[Real Detroit] Epic

Note: I may be just a little bit making fun of the name here.

You know, the word "epic" gets tossed around quite a bit. And, it's like, not everything is "epic," you know? Not every Instagram photo is epic, not every Saturday night is epic. But every Saturday night can be epic at Epic Tavern and Grill in Novi!

While you might disagree with the idea of bar being named "Epic" in the first place – Is it too presumptuous? Too arrogant? Can it ever really live up to its own name? – this recently-opened mega bar in Novi probably comes as close as anything ever could.

Read more.

[HOT LIST] Neapolitan pizza

Mani Osteria. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

There has been a growing trend in metro Detroit recently, and one that has been happening relatively quietly. No, it's not upscale BBQ or upscale comfort food -- those trends have been anything but quiet. But while we have continued to bow at the altar of the almighty mac and cheese, coal- and wood-fired pizzerias are increasing in number (not to mention overall quality), and more specifically, Neapolitan-style pizzas are quickly nipping at the heels of their Sicilian-born Detroit-style deep dish brethren.

Pizza gets a bad rep. Typically thought of as the garbage pail gut-bomb it has been bastardized into courtesy of America (USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!), when people think of "pizza" they think of grease-soaked dense pan-cooked crust gobbed with dripping piles of cheap cheese and piled over with a zoo's worth of animal flesh. While I have a certain passion for such pedestrian pizzas like the fat Midwesterner that I am, not all pizza is so offensive to refined tastes. Neapolitan-style pizza is defined by high-quality, fresh, simple and healthy ingredients -- unbleached flour, fresh mozzarella, exceptional produce, extra virgin olive oil. In its truest Neapolitan form, pizza is actually quite healthy.

There is a very specific set of criteria that qualifies a pizza as "Neapolitan," but there are only two pizzerias in metro Detroit that are officially certified as such. For the purposes of this Hot List, I'm looking at places that are Neapolitan in spirit if not 100% in practice. Taken into consideration is size, shape and flavor of the dough; the quality and caliber of ingredients (prosciutto, yes; Canadian bacon, no); whether the pizza ovens are coal- or wood-fired; and, as is the case with any Hot List, whether or not I like it.*

The Margherita pizza at Antica Pizzeria Fellini.

#1 Antica Pizzeria Fellini (Royal Oak)
For more about the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, scroll down to #4. Got it? 'k. So this place is metro Detroit's other VPN-recognized Neapolitan pizzeria, and it's the real deal. This place is the most like an actual restaurant in Italy out of any of the faux-Italian eateries I’ve ever been in – it’s just a space, a simple space they obviously made some effort to make it look nice but otherwise a room in a building, nothing more. The owner is ever-present, presiding over the restaurant from his post in the very open kitchen, making all the food himself and personally checking in with all the customers. (For a little added authenticity, he even has an Italian accent). There was once a time when Il Posto was the most "Italian" place in Detroit, reminiscent of the highly-orchestrated fussy fine dining at Michelin-rated restaurants in touristy Toscana. Antica is countryside Italian, a small family-owned spot that exists solely to serve good food to their "extended" family, the customers. This is hands-down the best Neapolitan pizza I’ve ever had in Michigan. The dough tastes like flour, salt and yeast with a bit of wood smoke – in other words, exactly what it is, a mere canvas for the superior tomato sauce and creamy mozzarella. Their house-baked bread used for their bruschetta would also make excellent fettunta, and I wouldn't be surprised if they would in fact make it for you if you asked.

