Misschacha's Profile
Good Asian food in the Minneapolis skyways?
I was in MPLS over the summer, and while I didn't encounter any straight-up Asian food in the skyway system, I was pleasantly surprised to discover some random Korean dishes at Mission (I think it's in the IDS Center?). Mission's definitely more upscale, but they had this terrific galbi appetizer with kimchi that I was surprised to see on the menu, along with some fusion noodle dishes I didn't have a chance to try. If you're looking for something eclectic and more sit-down, it might be worth checking out.
Also, random note, but there's a deli in the Dorsey building that serves bulgogi sandwiches. Never tried it, but heard good things.
Ann Arbor - quick review of Cafe Japon
I went there for lunch last week and thought it had potential. We tried a few different things on the menu -- one of the sandwiches, the cold noodle dish, the sushi assortment, and a few of the croissants with different fillings. My primary complaint was the service -- we were sit-down, not take-out, and our server was totally spacy. She came by and asked if we wanted a knife and additional plates to share our food. When we enthusiastically said yes, she wandered away, disappeared, and never returned with the knife or plates. We finally went up to the counter and asked for them. Same with the water -- she filled our glasses once, and then after awhile we just went up to the counter and refilled them ourselves.
It's a small place, and we were there a long time, so in a way, it's not that the service was so horrible but just needed some attention. Put in a better light, perhaps it made it a bit more homey? Certainly the atmosphere was calm and pleasant.
As for the food, I think we were all generally a bit disappointed with our sandwich selection -- it was the one with the fried potatoes in gravy included. I think it might have just been what we chose, as the bread was fine, just the filling was sort of heavy. The cold noodle dish wasn't memorable but I do think it was tasty. Sorry, the memory is a bit foggy on that one. What I DO remember is that everyone was a bit underwhelmed by the sushi assortment. For the price, and especially since it didn't include actual sashimi, I think we all expected something with a bit more punch.
But the croissants and baguettes were good, and it's definitely strongest when treated like a bakery and less like a restaurant. Certainly has potential, so I'll try it again.
Driving from MSP to East Lansing, MI
Just wanted to second the recommendations for Bell's in Kzoo as well as Water Street Coffee Joint -- totally cute, close to Bell's if you need a caffeine pick-me-up before heading back on the road.
Driving from MSP to East Lansing, MI
Hi -- I used to do this drive at least four or five times a year. Here's some of my favorite stops:
1. On I-90/94, heading from MPLS towards East Lansing, there's an exit called DeForest past Madison. I forget the exit number, but I always stop there for cheese and summer sausage. They've got a huge selection and really clean bathrooms, and the people behind the counter are super nice and always let you have a sample. It's total kitschy fun, and a tradition in our family now. We never pass it up in either direction.
2. In Schaumburg, if you exit onto Golf Rd. and take it straight west for five miles or so, there's a terrific place called Yu's Mandarin in a strip mall on the right-hand side, right before Roselle Road, I believe. (sorry -- memory is a bit foggy). They serve the best Korean-Chinese food around. If you haven't had Korean-Chinese food, the specialties are: Tang'su-yuk, which is deep-fried pork with a slightly-sweetened honey sauce; Champ-pong, a spicy seafood-based broth with thick udon noodles; and Cha-jang-myun, which is fresh noodles topped with black bean sauce. Their dumplings are also fantastic. My parents drive from the Wisconsin/Minnesota border just to eat here once every few months.
3. Once you get into Indiana (after the skyway) I almost always end up needing to stop at the Ripley Plaza for gas.
4. If I skip the Ripley Toll Plaza, then I head to Valparaiso, where the exit offers one decent Mexican restaurant in a strip mall, and the first Wendy's you'll pass for awhile.
5. As for East Lansing, I have three favorite places:
a. Jersey Giant. love love love this place. They make enormous fresh submarines from scratch. It's a family-owned business and very bare-bones, but whatever is in their special sauce is totally addictive. I always get the number 12. There's a few different locations around town.
b. Charlie Kang's. Again, THE place to go for Korean and Korean-Chinese food. Skip the actual Chinese food entirely. I don't know why they keep it on the menu, because no one eats it. Turn straight to the back of their menu for the Korean stuff. Located in downtown East Lansing, right across from campus.
c. El Azteco. A total dive, but so, so good. I've been eating at El Az since it was a basement hole-in-the-wall. Their fribur (frijoles burrito) and side of rice is all of $3.00 total. They grow their own corn. They've got patio seating upstairs and margaritas specials to die for. And their botana...yum. And their salsa...lordy, I could go on forever. Also located across from campus, on Albert.
