DRW, Fin

Well, it was "fin" three days ago, if that gives you any indication of the kind of weekend that I had.

Yes, the final weekend of the first-ever Detroit Restaurant Week was a whirlwind of great food and great people, all celebrating the great success of DRW. Sure, perhaps it was a little preemptory, but once we received word that there was not a single reservation for a single participating restaurant available on Friday or Saturday, it definitely seemed time for a little congratulatory cheers-ing.

I don't have the final counts yet (will most likely "tweet" them, so keep an eye on the sidebar), but preliminary word from the restaurants has been extremely enthusiastic and they seem to unanimously agree that they haven't seen cover counts like this in years and eagerly anticipate the next one. Imagine that: dining rooms at 17 of Detroit's finest dining destinations packed full on a Wednesday night...weekend reservations as hard to get as reservations at Manhattan's Aureole on Valentine's Day...people positively buzzing about the restaurants...THIS is how it should be.

One thing I noticed happening a lot that intrigued me was just how excited people were to talk about it. I saw it everywhere: on Facebook, people excitedly chattered on threads commenting on statuses like, "At Mosaic now! Atlas tomorrow!" followed by "Have you tried the Whitney yet?" and "Can't wait for the Rattlesnake!" from their friends. I received emails from people asking where I would recommend and proudly announcing their own reservations for the week. Even in group settings (such as the Supper Club I held at Detroit Fish Market last Wednesday during Restaurant Week), people buzzed excitedly over where they've been so far, where they plan to go next, and which places they were most excited about visiting.

The winner? The Rattlesnake Club. That 1 1/4 lb. lobster for $27 had everyone's mouth watering, though I'd have to say the foie gras a-go-go at 24 Grille most tantalized my tastebuds.

I also heard a lot of chatter over when the next Restaurant Week would take place and that people wanted to see it happen more than once a year. Never fear, pets...plans are in the works.

In the meantime, you can continue to enjoy discounted prices a la Restaurant Week at a number of participating restaurants. The Rattlesnake Club will continue to offer the very same DRW menu through October. Wolfgang Puck Grille already offers 3-course prix fixe meals on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for $29. Other restaurants (such as the Whitney) are contemplating adding a prix fixe $40 menu to their regular menu year-round, while still others (Iridescence) have dramatically reduced prices. Plus, there's always my monthly Supper Clubs, at which you will have the distinct pleasure of dining with ME!

While part of the fun is being caught in the Restaurant Week buzz, it is still good to know that diners can still get great deals on dining at other times, and that the restaurants seem to be responding to the demands of their clientele.

What else can I say? It was a blast and I was absolutely thrilled to be a part of it. I am already looking forward to the next one (and it will probably take me that long to recover from this one!). And if you missed it this time around...dear God, WHY???

DRW Preview #6: Detroit Fish Market

Photo from the website
How sad...this is my final official Detroit Restaurant Week preview! We've had a good time though, haven't we? All good things must come to an end, I suppose.

For my final DRW outing, I visited the new Detroit Fish Market at Paradise Valley. This is part of the Southern Hospitality Restaurant Group, a Frank Taylor concept that is already widely popular since opening in January. The place was packed during my visit, but I still had the chance to try some of the their best DRW offerings. (Sadly, they were so swamped the chef didn't have time to come chat with me, or bring me round after round of various plates of food and sit and chew the fat with me for a couple of hours...which is too bad, because a girl could get used to that! Oh, Restaurant Week, how you've spoiled me...)

I started with their New England Style Clam Chowder, a cream-based chowder with just the right dash of pepper, delicately shaved bits of clam and potato, and enough butter to make Miss Julia Child proud. This isn't really "traditional" clam chowder in the sense of what you might be accustomed to...or, it is, except add a stick of butter per bowl. But the best foodies know that butter makes things better, and you really can never have too much! Definitely the RICHEST chowder I've ever had, and probably my favorite of the evening.