#2 Pizzeria Biga (Royal Oak, Southfield)
The custom-built brick oven chef-proprietor Luciano del Signore had flown in from Italy is pretty much the Ferrari of pizza ovens. Actually I think I said it best when I said, "The showpiece of the place is the 6,000-pound Ferrari-red wood-burning oven hand-made in Naples, Italy by Stefano Ferrara who is (channeling Cher Horowitz), like, a totally important designer. (Of ovens.)" Also, I am apparently fond of the Ferrari comparison. Real talk: this is not the best Neapolitan-style pizza of the bunch; several others on this list and listed as "bubbling under" are better. But do any of those other places have 24 international craft beers on tap and a beer store in their basement? No they do not. Extra bonus for the use of their own house-made charcuterie like duck prosciutto, which if you HAVE to pollute your pizza with animal carcass then this would be the place to do it.

The Margherita pizza at Tony Sacco's.

#3 Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza (Novi, Ann Arbor coming soon)
It's a casual joint that manages to strike the perfect balance between pedestrian pizza gluttony and European refinement. You can read more about their $50,000 custom-built oven that burns extremely expensive clean-burning coal here; see also all fresh ingredients and everything made from scratch with no freezers, no microwaves and no fryers anywhere in the building. For a place that feels like such a casual sit-down pizza place, their commitment to quality is unmatched. The pizzas themselves toe that line of excessive American meatiness, but their Margherita is the real deal and the Bianco is bang-on. And also also also also the garlic rolls.

#4 Cellar 849 (Plymouth)
As Michigan's first certified Neapolitan pizza recognized by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) -- the "pizza polizia" -- of Naples, Italy, Cellar 849 adheres to the strict regulations that respect the tradition of true Neapolitan pizza, including a custom wood-burning oven, hand-rolled dough, and fresh, all-natural ingredients. They use some of the highest-quality imported ingredients available, including Fior di Latte mozzarella, Denominazione di Origine Protteta (DOP -- the produce polizia) San Marzano tomatoes, Italian extra virgin olive oil, prosciutto di Parma and Caputo flour. Their Italian-built wood-burning oven is the same as those used at the flashier Pizzeria Biga joints, and the remainder of the menu is just as delightfully Italian, including the (somewhat predictable) wine and beer lists. Yes, I just plagiarized myself here.

#5 Crispelli's Bakery + Pizza (Berkley)
Make no mistake, this place is a clusterfuck. It is so much of a clusterfuck that I'm not even sure why anyone would even make the attempt to go there on a Friday night. Don't go on a Friday night. All the traffic controllers and little metal signs with numbers on them designating your assigned seats in the open-seating cafeteria-style restaurant cannot make this any less of an exercise in tedium, nor does it make up for the fact that you have to wait in six different lines just to cobble together a single meal and if you don't stand in the middle of the register area with all of the other blank-looking meat bags you'll have no way of knowing when your food is ready. Pizza? That's one line. Salad? That's another. Drinks? Look, don't make this complicated: go on an off day at an off time and order one of their "Authentic Italian" thin crust pizzas. Despite all of the MANY inconveniences of ordering, their pizza is worth the hassle. (Just not on a Friday night.) Another thing I like: the self-serve structure means your $10 pizza really is $10 -- none of the added charges of sitting down in a restaurant with a server, ordering drinks, having to tip, so on and so forth until your $10 pizza becomes a $25 pizza. If you want to stuff your face on the quick without the fuss but still have high standards, this is the place to go.

Bubbling under Terra Cotta Pizzeria (Windsor), Tomatoes Apizza (Farmington Hills, Novi), Spago Trattoria E Pizzeria (Windsor), Vito's Olde Walkerville Pizzeria (Windsor), Mani Osteria (Ann Arbor), Fresco Wood Oven Pizzeria (Rochester Hills)

*Gas ovens have been excluded. Supino uses a gas oven. Is that a bad thing? Certainly not. The best pizza I ever had in my life was made in a gas oven. But that is not for this list. I have to draw the line somewhere, and I drew that line at coal. Because...I did. Because I can. So there. Still more places not listed here -- Vinsetta Garage, Union Woodshop, Bad Brad's BBQ Shelby Twp., J. Baldwin's, Motor City Brewing Works -- use wood-fired pizza ovens (as I said, this is becoming quite the trend), but their pizzas didn't quite meet my very loosely-defined Neapolitan-ish criteria. 

