Mosaic

A visit to Mosaic coincided with an unearthly wait for Mother’s Day buffet at a famous Detroit institution that rhymes with Wishbones. Two hours in line and losing ten pounds salivating over the dessert mountain might be a great health plan for me, but not so much the lady celebrating her special day. My beau and his parents headed down the street into Greektown searching for another place to treat his mom to a lovely brunch, and we ended up at Mosaic.
To their credit, they found a high top table for us at their tall booths. I love the look of the interior, blending Mad Men-​esque 60s cosmopolitan décor with a dark, rich iridescence that suits their name. It definitely counts as one of the prettier places I’ve dined in the city, and we were happy just to get off our feet and potentially eat.
Mosaic set up their brunch in a large wheel, with the bar in the middle and tables serving salmon pâté in the shape of a colourful fish, berries and fruits a la carte, bagels and breads, and several breakfast salads on one side. The carving station faced the door, presumably to tempt people in with the wafting scent of fresh meat (worked for me!), and the immaculate pineapple tree and dessert table near a front window. Towards the back was a station manned by omelet, waffle, and crêpe chefs where you could choose your own delight. Mimosas were bottomless and regularly restored by a busy waitstaff who didn’t quite give the impression of harried. After our wait at the previous restaurant, though, we missed most of the midday glut and it was well on 2PM by the time we started dining.
The quality of the food was good. Buffet style eating like this does not always allow a restaurant to rise to the intimacy of a sit-​down occasion, but I was more than happy to nibble away on the desserts — mini-​tarts, chocolate bites filled with mousse or key lime pie filling, and strawberries galore — and the smaller veggie concoctions. Huge cocktail shrimp died a wonderful death to be served up on a tangy marinara sauce, and I could have eaten a plate by myself if I were so inclined. The meat wasn’t bad, the prime rib being handsomely marbled, though it did seem to be overdone.
The beau and his parents both went to the omelet or waffle station. They waited a very long time for their meals, on account there were only two grills in operation at the time, and the line-​up of people getting firsts, seconds, or thirty-​fourths was snaking all over. His dad waited the longest, and that couldn’t be helped. Mind you, my food was cold by the time he finally got free to eat the omelet. He really enjoyed it, while the beau’s mom found her waffle to be very crispy and fluffy.
We never got the feeling of being rushed along or urged to leave. That was a plus. However, the per person cost was high enough that we darned well deserved to be left to enjoy our meals. I would not pay that much for a buffet for four again, especially given the regular meal prices. We could’ve had faster service and a bit more variety coming on our own.

Reviewing night life (after midnight) — I must say I totally love the owner just because he was able to keep the teens out of the restaurant only be them this ‘LOOK’; it scaried the crap out them.
They have a live performer (at least when I was there) but he keep the crowded entertained and had everyone dancing if he could pull them to the floor.
It’s more old-​style place mixed with fancy! Lol!
I would given if booths were a little more roomer and drinks wasn’t so high — it needs to be drink special for midnight crowds too.
***I’ll be returning soon but next time I’ll be reviewing the food.

I’ve passed by here a lot while in Greektown and have even gone in for a drink before. I was a bit skeptical of how the dining experience would come across but I’m happy to say that I was surprised. Our server really made sure that we had a great time at Mosaic, easily the best service I have had in the Detroit area. We had four courses all together and fresh flatware for each service.
Highlights of the evening were the pistachio and goat cheese salad, the asparagus and tomato bisque alongside the angel hair pasta. If you’ve been before and were disappointed in the service I suggest giving them another try. They’re obviously making a real effort to address previous criticisms…

