Detroit's Small Plates: Ideal For Sharing

Located behind the Detroit Opera House sits Small Plates: an upscale, snazzy tapas restaurant. Small Plates offers a unique dining experience designed around sharing. With a menu consisting of everything from chicken and waffles to fried green tomatoes, appetizer-sized portions are served making it ideal to sample a wide variety of dishes. See how they ranked:

Atmosphere: 4 out of 5 bites
Price: 2 out of 5 bites
Quality/Taste: 3 out of 5 bites
Service: 3 out of 5 bites
Presentation/Style: 2 out of 5 bites

Lotus Flower Tuna: Seared sesame crusted tuna over mango and jalapeño salsa, wasabi aioli, avocado, and soy reduction in a fried wonton flower. Gorgeous presentation; fresh and light with layers of texture. Creamy avocado, light and fresh mango, crunchy wonton, finished with sesame tuna. The only thing this dish was lacking was heat, as we didn't get much from the jalapeno or wasabi aioli.

Chicken tostadas: Pulled chicken, pepper jack cheese, mango and jalapeño salsa, and Key lime sour cream. The chicken was tender and moist, but could've used a little more seasoning. The toppings were fresh and my only complaint was that as I got to the bottom of the shell, it was soggy.

Mac and four cheese gratin: White cheddar, Gouda, pepper jack, and parmesan. Our favorite! Perfectly cooked pasta covered with cheesy goodness and topped with a crunch.

Barbecue chicken pizza: Grilled chicken, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, and barbecue sauce. I really liked that the barbecue sauce had a hint of heat to help balance the sweetness from the caramelized onions. There wasn't too much cheese, and had a nicely crisp, browned edge. Pretty good for a deep dish, but ordering it well done would've put this pizza over the top.

We came in around 5 p.m. on a Friday and although it wasn't busy yet, it was starting to fill up with reservations. The service was good, and the lowered lighting was perfect for our dinner date. I have to say, we were a little disappointed because the food was just not as good as we expected for the price. However, we still had fun ordering different items and trying them all out.

A version of this review was originally published on The Bite Tonight.