[HOT LIST] Mother's Day brunch

Brunch at Beverly Hills Grill. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg. 

Easter brunch is pretty much a practice run for Mother's Day brunch. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, the way to mom's heart is through fancy brunch buffets and prix fixe menus. The more she raves about how nice the place is and how you're spending too much money on her, the more you win. Here are some of metro Detroit's best for Mother's Day brunch!

[HOT LIST] Sushi

Ahi Tuna Roll at Izakaya Sanpei, Canton. All covert phone photography by Nicole Rupersburg.

Full disclosure: I pretty much think sushi is the most boring of all the fashionable foods and I am quite frankly relieved that it seems as if the sushi craze is finally slowing down and stepping aside for good old American MEAT. For two reasons: (a) I'm not that much of a seafood fan in the first place (except for scallops, mmmmmm num num num scallops); and (b) the base components of any sushi dish - the stripped-down bare basics of sushi that would constitute as being authentically authentic in American minds - are pretty freaking boring. Raw fish + sticky rice + seaweed wrap. Meh. I understand (and agree) that it is better when fresh. So, okay, FRESH raw fish + sticky rice + seaweed wrap. Meh. Oh and then don't forget to drown it all in liquid sodium chloride - Americans heart salt.

So this is not about boring "authentic" sushi. (And please be reminded that if you use the word authentic I will punch you in your face.) Look, this is 'Merica. Sushi here is going to be 'Merican. Even sushi joints that have for-really-real Japanese sushi chefs shouting at people from behind the sushi bar are still going to cater to 'Merican palates, out of necessity. I like rolls to have some flayva. I say give me eel sauce and avocado; give me crispy tempura-battered shrimp and asparagus and splash it all with sriracha; slather that shit in cream cheese and bake it ... just don't put any mayonnaise on it because mayonnaise is disgusting, FACT.

Mexican Roll at Kabuki Sushi, Dearborn.

This sushi list is all about freshness, affordability and creativity. Places like Crave, Sakana and Inyo have outstandingly creative (and usually quite tasty) sushi but they are a far cry from affordable. Little Tree is affordable-ish but that shit is nasty. With thanks to my like-minded artist friend Angel Busque, who craves sushi the way I crave cheese, who helped me round out a list of fresh and affordable sushi joints. She says,

All I care about at the moment is freshness and being gentle on the wallet. That's the main thing really... Forget the people who are going to scrutinize those on authenticity, if they catch me ordering a roll with spicy mayo on my rare days, or if I'm not eating nigiri with my hands and dipping it fish side down, and putting too much soy sauce and wasabi ... What I care about is the food's freshness, the portions being good and filling; I want a place where I won't feel self-conscious about what I order, and if I'm willing to try new things that the staff and chefs are hospitable and eager to share their art. Those are what makes a sushi place a hot spot for me. 

Amen sister-girl.

#1 Ronin Sushi (Royal Oak)
I think I said it best when I said, "...at Ronin [sushi purists] might find [themselves] singing a different tune, one that embraces this NOT bastardized but modernized breed of distinctly American sushi (a song that may resemble the sonic warbles of Morrisey, but I get ahead of myself). One taste of sushi chef Kaku Usui’s contemporary creations will make you a nu-sushi songbird in no time." They make spicy tuna tacos, BLT rolls and ahi tuna pizza. At Ronin there's no shame in westernizing the flavors so long as it is done with craft; of all the trendy sushi "lounges" all over metro Detroit, there are none other like Ronin. (Pictured to the left: Ronin's Valentine's Day special, a snow crab roll in pink soy paper with cilantro + cucumber, topped with strawberries and served with ponzu sauce for dipping.)

