[EID TV] Catch the full episode of Cooking Channel's "America's Best Bites" featuring the Root

Did you miss the full episode of America's Best Bites on the Cooking Channel earlier this year when they featured Chef James Rigato of the Root Restaurant + Bar in White Lake? Fret not; the whole thing is now available to watch in four segments on YouTube and here they are:

[NEWS BITES] Chef James Rigato cooking alongside Chicago's top chefs in charity wild mushroom dinner

There are only a few area chefs that could be considered rising stars in the greater culinary community outside of Detroit (and Michigan). None of them have risen as high or as quickly as Executive Chef James Rigato of the Root in White Lake. He's been featured in Food + Wine as a "Best New Chef: Great Lakes" finalist and on an episode of the Cooking Channel's "America's Best Bites." He's been the subject of constant local buzz for making the far-flung suburb of White Lake a dining destination for his rustic local fare, including winning the title "Restaurant of the Year" from the Detroit Free Press in 2012.

Today James is heading out to Chicago to cook alongside some of the biggest names in the industry. After catching the attention of Paul Virant (Vie) at CRUSH Grand Rapids, the two have visited each other's restaurants and forged a professional bond. Paul invited James to participate in this event, which features several high-profile Chicago chefs preparing a variety of dishes with wild mushrooms at a charity dinner (including Bill Kim and Paul Kahan). James is the only Michigan chef involved.

For this dinner, James is preparing:

Local Prosciutto Wrapped Escolar. Cauliflower and Black Summer Truffle Mousse. U.P.-Foraged Chanterelles and Michigan Sweet Corn Saute. Pickled Wax Beans. 12 Year Aged Balsamic. 

James considers this another positive step forward towards bridging Chicago's and Michigan's culinary styles. He is honored to be included in this event. "This is seriously so humbling and exciting for me," he says. "These guys are at the top of their game and weight class."

Here's more information about tonight's event from a press release:

The Root Restaurant and Bar is proud to announce that executive chef James Rigato will be featured at the Wild Mushroom Dinner at Vie in Western Springs, Ill. on Thursday, Sept. 5. Led by Vie executive chef/owner and cookbook author Paul Virant, the six-course dinner will bring together the culinary talents of Rigato and Chicago-based chefs Johnny Andres of Telegraph; Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Avec and The Publican; Bill Kim of Urbanbelly and Belly Shack; and pastry chef Elissa Narow of Vie and Perennial Virant. Each chef will create a dish highlighting the star ingredient, wild mushrooms. In attendance will be Joe McFarland, a mushroom expert and author of Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States. The cost of the dinner with wine pairings is $145 per person, plus tax and gratuity. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Multiple Sclerosis National Research Institute. For more information, call 248-698-2400.

The Root Restaurant and Bar is located at 340 Town Center Blvd. and is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The restaurant features hand-made, from scratch, chef-driven cuisine with a commitment to seasonality and sustainable sourcing. For reservations or for more information, call 248-698-2400, visit www.therootrestaurant.com or follow on Facebook.

[HOT LIST] Biscuits and gravy

The Hillbilly Bennie at Mae's.

Somewhere inside of me there is a fat girl just dying to get out. (She's been making some progress too, but more on that perhaps another time.) Biscuits and gravy are a relatively new discovery to me. Years ago the whole concept of biscuits slathered in sausage gravy and served like slop on a plate just didn't appeal to me and I refused to eat them. Then one day I said WTF and tried some and it was love at first clogged artery. (Turns out Southern-style food is pretty much my favorite.)

I exercised a little bit of leeway on this list. Though my preference lies with sausage in my gravy, there are some places making a fine veggie version; and while others have a form of biscuits and gravy on their menus under "bennies," I decided anything with a biscuit base and gravy on top counts.

Oh, and all of these places (at least in the top 5) make their own biscuits from scratch, which is very important in the biscuit/gravy quotient so that the biscuit has those slightly crispy edges (not all soft like Wonder white bread) and can hold up to a gravy soaking.

#1 Mae's (Pleasant Ridge)
Here it's called a Hillbilly Bennie, and it is the most wonderful and amazing thing you could possibly stuff in your taste hole. Fresh, flaky buttermilk biscuits topped with -- get this -- Southern fried chicken, poached eggs, sausage gravy, shredded cheddar and Frank's Red Hot. I hope your head just exploded because mine did the first time I had this.

#2 The Root (White Lake)
They don't usually do brunch. In fact since they opened in May 2011, they've hosted exactly one brunch -- on Black Friday. At this brunch they had biscuits and chorizo gravy, all made from scratch. It was phenomenal. (And spicy! I love spicy.) It was so phenomenal I begged (*whined) Executive Chef James Rigato to do it again this year. So he is. Please go, and enjoy.

#3 Imperial (Ferndale)
What luck would I have to happen to stumble in to Imperial in Ferndale early on a Sunday afternoon when they were testing out their new brunch menu! Behold: biscuits and spicy chorizo gravy topped with fried eggs and served with fresh fruit. If you want kick up the flavor of something (anything), put an egg on it. Try it with their Hair of the Dog special -- Bloody Mary, shot of tequila, smoky treat and a match. 'Cuz that's how they roll here.

