Banh Na was a Thai and Laotian place in Ypsilanti on Washtenaw. I was told recently that it was boarded up and closed. I was last there in early May. Does anyone know what could have possibly happened to it?

For asian, try Chia Shang (its on Packard). And I also recomend everyday lunch. I dearly love that place. The tapas at Rush Street are good, not the best.

And Cafe Zola is excellent for brunch. It is my favorite spot in Ann Arbor for brunch esp. in the spring and summer. Get there early though because it does get incredibly pack on a Sunday. I wasn't too please with my brunch over at Amadeus when I went the first time a few months ago.

There is Vietnamese in Ypsilanti at a place called Dalat. its family owned and no frills. I believe its on Michigan Ave. There is also Saigon Garden on Forest and South U. which is good but Dalat is more authentic. Oh, Lotus Thai or Marnee Thai have great Thai food. The lunch special over at Marnee Thai is a good portion and price. I haven't been to Kai Garden in some time, but it was very good from what I remember. Silvio's Pizza is great too if you haven't tried it.

Vinology is a nice place for a glass of wine and something to nibble on.

Hope this helps...

I figure I'd give my two cents in as well when it came to Ann Arbor restaurants. I agree with most of the things listed.

Cafe Zola - great place for brunch, esp. outside on a warm sunny day

Everyday Lunch (above Hollandar's in Kerrytown Market) - different menu each day using fresh local ingredients, chef's do an amazing job at creating unique and delectable dishes

Silvio's Organic Pizza - thoroughly Italian pizza, not the greasy stuff that passes for pizza these days

Bella Ciao - good seasonal Italian, cozy setting and excellent atmosphere

Chia Shang - excellent Chinese and Malaysian dishes

Cafe du Jour - some of the best soup around in my opinion
Exotic Bakeries and Cuisine - low key no frills Syrian food, one of the best around

Some places in Ypsilanti that I've come to really enjoy

Red Sea - Ethiopian at its best
Bahn Na - Northern Thai and Laotian but I've heard rumours about it closing?
Dalat - family owned vietnamese

All the Indian restaurants in Ann Arbor that used to be great are gone. I'm not sure if I agree that Shalimar is one of the best though. They aren't consistent, overpriced and just trying to be far to European for my liking. A new Indian restaurant is opening up, and hopefully it'll be better than what is currently around.

Dominick's, Prickly Pear, Paesano's are all great places and I'd highly recommend them. I am yet to try Logan but have heard great things. Seva is worth a shot, as is Zingerman's Deli. Zingerman's Roadhouse if you like the Deli, but I prefer it for drinks.

And yes, the hippie hash at fleetwood is excellent, and even better at 3am on Friday/Saturday night.

I think I can put my two cents in for the few establishments in the Lansing/E.Lansing area that I truly do enjoy. Woody's Oasis does simple Lebanese food. I usually go to the one in Trowbridge Plaza but I do enjoy the one on Grand River. I would highly recommend Korea House as did another person. Excellent Dolsot Bi Bim Bop!

Also, there is a udon noodle shop off of Grand River, on the inside corner of a side street. Wonderful soup dishes and boba tea.

I recently discovered a funky little tea house that opened up in Downtown Lansing. It's called Magdalena's Tea Shop, and it had good soup, tea and music. I truly was happy to find such a place. http://www.magdalenasteahouse.com/

Hope this might help a bit.

Hi Elizabeth. As a mid-20s New Yorker foodie currently in Ann Arbor Michigan, I will say, it will take some time to adjust. I personally like Ann Arbor far more than I ever liked Lansing. Ann Arbor has a good restaurant and local foods/market scene. Ypsilanti, which is right next to Ann Arbor has plenty of small, local ethnic markets and restuarants. Ann Arbor is about an hour, hour and half from the Lansing area. The summer is a gorgeous time out here.

To possibly make things a bit clearer, there will be family at dinner (total party of 5) and price is not really not a concern. I wish I could tell you more about location but I am unfamilar with Baltimore. And please, any restaurants you suggest should have more than one vegetarian option. So far Pazo and Mezze sound and look good. As for bars, the Brewer's Art sounds great for drinks, and definitely 13th Floor. I've still got 2 more weeks before my birthday, so I'll gladly take more suggestions. Thanks for the responses so far!

I'll be going up to Traverse City from Ann Arbor for the first time. I"m looking forward to going to some of the vineyards and wineries up there, however I haven't heard much about the food/restaurant scene.

As a vegetarian, I am picky, so I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions for places to eat in Traverse City, and the surrounding areas?

I will happen to be in Baltimore for my 23rd birthday in about month, and I was looking for some suggestions on places to eat/drink/have dessert. On my previous visit to Baltimore (in the late evening and brief visit), I had dinner at the Helmand, which I absolutely love and crave. I am a bit of foodie, so I'm always on the search for good places to go.

I'm open to all suggestions, since I've only been to Baltimore once. Are there any nice bars with a good view?

Venchi also makes a much better gianduja spread as well. You would have to look for it in an Italian grocery store or online. Its seriously much better stuff than Nutella (esp. the American kind). It seems that all the good chocolate stuff from abroad is bastardized in order to be more palatable to Americans. Cadbury bars are the same, if you look closely at the wrapper, they are made by Hershey's and don't taste as good as the English ones.

