Northern Lights’ stylish weekday dining

Though many MT readers may be familiar with New Center's Northern Lights Lounge as a stylish bar and performance venue, for several years the nightspot has kept its kitchen open Monday through Friday in a bid for Detroit's weekday lunch and dinner crowds. 

And, for a business luncheon, you could hardly pick a snazzier joint. Not only does it sprawl throughout a large building that can seat more than 100 diners, it offers a variety of environments to dine in, including informal chairs up front by the free shuffleboard table, wraparound booths in the moodier main room, simple tables for a tête-à-tête, and even seating along the bar. (Diners at the bar can request a bar tray, a nice touch for business lunchers who don't want their ties to end up in their soup.) Finding a place to sit isn't a problem at lunch, even as regulars roll in for a sit-down meal or for large carryout orders (75 cents extra for those). The sound system unreels a pleasing mix of oldies, '80s and Motown that matches the retro charm of the interior design.

Northern Lights has a full bar, and the know-how to mix up classics and offbeat, eye-catching concoctions. We teetotaled it, but saw an ice-blue margarita come off the bar, headed to slake some fortunate tippler's thirst.

Special note: We at MT have consistently praised Northern Lights for its ladies' room. Classy and cozy, it sports a low-lit alcove and mid-century Danish modern furniture. Really. It's so nice the girls sometimes ask the guys to get a gander.

Befitting a bar menu, the appetizer section has several strong choices, the larger ones averaging about $7.50, including a batch of eight "Lava Wings" and house-made chicken strips. The fried calamari appetizer ($7.95) is especially good. Perhaps most American diners don't like their protein to look like the animal providing it, as so many restaurants seem to favor serving calamari caps cut into strips, or calamari rings only. Northern Lights' kitchen, thankfully, knows we're adults, cutting the mantles into rings and serving the crispier tentacles alongside them. It's all lightly battered, gently fried to avoid toughness, and presented in a generous bowl, complemented with red onion, tomato and capers, as well as a cup of cocktail sauce on the side. It's big enough to share.

Bar food isn't especially veggie-friendly fare, but our vegetarian co-diner comes here often and chooses a few classics on the menu. She offers praise for the nachos appetizer, which — though they can come with beef or chicken — are rich with cheese, black beans, black olives, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and jalapeños.

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