I also tasted the Louisiana Style Seafood Gumbo, a departure from a typical gumbo and probably more easily likened to a chili (not for its consistency but rather for its flavor). Crawfish étouffée it isn't, but the spices are mild so sensitive tastebuds will be pleased.

For the entree, I tried the Crispy Fried Catfish-Belzoni Mississippi Style (Belzoni Mississippi is apparently the catfish capital of the world, or so they call themselves). Buttermilk battered and topped with crabmeat and lemon beurre blanc, the catfish was best with some fresh lemon squeezed on top and a splash of hot sauce. It also occurred to me that this might be the first time I've actually ordered catfish (I think one too many trips to Cedar Point where I would watch people hock loogies into the water and the massive catfish would hungrily gulp them down spoiled me on this particular aquatic-dweller), but I actually liked it!

I was actually interested in the Grilled Citrus Marinated Chicken with Cherry BBQ Sauce, though I thought ordering chicken at a fish house would probably be a poor representation of the restaurant. C'est la vie. It's probably a great dish for anyone fish-phobic who ends up getting dragged here by some crustacean-loving friends.

For dessert, I tried the Warm Bread Pudding with caramel sauce. Bread pudding has always struck me as an odd dish, mostly for the etymology: okay, so it's made with stale bread, but where does the pudding part come in? It neither has the consistency of pudding nor is any pudding used in its preparation...things that make you go hmmmmmmm... This particular bread pudding was moist and light, with raisin and apple lest my tastebuds do deceive me.

Overall, I had a thoroughly Southern-style meal (save for the chowder, which is a decidedly UN-Southern dish), though the options here abound with a multitude of favorite fish dishes. The menus are printed daily highlighting the day's "Fresh Catches," and they also offer some signature dishes, such as "Frank's Lobster Mac & Cheese" and "Detroit's Original Twin Fried Lobster Tails," as well as some oddities, such as the Pan-Roasted Monkfish (monkfish isn't really something you see on every fish market menu). For lunch, stop in for a New Orleans Style Oyster Po' Boy or a Grilled Shrimp and Cheese (yeah, I'm curious too).

The Detroit Restaurant Week menu will be served through Sunday, September 27--only 4 more days to experience the best in Detroit dining with 3-course menus at only $27.00!

I'm going to miss doing these previews. *Sniffle* Why can't Restaurant Week be every week?

Detroit Restaurant Week Menu
FIRST COURSE:
New England Style Clam Chowder

~or~

Louisiana Style Seafood Gumbo

~or~

House Salad

(Mixed Greens, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Croutons & Choice of Dressing)

~or~

Caesar Salad(Crispy Romaine, Garlic Croutons, Creamy Caesar Dressing & Shaved Parmesan Cheese)

SECOND COURSE:
Broiled Lake Superior Whitefish

(Butter, Lemon, White Wine & Capers Sauce)

~or~

Crispy Fried Catfish – Belzoni Mississippi Style

(Buttermilk Battered topped with Crabmeat & Lemon Beurre Blanc)

~or~

Pan Fried Parmesan Encrusted Tilapia

(Served with Jasmine Rice & Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables)

~or~

Grilled Citrus Marinated Chicken with Cherry BBQ Sauce

(With Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables)

~or~

Seafood Fettuccine

(Today’s Fresh Seafood tossed with Creamy Alfredo Sauce)

THIRD COURSE:
Banana Bread Pudding

~or~

Warm Apple Strudel Topped with Ice Cream & Caramel Sauce

DRW: The First Weekend

So...how did it go?

Detroit Restaurant Week began last Friday and runs through this Sunday, so even if you didn't have the chance to make it out this weekend you still have 7 full more days to experience the best in Detroit dining! 3-course meals, Detroit's best restaurants, $27. You would have to be crazy to miss this, crazy I say! (Or, maybe, just not as "into" food as me, which also = crazy.)