Mudgie's.

#4 Mudgie's (Corktown)
Mostly known as a sandwich shop, Mudgie's also serves a Sunday brunch. (Which will maybe one day include booze?) The biscuits are Jesus Christ these could break your fucking teeth maybe not the best, but the gravy? *GASP* You know what? Skip the biscuits and eat this gravy like a delicious, hearty, slightly spicy stew. Loaded with spicy sausage and vegetables without any of that thickening agent non-flavor flavor, the gravy alone eats like a meal. Only at, you know, like 8 thousand million trillion times the calorie and fat gram count than, say, beef stew. Which is why it's better if you just don't count it.

#5 Russell St. Deli (Eastern Market)
They serve breakfast Monday through Friday but it is usually only on Saturdays when you'll see the biscuits and gravy special pop up. And Saturdays usually come with a ridic wait time (wait until winter when all the stroller jockeys stay home; much more navigable then). But if you see their biscuits and gravy on the special board, get them. Two big, beautiful biscuits served with a bowl of slightly spicy gravy, plus this place is Detroit bucket-lister so two birds, etc.

Honorable mention: PJ's Lager House. Their biscuits and gravy are vegan and damn tasty; you'll know it's not pork sausage, but you won't care.

Bubbling under Toasted Oak Grill + Market (Novi), Hudson Cafe (Detroit), The Fly Trap (Ferndale), Kate's Kitchen (Flat Rock), Sam's Ferndale Grill (Ferndale), Cadillac Square Diner (Detroit), Mr. Mike's Grill (Westland), Toast (Ferndale), Emagene's Biscuits and Gravy (Ecorse), Charlie's Restaurant (Madison Heights), Mel's Grill 2 (Clarkston), Clawson Grill (Clawson), One-Eyed Betty's (Ferndale), Hilton Road Cafe (Ferndale), Bob Evans (various locations)

[HOT LIST] Salads

The Arugula Salad at Olga's Kitchen. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

Salad. That most underrated course of culinary creations. For too many restaurants, it is merely an afterthought. For too many diners, it is too much filler between the appetizers (small plates! tapas! ...a rose by any other name would surely still be a rose, unless you call it "extra special trendy new never-seen-before rose;" thus how "appetizers" evolved into "small plates") and the entrees. It is usually denigrated to the lowly position of "side," and is munched on seemingly out of pity as the diner patiently awaits his or her "real" food. As an entree choice, salad is a laughingstock and so is the person who orders it - it is considered "girly," often imbued with smug accusations of insecurity over appearance - "diet" is a four-letter word, as is "girl." "Vegetarian" isn't, but it might as well be for all the snide comments that meat-eaters make about them (because meat-eaters eat ONLY meat: every meal is meat wrapped in meat on a meat bun with meat sauce and sides of meat cooked in meat fat).

But a good salad is an art - not merely shredding up some lettuce, throwing on whatever toppings are nearby and slathering it in some uninspired dressing like ranch (*shudder*). A good salad can highlight the very best of Michigan's bountiful produce (second only to California in diversity, and THOSE people know their salads), incorporate unexpected flavors and textures, and be not just the intermission but the highlight of an entire meal. These salads do exactly that, and not one of them is made with iceberg lettuce.  Iceberg has about all of the nutritional value as a handful of wood chips. Which honestly isn't even fair to wood chips, which probably have more flavor. It's time to demand and appreciate a higher class of salad!

Prosciutto Salad at Zin. Photo by VATO.

#1 Zin Wine Bar Plymouth
Still the new guy in town over in Plymouth, which is quickly becoming the new go-to downtown restaurant destination thanks to places like 5ive and the even-newer Sardine Room, up-and-coming Chef Justin Vaiciunas gets the importance of salad, and just how creative a chef can actually be with it. The menu at Zin changes seasonally, but recent salad options included a roasted heirloom beet salad with citrus foam, brussels sprouts salad with black garlic aioli, and a shaved prosciutto salad featuring a pile of prosciutto (MEAT motherfuckers!) over lemon mascarpone and drizzled with Italian white truffle oil. Check your salad prejudice at the door.

#2 The Root Restaurant White Lake
Executive Chef James Rigato (another serious up-and-comer) is passionate about produce, specifically Michigan produce. The overarching ethos of the Root is fresh, local and seasonal, and this is reflected as much in their salads as in any other menu item. Their take on a roasted beet salad includes arugula, goat cheese, pickled onion, orange and marcona almond with a Michigan honey and sherry vinaigrette. For the summer they've got a vegan greenhouse fattoush salad, a strawberry arugula salad, and their signature "Orchard Salad" with green apple, red leaf, marcona almond, dried Michigan cherries, Michigan bleu cheese, pickled onion, crispy house-made bacon (!), and Spicer's hard cider vinaigrette.

