Ann Arbor Dining

[CaliPoutine]

Robin and I went to Vinology on our Anniversary, June 19th. It wasn't my first choice, but since it was a Monday, my first choice was closed.

I started with the spoon flight. This was 6 dollars. There was a fingerling saffron potato salad( I could have eaten 10 more bites of this), some kind of tuna( passed off to Robin), a stuffed squash blossom( bland) and some itsy bitsy morel's with haricot verte( no flavor what so ever).

Robin had the calamari with a papya slaw. She enjoyed it.

For our main, I wanted to scallops and Robin wanted the char. They were out of both. Sooo, I had the pork loin chop, with shiitake orzo and a fruit mostada. Robin chose the duck. It came with a boinito custard and bok choy(?). Forgive me if I forget, I didnt write it down and this was a few weeks ago.

The flavor of both entrees were really good, however mine was too rare for my liking. There was actually blood coming out of it. I sent it back and about 10 minutes later it was returned to me with a huge chunk cut off. I mentioned that to Robin, and she agreed. I cut into it again and it still wasnt cooked enough. I called the server over and told her that I didnt feel comfortable eating it( due to some health reasons) and she said No problem. The manager came over and said he would take it off the bill. He asked if I wanted anything else and I said No, Thanks. Since it was our Anniversary, they wanted to send us a dessert. I chose the beniegts with rubarb sorbet( although I subbed an orange ice cream).

I took a bite of one and when I bit into it, batter came spilling out. I tried the other 2 and they were raw inside too. I called the server again and she was really embarrased. The manager came over and wanted to send another dessert. I chose the fruit crisp. I'm sad to say that this was raw as well. The topping underneath the obvious cooked part was floury and gummy. I never mentioned this though because we had asked for our bill and the manager came over to say that he was comping the entire meal. He also gave us a 20 dollar gift certificate which I thought was really nice.

Aside from the obvious undercooking problems, the service was fantastic. We werent that upset but the manager and server were totally embarrased. They apologized over and over again. Anyway, I will go back at lunchtime because I do have my eye on the lobster sandwich.

The next night we went to Common Grill in Chelsea and we had the best meal I've had since moving to Canada. I have pictures of that as well that I can post if anyone is interested.

Edited July 3, 2006 by CaliPoutine (log)

[tammylc]

Wow - that sounded like it was a totally miserable meal. I hope it was just a fluke!

What was your first choice?

I'd love to hear about your meal at the Common Grill. I haven't been in a long time and keep wondering whether I should make the trip out to Chelsea sometime soon.

[CaliPoutine]

Ok, here is our meal from the Common Grill. I can't wait to eat there again, it was sooo good. My friends live in Chelsea, and I've visited them numerous times, but never ate there( don't ask me why, I have no clue).

Btw, our first choice was Eve or Logan. I wanted to eat at Common grill on Monday but they were closed. So I arranged vinology for Monday and Common Grill for Tuesday. I'm so glad we ate there.

First off, I didnt take a picture of the bread, but it was the best restaurant bread I've ever had. Omg, yum, I want the recipe. ( I heard they make it from scratch).

First up apps. Robin had calamari(9.00) once again. It was served with an asian slaw, a mango vinaigrette and a wasabi aioli.

I had the lump crab cakes. Very good. There was hardly any filler. It was served with a red chili mayo. This was $11.00

For mains, I had the scallops( since I didnt get them the previous night at Vinology) and Robin had the paella. I asked for white cheddar mashers instead of the rice, but they ended up giving me both starches. The server though I said Both. I tasted the mashers, but they were just ok. The rice was actually better with the scallops. The server brought me a side of the veggies. Haricot Verte and baby carrots( with tops).

These were served with a honey-key lime butter and the scallops were macadamia crusted. They were very good.

The paella(26.00) was freaking awesome and the portion was huge. It was so flavorful. It had a lobster tail, mussles, clams, salmon, chicken, halibut, shrimp and chorizo

We also had salads that came with each main.

Dessert was a sunken chocolate cake with some kind of caramel sauce and ice cream. We shared this. It was really good too.

The entire meal was just so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I hope you go, I think you'd really enjoy it.

[ulterior epicure]

For mains, I had the scallops( since I didnt get them the previous night at Vinology) and Robin had the paella.  I asked for white cheddar mashers instead of the rice, but they ended up giving me both starches.  The server though I said Both.  I tasted the mashers, but they were just ok.  The rice was actually better with the scallops.  The server brought me a side of the veggies.  Haricot Verte and baby carrots( with tops).

These were served with a honey-key lime butter and the scallops were macadamia crusted.  They were very good. 

Yes, I've had these lovelies before - they are great. I didn't know what to expect with "macadamia-crusted" scallops - but the nuts had apparently been ground to a flour - and the flavor was very distinct - and not too heavy (like the macadamia nut crusted salmon at eve).

u.e.

[Leonard Kim]

I was on the EMU campus yesterday and carryout from La Fiesta Mexicana was just the ticket. It's been mentioned a couple times on this site already, so this place is hardly news. But still good. I like bitter lemonade, even though my wife didn't care for it.

(But why do we accept the texture of something like skirt steak in Mexican and Korean food even though it really is objectively rather unacceptable -- you need a good set of chompers to be able to chew and swallow the stuff. I'm Korean, so I'm used to it, but I still wonder about it sometime.)