I've already given you previews of Andiamo on the Riverfront, Cuisine, Iridescence, the Whitney, Atlas Global Bistro, a tiny taste of Roast, and will be bringing a preview of Detroit Fish Market later this week. Now, every restaurant is offering up some great food at a great value, but there are a couple of menus I would like to specifically highlight as going above and beyond.

The Rattlesnake Club is offering a 1 1/4lb. lobster along with fresh salad options and some of the most unique desserts, including a Passion Fruit Cheesecake Cube (which, if it's anything like the Passion Fruit Creme Brulee I had there earlier this year, YUM!) and "Amazon" sorbets accented with orange flower syrup and a wild poppy seed, red chile, and sesame tuile. The Rattlesnake Club continues to be the Grande Dame of Detroit dining, and with good reason--but don't just take my word for it; find out for yourself!

24 Grille is also offering an exceptionally ambitious menu, and it is FULL of foie gras! Perhaps my gushing over the seared foie gras atop a bed of green goddess salad with truffled cotton candy at this year's BravoBravo! made it to the right ears, but this menu is a gourmand's dream! Start with the Hudson Valley Foie Gras atop a Mach Salad with sliced apples and cotton candy, and follow it up with the Foie-Infused Sous Vide Sirloin served with a cipollini onion and garlic confit and zip sauce. For dessert you'll have house-made ice cream, but maybe if you're really nice they'll throw a slab of foie gras on top just to complete the trio! (There's an idea: foie gras ice cream. It can't be terrible?)

I know, I know, SO many options and so little time. But I have faith in you. You have one more week. Godspeed.

Why Should New York Have All the Fun? Detroit Restaurant Week Begins Today!

What does New York have that Detroit doesn't?

Well, I'll tell you what they no longer don't have over us: Restaurant Week.

For years there have been "restaurant week" events in cities like New York, Boston, San Diego, Dallas, Austin, Washington D.C., Orlando, Philadelphia, and Chicago. These events offer a prix fixe menu at some of their respective cities' most prestigious dining establishments, encouraging people to experience and celebrate their local cuisine and support their local restaurants.

Detroit has never hosted a dining event on this scale...until now.

Over the past several weeks, I have been giving you previews of the Restaurant Week menus at different participating restaurants. I have interviewed chefs both here and for Model D, and I have heard the same response over and over again from each chef and restaurant manager I've spoken with: Detroit needs this.

In the past decade or so, Detroit--once a champion of fine dining in this country--has all but fallen off the national radar for our cuisine. The occasional James Beard nomination or Wine Spectator award has still been tossed our way, but the national public consensus has been dismissive at best (and downright brutal when at its worst).

The biggest problem is that we never lost the great restaurants; we just lost the prestige and notoriety. Sure, the London Chop House closed almost two decades ago and Chef Milos Cihelka has been retired for over a decade, but they weren't the only things that Detroit could uphold as its humble offerings to the culinary gods.

What about the Rattlesnake Club, the Whitney, Opus One? And in the last decade, Cuisine, Atlas Global Bistro, Coach Insignia? And in just the last few years when Detroit has been experiencing an explosion of creative new fine dining establishments, Roast, Saltwater, 24 Grille, and Iridescence? (And mind you, I am speaking only of those within city limits, and not of the countless noteworthy restaurants in the greater metro area.)

In Detroit we have chefs with impressive pedigrees who have studied under some of the most famous chefs in the most famous kitchens and schools in the world. Even when our very own public seems to have forgotten about is, we have still received recognition from such national publications as Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, and GQ. Yes, over the last several decades our city has made national headlines for a number of negative reasons, and has certainly suffered in population and public opinion because of it. But make no mistake: this is still a great city, and it has always been a great place to eat.

