I am genuinely pumped to try the newly opened SpeakEZ Lounge for dinner. When it first opened, I thought, “Oh, another watering hole.” Then I tried their jerk cuban Grandwich entry, loving it to my deep surprise. This is far from “just another watering hole” and the Restaurant Week menu reflects ambition far beyond expectation. Three selections for each of the three courses? Sign me up!

We commandeer a large booth near the window. Our waitress is quick to deliver menus and take drink orders. Even with three choices, I already know exactly what I want, so I glance around the place. The pool table remains at the back of the room and not much else has changed, except the suits of armor seem to be gone. There’s also a curtained private room that I don’t recall being there. A pass-through to the kitchen has been plastered over too. Otherwise, it could easily still be Cambridge House.

For my first course, I cannot resist the Escargot Normandy. I’ve been on a snail kick for quite some time, ever since trying them at Joe Allen in New York last year. SpeakEZ’s preparation is different, in a brandy cream sauce with seared shallots on top of rosemary crepes. The crepes are a bit stiff like a tortilla (maybe a little old?) and the snails are chewier than expected—a slight disappointment after the melt-in-mouth ones I had at Paris Club a few weeks back—but the sauce is rich enough to tie everything together. In the end, I enjoy the dish. (I also try a bite of Juliet’s Tuscan Calamari. The panko parmesan crust is a brilliant stroke.)

Sesame Garlic Pork Tenderloin constitutes my main dish, sliced atop a bed of Wekame seaweed salad, Michigan sugar snap peas, and roasted red peppers, topped with pork cracklin’. My main problem with my plate is the food temperature. The seaweed is cold and the pork is barely warm. It’s a weird contrast. The seaweed and garlic combo stays with you for a long time after, too. This strikes me as one of those recipes that could have been great, but maybe on a Sunday we’re expecting too much?

Dessert is fait accompli, decided before the game began. Strawberry Rhubarb “Lemonade” is my choice. Even though I prefer rhubarb by itself, strawberry rhubarb is better than no rhubarb. At first, I’m puzzled by the pastry muffin topped with strawberry rhubarb sauce (accompanied with a shot of house-made lemoncello). It’s almost like a lazy version of pie, but after a few bites, I come around to the chef’s way of thinking. When combined, all the flavors just work. Who cares if the fruit is on the outside? I eat every last bite.

Despite the pork tenderloin faux pas, I’m impressed enough with SpeakEZ’s offerings to easily go back again and try other things. Given time, any minor concerns are bound to be tweaked and refined. I expect great things from this restaurant.