Additional places include a ton of terrific Middle Eastern places. Sultan's in the Hannah Plaza makes fresh juices and has nice seating. Woody's and another place over at the Frandor Center have great meals for cheap. There's also Sahara's over in Okemos. Indian food is also good -- Sindhu's has a nice lunch buffet for about $8.00 or so.
Good luck on your trip and have fun!
Happy Hours in Ann Arbor
Anyone know of good happy hour specials in Ann Arbor? I'm hoping for something laid-back with a good wine selection. I'm basically tired of the Rush Street/Earle options and hoping for some undiscovered gems near or around downtown. I've heard Vinology does $1 mini-burgers but doesn't cut their wine prices at all. Thanks for your advice!
Eating out in Michigan (Ann Arbor, Dearborn)
You might want to check out the thread on Eve in Ann Arbor. I went for the first time a few weeks back and had a wonderful experience. Reasonably-priced wines and terrific food and atmosphere. Very warm and welcoming, with wonderfully-prepared food. I had really soured on the Ann Arbor food scene, having had my fill of Main St., but Eve has won me over.
If you're looking for a casual pub, Casey's Tavern is a good beer-n-grub sort of place with a nice neighborhood vibe. It's located a bit apart from downtown, so not the best street atmosphere if you're looking to wander around a bit afterwards, although the neighborhoods are good to stroll through if the weather's nice and you're close to Kerrytown from there (relatively).
If you're around for breakfast, Angelo's is by far the best place to go. It tastes like a grandmother who really really loves you is in the kitchen, shaping the sausage patties by hand. They make their own bread (delish). It's always busy, but worth the wait.
For places outside the downtown area, there's great international food near Eisenhower. Seoul Garden has good Korean bbq, Godaiko (Japanese and sushi) and Arirang (Korean) are in the strip mall off of Ann Arbor-Saline Rd., and strangely enough, the Colonnade has a pretty decent Vietnamese noodle restaurant (called Paradise) and Bella Italia, which has zero atmosphere, but terrific thin-crust pizzas. Out by Carpenter Rd. is La Shish, which is terrific Middle Eastern, and is not connected to the La Shish in Dearborn (used to be franchised, but there have been problems with the La Shish in Dearborn and so they've parted ways apparently).
But for high-end recommendations, I'd suggest Eve, or Pacific Rim. I've been disappointed with almost everything along Main St. (Real Seafood, Gratzi, etc.) The atmosphere at Cafe Felix is great, but I can only vouch for their 1/2 off wine nights on Wednesdays but not the food.
Brunch/ Breakfast in Ann Arbor?
Another place I like is the Uptown Coney Island, out on Jackson Rd. It's squeaky clean with big comfy booths, and their portions are enormous but good. They've also got free wireless access, and it's a nice, bright atmosphere. It's family-run, in a strip-mall but nice nonetheless. I've run into professors I know there who probably like it for the same reasons I do: It's relatively out of the way, i.e., no long waits for tables, less chance of running into people you know on a Saturday or Sunday morning, reasonably priced, and with good food. Definitely kid-friendly. It's cash only, but there's an ATM inside. And alas, like Holiday's it does allow smoking, but there's usually not many people there taking advantage of the option.
Brunch/ Breakfast in Ann Arbor?
Holiday's is still there!!! It hasn't been torn down, trust me! I just went there last week, and they've changed their sign so it's harder to see, but definitely still around. I've never tried their other food, but I could see how it wouldn't necessarily be great. But for breakfast, I love it.
Holiday's
2080 W Stadium Blvd
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734) 668-1292
Brunch/ Breakfast in Ann Arbor?
This thread is really old, but I can't resist putting in a plug for my favorite breakfast place: Holiday's on Stadium.
It's not fancy, but there's an ineffable something about the place, with its vinyl booths, TERRIFIC coffee (literally can't get enough of their brew) and their lovely california omelet.
It's a sturdy, solid place. Just the sort of restaurant you want to hunker into on a rainy day and watch the morning pass you by. You can also buy copies of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal there.