Service and ambiance were great, unfortunately the food was seriously disappointing.
It’s almost a rare feat to go 0 for 3 but this place managed to do that. It happened to be restaurant week when I visited and I tried the 3 course restaurant meal option.
Appetizer: Seared scallops on olive oil griddle cake. I wasn’t really feeling the griddle cake but it might have been ok if the scallops weren’t so salty. In their credit it was seared nicely but the saltiness just overpowered it.
Main Course: Duck Confit with plantain. The duck came out kinda tough and seemed a bit overcooked to me. It wasn’t horribly bad, it just wasnt what I would expect from a restaurant. Underwhelmed is probably what I would use to describe it. The plantain that was fried was not ripe so it didnt have that nice flavor it gets when riped. Maybe this was on purpose so it wasnt as soft, but it basically didnt really taste very impressive. Saving grace is this restaurant week was $ 28 for all the courses so I guess at least it wasnt pricey?
Strawberry shortcake: underwhelming again. I dunno, its hard to even imagine how you screw this up but it just was really blasé.
The waiter and the service was really great and they had live music which added a nice touch. I felt sorta bad when they came by and asked how things were but honestly i didnt feel like telling them to send everything back. Maybe it was an off night but I probably wouldnt come back if I was in the area.

Came here on Monday night for restaurant week with a few coworkers, because we had been wanting to try it out. Definitely liked the place!
The place was VERY empty when we walked in for our 5:15pm reservation… which confused us because it remained VERY empty until we left at about 645pm — even though the only reservation time «available» was 5:15pm. Uhhh, okay?
Anyway, onto the food. One of my coworkers ordered the saganaki for the table — very, very good. I started with the lemon chicken soup — excellent. Light and flavorful, with just the right amount of lemon and savory herbs. Definitely a perfect starter. Two of my coworkers had the sea scallop, which they said was wonderful. My other coworker had the salad, which he loved.
For my entrée, I went with the porcini-​dusted pork tenderloin, cooked medium, served with roasted parsnips and carrots, with truffle potatoes. YUM! Everything was cooked to perfection and very, very tasty. Each of us got different entrees (duck confit, pan-​seared salmon, and the vegetarian dish), and all of us loved our dinners.
For dessert I had the «Death by Chocolate» — a toasted marshmallow rolled in something heavenly crunchy, a dark dark dark brownie smother in Sanders hot fudge, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. DELISH.
I also ended up ordering a Bella martini — strawberry vodka with strawberry purée in it. LOVED IT. If you like strawberries, it’s definitely the drink for you.
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Mosaic. The food was great, our server fantastic, and the DRW menu was exceptional. After looking over the regular menu, I’ll definitely be back to try some of the other offerings. The menu isn’t overly pricey, and it looks tasty!

I’m gonna be brief & to the point: SKIP THIS PLACE!
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Food: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: : :
Lots of smoke & mirrors = food looks beautiful but it doesn’t taste good.
First off, the dining area was dark and we were using a flashlight (no joke) to navigate thru the lunch menu.
I decided on the Chilean Sea Bass (pan-​seared in a sake-​miso marinade, with a coconut almond rice cake and a side of stir fried vegetables). The bass tasted like reheated (nuked) fish, which was def unappetizing. Then the coconut cake or fritter or whatever you wanna call it, was heavy and overly greasy. They should’ve gone the delicate route with the coconut cake to balance out the fish.
At that point, i was left with a bad taste in my mouth (both figuratively & literally), but like the softie i am i decided to give them a second chance and maybe… just maybe… they’d redeem themselves with the dessert.
Spoiler Alert: dessert was equally bad!
Mosaic’s Napoleon was a glorified tower of vanilla & chocolate Cool Whip, layered with store bought cookies. Definitely not worth $ 12!: /​
Here’s the feeback from my co-​workers:
a.) Tenderloin Vol-​au-​Vent (appetizer) — good, but the advertised ‘puff pastry’ was a tiny little Pillsbury biscuit
b.) Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Bisque — pretty good!
c.) Roast Lamb & Boursin Sandwich — what lamb? 80% bread and barely any meat!
d.) Greek salad — good
I can’t comment on the other half of the place (which happens to be a bar/​lounge area) but i’m guessing the drinks are equally overpriced and not as noteworthy.
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Service: :: :: :: :: :: :: : :
Terribly lacking. Frazzled. Awkward. Slow.
This ^ sums up our service throughout the meal. Everything from awkwardly taking our orders, forgetting to bring a couple people’s apps (which were subsequently served with the entrée), and overall extremely slow service!
There is no need for a lunch to take 2hrs (from appetizers to dessert).
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Mosaic’s décor on the other hand, is remarkable! The interior is exquisitely furnished with a plethora of artwork, unique light fixtures, curved wood workings built into the walls, and it’s def reminiscent of an upscale Vegas restaurant.
Too bad Mosaic’s food & service doesn’t measure up!: /

