From Detroit Restaurant Week, here is the wrap-up from the fall 2013 edition:
Thousands of patrons celebrated the latest edition of Detroit Restaurant Week, held September 20-29. Seventeen of Detroit’s finest dining establishments presented specially-crafted three-course meals for just $30 per person.
Shinola, the presenting sponsor for Detroit Restaurant Week fall 2013, also hosted the highly acclaimed Guns + Butter pop-up dining experience at their flagship store in Midtown.
"The pop-up for DRW was a tremendous success. The food, atmosphere, service and all-around team effort reached professional heights that everyone was proud of,” says Craig Lieckfelt, founder and executive chef of Guns + Butter. “It was an honor to collaborate with Shinola. Without question, they are continuing to push the entrepreneurial boundaries of those looking to start a business in Detroit. They lead by example with a creative and hard-working team,” he adds.
Detroit Restaurant Week’s most recent addition, The Jefferson House, located inside the new Crowne Plaza Pontchartrain Hotel in downtown Detroit, experienced similar success as well:
“We killed it,” says Chef Justin Vaicuinas. “It was great seeing so many people back at the Pontchartrain. We had a great time with DRW and look forward to the next edition,” he adds.
DRW once again showcased specially crafted menus that highlighted many unique culinary creations, featuring several seasonal ingredients rarely utilized in area kitchens, many of them locally-sourced as well. Brizola's (Greektown Casino Hotel) Chef Christian Borden offered up Michigan Rainbow Trout prepared with watercress, apple cider and crispy onion, while Roast's (Westin Book Cadillac) Chef Daniel Campbell presented their Hanger Steak, served with giardiniera and smoked sunchokes. Cuisine's (New Center) Chef Paul Grosz dazzled with his Smoked Duck Ham Breast, served with Dauphinoise potatoes with red wine-braised blueberries. Chef Chris Franz from The Rattlesnake Club (Stroh River Place) satisfied many a sweet tooth with his PB & B Bread Pudding dessert, a mouth-watering collision of peanut butter and banana, with roasted banana ice cream and salted chocolate and caramel drizzle.
In total, close to 290,000 people have enjoyed the first nine installments of Detroit Restaurant Week to date, which has helped generate an estimated $5.5 million in sales for our participating restaurants, not including non-DRW menu items, such as beverages, etc. Just as importantly, DRW along with our participating restaurants, have again pledged to help Forgotten Harvest provide over 10,000 meals to help feed our area's hungry.
Dates have not yet been scheduled for the spring 2014 promotion, but fans should keep an eye on the Detroit Restaurant Week social media channels and DetroitRestaurantWeek.com for the latest news and information.
History of Detroit Restaurant Week: The Detroit Restaurant Week concept was created in 2009 as a partnership project between Paxahau Event Productions, the Downtown Detroit Partnership (DDP) and its partner organizations in Midtown, Corktown, Eastern Market and New Center to support and promote fine dining restaurants in greater downtown Detroit. Almost 290,000 diners have enjoyed DRW to date, generating almost five and a half million dollars in sales for our participating restaurants. In 2013, DRW along with our partner restaurants empowered Forgotten Harvest to provide over 20,000 meals to metro Detroiters in need.
About Shinola
Shinola was founded in 2011 with the goal to make quality products and to make them right here in America. As makers of modern, handcrafted watches, bicycles, leather goods, and journals, Shinola is proud to be based in Detroit, a community-minded city with a strong manufacturing legacy. As a new company with a storied name, Shinola stands for skill at scale, the preservation of craft, the beauty of industry.
About Paxahau Event Productions & Management
Paxahau Event Productions has earned the reputation over the past decade as an elite promotions organization. Initially established to promote electronic music, Paxahau has grown to become a year-round event production company. In addition to producing the annual Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit, they also direct operations for the Detroit Jazz Festival and will manage production and operations for Moogfest 2014 in Asheville, North Carolina. Paxahau has booked talent and provided production services for Motown Winter Blast; Red Bull Air Races; Arts, Beats & Eats; North American International Auto Show events; BravoBravo! and the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. Visit www.paxahau.com to learn more.
