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annarborfoodie

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Everything posted by annarborfoodie

  1. We were in Ann Arbor for the weekend and as we drove up S. Industrial, I realized we should check out your spot. I was surprised to see that it's kind of hidden in the back of the parking lot. What are your plans to promote yourself and get people to notice you back there? And are you planning on doing drive-through? We're looking forward to the day when we can stop and get a burger on the way to the in-laws'
  2. Thanks for all these recommendations. We probably won't have time for sightseeing on this trip, but we should be able to eat well! Our last name is Bulkley, and someone told my husband about Bulkeley House when he was out there for his interview, so I'm glad to her it's good because I'm sure we would have had to go there anyway.
  3. My husband has a job offer in Groton CT and we're headed to the area in two weeks for a visit. Any recent visits to this place, or other recommendations between Westerly and Old Lyme CT? I'm trying to find things to like around there that don't require an hour in a car.
  4. I was in one of the outlet stores last weekend. The woman said that the 30% off $100 purchase postcards would be in the mail soon. I was also concerned about having been dropped off the mailing list, and she said that even if you don't get the postcard, as long as you're in the computer they will honor the discount. They stop sending postcards if you haven't made a purchase in 6 months.
  5. My mom has a Nesco roaster that is at least 30 years old, and she uses it almost every time she hosts Thanksgiving because it frees up her only oven. I've never noticed any difference in the appearance of the turkey that comes out of the Nesco - it's still nice and brown with crispy skin. I've noticed that some of the newer roasters also double as buffet servers, which seems handy for feeding a crowd. http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-American-Harve...94287492&sr=8-4
  6. America's Test Kitchen discussed sticking and bundt pans last week. They recommended the nonstick spray with flour (either Pam or Baker's Joy) because the flour does a better job of getting in all the nooks and crannies.
  7. I told one of my friends about the burgers at the Purdue game and she stopped on her way home, and you were sold out. So yesterday she wanted to be sure she got one, so she drove there at 9:30 (she was the blonde in the car with her husband who had a printout from the web site). She is a nutritionist and does not eat junk food, but she was raving about the bacon burger. She called me at 9:30 this morning to report back!
  8. I had the same problem with forgetting my canvas bags in the car. I now use Acme Workhorse Bags and they squish up into a little pouch that is attached to the inside of the bag. They're very light, and I keep two of them in my purse all the time. I try to remember to take the other two into the store when I go for a big shopping trip.
  9. Tammylc suggested that I post here to point out the Burger Helper thread over in Restaurant Life. If you don't want to read all 12 pages, just take a look at the last couple - I was the "reporter on the street" a couple of weeks ago and took photos. A guy named Magus has been working on a hamburger joint concept for the last couple of years with lots of help from eGullet members. He has a stand before the football games in Ann Arbor and is planning on opening a fixed location in an Airstream trailer in Ann Arbor. If you have a chance to stop by before the Minnesota or OSU games, it will be worth your effort, I promise! They are seriously the best burgers I've ever eaten.
  10. Your first instinct was right. DH was a little impatient with my picture taking
  11. It was another sell-out weekend for No. 9 Classic Hamburgers and a win for the Wolverines! As promised, here are photos for all of you who don't have the pleasure of eating one of these burgers. First - Magus' smiling face The menu The stand The LINE! (and we were pretty early) the grill and finally, a Classic Double (with grilled onions) Go Magus! and GO BLUE!
  12. I was planning on being the official eGullet photographer this weekend! My husband has been talking about these burgers for six weeks so we will definitely be making a stop. I can vouch for the fact that the burgers are juicy and definitely don't resemble hockey pucks. I don't think that they have to be frozen to be the same - you could try them both ways. Maybe invite some of your regulars from the football games to a taste test? You do have to keep the blend and meat/fat ratio the same though- I think that's the key to your burgers.
  13. There is an eGulleteer who posts in the Restaurant Life forum who has a restaurant in New Buffalo - I don't know the name of the restaurant but I've always wondered since we drive through the area frequently. The poster's name is Old Timer.
