Frittata: I just paid $21 for a brunch with no booze.

Frittata in Clawson is cute. It's tiny and quaint and charming and cute, like rainbows and kittens and butterfly kisses. See, look:

^Cute, right? Totally. I thought so too. I saddled into my seat and promptly ordered a mimosa, it being the Lord's day and all -- "How about a virgin mimosa?" our server joked. Yikes...I'm not down with virgin anything, so how about you just bring me a coffee instead. (My friend: "You want to go to Black Lotus after this and get a beer?" Me: "Eat quickly.") After making amends with the idea of a mimosaless brunch, I began to study the menu -- true to its name, there's a whole lot of frittatas on the menu. What is a frittata? you may find yourself wondering. Let's pretend for one second we leave in a world without Wikipedia and allow me to tell you: it's like an omelette. Or a quiche. Or a strata. There's eggs. There's some other junk mixed in with the eggs, which can be cheese or vegetables or various pork products (and who doesn't like those? [vegetarians excluded]). Cooking preparations and primary ingredients differ slightly between these various items but ultimately they're all egg-based all-inclusive breakfast dishes, the morning equivalent of a casserole.

^Check out this lounge area, TOTALLY cute. I mean, just really precious and adorable. I want to pinch its cheeks it's so freakin' cute.

^And the stamped paper on the table!!! Cute, right? I mean, really. It's total puppies, which is a term I will now use to describe all things exceptionally cute much like "titties" is used to describe things that are awesome.

So getting back to the frittata. There are lots of options and they all sounded delish; I went with the day's special, the BLT frittata -- pancetta, asiago cheese, roma tomatoes, and a garlic aioli. The frittata itself is pan-fried then baked...and it is a whole lot of grease-soaked egg-loaf, lemme tell ya. This is how I discovered I am not a super-fan of frittatas. Not the fault of the restaurant, certainly not, no...but the fact that it cost $11 was.

I am not one to bitch about prices. There are times when I will be disinclined to visit certain establishments because of one too many pricey bar tabs piled up that month (I love being a beer snob but gone are the days of $2.00 22-oz. drafts), but I would certainly never complain about prices as much as probably remark when things are LESS expensive than I expected (but the whole fine dining concept has changed drastically in this Free Bailout Market we now live in and people are now looking more towards upscale casual, which ultimately has the exact same price points as the fine dining concepts from which it was born but it's just packaged differently so people perceive it as being less expensive, but that is a whole different rant entirely and it just ends with me swearing a lot so I'll spare you this time around).

A couple of years ago I wrote a rant about this whole thing which you can read here; I would write it differently now -- first I wouldn't make jokes about Obama-head-shaped burgers because that was immediately pre-election in the height of Obamamania but the fervor and my irritation at it has since died; second I would make it a point that sometimes it IS necessary to talk about price as a foodie-slash-food writer but only in the context of value; third I probably wouldn't use quite so many variations of the word "orgasm" because really, I'm more clever than that. And I would probably be a little less high-and-mighty about the whole thing because I used to think I was a lot more funny and important than I do now, or at least I thought it was a whole lot more funny to act that way. But the "dough-faced boorish troll of a woman" part would definitely stay. Regardless, the overarching point would be the same.

That being said I am now going to bitch about prices.

That toast you see about? Cherry walnut toast served with blueberry butter and a fruit compote (I forget what kind of fruit it was, my bad; I should really start writing shit down). $3.25. For some goddamn TOAST. I could buy the whole goddamn loaf for that much and still have enough leftover for the Sunday edition of the Free Press. I could've gone to goddamn Leo's Coney Island and got the $2.99 breakfast special which comes with eggs, choice of meat, hash browns AND toast and STILL had enough leftover for a pack of gum. Was the toast good? Sure it was good, but it was also $3.25 and did not come with a happy ending so really, how good could it have been? The next time some toast costs me that much money it better be lighting my cigarette and promising to call me afterwards.

I walked out of there having paid $21 for a glorified omelette and some goddamn toast. Oh, and coffee. Not fancy coffee. Straight 'Merican brew. $21 and no booze or beejers; frankly, "cute" only carries so much weight in my book. I'd rather have a killer gutbomb breakfast in a miserably podunk dive than be overcharged for some fluffy eggs and TOAST. (PS, my friend's orange juice was probably a 5-oz. glass and put her back $5. In real-life terms, that's a pint of Founders.) Given the right situation in the right surroundings with the right kind of ingredients I may have been able to justify the expense because I would have seen the value in it (for example, shave some truffles all over that bad boy and I would have been willing to skip eating for the rest of the week). This lacked the value to justify the expense, and I left feeling weighted down, unsatisfied, and unfortunately sober. Not unlike most first dates really, but that's another story entirely.

Na Zdrowie! Polonia Restaurant

Last we spoke I referred to Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup as being like Grandma's own industrial-sized kitchen complete with antique curio cabinets and classic Americana accents. And this is still true, but only if Grandma lives in a wealthy suburb filled with 3,000 sq. ft. new construction homes that come standard with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.

If, however, Grandma is a slightly-hunched-over relic from the Old Country with hands gnarled from years of manual labor and an accent so thick that, when she does bother to speak in English, you can't understand her anyway, and she lives in a very modest pre-World War II home with peeling wallpaper and warped linoleum floors that has a certain indefinable smell to it, the smell you have come to know simply as "Grandma smell"...then welcome to Polonia.

"It smells like Grandma's house," my dining partner remarked to me as we walked through the doors. Memories of my own maternal great-grandmothers (both from Belgium) came flooding back to me...granted, the smells from a Flemish kitchen are a bit different than those coming from a Pole's, but the Old-Wordlyness and affinity for antique knick-knacks proudly displayed above forced-air radiators is the same.

The menu is packed full of traditional Polish favorites: pierogies and potato pancakes, schnitzel and sausage, kiszka and kraut, golabki and goulash. (Okay, I might be lying about the kiszka, or "blood sausage," but I did have the same "blood" soup Anthony Bourdain sampled on his visit to the restaurant last January.)

My meal began with the Duck Soup, or czernina--also known as "duck blood soup." Why? Because it's made with duck blood. Duck blood tastes like Mayan chocolate...cardamom...maybe a little nutmeg? It was rich with an overwhelming depth of flavor, reminding me in some ways of a good mole (which is a complicated sauce with many layers of hard-to-pinpoint tastes when done well...and it's hard to do well). There is a definite metalic note to the soup (ya know, from the blood and all), but it is otherwise quite robust. The fine noodles help to offset the strong flavor.

The soup was included as part of my Polish Combination Plate: stuffed cabbage with tomato sauce, Polish fresh sausage, pierogies, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and kraut. I swapped out the mashed potatoes for potato noodles and added a potato pancake...you say potato, I say potahto. Po-tay-toe. (And the one gay male reading this who has actually seen the Jennifer Saunders/Dawn French "Jordan and Jodie" bits just laughed his arse off.)

Everything was amazing. Honest, good old-fashioned, home-cooked amazing. The pierogies: potato (POTATO! heh) with Velveeta cheese, fried onions, and bacon...honestly not my favorite pierogies ever as (and I believe I have expressed this before) I don't like bacon on anything other than the side of my eggs, but tasty despite that. It was fried so the dough was just the right amount of firmness, the filling a smooth potato/cheese/bacon/onion puree. You know those potato skins you order at bars with the cheese and the bacon and whatnot? Kind of like that, only inside-out, blended, and in a noodle.

