Friday, September 07, 2012

Where to Eat in Detroit

Roast.

Yes, our anniversary dinner at Michael Symon's Roast in the Westin Book Cadillac hotel was as spectacular as we had hoped.

The atmosphere was great - energetic but not noisy / rowdy.

The service was excellent - attentive and friendly but not hovering.

The food was spectacular - we agreed that it was almost certainly the best food we've ever had in a restaurant.
 
The appetizers we had were excellent: fried Brussels Sprouts - what can one say? They were simply delicious, and the pecans really did add some flavour and texture. The beef cheek pierogie had the only slight disappointment of the night - the dough was more a puff pastry than a pasta, but the filling, the sauce, and the mushrooms were great.

The sauces were amazing - the flavours had clearly been allowed to develop and work together so that there was never a single note that stood out, but each of the ingredients built layers upon one another.

The entrées were wonderful - The lemon chicken had such lemon flavour without being tart and acidic; the chicken actually had its own flavour. The lamb ragu was a bowl of perfectly cooked fresh pasta with stunningly tender lamb in a sauce where every ingredient worked together beautifully (in fact, the shaved cheese on top was nearly superfluous - it was good there, certainly not detracting nor distracting, but I would have enjoyed it just as much without the cheese, and that's very unusual for me).

All in all, a beautiful anniversary night out (being with Heidi always makes for a better time), and a place we'll recommend (and already have) and to which we'll return.

Highly, highly recommended.

Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Oh, Canada?!

What has happened to the Canada we've known for so long?

Driving the 402, 401, 403, and QEW was - I'm sad to report - little different from driving on I-94 or I-696.
Merging didn't happen with the expected politeness. Drivers (with Ontario plates!) passed on the right at speeds well in excess of 120 (in the 100 km/h zones).

At least our experiences in Niagara Falls and Hamilton (apart from the final score) were excellent as always. Walking is different from driving, I suppose. Perhaps it's true, as we read on an overpass, that the 100 km/h limit constitutes abuse. As large and spread out as that country is, that anonymous graffitist may have a point.