Reviews

Friends from Michigan raved about the arrival of Ocean Prime to the Detroit suburb of Troy. So I was surprised this week to see that Aventura Mall is home to one of just five Ocean Prime restaurants opening this year across the country. It opens Saturday for dinner.

It began in Columbus, Ohio as Mitchell's Ocean Club. Like the original, Ocean Prime is designed to evoke a sophisticated supper clubs of the rat pack 1950s.

As its name suggests, the emphasis is on surf and turf. But executive chef Tony Dee gives them serious updating with dishes such as Diver Scallops and Slow-Braised Short Ribs. How do Truffle Caviar Deviled Eggs sound? On the surf side, menu items include Ginger Salmon with Stir-Fried Snap Peas and Soy Butter Sauce and Chilean Sea Bass, Glazed Carrots with Champagne Truffle Sauce. Preparations, like the ambience, are sophisticated.

Ocean Prime will be a nice option for anyone who has burned out on The Cheesecake Factory and Grand Lux Cafe. Next up for Aventura Mall is The Grill on the Alley, which began in 1984 in Beverly Hills. Look for an October opening.

Oakland County restaurant devotees have a habit of descending on new, high-profile places like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

But even by those standards, the roiling waters at Ocean Prime in Troy have been exceptional.

Six weeks after its June 4 opening, it's still tough to get prime-time reservations at the stunning new steak-and-seafood emporium, even though it can accommodate up to 400.

That figure covers not only the 160-seat main dining room, with its white tablecloths and floor-to-ceiling windows, but also the piano lounge with live music nightly and vivid blue neon accents; the three private dining rooms; an evergreen-bordered dining patio, and a California-style outdoor lounge with soft, low, sofas surrounding a fire pit.

Everywhere you look, there's another beautiful design feature, from towering panels of sheer white fabric washed in blue light, to rich woods covering the floors and walls, to a glass-enclosed wine vault stretching to the ceiling of the 30-foot-high foyer.

It's so polished that even the employees look as if they were spawned by GQ, with their meticulously styled hair and crisp attire. Managers dress in expensive dark suits and silk ties, and servers are outfitted in black trousers, snow white cruise-line jackets and black-and-silver ties.

Many of the customers come dressed for the scene, too, sporting casual but expensive fashions, salon tans and bold new frontiers in cleavage.

You have to hand it to Ohio restaurateur Cameron Mitchell, who wanted to create a "modern American supper club" with retro touches and contemporary attitude. Ocean Prime is exactly what the company said it would be: "sexy, sophisticated" and a "place to see and be seen."

It's almost easy to forget the original point of it all -- food.

Executive chef Jeff Lindemeyer's menu is familiar and likable: an even number of a la carte steaks and fresh fish selections; eight to 10 fussier entrée offerings; 18 potato and vegetable sides, plus salads, soups, raw bar selections and an eclectic appetizer list that blends modern and retro dishes.

I'd never seen deviled eggs ($10) on an upscale menu, so I had to try these, made with white truffle oil and a dot of caviar.

The tuna tartare ($14) -- layers of wasabi-laced avocado, crumbled fried wontons and chopped tuna surrounded by a pool of sesame-ginger ponzu sauce -- isn't a dish for tuna purists. But overall its tasty flavors and textures make it an enjoyable, shareable starter.

The seafood choices -- especially the in-season Alaskan halibut ($29), Canadian-caught walleye ($29) and diver-harvested sea scallops ($27) -- were clean-tasting and delicious.

The steaks, priced in the mid $30s to high $40s, are also well-prepared, but the seafood is the standout.

Go for the side of terrific home-style latkes ($7), each about 2 inches across, served with applesauce and sour cream, and the signature Mitchell's mashed potatoes ($6). And don't miss the creamy Chophouse Corn, cut off the cob fresh daily and cooked with a hint of bacon; ditto, the creamed spinach.

Ocean Prime is clearly a hit. Its grand opening was the biggest ever in company history, managers said last week. 

If you go, you're sure to love the look of the place and the lively scene, especially out on the patio under the summer nighttime sky.

A sky-blue Rolls Royce Phantom, a red Ferrari F430, a shiny black Maybach, a dark-blue Viper SRT10 and a classic Bentley Continental. These are some of the rides that roll into Ocean Prime nightly. I know this because my son races to Troy’s new hotspot nearly every evening around 7 or 8 p.m. to watch Metro

Detroit’s sweetest cars pull into the restaurant’s valet area. With camera in hand, my 11-year-old car lover stands off to the side, waiting for the automobiles’ owners to enter before he clicks away at their head-turning steel beauties.

He has been watching the restaurant/supper club go up since the very first nail was hammered into its structure a few months ago. Each day we would pass the under-construction facility and he would say, “It’s going up fast!”

