The Root Named Restaurant of the Year

Many White Lake residents had already known about the wonderful cuisine at The Root Restaurant & Bar and now many more in metro Detroit will soon become of aware.

The Detroit Free Press today has named The Root its 2012 Restaurant of the Year.

With an emphasis on modern American cuisine, the Root, located at 340 Town Center Blvd in White Lake, sits in a 4,700-square-foot building in the Village Lakes Shopping Center next to . Its original plans called for 111 interior seats and 28 outside. It serves lunch and dinner and is open every day but Sunday.

The restaurant's chef, James Rigato, described the food as modern American. He also said he wants the atmosphere in the restaurant to have a casual feel.

“We don’t want a restaurant that people are afraid to come in because of the dress code,” Rigato told White Lake Patch a year ago.

White Lake Local Editor Brooke Tajer will be beside herself with this news. She has she's been touting the restaurant's flavorful food, its ambience and friendliness of the chef. She learned about the impending restaurant last spring and couldn't wait for it's grand opening, which she reviewed in June.

And for the record, it was her site of choice for her bridal shower in October 2011.

Expect to see increased traffic along Town Center Boulevard in the upcoming weeks and year.