The potato pancake: deep-fried greasy crispy diet-friendly heaven. (Part of that was a lie.) The potato noodles: very dense, and a little bland, though tasty when dipped in the tomato sauce served with.... The stuffed cabbage. Or, what was called "Pigs in a Blanket" when I was growing up. Which, come to find out later, "Pigs in a Blanket" in most American homes is actually hot dogs or sausages wrapped in some sort of bread dough. Only to find out even LATER that "Pigs in a Blanket" actually does refer to stuffed cabbage in certain cultures, particularly Slavik culture. And though I am a lot of things, Slavik is not one.

But I digress.

The "proper" Polish name for stuffed cabbage is golabki, and is made with boiled cabbage leaves wrapped around minced meat (usually pork, though sometimes beef) and served with a thin tomato sauce. It is wholly untrendy, unglamorous, and mighty satisfying. Hearty, flavorful, and filling, and also chock-full of childhood memories.

And last, the Polish fresh sausage, which--along with the stuffed cabbage, sauerkraut, and pierogis--is all homemade. There is a distinct difference between pre-packaged over-processed sausage that spends months of its life in freezers and sausage that is ground and cased fresh. The casing has more of a crunch, the meat is much more tender and doesn't always keep its rigid form, and each bite tastes slightly different depending on the spices concentrated in it. This sausage had bursts of peppercorn and different spices, and was so tender it almost fell apart once cut into.

There was also the kraut but I can't tell you anything about that because I don't eat kraut. Blecky.

I think I cleared my plate save for one lone potato noodle (and that's a whole lot of potato for one meal), but I wasn't quite done shoveling food into my face yet.

I binge eat; don't judge me.

So I ordered up a lingonberry crepe for dessert. Simple yet divine. Spare the butter, spoil the eater; that's what I say. Fried up and covered in chocolate sauce and whipped cream, it was the perfect end to my 2,000 calorie meal.

The best part is: all this shameless gorging cost under $11.00. There isn't an item on the menu priced over $10.00, and that includes their generous entress. They also have daily specials, such as Tuesdays and Thursdays when you can get half a boiled chicken for $6.95. It's nice to see that the prices are as nostalgic as the decor at Polonia.

The menu is filled with other Polish and local favorites, like Goulash and City Chicken...which is apparently something of a regional rarity, which I did not know before. Thanks Mr. Bourdain! You can also pair your traditional Polish dishes with bonafide Polish beer--Zywiec, Okocim, Warka. None of it is that great, but if you're a Heineken drinker--and by that I mean, if you like Bud Light--then you'll like it just dandy. You can also sample some Polish vodkas, like Luksusowa and...Belvedere. Hm.

Polonia Restaurant has been operating in some capacity since 1927, and is truly a relic--or rather, treasure--of a former era. The murals of the Old Country, the antique plates on display lining the walls, chicken needlepoint, and all polka, all the time. (I did hear the "Pennsylvania Polka," which fans of Groundhog Day would appreciate.) Even the 20-something waitress was Polish. Not that that's terribly noteworthy but it adds to the novelty of the place.

But the bottom line is this: the food is good. Really effing good. And cheap. Really effing cheap. And much like pretty much everywhere else in Poletown, the vibe is comfortable, friendly, and welcoming, and even though you don't know everyone in the room it kind of feels like you might since its got that Old World neighborly thing going on. For the culture tourists out there, this is a great place to experience authentic Polish cuisine in an atmosphere that looks like it might have been plucked straight from the Motherland before Nazi occupation. For foodies looking for the place that has the best such and such, I guarantee you'll find such and such something here. For those who simply enjoy a good meal at a good price, this Okocim's for you. Na zdrowie!

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup: Like a Food Blanket

My goodness, sorry for the long absence! Holidays, holidaze, call it what you will...yeah, I've been slacking off. My apologies; it is my sincerest hope that you all were able to gforge through the holidays without my guidance and expertise. I'll never leave you hanging like that again; pinky swear.*

So last week I found myself out in the Farmington Hills area...looooong way from home, I know, but I figured what the hay, I'm out here, I might as well check out a place I've been meaning to investigate for awhile but could never ever ever force myself to make the drive without being under other pretense. Well hello there, other pretense!

It was a blustery day when I pulled into a strip mall parking lot off Northwestern Highway, just south of 14 Mile Rd. (right by the Home Depot and Sam's Club; ah, suburbia)...perfect for some bonafide comfort food.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup offers exactly that: hearty, wholesome, nutritious (...that may be up for debate...) and delicious comfort food. I mean, the name says it all--grilled cheese and tomato soup are pretty much the comfort food elite, the very embodiment of belly-and-soul-warming consumables that bring back warm memories of cold winter days at Grandma's house snuggling under a blanket and watching Disney movies.

At Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, you might as well be in Grandma's industrial-sized kitchen with walk-up ordering, complete with loud paintings of big blotchy vineyards, antique-esque curio cabinets with ceramic ramikins displayed inside and Americana-classic blue and white porcelain vases on top, and comfort food classics made with more butter than you can shake a stick of butter at.


There are a number of options available to order--a wide variety of soups (ten daily), generous salads, baguette sandwiches (the Slow Roasted Pulled Pork with warm Brie, candied onions, and garlic aioli spoke to me), and a host of clever variations on the standard grilled cheese classic (spiral ham and Gruyere, tuna and American, etc.). There are also the hardcore "Grandma's World-Famous Homemade Recipes" for the real comfort food aficionados: chicken pot pie, meatloaf, pot roast, mac & cheese. Real rib-stickin' goodness, right there. Hearty. Definitely hearty.

Well, when in Rome, right? I decided to go with the namesake Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup combo: $6.95, and you can choose up to three different cheeses for the sandwich (choices include American, Cheddar, Provolone, etc.). I went with the HeartSmart Special; Gruyere, American Bleu, and Smoked Gouda.


But first I was served with what might be my favorite tomato soup ever. A rich bisque slightly pinkish from the heavy cream, and the oils from the abundance of butter separating ever-so-slightly, this tomato soup had a distinctive creamy sweetness to it, totally lacking the tartness and acidity of more average tomato soups. Now, maybe this is because they've cultivated only naturally high-sugar small tomatoes for their homemade soups, or maybe they just add in a butt-ton of sugar, but either way I likey. The end result is creamy, soothing, and soul-warming (chicken soup, pbffft). And also, it's served in a HUGE bowl, more than you could possibly eat in one sitting and certainly a generous portion for the price.



My HeartSmart grilled cheese was perfection. There is an art to grilling the sandwich just right, so that the cheese is warm and melty without being too hot and gooey, and the outside has a slight buttery crunch without being dry or burned. These golden triangles were grilled cheese mastery, and every cheesy-salty-buttery bite was bliss.

"GCATS" propietor Jeff McArthur earned his culinary creds at Schoolcraft College's well-respected culinary school, though with this charming walk-up/carry-out location he shirks the implied hoighty-toightiess that comes with words like "cuisine." All the food here is old-fashioned homestyle goodness, made from family recipes.

I wish my family cooked like that.

You can dine-in and enjoy the quaint atmosphere, but it seems like this place does a mean carry-out business and all the soups are available in to-go pints and quarts. The portions are huge, the prices are low, the options are plentiful, and the food is just simply snuggly-fuzzy-nummy.

While Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup may be a bit out of the way for, well, me, I encourage my Oakland County readers to see this place as a superior alternative to similar lunchtime hotspots like Zoup! and even Panera Bread. Sure, it may not have all the same glitz and glamour, but do those corporate competitors serve food that feels like stomach Snuggies? I rest my case.

PS, it's just now really effing cold outside. It's high time for comfort food to make a comeback. Because sushi won't keep you warm at night. No, sushi won't.

*I was totally crossing my fingers when I said that.

