Romantic Dinner in Ann Arbor, MI

[ooroger]

My wife and I will be in the area this weekend, for a rare evening out without our toddler. Looking for recommendations of restaurants in Ann Arbor. Any price considered. We are looking for high-quality, innovative cuisine. Favorite themes are French, Asian, and New American. Least favorite is Italian.

Would prefer a romantic restaurant over a bustling place. Any recommendations?

[boagman]

Knee-jerk reaction would be Eve, for sure. Sounds right up your alley.

[charlesbois]

Definitely eve as mentioned above. Others to look at would be Logan (laid back and eclectic), the Earle or the Earle Uptown (French), West End Grill (good, but can be noisy) and maybe Kana/Pacific Rim (haven't been there in a while, so can't attest to romantic ambiance).

[Jim M]

Good picks, but Earle Uptown is either closed or about to close. Logan is kind of minimal in decor, which you may or may not find romantic, but I've been hearing great things about the food. One more thing to keep in mind: the chef at Eve (who is named Eve) is currently on the Top Chefs TV show, so it could be crowded. Definitely reserve now if that's where you want to go. I love the place, but "innovative" is the word there--lots of spices, unusual dishes.

[crw77]

For years the answer has been the Earle, and that would still be my choice. I haven't been in for a while, but the food is country French/Italian, they have arguably the best beverage service in the state (wine, etc.), very good table service, and the lights are low, there's a good live jazz piano trio in the background, etc.

As Jim mentioned, Earle Uptown is about to close, or already has.

I know a lot of people who like Eve, and a few people who don't like it at all. Nice room though.

I would not call Logan's room 'romantic'.

[houndgirl]

I vote for Eve, went there for a birthday dinner and it was very romantic. The food was exceptionally good along with being very seasonal.

[gromit]

Eve!

Also, The Chop House, which never gets any love, but we had our first anniversary dinner there and have always considered it one of the best meals we had in 6 years of Ann Arbor living. Not particulary innovative, however. If that's an important point for you, then I'd go with some other suggestions in the thread.

-g

[ooroger]

Thanks, all. We ended up at Cafe Felix (after 30+ hours of traveling, was too tired to take advantage of a really nice restaurant). Had 3 appetizers (tabla mixta charcuterie plate, escargot/chicken turnovers, and moules) which were all delightful. Add a reasonably-price bottle of Louis Latour pinot, and we had a great experience.

I've certainly paid more attention to Eve's cooking on Top Chef Las Vegas....

[Fritter]

I've never understood the attraction to Eve.
Eve "n" less after Top Chef.

[chowchowbrowncow]

What about the Lord Fox. Has anyone been there lately. I used to really like their Beef Wellington.