tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1268991321491032342009-09-19T19:56:34.955-04:00Food adventures in Ann Arbor and beyond(webmaster)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16312363801624174401noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-59795334452857832042009-08-26T14:52:00.002-04:002009-09-19T19:56:35.015-04:00

      Will the bright lights, big city lure newly-minted media star Eve Aronoff away from our town? Nah. When I interviewed her in connection with a review of eve in the September issue of the Observer, I asked Aronoff, who is ambitious, if she had her eye on opening a place in Chicago, as reports published last year suggested. She laughed. “I have no plans on leaving Ann Arbor,” she said.

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-21320020836439729532009-08-09T18:42:00.001-04:002009-08-09T18:44:23.073-04:00

(Ann Arbor Observer, July 2009) You’ve got to hand it to Dixboro. It’s managed to hold on to its identity since 1824 despite being denied the trappings of officialdom—city hall, zip code, mayor. Captain Dix’s little borough is still a distinct character on the road from Plymouth to Ann Arbor, a place that says, “I’ve been here a long time and I’m not going to put up with any of your Wal-whatevers

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-77048363448719949462009-08-08T17:05:00.001-04:002009-08-09T18:46:58.151-04:00

(First published in the June 2009 Ann Arbor Observer)  Taste Our Goods, a new lunch counter inside Bob Sparrow’s butcher and grocery store in Kerrytown, is a collaboration between Sparrow and two recent U-M graduates, Suzanne Lipton and Nora Feldhusen. Both women had been working in Kerrytown since last August—Feldhusen at Sparrow Market and Lipton at Sweetwaters Café. “We weren’t really sure

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-89213887429670990672009-07-30T12:58:00.001-04:002009-08-08T12:21:57.880-04:00

Eve in Kerrytown launches its lunch service today. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m Tuesday through Saturday. This looks like a great opportunity to enjoy one of the city’s best restaurants at a more wallet-friendly price (to see the preliminary menu, click on “read more”). LUNCH MENU SOUP OF THE SEASON 6 GREEN SALAD 7 Mixed organic greens and fresh herb salad accompanied with an herbed

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-40610474587391639932009-07-24T15:18:00.001-04:002009-07-24T15:23:17.974-04:00

Terry B’s is a study in contrasts. Its nineteenth-century Greek Revival house pops out on Dexter’s stately Ann Arbor Street in twenty-first century gold and purple. The dining tables are dressed in white cloths, the silver and glassware sparkle—but instead of the hushed tones that all this glitter might imply, the sound level is lively and the flat screens behind the bar are always on. And then

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-59802418756986529562009-07-01T11:59:00.001-04:002009-07-01T11:59:31.911-04:00

We have a lot of chef talent in town, but even though they can work wonders and give us very good seafood here in Ann Arbor*, a trip to Nova Scotia is a reminder—no fish tastes as good as it does right from the sea. When I’m traveling, I’ll often chose a dish and try it in various restaurants to get an idea of how different cooks express it. This time it was seafood chowder. I travelled up and

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-44026512121284756942009-06-30T14:10:00.001-04:002009-06-30T14:10:34.986-04:00

Umi Sushi’s owner, Mike Kim, spent a year learning the trade at Saline’s Biwako, where I enjoyed monstrous, occasionally weird, and generally delicious sushi rolls on several visits last year. So I was very eager to try Kim’s own venture in Plymouth Green Crossings. Although it’s not by any stretch a swish restaurant, it is an attractive one, with good lighting, well-spaced tables, and a

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-63129703522501187922009-06-17T16:34:00.001-04:002009-06-17T16:49:40.969-04:00

A few phone calls and some quick searches on the reservation site Open Table point to Logan, the Chop House, and Bella Ciao as the most popular destinations in Ann Arbor’s first restaurant week. Bella Ciao, the sentimental favorite that will close at the end of the week, is totally booked. It looks like a very few tables may still be available early and late at the Chop House. Logan is booked (

