Detroit Restaurant Week Menus Announced

Break out your Blackberrys(-ies?...how does one pluralize a phone's name?) and start filling up your calendars for April 16-25: the menus for all 17 participating Detroit Restaurant Week restaurants have officially been announced. All the complete menus are available on the DRW website under the "Restaurants" tab, and now it's time we play our favorite game: which restaurants will you be visiting during this 10-day feasting frenzy? I heard a great story from one of the bartenders at Atlas Global Bistro about a group of people that rented a limo and over the 10 DRW days last September visited ALL 17 restaurants, doubling up reservations at 5:00PM and 9:00PM on several nights just to fit them all in. And I thought I was committed to the cause! It's like the 12 days of Christmas...only it's 10...and it's in April...and you can spend them with people you actually like instead of people you're forced by genetic similarity to see once a year...the random acts of gluttony are pretty much the same, though.

Below is the press release, because they're fun. Also, all you vegetarians who were all WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH last year should be pleased.

Detroit Restaurant Week menus for the 17 establishments that are
participating in the 10-evening dinner promotion April 16-25 are now available
for viewing at DetroitRestaurantWeek.com. A new addition to every menu for
spring will be a dinner option for vegetarians who crave fine dining paired with
exceptional value.

“All of the restaurants have once again put together
menu pairings that will make your mouth water,” said Jason Huvaere, Executive
Director of Detroit Restaurant Week. “The addition of vegetarian dishes to each
of the menus will bring new customers into these establishments who appreciate
the fine dining experience and will enjoy tasting exciting new dishes prepared
by our chefs. For the Spring Edition of Detroit Restaurant Week, participating
chefs are planning their vegetarian menus to delight every diner while
incorporating the season’s finest ingredients.”

An example of the tasty
vegetarian dish that will be offered during Detroit Restaurant Week is the
Himalayan Red Rice Cabbage Rolls on the menu at 24Grille.

“There is an
entire world of fresh full flavored ingredients out there and when prepared the
right way you can create diverse dishes that appeal to all varieties of people,”
said Executive Chef Jason Gardner. “Our menu for restaurant week will offer
vegetarian guests much more than the traditional stir fry dishes they are used
to seeing on restaurant menus.”

The rice Gardner will use for the dish
is actually harvested in the foot hills of the Himalayan Mountain Range which he
says will offer a great balance of texture and earthiness to the Napa cabbage.
Accompanying the cabbage rolls will be char-grilled tofu and a carrot puree,
which will have a deliciously intense flavor.

The chef of each
restaurant develops a special menu for Detroit Restaurant Week, however for this
edition of the dinner promotion many chefs said they drew their inspiration from
the spring season when creating their menus.

Chef Paul Grosz of Cuisine
said, “When I think of spring I think of lamb. The first use of a grill outdoors
was inspiration for our grilled pear salad. The chill in the air at night was my
inspiration for a corn soup with crab salad. In spring I think of light flavors
and hearty meals.”

Diners from across Southeast Michigan and Windsor
will again be able to order a three-course dinner for an exceptional price of
$27 per person (exclusive of beverage, tax and gratuity).

Reservations not Required, but Highly Recommended
Huvaere said reservations are not required, but they are encouraged so that
restaurants can provide an outstanding experience for each guest. Last fall more
than 27,000 people filled the restaurant reservation ledgers.

To make a
reservation, visit www.DetroitRestaurantWeek.com and select a restaurant to
obtain contact information for each establishment. Reservations can be made by
contacting restaurants directly or through the Open Table link, which can also
be found on the web site.