bellmont's Profile
Spicy Chinese Food - DTW
VTB: Yes, that's it - the second pic. Thanks for the education.
Spicy Chinese Food - DTW
VTB, I'm not so sure about that. I've had pickled/preserved mustard greens in pork soup noodles many times. This vegetable was almost black in color and had a different texture.
It was stalks/stems of some kind. Whatever it was, it was delicious!
Spicy Chinese Food - DTW
Went to Ypbor Yan for lunch on Friday with my wife. I asked for the Chinese menu after looking at the regular menu that was presented to us and decided that I could get the regular stuff anywhere.
The Chinese menu has enough English descriptions in it to make it usable.
Wife decided to check out the buffet to see how it compares to Asia City's down the road. It's a buck cheaper than Asia City, but AC's buffet is about five times the size. Any way, she decided to go for the buffet and decided the food was good, even though the selection is limited.
I ordered the steamed side pork. This was thinly sliced pork belly over some kind of steamed dried/pickled vegetable and baby bok choy. Our server could not explain what the mystery vegetable was; it was delicious. Great textural contrast to the perfectly cooked pork. I thought it might be wood ear.
We're big fans of Chia Shang in Ann Arbor. Ypbor Yan is a great addition to authentic chinese cuisine in this area. Can't wait to go back for dinner and try a few more dishes.
Dim sum recommendations? [Detroit]
May Wah Inn is at the address as the old Wah Court.
1689 University Avenue W
Windsor, ON N9B 1C3
(519) 256-4755
The name changed, but as far as I could tell, nothing else did, including the waitresses.
The wait on Sunday lunch can be 30-45 minutes, but you can do call ahead.
I'm guessing the ownership changed too.
I also recall going once to the other Wah Court location on Wyandotte Ave. I believe that's gone.
Dim sum recommendations? [Detroit]
Have you tried May Wah in Windsor?
The Wah Court on 1689 University Avenue West in Windsor became May Wah Inn.
Just went there a month ago on a Sunday for dim sum. The curried baby squid (cuttlefish) was excellent as usual. Their Sunday dim sum is great for quality and variety. On Saturdays, not so good.
We go there 2-3 times a year.
If you find yourself in Ann Arbor/Ypsi, both Asia City and Great Lake have great dimsum including curried squid.
What to eat in Ann Arbor, MI?
Zingerman's Roadhouse is on the SW corner of Jackson and S. Maple. Good food in a real restaurant. It's very different from the deli, which is an Ann Arbor institution. The deli could qualify as your visit to a "good coffee shop" if you show up there around 3pm on a weekend. There'll still be a crowd, but you shouldn't have to wait long.
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Zingerman's Roadhouse
2501 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
heading to michigan university this weekend need help with food along the way
Cafe Japon is great. My wife went there for lunch during the taste of Ann Arbor Week in June. She wound up having to order takeout because of the crowd, long wait and limited time she had for lunch. They screwed up her takeout by giving her the wrong order. She didn't realize this till she got back to her office. She called them and they asked her to come anytime and get what she ordered. They had the right order ready for her the same evening at dinner time.
Full disclosure: Our son ate the wrong lunch order for dinner and he loved it.
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Cafe Japon
113 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
heading to michigan university this weekend need help with food along the way
Yeah, Slow's BBQ in the city of Detroit. Great intro to Detroit.
http://slowsbarbq.com/
I always get the Texas Beef Brisket; always good with their beer selections.
Take I-75 N from the Ohio Tpk. It's only a slight detour from your most direct route to Ann Arbor.
Wood-Fired Pizza in Ann Arbor
Ditto on Mani. Their wood fired pizzas are very good - thin, crispy chewy crust and simple toppings. They do go overboard with the salt in some of their dishes; I can't remember if the pizza was overly salted, but watch out.
Mani osteria Ann Arbor Brief review
We went to Mani for dinner last night (first visit) during A2 Restaurant Week. The place was packed. We had reservations and they seated us promptly. Ordered off the Restaurant Week menu.