A Toast to Toast (Redux)

It's been nearly a year since my last visit to Birmingham's gastro-casual bistro Toast. Those of you who follow this blog regularly know that I don't too often venture beyond the confines of the city--not in that, "Detroit is so great, it's so much better, I hate the suburbs" kind of way but in that "Detroit is so great, it's so much closer, the suburbs are so far" kind of way.

However, as luck would have it, I found myself at Toast this weekend enjoying a proper dinner there for the first time.

I loved this place before, and I must say I still love it now, maybe even a little bit more.

When I first walked in (on-time for my reservation, whaaaaat?), the manager greeted me by laughing, "How about this heat wave?" (it was in the mid-30s, after a few bracing 20-degree days). He was extremely polite and charming all the way to my table, and a few minutes later made rounds to inform all the guests that the servers were busy "conferring" on the evening's specials with the chef and would be around shortly. Yes, I waited a few extra minutes--which was really not an issue at all as my dining companion was late, if you can believe that someone actually arrived to something later than me!--but the fact that he took the time to forewarn everyone and was so congenial and friendly while doing so made all the difference.

Our server Tony arrived just as my friend did, and he was fabulous. Tony is the consummate service industry professional, striking me as someone who has been working in the business a long time and continues to do it because he truly enjoys it. He was quick to offer wine recommendations based on my partner's preferences (she likes Merlot, and offered to bring her a taste of their house Merlot which he strongly recommended, and later, during a discussion of Malbecs with which she was unfamiliar, offered to bring a sample of this as well). When she ordered the Fried Chicken and Waffle--classic comfort food if ever there was--then asked for his suggestions, he raved about the Carnitas Waffle, explaining their process for pulling the pork and exclaiming that it's his favorite thing on the menu. Based on this endorsement, she went the Carnitas way and loved it.

Tony also took great pains to make sure we were satisfied with everything, telling us about their Wine Down Wednesdays, encouraging us to check out their lounge, and even apprising us of his regular schedule so that he could take care of us again. He was friendly, knowledgable, and an absolute pleasure to have as a server. Service industry professionals everywhere could take a few cues from him, though his casual, personal demeanor works well in this location which seems to thumb its nose at the concept of being a Birmingham restaurant (this place has all the fun, casual, down-home hip vibe of the original Ferndale location, and none of the seemingly requisite B-ham pretentiousness--their $18 dinner entrees also scream "Fashionable Ferndale!" much more than "Biiiiiiiiiiirmingham").

Now celebrating their one-year anniversary, Toast in Birmingham is also welcoming a new chef. Chef Jeff Rose has worked in some of metro Detroit's finest and most eclectic restaurants, including Sweet Lorraine's, Big Rock Chophouse, Iridescence, Tribute, and most recently served as Executive Chef at Michael Symon's Roast during which time it was awarded "Restaurant of the Year" for 2009 by the Detroit Free Press. Rose is committed to making everything he serves (including stocks, soups, and sauces) from scratch in his kitchen, and tries to source as much as possible from no further than 100 miles of the restaurant. His commitment to local, sustainable cuisine echoes the availability of Michigan wines and hand-crafted beers already in the restaurant (they most notably carry Bell's, Short's, and Detroit Beer Co.'s seasonal brews on tap). They even carry their own blend of Fair-Trade custom Breakfast Blend coffee roasted at Beanstro Specialty Coffee in Waterford. While Toast may not wave their "local or bust" banner to the same extent that some other places do (you know who you are), make no mistake: hardcore locovores will be quite satisfied here.

So, how is Chef Rose faring so far? My dining partner and I, both lovers of all that which is pumpkin, both started with a cup of the Pumpkin Soup. Served with crumbled candied walnuts and Granny Smith apple slices, the consistency was almost that of a puree, and there was a slight spiciness (like heat from a hot pepper, but without that flavor) that just barely tickles the back of the throat. This satisfied the pumpkin itch, and also made me feel all warm and fuzzy and wintry.

Next I tried the Cassoulet with duck confit, flagolet beans, bacon, celery, carrot, and onion in a rich duck sauce. A "cassoulet" is a classic French comfort food, more of a stew or casserole made with meat and beans. Rose's cuisine is French-inspired and this dish does well to fuse his cooking style with the comfy-cozy identity of Toast. This hearty dish was thick, rich, and very filling. The cassoulet itself was full of tender, flavorful duck meat, and the perfectly-cooked duck medallions on top were flavorful without being overpowering. (Word to those unaccustomed to duck: it is a very fatty meat--this just comes with the territory.)

While my ability to sample various menu items was restricted due to time constraints, other notable menu items include the Butternut Squash Ravioli (you just can't ever go wrong here), and the homemade Mac & Cheese--made with goat cheese and smoked gouda. :O The cheese plank, which offers a heaping helping of different cheese varieties (cheddar, gouda, bleu) was also calling my name, but alas, it was not meant to be. (At least not this time...next time, look out!)

One thing I immediately loved about Toast was their creative cocktails, and they continue to impress. I sampled a season-appropriate Polar Bear Martini, made with Stoli Vanil Vodka, Frangelico, and Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur. Tony also told us about the bartender's specialty concoction, "Make Me Something Good" (inspired by people asking him to do precisely this). Three Olives Bubble Vodka, Zodiac Black Cherry Vodka, grenadine, sour mix, and 7-Up. "Something good," indeed!

Toast further entices diners with a number of weekly specials, including their "Wine Down Wednesdays" which I mentioned earlier. All glasses of wine under $10 are half off, and lucky you: this is one of Tony's regular nights! Tuesdays are $2 Taco Tuesdays, further cementing Toast's identity as a wholly casual and welcoming place. Much like their food, which is cleverly trendy yet completely comfort at its base, Toast is a comfortable, casual establishment which may look the part of upscale retro-chic Birmingham bistro, but plays more like a friendly (dare-I-say Ferndale?) diner. This is simply a great place to meet friends, have a few scrumptious cocktails, and enjoy some hearty food served with a smile by a fast new friend.

The Lounge at Toast, from the website
If you're still looking for New Year's Eve plans, Toast is hosting a Parisian-inspired celebration, complete with a six course meal, French wine pairings, live gypsy jazz and a champagne toast at midnight. The reception starts at 8:00PM with dinner served at 8:45PM on Thursday Dec. 31, 2009.

Following is the full menu with wine pairings:

Chef’s Selection of Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
Pierre Boniface Brut “Les Rocailles” Savoie Bubbles

Roasted Cauliflower Soup; Crispy fried oysters, chives, pumpkin seeds
Domaine de Lancyre Roussane, Languedoc 2007

Grilled Hamachi; Frisée, grape tomatoes, green beans, green onion vinaigrette
Chateau Haut Pasquet Blanc, Bordeaux 2007

Cassoulet; Bacon, mushrooms, duck confit
Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape 2006

Braised Beef Short Ribs; Fingerling potatoes, caramelized onions, red wine reduction
Château Moulinet, Pomerol 2005

Ricotta Cheesecake; Candied pecans, lemon curd, vanilla
Château d'Orignac, Pineau des Charentes

Fromage – A Selection of Cheese

Django’s Tiger, a Parisian-style Gypsy Jazz band will perform throughout the evening. A champagne toast and countdown will ring in 2010. This whole event costs $95 per person, not including gratuity. Call (248) 258-6278 to make reservations; seating is limited and this event is expected to sell out, so don't dawdle!

Divine Dim Sum: Shangri La

"Shangri-La" is a fictional location that has become synonymous with the idea of a pure utopia. How about foodtopia? The new Chinese eatery Shangri La, located in Midtown's University and Theatre District, is just that...total edible nirvana (at least, the dim sum menu is).

