Looking for suggestions again. J and I are going to do some shopping and check out Ann Arbor. I’ve been there a few times for work, but never had time to walk around downtown. Since UM is on the road, we thought we’d head that way and check out H & M and try to find some place to eat. I know I want to eat at Zingerman’s for lunch, but are there any good suggestions for dinner? I’ve hit the hip college spots (Blimpy Burger and Fleetwood). Is there anyplace else that we just have to go to?
Ann Arbor to allow chickens in backyards
3 06 2008How bad do you want fresh eggs? In Ann Arbor, you’ll be able to actually keep chickens in your backyard. No roosters. Just hens. I know most of you city folk are scratching your head right now wondering how you can get eggs without roosters. Unlike mammals, eggs are fertilized AFTER the hen lays them, so no rooster is necessary to actually lay the eggs. Rooster’s are not necessary to produce the egg. They are necessary to produce a fertilized egg. The eggs you buy at the store are usually unfertilized eggs. The only place you would ever get fertizlized eggs would be a farm.
I don’t know if this is a good idea or not. The ordinance will not allow the slaughter of the chicken and there’s no way for your chickens to reproduce so it would be a challenge to actually save money by raising chickens. Most likely, you’re going to end up losing money.
Still, there are those in Ann Arbor who are excited.
“I’d like my children to understand where food comes from. This is Ann Arbor, we’re different and we like it. We have dairies that deliver and community gardens. I’d would love to have this local food connection,” said Jennifer Hall.
Other comments during the public hearing that preceded the vote focused on the value of locally grown food and compatibility of backyard chickens with broader ideas about environmental sustainability.
Take your kids to a farm then. I just can’t see why anyone would want to raise chickens in an urban environment. Yes, the fresh eggs would be nice, but you’ll never be able to afford enough chickens to meet your demand.
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Tags: Ann Arbor, Chicken, Eggs, Food News
Categories : Agriculture, Ann Arbor, Food News
Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger – Ann Arbor
25 05 2008
Not only is Blimpy Burger the oldest burger joint in Ann Arbor, it’s also one of the most famous places in town. The humble little shop on the corner of Packard and Division Sts. is voted best burger year after year by a variety of publications and they’ve even been featured on Food Network’s Diner’s Drive-In’s and Dives which somehow I missed.
I was in Ann Arbor the Big Ten Baseball Championships and needed to find lunch before crew call at U of M. I had heard of Blimpy Burger and thought it would make a good lunch. Apparently, half of Ann Arbor thought that too. The line weaved around the tables inside and right to the door. The building is small. There’s only room for a handful of tables that line two walls and a couple free stand tables next to the counter. The service is described as cafeteria style. You actually walk up to a counter where the cook asks you what you want and he cooks it right there in front of you.
Ordering is a tradition in itself at Blimpy Burger and something I thought was going to be really intimidating. On their website, they give you instructions for ordering and those same instructions are posted in the restaurants. For the most part, they’re just to keep the line moving. It starts out simple. Everyone who’s ordering must order themselves. You can’t just send Mom up to get food for everyone. Your first stop in the process is the deep frier. A fry cook asks if you want anything deep fried. Your choices are fries (which are steak fries) or vegetables like onion rings or mushrooms.
After you get your fried food, you make your way to the grill. The cooks actually put on quite a show and this part can be fun to watch. The cook will first ask what you want. Adults have to get at least a double and they go all the way to quints (that’s five burger patties) and beyond. All the meat is fresh. What they do is take a disher and make little balls out of fresh beef. The cook puts those balls on the grill then slams them down into patties. He had probably five or six orders going at one time with all of them being at least triples. The patties aren’t huge. Once slamed down, they’re pretty thin, so a triple isn’t as huge as you’d think.
After the cook asks what you want, the next question is “Do you want any grilled items.” By this, he means bacon, onions, etc. Don’t say cheese. Cheese isn’t grilled. The guy in front of me made that mistake. I didn’t want anything, so he moved on to buns. The regular bun comes standard, but they also have choices of onion or Kaiser rolls for an additional charge. As the burgers are just about done, the cook turns around again and asks if you want cheese. They have five choices. I went with cheddar although the bleu cheese option was there. The burgers cook a little longer then they are passed on to the cashier who finishes the burgers off with condiments. There’s even a correct way to handle this process. Wet condiments first then everything else. I passed altogether as I just wanted to taste the burger. The cook appreciated that. He turned around and said most people don’t do that, but they really should.
It took me about a half hour to get through line. I elected to take my burger to go since the place was packed, but quite a few people were grabbing trays to stay. Once I got to my destination, I chowed down. The burger was delicious. Blimpy Burger is NOT all hype. They really do have good food. The triple was about the size of a double most places. The cheese was melted into the burger and the burgers were so moist they were just falling apart. I actually had a hard time finishing the burger and fries which almost never happens. I just got the small order of fries and with the sandwich, the total was just over six dollars.
Blimpy Burger is an absolute must in Ann Arbor. Make sure you have plenty of time as I imagine it’s always busy like it was the day I was in there. This place lived up to the hype as a classic burger joint. Their slogan is “cheaper than food”…..they could also add “better than food”
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Tags: Ann Arbor, Blimpy Burger, Bugers, Diner's Drive Ins and Dives, Food Network, Guy Fieri, University of Michigan
Categories : Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Burgers, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches
Fleetwood Diner – Ann Arbor
11 04 2008
I’m gonna start by saying the Fleetwood Dine was a huge surprise. I was at the University of Michigan for work, so when it came time for lunch, I put the Fleetwood in my GPS and went looking for a neighborhood diner. What I found was this great little shack located just off downtown. I actually drove by it twice cussing at my GPS because I couldn’t find it. It was hidden behind a delivery truck.
I had eaten at the sister restaurant in Lansing and was expecting the same thing. The food was the same, but the atmosphere was totally different. The size is ridiculous. In the entire restaurant, there are 6 tables and less than10 stools at the counter.
I was by myself, so took a seat at the counter and the waitress asked if I needed a menu. I did, but I really didn’t. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. It took about 10 minutes for the lone cook working the flattop just on the other side of the counter to send my order up. The waitress got sidetrack with some punks who came in wanting to start trouble, but still was able to not neglect her other customers.
My bill was a little over $7 and in less than a half hour, I had a decent meal. The burger was nothing special and the fries were out of the bag…it was classic diner grub in a truly classic…and unique diner.
Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: 24-Hour, Ann Arbor, breakfast, Diner
Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Diner, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews
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