A piece of history exists on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Built in 1894, the 21,000 square foot home was designed for lumber baron David Whitney, Jr and was described as the most elaborate and substantial residence in this part of the country. It is currently owned by Bud Liebler, a former Chrysler executive, and remains a treasured icon. We discovered it by researching local places for live music and ended up being some of the lucky visitors dining like royalty at The Whitney, Detroit.
What brought us to the Whitney that night, was their Jazz in the Garden concert with Alexander Zonjic. Unfortunately, due to Detroit’s often inclement weather, the outdoor Jazz concert on the property was cancelled due to rain. In an effort to turn lemons into lemonade, we decided to enjoy royal treatment dining in one of their private dining rooms inside. It was quite an experience!
I was dining with my family and they sat us in a beautiful room adorned with a fireplace, sideboards and one long table. The room was exquisite and our server was delightful and fun. We were able to enjoy the afternoon as though we were royalty in someone’s beautiful private estate. To further enhance the ambiance, we were serenaded by lovely piano music being played in the lobby just outside of our room.
An occasion like this called for some nice wine, so we ordered a bottle of 2011 Simi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley. It was delicious!
We were each served a delightful “amuse bouche” of cucumber with a smoked salmon pate and cherry tomato.
Below is a selection of items that we enjoyed for our meal:
For the most part, we enjoyed the food. Our only disappointment was that the Prime Rib was served cold and too well done and the potato, although quite interesting, did not deliver as much in flavor. The rest of the meal was very good, plated well and thoroughly enjoyed.
We did indulge in several of their dessert options as well, our favorite being the berry pie:
Overall, it was a wonderful meal in a beautiful setting and certainly a treasure to be able to spend quality time with those I hold most dear. It’s really nice to know there are hidden treasures like this still existing in Detroit. Next time we’ll try to make it on a clear day so we can enjoy a garden concert!