Shangri La inhabits the space of the former Twingo's (a moment of silence in memoriam, please). They've maintained the overall design of the previous space, opting only to change the color theme to a palette of soft browns and warm woods. The decor is simple and inviting, though certainly more chic than your typical strip mall Chinese spot.

When I stopped in for a visit, I had the chance to speak with Raymond Wong--does that name sound familiar? It should--he's the mastermind behind the wonderful, brilliant, and unjustly short-lived Asian Village (including Fusia, which offered hyper-trendy haute Asian-fusion cuisine in stunning backdrop with a riverfront view...a moment of silence in memoriam, please).

Yes, Mr. Wong has quite the roster of cutting-edge and unfortunately failed restaurants under his belt, which is why he has since retired and is helping Shangri La in a consultant capacity only. After the failure of AV, Wong's experienced his own set of personal traumas, including divorce and bankruptcy. Oddly, Wong can laugh about this now...even though the conversation was a little...awkward...for me. :O But time heals all wounds, as they say, and at 60 years old Wong is ready to pass the torch on to the next batch of enthusiastic risk-takers.

Though the "risk" at Shangri La seems relatively minimal: with a built-in college student and working professional market thanks to the nearby WSU, CCS, and DMC campuses (as well the numerous cultural institutions such as the DIA and DPL) that was previously woefully under-tapped, Shangri La has almost limitless potential clientele.

They consider themselves an "authentic" Chinese eatery, distinguising themselves from the common generic take-out joint. And why? Two words: dim sum.

The lone dumpling that remained when I finally decided I should be taking pictures
If you've ever walked down Mott Street in Manhattan's Chinatown district (after first pushing your way past the junk-peddlers on Canal St.), you've seen the numerous nondescript dim sum restaurants that have no name, only addresses, and serve dim sum only on Saturday and Sunday mornings through the early afternoon. If you've ever visited such a place, you have a full understanding of dim sum, and you will not be disappointed by what Shangri La has to offer.

For the uninitiated: dim sum is a traditional Chinese cuisine featuring small plates of "finger foods" served in succession (often from a cart, though not at Shangri La), usually baked or steamed and including both sweet and savory dishes. It is typically served in the morning or early afternoon, though at Shangri La it is served until an hour before the kitchen closes so Asian students getting out of classes late can still order it, according to Wong.

“We did a lot of study of the area’s demographics, and we found that there are a lot of people from Asia in the area and there is a demand for authentic Asian food,” Wong told me. They also keep the prices very reasonable (most entrees are about $8.00) to appeal to the surrounding college crowd.

If you've got a hankering for a baked cream bun or curry chicken pastry, get there early or call ahead--the baked items are all made in the morning and tend to sell out quickly, though if you call in advance and request some be set aside for you, they will more than happily accommodate your request.


The dim sum menu includes the basics--Pan-Fried Dumplings, Baked BBQ Pork Bun, Baked and Steamed Cream Buns--as well as some decidedly more exotic dishes. Steamed Chicken Feet (which the table nearby raved about, including the four-year-old child), Curried Baby Squid, Beef Tripe...to truly experience the fullness of this dim sum menu, American palates may be forced to step a bit outside their comfort zone.

That being said, I decided to stay firmly planted in my comfort zone: Shrimp Shiu Mai, Roast Pork Pastry, Pan-Fried Dumplings. Nom nom nom. The portions were enough for two to share, and each item came out fresh, hot, and bursting with flavor. (Made me a little nostalgic for some Mott St. gyoza, lemme tell 'ya.) Next time I look forward to trying the Egg Tart and the Steamed Sweet Red Bean Paste Bun (Tao Sar Bao, a very common and popular Chinese pastry). The dim sum here is probably the best you'll find in the metro Detroit area (and the ONLY you'll find in the city proper), and is truly top-notch.

“We couldn’t open until we found the best dim sum chef around,” says Wong. “That was a must!”
Done and done.


As for the rest of the menu...some hits, some misses. The options are pretty catch-all Americanese, though they do also offer real Thai curry. The "General Chicken" (as in "General Tso's" or "General Tao's"), which happens to be my fave Americanese dish, was great: crispy deep-fried chicken still crunchy beneath the thick spicy-sweet red sauce that struck just the right chord between heat and sweet. The Egg Drop Soup was hearty and savory. The Yang Chow Fried Rice (with shrimp and BBQ pork) was only edible only once doused--doused--in soy sauce.

First of all, look at that picture. Does that even look like fried rice to you? Plus it's full of peas. I hate peas. Ugh. Blechy blech. Every bite bursting with pea flavor, blech blech blech. Also, where exactly is the fried-ness? This looks (and tasted) like regular 'ol steamed rice made with butter. Now, I am not a fan of utilizing tabletop accoutrements on my dishes (unless it's proper and necessary to the dish, like Vietnamese garlic-fish sauce). Skip the salt and pepper (unless we're talking about scrambled eggs, but ONLY then), and let the dish stand on its own. The way I see it, adding all that extra dressing is in effect destroying the integrity of the dish. And any dish that NEEDS to be dressed up in this way...well, it's probably just not very good to begin with. And so it was with the fried rice.

However, there's more good news: bubble tea. Yes, bubble tea (or, "boba tea"). Bubble tea is tea (sometimes flavored) with milk and "boba" balls, which are made with a mixture of tapioca and carrageenan powder that taste like gummy bears without the flavor. Popular throughout eastern Asia and abundant in Toronto (where I first discovered all its greatness over a decade ago), bubble tea is just now gaining popular momentum in the States thanks to our trendsetting cities on the East and West coasts. At Shangri La, you can order bubble tea in a variety of flavors; I opted for mango and was not disappointed, though perhaps next time I might stick to a more traditional tea flavor. All you bubble tea lovers, rejoice.

Shangri La is a great space in a great location and caters to a previously underserved market of students, professionals, and nearby residents who enjoy authentic (and inexpensive) Chinese cuisine...or just cheap, good food in general. Most dishes are at least satisfactory, but the real star here is the dim sum, and no dining experience here should be complete without first passing around a few such dishes ($2.95-5.95 each, and enough to share). Service is attentive if sometimes a bit awkward, but having only been open since October 1st I would chalk this up to opening "kinks." The restaurant is entirely non-smoking, and they are currently working on adding a sushi bar and acquiring a liquor license. The only thing that could possibly make this dim sum experience any better is if it could be done alongside one of those giant Chinese fishbowl-fire drinks that they only allow you to order one of.

In short: dim sum yum!

The Beer Series #2: Dragonmead Microbrewery

Most microbreweries will have about 8-12 beers on tap at any given time. Dragonmead Microbrewery has 45 or more, with about 60 different beers available in total (they have more beers than they do taps).

Dragonmead Microbrewery is tucked away in an inudstrial park right off the I-696 service drive at Groesbeck in Warren. If you're out that way, odds are pretty good you've driven by it dozens of times without ever noticing it. But inside this nondescript building is the highest-variety brewery in the world, thanks to an innovative three-barrel brewing system, which allows them to brew multiple times throughout the day in smaller batches enabling more variety as compared to most microbreweries’ 15-barrel system. Okay, for the layperson that might sound like so much mumbo-jumbo, but when co-owner Larry Channell walked me through their brewing operations and explained them to me it made PERFECT sense.

