Grizzly Peak - Best Burger in Town?

If there was one restaurant in Ann Arbor that I’d call my favorite, I’d have to say Grizzly Peak tops my list. Whenever guests come into town, Grizzly Peak is always my number one choice to show them a good time.

Located on Washington, half a block West of Main, Grizzly Peak’s ambiance, and menu, makes it one of the few down-town restaurants that seems focused on appealing to the younger crowd (well at least has cheaper options on the menu for the poor college students). That is what makes the place so fun to be apart of, it is always buzzing with groups of young professionals, and college students, and the noise shows everyone must be having a great time. Though it always seems full, we seldom wait long for a table.

I couldn’t do a better job describing the place than Grizz’s website so I’ll steal a quote –

Grizzly Peak is housed in a century-old building with wood floors, tin ceilings and exposed brick walls, which create a warm, casual atmosphere. The progressive menu focuses on fresh ingredients and seasonal features produced in a "from-scratch" kitchen. Families, students, couples and professionals enjoy the aged steaks, fresh fish, BBQ Ribs, hearth-baked pizzas, sandwiches and burgers.

The Grizz Burger, is in my opinion, the best burger in town.

From their Menu:

1/2 lb. burgers are fresh-ground from aged sirloin and served on
a fresh-baked poppyseed roll with lettuce, tomato and your choice of toppings. 8.50
Add 35¢ for each topping: Smoked Gouda Cheese,Blue Cheese, Wild Mushrooms, Grilled Red Onions, Cajun Spices, Sharp Cheddar, Kalamata Olives, Goat Cheese, Gruyere Cheese, Smoked Bacon, Fresh Avocado.

I’ll normally go for smoked Gouda, smoked Bacon and Avacado. I highly recommend you pay the extre $1.50 and get the sweet potato fries also.

The Salmon is a favorite of mine when I am in healthy mode, and the Ice cream Sandwich with house made cookies is a must if you are a fan of deserts.

With it’s brewery on-site, Beer lovers should try their beer samplers. You can get five, seven, or nine, 5 ounce sample glasses to share around the table.

Ratings:

Location/Parking - 4.75/5

Ambiance - 4.75/5

Food - 4.75/5

Value - 4.75/5

Service - 4.5/5

Overall - 4.7/5

'Tis the week of Christmas

For those of you who have not yet made plans to attend a Christmas Eve church service, but would be interested in finding a good service in Ann Arbor to attend, here are a few options I would recommend:

North Campus -

Huron Hills Church. This is the church I have called home for the last four years. Located at 3150 Glazier Way, (off of Huron Parkway), they have a Christmas Eve service at 6pm, and a Sunday worship service on the 26^th at 11am. For a recent sermon from Pastor Ken White, click here

West side -

Grace Bible Church. I can recommend this church based on some friends who attend here, and work as college chaplains at UofM. Located at 1300 South Maple Road, near the Pauline intersection, Grace has a Christmas Eve service at 5pm, and a Sunday worship service on the 26^th at 10am. For a link to Grace’s sermon podcasts, click here

East Side -

Vineyard Church, located at 2275 Platt Road, has a Christmas Eve service at 6.30pm, and Sunday worship service at 11am. I have a handful of close friends (including former UM kicker, Phil Brabbs) who attend this church, and they all highly recommend the Vineyard.

Take this week as an opportunity to reflect on the Christmas message, and celebrate with others the good news that Christ coming to earth is.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Councelor, "Mighty God", Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" - Isaiah 9:6

Arbor Wellness - Massage Therapy on Packard

Trying to find that final gift for someone you love? How about a massage voucher with the crew at Arbor Wellness?

I have been receiving (three-times) weekly massages from Earl Wenk at Arbor Wellness for the last three years now. My initial reason for going there was the convenience their location was to the University’s athletic campus. Located on Packard and East University (across the street from Mr Pizza), I was able to head over for a massage right after my training sessions at the ‘U’, without tightening up from a long drive. Since then, I have made Earl’s massage table my second bed, and would not have been able to have the results I have without his continued care to my aching muscles.

In addition to Earl, Eyvonne Crow and Wendy Woerner have been partners at Arbor Wellness for as long as I have been a client, and they have recently brought in Chris Yee and Lisa Baas to their team also. Chris was a former teammate of mine in college, and is now the massage therapist for the Michigan Track & Field team.

