad menu features descriptions and photos of each of Executive Chef Adam Polisei’s wide range of sophisticated offerings.
The sitting begins with a playful delivery of popcorn with black truffle oil. The Colossal Shrimp Cocktail comes served on a dry ice device which made the dramatic dish appear to be billowing arctic steam. Ocean Prime’s special “Berries and Bubbles” cocktail is equally entertaining, with Belvedere citrus vodka, marinated blackberries, house made sour and Domaine Chandon brut bubbling right in the glass.
A Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Golden Oak Mushrooms appetizer was an astonishing blend of textures and flavors. And for a briny twist on the Cobb Salad, Ocean Prime mixes shrimp and lobster with the bacon and blue cheese. Similarly, the “Prime Feature:” Sea Scallops, Parmesan Risotto, and English Peas with Citrus Vinaigrette is a savory show-stopper.
Chops can be complimented with Ocean Prime sides such as Lobster Mashed Potatoes or a Loaded Sea Salt Baked Potato.
The dining rooms offer almost entirely natural light and an outdoor patio is open seasonally. Your “date night getaway trip” can begin at www.OceanPrimeTroy.com
Michigan-based travel writer Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at InviteYourself@aol.com or via www.TravelTattler.com He may be heard and seen weekday mornings in Lansing on 92.1 FM and Fox 47 TV.