Put it this way: yes, having a three-barrel system is much more work-intensive, which isn't necessarily practical for most small breweries. A 15-barrel system yields 5x as much beer as the 3-barrel, allowing brewers to spend less time brewing (and more time focusing on other aspects of the business). However, if an ambitious brewer with a 15-barrel system tried to match Dragonmead in variety, they would end up having to dump about 5,000 barrels of wasted beer every year (keep in mind, most beers are only good for about 90 days), versus Dragonmead's 20 wasted barrels. "We designed it to be simple," Larry tells me. "With this system it takes about 6-8 hours to brew a single beer but we can overlap the brewing because of the different vessels we use, which means we can brew multiple times throughout the day."

Translation: they've got A LOT of different beers.

Larry went on to explain that their goal in opening this microbrewery was to target a niche market. They wanted to make every single style of beer in the world available at all times, and have each of those beers be excellent examples of that particular style of beer making. "We would ask ourselves, 'Why would anyone buy our beer over someone else's?' and 'Would the company last at least 50 years?'" Larry recalls. "We had been wanting to start a business for 10 years before this, but every kind of business we looked at we saw it gobbling itself up after a few years. The niche we created here is something no one else was trying to do. It's difficult to offer such variety, but it's something that can last forever, and we already knew people would pay more for superb beer."


And so, in 1997--long before craft brewing became the exponentially growing trend that it is today--Dragonmead was born. "We were all home brewers before this, and we found that we were making better beer than most breweries," Larry says. He was a chemical engineer, Bill and Earl (the other partners in the business) had backgrounds in sales & marketing and metal model making, respectively. Between the three of them, they had the trifecta for a successful brewery. Earl made the vessels, Larry made the beer, and Bill made it marketable: voila.

The rest of the story is rather simple: they chose this location in Warren because it was a central location to all of their homes and workplaces (of course they've since been able to quit their automotive jobs, and lucky for them) and because they wanted trucks to have easy access to get in and out. The name "Dragonmead" came from their background as avid Dungeons & Dragons fans. In fact, this was their whole inspiration for getting into home brewing. "We held a Medieval Wassail Feast and the only thing we didn't make or kill ourselves was the beer." So they started home brewing, and kept trying until they got it right.

And got it right they did! At the World Beer Cup, the Oscars of beer held on alternating years, they've taken home medals in the last three competitions, including a gold for the English-style mild ale Crusader Dark Mild Ale, another gold for the Belgian-style tripel Final Absolution Trippel, and a bronze for the strong Scotch ale Under the Kilt Wee Heavy.

During my visit, I got to chatting with Jack, who was himself enjoying a pint of Wee Heavy. Jack is a regular at Dragonmead and a home brewer himself. As I talked with Jack, a thought occurred to me: Jack is Michigan's beer industry. The more I spoke with various brewers, brewery owners, and beer lovers--the more I saw their passion for craft brews and the excitement they displayed when talking about different beers and the craft beer industry in general--the more I realized that this is a community unto itself. Most brewers start at home, they seek the advice of professional brewers on equipment and grain blends, the professionals in turn are more than happy to share their expertise, some even go on to open their own brewery (Dragonmead, Kuhnhenn, Sherwood, Liberty St.), and others just truly love the beer and want nothing more than to be around others who love it too. The craft beer industry is like one big extended family; if you're in one of these places enjoying a pint, then consider yourself a second cousin.

Oh, but the beer. Most of the beers at Dragonmead are high gravity and high alcohol (which also means they can store for a year or more). I've already mentioned Wee Heavy, a smooth and creamy Scotch strong with notes of toffee. I also sampled Lancelot's American Cream Ale, a light, smooth, slightly malty beer that appeals to a wide audience of beer drinkers. Nagelweiss is their Hefeweizen (a German-style wheat beer), with all that familiar hefeweiz-ian banana-clove goodness. The Crown Jewels Imperial Pale Ale starts out hoppy but mellows over time. The Russian Imperial Stout had the robust chocolate notes familiar to Imperial Stout fans. Bill's Witbier is everything Oberon could be. The Ring of Fire is brewed with hot jalapeno and habanero peppers (though the heat isn't overpowering; it mostly just lingers on your palate). Then there's Final Absolution.

Final Absolution: the beer that could be a video game. As with most Belgian-style brews, it is fermented with Belgian Candi Sugar. It's a very high gravity beer with a deceptively smooth finish, but don't be fooled: this baby's 10% alcohol by volume. Three pints of this are equivalent to one full pint of Scotch. This is a serious beer. (Another bar owner recently told me that the reason they don't carry Final Absolution is because most people can only have one--"We're not trying to encourage people to get drunk, but we definitely want them to be able to have more than one beer.") There is also a dark version of Final Absolution available, called simply "Evil Twin." Final's big brother Armageddon Grand Cru comes out once a year in May to celebrate their anniversary. Like all big brothers, Armageddon makes Final Absolution look like so much child's play.

All these high-alcohol beers will probably leave you nibbly. Dragonmead does have a deep fryer and can cook up some burgers, mini tacos, fries and such. They also have a cheese plate and venison sausage, which fits with the whole Wassail feast concept the brewery was born from. Otherwise, they have menus from all the local restaurants that deliver and encourage guests to go ahead and order some food. They also make their own wines, meads, and sodas (sold only on premises).

Efforts to expand the taproom (and the number of taps in said room) continue, and there may even be a second clone location in the future (possibly Frankenmuth, but this is all very premature). In the meantime, if it's quality and variety you seek and good company to share it with, Dragonmead awaits you. Say hi to Jack for me.

The Beer Series, #1: Sherwood Brewing Company

After doing research at several lesser-known metro Detroit breweries for a forthcoming article, I realized that each individual place has its own wholly unique and interesting story to tell. And I really wanted to be the one to tell it. For all four of them. In 1,000 words or less.

Thanks be to blogs, I can still write a somewhat-coherent article (maaaaaybe a little more than 1,000 words) and indulge my desire to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me beer with as many words and as much flowery prose as I so desire.

I've decided to do a little in-depth series for each of the breweries I visited, expanding on what I began in the aforementioned forthcoming article and taking you inside a little deeper to get to know the brewers, the people, the process, the beer. Oh good Lord, the beer. If the soon-to-be-published article is for beginners, consider this your intermediate lesson.

Particularly given the timeliness (currently being in the midst of Detroit Beer Week with the first annual Harvest Beer Festival coming up this Saturday), I think a more in-depth perspective of these award-winning breweries is in order, yes? Good, we're agreed then. Here goes.

First up: Sherwood Brewing Company.

We live in the tri-county area of metro Detroit. What many people seem to forget is that "tri" means "three." There's Wayne County ("oh Detroit, we love you so much, you're so misunderstood, gentrify! wait, no, not gentrify, that's bad") and Oakland County ("Detroit's cool but we prefer our rich, trendy, safe, clean suburbs"...unless you're north of 14 Mile then it's just "mmyessssss"). Then there's Macomb County.

Ah, Macomb County. The red-headed stepchild of metro Detroit. The MC gets no love, no attention. All the rags and mags focus on what's up-and-coming everywhere else but in Macomb County. Many use "The Clem" as a punchline to a certain kind of culture joke (much like they do with "Downriver"), and nowhere in greater Detroit is Macomb County taken seriously by anyone outside of it.

When I sat down with Lisa Sherwood at Sherwood Brewing Company, we talked about how often Macomb gets overlooked. Moreso than probably any other sector of metro Detroit, Macomb's citizens are almost entirely dependent on the auto industry. Even the "wealthy" corners of Macomb (think Moravian or Heidenreich) are still full of people who made their money in cars or construction. It's a blue-collar area with blue-collar sensibilities, and thus has been easily overlooked by its flashier sister counties. What they also then overlook is the great number of people who work had every day to give Macomb County its own unique culture and thoroughly independent vibe.