Click here for tor a profile on each therapist.

Basically, what I am saying is, if you need a massage for orthopedic, therapeutic, athletic, or any other needs, you will be taken care of by this highly skilled group.

Bookings can me made online or over the phone, and at $60 for a one-time massage (one hour) or a package of four for $200, it is very reasonably priced for the quality you will receive.

On arrival you will notice that this is not a glamorous health spa with waterfalls and special lighting etc, but it is clean and professional, and the bowl of candy on the magazine table is always full!

Ratings:

Location/Parking – 4/5

Massage – 4.75/5

Value – 4.75/5

Ambiance – 4/5

Overall – 4.375/5

Hill Auditorium - Handel's Messiah

One of the coolest benefits of marriage is the exposure to and development of other interests that would not have likely occurred on one’s own. For example: Having never been to a track meet before our meeting, my wife is now an avid fan of track and field, and runs almost every day. I am now a fan of classical music. In her youth, Sierra spent thirteen years playing classical piano, and her sister, Mariah, has continued all the way to her PhD in Collaborative Piano. I was never against classical music, but the thought of attending events never even crossed my mind. Now, four or five nights a year, I will join Sierra for a classical musical performance on campus, the highlight so far being Handel’s Messiah at the Hill Auditorium.

Even the most sheltered person from classical music would likely have heard Handel’s Halleluiah. The famous chorus from the song reciting the title’s name five times is used in many movies - often as the main character is released from shackles or suddenly wins the lottery etc. That was all I knew from the Messiah. Sierra therefore downloaded the entire collection of pieces, and encouraged me to listen to them on my Ipod for a month before we attended the performance.

My coach had me running fartlek training at the time. This involved running at differing speeds for different lengths of time throughout a run. To help make it random, I would use my Ipod, and run fast for one song, and run easy for the next song. The problem with doing this to Handel’s Messiah I soon found out, was that some pieces lasted over ten minutes, and some for as short as ten seconds! I was absolutely exhausted having to run hard for the length of some songs, only to get next to no recovery on the short pieces. Or vice versa, I didn’t get any sweat going when my recovery run fell on a ten-minute long song.

However, by the time of the performance I was well equipped to follow along with Handel's oratorio (which according to Wikipedia, is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists)

We sat in the “cheap seats” on the second level, but the view was well worth the sacrifice-there was a sea of red, as it seemed nearly every woman over the age of forty was wearing a red Christmas sweater. The music did not disappoint either. I often like to push my headphones as deep into my ears as possible to get the best possible bass effect, but nothing I had done in the month listening to Handel’s on my Ipod could remotely match the full and resonant sound that echoed out from the choir.

I can't do justice to describe the music, or the performers, so I will allow youtube to give you a small insight (though not from Hill Auditorium unfortunately)

As has become custom with Messiah performances (so I hear) the conductor invited to crowd to stand and join in for the final chorus of Hallelujah. It felt like I was back in New Zealand, singing the national anthem at a Rugby game. At the top of my voice I belted out the words, much to the embarrassment of my wife, but having sat down for the past two hours fighting the urge not to nod off, I was glad to be participating and get some blood flowing again.

Ratings:

Location/Parking - 4.5/5

Music - 5/5

Venue/Ambiance - 5/5

Value - 4.5/5

Overall - 4.75/5

Pizza Bob's - Best shake in town?

One of the best spots in town to grab a shake would have to be Pizza Bob's. Nestled in the heart of State Street’s “south campus shops” area (between Hill and Packard), Pizza Bob's is a big reason Sierra and I venture back to campus on almost a weekly basis. While slumming it as a student, I lived right around the corner from Bob’s and was first introduced to its specialty shakes by my flat-mate, Gabe, who was Ann Arbor born and raised. Coming back to this part of town always brings back fond memories of trying to figure out life as a college student.

Part of what makes Pizza Bob’s shakes so good, is that they manually whip/mix the ice cream with the flavors in three stages (1/3 full, 2/3 full etc..). This enables them to get a really frothy texture throughout the entire shake, rather than being slurped all together in one go.

