Grizzly Peak Brewing Company

14 09 2008
  • 120 W. Washington
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 741-7325
  • Website
  • Menu
Grizzly Peak Brewing Company in downtown Ann Arbor.

Grizzly Peak Brewing Company in downtown Ann Arbor.

Our day in Ann Arbor was coming to an end and I was starting to get really hungry again.  Earlier in the week, I asked for suggestions on where to eat dinner and there was no shortage of recommendations.  Since we had spent a pretty good chunk of money on lunch and shopping, I didn’t want to hit up one of fancier restaurants on Main Street even though they were quit tempting.

What we settled on was the Grizzly Peak Brewing Company which was a suggestion from Amy.  Grizzly Peak is located just off of Main Street in a big corner building.  We parked across the street in a public lot and walked over to the brewery.  When we walked in, we found the hostess station.  There was a lady bent over the stand and I just assumed she was the hostess.  Nope.  She was waiting for her husband or something.  A waiter saw us standing there and came over to seat us.  Here was my big complaint about the meal.  I probably should have asked to be seated in the bar so I could watch the football game, but I didn’t.  Outside of the bar, there was one other couple eating and one large group.  The dining rooms at Grizzly Peak are huge and there are several options.  They seated both us and the other couple right next to the large group in a cramped dining room near the back of the space.  Come on now.  Why would you seat a couple next to a group in an empty restaurant.  We just wanted to enjoy a nice dinner, but the group wanted to catch up and you know how people get when they haven’t seen each other in a while.  Grandpa at one end of the table is yelling to his grandson at the other end of the table.  Doesn’t make a good dining experience for anyone around them and we were right next to the table.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Brew Pub, Burgers, Downtown, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

Whole Foods Market – Ann Arbor (Washtenaw Ave.)

14 09 2008
  • 3135 Washtenaw Ave.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 975-4500
  • Website
Whole Foods Market on Washtenaw in Ann Arbor

Whole Foods Market on Washtenaw in Ann Arbor

Can you believe that I have never been in a Whole Foods before?  Where I’ve lived the last six years, the closest Whole Foods was in Chicago and until J and I started dating, I didn’t spend a lot of time that far north.  Same thing when we moved to Lansing.  The closest Whole Foods in Ann Arbor.  We were driving around checking out the city when for some reason I said, “I think there’s a Trader Joe’s in town somewhere.”  I was wrong, it wasn’t Trader Joe’s It was Whole Foods.  J put it into her GPS and even though we were driving aimlessly, we were just a few blocks away, so why not check it out?

I’m gonna say right now, it’s a good thing there is not a Whole Foods in Lansing.  On the other hand, you’d always know where to find me.  The thing I’ve always heard about Whole Foods is that it’s expensive.  As we walked through produce, I could see that.  We can get produce at Horrocks (review HERE) much cheaper.  It’s probably not “organic” at Horrocks, but it tastes the same.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Bakery, Cafe, Grocery, Michigan, Reviews

Spice Merchants

14 09 2008
  • 401 N. 5th Ave #2C
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • Website
  • (734) 332-5500

(I’ve updated this review after Kelly pointed out I had the wrong name..It’s right now and I’ve found more info on the web.)

The Ann Arbor Spice House in the Kerrytown Shops

The Spice Merchants in the Kerrytown Shops

The Spice Merchants was another incredible find in Ann Arbor.  After walking around the Farmer’s Market (review HERE), we headed inside the Kerrytown Shops to see what that was all about.  We didn’t find much on the list of businesses next to the elevator, but there was one shop on the second floor that I wanted to check out.

I’m assuming this is a fairly new store because there’s no information about it anywhere on the web.  Even the Kerrytown Shops website lists the store as being vacant.  It’s definitely not vacant. It’s filled floor to ceiling with spices and not your run of the mill, everyday spices.  There were things in that store I’ve only seen mail order.

Along the walls, the spices are stored in bulk in glass jars.  You’re asked not to handle the jars, but for the more popular spices, there are bags of prepackaged spices hanging near the bulk.  If you want something that’s not already packaged or want more, an employee will package it for you.   In the middle of the store there are racks of spice rubs.  Same deal as the bulk spices except this time they add shakers of the rub to the display. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market

13 09 2008
  • 315 Detroit St.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 994-3276
  • Website
The Ann Arbors Farmers Market on Detroit Street in Kerrytown

The Ann Arbor's Farmer's Market on Detroit Street in Kerrytown

Farmer’s Market’s are something that is relatively new to me.  The last place I lived had only one and it was at a time that wasn’t very convienent.  Since moving to Michigan, I’ve done a lot more shopping this way and love it.  We were in Ann Arbor to do some shopping, but first, we hit up Zingerman’s Deli (review HERE) for lunch.  As we were driving around looking for parking, we passed the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market and realized it was close to the Deli.  After a delicious lunch, we walked down the street to see what the local Ann Arbor farmers had to offer.