very fun unique place. I went to mosaic with my husband and my parents for a quick dinner before going to a tigers game. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and has a nice quiet atmosphere. I ordered an expensive martini the ciao martini it was a coffee flavored drank that was very good. They brought us some amazing bread and butter to start with and we ordered saganaki for an appetizer… tasted great. Then I got salmon with risotto (great), my husband got lamb chops (he loved them), my mom got a steak (she liked it a lot) and her bf got a lamb shank (very good). We finished dinner and split the crème brûlée for dessert it was good but not the best ever…
This dinner was not cheap, but it was very good and the service was good as well… I would go back for a special occasion.

Darn it Moasic, I really wanted to give you more stars, but I just can’t. Great location in the heart of Greektown, funky styling, decent atmosphere… But the service, oh the service. Major fail.
We were here for restaurant week, so I’m giving them 3 instead of 2 stars, trying to be a little forgiving because they were so busy. But, they knew it was restaurant week and we’d made our reservation weeks in advance, so a truly exceptional restaurant would have been better prepared.
We had to wait almost 2 hours for our table for 2 even though we had a reservation. The hostesses were not friendly or helpful and when we did get seated it appeared to be a make-​shift table they’d just put out to seat more people. Which in turn meant our waiter seemed highly stressed and overworked, which rubbed off on everyone in the vicinity. Then several of the menu items were sold out and our entrée came out before our appetizer. Sheesh!
So why 3 instead of 2? Well, the food was quite good and the bartenders were nice and mixed a good drink. The location is great and I feel like it has potential. I might just try to avoid going on a really busy night. I’ll probably go back eventually, but it will take a while to recover.

Ok… Ok. Ok… here goes with this review.
After looking at other reviews about Mosaic, the hubs and I chanced it, and decided to experience the fine wine and dining during restaurant week (we went on the 24^th); because what the heck? It’s only $ 28.00 per person.
Service– Absolutely spectacular! Lindsey had about 5 – 6 tables with varying hungry consumers at each table, and she was just amazing!!! She was attentive and also checked on us 4 – 5 times while we dined.
Ambiance– Well lit but romantic at the same time. I did hear the club music, but it was over in the bar area, where there were flat screen televisions and those in «street clothes». The marble-​esq tables and decorations were like no other restaurant downtown I have experienced (and trust, we dine downtown a lot!!). The bathrooms were also cool (I do not know my obsessions with bathrooms now a days– sorry)!! Cool sink and CLEAN!!!
Food– This is where the review get a little tricky…
Me– I ordered the tomato asparagus soup (not on the DRW menu) because it looked GREAT on the regular menu– and it was FANTASTIC!!! It tasted like the spaghetti-​o/​ravioli tomato sauce. It was a nice color, texture, and taste. For an appetizer I though I ordered the scallopS. notice the emphasis on the capital «S», because I thought there would be more than one… umm. yeah, no. just one, but it was okay. Bonefish Grill actually has better bacon wrapped scallops, if you ask me. For an entrée I had the NY Strip and whipped potatoes with what I think were beets… The NY strip was as thin! Like beaten with a hammer thin. I even asked Lindsey if this is how it was supposed to look. and she said, «yeah. that’s a different type of NY strip.» A different type??? I thought there was only one NY strip? The sauce, or gravy (whatever it was) was gross! No flavor and it was sweet. YUCK! For dessert I originally had the chocolate torte, but switched with the hubs and instead ate the orange sorbet-​esq dessert (I forget what it was called)
Hubs– Ordered the fennel and arugula salad. It was good. Good dressing on the top. He also ordered the pork chop with whipped potatoes. All around the chop was cartilage. Gross. He really did not say much more about his food– which is not a good sign, because when he has something he likes, he RAVES over it!
Drinks– Mosaic really redeemed themselves with their drinks! We ordered the Bella, which is this strawberry infused drink. We had two a piece and felt really good! We took a picture of the ingredients and will be making these sometime in the future.
Overall, we really do not think we will be returning to Mosaic, unless we receive a coupon. This place was just meh… in my opinion. A person can get a better steak at Opus One or Flemings!
:)

