Ann Arbor Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[prasantrin]

Sabor Latino: I found this a bit ho-hum : and NO ALCOHOL. Guys, what were you thinking? Sending an Englishman to a Mexican restaurant that doesn't serve beer is just plain cruel.  This happened another time actually. Luckily I am very resilient person otherwise I could have become quite demoralised.

Nice salsa, but it was all a bit soggy. But this might just reflect my low level of education about Mexican food.

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Oops. When you wrote that you were from London, I had assumed London, Ontario...not London, England. I'm Canadian, what can I say?

[tammylc]

It didn't even occur to me to think about alcohol status when recommending restaurants. Sorry! Although, come to think of it, I don't think there are any good Mexican places in town that serve, now that Don Carlos has gone away.

Chop House is your basic Chicago style steak house. Huge chunks of cow. Side dishes purchased a al carte. The meat is very good quality, but if I'm going to spend that kind of money on dinner, I want something that's more interesting than just a big piece of meat. But that's me. If big cow is what you're wanting, Chop House is a good place to get it.

[annarborfoodie]

I just wanted to report on a new (to us at least) find for terrific Vietnamese food -MisSaigon - on Ellsworth at the corner of Stone School (same strip mall as Tios and Ahmos).

They opened about a year ago, in a space that was formerly occupied by a Chinese/Sushi restaurant. We thought that it was the Miss Saigon restaurant that used to be on Ellsworth in Ypsi, but they're completely different. They have some Chinese food on their menu, because the owner said they get a lot of people in (especially at lunch time) who won't try Vietnamese and just want the old standards. He brought in a chef from San Francisco to do the Chinese dishes. His wife and her parents are in charge of the Vietnamese side of the menu, and that's all I can report on.

So far, the biggest hit has been the Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga). The broth is so flavorful that I keep finding myself thinking about it. I have never had such a flavorful broth. The first time we went, they had a papaya salad on special. It was completely different from anything we'd had before - the papaya was green and not sweet - more like a vegetable (it reminded me of jicama). The dressing was really light and tangy, with a little bit of kick from chili peppers. That visit, we also had a dish with beef and basil that was fabulous, and pan fried noodles in chicken. The beef was really tender and the dish had great flavor. The noodles were less of a standout, but still very good.

This weekend, we were going to a concert directly from dinner, so we ordered less since we couldn't take home leftovers. We got the potstickers, which were good but not stand-outs, the chicken soup again, and the Mai's Delight - which is prepared with two sauces and was very good. Next time, we want to try the crepe.

Prices are very reasonable - entrees are $8-12. Our tab this weekend was $26 for the soup, entree, potstickers, and two drinks. They don't have a liquor license, unfortunately.

From appearances, business is a little slow, so I wanted to get the word out about this place - we want it to stick around! If you go, it is worth talking to the owner before you order to find out if they have anything special, and get his recommendations on what to order. He's really pleasant to talk to - he has very good english skills, and is really interested in making sure you have a good experience.

[kellycolorado]

Thanks for the info on your find! I love a good Pho Ga and will definitely check it out next time we're home visiting. I hope everyone on eGullet in the mood for Vietnamese (or Chinese) checks it out so it stays in business.

I just wanted to report on a new (to us at least) find for terrific Vietnamese food -MisSaigon - on Ellsworth at the corner of Stone School (same strip mall as Tios and Ahmos). 

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[Pontormo]

You may want to check out this fairly recent thread:

There are also a few other AA threads running, which you can access via the "search" feature.

HTH,

=R=

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To sound like an insider, that would be "A2 threads"

Thanks for all the wonderful reminders of Korean food in Ann Arbor and Blimpy's. I am surprised no one mentioned food-shopping at Zingerman's.

By the way, is Cousin's Heritage Inn in Dexter still any good?

[annarborfoodie]

By the way, is Cousin's Heritage Inn in Dexter still any good?

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Cousin's was on a long downward slide after changing ownership, and then had a "change of concept" and became an Italian restaurant specializing in banquet/private meals. I haven't heard anything about it lately and don't know if it's still open or not. It was/is called Tuscan House.

[ronnie_suburban]

You may want to check out this fairly recent thread:

There are also a few other AA threads running, which you can access via the "search" feature.

HTH,

=R=

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To sound like an insider, that would be "A2 threads". . .

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Thanks for the heads up

=R=

[Pontormo]

Cousin's was on a long downward slide after changing ownership, and then had a "change of concept" and became an Italian restaurant specializing in banquet/private meals.  I haven't heard anything about it lately and don't know if it's still open or not.  It was/is called Tuscan House.

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Shudder and sigh. Long, LONG ago, it was wonderful.