Roast

1 03 2009
  • 1128 Washington Boulevard
  • Detroit, MI 48226
  • (313) 961-2500
  • Website
  • Menu
Michael Symons Roast in downtown Detroit.

Michael Symon's Roast in downtown Detroit.

Finally!  The present I’ve been looking forward to.  When I told J I bought her tickets to a concert in Windsor, she suggested going to Roast for dinner.  Her treat.  I was so excited when I read an article that Iron Chef Michael Symon was opening a Detroit restaurant and when I saw the menu for it, I knew I had to go.

Roast is in downtown Detroit on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Michigan Avenue in the recently restored Westin Book-Cadillac hotel.  The restaurant is on the bottom floor of the Washington Boulevard side.  There is an entrance from the hotel, but there’s also a set of doors next to the hotel’s main entrance that lead directly into the restaurant.

We surprisingly found parking at a meter about a block away.  Had we not, the choices looked to be very limited.  I think I saw a self park on Michigan Avenue next to the hotel.  There’s also a valet service if that’s more your thing. 

We arrived at about 5:45 for a 6:15 reservation.  We checked in with the matre’d figuring we were going to have to wait, but they actually seated us right away.  Roast has a couple huge dining rooms.  They are street level with huge windows looking out into downtown Detroit.  The space is covered with dark, subdued colors with pops of light.  From the dining room, you can see into the kitchen and you can watch the “Roast Beast of the Day” being slow roasted on a spit.  We didn’t sit in the dining room.  Instead, we were seated in the bar area which actually worked out really well.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Michael Symon’s “Roast” now open

30 10 2008

Very limited info on the Westin Book Cadillac website, but they do have a menu in which everything looks delicious..  Through the end of the year, they’re only open for dinner.  Reservations are suggested 313-961-2500…

The Detroit Free Press has an article on-line with pictures.  Can’t wait to try it…hint, hint….





Roast opening Oct. 15…

10 09 2008

…but according to the Detroit News, they needed a loan of $400,000 to do so.

Celebrity chef Michael Symon’s restaurant Roast aims to open Oct. 15 in the renovated Westin Book Cadillac downtown, backed in part by a $400,000 loan that includes public money.

After some debate about the struggles of downtown upscale restaurants, the loan was approved Tuesday by the board of the Economic Development Corp., a branch of the quasi-public Detroit Economic Growth Corp. Some of the money comes from the city’s $40 million casino fund; the 10-year loan is backed by Citizens Bank and personally guaranteed by Book Cadillac developer John Ferchill. A breakdown of how much each party is backing was not available.  

I would love to see a menu for this project.  It’s supposed to be a meat-eaters paradise.





Have A Cooking Question?

7 07 2008

No, I’m not the one to answer it.  Everything I know I learned by watching the Food Network, so I’m not about to give advice, but Food Network is giving you a chance to ask your favorite Food Network star a culinary question.  I first noticed the new show on Michael Symon’s website, but when I clicked on the link for Dear Food Network it gives you the option of which star you want to ask.  Just like Bobby Flay’s new show Grill It! With Bobby Flay, FN is giving you the opportunity to upload a short video asking a question. 

Throughout the year, do you encounter all kinds of cooking challenges – from Thanksgiving disasters to Holiday cooking blow-outs? Never fear, Food Network is here! Read the rest of this entry »





Iron Chef to Open Restaurant in Detroit

22 04 2008

I love the show Iron Chef America on the Food Network.  I’ve been a huge fan since The Food Network began airing the original Japanese version in the early part of this century, so this headline in the LSJ really caught my attention.

Cleveland chef Michael Symon’s new eatery will open on the ground floor of the historic hotel. He tells the Detroit Free Press it tentatively is called Roast and will be more than a steakhouse. It will feature two huge rotisseries and wood-burning grills where chefs will roast pigs, baby goats, spring lambs and other items.

OK, so it’s not Bobby Flay whose Mesa Grill restaurant in New York City I have eaten at (review here), but Micheal Symon is an Iron Chef after winning The Next Iron Chef.  And, as an added bonus to you foodie TV fans, Symon will be taking over Dinner: Impossible after former host Robert Irvine was fired for lying about his credentials.  According to Symon’s blog, there will be a few changes to the show.

To make it even more exciting DI will be going to a one hour format and I will have a bunch of my close friends as sous chefs, which should make the show very entertaining and fun.

Should be interesting…..