Profile

Big Beaver Road

Eddie V’s sits at 2100 West Big Beaver in Troy, on what is quietly Michigan’s densest stretch of steakhouse. Ruth’s Chris and Stoney River are both on the same road within a couple of miles. Oakland County’s corporate corridor supports all three.

What it is

Eddie V’s leads with seafood and treats steak as the strong second act — the reverse of most rooms on this list. The seafood is sourced daily and the menu changes with the season. The beef is USDA Prime, hand-carved rather than pre-portioned.

The wine list runs past 300 labels and has been recognized nationally.

The V Lounge

This is the actual reason to pick Eddie V’s over its neighbors. The V Lounge has live jazz trios seven nights a week — not a weekend act, every night. Very few restaurants at any price still carry a nightly live band, and if you want a steak dinner with music rather than background playlist, this is the room in metro Detroit.

There are also four private rooms for events.

Ownership

Eddie V’s was acquired by Darden Restaurants in 2011 and now runs a few dozen locations nationally. It is a chain, and it is a good one, but if you are visiting Michigan for the beef there are independent kitchens in this state doing more interesting things — several of them within twenty minutes of this table.