Going to Ann Arbor this weekend

I'm going to Ann Arbor this weekend. Any culinary recommendations aside from Zingerman's?

Thanks in advance!

Get yourself to Blimpy Burger. Among the best burgers ever. Be sure to read the "how to order" section on their website. They aren't quite as strict as the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld. (If you are mathematically inclined, check out the Matlab code in the section called "combinations".)

As of two years ago, the best high end restaurant in town was Eve, which has excellent New-American cuisine. I also liked Logan a lot.

Grizzly Peak is a nice bar and grill that brews their own beer.

If you want to buy wine, beer, cheese, cured meats, skip Zingerman's and head to Morgan and York.

What else are you looking for in AA? I can come up with other suggestions.

Blimpy Burger
http://www.blimpyburger.com/
551 S Division St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 663-4590

Eve
http://www.evetherestaurant.com/?1223051269771
415 N. Fifth Ave. (Kerrytown Market & Shops)
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 222–0711

Logan
http://www.logan-restaurant.com
115 West Washington Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 327 - 2312

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company
http://www.grizzlypeak.net/
120 W. Washington
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 741–7325

Morgan and York
http://www.morganandyork.com/
1928 Packard Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 662-0798

Aside from Zingermans, which I love (expensive but worth every penny), I've had quite a few mediocre meals at "nicer" places. The one standout was Paesano's, an Italian restaurant at 3411 Washtenaw. http://www.paesanosannarbor.com/ It was only one meal, but to me, there was a sophistication in the cooking I'd generally not found.

Jonah

This is a good thread with some solid suggestions:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=20998

I'd second the Paesano's suggestion, although the location/ambiance leaves a bit to be desired (it's out in strip mall territory and feels accordingly so)

Make sure and order the fried broccoli at Blimpies. I still dream about it....

I've eaten once at Eve, based on that sole meal, I think it's a great place. Or put it this way, I'd happily return.

Does besides from Zingerman's include the Roadhouse? My last meal there was just slightly above OK, but I've had enough good ones, to keep it in the rotation. It's a place I like a lot.

Thank you for the recommendations everyone! Ann Arbor was a lot of fun. We wound up not having as much time for meals as I thought.

Arrived at 2 am Friday, went to a tailgating on Saturday afternoon then Zingerman's for dinner!

I LOVED Zingerman's. I had their Reuben which was toasted, piled high with corned beef and dressed with sauerkraut and Russian dressing. I'm not sure I've had an authentic Reuben before but this was a GREAT sandwich! The pickle was just ok though.

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I'm a native Detroiter who lived in Ann Arbor in the early '80s, and have never bought into the Zingerman's hype. For my taste, the place began as a small hyped up hole-in-the-wall in a city with a decent sized Jewish population and no Jewish style deli within 50 or so miles. Thanks to a great PR mind, the place has developed some unexplained following.

Delis are far from what they used to be, as often noted on the Save the Deli blog, http://www.savethedeli.com/, but when Zingerman's took off in the early '80's, Detroit still had the Gutman Family's Irving's Delicatessen, Ron Forman's Original Bread Basket, Alex Winkler's Pickle Barrel and Sol Schpargel's Sol's Deli, just to name a few real delis that lived long lives never once being written up in the New York Times.

Going to Detroit again and looking for good deli?

Ron's Bagel Deli
40270 West 14 Mile
Commerce, MI 48390
248-960-3850
http://www.ronsbageldeli.com/

mss60614: Not sure what you mean by an "unexplained following." The explanation is that folks like me, and just about everybody I know who's eaten there, love the food! I don't eat the hype (whatever that is), just a damn fine sandwich.

I was in Ann Arbor in the early/mid 90's and we got sandwiches there. They had a few "gourmet" items but we never could afford that stuff. It truly didn't seem like any sort of NY Deli clone at that time. But a sandwich from Zingerman's was always a real treat. I even got cute little open-faced sandwiches on a tray for some sort of event I had to get catered for work. No more than any other catering place, and very tasty.

Had a nice breakfast at Northside Grill this morning. It is a homey diner with a very friendly staff. We were quoted a wait of 15-20 min, but we probably only waited 10 min tops. We were given a buzzer to notify us when our table was ready, and complimentary coffee is provided outside.

I asked the server about their biscuits and gravy, and I really appreciated her honesty when she discouraged me from ordering them. She informed me that they don't make the gravy onsite, and she finds it too salty for her tastes. I went w/the Morning Eggdition - a breakfast sandwich of scrambled eggs, diced ham, tomatoes, and Swiss cheese sandwiched between grilled Texas toast. In addition to the mayo provided on the sandwich, I added some of Clancy's Fancy Hot Sauce which added a nice kick to it. Clancy's is a hot sauce produced in Ann Arbor. It kind of reminded me of sriracha sauce, but thinner. We bought a bottle at the register as we checked out. A portion of the sales from the Morning Eggdition goes to WEMU, a local NPR station.

Their hash browns were fresh and the outer layer was perfectly golden and crispy. My fiance had the Big Easy skillet of onions, green peppers, andouille sausage, mushrooms, cajun seasoning topped with eggs and cheese. We also ordered a short stack of oat bran pancakes to split. The server said she usually brings one home and eats it with peanut butter so I am looking forward to trying this combo. Serving sizes were large enough to allow us to bring home leftovers.

Northside Grill
1015 Broadway
Ann Arbor, MI
734.995.0965

Sadly, Eve is closing: http://www.annarbor.com/business-review ... -decision/

Eve Aronoff will focus on her new restaurant, Frita Batidos in downtown A2.

I had some very good meals at Eve and I'm disappointed I won't be able to return there next time I'm in town.

Darren72 wrote:Sadly, Eve is closing: http://www.annarbor.com/business-review ... -decision/

Eve Aronoff will focus on her new restaurant, Frita Batidos in downtown A2.

I had some very good meals at Eve and I'm disappointed I won't be able to return there next time I'm in town.

I didn't get to have dinner until 9pm est after my flight delay. I wasn't really feeling that hungry, and I was a little worried that a frita would be too heavy and greasy. My hesitation was quickly put to rest after my food arrived.

I went with the chorizo frita and a fresh lime batido. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the chorizo frita was a lot lighter than the heavy burger that I had expected. The chorizo patty was topped with hand cut fries and sandwiched between a light and fluffy brioche bun. Sadly though, I found the fries a bit limp.

I really enjoyed the fresh lime batido. I almost ordered the coconut creme, but in the end, I figured that lime might be a little harder to come by. It did not disappoint. Key lime and cream would be an accurate description - like a lime flavored creamsicle. The lime batido was cool, refreshing, and light.

I was hesitant about trying them at first, but I really enjoyed my Chorizo Frita there. My side of plantains was pretty tasty also.

...not for nothing, but I can't imagine a frita with limp, fat fries, since the standard fast food frita is made with Durkee Potato Stix. This seems like frita meets Primanti Brothers.