In the fabled memories of Detroit was the famed London Chop House and it was akin to the Twenty-One Club of Manhattan and The Pump Room of Chicago.  All legendary and could truly be said “where the elite meet to eat” borrowing a line from Duffy’s Tavern.  All three of the restaurants hung photos and caricatures of the great stars of stage and screen that dined there, The Chop House had the work of Hy Vogel and a couple of the originals were on display in a glass case.   The original was established after the Repeal (of the Nanny State’s first mistake) in the 1930s by Lester and Sam Gruber.  The restaurant became so popular that in 1952, they opened The Caucus Club across the street, and old-timers (not me for a change) still recall the days when Barbra Streisand performed there, before she starred in Funny Girl on Broadway.  The restaurant still looked very similar to what I could recall, and they even had match boxes for the LCH Cigar Lounge, which was new.

We were meeting another couple to celebrate their birthdays, and this was the restaurant that they chose. l mentioned the match box, as we have a huge collection of matches, but alas we don’t have an original where they used to imprint your name on the matchbook and they left a dime for the host, to cover the expense of the phone call to book the reservation.  The restaurant states, “proper attire required” and my Bride and I were all dressed for the evening, even with all of the running around in Detroit earlier that day; I guess they just don’t want shorts and sneakers.  Since we were there early, almost an hour early, after leaving Kamper’s, as they were gently edging us out, as a wedding party was taking place there, unbeknownst to us, but it was fine.  We were not seated at the famed “Table #1” but at least we weren’t in “Siberia” which was the area in the back of the restaurant on the other side of stage where the band performed.  They had a trio that performed dance and dinner music, so we took advantage of that, until the tiny dance floor became too small from the tables abutting the area and before our guests arrived.  They still maintained the old phone booth in the back, which I understand is great for the Instagram crowd taking “selfies” and the phone actually operated free of charge, I guess for calling a taxi of other modes of transportation.  Though the Men’s Room and Women’s Room no longer have an attendant.

We also took advantage of our “free” time and ordered a plate of Hudson Valley Foie Gras with the classic sides.  Unfortunately, the bar was temporarily out of Sauternes, and we improvised and settled for glasses of Cascina Pian d’Or “Bricco Riella” Moscato d’Asti DOCG  2024.  Cascina Pian d’Or is located in the heart of Langhe and three generations of the Barbero family cultivated Moscato grapes and then sold the fruit to the major sparkling wine producers of Piedmont.  In 1989, Valter Barbero decided that the family should produce their own wines.  The wine is made from the Moscato Bianco grape and is planted on the hillsides with sandstone-based limestone and tuff (volcanic rock) soil. The fruit is hand-harvested, soft-pressed and the must is placed in cold storage to prevent early fermentation and to maintain the aromas of the grapes.  The must is then moved to a pressurized Stainless-Steel tank and fermentation is controlled to attain a certain proof and then the process is stopped to maintain a balance of acidity, sugar and alcohol; and then it is bottled.  The straw-colored wine offered notes of plums, gooseberry, white florals, sage and lavender.  On the palate this light and fresh wine displayed a soft mousse of fruit with fresh acidity and ended with a medium-count finish of fruit, citrus, almonds and minerals.  Not my first choice, but it was an interesting wine pairing.