#2 Sala Thai (Eastern Market)
My Official Sushi Consult Angel Busque says "the sushi at the Sala Thai is AMAZING. Had my eyes rolling to the back of my head. Close proximity to Eastern Market. It's got to be the reason why? Yes?" Hell, I'll buy it. You know what else I'll buy? The Rock and Roll - eel + avocado. Yes and yes. Or the Bagel Roll - cream cheese, smoked salmon, scallions and avocado. America: FUCK YEAH.

Kiss of Fire Roll at O Sushi, Dearborn

#3 O Sushi (Dearborn, Canton)
Hey, I like it. My Korean friend likes it too and that's official enough for me. (All facetious ignorant American joking aside, this place is owned by a Korean family so there are a lot of very good Korean items on the menu as well, like kimchi and bibimbap.) They have what is probably a disproportionate number of spicy rolls on the menu, which may in all seriousness be a cultural thing (Korean food tends to be spicy). Yipee for me! Order the Kiss of Fire Roll: tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, avocado and jalapeño pepper covered with crunchy tempura flakes and hot sauce on top. This would more accurately be called the "Ring of Fire Roll" IFYOUKNOWWHATI'MSAYIN.

#4 Kabuki Sushi (Dearborn, Farmington Hills, Canton)

The sushi is notoriously good, the service notoriously bad. Thankfully for them, this is not a Service Hot List. They make ROUSes: Rolls of Unusual Size. Their "Giant Rolls" include an American Dream Roll and Rainbow Roll; 8 pieces under $10. They also have some funky rolls, like the Mexican Roll with tempura shrimp, avocado and hot sauce. Hot sauce should be on all sushi. Skip the soy and replace it all with hot sauce. *OR* ... sriracha!

#5 Crazy Sushi (Madison Heights)

From Angel: "Now this place is not written much about. It's in Madison Heights on 12 Mile between John R. and Dequindre. It's just one guy behind the sushi counter. I've never been let down and the prices are actually cheaper than Noble Fish. I think it's better than Noble Fish. (I do love Noble Fish like everyone else though, but you are ABSOLUTELY right, totally overrated. [Editor's note: yes, I said Noble Fish is overrated.]) There are only two small tables, a small counter space, and the sushi bar to sit at.) It's tiny, cheap, and the fish is fresh. 'Nuff said.

Honorable mention: Grab and Go Sushi (Ferndale)
Sushi Chef Josh Taylor, who previously worked as the sushi chef at Oslo (a moment of silence, please) and Tom's Oyster Bar, was recently in a car accident and is currently recovering. He assures me that he is recovering well, but Grab and Go will be closed until further notice. Next to Kaku at Ronin, Josh cranks out some of the most inventive sushi I've seen. While at Oslo he created a Tandoori Roll, a baked roll made with cream cheese, salmon, crispy tempura flakes and sweet curry sauce. I wrote in Real Detroit Weekly that, "It's almost as rich as a dessert with a delicately sweet curry scent." Grab and Go was scheduled to be this week's exclusive feature; I will not be substituting somewhere else in its place and will hold off until Josh is all healed and back at work.

Bubbling under Izakaya Sanpei Restaurant (Canton), Shiro Restaurant (Novi), Noble Fish (Clawson), WOW Sushi (Troy), Sushi House (Farmington), Ajishin (Novi), Edamame Sushi (Madison Heights), Cherry Blossom (Novi), Sharaku (West Bloomfield), Sushi Ko (Farmington Hills)

[EID Feature] Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza: Reinventing the Pizza Wheel

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

In 2009, Slice (a subsection of Serious Eats) proclaimed coal-fired ovens the hottest new trend in pizza, also citing Florida as Ground Zero for the explosion of the trend. This is due, at least in part, to Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza.

Tony Sacco's opened their first store in the Bonita Springs area of Florida in July 2008. By early 2009 there was a demand for franchising, and by summer of '09 they began selling their first franchises. A franchisee opened a second Florida location in Fort Meyers; others franchisees opened stores in Illinois and Indiana with more scheduled in Ohio, North Carolina, and a slew more in greater Chicagoland (yep--Chicago will FINALLY have a decent pizza franchise). There are now a total of 18 Tony Sacco's restaurants already open, sold or planned, and in SE Michigan we're about to see several more open in 2012.