Went back for dinner. I’d say the experience was a little better. the food was good and the portions were HUGE. that’s a nice thing I guess about paying $ 30ish for a meal… but I don’t know if I really needed all that food — especially when I was walking back to the car and was approached by a homeless man that saw I had a to-​go bag. Since I spent so much money and wanted to eat the leftovers myself, i was reluctant to give him my food. HE WAS NOT PLEASED… so the abundance of food made me end up feeling guilty and selfish. I DIDN’T PAY FOR SUCH FEELINGS.
self loathing aside — I got the sea bass and it was really good. The hubz got the new york strip, which was good but I was not a fan of the large, green cheese coating they slathered on the top. a steak is a steak, yo. you don’t need to put crap on it to make it good, amirite?
downsides: no craft beer? not even in bottles? a dude was drinking a budweiser out of an aluminum can… the mere sight of that bummed me out. they really should get with the times and have some michigan beer available.
it was good but i think i’d rather go to roast if i was going to spend a bunch of money on a meal. however, a couple dining next to us got the COLOSSAL CRAB LEGS and they looked amazing. we asked our waiter how much they were and he said $ 75 or something crazy (it was 2 lbs of freakishly large crab legs) so i think my hubz and i will go to the casino sometime and try to win enough money to get the crab legs. WISH US LUCK!

I’ve been to Mosaic three times now. The first time, I went during restaurant week. The food was really good but everything was such small portions that it didn’t fill me up with a three course meal. I remember having the lamb medallions.
The other times, we used a Groupon. The prices of entrees are anywhere between $ 12 – 40. I’ve had the sea bass (LOVE IT) and the salmon (cooked to perfection). If you get appetizers, you have to get the pita chips with the artichoke dip. So good! They have really good happy hour prices for appetizers. I believe it started from 4 – 7. Don’t plan on using the Groupon for happy hour though… it doesn’t work.
The staff is great! We waited a while until they took our order and the manager there gave us some free appetizers! We were very satisfied.

I have been to Mosaic three times. Each time I go I get the Maxx Rolls (a California roll w/​spicy shrimp topping), Lamb Chops, and either Moscato or one of the signature drinks. Drinks and wine are good. Lamb chops are always tasty and perfectly cooked, leaving you sawing off the meat closest to the bone while resisting the urge to just pick up the bone and bite it off. You can’t be seated until half of your party is present which is okay. Prices are a bit steep but the lamb chops are definitely worth it ($ 35).
Now the downside: The three times I’ve went I’ve only liked my server once. Second server was unmemorable and my latest was a douche bag. On my most recent trip someone poured me approximately 10 glasses of water even after the fifth time I said I didn’t want anymore. I like to chew my ice okay?
I had a Groupon for $ 40 worth of food and drinks. I have always went with a large party and gotten separate checks. This time since I had a Groupon server said we had to have one big bill. I didn’t quite understand this because before they A. always were able to charge gratuity on separate checks, B. it was really inconvenient, especially when the Groupon says «One per table, One Per Person». Seeing as I was the only one with the Groupon there would be no way we could abuse the fine print. What happened afterward was a party of seven people taking out various phones to add up what we ate and drank and multiplying it by 1.24 and writing how much to charge our separate cards.
In an area flanked by professionals you would expect more flexibility. Carrying cash is definitely getting old for most young people in Detroit. This restaurant is not your local McDonalds or round-​the-​way spot. I don’t carry $ 75 worth of cash on me, and I don’t want to have to total my bill myself. This latest fiasco with the bill will definitely keep me away from Mosaic for a while. If I can find a place with lamb chops of similar quality I will probably stay away for ever.
I’m waiting for the day valet crashes my car, because they drive your car like they can buy you a new one with their pocket lint. It may not be Mercedes Benz parked on the curb status, but it is my car, it’s brand new, and I would like for you to respect it.

