34 CHALDEAN NEWS <strong>FEBRUARY</strong> <strong>2009</strong>
chaldean PALATE Larco’s of Troy: Worth a Splurge By Crystal Jabiro Kassab This month, my hubby Mark and I trekked out to Troy to check out Larco’s Italian Chophouse. It was just a boring Tuesday night, and Mark was actually home from work so we got a babysitter. Larco’s looks nice from the outside on Big Beaver Road but the inside décor is bland — lots of grainy wood furnishings (like my ugly kitchen cabinets) and not much opulence. The little snowflakes hanging from the ceiling reminded me of an elementary classroom in winter, but I cared more about the food because I was starving. Our server brought us a bread basket as well as a plate full of humongous green San Marino olives and black Kalamata olives, with crumbles of fresh parmesan cheese to nibble on. Mark ordered his ordinary Grey Goose and tonic with a lime and I opted for a Velvet Kiss, which is basically a pomegranate martini. It was pretty strong so I sipped it slowly and didn’t order another. We ordered Grilled Portobellos for an appetizer. These big mushrooms were deliciously topped with roasted red peppers, gorgonzola and sauteed onions, and covered with a zip sauce. We didn’t think there was enough zip sauce and I thought they could have used more salt, but when I looked around for a shaker there wasn’t one … anywhere. I thought it would be a great insult to ask for one so I didn’t. Nonetheless, we would definitely order this unique portabello app again; it was amazing. Mark and I perused the two parts of the menu — Innovations and Legends. Larco’s has been in business since 1920, and their “legendary” fare has been on the menu from the beginning. Since then, fourth-generation Executive Chef Peter A. Larco has concocted “innovative” dishes with unique twists. It was no surprise that Mark and I ordered from the two different parts — he from the legendary “old-fashioned” menu and I from the contemporary and “new wave” list. Like oil and water. I remembered that Bree on “Desperate Housewives” once made Ossobuco for dinner so when I saw it on the menu, it tickled my fancy. Veal shank? Okay, I thought, I’ve had veal before and I liked it. It came with risotto, one of my favorite sides. Mark ordered the 14-ounce Grilled Ribeye Steak with vegetables. No fancy name or ingredients. Of course, it’s an Italian restaurant, so you know there are at least two courses before the main entree. I had the fresh and hearty Minestrone Soup, perfectly seasoned with just a dash of spice. Mark had the Mediterranean Salad and I’ve been imitating it ever since. It was pretty much a Greek salad, but no feta — gorgonzola or bleu cheese instead. All the ingredients — the lettuce, cucumbers, onions and so on — were very finely chopped with a perfect ting of vinegar. Then our waiter served us each a little plate of spaghetti. Larco’s pasta is homemade, which impressed me. It was an average meat sauce, yet it tasted really good. My Ossobuco was beautifully presented on a white plate, with a tiny little shrimp fork in the shank and little bits of carrots toppled over it. I didn’t know what the tiny utensil was for. Was I supposed to scrape out the “shikhta” in the shank? Was it even edible? Anyway, the veal, braised in a wine sauce, was so succulent it practically melted when I cut into it. The aftertaste was kind of unusual, but it was not enough to make me not finish it. (That Larco’s is an attractive sight on Big Beaver Road in Troy and the fact that it cost $35.) The risotto was fair, but nothing exceptional. Mark really liked his ribeye. It was medium-well and juicy, just how he likes it. The steak came with a plate of healthy steamed vegetables, but he was so full he hardly touched them. I tried a piece of his steak and it really was tender and tasty. We left no room for dessert so we just asked for the bill to make our journey home. It was a very costly meal, as in a Benjamin and a Grant, but it was kind of nice to have dinner alone without wiping noses or pulling crayons out of water. Larco’s Italian Chophouse is located at 645 E. Big Beaver Road in Troy. Call (248) 680-0066 for reservations or log onto www.larcositalian.com. There is also another location in West Bloomfield at 6480 Orchard Lake Road. <strong>FEBRUARY</strong> <strong>2009</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 35