Our waiter explained the menu items very well, and answered all our questions. Service was very prompt. I ordered the crispy pork belly, pickled tomatoes and pappardelle w/ bolognese sauce.
The pork belly was fantastic as pork belly usually is. The pickled tomatoes were a bit too tart and the accompanying tapenade was much too too salty. The heavy salt also made it to the bolognese sauce, though the homemade pasta was excellent, cooked perfectly ( al dente ).
Between the wife's and son's orders, we also sampled crispy artichokes, ribolita soup, arugula and mizuna salad and two different pizzas - all of which were excellent.
The only choice for dessert was gelato, which was perfect after all this variety.
Other than being generous with the salt, as mentioned, we had a very enjoyable meal. Good wine too.
The place has a very nice vibe; it's noisy, but you can carry on a conversation without having to shout. It's a keeper, and we hope to return real soon.
Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) in metro-Detroit?
Oppsie; I just saw your comment - sorry for the delayed response.
I had to ask the waitress for XLB; pulled up a picture on my phone to explain what I was asking for. She then pointed to a cart and brought over a steamer. She said they offer it on some days. I got lucky, I guess.
We went out last night...........to Giovanni's! [Detroit Area]
Rheta:
So, where is Giovanni's?
Location (town/city) would be helpful. Thx.
Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) in metro-Detroit?
Went to Asia City in Ypsi today (next door to Hua Xing) for dim sum. It was fantastic. They had Xaio Long Bao on the carts. The servings I had were a little cooler than I would have liked, but they were really, really good.
I've been to Asia City three times this past month for dinner and also dim sum. They have really upped their game from the first few times I went there soon after their opening and suffered through their teething problems. One memorable dish (for dinner) was oysters in black bean sauce; simply divine - fresh, briny, salty and spicy. What's not to like?
Two things I've always wanted to try...need suggestions? [Dim sum and sushi in Detroit area]
Matsuchan is best for ramen noodle soup. The variety and quality are great. Their lunch specials (not ramen) are also pretty good. One special ( now offered every day) is their ramen set - bowl of ramen soup, plate of fried rice with shu mai (small steamed shrimp dumplings) is a hearty lunch for $9. I wouldn't go there for sushi, which is very, very limited. It's a side dish.
Chinese Hot Pot in the Midwest?
The last time I was in Shanghai, one of the meats available to order for the hot pot was Spam.
We ordered that and several other meats including pigs blood. We had about 20 dipping sauces to choose from. Everything was delicious. Lots of beer. Spam never tasted so good.. I've been to Asia City a few times, always for the dim sum. Never thought to order the hot pot. Gotta try it there.
Pizzeria Biga in Southfield, MI--- add this place to the debate
Today was my first visit to Biga for lunch. Ordered the House Blend white pizza with my choice of toppings - duck proscuitto, anchovies and roasted eggplant. The pizza was terrific - thin crust, crispy and chewy in the appropriate places. The anchovies overwhelmed the toppings, but I've got to take the rap for that. I knew it was risky. The duck prosciutto was very good with just the right amount of fat.
Great ambiance. Will definitely go back with the family.
Ann Arbor--too many choices! Help narrowing it down. . .
Morgan & York in Ann Arbor sells 750ml of Cointreau for $45.31. Any other place in MI will be about the same(+/- pennies). Get it from duty free. They'll sell you a liter for a lot less.
Mexican market near Ann Arbor
Dos Hermanos market in Ypsi @ the NW corner of Mich Ave and Hamilton has a broad range of Mexican groceries including meat and fish counters. They also have a taqueria in the store on weekends. Had some decent carnitas a couple of Sundays ago.
Vietnamese in SE Michigan?
No Vietnamese in A2/Ypsi that's worth the effort, IMHO.
My wife loves the bun cha at Paradise on Eisenhower, so I accompany her to support marital bliss. Plus, she thinks it's really stupid to drive from A2 to Madison Heights for a bowl of pho.
Whenever I can, I head to MH to Thuy Trang, Pho Hang or Pho Que Hong, in that order.