I've heard all too often people claim that Detroit has no culture. To them, I point to the hundreds of art galleries, museums, artist studios, outdoor art installations, theatres, and performance spaces. To them, I offer the countless indie rock, jazz, funk, and techno acts that play on any given night of the week in dive bars, ultra lounges, and upscale jazz clubs. And to them, I point to the dozens of fun, eclectic, noteworthy restaurants, some of which are truly world-class.

I am no true "expert" in the field of dining. I have not been to Tokyo, Paris, or Moscow, nor have I had any kind of formal gastronomical training. But I think it would be fair to say that I at least know more and have had more experience than a good number of diners out there. I've been to some of the finest restaurants in the world--Osteria di Rendola in Tuscanny; Felidia and the Russian Tea Room in New York City; Spiaggia in Chicago; Thornton's in Dublin; Grano de Oro in Costa Rica. I've experienced fine dining in Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Toronto, and Phoenix. The only thing holding me back from having more experience is lack of access to a big-budget national publication's handsome expense account (PS, dear big-budget national publication, please give me access to your handsome expense account, KTHX). But just in my own experience, limited in worldliness though it may be, I can say with absolute conviction that some of Detroit's restaurants can compete with any of these highly-decorated world-renowned places...in fact, some are even better.

Why is Detroit Restaurant Week so important? you might ask. Or rather, why have I been harping on you about it for weeks now? The answer is simple: it finally puts Detroit on the national culinary map. It finally puts us on the same playing field as Chicago, Philadelphia, and Boston. It finally forces people to acknowledge the wonderful dining experiences there are to be had here and situates us as one of the nation's premiere dining destinations--a title we really never should have lost.

Jason Huvaere, Producer of Detroit Restaurant Week, said restaurant week promotions in other major cities across the country have brought customers back again and again -- even after the promotion has ended. And based on early feedback from participating restaurants and the local community, Detroit’s restaurant week is expected to be just as popular as those in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and Washington D.C.

“We are home to some of the best dining establishments in the country and this region will welcome this type of dinner promotion,” said Huvaere. “Over the course of the last three months, we’ve been promoting Detroit Restaurant Week at events throughout the region, and we’ve received a very positive response from everyone we’ve engaged.

“And based on preliminary reports from the participating restaurants, reservations are strong, which means that our community is truly embracing the Detroit Restaurant Week concept.”

Detroit Restaurant Week starts tonight. 17 participating restaurants are offering minimum 3-course meals at a fixed price of $27.00 (excluding tax and gratuity). Restaurant Week runs through Sunday, September 27th. If you don't understand what all the fuss is about, then now is a good time for you to find out.

DRW Preview #5: Atlas Global Bistro

It just doesn't seem possible, but each Detroit Restaurant Week preview dinner just keeps getting better and better! My lastest foray was into Atlas Global Bistro on that lonely stretch of Woodward between Foxtown and Midtown. Despite their relative seclusion, they seem to be doing something right: they've been open for 6 years and always seem to have a strong brunch and dinner crowd, and are also one of the favored cocktail spots for locals (one word: Sazerac).

Executive Chef Christian Burden has been in place at Atlas for four years now and is a Toronto native though we like him even despite that (wink, wink). He attended the Stratford Chefs School and then began working in kitchens around Detroit, including a 4-year stint at the Rattlesnake Club and two years as the pastry chef at the now-closed Boocoo. He presented us with several samples from the upcoming DRW menu and even sat down and chatted with us about food and the city and 20-year aged cherry balsamic vinegar. He is witty and sarcastic and I love that!


But his great wit pales in comparison to his talent in the kitchen. At Atlas, Christian seems to have total creative autonomy, and he expresses his skill in a menu that incorporates elements from a variety of different cultures and cooking traditions. The term "Global Bistro" is not just a clever name meant to evoke something more than it is; it is a truly global bistro, featuring items from Mediterranean, Indian, French, Italian, Asian, American Southern and American Indeterminate influences. It is a bistro in that it is a casual restaurant, but don't let the comfortable environment and laid-back attitude fool you--the food is fine dining at its finest, and the service is on par with the area's more highly-lauded establishments. Though it is probably too "hip" to ever reach Four-Diamond status, the food and the wine (and the service and the ambiance) are more than worthy of such recognition.