  14. note to kbear - If you had a chance to check out Magus' stand, you'd find that he has been focusing on the basics for quite a while. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs. That's it. So now he's trying to be a little more creative. magus - On the bun issue - I think the ones you're currently using go with the stand and the whole "vibe" of a classic burger. If you're going to go with a fancier bun, I agree with the recommendations for a kaiser roll. If you were going to make one addition to the menu right now, I'd vote for grilled onions. It wouldn't be out of line with what you're doing already, and it's not too complicated.
  15. The best thing that happened on Saturday was having a burger at Magus' stand. It was all downhill from there. About five times during the game, my husband asked "do you think they'll still be there after the game?" And yesterday, when we were scrounging for something for lunch in my mother-in-law's fridge, he said "I want another one of those burgers!" I think we have a winner - my husband is a huge critic of cheeseburgers and these scored big. I really enjoyed it too. I think the best part was the caramelization on the burger, and the way the burger was thick enough that it didn't get dried out. My only criticism would be that the buns would be better if they're toasted - but I realize it was a little crazy before the game so maybe that's part of the long term plan. Maybe you could offer a "special" burger of the day if you want to have some variety? We'll be back in town for the Purdue game and we'll definitely be seeking out the No. 9 stand again. Bravo!
  16. I will be there next Saturday!
  17. We just spent a lovely weekend in St. Louis and dined at a couple of places mentioned here and on the other St. Louis threads I dug up. We had Saturday lunch at the Boathouse in Forest Park, after a romantic rowboat ride (I sat in front and did the relaxing while DH did the rowing). It was not outstanding but very good for "room with a view" type dining. We had dinner at Trattoria Marcella, which lived up to expectations. We enjoyed everything we ate, and the service was exceptional. We ended up splitting everything, mostly at the suggestion of our server. We had the calamari with fried spinach (which was one of the most divine things I've ever eaten), followed by a house salad, and then the Porcini mushroom tortelloni and the tenderloin with barolo wine sauce. For dessert we had the cherry ice cream. It was just fabulous, and very reasonably priced. My husband continues to be impressed with the places I come up with after reading eGullet recommendations. For brunch this morning, we went to Nadoz, and that was amazing. We had our timing off though - going to Nadoz for 10AM brunch after dinner at Trattoria Marcella was a bit much. We wished we had a 1PM reservation, and had been able to spend the morning walking off our dinner. My favorite parts of the brunch were the divine pastries and the amazing assortment of fresh fruit, including figs. We're already talking about our next trip to St. Louis and it will be hard to pass up the places we tried this time.
  18. I love exploring locally-owned kitchen shops when I travel. My all-time favorite is Pryde's in Kansas City (recently discussed in an eG foodblog). Last weekend, we traveled to Hannibal MO and I happened upon a shop called Main St. Kitchens. It was just lovely - really well stocked, with prices that were spot-on with what I had seen for the same items at Amazon.com. I left the place $50 poorer... having purchased 2 corn zippers (one for a friend who is soon joining us in the cornfields of east central Illinois) and a Microplane footfile.
  19. For the best french fries ever, and the experience of eating in a gas station, I'd recommend Oklahoma Joe's. I second the recommendation of LC's for BBQ.
  20. I made four different recipes on Sunday. I am starting a low-sugar diet this week and wanted to get baking out of my system... Clockwise from top left: Chocolate Espresso Chews, Unbelievably Good, Jacques Torres, and Tejon's. My favorite: Jacques Torres Office favorite: tie between Jacques Torres and Espresso Chews Favorite of the recipients of the twenty pounds of cookies I shipped on Monday: yet to be determined I liked Tejon's but they were more of an oatmeal cookie to me. I'm tempted to tinker with the recipe though. For the Jacques Torres, I used Trader Joe's Pound Plus Dark chocolate and I think that made a big difference - it was a very adult cookie. I liked the Unbelievably Good, but they were pretty close to the CI Thick and Chewy, which is my go-to recipe, and still will be after all the experimentation. Editing to add: I used KA AP flour for the Jacques Torres. I can't compare with what they would have been with the prescribed combination of flours, but they turned out fine with regular old AP. I have no idea where I'd get pastry flour in this town...