It sure did go up fast, this nod to fine dining in an elegant, contemporary environment. On June 4, dozens of hot wheels and their see-and-be-seen drivers and passengers veered into the lot for the grand opening.

The Cameron Mitchell restaurant, with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, is the talk of the town, and is hailed as the modern American supper club, harkening back to a day when nothing could beat an evening out at a prime supper club. Speaking of prime, the restaurant’s name refers to its offerings — ocean indicates fish and prime refers to the best cuts of beef. Whether you’re a surf or turf lover, the menu entices all.

We reserved a table on a recent Saturday night, thinking by now the crowds surely have died down.

Wrong. It was, and still is, abuzz with excitement. And the food? There aren’t enough stars to rate our dining experience. The service was impeccable and so was the fare. I’m not going to include prices, here, because, well, you only need to know that for two, you’ll likely spend about $100. We had a martini and a glass of wine each (if you opt not to drink alcohol, you can easily keep the bill under $100), and salads and sides are a la carte, so each option racks up the bill. Most main dishes vary in price, and everything is fresh — the fish is flown in daily.

I opted for halibut with a mustardy sauce, which was cooked just right, while my husband enjoyed succulent scallops (four was definitely not enough). Our sides included green beans almandine and mashed potatoes with hints of bleu cheese (both were big enough to feed at least four). The mashed potatoes were one of several potato options, from au gratin to baked.

We started the meal with salads. Mine was a Caesar concoction, but ever so different than the usual, with a more creamy-style dressing and a lovely crouton wafer, atop ultra-crisp, chilly Romaine. My husband savored a salad whose centerpiece was pear. Those nearby raved about their greens with apples. Hot, fresh bread made a hearty accompaniment.

Dinner selections typically include eight fresh fish choices as well as orchestrations such as pecan-crusted trout and crab cakes. Steaks range from a seven ounce filet to a 22-ounce porterhouse.

Incidentally, as soon as you sit down, the waitstaff provides you with pre-dinner appetizers, like little dishes of almonds, pimentocheese spread with crackers, and carrots — nibbles that evoke a supper club-ish appeal.

That supper club ambiance drifts throughout the place, from the chic linen-draped tables and shiny wood and steel chairs to the high ceilings. Gals dress snappy here, while men look generally spiffy. White-jacketed waitstaff glide amid the patrons, who sip on inspiring drinks and sample perfectly prepared dinners. Live piano music from the bar area filters through the eatery.

Outside, a patio with tables lends a modern appeal. Tucked within part of the outdoor area is a fire pit surrounded by low seating, tiki torches, lush evergreens and candlelight.

On the Saturday night I visited, it happened to be my wedding anniversary. When I made reservations,the woman on the phone asked if I was celebrating anything special. Of course, I told her, knowing my husband would get a kick out of a little extra attention. Attention? Well, let’s just say that upon our arrival, our waiter,

Craig, inquired about the anniversary as well. Meanwhile, Dave Barton, the on-duty service manager who will even perform magic tricks if you ask him, shared with us information on all the celebratory desserts and even gave us an anniversary card, signed by all of the staff. How’s that for personal attention?

As the evening wore on, a 20- and 30-something crowd entered, many in denim and heading for the bar area or outdoor fire pit.

Our meal was nothing less than outstanding. Every single morsel of food — overseen by executive chef Jeff Lindemeyer — that we bit into was perfection. Everything is served hot and nothing was over-seasoned or too fussy.

As for the staff, service was impeccable and personable. As we sat on the patio, we watched as curious passersby turned their heads, curiously watching the lively patio scene. Ocean Prime is a throwback to a time of sophisticated supper clubs, where the vibe is hip and the food and cocktails are amazing.

**4 STARS**

Excerpt from Article from June 22, 2008

We have to applaud a restaurant company willing to take a chance on Michigan while the economy is teetering.

Ocean Prime opened its doors this month during a time when we need a place like this - a place where we can forget our woes and choose a meal in an atmosphere that's luxurious.
The restaurant, in Troy, is owned by Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Mitchell opens concept restaurants with a high-end, supper club feel reminiscent of times past….

Mitchell began his restaurant career almost 30 years ago - starting from the bottom as a dishwasher and working his way up to open his own restaurants in an industry that he loves.

…The tan finishes and rich woods are combined with contemporary styled sheer drapery and granite bar tops. In addition to Troy, Mitchell is expanding into Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Scottsdale.

"There will be an energy in every Ocean Prime restaurant that our guests will appreciate. Ocean Prime will be the place to see and be seen," said Mitchell. "Our commitment is to deliver unsurpassed service, food and cocktails in surroundings that will make Ocean Prime a dining destination for couples and groups, young and old."

