FEBRUARY 2009

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.
FEBRUARY 2009 CHALDEAN NEWS 35