Roast at the Westin Book Cadillac

Technically Roast's address isn't on Michigan Ave. but it is on the corner of Washington Blvd. & Michigan Ave. And since this is my blog it counts.

I need to preface this review by saying I am a fan of Michael Symon and have had a chance to eat at Lolita in Cleveland so my expectations were high.

This is a higher end restaurant, I say this to dispense with the pleasantries. I walked in expecting five star service and was met accordingly. Keep in mind we had our two boys, ages 3 & 5 with us and not an eye by the staff was batted, a set and spike in my book.

The decor was simple and contemporary without being over the top, I'd say Banana Republic if they decorated a restaurant. I really dug the menu, it had a copper cover that gave a, dare I use the pun, meatiness to it. You see, at its core Roast is a grand meat house. The menu has the typical steaks and chops one would expect, but out of the corner of my eye I can see the roasting succulent pig. Oh that looked like heaven.

We decided on two appetizers. The first, Hungarian hot peppers stuffed with a lamb sausage and plated with a red sauce. The second, the charcuterie for two, which is a selection of smoked/cured meats, crust-inis and pickled jalapenos and onions. In my opinion this was the perfect starter. The salty prosciutto and salami along with the tanginess of the pickled veggies was a nice opening salvo. On the other side I really felt the Hungarian peppers were lacking. I grill them all summer and think they would have been better in olive oil instead of the red sauce.

On the recommendation of our waitress I ordered the Hanger Steak, my wife the 16 oz. Rib Eye (Go Girl), Rita, our dear friend ordered the Braised Beef Ribs and the boys split a fillet. They have a nice selection of pork and fish dishes but we all decided on beef. I struggled between the beast of the day and the hanger steak, but in the end 8 oz. of pork vs. 12 oz. of beef...Beef wins! 

There is a nice selection of sides, Joan and I by accident both got the polenta, Rita got the shaved zucchini and almonds.

Lets break it all down, my hanger steak was an awesome cut of meat. Cooked to a nice med rare that almost could have went a little warmer served with a garlic and shallot confi. The flavor was very rich and fulfilling. I am leery about steaks other than my own but this one was good. The polenta was a bit sweet for me and way too rich for the steak. Rita had ordered the zucchini which would have been a better choice. The zucchini and almonds had a citrus vinaigrette on them and the zestyness of it offered a nice contrast to the richness of the meat. The braised beef ribs were good but I felt like they reminded me of pot roast, but hey that's me. Joan's rib-eye was as good as my hanger steak and met our expectations. But that's the problem, it met my expectations but didn't really "wow" me.

Desert, in my opinion was a miss, we passed on it. The selection wasn't to jazzy, and for the price I'd rather hit up the Whitney. The one eye catcher on the desert menu was Beer and Pretzels, Guinness ice cream served with chocolate and carmel covered pretzels. Sounds different but Michael Simon is after all an "Iron Chef".

How do I sum it up, lets start here. 

Give Roast a shot. 

The menu is nice and the food is good, and for a night out you can't do much better in downtown Detroit. Did I feel like I got what I paid for, no not really. I missed the wow factor. Maybe I had built it up too much in my head but on the ride home my wife and I agreed that for the money it was lacking.

If you plan on going to "Roast" here's a few tips:

1. Reservations are a must. They are "kid" friendly but don't push it. We went to the first seating and called ahead. 

2. Go for the Charcuterie for 2 as a starter, its simple and flavorful and just enough.

3. The hanger steak is a cut from the lower section of the cow so know in advance the flavor is stronger than most cuts. They describe it a little more irony in taste which I think is a bit misleading I thought it was full flavored and rich.

4. Choose a side to accompany the meal. The waitstaff was very knowledgeable about the selections and can steer you right.

5. Have a coffee or an after dinner cocktail but I'd choose to skip desert, not overly impressive

See Roasts menu for pricing.

3-3/4 out of 5 Tummy Pats

PS. Our waitress name was Wendy and she was spot on. 100% patient with us and the boys at times and very personable. The staff of Roast should take note and celebrate a co-worker like that.

Roast at the Westin Book Cadillac

114 Washington Blvd.

Detroit, MI 48226

313.961.2500     www.roastdetroit.com

I know this review is long but I was able to meet Michael Symom at Roast the night we were there. I have to tell you he was a very nice man. Much like the person you see on TV. He came to our table and talked for a few minutes, joked with the boys, it was a VERY (Mercedes vehicle launch night) busy night for him but he still managed time for his customers. He is somewhat of a celebrity these days but you wouldn't know it.