The only downside is that they allow smoking, but it's in a relatively removed section of the restaurant.
Ann Arbor Monday and Tuesday any recs?
Forgot two sort of quirky-cool places for late-night imbibing: Vinology and Leopold Brothers. Leopold's is in a big old warehouse at the southern end of Main, Vinology is a wine bar on the northern end. Both nice places to end the evening.
Ann Arbor Monday and Tuesday any recs?
Zingerman's is great, and Zingerman's Roadhouse is also worth the trek out to Maple Road, but I feel I must warn you that nothing you have in Ann Arbor is going to blow your socks off. This is not to sound bitter about A2, but I have yet to go to any restaurant here where I feel like the meal lives up to the price I paid for it.
For a solid social scene and good outdoor seating, Conor O'Neil's tends to be busy every night and has decent Irish fare. It's located in the heart of Main Street, so you can get some good people-watching in.
The Blue Nile has well-prepared Ethiopian. Godaiko, Sadako, and Totoro have decent sushi. Sadako has a nicer interior, but the sushi is probably better at Godaiko (although a bit out of the way, in the Oak Valley strip mall, next door to a great Asian grocery, also owned by the Godaiko folks and a decent Korean place called Arirang).
My preferences for Indian are Raja Rani and Shalimar, both near UM campus.
One of my favorite places is Le Dog -- a "gourmet" hot dog stand with two locations downtown, but it's their lobster bisque that's to die for, and it's unfortunately only served on Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the week, they serve up two different kinds of homemade soups, and of course, hot dogs.
Rush Street (also on Main)has a great happy hour special and a more "cosmpolitan" atmosphere, although I find the name of the restaurant off-putting, having moved here from Chicago. In any case, it's 1/2 off all drinks and food before 6pm, which makes their over-pricedness a little more bearable.
In any case, have fun visiting A2! If you're looking for basic, decent options, you'll definitely find them here. It's just not the place to look for anything unusually delightful.
Oh, last rec: If you like Thai, try Lotus Thai -- best in town, also in a strip mall off of Oak Valley Drive.
Korean in NW burbs?
If you're interested in casual dining, try Soliphana off of Golf Rd. in Schaumburg. It's in a strip mall, and unfortunately I can't remember the cross street, although it's past the Melting Pot and Bahama Breeze on the south side of Golf. The decor is very eighties, but it's clean and the food is a good introduction to the basics of Korean cuisine.
Newbies to Korean food usually like the Korean barbecue (bulgogi or galbi) which is grilled meats with assorted condiments, toppings, and rice. You wrap up the meat in a lettuce leaf, and dab in a bit of daengjang paste. Other suggestions are the dolsot bibimbop (rice mixed with vegetables, hot bean paste and meat in a stone bowl - be sure to let it sit a moment before stirring to let the rice get a lovely crispy texture on the bottom for some nice crunch).
I love the appetizer pajun, or haemul pajun, basically a flat pancake with scallions (with or without seafood) that you dip into soy sauce. If you prefer milder flavors, you might like the mandoo guk or duk mandoo guk, which is dumpling soup with or without rice cakes. For spicy flavors, try any of the chigaes, like sun dooboo chige (spicy tofu stew) or yuk gae jang (spicy beef soup).
There's also a Korean barbecue around that same area, as well as a Korean grocery store, all stemming off of Golf Rd. heading west. Yu Mandarin has terrific Korean-Chinese food as well. I'd start off with either the chajangmyun (black-bean noodles), ch'ampong (spicy seafood noodles) or t'ang su yuk (honey-sauced battered and fried pork).
Chajang Myun at restaurants?
If you're ever out in Schaumburg, Yu Mandarin on Golf Rd. has terrific chajangmyun. You can also get chajangbap, which is the black bean sauce poured over rice. (myun = noodles; bap = rice in Korean)
Other Koreanized versions of Chinese food include Ch'ampong, a spicy seafood noodle dish, and t'ang su yuk, which is very similar to sweet and sour pork although with a lighter honey-based sauce. The battered and deep-fried pieces of pork are brought out separately, and the sauce is poured over the dish at the table, so it tends to be less gummy and has a crisper texture.
All the Chinese restaurants in Seoul serve these three staples (chajangmyun, ch'ampong, and t'ang su yuk).
Yu's does terrific versions of all of the above, and their portions are gargantuan so go with a friend and be prepared to share...