Owners Chuck Senatore and Geoge Kurajian are originally from Michigan, so it was only natural that as they opened more of their own stores that they would open one here. The Novi location opened in January 2011, and brought with it what might actually be among the first of its kind in metro Detroit: a coal-fired pizza oven. (The only other local pizzeria we know of using a coal-fired oven is Tomatoes Apizza.)

The idea for Tony Sacco's came into existence as Senatore and Kurajian were looking for a project. At the time they also had a third partner, Tony Sacco, but he left the business before they even opened their first store. "We liked the name," Chuck says. "It's a cool name, and we already had the fuse lit with that name so Tony let us use it and now we own the trademark so it's our name to use." Besides, it sounds a lot better than "George Kurajian's Coal Oven Pizza" (sorry, George). "People call me Tony half the time but whatever," Chuck laughs.

In 2008 they got a good space in the largest lifestyle mall in America, and because of all the snowbirds and tourists descending on that area they were able to share their concept with people from all over the country and world, getting exposure that wouldn't have been possible if they had been located anywhere else. "It was really strange how all the pieces fell into place," Chuck reflects. "We've never even tried to sell a franchise; this has all been people who came to us!"

They decided to go with coal-fired pizza because it was a simple concept they could go anywhere with that appeals to everyone. It was also a solid concept during down economic times because pizza is reasonably priced but also gourmet in its own right. "We could see how coal was going to be the next big thing on the horizon for pizza," explains Chuck. He traces the history of pizza in America from the immigrant-owned Italian eateries who brought traditional pizza styles with them, to the mass-production corporate chains making pizzas glopped high with cheese and toppings, to the "esoteric weird pizzas [places were doing] after chains sputtered out." Chuck says, "Until you start cooking something different with a different method you’re still making the same product. We’re doing something completely different by cooking it with coal. You're not going to change the flavor profiles until you start cooking it differently."

Coal-fired ovens may seem like a "new" concept, but really it's a very old one. Chuck insists they aren't reinventing the wheel here; they're just doing things in a more traditional way that has since been all but forgotten. "We had been to some of the old authentic coal oven places," Chuck says. "We wanted to do something that was high-end, something we could run with." He identified that the trend in pizza and food was moving more towards healthier, natural, gourmet items, which is really how pizza started.  "There's always a need for high-quality, high-end product. Pizza has gotten so far away from that it was just crap. There are not a lot of sit-down high-end pizza places where you can bring your family, a date, an office party, whatever. And we also knew if we have a high-end environment with high-end product then we need a high-end cooking method."

Enter the $50,000 custom-made coal-fired oven from Wood Stone in Washington. The oven at the Novi store weighs 7,000 pounds. The oven in their new Lansing store (breaking ground on Nov. 14) will be the largest coal oven Wood Stone has ever manufactured. The oven uses only anthracite coal from Pennsylvania, the cleanest burning solid fuel on the planet (cleaner even than wood with no soot no odor). It burns at a very high temperature allowing pizzas to cook in 4-5 minutes so the crust will be crunchy but still chewy on the inside and the toppings don’t get killed.

At Tony Sacco's, there are no freezers, no fryers and no microwave ovens. Vegetables are fresh and cut by hand. They make their sauce and dough from scratch. "We aren't really being magical," Chuck says. "We're just going back to the beginning when things were done right and were high quality." They strive for a balanced flavor profile--the don't overwhelm the pie with cheese, don't over-cook the toppings, don't add much salt or sugar. "Even our sauce is just olive oil, fresh basil and ground tomatoes." Because of this, their pizza is ACTUALLY healthy; a slice of cheese pizza from a 12'' pie is only 135 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. "If anyone asked me how we could make it better I honestly don't know. Every restaurant says, 'We use the finest ingredients,' but we actually do."

