Top : United_States : MI : Bingham_Farms : Morels, A Michigan BistroParking: Available 30100 Telegraph Rd.
Bingham Farms
MI
United States
48025
Telephone : 248.642.1094
Opening Times : Mon-Thu 11:00am-10:00pm; Fri 11:00am-11:00pm; Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm;
Type of cuisine served :Price DetailsThe typical price range for a meal at Morels, A Michigan Bistro is $15.01 - $30 Payment MethodsAll restaurants accept cash; additional methods of payment are :- - Diners' Club
- Visa
- MasterCard/Eurocard
- American Express
Alcohol : full bar. Dress : dressy casual.
ReviewsTerry Thieses Germanics at Morels, Detroit Terry Theise Holds Forth at Morels, Detroit: 2000 Great Northern European Whites at Dinner Terry Theise Holds Forth at Morels, Detroit: 2000 Great Northern European Whites at Dinner This prix-fixé ($85 plus tax/tip) tasting menu was a concerted effort to show off Austrian, German, and Champenois wines in their proper food context, something that is too seldom done. How well Executive Chef Jim Barnett of Unique Restaurants succeeded you will read. Terry Thiese’s selections were his usual individualistic, artisanal, small-batch wines that presented an optimal challenge to the cook. It may surprise some, but I had yet to meet Herr Theise, even though I’ve been an ardent buyer of his wines since the 1985 vintage. [Dick Scheer at Village Corner in Ann Arbor was one of Terry’s early supporters.] My only quibble with Terry was his supercharged tasting notes, but I’ve since learned he means them to be taken with a grain of <b>fleur de sel</b>. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my writing was not unknown to Terry, who spent an hour or so swapping tales with me after the dining room had long since emptied. It came about almost by accident that I found out about this event, a five-course dinner with a ten-wine (plus) accompaniment, with a few of this and that thrown in, such as the three Champagnes as icebreakers. Terry has expanded his vision to include these wines, from his original Germanic-Austrian base, and now sees himself as a purveyor in general of Northern European unoaked wines, mostly white, although I think he has been avoiding Chablis and Alsace up until now. <b>Morels</b> is a delightful venue for such an event, mostly because of the truly human warmth of the staff, orchestrated by an ebullient, pixyish Madeleine Truffon, Michigan’s original female master sommelier. The choice and presentation of the wines was most imaginative. I had the distinct pleasure of being seated next to fellow WLDGer and wine retailer Brian Caplan, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, whose overflowing enthusiasm for these wines was an additional pleasure. **<b>Champagne Pierre Grimonet Blanc des blancs ‘Cuis’ premier cru NV</b>. Full-colored with medium mousse, forcefully floral and toasty. Full-bodied, citric, and crisp. A big mouthful of champagne for the style. A wine that calls out for flavorful food, but which develops well enough in the glass for very interesting aperitif sipping. **<b>Champagne Jean Milan Blanc des blancs ‘Ogier’ grand cru NV</b>. Light tones with fine bubbles. An evanescent nose of vanilla and apples; gentle on the tongue with a very lively finish. Fine, light, and delicate. **<b>Champagne A. Margaine ‘Blanc des blancs’ 1995</b>. Pale amber with fine mousse. Fairly dumb nose at this point with some promise of elegance. Light to medium body with a tingly, citric finish. Definitely needs another 2-3 years in the cellar, even at 6 years old. Made from Chardonnay from the Montagne de Rheims, usually a Pinot noir area, a rare occurrence in my experience. Terry mentioned how much we have to gain from purchasing these domaine champagnes. They are made with great passion by families who have farmed their land for generations, and are not a mixture of a great melange of grapes from different areas. If you appreciate uniformity, buy Moet et Chandon’s products, and they will be extremely uniform from batch to batch. If it’s individuality and purity you’re looking for (plus usually a nice savings—none of these wines cost as much as $30 with plenty of change left over)—think of these Domaine champagnes. (The H. Billiot Brut Réserve Champagne NV is also included below in the tasting menu). <b>FIRST COURSE: </b> Hamachi Tuna Carpaccio, Citrus- and Root Vegetable- Slaw, Wasabi and Sesame. Made with (raw) very light-colored and delicately-flavored tuna, and a pale, mayonnaise-based sauce with the wasabi delicately folded in.) *<b>2000 