Review: Envie a great place for dining

Five out of Five Stars

By Mallory Stiles
Editor in Chief

There are a LOT of great places in downtown Lansing to step into, but Envie, located at 210 S. Washington Square, must be one of Lansing’s greatest gems.

I have seen the place a thousand times, but always thought it was the type of place that warranted a special occasion. It turns out that my special occasion was the end of finals week at LCC.

As soon as I walked in, I immediately fell in love with the space. It was a smaller room, but everything was spaced well, impressively clean and slightly shiny.

Envie is only open from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, but from the second the staff opens the doors, people are flooding in. I entered at 5:01 and had a great Old Fashioned in my hand by 5:05.

I then ordered a shrimp cocktail, for $15, because I just couldn’t help myself. It was a great decision. The shrimp were HUGE, and the cocktail sauce tasted like it was made from scratch; very tangy.

After that, I ordered the Envie famous bowl, which included seared steak, roasted corn, a red wine reduction, mushrooms, blistered tomatoes, fried leek and sauteed vegetables over mashed potatoes.

It. Was. So. Good.

It was also only $24, which is cheap if you consider the grade of the steak and the amount of random ingredients included. I also got a piece of the “cake of the day,” a raspberry lemon cheesecake, for $8.

I should also mention that my wait staff was incredibly professional, considerate and efficient. My glass of water was always full to the brim and dirty dishes were attended to promptly.

In total, without tip, I paid $62.54, but it was a great experience and an atmosphere that I already miss. There are only a few places in Lansing that have taken my breath away, but Envie rose to the challenge. 

My only regret is not walking in sooner.