Menu items at the Troy location include appetizers such as French Onion soup; a raw bar of oysters, shellfish and crab; aged cheddar fondue; calamari; and classic oysters rockefeller.
Salads include a crisp wedge of iceberg with red onion, smoked bacon, grape tomatoes, Bleu Cheese and a Cabernet buttermilk dressing.

Or try the hearts of Romaine Knife & Fork Caesar with Parmesan garlic dressing and sourdough crostini. The signature salad is the House with Romaine, spinach, Granny Smith apples, goat cheese, walnuts and a sherry mustard vinaigrette.

Popular entrees are the chef's compositions of pecan crusted mountain trout with skillet beans and brown butter; and the Chilean Sea Bass with glazed carrots and champagne truffle sauce.
Items are 'A la Carte.' For example, the large potato selection … include potato latkes; mashed potatoes; sea salt and vinegar fries; Maytag Blue Cheese whipped; jalapeno au gratin; butter & sour cream; scallion twice baked with cheddar cheese & bacon, and candied yams with marshmallow brulee.

There are also vegetables like creamed spinach, jumbo asparagus with Hollandaise sauce, French bean; forest mushrooms, crispy onion straws with creamy horseradish, glazed carrots with brown sugar butter and sesame stir-fried snap peas.

Location, location, location. It's just as important in the restaurant business as it is in real estate.
And there couldn't be a better location for an ambitious restaurant than the golden corner in Troy where Ocean Prime debuted two weeks ago.

As the name suggests, it combines a fish/steak approach, with the menu just about evenly divided between the two, with perhaps a bit of an edge to the fins and shells.

It also has a lively bar scene to attract those who prefer to nibble an appetizer or two with a drink rather than sit down for a full dinner.

Ocean Prime is something of a tourist attraction in the early going, as the denizens of the nearby office complexes stopped by to see what it's all about.

The space is done up handsomely, its rather imposing entranceway backed with a vertical wine "cellar" that stretches from floor to ceiling.

The main dining room -- completely separate from the spacious cocktail lounge, but with its own small bar as a backdrop -- is set with white linen-covered tables under a high ceiling.

A wall of windows looks out on the street scene. The interior wall of slick, polished wood is punctuated with outsized porthole-style windows.

The parent company likens Ocean Prime to "a retro supper club," but I did not get that feeling in a recent visit. The place is much too contemporary for the designation, although there are some retro dishes on the menu.

When was the last time you saw deviled eggs on an appetizer list -- albeit eggs helped along by white truffle trimmings -- or, for that matter, baked Alaska on a dessert menu?

Maybe the brilliant white stewards' jackets on the good-looking staff evoke days gone by, but this is very much an up-to-the-minute spot that offers people something just a little different from its steakhouse neighbors on Big Beaver Road.

Executive chef Jeff Lindemeyer moved over from Cameron's Steak House in Birmingham, as did general manager Steve Singleton. (The company sold Cameron's and Mitchell's Fish Markets to Ruth's Chris Steak House a few months ago, leaving Ocean Prime the only Cameron Mitchell restaurant in town.)

Fish eaters may choose from completely garnished compositions, including pecan-crusted trout with skillet beans and brown butter -- the least expensive fish dish in the house ($15 at lunch, $18 at dinner) or perhaps jumbo lump crab cakes with asparagus and sweet corn cream, or simply go with plain broiled halibut, mahi-mahi or scallops, and then add self-chosen trimmings.

Steamed broccoli, creamed spinach, glazed carrots with brown sugar butter and asparagus with Hollandaise are among what the menu calls "accessories."

Prime steaks are available in sizes from 7-ounce filet mignon to the 22-ounce porterhouse. A la carte add-ons include bearnaise sauce, black truffle butter and green peppercorn and cognac sauce, as well as no less than eight potato treatments (try the jalapeno au gratin for something a little different).

Hearts of romaine with Parmesan garlic dressing and sourdough crostini is an especially appealing salad, but there are several on the list that catch the eye.

Interestingly enough, the other Ocean Prime restaurants on the company's drawing board are all in resort cities, including Scottsdale, Ariz., Miami, Tampa and Orlando, Fla. But we got ours first.

Excerpt from Nation's Restaurant News (June  5, 2008)

Four months after selling its 19-unit seafood group to the parent of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants is starting a new chain called Ocean Prime that's based on one of its eateries here.

The Columbus-based multiconcept operator said it plans to develop four stores in Florida and Arizona by the end of the year after opening a unit this week in suburban Detroit. The “modern American dinner clubs,” as CMR describes them, are patterned after the company’s Mitchell’s Ocean Club restaurant here. CMR said it decided to change the concept’s name to avoid confusion with the Mitchell’s Fish Market and Columbus Fish Market restaurants that were sold in February to Ruth’s Chris’ parent, now known as Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc., as part of a $92 million deal.

Excerpt from article by Steve Kowalski, Detroit Free Press:

Outdoor seating is becoming a popular pastime for dining along Big Beaver Road in Troy, whether the occasion calls for high-end or casual meetings.

