restaurant Archives - Detroit Duchess

I was invited to a sponsored dinner by The Morrie in order to provide a review. All opinions are my own.

Last week I was invited to dinner at the recently opened roadhouse-style restaurant, The Morrie in Royal Oak. As a Royal Oak resident, I’ve been dying to go there so I jumped at the chance to check it out. The Morrie is known for its live music and being a fun place to hang out. I can see myself visiting many more times as it is about a $4 Uber ride from my house.

I had just left a long day at work and upon arriving at The Morrie (which has valet) I could tell it was my kind of place. The ambiance was cool – sort of rock n’ roll. There were record albums on our table and fun artwork on the walls, plus a place for live music.

After a long day, the first thing I wanted was a big drink. The Morrie makes classic cocktails, but they all have some sort of fun rock n’ roll name. I tried the Mai-Tai PA System, which was SO amazing! I couldn’t get over the fun tiki glass they brought it out in.

Before dinner, we tried a variety of the appetizers including the Brisket Mac, One Big Ol’ Meatball, and Kung Pao Cauliflower. Everything was delicious, but my favorite was the Brisket Mac. It was made with smoked cheddar, manchengo, sweet BBQ, crispy onion and smoked brisket. I was so pumped that it used my favorite cheese, Manchengo!

The meatball is nestled into polenta, which was so creamy and rich.

I had just come off a bout of pneumonia and hadn’t really had much of an appetite until this dinner, so needless to say I was pretty hungry! For dinner I decided to go for it with The Morrie Burger and the Sweet Potato Tots. People take note – ALWAYS frequent a restaurant with tots on the menu, especially sweet potato ones!

After dinner, I was pretty much in a food coma so I decided to try the Lola, which is made up of Sugar Island Coconut Rum, Coconut Milk-Bourbon, Vanilla Simple, and Cold Brew Coffee. I don’t even like coffee, but this was amazing!

For dessert, I decided to try the truly decadent Banana Split. Now, I did share this with someone but between the two of us we still only finished about half. There were tons of surprises in every bite – heath bar bits, peanut butter ice cream and more!

I had the best time at The Morrie and can’t wait to bring my husband with me next time! A fun bonus for you – we are giving away a $50 gift card so you can try The Morrie for yourself. Just enter the giveaway below for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**The winner must be willing to travel to The Morrie in Royal Oak, Michigan to claim their prize.

Have you been to The Morrie? Let me know what your favorites are and what I should try next time!

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Detroit Review: Ottava Via

Last week I went out to dinner with some colleagues and we tried a new spot, called Ottava Via in Corktown. I was intrigued because I had never heard of it before and I pride myself on knowing about new restaurants in Detroit, especially Italian restaurants.

Ottava Via just opened on August 24th so we got to be some of the first people to check it out. I love everything Italian and Ottava Via translates to “Eighth Street” in Italian, so I knew there would be good wine and cheese.

Corktown has been improving its nightlife lately and I can say this is definitely a place I want to come back to. I could see John and I coming here to relax after a game or just hanging out with friends with a bottle of wine (wine starts at $24/bottle). The inside is rustic and quaint. It used to be the Dime Savings Bank and most recently a pawn shop. Now it is the perfect location for an Italian eatery.

The menu and wine list were pretty simple so we ordered some plates for everyone to share, including a Cheese plate, Margherita pizza, Italian pizza, Truffle Butter Pasta and the Carbonara. The pizza was delicious! I love Italian style pizza where the cheese just melts in your mouth.

My colleagues decided to go the extra mile and order a dessert pizza, which had Nutella, raspberries, mascarpone and powdered sugar. I think that may have been the highlight of the meal:

I can’t wait to come back here with my husband and friends and try everything on the menu! I really wanted to try the Caprese Salad and the Gelato (my favorites).

Ottava Via is located at 1400 Michigan Ave. in Detroit. You can contact them by calling (313) 962-5500.

If you’ve visited Ottava Via, I would love to know what your experience was like and what foods I should try on my next visit.

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