4 Star Review
Reprinted from the Oakland Press May 2005
In England, one of the country’s time-honored pastimes is now illegal. A ban on the other sport of kings, hunting foxes with hounds, was put into effect mid-February. So what does this mean to the Fox and Hounds, that sprawling black-and-gold-accented Tudor-style mansion in the heart of Bloomfield Hills?
Well, chances are the establishments’ many paintings of men atop horses guiding their hounds during the hunt wont be taken down; same goes for the sportsmen’s accoutrements on the mantel of the dining room’s walk-in hearth fire place. Guess you could say the theme will serve in a historical sense, celebrating a practice that was once regal and is now, well, out of fashion by law.
But that’s not to say the Fox & Hounds is, too. If anything, it’s proven itself as a majestic destination in central Oakland Country for more than 75 years; its structural grandeur, much like the windowless dining area, suggests a feeling of exclusivity, as though the hunt club is open to only a select few. The theme extends to the table clothes and napkins, which are burgundy and, appropriately, hunter green, with paid chairs to round it out.
Here’s a little history of the place. It was built in 1927 by Bloomfield Hills businessman Manly Daniel Davis. Containing a restaurant, eight shops, a ballroom, 10 apartments and 20 sleeping rooms, it was intended as a rest stop for travelers making the long trip from Detroit to Flint (remember; freeways weren’t around back then). It became more of a club for Bloomfield Hills residents following the end of Prohibition, and changed ownership several times throughout the decades.
Kevin Downey, a longtime business associate to Ben Kasle, who owned it starting in the 1973, became its general manager in 1973,became its general manager in 1976. An option to own Fox & Hounds was willed to him when Kasle died of cancer in 1979, and Downey added banquet facilities, office space and the Pastry Den, the complex’s bakery and collectibles shop that’s run by his wife, Jackie. The Bloomfield Hills couple Successfully reopened the restaurant following an extensive 1997 fire that started in a laundry room. The menu, helmed by chef de cuisine Eric Pierce, keeps things simple, with 14 entrees, 11 appetizers, two entrée-style salads and three soups, all of which are superb, The Boston clam chowder ($3.75 cup, $4.95 crock) has a creamy, delicate base and finely chopped clams and potatoes, while the shrimp bisque ($3.75 cup, $4.95 crock) is silky smooth. For land-lubbers, the steakhouse with melted Swiss ($3.65 cup, $4.75 crock) is an ideal alternative to traditional French onion, a thick beef stock with steak bits and swirled cheese. Can’t choose one? It’s a good thing a sampler ($4.65) is also offered, with small cappuccino cups filled to the brim with each.
The signature dish is the Angus prime rib ($27.95 boneless 12-ounce cut, $34.95 bone in 24-ounce cut), which ranks up there with the slab at the original Schuler’s out in Marshall. It’s thick and juicy with a hearty just for sopping up (and creamy horseradish for dipping), roasted wild mushrooms and choice of potatoes. We picked the wonder smoked Cheddar au gratin, wedge layered with scalloped slices and a dusted cheese topping.
Seafood is abundant, including the crab cake appetizer ($8), with creamed crab inside wispy fried patties; Alaskan center-cut king crab legs ($46.95); crab stuffed shrimp ($24.95); and a 12-ounce lobster tail ($46.95); the last pick also can be paired with prime rib for the “2 X 12” ($59.95). Our choice, the Original “Huntmaster” ($23.95), was satisfactory, a blend of jumbo shrimp, scallops and lump crap sautéed in pinot grigio and served with a vegetable-orzo pasta blend. Light yet filling and perhaps too simple; next time I’ll try it in the optional au gratin or Newberg style for $1.50 extra.
By the way, don’t even think of saying no to the accompanying bread-it would be the best you’ll ever have. Each diagonally sliced piece is soaked in chardonnay, smeared with a Parmesan-butter spread, baked and broiled, with a crust that’s crunchy and flaky.
Entrees also include choice of salad. The Caesar is pretty standard and the iceberg lettuce, but the Fox & Hounds salad is the way to go, with crumbled blue cheese dressing atop romaine and mixed with chickpeas and red onions. Real bacon bits, spooned on by the server, also are available. Speaking of servers, all the ones we encountered on our visit were attentive and knowledgeable, explaining each dish in pleasant detail and presenting dishes promptly.
Even if you’re full, ask to see the dessert tray anyway. The platter’s goodies are from the Pastry Den, including a so-rich-it’s-only-if-you-dare chocolate Oreo cheesecake ($4.95) that’s as tall as a slice of lemon meringue pie and a peanut butter, thick whipped cream and chopped peanuts, The crème brulee ($8), incidentally, looks much like a shallow bowl of cereal with berries baked in and floating in the custard; it’s caramelized right at the table.
The pub section is everything an English tavern should be nice and dark, with heavy wooden beams above and brick walls surrounding it, not to mention live music from blues to standards every night except Sunday. We’d gladly stop for the 4-7 p.m. weekly happy hour, when everything on the separate pub menu is $3 off. Among the eye-catchers are the chicken pot pie ($10.95), the Buckhead Beef” tenderloin filet ($17.95) and the Fox and Hounds Cheeseburger ($8.50), a half-pounder with ground prime tenderloin.
So what’s next? Well, come May 22, there’ll be two Broadway-style events-one at 2:30 pm and another at 6:00 pm with professional singers doing numbers from “Camelot” and “Man of La Mancha,” in addition to “A Broadway Salute to Mom,” in three of the Fox & Hounds rooms.
Sounds like a great Mother’s Day gift, but every day’s a celebration here.
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