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-50319728212701583862009-06-05T11:59:00.001-04:002009-06-05T12:08:38.892-04:00

Following up on our May 29 post about Brandon Johns leaving Vinology, Ann Arbor Observer business reporter Sally Mitani just passed along a newsletter note from the owners of Bella Ciao, excerpted below: “After 22 years, Jim and Kathy Macdonald are selling Bella Ciao. The Macdonalds are grateful to the Ann Arbor community for the decades of support. The business is being sold to a group of

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-66080746996782483432009-05-30T15:25:00.001-04:002009-05-31T10:44:07.488-04:00

Hundreds of people lined up for twenty-five-cent ice cream cones, hot dogs, and milk shakes at the Washtenaw Dairy’s to celebrate the Ann Arbor landmark’s seventy-five years in business. In the space of four hours, they sold some 4,500 milkshakes.

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-57098477281590859072009-05-29T15:31:00.001-04:002009-05-29T16:32:42.413-04:00

Chef Brandon Johns is no longer cooking at Vinology. Johns has been gone from the North Main Street restaurant for a week, said his wife, Sara Johns, whom I called because she has had a hand in public relations for Vinology. Brandon Johns had been at Vinology for one year. Before that, he had led the kitchen at the Mainstreet Ventures’ Chop House for six years. Vinology owner Kristin Jonna

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-85658137418881595822009-05-26T17:00:00.001-04:002009-05-26T17:00:37.692-04:00

I’d heard so much buzz about Beezy’s that I was surprised to find so little flash to this Ypsi cafe. But maybe that’s the point—Bee Mayhew has created something simple and real, with a lot of heart. Beezy’s namesake creator is a thirty-one-year-old with a ferocious strength of will, a finely tuned business plan, and an angel investor—one of her favorite customers when she worked at Petoskey’s

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-61301301892535677972009-05-17T10:52:00.001-04:002009-08-09T09:50:47.566-04:00

  The sun came out just in time for the three o’clock chef-show at Ingalls Mall Saturday, one of the street fair events at the Ann Arbor Book Festival. Zingerman’s Ari Weinzweig kicked off the show, followed by Eric Villegas, author of Fork in the Road; private chef-author Laura Stec, who wrote Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite out of Global Warming; Vinology chef Brandon Johns; and eve chef Max

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-48727551531428953792009-05-13T14:38:00.001-04:002009-05-13T14:44:38.908-04:00

Hiller’s Market on Washtenaw put together a useful booklet of food producers from our state for its ongoing “Buy Michigan” promotion. You can download the pdf here: Foods Made in Michigan. Speaking of local foods, today’s  New York Times has an interesting story about stretching the definition of what’s meant by eating local, “When Local Makes It Big,” by Kim Severson. Frito-Lay is one of the

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-21715157636416124562009-05-12T10:38:00.001-04:002009-05-24T21:48:31.550-04:00

 Even in a town saturated with coffee shops, Jim Saborio’s Comet Coffee stands out with an exceptional brew. Open since March, Comet Coffee remains mostly geared to take-away cups. But recently they set out a pair of tiny bistro tables in front of the shop in Nickels Arcade, a place to sit and drink in the architecture. The coffee is a good match for Nickels’  dramatic setting.   Saborio

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-87605840927604585512009-05-05T16:12:00.001-04:002009-05-05T16:12:33.773-04:00

Two-year-old Café Japon, the French-Japanese fusion bakery café on Liberty, now serves breakfast seven days a week. Like the rest of the menu, it’s an ideal counterpoint of East and West: on the one side, French omelets, sweet or savory crêpes, quiche; on the other, atsugiri toast and, on weekends, a Japanese breakfast assortment. Café Japon was impressive when it opened. It’s even better

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-19542117099259467102009-05-02T22:12:00.001-04:002009-05-02T22:26:11.728-04:00

