07/20/2007

Aerie is a cut above — in more ways than one

BY MATT SUTHERLAND

Special to the Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse Resort & Spa
At Aerie atop the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa Tower, diners get a view with their meal.

ACME — Back in the day, an international hotel chain descended on a section of farmland just east of Traverse City to build a towering hotel, restaurant and nightclub complete with indoor tennis and PGA-rated golf.

Needless to say, this tennis-playing Glen Arbor boy felt compelled to embrace as many of the amenities as possible, not least of which being the three beautiful female lead singers fronting the house band. A close friend also happened to manage Trillium, the very fine restaurant attached to the nightclub, further necessitating my regular presence on the 16th floor of the Grand Traverse Resort.

Fast forward 20 years or so and we find new owners, an additional golf course, and plenty of buzz, especially with the National Governors Association meeting in progress there. The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is spending more than $14 million remodeling and seems fully committed to assuring the Grand Traverse Resort remains one of northern Michigan's top hotels. They also brought in one of the country's Best New Chefs — so named by Food & Wine magazine in 2000,

On a crystal-clear Friday evening late in June, nine of us were seated at an east-facing table in aerie, the newly refurbished space formerly housing Trillium. Chef Ted Cizma's menu impressed us immediately with its unfussy elegance. His menu items were labeled with a single primary ingredient. No courses were mentioned.

Ten obvious starters, priced in the $7 to $10 range, hovered above five salads followed by a dozen primary dishes ranging in price from $18 to $30. So imagine an 11-by-17-inch menu loaded with dishes simply named "scallops” (with creamy lobster sauce and basil oil), "grilled cheese” (toasted brioche with melted Manchester cheese and spicy tomato gazpacho) and "mushrooms” (sautéed with garlic and red wine over polenta), to name a few appetizers.

Straight away, we ordered Sancerre from Chateau de Fontaine Audon (Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire region of France) and, as luck would have it, a perfectly paired appetizer of roasted figs, wildflower honey and goat cheese on toasted baguette. The figs and goat cheese drew raves from everyone. Before we placed the rest of our food order, a complementary amuse bouche appeared: bite-sized servings of tender, braised pork belly with huckleberries, thyme and smoked blue cheese.

The sun was nowhere near setting over the bays and peninsulas behind us, yet a full moon was climbing to the east and one of us had the wherewithal to mention how the restaurant's view is as stunning as you'll find anywhere.

Cizma's wild blackberry stuffed venison loin with truffle mashed potatoes and organic blackberry shiraz sauce won the evening. We ordered eight different entrees and plates were handed about like phone numbers at a singles' bar. I most enjoyed the risotto with big hunks of firmly textured smoked chicken and aged white cheddar paired with the Ca' Maranda "Promis,” a Tuscan red. The list includes well over 100 wines with a great mix of European, American and Australian labels, in the medium to expensive range, and some oddballs to boot. An old-worlder at heart, I was disappointed not to find any red Burgundy.

We ended the evening lingering over sparkling glasses of Soter "Beacon Hill” Brut Rose, a gem from Yamhill, Oregon recommended to us by Cizma to complement cheese and chocolate from the dessert menu. What else to say other than aerie has so much going on that memories of lead singers never caught up with me that night.