Cafe Muse

Molly Abraham, Detroit News Restaurant Critic: Chef/proprietor Reyner and his partner, David Smith, came up with the title, Cafe Muse, just two days before it opened in March of 2006. They took advantage of every inch of the original narrow quarters that included a mini-dining room in front and tables along the wall opposite the kitchen where Reyner prepared everything himself. Now they've moved on to larger quarters up the street.
A glance at the menu reveals Reyner's culinary style immediately. Breakfast might be a vanilla bean waffle with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or orange rum raisin pancakes, both with maple syrup. An exotic mushroom scramble comes with Boursin cheese and a touch of truffle oil, and is served with garlic sauteed fingerling potatoes, or sweet potatoes with a hint of garam masala (an Indian spice blend) for those who prefer. The breakfast dishes are served throughout the day, but starting at 11, lunchers may move on to soup - the rich blend of oyster, shiitake and portobello mushrooms is typical - and a salad of organic greens with warm goat cheese, thin slices of apple and little cubes of poached pear in the light house vinaigrette. Sandwiches include peanut butter and jam with mascarpone cheese, a childhood favorite updated. Mascarpone is obviously a house favorite, as is the fresh mozzarella served on the grilled three-cheese sandwich along with fontina and Havarti. Reyner attended the Cooking and Hospitality Institute in Chicago and had his own catering firm for a while.