Pacific Rim’s remodeling took longer than originally anticipated, but it was ready in time for two of the biggest dates on any Ann Arbor restaurant's calendar: graduation and Mother’s Day. We stopped by on the first Saturday night in the Asian-fusion eatery’s new space. They started work last fall, breaking through the wall on the west side to add a bar, extra seating, and a private dining room

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-12832627398919614352009-04-29T16:01:00.001-04:002009-04-30T11:12:07.555-04:00

 When the University of Michigan Museum of Art reopened with its glamorous new wing in March, one thing that was missing was the café—we were supposed to get a place to have nosh, sip a cup of tea, or quaff a glass of wine. I’d heard rumors that a favorite local restaurant was going to open a branch there. That deal never materialized, however, and the museum reopened without its anticipated

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-2668452008629379082009-04-28T17:33:00.001-04:002009-04-30T11:14:40.230-04:00

The hard times are here, but at least we’re not going down on an empty stomach. One thing we’ve still got plenty of is great Michigan food. Hiller’s Market is celebrating the state’s bounty with a Michigan Foods Fair this weekend at their Arborland store, where thirty vendors will introduce shoppers to their locally grown and produced foods. Hiller’s has an on-going campaign to promote Michigan

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-21825522567921672412009-04-13T14:23:00.000-04:002009-04-13T14:23:52.929-04:00

Inexpensive restaurants beckon powerfully in hard times. But fast food isn’t as cheap as it looks, once you add the ultimate price exacted by sugar, fat, and carbs. Middle Eastern food, with its emphasis on wholesome ingredients like grains, vegetables, and olive oil, can bridge the cost-health divide. It’s versatile, too, with abundant meat selections and extensive vegetarian and even vegan

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-90016040235248567862009-04-13T14:22:00.000-04:002009-04-17T11:53:49.152-04:00

  Oh, for the heady days of 2006. That was when La Shish opened at the corner of Carpenter and Washtenaw. It was so jam-packed that on one reviewing visit, I despaired of ever getting a table and ordered takeout instead. After franchise owner Charlie Bazzi split from the now-defunct chain, the restaurant became known as Charlie’s, keeping the same food and literally pasting its new logo onto the

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-63190844161226414992009-04-13T14:19:00.001-04:002009-04-14T17:44:35.515-04:00

  Is it possible to fall in love with a salad? If so, hungry hearts might want to head to Pita Pita Mediterranean Grill to try the terrific fattoush shawarma salad. Sitting there happily scarfing down lunch, I had to wonder: considering that I love Lebanese food, why did it take me five years to discover this place? Maybe it was the name, which says “Greek” to me. Maybe it was the humble exterior

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-66942455238846508502009-04-09T17:03:00.001-04:002009-04-09T17:03:25.868-04:00

The late adolescent male is a marvel of nature, with a hypercharged appetite and the metabolism to go with it. One Saturday afternoon at Maru, the new Korean place on East William, we watched in awe as a quartet of athletic young guys trudged in from the snow still in their soccer shorts and proceeded to order and consume a parade of shared dishes—bubbling stews, rice bowls, and teaming noodles

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-60941873037421321982009-04-07T12:28:00.001-04:002009-04-11T09:33:31.854-04:00

Local foods in Michigan in late winter? It was a tall order, but some of Ann Arbor’s best chefs and food producers pulled together to support the former Washtenaw Land Trust at a March 19 dinner at Cobblestone Farm. The 38-year-old land conservation group unveiled their new name, Legacy Land Conservancy, which reflects their expanded territory. While still based in Ann Arbor, the Legacy Land

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126899132149103234.post-20140720781872874962009-04-02T16:57:00.001-04:002009-04-07T17:27:42.287-04:00

Michigan brothers Max and Eli Sussman, whose cookbook Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef was published last year by Ann Arbor’s Huron River Press, will appear on the “Today Show,” Friday, April 17 at 2 p.m. The brothers will share tips from their book, which is meant to both teach beginners cooking basics  and inspire newcomers to the kitchen to be passionate about

Bix Engelshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06608217402015253846noreply@blogger.com0