Everything here is made from scratch in-house and with hearty, fresh ingredients. The antipasto salad has big, beautiful slices of tomato and huge chunks of ham and salami. The marinated chicken wings are oven roasted for a smooth, smoky flavor. The garlic rotoli are roly-poly rounds of soft, homemade dough slathered in olive oil, garlic and Romano cheese (at $5 for a basket of 8 they're a damn steal; pace yourself because you won't want to put these down).

The pizzas are true Neapolitan style--big and round and semi-thin with fresh toppings and generous amounts of olive oil. Choose from toppings like Roma tomatoes, Kalamata olives, roasted garlic, zucchini and standard meats, or select one of Sacco's Specialty Pizzas like the Margherita (made simply with crushed Italian plum tomato sauce, fresh soft mozzarella and basil), Bianco (made with olive oil, ricotta, provolone, Romano and mozzarella) or Capo (pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, roasted mushrooms and caramelized onions). The flavors are at once light and full, fresh and colorful, and the crust is a perfect balance of crunchy and chewy, tender and resistant. The robust olive oil creates a delicate harmony between the flavors; close your eyes and imagine you're in Italy, because this is exactly what the pizza there is like.

Cap off your meal with their Sacco's Shortcake, a coal-oven baked shortcake loaded with plump, juicy berries and homemade vanilla mousse, or try the liquid version under their "Specialty Cocktails."

Inside Tony Sacco's is more upscale than your average pizzeria. The floor plan is very open and casual, but they ditch "mom and pop red and white checker cloth" look of most eye-talian eateries. "We have a high-energy, upbeat environment. That's really what we set out to do; we wanted a concept that could carry the next 20 years. There are no pictures of Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin or the Rat Pack. Kids in their 20s don't even know who these guys are! [That photos of Frank Sinatra when he got arrested,] it's in every different Italian restaurant on the planet. It's played out!" At Tony Sacco's you can come in, enjoy a nice glass of wine or a cocktail along with your pizza and be in an environment that would suit a date as much as a dinner out with friends.

Right now the Novi location is the only location in Michigan (check out their $6.95 lunch buffet too), but 2012 will see the opening of the Lansing store as well as the Ann Arbor and Rochester Hills franchisees. In metro Detroit we have pizzerias using stone ovens, brick ovens, wood-fired ovens, and good ol' gas ... now taste the difference clean-burning coal can make. (As far as stocking stuffers go, it's not such a bad deal.)

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Real Detroit Weekly: Tin Fish (Novi)

"The newest location of the locally-owned restaurant chain Tin Fish is located at Twelve Oaks Mall, but it is certainly not your average 'mall restaurant.' First, it's enormous, with a separate dining area geared more towards the fine dining experience as well as an indoor/outdoor patio which creates an open, airy feel. But the epicenter, as well as the pièce de résistance, is the large bar with a huge elevated stage for live bands directly on top of it.

'Admittedly, that sounds strange, but the best way to describe it is like this: you walk in and there's a great big open feel in the bar area, which is the 'main' area of the restaurant. All seats and booths are pointed at the bar, which is at the far end of the space, and the stage is directly above it. That clear it up for you? Well damn, guess you'll just have to see it for yourself then..."

Read the rest of the article here.

Toasted Oak Grill (Extended Cut from Real Detroit)

I'm going to be honest: I LOVED this place so much I had to write more about it than space allows for in the Clean Plate Club column. So here it is, the full cut of me gushing about how great this place is (and it IS). It makes the drive out to Novi worthwhile, and I have NEVER said that before!

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a gourmet market AND a sustainable restaurant adjoining a swank Novi hotel!

Toasted Oak Grill & Market just opened in April and already it has received rave reviews. But perhaps more importantly, it has received the attention of foodies from Ann Arbor to Detroit, many of which are already proud repeat customers. (It’s true: I took a Facebook poll.)