"There are a lot of small businesses along the M-59 corridor," Lisa states. "The number of retail and restaurant businesses keep growing. It's a high-traffic area that's finally getting some attention." (Though not enough, we agreed.) There are a lot of independently-owned establishments out on the East side, and a WHOLE lot of people to support them. When I ask Lisa why those chose this particular corner on Hayes north of Hall Rd. she says, "because north Macomb County needed a place like this. And because it's close to home." "Home" for some 780,000+ metro Detroiters, too.


What Lisa and her husband (and head brewer) Ray have created is a space that is wholly welcoming, a place for local workers and beer aficionados alike to hang out and feel like they're part of the family. "We're like one big dysfunctional family around here!" Lisa laughs. "Everyone knows everything about everyone else here, including the customers!"

And that's no joke: Sherwood has been named by WDIV three years in a row as the "Best Brewpub in Metro Detroit" for a number of reasons. Yes, they've got great beer, wine, and soda, all made in-house. Their food is some of the best pub grub you'll find anywhere. But they also have an atmosphere so inviting that it makes customers want to come back again and again. Lisa tells me that customers have described the place as being like their living room, only without the kids and they don't have to get their own beer. "We're family-friendly, too. The whole building is non-smoking; we've had people come here to celebrate their anniversaries and their kids' first birthdays. Our demographic is people ages 30+, people with families and careers. This is a safe, casual place for them."

Observing the way Lisa and Ray interact with their guests on a Sunday afternoon, I see immediately what makes this place so popular. Every customer who comes through the door is greeted warmly by Lisa, whose enthusiasm is contagious. Some she knows by name and asks after their wives and kids; others are new, so she immediately takes time to get to know them. An older gentleman came in alone and sat up at the bar. Lisa brought him a few newspapers and started asking who he was, what brought him in, what kind of beer he likes. Over on the other side of the bar, three employees who had the day off work were chatting with each other and the other regulars, spending their free day from work...at work. (And in the service industry, that means A LOT.)

"We have the best staff and the best customers in the world!" Lisa glows, and there's no doubt in my mind she means it. Even if they didn't have great been and incredible food, this would still be the kind of place locals would choose to hang out. Lucky for everyone, the food and beer are just as good as the attitude.


They usually have 8-10 different beer styles on tap with a little something for everyone. They try to appeal to the Bud Light drinkers as much as to the beer connoisseurs. The staff is well-trained to educate customers about the different styles and help transition them from their good ol' American pilsners to more robust craft brews. Here it's about quality over quantity; there are no dollar beer specials or buckets of beer, and as a designated brewpub they do not have a liquor license and can only sell what they make. They also make 4-6 different varieties of wine to appeal to the non-beer-drinkers, including styles of reds, whites, and fruit wines.

They don't bottle their beers (save for around the holidays when small batches are bottled and sold to customers), though their beer is on tap in many area bars. Their best-selling beer is the Buxom BlonDDe Ale, which is a great everyman beer (like Bud but far better). The 1492 IPA is also very popular, with a combination of hops that appeals to a wide audience, and the Production Line Red Ale is a very affable light amber with a slightly roasted (almost tea-like, I thought) character. I'm a sucker for the banana-clove notes of a good Hefeweizen, so Hell Road was a favorite of mine. I'm equally a sucker for Porters and Stouts, so the Honey Porter was a treat though I was devastated to learn that I missed their Smoked Pumpkin Porter (made with real smoked pumpkins!) by only a few weeks. The Green River Wheat IPA was also a real stand-out; fiercely aromatic and unapologetically bitter, this is a beer for hops-lovers--it may be light in color but this is a BIG beer.


As you plow through all these great beers--including seasonal treats like their Oktoberfest Lager and the festival favorite Mistress Jack's Hemp Ale--why not try a bite off their impressive pub menu? "We don't call it bar food, we call it beer food!" Lisa jokes, and it is clear that they take a tremendous amount of pride in their kitchen. "Everything is made fresh from scratch; we keep almost nothing in the freezer. We try to incorporate our beer and wine into as much of the menu as possible. We're very proud of our menu!"

Sherwood is committed to using local products and highlighting Michigan's seasonal foodstuffs. They've even hosted a couple of sold-out Slow Food Detroit dinners over the past few months. Chapter Leader Stacy Curneal Ordakowski even mentioned to me, "Sherwood is fantastic. I love how passionate Lisa Sherwood has gotten about local food." The dinner just held this week featured a Michigan fall harvest theme with buffalo steaks, pumpkin orzo, baby spinach with venison, and homemade pumpkin pie.

Other menu items include honest-to-goodness greasy beer favorites. "Burgatory" is a burger with jalapenos, mild peppers, provolone, and chipotle mayo. The aptly-named "Heartbreaker" has fried chicken strips, beer battered onions, mozzarella, bleu cheese, and 1,000 Island dressing on a soft pretzel roll. But the real winner here is the pizza: choose from three different homemade sauces: classic marinara, bold & spicy beer sauce, and garlic & wine sauce. You have your choice of white or whole wheat crust (for the carb-conscious). Then pile on your favorite toppings for a piping hot pie with wonderfully flavorful crust. I ordered garlic & wine with mozzarella and tomatoes (a makeshift Margherita, as I called it). The sauce was superb: aromatic, light with just the right amount of tanginess and chock FULL o'chopped garlic, JUST how I like it. The crust was soft and chewey (you can tell the dough is fresh), with a beautiful buttery flavor. This instantly made my top 10.

If you've got a sweet tooth, check out one of the homemade ice creams: they are made with Sherwood's house-made beers, wines, and sodas. (And if you've never had a red wine or Porter ice cream, you've been missing out.)

I left Sherwood with a warm and fuzzy feeling, and not just from all the beer. This place is comfortable and comforting, from the food to the company. At one point during my visit, Lisa pointed to a father with his young son and said, "Look how cute this is! You can't have a better job!" Between her passion for people, Ray's passion for beer, and the staff's passion for food, you also can't have a better brewpub.

For more abouut Sherwood's brewing history, check Metromode for the forthcoming article.

DRW Preview #3: Iridescence is the Best Place in the Whole World

I love it when I'm right.

For two years now I've been telling people that Iridescence inside Motor City Casino is simply hands-down the BEST five-star (or Four Diamond, as it were) dining experience in all of metro Detroit. (Sorry Lark fans, but cold appetizer trolleys just don't appeal to me.)

I recently had the opportunity to interview Chef Don Yamauchi for Model D (you can read the full article here), during which time I had to restrain myself from kneeling down on the ground in full-blown Wayne and Garth "I'm not worthy!" idol worship. I also had the opportunity to sample the 5-course tasting menu--a menu designed strictly with gourmet foodies in mind--as well as chat with the Fine Dining Manager at Iridescence, Georges Mokbel (who, should this whole restaurant manager/author/chef thing not work out for him, could always fall back on modeling for Armani).

I admit I don't do well with word limits, which is why it's GREAT I have this blog! (And God bless you, Clare Pfieffer Ramsey, for trying to edit my unapologetically verbose self.) Here you can find all the gushing over Don and over Georges and over Iridescence and over the food (OMG the food!) I couldn't quite cram into the Model D piece (they didn't go for my suggestion to just use 6-point font).

This might take awhile. Go ahead and get yourself a glass of wine. I'll wait.

Ready now? Splendid.

Iridescence is another one of the 17 restaurants participating in the innaugural Detroit Restaurant Week, September 18-27, during which time all participating restaurants will offer a minimum 3-course meal for the fixed price of $27.00 (excluding tax, gratuity, and beverages).

