Date Night: Michael Symon's Roast

Last night, my husband and I dressed up and headed to Michael Symon's Roast.  It did not disappoint.  The atmosphere, food, and service were spectacular.  I had the lamb ragu and he had the rack of lamb while we split a side of fried brussel spouts.  Yep, that's right, deep fried brussel sprouts...delicious and fattening but we could still pretend to be eating healthy green vegetables.

The prices are what you would expect from a high-end downtown restaurant so be prepared to splurge. As a foodie, I think Roast is worth the extra money.  If you want to feel a little less guilty, make your reservation through OpenTable.com and earn some points towards $$$ off your next night out.

Roast could compete in Chicago or New York.  It is a true gem in downtown Detroit.

We walked around downtown for a little while after dinner.  The Lafayette gardens are just around the corner.  The gardens are open to the public during business hours.   We were a little late for that but peaked through the fence to check out the green space.  I don't remember the Lafayette building that once stood on the site, but I can appreciate the softening of the city that the green space provides.

Family Outing: Good Girls Go To Paris

In the spirit of exploring Detroit, we chose go to Good Girls Go To Paris for our Father's Day treat.  It is an amazing concept of wide variety savory and sweet crepes.  The kind of place that executed correctly could have lines out the door and down the block.  Unfortunately, this is not the case here.  The restaurant was dirty.  My husband and I found the two savory crepes we tried to be horrible.  The salmon was so salty that it was impossible to finish the crepe.  My husband's chicken was very unappealing.  Our kids both chose sweet crepes and they seemed better than the savory crepes.  Even so, we will not be returning!  Its too bad because it could have been an awesome treat.

We still managed to enjoy our Father's Day.  One bad meal can't spoil the entire day!

Photographing Detroit

Detroit is loved by photographers.  The decay, the revival, often side by side, provide countless opportunities for striking photographs. 

Reveal Your Detroit Opens today at the Detroit Public Library and will run through August 15th.  The photographs were taken by local Detroiters, including more than 50 Detroit-based community organizations.  I have been taking sneak peeks at a small sampling of the photo submissions online at the freep.com but can't wait to check out the exhibit.  If you make it before me, please let us know what you think.

This morning, I got up at 4am and headed to downtown to take a stab at revealing my Detroit.  I purchased a DSLR camera about a month ago.  I have always had a point-and-shoot so using the camera is a little like learning to speak for me.  With my camera, a large cup of coffee, and my newly gained knowledge from reading "Understanding Exposure", I managed to get the following pictures.  Both should have used a tripod so they aren't perfect, but hey, I had the camera in manual mode and managed to get a decent photo.  :-)

MGM Grand Detroit

Ren Cen from between Comerica Part and Ford Field

As I mentioned in my 'about me' intro when I started the blog, I was raised in a Detroit  suburb and almost never came to Detroit until about a 2 years ago.  Although, I am in Detroit a lot now, I still found being a woman alone a little intimidating.  I hope I get more confident (while remaining alert and safe) as my photography practice continues in Detroit.  I saw quite a few shots that I think could have been impressive but they either would have required me to park and walk alone for a ways or park in an area that seemed a little rough.  I was little too chicken to do it.  Rarely was there anyone on the street, but that is what made it so intimidating.  When I did see someone, I wondered why they were there.  Anyone else experience this?  How do you do it?  A photography buddy?

Rattlesnake Club

Last night, some out of town friends wanted to 'dress up and go out to dinner'.  I picked the Rattlesnake Club.  It was a first for all of us.  The location is nice and the atmosphere was fitting of an upscale downtown restaurant.  I am non-committal on the food,however.  It was good but not as good as I anticipated.  I am not sure how often they change their menu but I felt as though the food could have been spectacular with just a little refinement.  We will try it again but next time we will make sure it is a nice day so that we can enjoy the patio and river views.

Movement: Detroit's Electronic Music Festival

Movement, Detroit's Electronic Music Festival, had attendees dancing 24/7 in downtown Detroit last weekend.  My colleague, Nicole, stayed downtown at the Greektown Casino and Hotel so that she could soak up as much of the music, dancing, and excitement as possible.  Her take?  The event and surrounding parties were a lot of fun and full of energy.  Look below at some of the pictures she snapped and I am sure you will have to agree, even if techno isn't your thing. 

I have a little pride just knowing that Detroit was the birth place of the techno music genre.  I studied abroad for a year and was amazed that many of my European classmates didn't ask me about the auto industry, motown music, or drive-by shootings (my Mizzou classmates did even though St. Louis was fighting us for the murder capital title at the time); but instead, they asked me if I had ever attended a techno party in one of the abondonned warehouses of Detroit.  If techno music can help improve Detroit's image and draw in vacationers from across the Atlantic; I must thank the musicians and DJs for making it happen.     

 

Nicole and I both noticed something exciting last weekend.  The town was alive with people.  Movement, Race for a Cure, and Eastern Market drew huge crowds to Downtown Detroit.  The streets were alive with people walking, talking, and having fun.  It was a downtown showing its rivival.