Tucked away in the corner of a shopping plaza, unmarked by a sign on North Rochester Road in Rochester Hills, Mich., is an unpolished gem of an Italian restaurant in need of just a few tweaks. The Silver Spoon opened quietly earlier this year with the kitchen under the guidance of Executive Chef Daniele Dall’Acqua, formerly of Il Posto in Southfield. While the restaurant’s name isn’t Italian, the cuisine is unmistakably so.
Our experience there showed that the restaurant has not yet achieved the highest standards just yet, but certainly has a chance of sticking around. The absence of an exterior sign made it impossible to find as the outdoor seating is hidden from view by a stand of small trees. As a result, we had to call from the road after driving by a couple of times. Once inside, the modern decor, comfortable seating and friendly staff made us feel at home.
A general perusal of the menu showed that no entree was priced over $25 and that appetizers started as low as $5. That makes it budget friendly even if one orders multiple courses. I took the opportunity to order the $5 appetizer which happened to be Crostini di Polenta. Two cooked slices of polenta topped with melted gorgonzola cheese sitting in a rich tomato sauce were delightful. However, my salad arrived simultaneously while my wife’s salad did not appear. Apparently, there was some confusion in the kitchen.
My wife had the Insalata di Spinaci ($7), or spinach salad with walnuts, blue cheese, and a light vinaigrette dressing. She gets that just about anywhere we go and was not disappointed by this nicely portioned dish. I had fresh arugula with slices of Roma tomato, but not nearly enough tomato slices for a $7 salad.
Prior to the main course, our waiter asked if I wanted a second glass of wine and offered two complimentary tastings from which to select my next glass. I had already ordered a glass of Palazzo Della Torre ($10 per glass, $40 by the bottle), which is a consistently excellent wine, so I allowed him to present a couple of options. The Nobilio he poured first had little character, but it was a 2010 and bit young. The second one was a Sangiovese based wine whose bottle I didn’t see, but had a lovely bouquet and filled my mouth with excellent fruit. It was a clear winner and for $8, reasonably priced.
The Silver Spoon’s menu has a nice selection of meat, fish, chicken and dried pasta dishes as main courses. But to really get the feel of the restaurant, we both elected to have house-made pasta dishes. My wife had a dish they called Bis ($20). It has two halves, both with cavatelli. One is a tomato cream sauce and the other is a white cream sauce, but not alfredo. Both were delicate and full of flavor. She was delighted. Meanwhile, I had Papardelle Tre Boccini ($17). It had small meatballs, mushrooms, peas, and tomatoes with a tomato sauce. It was terrific. The pasta really held the sauce and combined beautifully with the meat and vegetables included.
The dessert menu isn’t printed, so our waiter presented the offerings verbally. My wife chose her favorite: Creme Brulee ($7). I opted for Tiramisu ($8). I made the better choice. The creme brulee tasted more like scrambled eggs with no evidence of sweetness. For an in-house dessert it had to be considered a major disappointment. The Tiramisu was quite good, nice and light. The mascarpone was smooth and the ladyfingers not overly soaked.
One other thing that stuck out was the dishes. We noticed that most of the plates had chips in them. It’s hard to explain that. The bowl in which my wife’s creme brulee was served had a handle at one time, but it was clearly broken off. That’s quite unusual to see in an upscale restaurant and rarely even happens in lesser establishments.
Overall, I would recommend the Silver Spoon for upscale casual Italian food. It is worth the effort to find. The confusion with our salads can be easily remedied and the Creme Brulee avoided. The friendly staff and casual atmosphere make this a worthwhile addition to the Detroit area dining scene.