#3 The Majestic Detroit
House salads usually suck: "here's a pile of crappy lettuce with chopped up three-day-old tomatoes and canned olives with bottled Italian dressing on top" (and if they're fancy it will be called "Italian vinaigrette"). At the Majestic Cafe, the house salad is one of the best things on the menu, and they've got a damn good menu. Order as a full portion or just as a side (but a side that can certainly hold its own): baby arugula, Saga bleu cheese, candied walnuts and apple tossed in a Michigan maple vinaigrette. And, like, a big-ass HUNK of Saga bleu. No fooling around with this one.

#4 Olga's Kitchen Detroit
Newly opened on the main floor of the Compuware Building in downtown Detroit's Central Business District, Olga's Kitchen was met with a mix of excitement and, to a much lesser extent, disdain. (Disdain: "Waaaaaaaah, it's corporate." Rebuttal: It's a Michigan-based chain! Disdain: "Waaaaaaaaah, you have to order at a counter right inside the door and that's weird and unfamiliar and I don't like it." Rebuttal: this speeds up service by cutting out the middleman and besides, fine dining it ain't; your food is still brought right to your table.) They've got a large selection of salads, but try the one that's inexplicably buried under the "starters" portion of the menu: the Arugula Salad. Baby arugula, tomato bruschetta, candied bacon (BACON!!!), red onions and feta tossed in their signature dressing. They also have a surprising selection of Michigan craft beers (like Frankenmuth Dunkel) - on a recent visit the salad with an order of Olga Snackers (bread + cheese) and a beer was under $11 and the food came out lightning-fast.

#5 Torino Espresso Bar Ferndale
They've got a small but mighty selection of salads to match their small but mighty menu. Their Caesar is made with house-made Caesar dressing and prosciutto bacon, but for something light and simple try their house salad -- arugula, Parmagiano Reggiano, olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic. The best part is you can order one of their outstanding panini and swap out the chips for the house salad for only $2.50 ... totes worth it.

Bubbling under Pizzeria Biga (Royal Oak), Le Petit Zinc (Detroit), Anita's Kitchen (Ferndale), Meriwether's (Southfield), Roma Cafe (Detroit), Mr. Paul's Chophouse (Roseville), Inn Season Cafe (Royal Oak), Big Rock Chop House (Birmingham), 24grille (Detroit), Hudson Cafe (Detroit), Forest Grill (Birmingham), Hilton Road Cafe (Ferndale), Roast (Detroit), Palazzo di Bocce (Lake Orion), Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza (Novi)

[Metromode] Almost Famous: Metro Detroit's Up and Coming Chefs

James Rigato of the Root Restaurant in White Lake. Photo by Nicole Rupersburg.

Metro Detroit isn’t exactly known for its cutting-edge culinary scene, but that’s not the same as not actually having one. It seems like we’re almost always the bridesmaid (getting sloppy drunk and shoveling gobs of buttercream frosting down our throats as we insist we’re really happy for the bride, really) when it comes to James Beard awards and invitations to compete on Top Chef.

Sure, occasionally we manage to eke one out – Eve Aronoff of Ann Arbor’s Frita Batidos and John Somerville of the Lark in West Bloomfield are still the only Top Chef competitors from Michigan to date, though both got booted early on; Executive Chef Alex Young from Zingerman’s Roadhouse won the James Beard Award (nicknamed “the Oscars of Food” and presumably just as political) for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2011, which brings the grand total of Michigan winners up to three since the awards were established in 1990 (the other two were Takashi Yagihashi in 2003 for Tribute and Jimmy Schmidt in 1993 for the Rattlesnake Club). Hell, if it weren’t for Coney dogs and Phil Cooley’s Corktown metro Detroit might as well just be Ann Arbor’s country cousin for all the recognition it gets from national tastemakers.

Read more.

[EID Feature] The Root: Back to Basics

Pan-seared scallops. All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

Earlier this week we gave you "The Best of Waterford," but there's one place we did not include. (a) Because it's not actually in Waterford; it's in White Lake (next door), and (b) save the best for last, right?

The Root Restaurant and Bar in White Lake has only been open two and a half months, but greater metro Detroit is already taking notice. They've got over 100 reviews on Open Table, more than 900 fans on their Facebook page, 16 glowing reviews on Yelp, and have also caught the attention of the Freep's Sylvia Rector and Crain's Nathan Skid. On weeknights they'll have anywhere from 70-150 covers (that's HUGE); on weekends they're booked solid for the night. You may find yourself asking, "What's a place like this doing in White Lake?" Newsflash: White Lake is not full of poors, and sometimes people who live here get sick of having to drive to Birmingham or Clarkston or West Bloomfield every time they want to have a fine(r) dining experience. "The food scene up here is a little insulting to the demographic," says 26-year-old Executive Chef James Rigato, who is so passionate about his food ethos you'll want to build a restaurant just for him to head ... not totally unlike how it actually happened, really.

Enter the Root, the BRAND-spanking new contemporary American restaurant located in a shopping plaza just off M-59/Highland Rd. The emphasis is on seasonal and regional cuisine, working with local farmers, growers and butchers on an ever-evolving menu in which everything - right down to the breads, pastries and ice creams - is made from scratch. "We smoke our own bacon, brine our own chickens...it's an all from-scratch menu. I'm very passionate; I'll fight over my food."