Prime + Proper
Price: $$$$
Address: 1145 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226
Hours: Sunday - Tuesday 5–10PM, Wednesday - Saturday 5–11PM
Phone: (313) 636-3100
I work in downtown Detroit and walked by Prime + Proper daily during construction. As the restaurant inched closer and closer to opening I knew I had to try it because the gold decor I could see through the floor length glass windows screamed bougie!
I tried to make a reservation for 2 in November but weekends were booked until Christmas. New Detroit really came out for this one. Instead I decided to check out happy hour that way I could kill two birds with one stone; get in the door without a reservation and be bougie on a budget during the holidays. I would highly suggest you make a reservation.
I was uber impressed with the atmosphere upon entering. The gold accents were everywhere, the shakers, utensils, candle holders etc. The bar seats were large and the bar was nearly full when we arrived at about 4:30pm. The marble counter bar curves into booths that seat about 3 at either end. It felt really really upscale.
As I sat there longer I started to notice little things that took away from that vibe. There was Bieber like music playing in the background, a TV streaming a football game, and liquors I wouldn’t necessarily qualify as bougie staged at the bar.
I mean I guess I can kind of bang with Justin Bieber because I went to a PWI where FM95.5 was playing in the background at all times and to be honest ol' boy has some hits. The liquor selection was confusing to me though because it just doesn't make sense to eat $100 meal with Bacardi. Bacardi reminds me of college (so many stories there) but not of a restaurant that serves $200+ caviar. The TVs also felt out of place. I mean they were by the bar but Prime + Proper isn't a sports bar. Its an upscale restaurant but I guess rich people aren't going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch football. I just think of Prime + Proper as your mom's fancy living room and TVs don't go in there. TVs go in the den.
Happy hour is bar only from 4-6pm Monday - Friday. The bar menu had quite a selection of foods to choose from including non red meat and pescatarian friendly options. There was also a cocktail menu.
The bartender gave us a choice of still vs sparking water and y'all know I had to be bougie and get sparkling. I started with a cocktail called Peter Smith + Sons. I'm a dark liquor drinker so most of my drink selections will be dark. This cocktail included bourbon, lavender, pineapple, mint and lemon. It was pretty light and refreshing even though the base was bourbon. The drink was poured over one large ice cube and garnished with mint. I would definitely order this one again. The pour was small so I was ready for drink number 2 shortly after. I chose the No Fly Zone (whisky, bonal quina, contratto aperitif and lemon). I'm not quite sure what all those ingredients are but they sound fancy and I was trying to stay in the dark liquor lane. This cocktail was served in a sparkling wine glass without any ice with a lemon peel as decoration.
I will say that both of these cocktails were very tasty but Prime + Proper left me confused again because the happy hour doesn't include any specials on drinks. They were $14 a piece which ended my happiness during this hour at Prime + Proper.
I chose to go with the duck wings and pommes frites for dinner. The duck wings were much larger than I anticipated! The skin was nice and crispy with a tasty honey glaze. I thought they would be spicy because of the jalapeno but it seems they weren't really incorporated in the dish but sprinkled around the dish. I really did enjoy those though, especially because during happy hour the food bar menu is half off. The ranch (buttermilk dressing) that accompanied the wings was really good too and being from Detroit, we know that not all ranch dressings are created equally.
All in all, my experience was slightly different than I anticipated. The fanciness of the gold decor was tainted with Bieber fever and my "happy hour" bill was greater than I anticipated @ $50 with taxes and tip. The food was quite tasty and Id be willing to splurge and try out dinner here. Plus I'm bougie and I like to dress up!