Southfield's AAA Four Diamond-rated Il Posto remains closed after shuttering its doors earlier this year for what it called a "winter break." Since then, Il Posto's longtime head chef Matteo Giuffrida has taken on the position of executive chef of Detroit's urban oasis, La Dolce Vita. This is wonderful news for this tucked-away trendy eatery (and the timing--right before the lush courtyard reopens for the summer--is nothing short of serendipitous), though sad for the now-even-more-uncertain fate of Il Posto. Il Posto was the only example in metro Detroit of traditional 5-star Italian fine dining (tuxedoed waiters, a flurry of attendees from water-boys to crumb-scrapers at every table, a menu entirely in Italian, sterling silver cart service), and the food was superbly authentic Italian. While I am grateful that this talented chef has landed somewhere that will suit him well (he is currently rewriting LDV's menu, but the pricing structure will remain true to LDV's current menu, as compared to the significantly pricier Il Posto), I am sad to see another staple of Detroit's fine-dining fall victim to the abyssmal economic climate. Co-owner Tony Giustos remains mum on Il Posto's future plans.
In related news, Royal Oak's Fiddleheads closed its doors for the last time on Saturday. Owner Colette Farris blames the economy and lack of steady business on why this much-enjoyed (though somewhat hidden) contemporary American restaurant was forced to close. She has no immediate plans for the future.
I sincerely hope to see a cessation in posts such as this one, though these times are uncertain and unlikely to improve anytime soon.
