Prime + Proper — Restaurant in Detroit

Made reservations here with a couple friends to celebrate our first night out since becoming new parents. Our daughters are very close in age, and this was the first time we were able to snag the time to get out and have a nice dinner and a few drinks.

This is one of the nicer establishments in the city when it comes to atmosphere, and overall dining experience. Perhaps one of the best dining experiences in the city as far as service goes.

Located in the Capitol Park area of downtown, this place is situated amongst many places and things to do while you're in the area, and because of this there are plenty of parking options to make for a pretty easy in and out. They also offer a valet parking option that quite honestly might be the same price or cheaper than other parking options depending on the time that you're visiting, so just keep that in mind. Along that same line, this place is located in a very busy part of town, so make sure you plan accordingly so you can deal with the hustle and bustle that comes with the area.

When you first walk in, you're met with a clean, cool environment with a touch of a vintage yet modern elegance which creates a wonderful ambience for your time spent here.

The second thing you'll notice is that service here is top notch, and it really does play a large part in your overall dining experience. You're met with a friendly, courteous, professional, knowledgeable waitstaff that really knows how to put together a near perfect dining experience for their guests. I've yet to find a place here in the city that takes care of their guests as well as this place does. They even went as far as to add a little something special to our dining experience because we had mentioned that it was out first time being out since having kids.

If you've made it this far down in reading, you may be wondering to yourself why I only gave this place 4 out of 5 stars, and I am about to explain so no worries. The food (which is probably the main reason you are wanting to dine here) is incredibly good, so yes what you've heard is absolutely true. The menu here is expertly curated, and they really know how to put together a menu, and the presentation is also absolutely wonderful. They're known for their dry aged protein options which are dry aged and prepared in-house. You can actually venture downstairs toward the bathrooms and find the areas where all the dry aging magic happens. It's pretty neat to see and quite a nice touch to the experience overall.

While we're talking about bathrooms, I should mention that as you should expect the ones here are very nice. I always mention this because man, there is nothing worse than a beautiful establishment with a train wreck for a place to relieve yourself. But no worries here, these washrooms are top-notch.

My one and only issue with this wonderful establishment is the price of the steak. I think they over-value what they have. Sure the steak is cooked to perfection (and your standards) but by comparison to a myriad of other establishments (both in and out of Michigan) that specialize in high-end protein options, this place in my opinion would be on the higher end of the scale as far as price goes. I would never say that I felt like I didn't get what I paid for, but it just seems like what they are offering (especially in the meat department) is just simply overpriced. I understand market pricing for high end cuts of meat, and I understand dry aging (when it comes to added value), but what I can tell you is that I am almost certain that you can find a comparable, and potentially even better cut of meat for cheaper elsewhere.

When all is said and done, I would imagine that if you were worried about price you probably wouldn't be looking to eat here in the first place so you can literally just skip then entire part of this post where I rant about how the meat is overpriced. Let's just say that if you're looking for an upscale dinner in a fantastic environment and you're in the area, you should absolutely make reservations and eat...

Dinner and Music - A worship experience with Elevation and Prime and Proper - A Review

I’m a pastor at a small church in Grand Rapids Michigan. I was blessed by a friend who purchased some tickets to a concert in Detroit. We left on a Sunday evening early so that we could grab a bite to eat before our concert. While we were thinking something quick and easy like a burger would be great…little did we know what we were in for!

On the way over, I recalled that a neighbor in our community had blessed a local family during a difficult time with an incredible meal. I heard the story through a friend who lives around the corner. He informed me that the man who had blessed the family owned a restaurant in Detroit. So I text my neighbor to ask what the restaurant’s name was because I was interested in being a customer of someone with a heart like this. Little did I know that my dining experience would be as much of a worship experience as the concert I was about to attend.

My friends, Jordan and Joel were with me as we entered Prime and Proper, Detroit. From the moment we walked in the door the staff was intent on knowing our names. While this could have been an awkward demand, the staff had a tact that made their desire to know our names and engage with us genuine.