This is kind of an old review I am just posting now, but after reading some of the more recent ones it seems not much has changed from when I went there so my opinions are still pretty relevant. I took my wife there about a year and a half ago for her birthday and it was just okay for us.
We were told that they are known for their Steaks and mine was a bit on the fatty side for a NY Strip and wasn’t cooked quite to the temperature I had requested. I like my steaks Medium Rare and this was more close to a Medium instead. I pointed it out to the waiter and he offered to have it recooked, but as it already took close to 45 minutes to get what we ordered the first time around I opted not to or else my wife would be eating alone or be waiting on me which would cause her food to get cold.
We also ordered a side of Risotto each and it was rather dry and clumpy. I wanted to pull a Gordon Ramsey and throw it at the wall and scream that it was utter crap like he does on «Hell’s Kitchen», but I restrained myself. I really wanted to though for the record.
For the price I was very very disappointed. We dropped almost $ 200 that night on an appetizer we split, two meals including the Risottos and two drinks each (plus our tip) and left unsatisfied. I don’t mind spending that much on a meal every once in awhile, but I would only expect it to be a high quality 5 Star dining experience. Simply put, I could have gotten a better Steak at Outback and for more then half the price.

I went to Mosaic as part of a Bachelorette Party. We arrived at around 10:30 (with reservations). The crowd was pretty quiet for the first hour or so, then the club was really buzzing. The drinks (I had mostly cosmos) were perfectly poured. The service was very good. The DJ kept the music going and we stayed out on the dance floor the whole night. I guess the only minus would be the size of the place considering how many people are packed in there. I have to say it was a lot of fun. Next time, I will plan on trying the food :)
Tip: I found a Groupon which allowed me to get 40.00 worth of food and alcoholic beverages for 20 bucks. Great Deal!

My friend got miracle reservations for four of us at 7:45 on Tiger’s Opening Day in the middle of restaurant week. We had a great time amidst the revelry, but mostly in-​spite-​of and not because of Mosaic.
Our waiter (Peter) was amiable and checked back with us often, but there was nothing he could do about the snail-​slow bar and kitchen. His good humor alleviated most frustration, but doesn’t excuse the slowness. C’mon, it was no secret that it was going to be busy, so why weren’t they staffed up?
Mosaic’s interior is all glass and wood, very hip and modern. We enjoyed that. We also enjoyed the (very loud) music pouring into the restaurant from the bar area. We each ordered a specialty martini from the drinks menu — all delicious, but at $ 10/​pop they should be.
The food was nothing special. Between the four of us, we ordered everything from the restaurant week prix fixe menu and the only really notable item was the chocolate ganache peanut butter pie.
I’d like to try this place again when they aren’t quite as busy.

