Reporter Food:  Traverse City Chicken & Gorgonzola Pasta from Sweet Lorraine’s in Southfield

(Crystal A. Proxmire, April 13, 2017)

Southfield, MI – Yesterday I had the pleasure of trying someplace new and getting to hear lots of delightful scoops from one of my sources.  I’d always heard about Sweet Lorraine’s in Southfield, so I insisted that we meet there.  It was definitely a good choice.

My dining companion had the “Twisted Cobb Salad”  salad  which had baby kale, house-smoked chicken, goats cheese, tomatoes, onion, bacon, herbed ranch dressing, sweet & sassy BBQ sauce, and crispy sweet potato threads.

The crispy potato threads threw much dining companion off a bit. “What is this?” he said. “Sweet potatoes don’t belong on salad.”  He picked them off, which was funny because they were delicious, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest along with a nice refreshing iced tea.

I went for one of Sweet Lorraine’s signature dishes – the Traverse City Chicken and Gorgonzola Pasta.  The chicken comes from Miller Family Farms and the dried cherries come from Michigan’s cherry capital Traverse City.  The dish is also made with bowtie pasta, Gorgonzola cheese sauce, spinach and spiced walnuts.  The server also added shaved Parmesan at the table, which always makes a good pasta meal seem even more fancy.

I also went for the Lorraine Smoothie, which was a boozie mix of tropical fruit served in a silly tall glass with a curly purple straw and a pineapple wedge for garnish.  It seemed to fit in well with the artsy atmosphere of the restaurant.  There were ample booths and tables, plenty of sunlight, and a modern art mural on the wall.

It was difficult to choose my lunchtime choice because there were so many great items on the menu.  Salads, sandwich and pasta dishes were all unique and tempting. Interesting choices include the Avocado-Crab BLT, Hot Salmon “Nicoise” Salad, Rainforest Tilapia and Farmouse Quiche. I anticipate going back.

Sweet Lorraine’s is located at 29101 Greenfield Rd, Southfield, MI 48076 and inside the Livonia Marriott hotel at 17100 N. Laurel Park Dr., Livonia, M 48152. Check them out online at http://sweetlorraines.com.

Want to read about more local restaurants through Oakland County? Check out our Reporter Food section at http://oaklandcounty115.com/category/food-blogs/.