In the Model D interview with Chef Don, I speak about how Don has succeeded in reinventing the menu at Iridescence to make it more accessible to more people, with more focus on familiar regional dishes (dishes people know and love), all while drastically reducing prices. I also speak a little about Chef Don's background too (from Chicago, came to Tribute, then MGM, then Forte, now Motor City), but there are a few details I left out.

That second venture that "did well...until it didn't"? That was the world-renowned Le Francais in Wheeling, IL (called the "finest French restaurant west of Paris"), which Chef Don took over as co-owner and Executive Chef after the legendary Jean Banchet decided to hang up his chef's hat. (Incidentally, this is also the restaurant where Cuisine's Chef Paul Grosz got his start, under the tutelage of Banchet.) This was a restaurant that the wealthy would actually fly to (one customer, Don told me, would actually limo in from clear across the country because he was afraid of flying but loved the food); but after 9/11, all that traveler business (which comprised the majority of the clientele, being out in a somewhat remote Chicago suburb) abruptly ended, forcing them to shut down. (The restaurant later re-opened with another acclaimed chef back in place, only to shutter again permanently.)

Don Yamauchi was a recipient of the James Beard Foundation's Rising Chef award (and please correct me if I'm wrong, but this makes metro Detroit's total roster of James Beard recipients three, alongside Jimmy Schmidt and Michael Symon). He has also been named among Food & Wine magazine’s Top 10 New Chefs in America. If I failed to convey his true culinary prowess in the published interview, I blame only myself and my complete inability to self-edit (my apologies to Model D, their readers, and Mr. Yamauchi himself for not doing him more justice). And also the fact that he totally doesn't present himself that way.

As part of my research for both DRW and Model D, I was invited to Iridescence to sample some of Chef Don's newest innovations. I admit, yes, what I should have done was sample something off the special Restaurant Week menu. Yes, this is what I should have done. I mean, technically I did try one of the items off the DRW menu, however inadvertently. But the 5-course tasting menu was right there! Just staring at me, waiting for me to order from it, tantalizing me with its foie gras and its sweetbreads and its roquefort cheese. What was I supposed to do with an opportunity like that? Really, what else could you have expected from me???

Fine Dining Manager Georges Mokbel complimented my choice of the tasting menu, noting that it is designed specifically for foodies and gourmets (foie gras and sweetbreads aren't quite for everyone, nor would the presence of these particular dishes on the regular menu really jibe with the new, more accessible attitude at Iridescence).

Georges Mokbel is a story in himself: a consummate professional in the world of consumption. He is currently writing a book called Everyday to Gourmet, which offers alternative "everyday" and "gourmet" preparations side-by-side (think: gazpacho, salmon, eggplant, trout). He studied for several years in France under the "Master" Paul Bocuse (again I can reference a tie to Paul Grosz, who also studied under Bocuse for a time). He worked in Cannes, Monte Carlo, and in St. Tropez (under Alain Ducasse), and somehow, inexplicably, found his way to Detroit (he jokes he tries to live as if he were still in Monte Carlo; I'd like to see how). He checked on my table repeatedly, offering his comments and suggestions, and was an absolute pillar of professionalism. There were several moments when I would catch him standing quietly at the back of the restaurant, observing the staff and patrons with hands clasped. I couldn't shake the phrase "lording over his domain" from my mind.

Our server Theresa was friendly, welcoming, and helpful. If you were a newcomer to Iridescence, she would put you totally at ease. She speaks very highly of Chef Don and his new "inviting" menu, as well as jokes about the brother/sister relationship she has with Georges. She is capable of making even the most awkward diners comfortable, and fully embodies this new, more relaxed attitude of the restaurant. She also made some killer wine suggestions, including California's Conundrum, a blend of five white varietals that is crisp, tart, and full-bodied. Make no mistake: the identity may be a litte more casual, but the service is still top-notch.


Our meal began with an amuse bouche of sweet chili crab salad with microgreens. It was a simple way to rev up the palate, and it served its purpose.

Don has certainly succeeded in drastically reducing prices while still maintaining the venue’s artful gourmet cuisine. Each of the 5 courses served as part of the tasting menu were individual works of art. It began with the Seared Yellowfin Tuna, thick squares of Grade A yellowfin tuna dressed with garnishes of Osetra caviar, sushi rice, microbiotic organic mushrooms, seaweed with microgreens, and crab salad with red onions, with a drizzle of 24-year aged balsamic vinegar on the plate. The tuna was thick as steak and just as hearty; the overall presentation was sushi deconstructed.

Next came the Monkfish and Veal sweetbreads in a vanilla buerre blanc with a "fondue" of leeks. Georges presented this as his favorite dish: the texture of the lightly sauteed monkfish and the sweetbreads compliment each other well, and the buerre blanc is just the right amount of slightly sweet creaminess to accent these proteins that melt like butter in your mouth. This isn't something that will be found on the regular menu, either: as evidenced by my dining partner's shock when I told him what sweetbreads were (after he ate some, naturally), it isn't the kind of thing your average diner would find palatable.

Next was the Tournedos of Beef Rossini with foie gras and summer black truffles, served with a braised potato and a mold of mixed vegetables with a red wine reduction and aged balsamic vinegar. Once again, our server Theresa was incredibly helpful, offering suggestions to my partner in tasting the foie gras, it being his first exposure to it. Now I ask you: have you ever seen a plate of meat and potatoes that looked so artistic?


The fourth course was kind of a pre-dessert: Roquefort cheese with a milk chocolate and olive oil blend and cherries. Now...you know I love cheese. This Roquefort was perfection--stinky and veiny and blue. The chocolate-olive oil accent was unexpected, but the rich, creamy smoothness offset the overpowering cheese, and the result? I plowed through two orders. (I will always bring someone lactose intolerant with me henceforth.) This course is part of the Restaurant Week Menu as well, so consider yourself officially informed.


For the fifth and final course, true dessert was served, but Theresa thought I might enjoy the dessert off the other tasting menu as opposed to the Roasted Peaches that were part of the 5-course (she was correct, and I do appreciate the thoughfulness). She came out with a beautifully constructed plate of chocolate peanut butter mousse with chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream and caramelized bananas from award-winning pastry chef Patricia Nash. Fans of chocolate and peanut butter pairings have found their Holy Grail; the very definition of decadence, this dessert was bananas like the Gwen Stefani song.

After four hours of feasting in one of the most gorgeous restaurants in the area with an absolutely stunning view of the city, our langurous meal had come to an end. A tasting menu like this might cost $90.00 or more previously, but here, in the "new" Iridescence, it was only $50.00--a fully haute cuisine experience at the price of a steak with accompaniments at a run-of-the-mill steakhouse. Each dish was pure art, from presentation on the plate to the palate. There’s a reason I call this place my favorite, but don't just take my (lengthy) word for it: experience the Four Diamond dining experience for yourself at Iridescence during Detroit Restaurant Week. This is truly world-class dining, on par with some of the finest restaurants in the world, at a price that is comparable to, what...Friday's? Applebees? And may I be struck down with lightning should I ever make that comparison again.

Detroit Restaurant Week Menu September 18-27, $27

First Course
Roasted shrimp with corn ravioli and vanilla beurre blanc
Or
Kobe sliders with frissee and honey-garlic vinaigrette

Second Course
Soy marinated salmon with rice cake and miso butter
Or
Chicken 2 ways

Third Course
Roasted pineapples & cinnamon crumbcake ice cream
Or
Roquefort cheese with milk chocolate and cherries

All photographs compliments of Sean Gabriel Photography.

Much Ado About Crepes: What Crepe?