We started with the Professor Rockman's Feta (above), a rectangle of baked imported feta with lemon, oregano, olive tapenade, and a lemon twist. The fine outer shell of dough was crispy and the olive oil and lemon juice prevented it from being overly flaky or dry; the crunch was an excellent contrast to the soft, tangy cheese, and the flavor--to say it was somewhere between saganaki and a Greek salad sounds too prosaic. The flavors were alive, possessing the spirit of the Mediterranean islands, like the taste of color itself. Every bite was sun shining on salty sea air; this one is an absolute MUST.

Next we tried the Heirloom Caprese Salad, made with sliced garden tomatoes, sweet basil, fresh mozzarella, and a 20-year-aged cherry balsamic with basil oil and EVOO. He allowed us to sample the rather pricey cherry balsamic on a separate plate--thick, syrupy, tartly sweet heaven. I could pour this all over ice cream and would savor every bite of the most expensive ice cream topping in the world. The salad was also made with organic micro field greens, large tomatoes from a nearby organic plot and teardrop tomatoes from Atlas's own small garden. Fresh, summery, hearty, and sadly coming to the end of its season.

Next were the Moroccan Marinated Greens with leafy watercress, chopped Romaine heart, orange, candied almond, a twirl of Tete du Moine cheese, and spiced vinaigrette. The Tete de Moine is an interesting little cheese (and due to its firm yet elastic composition and silky texture, the florets as pictured above are considered the proper way to serve it to maximize its flavors); it is a highly respected Swiss cheese made in only 9 cheese dairies, and has a history of over 800 years being made in the abbey of the monastery Bellelay. But enough with the history lesson (I'm sorry, I typed "cheese" and couldn't stop myself). This salad is an unexpected blend of flavors, with every bite offering something either sweet, tangy, or spicy and each uniquely different from the next.

Oh, LAMB! I just can't seem to get enough of lamb lately, and this was some of the best. The Pikes Peak Lollipops (Colorado lamb) are char-grilled with wilted baby spinach, a pomegranate-cherry jam made in-house, a port wine veal reduction, crispy onion (or, very fancy onion rings), and a mascarpone polenta. Now...I hate polenta. It strikes that perfect chord between squishy and gritty that's just yeeech. BUT. I did not hate this polenta. It took Christian saying "mascarpone" for me to try it (cheese, of course), but I sort of liked it. And that's saying a lot. The lamb was *muah*--perfect temperature (i.e., really red), not too fatty (and it is a fatty meat), and with an excellent flavor. I think Ned Flanders put it best when he said "Scrum-diddly-umptious!"

This is when I started to get full, so the Tilapia did not get as much attention from me as it deserved (it made for an excellent lunch the next day, though). The official DRW presentation will feature pan-seared farm-raised Whitefish instead of Tilapia, but this worked well too. Tilapia (much like Whitefish) is an extremely mild fish, and may have even succeeded in converting my fish-phobic friend who took several bites and actually enjoyed them. Prior to this, it was,

"There's something dead on your plate that used to swim."

"And that's less desirable than something that spent its life rolling around in its own feces?"

"Mmm-hmmm!"

This "Barramundi" (as described on the DRW menu) is made with a very mild garlic-chili paste mixed with oils and a couscous with various vegetables folded in. The small grain granules of the couscous held the garlic-chili-oil sauce well, which was a surprising complement to the firm, mild fish. This dish is also a markedly more "exotic" dish, reminiscient of southeast Asian cuisine occuring somewhere in the midst of Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Burmese influences; a tastefully intriguing dish.