Schloss Gobelsberg Riesling (Kamptal) Zobinger Heligenstein Riesling. </b> $21/750 ml, 13 percent. This monastery land is leased to the Brundlmayers, and consists of a complex of various coarse, stony soils, very highly regarded in this region). Deep straw color. Extremely mineral-laden in the nose; very tight and sleek, bone-dry, apple-citrus, powerful, with a forceful finish. ***<b>2000 Joseph Leitz Riesling Spätlese Halbtrocken </b> (Rheingau) $25/750. Medium straw. Nose is very stony with a touch of earth, with a delicate floral underpinning. Very dry for a HT, just a bit of roundness, with a slam-dunk finish. The Leitz with its hint of sweetness seems to bring out richness in the tuna that would otherwise be missed. Exceptionally fine dish. <b>SECOND COURSE: </b> Maine Lobster Pierogi (Pea Shoots & Ginger Carrot Emulsion) with sweet corn. *<b>H. Billiot Brut Réserve Champagne NV </b> $35/750 ml. 100 percent Pinot noir, delicate salmon-pink. Monolithic at first but opens to a big, rich, toasty nose, full-textured strawberry and citrus palate with a powerful, slightly round finish. Definitely requires time in glass to strut its stuff. ***<b>2000 Nicolaihof Grüner Veltliner</b> (Kremstal) Very pale, with exceptionally mineral-laden and flowery nose; almost pure white pepper on the palate, very, very dry, long. At this point cries out for a year in cellar to come together to overcome just a slight clumsiness from its recent bottling. The Champagne wins here, due to the sweetness of the corn and lobster. An imaginative use of a Polish-American specialty recipe. The doughiness of the Perogi and the texture of the lobster meat presents some problems that need work despite the chef’s efforts to avoid overcooking; perhaps the lobster meat should be shredded. The sauce was a big success with me, however. <b>PRINCIPAL COURSE: </b>Roasted Stuffed Pork Loin, Apricots, Prunes, (baby turnips), and Minnesota Wild Rice (in Riesling reduction sauce). *<b>2000 J & HA Strub Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Spätlese </b> (Rheinhessen) AP 4 382 288 04 01, 10.5 percent. Full straw; very melony, with ripe mango and grass; definite Halbtrocken sweetness with full, soft, seductive body and finish. Very cleanly made and a definite success for this vintage from this estimable <b>Roter Hang</b> vineyard and estate. *<b>Müller Catoir Gimmeldinger Mandelhof Riesling Kabinett. </b> (Pfalz) 5 174 079 02 01, 8.0 % Straw; full-bore peach and apple nose with only a hint of shellac, with great purity, highly tense, ripely acid-charged and floral, Mosel-like, fullbore residual sugar suggests an Auslese-level must. The most successful 2000 sweet German wine I’ve yet tasted. This vineyard was gone through (Per TT) seventy-two times with extreme post-picking selection to achieve this degree of powerful cleanness. As a commercial proposition, a total failure, I’m sure; it must have cost as much to make as an average Beerenauslese. As a vinous experience, highly engaging. These are relatively young Geisenheim clone vines on sandstone. This was the most successful course for me; perhaps because I loved nibbling on the little turnips. The rich and sweet stuffing of the pork loin reigned in the sweetness of both wines, but the MC was the best match; the Spätlese was a bit dry. I’ve been truly amazed at what fanatically dedicated makers have been able to do with the 2000 vintage, truly one that must have had vintners tearing hair out in handfuls. The signature of this vintage, at its best, (unless all the melange of fungi were not meticulously excluded), is very ripe, round fruit, with usually moderate to low acid due to the high heat summations, but bringing out a sweet shellac, varnish-like, horse-glue, almost aged-red-Burgundy expression in the nose. This has been so universal that the lack of it in the Müller Catoir was astonishing; I’d have guessed it to be a 1998 or 1996, from much easier vintages. <b>CHEESE COURSE: </b> Gruyére and Fines Herbes Soufflé *<b>Koehler-Ruprecht Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spätlese </b> 5 123 147 18 93. 