If you are looking for a good chocolate hazelnut gelato, Ciao Bella makes an excellent gelato. They even make just a straight up hazelnut.

I love hazelnuts and dark chocolate, so I'm devoted to the original Perugina Bacci truffles...

I personally find Gratzi to be better than Paesano's. Esp. since Gratzi has a new region of Italy that they focus upon each week,they have a number of additional dishes and have associated wines. Its a wonderful addition to their usual menu.

Gratzi has also been very accommodating to food preferences. I'm a vegetarian and they've always been kind enough to alter a dish to make it vegetarian. However it is quite pricey (in the same vein as Paesano's) but it is a wonderful place to go. I would also advocate for Bella Ciao over on Liberty between Main and Ashley. It has a monthly menu based on seasonal availabilities.

There is a serious lack of Moroccan and Middle Eastern food in Ann Arbor. Charlie's La Shish or whatever its called is terrible. Overpriced for mediocore food. It has this terrible Orientalist atmosphere IMO.

You may want to check Dearborn. If you are looking for Middle Eastern/Arab food in the Ann Arbor area, definately try Exotic Bakery and Cuisine. I hate their name, but the food is the BEST. They specialize in Syrian cuisine and its a small mom and pop owned place with a big glass case where you pick the food from. They make their own baklava and pastries which are amazing.

For the most part I'm with MC (actually almost entirely with some minor quibbles). Smirnoff is a good vodka for mixing, as if Stoli. But in general I prefer Ketel One to most other vodkas. Grey Goose is certainly good, but not worth the money. I have always enjoyed Vincent van Gogh Vodka as well. I'm not sure how some of the new vodka's made from grapes are (Ciroc for example), but they seem to be worth a taste at least.

Gin is an interesting spirit, and the flavors run the gamut because of the botanicals and herbs. Personally, I think investing in the premium stuff is worth it for a good G&T. I hate Bombay Sapphire, don't go near it. Plymouth is great, and so is Tanqueray. Tanqueray Rangpur was great because the Rangpur limes have a distinct flavor. My personal favorite is Hendrick's though because of the subtler flavor which is a sharp constrast to gins like Tanqueray.

I agree with MC on the high end tequila racket. Patron Silver is not bad, its good in drinks but is not worth the price tag. I personally find Don Julio and Cabo Wabo to be worthy of sipping, but I am still a novice when it comes to tequila.

Avoid Bacardi Rum for anything other than mixing. I have not found a good quality white rums, so I am looking for suggestions. There are some excellent dark rums out there like 10 Cane (i'm not sure what the price tag on it is), Mount Gay and Myer's are good stuff to buy.

There are many other spirits and liquors you should consider tasting and using for cocktails such as cahaca, ouzo, arak, fruit and nut liquers. Good cocktails are also made with good quality ingredients like juices, rinds, fruits, etc.

Hope this helps, and bottoms up.

I wouldn't do anything more than Cuervo for margaritas , BUT if you're going to sip the stuff, or put it in a drink that has less mixers (or make 'ritas with real lemon juice and not with those fake canned mixers), the high end stuff is great. Cuervo is terrible in general, but Don Julio is good. As is Cabo Wabo and Patron. I'm going to have to try the Cassadores.

I highly recommend Bella Ciao in Ann Arbor and to give them a call just to make sure they aren't booked. Cafe Zola is also wonderful and has a lovely intimate atmosphere. Shalimar is also an option if you are looking for something a bit different than the usual European places. If I remember correctly from last year and my own graduation, most Ann Arbor restaurants start taking reservations in late Feb/early March for graduation dinners.

I've only been there once, and it was during the Fall when they had a wonderful canneloni pasta dish. Their salads are excellent, esp. the Pear and Gorgonzola. As for a wine recommendation : Inama Soave Classico “Vigneto du Lot”. Its only by the bottle I believe, and is a bit pricey but I believe you may be able to find it at Whole Foods in Ann Arbor and Bella Vino for a fraction of the cost.

I make my own pizzas and get my dough from Whole Foods. Homemade pizza dough is pretty simple as well.

If Silvo happens to let you buy pizza dough, let me know, because I love his pizza!

Does anyone know where I can perhaps find the Blood Orange Orangina in Michigan. I'm in the Ann Arbor area and so far the only place I've seen it is in Plum Market in the international aisle. I was wondering if there were other places carrying it. I haven't been to Morgan and York or Bella Vino since I saw it over at Plum Market.

Has anyone ever seen any of the other flavors of Orangina?

I'm going to be the Lansing area tomorrow night into late Saturday afternoon. I've been there a couple of times before and feel as if I've exhausted all the good restaurants in E.Lansing area. I've been to Woody's, Sultans, Korea House (which btw has excellent bi bim bop), Beggar's (which I didn't like) and this Chinese place off of Grand River onto one of the side street. I can't remember the name, but they've got an excellent selection of Bubble Teas.

I'm a vegetarian, so places that have more than one option would be preferable. Also, please, don't mention Beggar's, El Azteco or such places. I'm a native New Yorker who goes to school in Ann Arbor, so I can be a bit picky.

Any good places for drinks would also be much appreciated. And please, not a place populated by college undergrads.

Also, does anyone know anything about Magdelena's Tea House in Lansing?