The first thing I noticed was the abundance of peppers.  It must be that time of year because every table had a lot of peppers ranging all over the scoville scale.  I looked at some habanero’s and some red peppers, but ultimately passed because I didn’t know how long we were going to be in town or how hot it would get in the car. 

Another big thing for me is fresh herbs.  It’s so hard to find good quality herbs and I’m a terrible gardener.  I killed everything I tried to grow this year after having really good luck with basil last year.  There was one table that had just about every type of herb I could have wanted.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen spearmint and there was more than one table that had it.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Farmer's Market, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews

Zingerman’s Next Door

13 09 2008
  • 422 Detroit St.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 663-5282
  • Website
  • Menu
eZingermans Next Door which is literally next door to the famous Deli of the same name in Ann Arbor

Zingerman's Next Door which is literally next door to the famous Deli of the same name in Ann Arbor

If you’ve been to Zingerman’s Deli, Zingerman’s Next Door shouldn’t be hard to find.  It’s right next door.  The shop has two purposes.  First, it’s seating for Zingerman’s Deli.  As I mentioned in my REVIEW of the deli, after you place your order, you go next door and have a seat.  A server will bring your sandwiches and you can sit down and enjoy the biggest deli sandwich you’ll probably ever eat. 

The second purpose of Zingerman’s Next Door is to offer things you can’t get at the deli.  The main focus is coffee, but they offer chocolates and even gellato. 

The tables are kind of cramped in to the space, but with as many people as Zingerman’s gets, the more tables the better.  We found one along the wall near the cash register.  Our wait was only about 15 minutes which was pretty good for the volume orders the kitchen was filling.  We ate our meal and didn’t feel rushed or cramped which happens at some of the other hot spots in Ann Arbor. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Bakery, Big Ten Tour, Chocolate, Coffee, Local Flavor, Michigan, Reviews, Specialty Shop

Zingerman’s Delicatessen

13 09 2008
  • 422 Detroit St.
  • Ann Arbor, MI 48104
  • (734) 663-3354
  • Website
  • Menu
Zingermans Delicatessen in the Kerrytown District of Ann Arbor

Zingerman's Delicatessen in the Kerrytown District of Ann Arbor

Since we’ve been in Michigan, the one place I’ve been wanting to eat at is Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor.  I can’t remember how I first heard about it, but it’s been on my short list for a long, long time.  I’ve passed the last two times I was in Ann Arbor because of time constraints.  Today, J and I took a shopping trip since U of M was on the road and the first thing we did was find Zingerman’s Deli.

Zingerman’s is in a unique area of Ann Arbor known as Kerrytown.  Very narrow streets  not far from downtown.  Across the street, sorta, sits the Kerrytown Shops.  There was a lot going on in the area on a Saturday morning.  Not only was the Farmer’s Market open, but there was a festival going on in the school lot near the Deli.  We drove around for almost twenty minutes before we finally found a spot to park on 5th Avenue.  It was raining pretty hard, but that wasn’t enough to keep me away from the biggest sandwich I’ve ever gotten at a Delicatessen.

When we opened the door to Zingerman’s, I was shocked to find a building full of people.  I had heard the lines got pretty long at times, but it was shoulder to shoulder inside.  We finally made our way past the meat and cheese counter to get to the line to order lunch.  There are close to 100 different sandwich combinations.  It was a little overwhelming at first, but we managed.  The wait was pretty short even though there were so many people.  The employees taking orders were very on top of things and knew what the sandwich combinations by the numbers. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ann Arbor, Big Ten Tour, Deli, Downtown, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

7-Eleven – Holt

12 09 2008
  • 1997 Aurelius Rd.
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-4906
  • Website
The 7-Eleven store on Aurelius Road in Holt

The 7-Eleven store on Aurelius Road in Holt

It’s not very often that J makes me crave something, but tonight, she did.  When she came home for dinner, she had to weave through the madness that was the gas stations in this town today.  Because people are stupid and will believe anything they hear, lines were forming in the streets on Pennsylvania and Cedar.  She had to weave through all this mess just to get home, so when it was time to go back, she didn’t want to mess with trying to get the Slurpee-type drink from Speedway which she was craving.  Just talking about it made me crave one.

