Common Grill
| Address: | 112 S Main St, Chelsea, MI 48118, USA |
| Phone: | +1 734-475-0470 |
| Site: | commongrill.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | Closed 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Jessica Rosenberg
Well crap. Ive just wasted my five years in Michigan not eating at this place constantly. Its SO good. We came here for a celebratory dinner having heard good things and having walked by once and thought, "Oh, that place looks cute." So we showed up early in the evening (they have a quirky non-reservation reservation system, perhaps the only drawback of the entire restaurant and the experience of eating there), and were lucky to be seated immediately (perhaps because it was before the dinner hour had fully started). The menu was drool-worthy... the food is so creative and exciting, and each dish looked incredible. After much deliberation, I ended up ordering a special--the swordfish. My fiance ordered the lamb risotto. And we ordered the brie appetizer. As the kitchen prepared it, we munched on their delicious bread. Why is that stuff so good?! Probably butter. We each got a class of Moscato. Very nice! And $6--not terrible. I noticed the Atwater Java Vanilla Porter on the drinks menu, as well, which we recently discovered and think has to be one of the best beers of all time. $4, again, great! I think they even had it on draft. The brie was a knock-out. Its warm and melty, served with buttery toast and this unfathomably good fig spread (thick and sweet yet savory). I wanted to lick the plate. Our entrees came with a salad, and somehow the salad was amazing, too. We got the pear gorgonzola salad on Bibb lettuce. The lettuce was so tasty, though I do wish theyd cut it into smaller pieces. And the salad had this real kick to it! My swordfish was also outstanding. Meaty, tender, cooked beautifully. My fiance said, "I didnt even know fish could be like that!" and I knew exactly what he meant. The sides--carrots, squash, and potatoes were all good. Not the best things ever, but fine additions to the main plate. Likewise the lamb risotto was insanely good--creamy and tender, and so rich in flavor. Finally, a quirky note, I got a sprig of fresh oregano with my sides. Id never before eaten fresh oregano; what a treat! We didnt get dessert, but appreciated the little chocolate we each got with the check. Even the chocolate was great! So overall, we really loved it. Its a pricy meal--probably $40 to $60 per person (incl. tax and tip), but felt very much worth it. A beautiful place, delicious and creative food, and a menu so full of things I cant wait to go back and try.
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A Private User
Im not sure if my definition of "upscale" is the same as the other reviewers. At an average of $25 for an entree, I expected good food, but was sadly disappointed and noticed a lot of people ordering salads. This is an old building with plaster walls so none of the sound was dampened, it was loud. I went into the bathroom, that was dirty, the plaster was cracked and in disrepair. When I was served my food it was terribly undercooked, the manager had them "reheat" it, so when it was returned it was dried out. It just goes to show you, put the name "upscale" on anything and people will pay for it. If your interested in saying you go to an upscale restaurant eat here, but if your looking for good food look elsewhere.
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A Private User
The Common Grill is highly uncommon! I have enjoyed a multitude of meals over many years with consistently high quality in food, fresh and interesting menu items, delectable sauces, beautiful presentation, attentive professional wait staff, often times the active presence of the owner - Craig Common - beside his staff on the floor of the restaurant, and a clean and "city like" environment in the midst of a charming village! The noise volume should be anticipated at busy times due to the building design ... and all the innumerable positives far exceed that and the fact that reservations are accepted only for parties of 6 or more. The Common Grill is a treasure in the southeastern Michigan area!
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Shaun B
Terrible food, terrible service. First of all, this was extremely overpriced. Ordered the seafood pasta and the noodles were sick together like they never got stirred while cooking, lobster was overcooked and rubbery, and the rest of the seafood was undercooked, making the mussels inedible. Girlfriend ordered parmesan whitefish which was soggy and old/very fishy tasting. Lobster was overcooked again. Inedible people lettuce covered all of the rice and lobster, treated dirty and chemically. She barely ate anything in the plate, not once were we checked on and the server never bothered to ask why she had to throw away a $30 plate of food that was barely touched.
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Von Welch
My wife and I visited once before about five years ago and returned a week or so ago on our way through Michigan, and frankly it didnt live up to the great memories we had of the place. Cons: It was a show night at the Purple Rose and the place was packed and so loud we could barely hear each other. My wife had the scallops and I had the Paella - both were good, but nothing to write home about. I had a pear salad which was underwhelming - just nothing to it but some pears on a bed of lettuce. Pros: the bread was excellent, the tuna with seaweed was excellent. Well try it again next time were through, but just felt, given the price, our meal didnt cut it.
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A Private User
Disappointing - Id come here many years ago, and it was stupendous, and I still use Craig Commons first cookbook, but the menu feels dumbed-down and the quality has slipped dramatically. Salad arrived with a sour balsamic, big chunks of flavorless blue cheese, stale-ish walnuts that obviously come pre-chopped in a bag, and the lettuce not even torn. A little care and it could have been 100% better. Todays lobster roll was so bland I asked if it was really lobster; someone offered to add more seasoning. My husbands lobster ravioli was actually gummy. The bread is fabulous - Ill give them that - and the server was very sweet and attentive.
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J Teats
Went there for a Friday noon lunch. No wait, got seated right away. Nice atmosphere. Ordered lunch promptly which included a house salad. Unfortunately my salad had a BUG in it which I understand can happen. I waved the waitress down and she immediately took my salad away. I watched her go straight to the manager, Michael, and show him the salad. He brought me a new salad, said "that was weird" and then asked if I wanted pepper on my salad...no apology, no offer for compensation or other explanation except "that was weird". Food is average and overpriced in my opinion. Would not recommend this restaurant.
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Vivien Li
I have been returning to the common grill for over ten years, they have maintained the same level of high quality food and service the whole time. Everything on the menu is delicious!! Love love love the bread, and their side salad with pears and Gorgonzola is one of the best salads Ive had. The pork belly is my absolute favorite and all the seafood/ pasta entrees are a must! Every server Ive encounters has been incredibly friendly and considerate.
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Dave Carr
The food is consistently above average. The wait staff is mostly friendly and energetic. We have been going for several years and the food is as good when they started. The rooms need more sound deadening when it is busy. Common Grill is worth the drive from Ann Arbor or even Detroit if they took reservations (but to this date they still only take call ahead for less than 6 people). BUT ALAS, I still go there because the food is so good.
