The Baker's Dozen

continued

I was hooked the first time I headed out Washtenaw almost to Golfside to try Roma Bakery's zaatar. A staple of the Middle East, it's a dried thyme mixture atop a cracker-thin crust. Olive oil binds the powdery spice into a pesto-like paste. Add nuttiness from sesame seeds and a bit of char at the edge as they pull it straight from the oven, and you have a highly appealing meal that's particularly satisfying since it costs all of a buck and a half.

Mediterranean Market has zaatar for the same price, available alongside mozzarella cheese atop a doughy pita. What I most adore here, though, are the luscious lemony spinach triangles that cost just $2 and taste bright as sunshine. Any of the oven-fresh breads go well with in-house hummus that's not smooth or whipped--rather, it has texture that remembers the garbanzos it came from, with a medium-strong real garlic kick.

A lot of Ann Arborites grew up on Asian buns, and Eastern Accents on Fourth Avenue makes them two ways: steamed and baked. I prefer baked, and BBQ and cheese are my favorite flavors, each costing just $2. A nutty, slightly sweet, and more ornamental bun filled with ground lotus seeds goes very well with tea.