Forest
| Address: | 735 Forest Ave, Birmingham, MI 48009, USA |
| Phone: | +1 248-258-9400 |
| Site: | forestbirmingham.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 5–9:30PM 5–9:30PM 5–9:30PM 5–9:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 11
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A Private User
I took my wife to this restaurant for her birthday as we are both foodies and I had heard good things on various websites. Unfortunately, I believe this restaurant is slowly joining the ranks of the once wonderful, now profit hungry privately owned restaurants in the area. Lets start with the atmosphere. It was fine. The decor was modern but not great. Trendy but in a boring way. Not trendy enough to be interesting. The service was acceptable. The waitress was somewhat knowledgeable about the food but seemed rushed. Overall, decor and service were okay. However, I dont really care much about the service and decor if the food is terrific (which is what I was hoping). They just introduced the new spring menu so I was excited. I love fresh, local spring produce. What I got was a menu that needed SERIOUS tweaking. I ordered the tuna tartare for an appetizer and my wife ordered the charcuterie. Luckily she did as it was loaded with salt (as it should be) but my tuna had no salt whatsoever. The tartare was 2/5 at best. It had kick but no salt. However, her dish was terrific. The waitress recommended the bouillabaisse for dinner. I was hesitant but went for it. My wife ordered two appetizers. Clams with fennel and scallops. The bouillabaisse was decent but nothing stood out. Just not interesting at all. It felt like I could have got the same thing at Joes Crab Shack. No offense to JCS. I dont eat there but some love it. Im just saying that I expected a lot more. Also, the chef put a chunk of bread underneath everything and it turned into a mushy soggy wet mess that tasted as bad as it looked. Overall, very average meal. My wifes scallops were good. A little overcooked but good. The clams very fine. Again, nothing special for the price. And they werent cleaned properly. If I pay 25 dollars for 8 clams, I want NO sand. I got 2 or 3 chunks. Unacceptable. Overall, a very average meal. The staple item on the menu was very good (charcuterie). The scallops were good. Everything else was very lackluster. Seems like the chef needs to get back to the drawing board. I will go elsewhere next time.
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Vlad Federmesser
To start on a positive note, our waiter John was extremely polite, knowledgeable and caring. Then the night began. 2 of the menu items that we ordered were not available nor did the server know until he went to order it (major lack of communication between the front and back of house) I can appreciate fresh and limited ingredients but if it is on the menu you should either have it or the server should know that you do not have it. So we decided to get a substitute dish something that they finally had and when It came out it was completely bland and undercooked Gnocchi. at this point I send it back, the server John once again apologized up-and-down, then I watched him going to the kitchen in disarray and talk to the manager Allicia and the chef. Both listened to him about the three problems we had and literally shrugged it off! Nobody even came up to our table to address the horrible experience we had. We live in Birmingham and dine downtown 3-4x a week, this was a pathetic show of service and management.
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Stuart Jeffares
Hours before we were set to try the new Forest Grill we all read a lukewarm review in a local magazine. Hard to believe this was the same restaurant....4 of us each had a fantastic experience. The updates to the dining room were great and make the space more approachable and inviting. The size makes it intimate - a neighborhood place. The service was great without any attitude. The food was incredible. The scallops were unbelievable, and I dont really like scallops that much. The bolognese was exceptional with boar meat. we had 2 different desserts and they were also outstanding. Only flaw is that the website did not have a current menu, so dont get your heart set on a particular dish...it may not be available, but I am sure the alternatives will be terrific. A nice addition to the Birmingham Restaurant scene - we will be back.
MI
Michael LaFleur
My wife and I went here for our anniversary. I was expecting to pay more than I received and thats exactly what I got. Maybe its having a great sommelier (Eric) is what doubles the cost, although he did double as the waiter. The atmosphere was good, the hostess very nice, the food great and and so was the wine.The sommelier was able to find a good choice for each of us and seemed very knowledgeable. We both had a beet salad; I had the ribeye and she the Alaskan halibut.Warning: the entrees do not come with a vegetable. We each had a glass of wine ($16 each) and SHARED the creme brulee for desert. Out the door, it was $160. So if you expect to pay double what you expect, are on a business account, or very well to do; this is the place.
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Donna Stache
First visit since Executive Chef Nick took the helm. Everything about the experience was fabulous! Excellent wine list and cocktail selection. My friend had the Brussel sprouts appetizer and duck beast entree. Both were expertly prepared and the duck was beautifully presented with a crisp skin. I had the black rice starter and short ribs wrapped in pasta. Flavorful and again beautifully presented. Portions were generous so I was able to enjoy a light lunch the next day. Service (Joshua) was friendly, professional and helpful. Even reception and valet were welcoming. Will definitely return and highly recommend a visit.
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A Private User
I was so underwhelmed with the whole experience. The best part about my $32 steak with wild mushroom ragout was the ragout. The steak was so thinly cut and flavorless that I have had better "sizzlers" at a Ponderosa Steakhouse. The wine was the best part of my meal....and for an $11 glass of wine, I could have had a half a bottle of very good wine and gone to Ponderosa and saved almost $100 to buy myself something to wear. Very disappointing evening. Save your money. Too overpriced and under-delivering.
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Roman K
Very overpriced for what you get, food was very bland and way too salty. The waitress chick was extremely nervous or something as she was shaking and kept spilling the water when she tried to pour. It has a weird vibe, like theyre trying to be fancy and expensive but they dont have the food or service to back it up.
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Jim Stout
Ive eaten here a couple times over the last 6 months. Ive been underwhelmed each time based on the prices. Last Friday we waited 15 minutes at the table before someone came by to take our drink orders. No apology. Food was okay. Drinks were good. Not a place Im in a hurry to go back to.
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Karim Dirani
Came here for an early Fathers Day Saturday brunch. The scenery is fantastic, the food..mouth watering. our server John was of the upmost attentiveness. I couldnt help but reach over to the plate next to me for a taste.
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Shereef Elias
Excellent dining experience. Delicious food and a good variety in the menu. Friendly and experienced service. Cant wait to go back to enjoy the octopus and bolognese again or to try other dishes that sound amazing
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A Private User
We only tried the desserts but I love the idea of this restaurant - very green and local but still very high end. Its lovely and the service was fantastic - also, the desserts we tried were both soooo good.