Photo courtesy of Michelle Matiyow and Lians for www.lmstudios.com

One of the advantages of being a food writer is a little somnething called a "media tasting." I was invited to one such of these "media tastings" last week for What Crepe?, the new creperie in Royal Oak.

And thank God for it...left to my own devices, it would have taken me who knows how long to make the trip out to Royal Oak ALLLLLLL the way from my usual Detroit-Dearborn circuit. But now, just four days after the tasting, I was back again having the exact same crepe I had the first time because it was, quite simply, THAT good.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Matiyow and Lians for www.lmstudios.com

Inhabiting the former Cafe Muse location, a tiny little hallway of a building on Washington Ave., the spot is by its very nature terribly cute and cozy. As Cafe Muse, it was cheery and eclectic and quaint. What Crepe? is just as quaint, but with a little more drama. The walls are a deep berry-stained red, with dramatic dark wood accents and a distinctly Parisian flair. The furniture, glassware, and plates are all amusingly mismatched, like the lone leftovers of an antique sale that desperately needed a home. You might sit in a plush velvet wingback chair, or on a backless leather bar stool. One plate might be flowery like something found in Grandma's pantry, and another might have a wild zebra pattern. The menus are made with old French record sleeves, completing the apparent effect of what almost feels like a trendy Euro-style antique salvage space. The (mismatched) wrought iron cafe tables out front complete the vibe of a thoroughly modern Parisian cafe reborn out of the old.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Matiyow and Lians for www.lmstudios.com

I noted before that creperies seem to be all the rage right now, so I will admit that my expectations for What Crepe? were a little high simply because I expected that they would (nay: MUST) have something new to offer to the scene already getting a little creped-out. The various crepe offerings around the city range in quality, with some more impressive than others. Prior to my discovery of What Crepe?, Le Petit Zinc was my favorite. And while I do still love the child-like sunniness of Le Petit Zinc, the menu at What Crepe? takes the, well, crepe.

On Tuesday What Crepe? will debut their new menu designed by Chef Justin Kopsch, who was hired on specifically to expand the menu and increase portion sizes. This new menu features some 50 specialty crepes, each plentiful enough as a meal on its own. The old favorites--such as MY favorite, the Mushroom Madness--will remain on the menu, which will also now include such items as an asparagus, prosciutto, and gruyere savory crepe and the brings-out-the-kid-in-me peanut butter, chocolate sauce and marshmallow sweet crepe.

On my first visit I had the chance to chat with owner Paul Jenkins Jr. (PJ), who is equally adorable as he is most assuredly insane for opening a new restaurant in this current economic climate, having no previous restaurant experience. "No time like the present," he tells me with a winning grin. "I always dreamed of opening my own restaurant, and now I'm finally living my dream."

The advantage What Crepe? has over some other restaurants is that, for $30.00, a couple can come out and have a lovely evening with amazing food, without breaking the bank. "I love seeing people come here on dates," PJ tells me, and he seems genuinely happy that people are choosing his place for their special nights out. They currently have no liquor license, but are third in line to receive the new "Bistro Liquor License," introduced by the Royal Oak Liquor Control Commission to allow restaurants with limited seating the ability to serve wine and beer (particularly in a city like Royal Oak which is already 2 or 3 Class C liquor licenses over its quota).

PJ might not have any restaurant experience, but before you start getting a fanciful picture of a boy with a simple love of crepes taking a chance and opening a restaurant with nothing but his dreams, this boy happens to have YEARS of experience operating his own promotions and publicity business, throwing parties all over the world for people like P-Diddy. In fact, that love of crepes which inspired this new restaurant venture came from his international travels when he and his girlfriend would search for the best crepes. And through a familial connection he was also able to sit in on meetings at Motor City Casino regarding all aspects of restaurant operations, so he was not without prior exposure. Oh, I should probably note he also has a degree in business management and marketing. So yes--a boy and his dreams, sure, but not quite wide-eyed and inexperienced, and also a bit of a wunderkind. In other words, don't get your hopes up that opening a restaurant could be so easy. Try also not to be spurned on by the fact that he achieved this all within three months of having the idea for What Crepe?

Photo courtesy of Michelle Matiyow and Lians for www.lmstudios.com

As the owner, PJ is constantly striving to offer the best ingredients to make the finest crepes. He will not TRY to be the best; he WILL be. This sort of full-throttle attitude is evident all over the menu: where else can you find such items as Truffle Zip Sauce, Agave Nectar, Creme Fraiche, as well as an assortment of vegan options and substitutes so that everyone can enjoy the items on the menu?

The Chicken Truffle is made with marinated all-natural chicken, arugula, and truffle zip sauce. The chicken is tender and juicy and the truffle zip light and tangy, perfect for a light lunch. The mixed fresh berry is a simple combination of smashed fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, topped with powered sugar and whipped cream. At first this sounded a little boring to me, but at the enthusiastic recommendation of our server, the endearingly sweet Sophie, I went for it. With crepes, simplicity is often key; here the tart berry compote with the cream and the delicate, slightly sweet crepe shell made for a tastefully simple combination.

Though there is also something to be said for indulgence: the What Chocolate Eclair Crepe is full of vanilla custard and coated with nutella, topped with shaved white chocolate, whip cream, powdered sugar and cocoa powder. You really just can't go wrong with custard, but custard with nutella makes for the juggernaut of desserts. Doughtnut, your days are numbered.

But I have yet to tell you about the crepe de resistance: Mushroom Madness. Cremini, shitake, and whole button mushrooms, soaked in butter and wrapped in a crepe shell that looks like it's about to burst. It is drizzled with truffle zip sauce and loaded with melted gruyere swiss cheese. Gruyere makes me happy, and tangy, melted gruyere covering butter-soaked exotic mushrooms makes me even happier. Having sampled it once already, I couldn't help but sample it a second time--the huge chunks of mushrooms burst with their uniquely exotic flavors and taste richer, more robust than some of the finest cuts of beef. The high-quality gruyere is sharp and tangy, offsetting the basic (as in, opposite of acidic), slightly bitter mushrooms. The crepe is hearty and filling and absolutely decadent.


From top, Chicken Truffle, Mushroom Madness, and Wild Berry
There is a small garden plot behind the restaurant where they grow their tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, and strawberries, staying true to the garden-to-table ethic Slow Foodies and locovores all over are taking up.

The service is consistently wonderful. Sophie was my server on both trips and her genuine smile and upbeat attitude was a delight. On my second trip they had run out of some items after a particularly busy Sunday morning, and she was incredibly apologetic for it. Lita, whom a sixth-sense tingling makes me believe is PJ's crepe-loving globe-trotting partner, also personally came over and apologized for the inconvenience, offering to help us make different selections. This was in stark contrast to an experience I had almost two years ago at the Frank Taylor restaurant Detroit Breakfast House, where a terse and unapologetic "We're out of that" (orange juice, bananas, bacon) was met with impatience at our dawdling over the menu (suffice it to say I haven't been back since). Then Sophie later thanked us for being so nice to her, which caught me off guard because I certainly hadn't thought we had done anything special. Another server (Molly? Megan?) introduced herself to the table of middle-aged women next to us having a riveting conversation about medical ailments because she recognized them as regulars.

One thing I should note is that the space is very SMALL. The other patrons become your inadvertent dining partners--every conversation is easily overheard, and no matter where you sit you're likely to be sitting very close to someone at another table. The patio offers a little more privacy, if you don't mind baking in the sun. But despite this, the experience is still enjoyable--just know what to expect.

At What Crepe?, you're made to feel genuinely welcome, like each and every person there is sincerely happy and grateful that you came. This level of graciousness is hard to find, and it, much like this restaurant and its wonderful crepes, is a welcome treat.