Last weekend I flew to Detroit, MI for work. As part of the trip the team got to enjoy a dinner at Cliff Bells, the oldest jazz club in America.
When you pull up to Cliff Bells you immediately feel you are going somewhere special. The illuminated marquee has a feeling of grandeur.
Inside the vibe is loungey with dark red leather banquets and very dim lighting.
The light fixtures were made of several kinds of metal and hung from a copper colored ceiling.
While looking over the menus we had the opportunity to enjoy some great live jazz.
After the first set, the next group to take the stage was a group of high school students. When they finished, the third set was elementary school children! They were so cute and actually, quite good!
To start the night I ordered the Riviera cocktail which was vodka, limoncello, lemon juice, lime juice, soda and a splash of Sprite. It tasted like an exceptionally good lemonade.
For an appetizer I ordered the butternut squash soup. It was a very chilly night in Detroit and I thought that would warm me right up.
The flavors of the soup were great, but the broth was a little thin. I was hoping for something heartier.
For the entree course I ordered the vegan pasta which was served with cashew pesto, asparagus and mushrooms.
The dish was a little dry. The cashew pesto didn't really bind the dish together and the flavor wasn't very strong.
For dessert I had my eye on the apple cider creme brulee, but by the time we ordered dessert they were out. I settled on the brownie sundae as a consolation.
The sundae was two heaping scoops of vanilla ice cream, crumbled brownie and a generous drizzle of hot fudge. This brownie was so decadent you could smell it before you even tasted it. Normally brownie sundaes have a super dry brownie on the bottom and it only tastes decent when combined with a bite of ice cream. This brownie - this brownie could stand on its own any day! It was fantastically fudgey.
Though the live music at Cliff Bells made it difficult to hear the conversation at our table, it was a really fun atmosphere. Though I didn't love my entree, people who ordered the scallops, the filet and the pot roast were all thrilled with their dishes.
If you find yourself in downtown Detroit, definitely take in a nigh of jazz and the country's best brownie at Cliff Bells.
