Common Grill — Restaurant in Chelsea

I’ve already given this restaurant 5 stars all around, so that gives me some freedom to nit pick and speak freely and not feel bad about it. It’s hard to review someplace where people are doing everything so impeccably well. Things were right in Common Grill: friendly service, the chef at expo eyeing the dining room, the line cooks jokingly cursing about someone not being trained properly.

The service was on point in a classic room. We discussed the problems with acoustics, and the attempt to install sound tiles inside the tin roof tiles. I couldn’t help but think if a restaurant group is backing this place, why not spend the money and go full heritage — restore the tiles to new and decorate in an era specific manner? But I’m sure a community of loyalists would rebel against that notion.

As it is, I was informed the largest complaint is sound. I personally like the resonance with cafes of Buenos Aires, or bistros of Paris and the subsequent noise, so it doesn’t bother me. However the room was empty and I could hear a cough from 60 feet away.

To me, you could rethink the place and go full out with sound proofing by covering the murals, considering drapes, and restoring the tin to original.

If a restaurant should be judged by its Caesar salad, we would not need to go further. The dressing was fresh and aptly applied — allowing for the taste of fresh romaine, and chewy dressing covered slices of fresh Parmesan. The anchovy was a legit pickled chewy white anchovy, and there can be no complaint with the execution.

I opted for the house special upon recommendation over the airline chicken, and think I may have done better there, but it was an enjoyable homey and well executed dish. Orzo with mushrooms had its expected mouth feel and held down the dish with an earthy simplicity. Haricot vert well cooked. The whitefish was fresh and fried quite well, though I personally prefer a bit more darkly crisp. They fried it to the edge of perfection for piece size, so I think that a choice. The sauce was excellent, but unfortunately not enough. It was quickly lost in the breading and left the entire dish wanting for lack of acidity. The lobster tail — what can I say… this dish has been on the menu since opening, and the people will have their say, but I think this dish stands very well on its own as a sole meuniere derivation, and really doesn’t need an airline freighted lobster tail. To me, it seemed a strange extravagant addition. And of course it was as I should expect in Michigan — not very fresh. Fresh enough for most no one to care, but if you blanch shellfish and serve it honestly as you ought, well there is no room for error… either in freshness or the barest moments of overcooking. Both of which made me a bit embarrassed to find the lobster tail at all.

Finishing the meal with a pot de creme, I am again struck with feeling — confusion this time, as I’m served a mountainous pile of CO2 fired whipped cream, with a layer of caramel sauce below. After digging down through this, I found a superlative pot de creme. Call me a purist, but making pudding this good, why would you serve it with anything but itself and perhaps a dollop of hand whipped cream. It’s like they forgot they weren’t IHOP for a moment.

Brutal, I know. But I’m only that honest, because this is an excellent restaurant performing near flawlessly. It is very much the spirit of the brasserie done with local flair. Thanks Connie — give...

This is the quintessential 'nicest restaurant in town' for Chelsea, catering to the wealthier folks who inhabit the town and those in the area who are after an upscale dinner. I've never been particularly dissapointed by a meal at the Common Grill, though nor have I been really wowed by any facet of my experiences here.

The surrounds, defined by traditional michigan brick with wood flooring and seating, are mostly standard for this sort of restaurant and yet thrown here and there are modern light fixtures, metal pipe decor, and a minimalist fresco on the wall, all of which to me clash with the rest of the interior to create a somewhat confusing ambiance. Mostly due to the brick walls, it is LOUD in the Common Grill on a busy night, making conversation and relaxation somewhat difficult, especially if one or more patrons are unable to keep from yelling as seems more often than not to be the case.

The food here is decidedly overpriced as while the ingredients are clearly fresh the dishes themselves are somewhat unremarkable for their price point, there is certainly a luxury tax that likely stems from a number of different sources. The portion sizes for dishes like the the Goat Cheese Ravioli and Steak Frites leaves a little more free stomach room that I'd like, leaving other parts of the meal to fill the gaps. The bread that comes with the meals that seems to me to be an herbed pizza dough is quite tasty, and the desserts are usually decidedly worth the price.

Prices for liqour are fairly standard for this type of venue, with a decent wine selection and a dissapointingly thin beer menu. I'm always a bit upset when places like this don't give some indication as to exactly how well-stocked their bar is, as playing charades with the waitstaff to figure out which cocktails they can and cannot make me is more than a little tiring. I think it's lucrative for a restaurant that boasts a full bar to list common cocktails they have the ingredients on hand for rather than exclusively providing a shortlist of house drinks. I also think if you're charging over $12 for a mixed drink that it's worth investing in ice molds and a citrus peeler, getting an expensive drink filled with ice-maker chips and a big wad of citrus pith is a little underwhelming.

All in all, the Common Grill is an acceptable restaurant for a date or event and the food is good enough to drive home full and happy, though if I were after a really high-end meal or a quiet dinner this place will almost certainly not...

Well crap. I've just wasted my five years in Michigan not eating at this place constantly. It's SO good.

We came here for a celebratory dinner having heard good things and having walked by once and thought, "Oh, that place looks cute." So we showed up early in the evening (they have a quirky non-reservation reservation system, perhaps the only drawback of the entire restaurant and the experience of eating there), and were lucky to be seated immediately (perhaps because it was before the dinner hour had fully started).

The menu was drool-worthy... the food is so creative and exciting, and each dish looked incredible. After much deliberation, I ended up ordering a special--the swordfish. My fiance ordered the lamb risotto. And we ordered the brie appetizer. As the kitchen prepared it, we munched on their delicious bread. Why is that stuff so good?! Probably butter.

We each got a class of Moscato. Very nice! And $6--not terrible. I noticed the Atwater Java Vanilla Porter on the drinks menu, as well, which we recently discovered and think has to be one of the best beers of all time. $4, again, great! I think they even had it on draft.

The brie was a knock-out. It's warm and melty, served with buttery toast and this unfathomably good fig spread (thick and sweet yet savory). I wanted to lick the plate.

Our entrees came with a salad, and somehow the salad was amazing, too. We got the pear gorgonzola salad on Bibb lettuce. The lettuce was so tasty, though I do wish they'd cut it into smaller pieces. And the salad had this real kick to it!

My swordfish was also outstanding. Meaty, tender, cooked beautifully. My fiance said, "I didn't even know fish could be like that!" and I knew exactly what he meant. The sides--carrots, squash, and potatoes were all good. Not the best things ever, but fine additions to the main plate. Likewise the lamb risotto was insanely good--creamy and tender, and so rich in flavor. Finally, a quirky note, I got a sprig of fresh oregano with my sides. I'd never before eaten fresh oregano; what a treat!

We didn't get dessert, but appreciated the little chocolate we each got with the check. Even the chocolate was great!

So overall, we really loved it. It's a pricy meal--probably $40 to $60 per person (incl. tax and tip), but felt very much worth it. A beautiful place, delicious and creative food, and a menu so full of things I can't wait to go...