And finally, dessert. Christian is also trained as a pastry chef, which is a rare thing indeed. Typically, as a chef, you either cook or you bake and ne'er the twain shall meet (the relationship between an executive chef and his pâtissier is often symbiotic and mutually-exclusive). Well, Christian can do it all, and he does it in a way that appeals to my own tastebuds: with as little sugar as possible.

"I hate desserts that are overly sweet," he told me, wincing a little, and I feel his toothache; when I bite into something it shouldn't make my teeth hurt (nor should it make them feel fuzzy afterwards). Christian makes all his own pastries and sorbets, using half the amount of sugar called for in the recipes. The result is a Raspberry Sorbet soaked in Limoncello ("A little alcohol with your dessert!" Christian said cheerfully; sarcastic and likes to joke about booze! My kind of man!) and an Orange Blossom Brulee, creamy and aromatic. (For Restaurant Week diners should be even more pleased: the featured Brulee is made with smooth Mexican dark chocolate and spiced custard.)

Atlas also has one of the most impressive lists of cocktails, spirits, and wine in the city. They make all their own syrups, mixers, infusions, bitters, Maraschino cherries and grenadine, as well as offer some hard-to-find liqueurs, including a variety of Absinthe-inspired liqueurs and the fruity African cream liqueur Amarula. The cocktails are enough to make all Mad Men proud (and who thinks of using bacon powder in a cocktail, anyway???). The wine list isn't terribly long but has some clever and eclectic options. They do their best to highlight some Michigan wines, and I had a glass of the Chateau Grand Traverse Gamay Noir, as well as the Chilean Miguel Torres Cabernet Sauvignon rosé (which, as our wonderful server William noted, are finally coming out of the shadow of White Zin).

Self-described as "an urban restaurant with international cuisine," Atlas Global Bistro utilizes influences from all over the globe to create innovative, pan-ethnic dishes that are each more impressive than the one before. Everything is made from scratch and shipped in daily (which is why some of the DRW menu items weren't available--they hadn't arrived yet)--this is due to a painfully small freezer and lack of storage space, which means for you that everything is fresh and the menu is constantly changing to reflect availability. Yes, this means that if you go to Atlas once and find a new favorite dish you might never see it on the menu again, but as building owner Joel Landy so succinctly put it, "You don't go to Atlas to find your favorite dish; you go to Atlas to find your next favorite dish."

The DRW menu at Atlas might just be the most impressive yet, though I feel like I say that about each new restaurant I visit so just take it as a positive thing, m'kay?

Detroit Restaurant Week Menu

September 18-27, 2009

$27.00 exclusive of tax and gratuity

(1/2 bottles of select wines will also be offered at special DRW pricing)

FIRST COURSE:

Moroccan Marinated Greens
(Leafy Watercress, Chopped Romaine Heart, Orange, Candied Almond, Twirl of Tete du Moine Cheese, Spiced Vinaigrette)
~or~
Heirloom Caprese Salad
(Sliced Garden Tomatoes, Sweet Basil, Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto Vinaigrette)
~or~
Professor Rockman’s Feta
(Flakey Pastry Filled with Potatoes, Peas and Carrots. With a Mild Yellow Curry-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce)
~or~
Indian Samosa
(Flakey Pastry Filled with Potatoes, Peas and Carrots. With a Mild Yellow Curry-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce)

SECOND COURSE:

Crispy Skin Barramundi
(Pan Seared Farm Raised White Fish with Artichoke-Potato Hash, Concasse Tomato,
Sweet Basil Beurre Blanc)
~or~
Pikes Peak Lollipops
(Char-Grilled Lamb. Wilted Baby Spinach. California Fig Jam. Port Wine Veal Reduction. Crispy Onion)
~or~
Manchester Farms Pan Roasted Quail
(Marinated South Carolina Quail, Fried Hominy Cake, Wilted Young Pea Tendrils, Bourbon-Walnut Conserve)

THIRD COURSE:

Mexican Chocolate Brulee
(Smooth Dark Chocolate, Spiced Custard with a Crunchy Caramel Coating)

Raspberry Sorbet
(Frozen Raspberry Ice with Lemon Compote Finished with a Drizzle of Limoncello)

Locavorism for Beginners: A Practical Guide to Living Like a Locavore

“Locavore”: One who subscribes to the practice of eating food that is grown locally.