After seeing the space and sampling the cuisine, it’s no small wonder: the sprawling space which is separated into three distinct sections is refreshingly hip. Designer David Ashen, who has designed all of Sage Restaurant Group’s ventures, has created a space that feels “Up North” rustic gone ultra-chic: a suspended fireplace encased in slate-gray stone, wood floors and paneling, accented with bright, bold colors like yellow and royal blue, and modern, plush furniture. Decorative touches such as a crate, glass goblet, and candle wax sculpture in the middle of the second dining room add whimsy. The chalkboards announcing the cheeseboard and charcuterie selections create a fun, casual vibe—while also smacking strongly of Zingerman’s, which was a strong inspiration for this restaurant concept.

But wait, did someone say “charcuterie”? Yep: Chef Brian Polcyn of Five Lakes and Forest Grill, who is also considered one of the worldwide leading experts on the art of smoking and curing meats (“charcuterie”), is churning out a whole new generation of chefs dedicated to meat and sustainable cuisine over there in his classrooms at Schoolcraft Culinary School. Toasted Oak’s Executive Chef Steven Grostick studied under Polcyn in school, then trained under him for 11 years at the now-reconceptualized Five Lakes Grill. Grostick espouses the same ideals Polcyn drilled into him all those years: meat is an art; support local farmers.

When Grostick was brought into Toasted Oak, he was given complete autonomy to design a menu that is seasonal and sustainable, focusing on all things local from working with local farmers to all Michigan-made products. There is also an herb and flower garden outside in one of the three outdoor patios. “How awesome would that be,” exclaims Grostick, “the cook runs out of basil and someone runs outside with a pair of scissors! You can’t get any more fresh than that!”

The Pickled Spring Beets is a great showcase of Michigan in the spring, with butter lettuce, goat cheese croquettes, pistachios, and orange vinaigrette. The mussels used in their three different preparations are the superior Blue Hill Bay. The Mussels Dijonaise are served in a heavy Dijon, tarragon, and cream sauce, perfect for dipping the grilled bread and hand-cut frites that come with them. The Lake Huron Trout is served over a spring salad of frisée, spinach, and spring peas, with a mustard seed vinaigrette. And for bread, each table is served exceptionally moist cornbread out of a tin can with whipped butter and a dash of sea salt. (When asked about it, Grostick grinned and said, “That one I’m keeping a secret!”) I ended with the Butterscotch Blondie Brownie Sundae—ooey gooey decadence, served in a glass canning jar. Everything is also very reasonably priced here: the most expensive item on the menu is the Creekstone Farms Filet at $28, and this is beef that has been massaged daily and air-lifted to the slaughterhouse. The market plates include a variety of pates and terrines as well as cheese boards and Grostick’s own charcuterie platters. Much of what they make and use in-house is also available for purchase in the market, from maple syrup to dressings to a bacon caramel sauce that they cannot keep in stock. (And yes, it is THAT good—try it with cheese or ice cream.)


But what separates Toasted Oak the most from other restaurants is its retail wine pricing. Everything you see on the wine list is also available for purchase in the market, and all of it is priced the same—no 200+% restaurant mark-up. This is a concept almost unheard of; for only a small corking fee, you can enjoy a bottle of wine with dinner for the same cost as you would have if you’d bought from the market and taken it home. Also, in keeping with their local commitment, they’ve got the largest selection of Michigan wines I’ve ever seen in the metro area: labels like Black Star Farms and the tiny Peninsula Cellars that you just simply cannot find anywhere else.

Another shining star to add next to their name: exceptional service. The servers (many of them Detroit Fish Market refugees) are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and passionate, and this shows in how excitedly they talk about the food, the wine, and the ethos. While the Grill and Market are located inside the Baronette Renaissance, they are separate entities unto themselves. They do provide catering and room service for the hotel, but outside of that they’re simply a really great restaurant and market that happens to adjoin a chic hotel. From the initial concept to the product and the talent, Toasted Oak is scorching hot.

