It's hard to say what exactly makes Paris, France so amazing. Songs have been sung and stories have been written since, what seems like the beginning of time about this great European city. If you've ever spoken to anyone who's been there, you'll hear accounts of awe-inspiring art, astonishing architecture and of course lusciously delectable food and drink. But...those are just words to describe what most say must only be experienced in person. Now back to reality. It's winter and it's cold. Most Detroiters are caught bouncing between warming up with a hot coffee at the local Starbucks or cooling down with a frothy beer before sitting down to watch "the game". Neither of course offer the level of quality or extravagance of what Parisians are privy to on a daily basis, but then again, ignorance is bliss. If we aren't aware that a better alternative exists, we will be doomed to continue to consume our crappy, overpriced lattes and watered-down, bloated-gut-inducing beers. Fortunately, there is an alternative, and it doesn't require an 8 hour flight to experience. Indulge yourself at Angelina Italian Bistro in Detroit.
Your first question may be, why make the connection to Paris, France when Angelina Italian Bistro clearly is an Italian themed restaurant? Different country, different culture, right? While that may be the case, to most, Paris has always represented the epicenter of culture in Europe, and the correlation is that Angelina Italian Bistro may just be the epicenter of European culture here in Detroit.
Another common conception of Parisian lifestyle is the carefree, slow-paced attitude of its people. There's no rushing or hurrying through a meal or a conversation. In our fast paced American culture, that idea is almost as foreign to us as the French language is to our Americanized English. At Angelina's, leaving behind the concept of constant clock watching is as easy as taking off your jacket and placing it on the back of your seat as you sit down. The staff here are lively, energetic and feel as though they are radiating life. They greet you at your seat with a bottle of wine in one hand, a menu in the other and a smile on their face. They converse as though the earthy, yet elegant dining room were surrounded by a bubble that shielded out the world around it. The staff are informative, knowledgeable and (most importantly) passionate about the menu and the items on it.
It's easy to get caught up in your surroundings as you sit in either the 100 seat dining area or the 35 seat bar area. The entire restaurant feels open. It feels as though you could stretch out your arms and lean back and feel the space around you, which too is another rarity in our traditional jam packed bars and restaurants. The open atmosphere is helped, in part, thanks to the large floor to ceiling windows that surround the dining area. During the summer months, when the weather permits, these windows are opened granting you a similar feel to the sidewalk cafes of our European counterparts.
The menu features traditional Italian food, all of which is house-made featuring everything from artisan style pizzas, hand crafted pasta, organic pork and free-range chicken. The theme here is fresh, and it tastes every bit as much and then some.
Perhaps the hardest to master and most complex member in the family of alcoholic beverages, wine has both the longest history and quite possibly the most devout following. For a restaurant to pride itself on its wine selection, it must be both diverse in its sampling and immaculate in its quality. Angelina Italian Bistro is able to achieve this by offering several outstanding wines from all over the globe, including several from right here in Michigan. Besides the usual grouping of bottled beers you've come to expect, Angelina's also offers an assortment of select Michigan brewed beers, including a draft tasting where you get to choose and consume 3 seven ounce samples of Angelina's Draft Beer for a mere $6.50. Finally, and not to be outdone, is a nice selection of martinis, coffee drinks and dessert wines to conclude what will undoubtedly be a roller coaster ride for your palate.
Twice a month, Angelina Italian Bistro hosts a wine tasting (their calendar of events, as well as their homepage can be found at the link here), giving participants the opportunity to experience a wide gamut of Angelina's offerings for a modest price. The most recent wine tasting on January 25th featured four Australian Shiraz wines. For a cost of $25, participants were able to pair the taste of those wines with several small courses of food including: a diverse set of cheese and crackers, shrimp, filet and potatoes, and a rich chocolate brownie topped with mousse. Concurrent to the courses being served, a trained sommelier was on hand to detail the history of each of the wines, as well as answer any and all questions that one may have, including those ranging from the novice to the more experienced type. At the conclusion of the event, participants were offered the opportunity to purchase bottles of any of the wines they had drank. Some bottles were available to purchase on site, while others had to be ordered and shipped, arriving at a later date. Anyone planning on attending one of Angelina's wine tastings is strongly advised to call ahead and reserve a spot as these events tend to fill up.
Detroit has such a wide range of offerings when it comes to the type of cultural experience one could have if he or she was looking for it. But the sad truth is, we often stick to what we know is familiar, or what is safe. This often leads to a monotony of flavor and experience that dulls our senses into an existence comparable to what it would be like to be driving continuously through a long tunnel with no beginning in view and no end in sight. Break out of your cold winter rut by experiencing something unique, something different, something unexpected. You may not be able to afford to fly to Paris, or to Italy for that matter, but for a moderately priced night out you can experience a little piece of Europe in your own back yard.
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