11.0 percent. A September release from the home cellar, in perfect condition. This chalky slope has given birth to some of Berndt Phillipi’s best wines. His connections with Michigan and Chateau Grand Traverse make his wines seem like old friends, and this one with eight good years in bottle gives a hint of where good Spätlesen go; not yet fully mature but the outlines can be seen. Spot-on for lovers of well-aged Rieslings like myself. Full copper suggests significant wood aging. A piercing, lovely note of thyme, coupled with gooseberry, grass, and pencil lead shows how closely Riesling is related to the Cabernets; significant diesel yet. Sweet and rich on the palate; finish earthy, flinty and brisk. Needs five, perhaps ten, years yet; a perfect candidate for the cellar and a 2010 celebration. Terry suggested the latest theory on diesel and gasoline/petrol: this is the result of metabolism of malic acid. Makes sense because all appley whites show this aroma with age, but most prominent in Riesling and perhaps Chardonnay. He emphasized is <b>what few know: that the petrol also disappears with more age and this is the real start of the magic of aged Riesling</b>. This is when scents and flavors that seem to come from everything but the grape emerge: wild dried<b>Boletus</b> mushrooms, white truffle, ancient vellum-bound books, wet climax forest floor, and stony waterfall mist, just to name a few. These impressions are usually so integrated that they are maddening to try to describe adequately, or perhaps simply impossible. This melange is so precious, the fact that so few have the patience to wait for it (or even look for it at auction, since auction prices for old estate Rieslings are usually equal to or even less than that of current release prices) is a serious vinologic tragedy. Swiss and French mountain cheeses from Emmenthaler to Gruyére, and their equivalents from other countries such as Jarlsberg, are one of the most perfect matches from Riesling wines, but should be attempted only when the wine is OUT of the petrol phase, which is unpleasantly emphasized by such cheeses. Experimentation with medium, nutty-sweet cheeses and these wines are quite worthwhile and very seldom attempted in this country. This is why a perfect baby-veal<b>Schnitzel</b> can be such a heavenly experience with Riesling if the cheese and wine are well-selected. The texture of this cheese soufflé was unfortunately thick and coarse, demonstrating how hard it is to do a delicate soufflé for a large group of diners. This suggests either insufficient inclusion of air or that the dish had to be held for too long before serving. Ignoring the texture, the flavors were right on. ***<b>1998 Schloss Gobelsberg Pinot Noir </b>A typical, but very rich, Germanic Spätburgunder. Full purple up to the edge; artificial-cherry-and-earth nose; tarry, garrigue-like flavors; all echo on the finish. This wine was a serious revelation. It shows me that my main problem in judging these wines is NOT that they are inherently flawed; it’s that I’m judging them without food. They are impossible to judge without a flavor backdrop; all the edges of these wines need other flavors to bind them together. This was the BEST food-and-wine match of the entire night, to my astonishment. <b>Pear Tart Tatin Crème Anglaise</b>. I applaud Madeleine, Terry, and Jim warmly for not attempting to match this dish with a dessert wine; it could have been done, but I think it would have made the ending to such a pleasurable meal more work than fun. A dessert wine would have properly been served on its own AFTER the tart, but it was unnecessary. Terry Thiese has fallen into one of the most pleasurable of all occupations: that of trying to preserve an agricultural tradition that is totally unique, the northern European artisanal winemaker. Terry and his colleagues are making it possible for Americans to glimpse the pleasures of the European palate and table; so few know what they’re missing. Not that he hasn’t worked very hard to attain his current success. Probably the sad part of Terry’s life is the fact that so few average wine buyers realize that his name on a bottle in a given price range is all they need to know to have a thoroughly worthwhile wine experience. He is admittedly aimed at a specialist’s market. Probably I’m doing myself a disservice in terms of the price-demand curve to say that his name should be much more widely known outside of wine-geek circles. Wines of this quality, if searched for among well-known names, cost three or four times the money, with much more unevenness in satisfaction. Again and again, it must be said: these wines are among the best choices to serve at table, and it’s even hard to make a complete mistake in serving any of them with anything. A good time was had by all. *further identification as to price, AP number, vineyard, and so forth, will be posted later. Food Rating [8/10] Ambiance Rating [8/10]
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