To read the article as is printed, click here.

In a Down Economy, Dine!

Has anyone else noticed the disproportionate number of new restaurants that have opened/are opening lately? And I don't just mean in Detroit, but all over the metro area. It's too much for a foodie like me to keep up with! I may need to adopt a "one new restaurant a week" policy...if only I could find someone to pick up the tab (blogger for hire, will work for food).

So here's what's going on:

Ferndale's favorite brunch location Toast has opened an brand-new boutiquey location which also serves dinner and alcohol in Birmingham. Early reviews have been great, and a friend of mine who works there raves about it. What I had seen of the interiors in early September looked promising--very warm, inviting, and arty. The menu also sounds fab.

Hit-or-miss (mostly miss) Andiamo Restaurant Group is extending their quasi-cultural appeal into Mexican cuisine with Rojo Mexican Bistro in Novi. With an extensive (and likely expensive) tequilla menu, it sounds kind of Agave-ish, and all I can say is IT'S ABOUT GODDAMN TIME. And also, why Novi? WHY??????

In Detroit, we all know all about Mercury Coffee Bar. But do we also know about Angelina Italian Bistro? It's a trendy new place best described to me as an "Eye-talian restaurant for Detroit hipsters" (thanks to Supergay for that one, pun on the pronunciation intended). I have a review-ish pending on that one...perhaps One of My Gays will meet me for lunch there tomorrow so I can do it proper-like...hm...must send email...

Also, the Westin Book-Cadillac has brought us Michael Symon's ROAST, now open and already very popular. I, too, enjoy dead things on plates and find its early success no surprise. Soon there will also be Spa 19 24 Grille, which...*sigh.*

Now, what exactly is going on in Dearborn? Maestro's opened in Dearborn's West Village Commons earlier this year, featuring executive chef Liam Collins who has worked in Las Vegas, Mackinac Island and most recently opened the Hotel St. Regis, is owned by Najib Rizk whose record is...questionable. Accusations of illegal activities a la La Cigar (in east Dearborn) and La Shish have been fairly rampant, and the reviews from locals have been mixed (it claims to be Mediterannean/French but seems more Lebanese, based on what Dearborners have said). But it is pretty inside.

Also, Dearborners apparently like sushi, as the downtown west Dearborn business district is about to have more than its fair share of sushi joints. We already know about the ultra-popular and ultra-trendy Crave; now there is also Kabuki Sushi, which has lower prices and more of a "family" (i.e., non-clubber) appeal. This is the second location of owner Michelle Lee's popular Kabuki Sushi; the original is in Farmington Hills. Further west down Michigan Avenue (like, a block) will be the aptly-named Sushi: A Japanese Restaurant. This one is still very much in the early stages of development. So now in less than one mile of Michigan Avenue diners will have no fewer than three different sushi options. Just. In. Case.

Ever wondered what would become of all those empty La Shish locations? A place called Palm Palace will be taking over. It will be exactly the same. Executive chef Jamil Eid is the "foremost expert of Mediterranean cuisine in the Midwest," having traveled all over Africa, Australia, Lebanon, and the US over the past 50 years, developing his culinary style and skills. Mark my words, it will be exactly the same as La Shish. Which is fine, because I rather liked their food.

What else has been happening in Dearborn? The much-buzzed-about opening just yesterday of P.F. Chang's and Bravo Cucina Italiana in the new restaurant plaza in Fairlane Town Center. Neither of which have great food (only varying shades of edible to decent), but both of which now add to my list of "Places I can be one shot and half a vodka martini into my evening less than 10 minutes after leaving work." And for that, I'm thankful. Friday's still has the best happy hour prices, though.

That's all for now. I will continue in my efforts to bring you all dining-related news and gossip, as well as thoughfully snarky restaurant reviews. A blogger's work is never done...