As a person who has done business travel a lot over the past six years, I usually dread staying at airport hotels. They are usually slightly away from the hotel, super noisy and have crummy dining options. I am currently at the Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport Hotel, this place is the complete opposite of everything stated above. As soon as you walk in you can tell that the hotel will be a different experience. A forest of tall bamboo separates the escalators that lead you to the hotel from the lobby. In the lobby there is a lovely reflecting pool with a raised platform fountain. From the reception desk one can see the open kitchen and the bar. Within seconds I forgot I was at the airport. The staff is friendly, gym equipment brand new and the pool heated. Best part, I got a rate of $125 on priceline and paid $50 for a late checkout, not bad…Almost forgot; there is an entrance to the airport from the lobby and two stands for you to check into your stand.
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Enough about the hotel, I’m here to talk about the food. We went to the restaurant (Named Dema) and the first thing we noticed was a great wine list. The wines are divided not by region or varietal, but by taste profile. I think this is incredibly smart as it allows someone who is not so wine savvy to feel more comfortable with making a choice. On a high note, they had some more obscure varietals (which are quickly gaining ground) like Albarino. On a down note, for their full bodied white selection…only Chardonnay; and no dry sparkling roses 🙁 . I ordered the Albarino ($40) and was very pleased with the wine. We actually took a bottle back to the room for later.
I ordered mushroom ravioli in a cream sauce and opted for additional shrimp ($28 – and no extra charge for the shrimp). Antonio opted for the Cajun chicken in sherry cream ($25). Both dishes were delicious. My ravioli was filled with portabella, porcini and shiitake mushrooms. The sauce was heavy, but not overbearing…nicely balanced actually. The shrimp blew me away. It was perfectly cooked. The majority of places overcook shrimp so it is dry and chewy. Here, the shrimp was nice on the teeth, juicy and quite lovely.
The chicken dish was white meat (breast). I am a dark meat person. Somehow, they made this chicken flavorful and juicy (probably something to do with the searing. The sauce on this dish was also a cream sauce, but much lighter than the ravioli. The vegetables were al dente and quite tasty.
We returned for breakfast. This time I opted for eggs benedict, a dish I rarely order because of its high caloric content (about 600 calories, the equivalent of running at a high speed for over an hour…I did an hour on the elliptical this am, so I figured it would be ok). What I got was two toasted English muffins with poached salmon, poached eggs (hollandaise on the side) and salad greens ($17). The hollandaise was worth the calories, it was an olive oil and lemon hollandaise that tempted me to pour the whole thing over the eggs. I restrained myself and dabbed just a little on the dish. My one complaint was that my “poached” eggs were fully cooked. I like a runny egg when I’m taking mine poached. Regardless the combination of flavors was just perfect.
Antonio opted for the egg and turkey wrap ($14). That was delicious as well. The wrap was lightly grilled, giving it a nice crunch. The turkey added some nice flavors. The avocado added just enough moisture. The portion was huge (I am not one for big portions, but it was nice to have leftovers to take back to the room.
I will definitely stay at this hotel next time I drop by Detroit. Good Stuff
Dema is located at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport at 2501 Worldgateway Place, Detroit, Michigan 48242 (734) 942-6500
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