Mink Detroit — Restaurant in Detroit

If a seal mated with a sommelier and opened a restaurant in Corktown, you’d have something like Mink. This place is seafood church: the altar is a marble bar, the gospel is the tasting menu, and communion is a perfectly shucked oyster served under the flickering glow of Edison bulbs.

Mink calls itself a “neighborhood seafood and wine bar,” which is the culinary equivalent of calling Versailles “a country house.” It’s intimate, it’s intentional, and—judging from the oyster tasting sheet—it’s not afraid to use words like “briny,” “meaty,” and “lettuce” without irony.

We began with a duo of oysters so fresh they should’ve come with life vests. The tasting menu unfolded in a slow, meditative chant—steelhead tartare like a zen koan, mushroom spaetzle crowned with roe like a dystopian pearl necklace, and a golden chicken ballotine so precisely plated I briefly wondered if I was being inducted into a secret society.

Our server Marg was, frankly, a menace to my cynicism: informed, warm, and effortlessly skilled. She guided us through the wine and oyster pairings like she’d personally raised the grapes and mentored the mollusks. Meanwhile, the chef worked inches from us in the open kitchen, calm and collected, chatting about Detroit food as if we were locals with discerning palates rather than out-of-towners on a sensory pilgrimage.

Photos attached: yes, that’s foam. No, it did not offend me. Yes, that’s roe. No, it didn’t blink. Yes, that’s a lobster roll served with house pickles and actual joy.

Mink doesn’t shout. It seduces—quietly, confidently, with a side of truffle butter and your better judgment.

Five stars. No deductions. I hate how...

Overall, it’s a pleasant venue with a great atmosphere, and I enjoyed my dinner until a significant mismatch occurred. Dining is about more than just the food—it’s about the complete sensory experience, including audio and visual elements. Food: The seafood was delicious, and I appreciate the delicate balance of flavors. I rated it 4 out of 5 due to the swordfish au poivre, which I found to be a miss. While stews are meant to be comforting, the stewed potatoes added a rough texture and heaviness that felt out of place, despite the nice broth. The other dishes on the tasting menu had a refined touch and subtlety. Lastly, amazing sesame ice cream with black caviar - nice flavors. Visuals: The aesthetic experience plays a significant role in memory. While the service was excellent, I would appreciate a more cohesive visual presentation, including the staff’s attire, to reflect a more unified and polished look, which would align with the overall dining experience. Music: I rated this 2 out of 5. Music can significantly impact the overall experience, much like a poorly executed dish. While I initially enjoyed the background melody, the abrupt switch to heavy beats, trap, and hip-hop was jarring and disruptive. As someone who is sensitive to sound, particularly in a fine dining environment, this shift made me want to leave prematurely.

*This experience occurred a...

Reading the other reviews I may be the exception but felt it worthwhile to share my honest opinions of our evening at Mink. Over the holidays our adult children were in town and we decided to treat everyone to a special dinner and let them pick the location. The restaurant is extremely small with only a handful of tables so initially two of us sat at the bar until another table freed up which was pushed together to make up a table for six. There was a very limited menu so everyone selected the $125 holiday tasting menu with accompanying $50 wine pairing. The highlights: the oysters and lobster rolls were excellent but the rest of the tasting menu was unmemorable. As this was already an expensive evening I was somewhat annoyed the owner was suggesting other additions beyond the tasting menu to our guests which added to an already expensive meal. This may just be me but other than the tasting menu most options were tinned seafood, not my idea of high end dining. The service was excellent, and our family had a nice evening but the tab was @$275 per person. For that price I would have expected to have an exceptional experience. For a group of six or more I would not...