Ocean Prime, a "reinvented" American supper club which debuted June 4. Ocean Prime's interior decor scored high marks Thursday evening from guests who had seats at the bar after work. The new Cameron Mitchell restaurant at the corner of Big Beaver and Coolidge features seafood and steak dishes, according to general manager Steve Singleton.

Cathy Lusader, who works in Troy and lives in Oakland Township, welcomed the outdoor patio as an option.

"One of the main attractions is the outside because a lot of other (restaurants) don't have it," Lusader said. "We'd be out there now but because of the humidity we're in here..."

Singleton said the "Prime" in Ocean Prime stands for the cuts of seafood ...and the cocktail and wine selections.

But prime may also describe the restaurant's location, across the street from the future site of the Pavilions, a $300 million development of office, retail and residential space. Somerset North and South, and scores of office buildings, are also within walking distance.

With piano and vocal entertainment seven nights a week, Singleton describes the restaurant experience as "sexy, sophisticated and sensual."

"Back in the day, supper clubs were the place to be," Singleton said. "Cameron has reinvented that."

Excerpt from the Troy-Somerset Gazette:

New Cameron Mitchell Restaurant at the Corner of Big Beaver and Coolidge Highway Set to Open June 4.

Cameron Mitchell has done it again. The famed restaurateur is giving Metro Detroiters a new place to step into the high life Wednesday, June 4, as Ocean Prime, the modern American supper club, makes its debut in Troy. Dubbed by its creator as “sexy, sophisticated and fun,” this new Cameron Mitchell restaurant will be a prime attraction.

“Back in the day, a supper club was the place to be. The vibe was hip, the food amazing and everyone had the tie of their lives. At Ocean Prime, we’ve redefined this great dining tradition,” said Ocean Prime General Manager Steve Singleton, Florida native turned Birmingham resident.

It is the big time, and the place to see and be seen. With live piano music, the moment guests enter they’ll feel the electric vibe. Ocean Prime will become everyone’s new favorite place,” Singleton added. Seated in the main dining room with a sophisticated black and white décor, you’ll know this is a world-class restaurant.

Like all good supper clubs of the past, Ocean Prime has a luxurious piano bar, which will be in operation every evening. Live entertainment is a staple at Ocean Prime.

Featuring the culinary expertise of Executive Chef Jeff Lindemeyer, Ocean Prime, located at the corner of Big Beaver & Coolidge Highway in Troy, will showcase the finest in fresh seafood... and handcrafted cocktails. And “prime” says it all. From the world class wine list to sumptuous chef compositions such as Braised Short Rib Osso Buco with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, everything at Ocean Prime is of the highest quality.

“...Our menu offers a delicate balance between traditional and inventive new classics,” Lindemeyer said. “We understand what our guests want and are passionate about preparing it for them.”

The chef-driven menu was designed to bring modern twists to retro “supper club” favorites. Diners will be able to enjoy classics such as Aged Wisconsin Cheddar Fondue, White Truffle Caviar Deviled Eggs and Classic Oysters Rockefeller as well as modern dishes like the Asian-French inspired Salt N Pepper Tuna with Forest Mushrooms and Green Peppercorn Sauce. On the dessert menu, the supper club staple, Baked Alaska, takes its place alongside a rustic Georgia Peaches and Cream, and a rich Peanut Butter Pie dipped in a decadent bittersweet chocolate ganache.

This will all be served, Singleton says with a smile, accompanied by Ocean Prime’s handcrafted cocktails and world-class wine.

Ocean Prime was designed to make a sophisticated yet fun impression on guest, whether inside or out. In addition to three private dining rooms with seating for up to 60 guests, Ocean Prime features a beautiful outdoor patio terrace and bar, complete with a fireplace.

The retro elements of a supper club, reflected in the warn tan finished and rich woods – all combined with contemporary styled sheer drapery, state-of-the-art lighting and granite bar tops – were designed to add to the warm energy of the restaurant.

Guests may enjoy lunch at the restaurant Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  Ocean Prime will serve dinner Monday through Thursday from 4:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. and Sunday from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Reservations may be made online at www.cameronmitchell.com, or by calling the restaurant at 248-458-0500.

Billed as a "modern American supper club" and "a place to see and be seen," the chic new Ocean Prime seafood and steak restaurant in Troy opens to the public at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. It's the first of five Ocean Primes to be built this year by Columbus, Ohio-based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, creator of metro Detroit's Mitchell's Fish Market and Cameron's Steakhouse.

Featuring warm, contemporary décor and an outdoor terrace and bar with fireplace, the restaurant at Big Beaver and Coolidge will serve lunch weekdays and dinner nightly. Reservations: 248-458-0500 or www.cameronmitchell.com.