There are many reasons a person might choose to live a life of locavorism. Some of the biggest pro-locavore arguments include supporting and sustaining local businesses and keeping money circulating within the local economy, as well as being more eco-conscious by reducing the carbon footprint of the food consumed (it is grown locally and thus not trucked in from hundreds of miles away). It also supports small-production organic methods of food production versus large-scale operations that require greenhouse-gas-emitting machinery to tend and eventually strip the land of its nutrients, rendering it unfarmable. Whether the reasons are personal or political, economic or ecologic, it is no doubt that the locavore trend is gaining momentum as people become increasingly conscious of the foods they eat.

In the Ann Arbor area, the opportunities to practice living like a locovore are almost limitless. An environmentally-conscious cosmopolitan area surrounded by sprawling hectares of farmland, Ann Arbor is uniquely well-suited for the locovore lifestyle. Interested, but not sure where to begin?

Start by reading the full article on "How to Be an Ann Arborvore" in Concentrate!

DRW Press Conference at Roast

I was at Michael Symon's Roast earlier today for the official Detroit Restaurant Week press conference. Restaurant Week starts in 3 days, and already the reservations are filling up fast! If you want to make sure your restaurant isn't fully booked on the evening you choose to visit, be sure to make reservations in advance!

But back to Roast. Though I was not there in an official DRW preview capacity (look for my preview of Atlas Global Bistro on Thursday!), I did have the chance to sample some of their DRW menu, as well as some of their new Bar Menu.

DRW participants will have the chance to enjoy the Roasted Beast of the Day as part of their 3-course menu offering. This is a must for the full Roast experience; tender, juicy meat from the "beast" that was slow-cooked on the spit, visible to the entire dining room, the day before. Lenient vegetarians have a salmon option, which is also a fine dish. (From what people told me; I stuck with the meat.) Read the full DRW menu below, following the Bar Menu.

The Bar Menu is a new concept for Roast, and is similar to the Bar Burger at Bourbon Steak. Offered only in the bar area during the kitchen's regular hours of operation, the Bar Menu is a new, low-price offering perfect for a casual lunch or dinner. Offerings include wings, coney dogs, burgers and a BLT, but all with a special Roast flair. I tried the BBLT, a spicy BLT made with roasted pork belly. The coney dog is nothing like the chilli-slathered weiner you're probably used to seeing, and the burgers? Well, check out the menu:

Bar Menu
Pork Crackling ($7)
Sea salt, line, chili powder

Double Cooked Wings ($8)
Pickled chilies, cilantro, lime

Roast Coney Dog ($9)
Pulled Pork, jalapeno, cheddar, red hot sauce

Roast Burger ($12)
Bacon, cheddar, fried egg, pickled onion

Rock City Burger ($12)
Caramelized onion, bleu cheese, zip sauce

Symon Burger ($12)
Fried bologna, pickles, onion, cheddar, special sauce

BBLT ($13)
Pork belly, bacon, pickled tomato, cilantro, hot sauce

Detroit Restaurant Week Menu ($27, excluding tax and gratuity)

First Course
Mixed Green Salad
Shaved onion, grape tomatoes and red wine vinaigrette

Main Course (Choice of One)
Beast of the Day
Your server will inform you of the beast and preparations

Roasted Salmon
Bacon creamed corn, chilies and cilantro

Third Course
House-made creme brulee

As one of the most impressive restaurants in the city--both visually and conceptually--a trip to Roast is worthwhile, especially during Restaurant Week when the cost is considerably lower. Though in addition to your 3-course menu, I would also recommend you spend the extra $9 on an order of Roasted Marrow. Trust me on this.