The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake is Metro Detroit best restaurant, according arguably Detroit's most well-known restaurant critic.

"With its local-seasonal philosophy, moderate prices, pitch-perfect blend of casual and upscale styles, and faith that great dining places can succeed anywhere, the Root could be a template for the ideal modern Michigan restaurant," writes longtime Detroit Free Press critic Sylvia Rector in naming the Root the Free Press' 2012 Restaurant of the Year.

Two years ago, Birmingham's Forest Grill was the pick, with Rector writing in the review: "The restaurant's focus on quality ingredients and classic techniques has never wavered. And neither has its belief in accessible, approachable food."

With an emphasis on modern American cuisine, the Root sits in a 4,700-square-foot building in the Village Lakes Shopping Center next to Highland House Cafe & Carry Out. 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.