Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant
A silver hawk perched outside of the front entrance. “The entrance was extremely welcoming. The silver hawk is a perfect pairing with the modern valet loop,” senior Lexy Rosenwasser said.
Located in Troy on Big Beaver Road is the magnificent-LOOKING Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant. While the stunning entrance indicates that the food will be five-star worthy, it surely is not. A well-lit silver eagle sits watch directly outside the front doors, and the Cooper’s Hawk sign shines outward toward drivers on Big Beaver Road.
As we entered the restaurant for our 8:15 reservation, we were greeted by a muscular silver hawk and a modern “wine room”. The wine room had bottles upon bottles of wine stacked up on the walls. In addition, there was a wine bar. After waiting 8 minutes, we were seated in a comfortable booth in the middle of the restaurant. The smell of steak and zip-sauce filled my nostrils. Our server, Yola, served my friend, Groves senior Lexy Rosenwasser, a bread roll about 20 minutes after we were seated. I could not eat the roll due to my dairy allergy. I believe that restaurants should have other options for customers’ allergies. Even though the kitchen did not have any alternatives for me, I insisted that Rosenwasser have the roll herself.
“The pretzel roll is warm and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The salted butter is soft and easy to spread. I can tell the roll was not made in-house, but because it was served warm, I am not bothered by this. I can compare this roll to a traditional hot pretzel, but less salty,” Rosenwasser said.
It was confirmed by our server that the bread is indeed not made in-house.
Shortly after Rosenwasser had been served her roll, we ordered two appetizers. We ordered Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Cashews, Mint, Sweet Thai Chili, and Sesame-Siracha Aioli and Chicken Potstickers with Sweet and Spicy Mustard and Ginger Soy Sauce.
While we waited for our appetizers to be served, we appreciated and absorbed the ambiance. The soft and relaxing jazz music being played through the overhead speakers was a nice complement to the modern arrangements and interior design. Our booth was made up of soft green velvet, and the overhead lights were modern circular fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
The potstickers and brussels sprouts arrived promptly. Right after the appetizers arrived, we were ready to order our entrees. I ordered a Filet Mignon with Grilled Broccoli, Shredded Potatoes, and Au Jus sauce. Rosnewasser ordered Soy Ginger Atlantic Salmon with Wasabi-Buttered Mashed and Asian Slaw.
The potstickers were filled with dark chicken. A nice complement to the dark meat chicken would have been some chopped vegetables. The sweet and spicy mustard sitting under the coleslaw was great for dipping the potstickers in. I recommend first drizzling the ginger soy sauce over the potstickers, and then dipping the potstickers into the sweet and spicy mustard. While the mustard was delicious, the coleslaw was less than average. It was bland and was no better than a coleslaw you would be served at a professional sporting event. While the slaw was bland, it was still a refreshing addition to the warm potstickers.
“I appreciate the crispiness of the outer layer of the potstickers. Although, they were filled with only chicken which was disappointing. I am not the biggest fan of dark meat, but the combination of the mustard and ginger soy sauce made up for this ick of mine. The cilantro gave a spare to the dish,” Rosenwasser said.
Our brussels sprouts dish was served warm, but slightly soggy. I would attribute the sogginess to the sauce soaking in. While parts of the dish were soggy, some pieces were crisp to perfection. The sriracha aioli gave the dish a small kick. Had the dish not had the aioli, the dish would have been quite bland, with a hint of salt. The menu stated that there was mint in the dish, but I couldn’t taste any hint of it.
“In my opinion, the brussels sprouts were delicious. There were various sauces that all tied together nicely. Additionally, the brussels sprouts were perfectly crispy. There were no big chunks of sprouts. In other words, they were nicely chopped,” Rosenwasser said.
As we were appreciating the ambiance, a server approached our booth with a cocktail. Immediately, we told the server that we did not order the cocktail. She responded with a kind laugh and apologized for the confusion. About 15 minutes later, another server approached our booth with two plates of steak. Rosenwasser had ordered a salmon dish, so we knew that the dishes were not ours. We politely told the waiter that the steaks were not ours. The sense of false hope that this waiter had given us was very frustrating.
Eventually, our entrees arrived. I ordered my Filet Mignon medium, but it was served medium-well. While the inside was not cooked to my order, the outer lawyer had a slight char that gave the filet a much-needed flavor boost. The inside was dry and flavorless. I was forced to drown my filet in au jus sauce. The sauce tasted like beef and pepper. But, it was nearly average and was nothing special. The shredded potatoes were not cooked all the way through. They were stiff and flavorless. With some salt and pepper, they were still less than adequate. The “grilled broccoli” didn’t appear to be grilled. Instead, the broccoli appeared to be steamed. Steamed broccoli is steamed broccoli, and so with salt and pepper, they were edible.
“The salmon had great flavor and was cooked perfectly. My mashed potatoes were tasty, but I did not enjoy the ginormous glob of wasabi on top. The coleslaw served with the salmon was the same as the coleslaw served with the potstickers. Overall, the dish was decent, but was nothing super impressive,” Rosenwasser said.
Overall, my experience at Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant was average. The servers were kind and the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing. But, the food was below average. The kitchen was lacking attention to detail. If you are looking for a good steak in the area surrounding Groves High School, do not go to Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant.
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