Michael Symon's Roast
I will post more in-depth about our Thanksgiving trip to Michigan, but first I wanted to post about Michael Symon's Roast.
So, I am a ridiculously huge fan of the Food Network and the celebrity chefs on it. When I learned that Iron Chef Michael Symon had a restaurant in Detroit I simply could not pass up the opportunity to go while we were back in Michigan for Thanksgiving with the families. So, we made reservations for the day after Thanksgiving and took Matt's mom.
It is downtown off Michigan and Washington in he new Westin that was redone for the super bowl. It is meticulous designed with a modern looks. We were seated right away even though we were early for our reservations. Our waitress, Liz, was very attentive throughout the process and we really enjoyed her recommendations for food and drinks. Ethel had even forgotten her glasses so was unable to read the menu and Liz recommended some things to her based on her description of what she typically liked. She wanted a white wine and we told her she liked Rieslings and Liz offered a German Riesling that wasn't sickenly sweet and very fruity. It was perfect. oneandonlymatt and I each ordered a beer to start with off the "beer list for wine enthusiasts" which were exactly as described. They were all artisan or Belgian brewed beers.
We started the dinner with a couple of appetizers: steak tar-tar and stuffed peppers. The steak tar-tar was perfect. It came with a uni mousse on top and a little avocado and lime mix on the side. The portion was perfect and the three of us shared it easily. The stuffed peppers, we were warned, could be very hot. Since the peppers themselves were heirloom there was no telling their heat until you actually ate them. Ethel and Matt found them extremely hot but I found them delightful.
After the appetizers we went right into dinner. Ethel had the short rib at Liz's recommendation. Matt had the Roast Beast of the Day which was lamb. I ordered the wild boar. We also ordered three sides to share: mac and cheese, spinach and feta au gratin and fried brussel sprouts. We asked Liz for her recommendation of a good beer with dinner and she offered a larger bottle of beer to share - collaboration between a Belgian brewery and Sierra Nevada that was a winter seasonal beer. It wasn't hoppy but was brewed with great seasonal spices like clove and ginger and cinnamon. It was as she described, perfect with our meals. The meals were also as described. The mac and cheese was my favorite and I am not sure exactly what cheeses it was made from, but it was amazing. All three meats were superb but Ethel's short rib was probably my favorite of all of them.
After dinner, Liz brought the dessert menu. We weren't originally going to get dessert but we found ourselves intrigued by the Guinness and Pretzel ice cream. We asked that she wait until we were done with our beer, since we were afraid that the flavors would mix improperly. She did just that and as soon as our beer was gone, the ice-cream arrived. It was everything you could imagine Guinness Ice Cream could be and with the salty pretzels it was divine.
I would highly recommend going to Michael Symon's Roast if you find yourself in Detroit. Keep in mind that it is not a cheap dinner, but the food is well worth the price in my opinion. The Iron Chef did not disappoint.
http://www.roastdetroit.com/dinner.html
So, I am a ridiculously huge fan of the Food Network and the celebrity chefs on it. When I learned that Iron Chef Michael Symon had a restaurant in Detroit I simply could not pass up the opportunity to go while we were back in Michigan for Thanksgiving with the families. So, we made reservations for the day after Thanksgiving and took Matt's mom.
It is downtown off Michigan and Washington in he new Westin that was redone for the super bowl. It is meticulous designed with a modern looks. We were seated right away even though we were early for our reservations. Our waitress, Liz, was very attentive throughout the process and we really enjoyed her recommendations for food and drinks. Ethel had even forgotten her glasses so was unable to read the menu and Liz recommended some things to her based on her description of what she typically liked. She wanted a white wine and we told her she liked Rieslings and Liz offered a German Riesling that wasn't sickenly sweet and very fruity. It was perfect. oneandonlymatt and I each ordered a beer to start with off the "beer list for wine enthusiasts" which were exactly as described. They were all artisan or Belgian brewed beers.
We started the dinner with a couple of appetizers: steak tar-tar and stuffed peppers. The steak tar-tar was perfect. It came with a uni mousse on top and a little avocado and lime mix on the side. The portion was perfect and the three of us shared it easily. The stuffed peppers, we were warned, could be very hot. Since the peppers themselves were heirloom there was no telling their heat until you actually ate them. Ethel and Matt found them extremely hot but I found them delightful.
After the appetizers we went right into dinner. Ethel had the short rib at Liz's recommendation. Matt had the Roast Beast of the Day which was lamb. I ordered the wild boar. We also ordered three sides to share: mac and cheese, spinach and feta au gratin and fried brussel sprouts. We asked Liz for her recommendation of a good beer with dinner and she offered a larger bottle of beer to share - collaboration between a Belgian brewery and Sierra Nevada that was a winter seasonal beer. It wasn't hoppy but was brewed with great seasonal spices like clove and ginger and cinnamon. It was as she described, perfect with our meals. The meals were also as described. The mac and cheese was my favorite and I am not sure exactly what cheeses it was made from, but it was amazing. All three meats were superb but Ethel's short rib was probably my favorite of all of them.
After dinner, Liz brought the dessert menu. We weren't originally going to get dessert but we found ourselves intrigued by the Guinness and Pretzel ice cream. We asked that she wait until we were done with our beer, since we were afraid that the flavors would mix improperly. She did just that and as soon as our beer was gone, the ice-cream arrived. It was everything you could imagine Guinness Ice Cream could be and with the salty pretzels it was divine.
I would highly recommend going to Michael Symon's Roast if you find yourself in Detroit. Keep in mind that it is not a cheap dinner, but the food is well worth the price in my opinion. The Iron Chef did not disappoint.
http://www.roastdetroit.com/dinner.html