Great atmosphere, great service, great food and martinis!
We went to Mosaic on a Friday night for dinner. Obviously, we made reservations, as we knew that not only was it restaurant week, but Friday nights at most places are generally pretty busy.
When we walked in, we were told it would be about 10 minutes before our table was ready. Honestly, we didn’t mind. I wanted a martini, and the bar is really rather lovely. The bar was very crowded and standing-​room-​only, but as soon as the bartender saw two seats together open up, she not only pointed it out to us, but carried our drinks down to the seats for us. Very nice!
On to dinner! Our waiter was friendly and attentive, taking the time to answer our questions about the menu items and making sure to keep our drinks fresh and filled. We started off with the Spicy Tuna Roll as an appetizer, which was flavorful and well-​assembled. My only complaint? One little itty-​bitty thing of soy sauce for two people to share.
For dinner we ordered the Kasu Chilean Sea Bass and the Sesame Crusted Tuna. SO GOOD! We ordered a side of the hericots verts, but barely touched it as we were so full from dinner and the salads.
I’ll definitely be back to sample more of the offerings on the menu and soak in some more of the wonderful atmosphere.

My favorite restaurant in Detroit. This is worth the trip to Greektown– I used to come here when I lived all the way in New Hudson near Novi. As much as I love Greek food, I’d pass on all the rest and splurge on Mosaic.
The filet and lobster were our entrées of choice, service was perfect, wine selections superb. Not sure what more there is to say other than «love.»

My food at Mosaic was AMAZING. The lobster spring rolls and scallop entrée was sooo good! Great glass of Louis Martini Cabernet to compliment it.
However there were some other parts of the dining experience that were not so up to par.
1. There was a valet sign outside, but no sighting of an actual valet attendant.
2. Two of my dinner companions ordered the SAME exact meal. The Mosiac steak, medium. Their plates came out looking like 2 completely different meals. One had a green spinach/​pesto like sauce on it, the other didnt. One was mooing while the other one was crispy.
3. We had a large table and the waiter said he didn’t know how to split the check. Really… If you are going to take a large table, learn how the people would like to pay ahead of time pal. My calculator doesn’t fit well in my clutch purse.

Lovely, Lovely, Lovely. And I’m not just talking about my dinner companions! I went for restaurant week but instead went off the board and got some tasty menu items.
To begin, the service was excellent and well informed. Very cognizant of Vegan vs. Vegetarian, though I’m neither (but one of us was).
The atmosphere, albeit a bit stinky from cigars (no one else but me smelled ‘em), was rich in color and interesting eye candy. No, not the patrons, you gutter minds, the walls, the ceilings, etc.
I enjoyed my scallops, but the keeper was my goat cheese and pistachio salad with mandarin oranges. The cherry vinaigrette was amazing.
The portions are large for the price, and though it’s pricy, it’s worth a trip.
Extra points for whoever named their chocolate martini after augustus gloop (Willy Wonka style)
I’ll be back just for the appetizer menu.

Finally got to Mosaic. It was a busy weekend in Detroit (auto show, et. al.) and Mosaic was really busy, but from the moment we walked in the service was great.
This service was professional from the hostess to the busser, waiters and the men’s room attendant (how many times can you write that?)
I thought everything was very good with a few outstanding items:
— pistachio crusted goat cheese salad (see photo) was fantastic
— the penne with a vodka-​sauce was perfectly cooked
I seemed to have inadvertently ordered all the largest dishes.
— an Italian chopped salad was very good and enough for 3 people
— the Mosaic steak gratinee was large enough for two.
I ordered it medium and it came out medium-​rare which, strangely
is exactly what the waiter mentioned before I ordered (he had it for dinner). The asparagus and potato were nicely done.
I had a «pear» martini that was very well balanced. The presentation was also nice — the drink comes out in layers.
The wine list is short and well chosen, dominated by Californian wines. I had the only French Burgundy on the list — Drouhin. Great glass for $ 10.
We didn’t have desert. mostly because the other plates were so big.
The dining room and bar are both really nice. Very comfortable. I could wear jeans or a suit here and feel equally at ease.
The bathrooms were beautiful floor to ceiling marble. There was an attendant which makes me feel a little uneasy. That said, I got to try some colognes that I never would have thought about!