Antietam

Walk in to Antietam, feel the warmth. Mid-January: a curtain around the entryway billows to announce new guests, but the cold air is muffled by the heavy velvet. A room replete with wood paneling, a wall of overpopulated coat-hooks, and straight ahead, something out of a 19th century jewelry shop—a large glass cabinet, and high wall shelving behind it. To your left is a doorway; pass through and the bar is to your right, an art deco masterpiece.

Beignets

Who doesn't love a doughnut? Almost every culture that fries food has an equivalent, scraps of sweetened pastry thrown into boiling oil, fished out when golden brown, and served with something sweet on the side... sugar, honey, walnuts, lemon curd, jellies, custards... the list goes on and on.

Beignets are French. They're typically made with something that resembles choux pastry, and depending on your source, the differences are minimal. They're absolutely coated in powdered sugar, and down in the French Quarter in New Orleans, they come in a paper bag with chickory coffee in a paper to-go cup.

At Roadside, we served them with lemon curd and chocolate ganache.

Words, words, words

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been writing reviews for the Detroit Metro Times; recently, the Detroit Free Press published their Best New Restaurants for 2014. I managed to review four of them for the Metro Times, and I figured that publishing those for your perusal would be a good way to start this blog back up. After all, this blog is part of what helped me land the job...

So coming up next Monday, I'll begin with my review of Antietam, as written. I'll let you know what's next then. Until then, be well and have a good weekend!