Mink
This is incredibly long overdue, but here I am, a negroni in hand in Lexington, KY, attempting to recollect my memories in Detroit last October.
The thing is.. it’s actually not all too hard to recollect the memories experienced at Mink. To be honest, out of all the places that I ended up at in Detroit, Mink was singlehandedly my favorite spot, and I knew that this was going to happen the minute I did my research and saw what it had to offer.
When we visited, we opted for the $85 tasting menu, which comprised of ~5-6 courses, initiating with the duo of oysters. It was delicious and we LOVE oysters so much, that it was imperative that we continue on with the dozen oyster add-on ($44). Totally worth it, but spoiler alert.. that may have contributed to us being extra beyond full at the end!
The selection of dishes meshed perfectly with each other. The menu was also seafood heavy, so if that’s not your thing, then this probably isn’t your place. BUT, if it is, don’t even think twice - you must get your butt over there!
One of the dishes we really loved was the fish and tofu plate, which had varying textures. In addition, the mashed potato toast with the miniature fries on top was like a flavor bomb in your mouth. Can you say carbs^3 in the best way possible?!
We also had some clams embellished with bread crumb and flavorful meats, as well as another filling fish dish, which was delectable. The one thing that I really want to emphasize though was the service and hospitality. We love you, Stephanie!
We had a reservation around 5:30 pm, and although they weren’t immediately ready, Stephanie made it a priority to ensure that we were happy, and did whatever she could to show that she cared and noticed us. Seriously, that goes an IMMENSELY long way to me, and I am super observant whenever this happens.
During our experience, she was kind, graceful, and thoughtful. We’ve never tried caviar in our lives, but she generously gave us some, as well as free white wine, which made us flabbergasted beyond belief. We could have received one free clam each and would have felt like kings and queens, but seriously - all that was way more than we thought we’d ever get for free!
Breathless and appreciative are the words that I would describe the way that we felt throughout the experience and when leaving the restaurant. I suffer through “thank-you-itis” and overexerted that phrase, but I really couldn’t help myself with Steph. She even gave us an extra dessert for free. At that point, I just wanted to dramatically cry in her arms, but I thankfully held it together.
The food, the service, the ambiance - just everything was perfect. I also love the rawness and the realness of the kitchen being completely open; tupperware and everything-galore. You can literally see everything happening with the preparation of your food. It was a really refreshing sight to see and a wonderful experience to feel.
I loved everything about this restaurant and it was just yet another factor that made me really love Detroit, MI.
