burger in wolverine land : Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger

if you went to Umich, ignore this post as the place has been discussed ad nauseum. actually, i take that back. i know quite a few Michigan grads who never made it to Blimpy's... so:

it's summer time, hence no snow bears, and the bear cafe awning was down as well (odd...)


fried cauliflower and a double cheese with grilled egg & blue cheese, drizzled w/ Worcester sauce..


over 1.2million combinations of burgers/topping/sizes avail:


if you've a "Blimpy Virgin", please know the few rules upon arrival:
* the order line starts on the left
* pick your drink poision, then pickup a tray per person if you're dining in. if you don't pickup a tray, one assumes you're taking out.
* move along in an orderly fashion towards the cash register, NO cell phone calls allowed while in line
* order your fried goods first
* order your burgers ala: "double cheese, plain bun", "triple cheese, onion roll", followed by the grilled toppings. do NOT advise the cook your cheese selection until asked or risk reprimand
* the cashier will finish your burger order w/ final vegetable toppings / condiements. do not bother the chef w/ these trivial details, or again, suffer reprimand.

here's a Michigan Daily article written in '96 tho i don't remember reading this in the paper.... in reality, this is my fave burger stand of all times. give me Blimpy's over Beinlich's any day of the week.

Blimpy Burger
551 S. Division (at Packard)
Ann Arbor, MI

Road Trip Time

Well, when I was at U of M, I went into Blimpy's at the insistence of some friends, ordered a burger, sat down, picked the burger up and was so repulsed by the amount of grease on my hands that I left and never went back.

For me, it is hard to justify any meal in AA that doesn't take place at Zingerman's.

I remember Crazy Jim's with fondness and was pleased to learn it's still there. In the long ago days of my time in Ann Arbor, they were one of the few places where you could real cheese on your burger. Together with Pizza Bob's, they were the culinary heights of my collegiate career. (Zingerman's hadn't opened yet.)

On our way home from visiting my parents for the weekend, we stopped off in Ann Arbor to use a couple of M Den gift cards After stocking up on some t-shirts and a rally towel (or as my wife called it earlier today, "stupid useless twirly-cloth"), we thought we could use some lunch before getting onto 94 and heading home.

On a whim, I turned down Packard with the intention of pointing out my junior-year apartment (across from a much-improved Perry Building) and spotted Blimpy Burger...that was pretty much the end of the "where should we eat" discussion, as far as I was concerned.


I forgot to take a picture of the facade, hence this stock photo taken from blimpyburger.com.

There were 20-25 folks in line in front of us, so there was plenty of time to admire the decor:



It wouldn't be a diner, drive-in, and/or dive without a signed poster of this goof on the wall. "Get in line, grab a tray, and HOLD ON!!!": deep thoughts by Guy Fieri


In my hungover college memories the staffers were generally surly and short-tempered (in a good-humored, kiss-my-grits way, of course)...yesterday everyone was very friendly and easy-going. Either way works for me.


I went with a double ("wuss!") on a plain bun, with bacon, grilled onions, an egg, cheddar, and banana peppers for some zing, and a small order of onion rings to share.


Sorry about the blurry shot...greasy hands + slippery iPhone = poor photography. My one big disappointment was that the egg was cooked over-hard with the yolk broken. I've gotten so used my egg-topped burgers having liquid yolk oozing luxuriously with every bite that biting into a disc of verging-on-overcooked, McMuffin-like cooked yolk was a big downer. I somehow managed to look past this and power through the pain, however


My wife got the BLT...a good 9-10 strips of bacon with lettuce, tomato & mayo on an onion roll. We both really enjoyed the BLT...it sounds funny, but it was a nice, light, refreshing alternative to the traditional burger offerings.


In the end we were just three onion rings away from joining the Clean Plate Club.

Next time, I'm going to skip the egg and get a double (or triple if I'm feeling extra-hungry) with swiss, bacon, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, and either pickles or banana peppers (it'll be a game-time decision)...delicious.

And there definitely will be a next time. I dug the trip-down-memory-lane aspect, my wife enjoyed the laid-back, unique, "college-y" atmosphere, and we both loved the fact that two burgers, an order of onion rings, and a 16oz Sprecher cherry cola cost us $15 and some change (compared to over $30 for two small sandwiches and two drinks at the racket that is Zingerman's).

Plus, Blimpy Burger's location is much more conducive to a leisurely after-lunch constitutional around the Diag & Law Quad, without which the drive back to Chicago would be most uncomfortable

As a wise man once said:

Like most things related to The University of Michigan, (except Zingerman's) chipati are all hype. Same for the sick reverential love of Blimpy Burger. Can you imagine standing in line waiting for that dreck? I suppose something happens to your palate when your mind becomes addled by the maize and blue kool aid. Ann Arbor is a lovely town, if only they would clear out all the Wolverines and move them to South Bend, then maybe I wouldn't throw up every time I get near the place. South Bend has no redeming qualities so i wouldn't mind the ultimate sanctomony that my fantasy cross-breeding of domers and wolverines would lead too as there would be very little reason to ever get near the place. One can only dream. Ahhh utopia.

I kid.

iblock9 wrote:As a wise man once said:

snip

I kid.

Sorry, I didn't read all of that...I was too busy drinking maize and blue kool aid from my Michigan Alumni mug and spinning my "All In For Michigan" rally towel in Domers' faces as they complained about "bad calls"

I'm totally with the "wise man" on chipatis though...someone sticks a chopped salad in a big, dry pita, and I'm supposed to goes nuts for it and fork over $6 (10 years ago...probably $10 now) when there are Mr. Spot's wings, Backroom pizza, and fresh, hot fragels to be had instead? Not a chance.

I guess my dislike of chipatis and the fact that I think Zingerman's is an overpriced scam (but love of Blimpy Burger's greasy goodness) means the kool aid didn't fully take

Agree that Zingerman's is expensive, but I look at it as having to pay a bit more so I don't have to eat at Blimpy Burger. Then it's a bargain!

had double with cheese & a onion ring

outstanding burger