Midwest Tastes Best: Ann Arbor

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one: Indianapolis
Part two: Grand Rapids
Part three (this blog): Ann Arbor

Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor has long had a reputation as a college-town full of artsy folks with quality food options. As I grow older (or rather, into full adulthood), Jorje and I are able to more fully enjoy this and, now having close friends Dauthan and Amanda living a few minutes outside the downtown area, we have friends who can give us the up-to-the-minute scoop on what's new and exciting.

Zingerman's

Kerrytown || www.zingermans.com

Zingerman's is a staple of Ann Arbor though this was our first visit to the famed deli, creamery, etc. Dauthan promptly asked one of the very knowledgeable employees for "an authentic Zingerman's experience." This led to trying fifteen or so different cheeses including both goat and cow varieties with a full explanation of each - all with little pressure to buy. My biggest take-away was that these people loved food and went all out to create the best products. As way of a full meal, we got sandwiches, a side of soup, and cane sugar sodas and then Jorje opted for a tiny dish of gelato to finish things off. 

Must-have: a sample of everything

Frita Batidos

Downtown || www.fritabatidos.com

Described as "Cuban Inspired Street Food," Frita Batidos has some legit, unique options. The staple dish is a frita, a Cuban burger made from chorizo with shoestring fries on top. Add some garlic cilantro fries and a rum infused fresh lime batido (milkshake), and you'll be good to go. We stopped by this place over New Year's Eve last year but I opted out of the burger to save room for further courses - I was glad to have the full experience this time around. 

Must-have: Chorizo Frita, Garlic Cilantro Fries

Lab

Downtown || www.labannarbor.com

Upon typing this review up, I'm realizing that I really just like well-made coffee more than any other special feature and with their use of Intelligentsia coffee, they didn't disappoint. With that said, Lab offers a few froyo flavors in addition to their coffee. Additionally, they are intentional about creating a space for people to interact and converse with each other (like Silicon Valley's labs where people are consistently building off of each other) they try to pour into the local community. To be honest, the service was fine though felt a little bit elitist. Coffee was delicious.

Must-have: anything coffee

Midwest Tastes Best: Grand Rapids

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one: Indianapolis
Part two (this blog): Grand Rapids
Part three: Ann Arbor

Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Grand Rapids

Although I grew up in Michigan, my family spent little time on the western side of the state. Although a few visits to Calvin College during my college days introduced me a little more to the city, my little brother, Kenan, has done the majority of hosting our tours. It should be noted, we didn't have a chance to visit East Grand Rapids, a place full of more great eateries - next time.

Hop Cat

Downtown || www.hopcat.com

Voted a top bar by a number online beer sites, this super cool bar has a ton of options on tap and some great burger and Crack Fries to go with it. Jorje, Kenan, and I made sure this was our first stop to get the burger and drink happy hour special for dinner. Although the in-house brews aren't mind-blowing, the selection and venue vibe makes it well worth the stop. And yes, the Crack Fries are addictive.

Must-have: Crack Fries, the burger and beer happy hour special

Founders

Downtown || www.foundersbrewing.com

Founders brews some fantastic brews that are well-known all across the country. In addition to having a great selection of in-house (and out), Founders had a super cool atmosphere. Huge building that housed their brewery, a large indoor area complete with a stage for shows, and a beautiful outdoor beer garden area where we hung out for a while. The place was packed though in a good-spirited way, such as when one of the delivery trucks pulled out and passed by the garden, it honked its horn and the crowd broke out in applause. Though we were too full to eat anything, the Beer Cheese Dip looked amazing and has my brother's full recommendation.

Must-have: Beer Cheese Dip

Rockwell Republic

Downtown || www.rockwellsrepublic.com

Rockwell Republic served as a perfect end to the night. This multi-storied place was super swanky inside but we opted to sit out on the upper-level deck, right in the middle of the city. The service was great, it was a beautiful night, and the martinis were delicious and half-off.