Our dining experience, started with a warm, freshly baked loaf of bread that set a delightful tone for the meal, along with expertly crafted Old Fashioned.

As we placed our order and had some time to converse with one another, we were invited to tour the restaurant with a vibrant personality from the kitchen named Brian… which was an experience in itself! The room sized dry ager in the basement was staggering and described boastful detail by what was clearly PnP’s greatest evangelist! Ha! For us steak enthusiasts, this gospel was really good news! It was wild to not only see but hear the selection and love these people had for steak. The private dining area areas were really cool to see as well.

We returned to our table and began our first course with the P and P salad, featuring crisp bibb lettuce and a remarkable dressing that elevated the dish. Accompanying the salad was a complementary order of Bigeye tuna Crudo and chicken fried lobster tails, both prepared to perfection - my neighbor informed the gracious owner of our visit and his hospitality reached across the state. Our first course was heavenly.  Quite literally blessing made edible.

For the main course, we shared a succulent tomahawk steak, accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes and the signature Prime and Proper hashbrowns. A selection of sauces allowed us to tailor each bite to our preferences.

The ambiance of the restaurant, combined with attentive and lively service from our primary servers - Jessica and Stefanie, to the zealous chef Brian who was so proud and confident about their ability to wow us, made our spontaneous dinner an unexpected highlight of our trip. This all goes without mentioning the polite and knowledgeable manager Petro whose class and story telling was delightful.

The experience made a night that was already a blessing, a double portion. I’m very grateful to my neighbor and community member/owner. While this kind of experience is rare for me, it will not soon be forgotten. Thanks P and P....

Prime + Proper tries to make you feel like your meal should be world class just by virtue of it being expensive. For a place that charges 1-2 Michelin star level prices, this place disappoints.

The absurdity starts with a designated hype-up person whose only job is to come to your table to set up the restaurant for failure by telling you, verbatim, that you're about to have the best steak of your life and that you've never ACTUALLY had steak before because this is THE steak. No self-respecting fine dining place will talk smack like this. This is the embodiment of American arrogance. I'm struggling to see why the owner would think there's any benefit to these theatrics because the hype is so over the top, you can only underdeliver.

The food is not bad per se, it just doesn't live to the hype. Everything tastes mostly good, but there's plenty of good food out there for a fraction of the price. The steaks weren't cooked precisely to our request and when you pay $200 for a steak, there is no other acceptable way but "precisely". When we raised up the issue, we were gas-lit and explained that we don't understand what medium-rare is.

I understand that this is a steakhouse and the meat is the star of the show, but the laziness on the menu is just offensive. Mac and Cheese does not belong on a menu of a place that charges upward to $800 for a cut of meat. Same goes for Onion Rings. If I can find your dish in the frozen aisle of the supermarket, you have failed in your imagination. I don't care you make the pasta in-house, or how curated the cheese is. I didn't come to drop $300 and eat dishes I can make at home or buy at a run down diner. What's next, a hot dog with in-house made mustard? Who is this menu supposed to speak to?

One of the worst things a restaurant can do, in my book, is to neglect their restrooms and the men's restroom in Prime + Proper smelled like the public toilet in my city's metro station. It looks good, but the smell overpowered it. I have no confidence that a restaurant can keep a clean kitchen if their bathroom smells foul. Again, something that is absolutely unacceptable for that price range. Fire the hype-man and replace him with someone that will inspect the bathrooms. Far better value. In addition, they were out of hand towels so I came out with wet hands.

Other notable offences that an establishment in this price range should not commit: Wine was rushed to the table way before the meat without being asked whether we want the wine with the steaks Booth and table did not comfortably accommodate party size Plates were removed with cutlery and the cutlery had to be requested to be brought again Food was brought to the table without any description on what it is or how to properly enjoy it Place is loud with music that tries to overpower the noise

I would have given this place 4-4.5 stars if it was $100-120 per person instead of $300 but when you price yourself into a particular category, you invite corresponding scrutiny. This is why my total rating is way below the average if the...