[annarborfoodie]

I had absolutely the opposite experience at La Fiesta just last weekend. It seems like it has gone downhill since they opened their new restaurant. Everything we ate had been microwaved. The Queso Fundido used to be nicely broiled, but it was microwaved. My enchiladas with mole sauce (can't remember the real name) were definitely microwavd, and I received cheese after ordering chicken. Our days in Ann Arbor are numbered, but we won't be going back to La Fiesta.

On the other hand, we had a most excellent meal at eve on Sunday night. We were invited by my parents to join them at a Commanderie de Bordeaux dinner. Eve had worked with the organizer for several months to set the menu to go with the wines, and everything was truly wonderful. We had some passed appetizers first - there was some sort of salmon tartare with a mayonnaise that people were raving about (I'm allergic to fish so I skipped it), and endive stuffed with thai chicken that was yummy. I am blanking on the salad, but I know there was something on the plate besides greens... the entree was a (tender) flank steak, with corn pudding that was to-die-for, and haricots verts. Dessert was a lemon custard with the best shortbread cookies I've ever had in my life, and a thimbleful of homemade blueberry jam.

The dinner made me want to go back to eve again soon (and I think we will sometime before we leave town).

[Leonard Kim]

Maybe it's just context. I was on foot around the EMU campus looking for quick, cheap carryout at 11 am. Given the other options, I was sure happy with what I ended up with.

[Leonard Kim]

After taking my kids to the Hands-on museum Sunday, we walked over to Sabor Latino, a restaurant which has had some very strong advocates on this board, though I remember one poster describing it as ho-hum after going on the strength of those recommendations. My wife, who lived at Kingsley and Main before we met, used to eat there often.

I think that may be the appropriate context when characterizing this restaurant. It is inexpensive. There are things on the menu that you can't readily find elsewhere. It's good up to a point, especially given the price. If I were still a resident or a student within walking distance, I could easily see myself eating there frequently. (I lived in Ann Arbor for six years, and lived in various neighborhoods, but not anywhere that would have made that scenario realistic.)

But I don't live there now. I visit with some frequency, though, and I doubt I'd seek it out again. Not because I didn't like it, or thought it wasn't good, but because it's, shall we say, "every day" food and my visits to Ann Arbor aren't every day.

Maybe that doesn't make sense (and I definitely hope that didn't come across as snobbery.) I guess an analogy might be the cheap Korean places around campus, which have also gotten favorable comment on this board. I am Korean-American and to me these places, some I find good, some bad, serve what I'm calling "every day" food, food that you could and sometimes do live on day-to-day, whether at places like this, or eating at home, depending on your situation. But it would never occur to me, if I were traveling, to seek out a place like this, unless it were something I just happened to really be in the mood for.

Edited November 13, 2006 by Leonard Kim (log)

[aspirin]

I'm wondering why no one on this thread seems to have mentioned Silvio's Organic Pizza on North U as a worthwhile destination? They have fantastic pizza - the best for my $$ in AA and beyond. The family who owns it is from Italy and their crust is exceptionally delicious - and homemade. Of their pizzas, I'm especially fond of the potato/blue cheese/rosemary combination. And the Capricciosa is also excellent. However, I've never tried their pasta or their Sunday brunch and was hoping that someone else might have mentioned it. Does anyone else love Silvio's and have you tried their pasta?

Oh, also they make an excellent caponata that they only have from time to time. Their salads are superior. And they have something they call a "bomba" - a custard filled fried dough thing kind of like a donut.

[tammylc]

I've heard really awesome things about it, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. It's totally on my list.

[Elrushbo]

Wow - that sounded like it was a totally miserable meal.  I hope it was just a fluke!

What was your first choice?

I'd love to hear about your meal at the Common Grill.  I haven't been in a long time and keep wondering whether I should make the trip out to Chelsea sometime soon.

←

From my experience there, it's no fluke. I really wanted to like Vinology for dinner but it was just plain ameteurish for the money.

[ryangary]

Anybody serving a good cheesesteak in Ann Arbor?

[tammylc]

Anybody serving a good cheesesteak in Ann Arbor?

←

The only cheesesteak place I know of in Ann Arbor is a little hole in the wall called Izzy's located in a strip mall on Stadium. I've only been there once, and the cheesesteak was okay - don't really remember it much. It's only open lunches.

[docsconz]

Despite having noshed all day on various Zingerman's products, my son and I had an excellent meal at Eve the Restaurant this past Bastille Day. My camera was not functioning, but highlights included the Moroccan Seared Scallops, Red Beer Shrimp, Thai Chicken Dumplings, Inspired Nachos, Smoked Cod Ceviche, Soft Shell Crabs with Southwestern Flavors, Pulled Pork with Asian Spices and for dessert, a wonderful liquid white chocolate with whipped cream and gelatos. The room was lovely and service very pleasant and efficient. Chef Aranoff is quite talented with her output laden with rich, bold flavors. The restaurant is absolutely worth a visit when in A2.

[AvsKick21]

Anybody serving a good cheesesteak in Ann Arbor?

←

This is probably a little bit late, but the cheesesteaks at Mr. Spots (State btw. Hill and Packard, next door to Big Ten Burrito if you're familiar with the area) are pretty good, and reasonably authentic.

[Naftal]

Are Afternoon Delight and Seva still around? I love those places

[TJHarris]

Are Afternoon Delight and Seva still around? I love those places 

←

They were as of last month.

[ulterior epicure]

The sixth season Top Chef cheftestants just announced, and Eve Aranoff of eve restaurant is one of them. CLICK