Must-have: Thursday night martinis, specifically, the Pomegranate one was fantastic

Lantern Coffee Bar & Lounge

Downtown || www.lanterncoffee.com

I haphazardly discovered this coffee bar a few months ago before Kenan's graduation, stopping in while walking around the city to hopefully get a good cup of coffee before a long day of graduation ceremony. Delightfully, they had wonderful coffee with a limited menu not dissimilar to Little Amps (for you Harrisburg-area people). Sidebar: aren't we all past the extensive menu selection option at coffee shops? Do we really want quantity (of options) over quality?? End sidebar. Anyhow, this place has great coffee and, once you go past the coffee bar, there's a great sitting area a level below with exposed brick walls and cool tables and all those coffee lounge type things we love. This was our last GR stop, perfect to get us through the two hour drive east to my hometown.
Must-have: Pourover

Midwest Tastes Best: Indianapolis

This three-part blog series highlights the food and coffee in the three cities Jorje and I visited on our bi-annual Midwest trip. My hope is to document the week of food and, if you happen to be looking for very specific recommendations for three Midwestern cities, you may get something out of it as well.

Part one (this blog): Indianapolis
Part two: Grand Rapids
Part three: Ann Arbor

I'm not sure if I would describe myself as a "foodie" though Jorje and I definitely enjoy a good, local restaurant whenever we visit a new place or return to our hometowns. Last week, during our Midwest trip, we had a crazy amount of great food stops leaving us in food comas each afternoon only to get refilled with greatness in the evening. Listed is a little bit of our experience and info on each place including what stood out, links to their websites, and the location of our visit though many have multiple locations in the designated city.

Indianapolis

Despite being my birthplace, my wife's hometown, and the nearest large(r) city to my college, I didn't really get acquainted with this wonderful city's food until grad school and beyond. I love the many districts of this mid-sized city, each with a little bit of their own personality and flavor.

The Tamale Place

Greenwood (South suburb) || www.thetamaleplace.com

Featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives at some point, this little joint, not surprisingly, specializes in tamales, perhaps distinguishing it from potential corporate competitors Qdoba and Chipotle. Our friends Bethany and Noah introduced us to this place and they loved their tamales though I strayed from the tamale and went with a steak taco along with the appropriate sides: some of the best brown rice I've had in a while and thick and hearty chips with a smokey salsa that is unlike any other salsa I've tried.
Must-have: the chips and salsa

Bazbeaux Pizza

Carmel (North suburb) || www.bazbeaux.com

A favorite of Jorje and mine since college, Bazbeaux has pizzas that outdo just about any other thin-style that I've had. Distinguishing itself primarily with it's fresh ingredients, you can't beat a pizza that has fresh basil, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Sharing a dinner with Jorje's family out on their patio made for a perfect summer evening.
Must-have: Bazbeaux Special

Patachou

Downtown || www.cafepatachou.com

Easily my favorite breakfast, anywhere. Jorje and I were able to introduce my little brother to this favorite. I'm a big omelette fan and these omelettes are ridiculous. Again, fresh and local ingredients make the difference here, justifying eating a huge potato, bacon, and cheese one filled every time. The serve-yourself coffee is delicious and the side of fruit is fresh enough to make even me give it a try. Oh, and if you're into mimosas, they've got options.
Must-have: The Omelette You Can't Refuse, the cinnamon sugar sourdough toast

The Brugge

Broad Ripple || www.bruggebrasserie.com

This Belgian place has fantastic Belgian fries and twelve dipping sauces to go with it. The rest of their very Belgian menu is great though be prepared to pay for it. Most importantly, The Brugge offers my favorite beer, the Tripel de Ripple, a 10% abv blonde with hints of vanilla and pear and they'll limit you to two... appropriately. We sat at the downstairs bar to watch the Netherlands v. Argentina World Cup game but if you can, check out their upstairs (open weekend evenings) if you're into shuffle board.
Must-have: fries and sauces, Tripel de Ripple

Bakersfield

Mass Ave. || www.bakersfieldmassave.com

This recently opened bar specializes in tacos, tequila, and whiskey. And they do all of those things very well. To be honest, I've only gotten their chips & salsa, tacos, and margarita, but everything was delicious. This hip place is located on the busy Mass Ave. and you'll probably have to wait for a table like we did (45 minutes on a Tuesday night), so be prepared.

Must-have: margarita, tacos