AA,MI Best Indian recommendations
My wife (we both grew up in India) insists Raja Rani's lunch buffet is the best in A2.
She's tried them all.
Over the years, we've also been to Shalimar (weren't impressed), takeout for Seajoys (so so), dine in experiences at Madras Masala (disappointing). We generally don't eat in any of the Indian restaurants in town and usually stick to home cooked Indian food.
Having said that, I've found Priya on Grand River in Farmington to be quite good. We've had catered food from Rangoli (Auburn Hills/Rochester?) at parties, which was excellent.
Haandi at 6 Mile and Newburgh in Livonia is good.
I've been a couple of times for lunch to Ashoka in Troy and was very disappointed.
Ann Arbor - Chinese
Yes, Chia Shang has soup dumplings. I think you can get them on weekdays as well.
You'll find them towards the back of the menu (last couple of pages). Just order the ones with pork only. The soup dumplings with pork and crab aren't worth it. Enjoy, and please post your impressions for us 'hounds!
Ann Arbor - Chinese
Sure. Nowhere as much as the variety you point to in the seriouseats blog; you'd need the scale of a Chinatown for that, For soup noodles in A2, I go to Great Lake on Carpenter and Packard, or to Chia Shang on Packard east of Stadium. The latter is now my favorite A2 Chinese restaurant. In it's current incarnation, it has an expanded menu with several authentic Shangainese and Sichuan dishes. I love their beef noodle soup for lunch.
Sluurrrrp.....
Aji Ten in Canton, MI
I don't know anything about Aji Ten, so can't help you there.
I suggest you try Izakaya Sanpei Restaurant, which is a great Japanese restaurant. Located at 43327 Joy Rd
Canton, MI 48187
If you want excellent ramen with little ambience (and no booze), try Matsuchan Restaurant, located in the strip mall at the NE corner of Ford and Sheldon Rds. This is one of my favorite lunch spots. The food is excellent. The focus is on ramen, with a few other home cooked dishes. This place is NOT fancy.
Strong endorsement for Maru in Ann Arbor
New Seoul Garden is just west of Copper Canyon brewery. Yes, they have table top bbq and decent Japanese food.
Detroit Area Knife Sharpening
We take our knives to Arbor Vacuum. One day turnaround, if I remember correctly. Besides the Carpenter Rd location, they also have a location in town on Packard, bet. Stadium and State.
Zaccaro's--good panini in Detroit
We wandered into Zaccaro's last Sunday after a lovely breakfast at the Atlas Global Bistro across the street. Interesting place, especially given the location. Upscale with great products. Like a mini Whole Foods. We bought some spanish chorizo, which I later used to make a nice quick dish with diced potatoes. It was excellent. I definitely will visit again when I'm in the area.
Mosaic in Greektown, Mi
I've been there once for dinner and once for lunch in the past 12 months. Both meals were excellent.
El Rancho - Detroit (Steak Tacos)
We've been once to Tango Bravo Argentine Grill in May '07. The empanadas were great. Everything else was average. It was a slow night. The place has a lot of potential.
Need Help Asian food recs Detroit/AA
Matsuchan is in a strip mall (Harvard Square) at the NE corner of Ford and Sheldon in Canton.
http://www.matsuchan.com/
Need Help Asian food recs Detroit/AA
Great Lake in Yspi is actually quite good for Chinese; went there for lunch today (dim sum and some duck w. preserved vegetable noodle soup, which was all excellent). We've been going there for years. I can remember some bad meals there; they're more consistent now. I prefer Great Lake to Golden Harvest in Warren. If we seriously want dim sum, we go over to Windsor.
Vietnamese: Unfortunately there's nothing good in A2/Ypsi. I've tried them all. Many times. Pho Hang and Thuy Trang in Madison Heights are excellent (and cheap). Thang Long (also in MH) is so so.
Japanese: Matsuchan in Canton rocks. I stop there for ramen whenever I can (at least twice a month). Akasaka in Livonia is also very good, though I haven't been there for a couple of years. Fumi in Novi is on my list to try.
