So...how did it go?
Detroit Restaurant Week began last Friday and runs through this Sunday, so even if you didn't have the chance to make it out this weekend you still have 7 full more days to experience the best in Detroit dining! 3-course meals, Detroit's best restaurants, $27. You would have to be crazy to miss this, crazy I say! (Or, maybe, just not as "into" food as me, which also = crazy.)
I've already given you previews of Andiamo on the Riverfront, Cuisine, Iridescence, the Whitney, Atlas Global Bistro, a tiny taste of Roast, and will be bringing a preview of Detroit Fish Market later this week. Now, every restaurant is offering up some great food at a great value, but there are a couple of menus I would like to specifically highlight as going above and beyond.
The Rattlesnake Club is offering a 1 1/4lb. lobster along with fresh salad options and some of the most unique desserts, including a Passion Fruit Cheesecake Cube (which, if it's anything like the Passion Fruit Creme Brulee I had there earlier this year, YUM!) and "Amazon" sorbets accented with orange flower syrup and a wild poppy seed, red chile, and sesame tuile. The Rattlesnake Club continues to be the Grande Dame of Detroit dining, and with good reason--but don't just take my word for it; find out for yourself!
24 Grille is also offering an exceptionally ambitious menu, and it is FULL of foie gras! Perhaps my gushing over the seared foie gras atop a bed of green goddess salad with truffled cotton candy at this year's BravoBravo! made it to the right ears, but this menu is a gourmand's dream! Start with the Hudson Valley Foie Gras atop a Mach Salad with sliced apples and cotton candy, and follow it up with the Foie-Infused Sous Vide Sirloin served with a cipollini onion and garlic confit and zip sauce. For dessert you'll have house-made ice cream, but maybe if you're really nice they'll throw a slab of foie gras on top just to complete the trio! (There's an idea: foie gras ice cream. It can't be terrible?)
I know, I know, SO many options and so little time. But I have faith in you. You have one more week. Godspeed.
Serious Reads: Terra Madre, by Carlo Petrini
1 hour ago
5 comments:
I was excited to hear about DRW, but as a vegetarian I am totally underwhelmed by the options. Looking at the menu offerings, I think there are three establishments offering vegetarian options. An unfortunately none of those offerings constitute a balanced meal.
Yeah, grilled vegetables are great. Worth $27, doubtful. Vegetarians need protein too, believe it or not. This can be accomplished by offering beans or other legumes, nuts, tofu or tempeh, seitan or a number of other food sources. Yet NONE of the restaurants offer a meal that has ANY vegetarin protein sources. Are we supposed to wither and die?
Well, maybe next year I will be able to participate in DRW. What a shame that there is this missed opportunity.
I'm sorry that you feel your needs are not being met, David. I do know that the restaurants have tried to create options to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, and for many places that has included offering pasta and fish dishes (such as Roast, which is not exactly known for being a great place for vegetarians). I've had several fish dishes at the participating restaurants, and am even going to a place that serves nothing BUT fish tonight. By most menu standards, this is considered vegetarian-friendly and in my own history organizing dining events, my vegetarian attendees have been more than satisfied with having a fish option.
If your particular brand of vegetarianism prevents you from eating any kind of animal protein and you don't consider a pasta with grilled vegetables as a suitable option, I would recommend contacting the restaurant(s) and seeing if they would be willing to accommodate you with something else in the same pricing.
Understand that in designing a menu to appeal to several million metro-Detroiters, not all dietary restrictions can be easily taken into account. This includes vegans, those with allergies/sensitivities to dairy, nuts, shellfish, and gluten, those who cannot digest seeds, etc. But I am sure if you contacted any one of these places, they would be happy to have you as their guest and accommodate your requests.
Wagging your finger here is counter-productive at best; for best results, contact the restaurant(s) of your choosing.
Well, Nicole, what is the point of being able to leave comments here?
I'm not sure when fish became vegetables, but maybe your friends could use a little biology lesson.
My main point was simply that the vegetarian option is an after-thought for this program, as demonstrated by the lack of balanced nutrition in any the three "vegetarian" dishes offered.
My other point was that this is a missed opportunity. Vegetarianism is a growing trend, and as an avid traveler I have seen the offerings in countless other cities around the U.S. and abroad.
I will contact the restaurants that offer a vegetarian option, and see if they might be able to balance the nutritional aspect of their offerings. Thank you for the suggestion. I hope your meal is great! cheers.
Good luck David, I'm sure you will find the restaurants to be most accommodating, and perhaps you can even encourage them to broaden their offerings for future Restaurant Weeks!
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