The Continental at Ford House — Restaurant in Grosse Pointe Shores

This review reflects three times eating at the Continental. I have to say I expected better from a restaurant with as much expectation as the Continental has. The dinner salad barely covered the plate and consisted of romaine lettuce, two halved cherry tomatoes and a few slivers of onion. Being "charged" for the popovers, however delicious the restaurant thinks they are, means nothing to a gluten free person. No substitute is proffered in place of a food that cannot be eaten.The airline chicken in my entree was cooked to perfection with the crispiest skin I've ever had and was delicious. Unfortunately being what is referred to as “airline chicken” makes the portion size equal to a chicken thigh, not a lot of protein. It was paired with a rice pilaf that came straight out of a box to which the kitchen added some token sweet potatoes which didn't diminish its overall saltiness. The whole meal was pretty but unsatisfying. I think they could do a lot more to give a better value for the money spent.

I've eaten here twice since this first review. At both occasions the service significantly deteriorated when the liquor order didn't fulfill expectations. On the last occasion we even had difficulty finding our server to get our bill so we could make an engagement in a timely manner. Prices are too high for the amount of the food and its quality. To justify this statement I point to a meal I had across town, almost the exact same salmon dish cooked equally well, for $10 less. At any restaurant, one pays for atmosphere, service and food. The continental falls short on all three and cannot justify their prices in any of these three things. We will not be back. The name and its location "in" the Ford House don't live up to the expectations. Donating to the Ford House is not a reason to leave its restaurant hungry and...

Upon arrival, the older lady who was was at the front of the restaurant told us that we should sit down because we were early for our reservation. (2 minutes early) and the restaurant was closed from 1500 - 1600. (others in restaurant eating at the time she told me that)

Others without reservations walked up after us and were seated. (party of 2). The older lady had left and now was a gentleman seating people.

Taylor was our waitress. It took her 10 minutes to come to the table and the service was average at best. That is being kind. If this restaurant is being considered upscale, it is not. It is perspective depending upon what you consider an upscale restaurant. Maybe I expected more.

The food was comparable to like a Applebees or one of those type of restaurants that you eat at when you are young and can't afford anything else. Our party of 3 - check was $200.00 and took 2.5 hours to eat. It was not a good experience. Overpriced. It was disappointing because I heard it was amazing. It is not.

We had tickets for Starry Nights. We were late for our reservation because it took so long with dinner. The starry nights took about 10-15 minutes to walk through. Again, overpriced.

Later the same evening, we went to Tunnel of Lights in S.C.S. and it was complimentary and so much better. They have a fire pit and concessions and bathrooms. Indoor fireplace and places to sit to get out of the cold for a few minutes.

Don't waste money on Starry Nights or...

UPDATE: Sitting where we were looking outside at the pitch black did not add to the vibe or ambience in any way and we do plan on being back in the springtime during the day to experience The Continental once again END UPDATE: Service was pretty good, server was gone for a while once, probably break time.. Atmosphere is well, not much of it I suppose, kinda boring. Would be nice if they lit up the outside area some more so there's some kind of view after 5 p.m. in the winter. Noticed the table was sticky right away and can't stand that, their is enough money flowing through this place that we shouldn't have our sleeves sticking to the table, they can afford to have them refinished. Crumbs on our table and sticky spray on the menu was gross also. Short rib carbonara was just ok, needed more flavor was really bland. Thought since it was pasta it would be filling as I had an appetite, would have been if I felt like eating more. The sweet potato fries on the other hand were the best I have ever had. Pear and pomegranate salad was fantastic also. The roasted pear and beet buratta was an excellent choice for an appetizer. Didn't have any problems with our reservation when we arrived. Oh and the old fashioned is here pretty much perfect also, and the hot ginger toddy was amazing and just what was needed on a super...