Detroit, MI — It’s been several weeks since my last foodie adventure post, due partly to back-to-back weekend trips near and far and temporarily prioritizing other interests and hobbies like golf and downtown Detroit adventures with friends. As I was starting to feel the itch to showcase a foodie adventure (and believe me, there were many candidates during this three-week window), an opportunity emerged to cross a long-desired restaurant off my list: Adelina.

The Italian-Mediterranean fusion eatery opened in downtown Detroit near Campus Martius in late March last year. I heard and saw a lot of hype about Adelina at the time on social media and through coverage by other foodwriters and local influencers. It seemed like another solid and exciting new addition to the downtown restaurant lineup and rotation. As chance would have it, the person who gave me the most thorough review following a first-time experience with Adelina was Rob, one of my best friends.

The culinary stars aligned, and the opportunity that presented itself came in the form of celebrating Rob’s birthday with a bunch of friends for dinner at Adelina. Rob’s girlfriend was able to book a table for 10 late Friday night, and before I knew it, Friday had arrived, and we were looking for parking on a cool but busy night downtown. As Rob’s girlfriend looked for parking in the Z’s garage, the music and loud bass from The Belt shook our ride as we spiraled up the garage to eventually find parking on the eighth floor. We hustled down toward Campus Martius and walked in a few minutes after our reservation, which was set for nine. The rest of our posse had already arrived and had just gotten their first round of drinks delivered to the table as we sat down.

FULL SECTION: MI Foodie Adventures Pasta Series

I sat next to my pal Vince, and we began catching up on the latest happenings from our week. I casually conversed and caught up with some other friends I hadn’t seen for some time. One of the menu items I was the most excited to try was Adelina’s Old Fashioned “Espresso,” at the adamant recommendation from Rob, a fellow Old Fashioned enthusiast. Rob stated it was the best Old Fashioned he had ever enjoyed during his first visit, so I was really excited to sip this enhanced classic!

While I cannot match the conviction of my Rob, I will confess this was indeed at least one of the best Old Fashions I’ve ever had in my never-ending quest to try every old-fashioned I encounter. This particular signature cocktail of Adelina’s consists of Ezra Brooks bourbon, Borghetti coffee liqueur, Espresso, and a house simple syrup. Not pictured above is the little espresso bean served in the drink as the cherry on top, if you will — mine had just, unfortunately, slid between the ice cub and peel right as I took out my phone to take the picture *sighs*.

Several friends and I placed orders for appetizers after our server returned with the first wave of drinks for those of us who had just arrived. Despite it being near the end of the night, I could tell Adelina had quite the dinner rush because the entire establishment was still packed and slowly starting to thin out. I noticed that reservations continued to arrive to be seated as late as 10 p.m. and a bit after, so it certainly kept the staff busy throughout the night.

After deciding between a couple of the different starter options, I ordered the calamari (Pescado Frito on the menu) because it’s a dish I hadn’t enjoyed for some time. Usually, when I do order it, I’m at an upscale or fine-dining-type place, so I can usually count on it being really good. As you’ll see below, Adelina serves up its calamari rings with pickled hot peppers, scallions, and a side of citrus aioli.

This starter course really kicked things off; it was a solid rendition of the calamari dish. I squeezed the charred lemon across the lightly battered rings and squid bits, utilizing every ounce of juice with the lemon to douse the entire serving. There were quite a few hot peppers, enough to have one included in every forks-worth of bites. With every bite, I made sure to include a proper dunking into the thick and flavorfully-vibrant aioli. That aioli made the dish and was a perfect sauce profile to accompany and complement the calamari. I made sure not to waste a single speck of that sauce by the time I wolfed down that dish!

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We collectively placed our orders for the main course as several peeps at the table placed their orders for their second round of drinks. I figured my inaugural foodie adventure to Adelina should include pasta, especially since the restaurant makes their own in-house. I debated between the Rigatoni, Casarecce, and Conchiglie before ultimately landing on the Conchiglie, a shell-shaped noodle.

This pasta also featured house sausage, a tomato cream-based sauce with truffle, and grana padano cheese on top. There was a surprising amount of pasta and sausage, with the lower bowl portion going deeper than it visually seemed. This is where a lot of the savory and pungent flavor-packing sauce lurked, which I rotated to the top as I stirred the pasta to ensure the cheese melted and mixed in cohesively.

The sauce and Italian cheese choices were excellent. The grana padano was delicately shredded, adding a lovely rich and nutty flavor profile to the tomato-based sauce. The truffle added a nice neutralizing element between the two flavors to tie it all together, as the zesty and hearty chunks of sausage aided in every bite with the conchiglie pasta. I ate nearly every bite and thoroughly enjoyed this pasta dish.

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While the drinks and starters ordered by folks at the table hit their mark for the most part, there was a slightly noticeable amount of time between orders appearing at our table. But it was a late, larger-seated table on a Friday night, so there was some leeway to be had. Plus, the food and Old Fashioned Espresso were quite good, so it more than made up for the slight delays experienced at times during service. Speaking of, overall, the service was good as well, given the circumstances for the time of night and party size.

FULL SECTION: MI Foodie Adventures Italian Series

All in all, the foodie experience at Adelina was quite positive, and I’m delighted it’s where my bro chose to go for his birthday dinner. I was quite pleased with the Conchiglie pasta. After being able to enjoy Adelina’s house-made pasta, I’m looking forward to exploring some of their entrées in future adventures. If you’re looking for a prestigious Italian eatery in downtown Detroit, check out Adelina, which just so happens to be at the heart of all the action in a bustling downtown during these summer months.

For more information about Adelina in downtown Detroit, click here.