  21. The 24 hour count for Washtenaw Ave. (at Huron Parkway) is about 44,000 cars, with about 3000 in the peak hour. The 24 hour count for Stadium (at Liberty) is 17,000 and the peak is 1300/hour, so his numbers are entirely feasible for Ann Arbor traffic. source: http://miwats.managepoint.net/
  22. You could do it like Culver's (burger chain that is moving in across I-94 - I think the closest one to Ann Arbor is in Jackson). You place your order, then pay at the window, they give you a number tent, and you pull ahead to a waiting area along the curb. They then bring your food out to you (it usually takes a few minutes).
  23. When I saw that you live in Westport, my first thought was "OMG she lives by Pryde's!". I think I would be broke if I lived anywhere within 50 miles of that place. I just love exploring all of the nooks and crannies. Kansas City is one of my favorite places - my husband's grandmother lives near Loose Park and most of the rest of his extended family is scattered around the city. I'm looking forward to your blog, and learning about new places I'll need to hit on my next trip. (and Oklahoma Joe's is one of my favorites too - we always go there for lunch on our first day in K.C.)
  24. My sister-in-law is a potter. For my birthday this year, I asked her to make a salt cellar for me. She didn't know what that was, so I sent her some links to photos on the web. She came up with this: I love it - I hadn't asked for the spoon, but she decided it needed one. Now she's planning on adding them to her repertoire.
  25. I'm glad to hear that there were some culinary gems to be found in Dennisport. We just returned from two weeks on the Cape and tried a couple of the places mentioned on this thread: - Brewster Fish House was the location for our annual Cape "date night" and it was the best restaurant meal I've ever had on the Cape. We arrived at about 6:45 and were told the wait was two hours. We stuck it out and actually got in after about an hour, because other people ahead of us on the list were not there when their name was called. A tip for future diners - they open at 5:00 and the restaurant fills and they start the list. People "in the know" put their name on the list and come back at 6:30-7:00. They added the last name to the list at about 7:00 so anyone arriving after that time was out of luck (they could wait for a spot at the bar or call back at 9:00 to see if anything was likely to be available before the last seating at 9:30). I had the Jonah crab cake with avocado mousse and the kobe flat iron steak (I'm allergic to fish and the only seafood entree was lobster, which we were planning on having the next night). I loved the accompanying parsnip puree too. Both were excellent. My husband raved about his tuna tartare and striped bass. We will definitely be back. - After renting a sailboat at Wellfleet Harbor, we stopped at Nauset Light ice cream. It was really good - especially the ginger mentioned above. I liked their portion/price ratio too. - On our "ultimate Cape Cod" night, we went to Arnold's for fried clams and onion rings. They were as good as people said and definitely the best of this trip. The other components of the evening were putt putt golf at Cape Escape near the Orleans rotary - it is brand new and one of the best courses we've played on the Cape, and ice cream at the Ice Cream Cafe in Orleans, which I found out about on the Cape Cod ice cream blog (http://theicecreamchallenge.com/). I tried the mango and swooned - it was so creamy and flavorful. That was the best ice cream of the vacation in my opinion. Other eats of the vacation: - Disappointing fried food at Kream n Kone in Chatham. We've eaten there many times before and I think we just hit an off night. - Dinner at the Squire in Chatham (bar side) was good as always. I had the chowder (my favorite on the Cape) and mussels marinara. - Lunch at Cobie's in Brewster after a kayaking excursion with Mass Audubon. It's a good stop if you're in the area but not something to go out of the way for. We usually use it as a destination for biking on the rail trail. - Ice cream at Sundae School in Harwichport. My husband loved their ginger (it was his favorite of the trip) and I liked the chocolate peanut butter that I tried.
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