Even though it was much later and all the rumors about $6 gas turned out to be untrue, I didn’t want to mess with trying to get to a gas station, so I went the other way and went to Holt.  7-Eleven occupies the corner of Holt and Aurelius Roads in the village.  It has been a few years since I’ve been in a 7-Eleven.  The convenience stores are prevalent in Chicagoland, but not where I grew up about an hour south.  7-Eleven was a treat when we would stop before or after a White Sox game at Comiskey Park.  We figured since they sponsor the White Sox (all home games start at 7:11 PM CST), we’d support them right back.  That’s what happens when your family watches NASCAR.  You support the sponsors of you’re favorite driver/team. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Holt, Michigan, Reviews

Aunt Millie’s Bakery Outlet

9 09 2008
  • 5085 W. Grand River Ave.
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 886-4227
  • Website
Aunt Millies Bakery Outlet on Grand River in Lansing.

Aunt Millie's Bakery Outlet on Grand River in Lansing.

Aunt Millie’s Bakery Outlet was not our destination today when we started out.  A few weeks ago, I did a post about Aunt Millie’s bread which I found at Kroger.  In that post, I stated the only thing I didn’t like was the price, but that was before I found the bread at Horrocks. Frequent commentor Ang told me there was a Bakery Outlet on Grand River.  When I did a Google search to find the store, another business popped up just a few blocks away.  There wasn’t much info on it, but there was a place called Aunt Millie’s Deli Diner located at 6086 W. Grand River.  I had J put Aunt Millie’s in her GPS to get there from Horrocks and again, a business called Aunt Millie’s Deli Diner showed up.  When we got to the spot it claimed to be, there was nothing but empty land.  I thought maybe the GPS was a little off and got East or West confused, so we kept driving.  Our drive brought us to Aunt Millie’s Bakery Outlet, so we stopped in to see what it had to offer.

Aunt Millie’s Bakery Outlet isn’t fancy.  It’s a small room attached to the administration offices.  The store is stocked with all of Aunt Millie’s products.  The shelves are nothing more than bread racks.  Since we had just stopped at Horrocks, we didn’t really need any bread, but I wanted to look.  We’ve been buying wheat pitas and making home made pita chips.  We picked up two packages at Horrocks, but if they had them cheap here, I cold always use more.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Lansing, Michigan, Reviews

Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods

9 09 2008
  • 428 N. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 485-9466
  • Website
  • No Online Menu
Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods on Cedar St. in Lansing

Roma Bakery, Deli, & Fine Foods on Cedar St. in Lansing

Finding Roma today was totally an accident.  We made our weekly trip to Horrocks and wanted to find something for lunch.  I seem to remember someone telling me Aunt Millie’s had a Deli out on Grand River, so that’s what we went looking for.  We put it in the GPS and when the GPS said we had arrived, there was nothing that even remotely looked like a diner.  We found the outlet store, but no deli.  I thought maybe it was farther down Grand River, so we kept driving.  Eventually, we hit I-96 BL and I got on that without even knowing.  Once I figured out we were going through Old Town, I thought of that bakery on Cedar Street that we had passed so many times without even giving a second glance to.  Since it was getting late in the afternoon and J needed to get to work, I suggested stopping since it would probably be something we could grab and go.

Roma is situated just a few blocks from Oldsmobile Park and downtown Lansing.  The building makes it look like nothing more than the corner bakery, but there is a sign out front that says “Join us for lunch.”  The parking lot was pretty empty when we pulled in around 1:00 and we wondered if we were making a mistake. 

The inside is set up like a local grocery store.  The name Roma suggests an Italian bakery, but I would call it more European as they offer food and baked goods from all parts of the continent even though most of their wares are Italian.  The deli case is in the back of the store.  Next to the deli case is a long pastry case filled with home made goodies.  Since lunch was the priority, we hit that up first. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bakery, Cafe, Deli, Downtown, Grocery, Lansing, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Specialty Shop

Delhi Cafe

8 09 2008
  • 4625 Willoughby Rd.
  • Holt, MI 48842
  • (517) 694-8655
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The Delhi Cafe on Willoughby Road in Holt.

The Delhi Cafe on Willoughby Road in Holt.

Finally!  Back in Michigan.  I got home late last night and slept in to almost lunch time.  My girlfriend needed to run to the dry cleaner to drop off my suit and she waited for me to get up so we could grab something for lunch.  She suggested hitting a drive thru, but I was tired of fast food.  I suggested we check out that cafe we saw on Willoughby Road while driving home from East Lansing one night.

The Delhi Cafe is part of a strip mall about half a mile of Cedar Street in Holt.  There’s not much else there, but the Cafe takes up a good chunk of the space.  The sign out front claims the cafe has some Greek influence.  We didn’t notice that on the way in, but after looking at the menu, it makes sense.  It’s not a Greek menu, but there is definitely some Greek inspiration. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Holt, Local Flavor, Michigan, Restaurant, Reviews

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