I order some form of chocolate chip shake every time. Normally banana-chocolate chip, or banana-chocolate-chocolate chip-malt. For their chocolate chip shakes, Bob’s uses the liquid chocolate that hardens when it freezes. When blended up, this creates an unreal chocolate chip experience that no straw can do justice to. A spoon is the only way to consume a real shake anyway.

Ratings:
Location/Parking - 4/5
Service - 3/5
Shakes - 4.5/5
Ambiance - 3/5
Value - 4.5/5

Overall - 3.8/5

Madras Masala - Indian food on campus

With winter seemingly in full effect, I thought it would be a good time to blog about one of our favorite Indian restaurants in Ann Arbor—for there’s nothing like a hot curry to warm up the day!

Indian food is considered the national dish now in England (home of the Chicken Tikka Massala), so naturally it has been a big part of the New Zealand dining experience also. In addition to your traditional Indian restaurants, fast-food curry stores are popping up all over my home country’s shopping centers. After 18 holes of hooks and slices, it’s a much healthier option than scoffing down some greasy fish and chips. Anyway, my point is that I like to eat Indian food, and on a pretty regular basis.

Madras Masala, located on Maynard Street across from Nickel's Arcade, has been our family’s primary choice for Indian take-out whenever the in-laws are in town. Specializing in Southern Indian cuisine, Madras Masala, provides a rich curry experience with one-hundred and seventy different options. Whether you like vegetarian, chicken, sea-food, or my favorite—Lamb (the Roganjosh has a good kick to it), you will be good to go.

Like when one orders Chinese for a group, we’ll normally grab three or four different mains, and some Roti bread (garlic). My wife raves about he Moghlai Chicken, which is a creamier dish. Another vegetarian favorite is the Palek Paneer (spinach cheese). One mains order is normally enough for one and a half people, so it allows Sierra and I to have left-overs for lunch the next day. After ordering on the phone, the food is always ready for me by the time i drive 5 minutes into campus and find a temporary park. $45 will feed six of us comfortably, so it’s very reasonable when ordering for a group.

On Sundays, Madras Masala has a lunch Buffet. One day after church, my Mother-in-law asked if we could go and get some Indian take-out, so we went down to Maynard and to our pleasant surprise, there was a $10 all you can eat deal going on. We found the food on display to be quite different from the take-out menu. Different flavored Samosas, curried potato dishes, and Indian styled fried rice were the bulk of the main course options, as opposed to the more buttery & creamy curries.

Most fans of Indian food will no doubt already know about this place, so this post is to encourage the rest of you to try something different from your normal routine. I’m confident you’ll be impressed.

Ratings:

Location/Parking – 3.5/5

Service – 4/5

Food – 4/5

Ambiance – 3.75/5

Value – 3.75/5

Overall - 3.8/5

The Jefferson Market - Sunday Brunch

My wife and I were introduced to the Jefferson Market Sunday brunch this summer by our good friends, Aaron and Megan. We had prided ourselves to be breakfast aficionados in town, but were amazed to find this place could trump all the other great breakfast experiences Ann Arbor has to offer.

The Jefferson Market and Cakery is located on the old west-side, across the street from Bach Elementary school on Jefferson Street. Surrounded by houses, the location and feel is a fantastic Sunday escape from searching for downtown parking, and being reminded of office buildings and work (not that I really ever work in an office). Besides the delicious menu, perhaps the most enticing aspect of the Jefferson Market experience is that I have yet to experience any wait times for a table. At the hotspots such as Angelos, Northside Grill, Afternoon Delight, and the Broken Egg - that is almost unheard of on a Sunday. Wait lines can be upwards of ninety minutes at those locations (so I save those spots for weekdays!).

In my first encounter with the Jefferson market, I brought my then eight week old Viszla, Tempo, along. To his delight, the owners came out to our curbside table and gave Tempo some water. You see, they happened to be proud owners of two Viszlas themselves, which automatically helped me develop a bond with my hosts, and (hopefully) guarantee excellent service. The owners chatted and hung out with Tempo as we ate our meal. We were set.

It can be easy not to experiment with menu choices when you find a winner, and that was my dilemma for the first few weeks going there. The $3.99 McJefferson (A Toasted Bagel with Two Fried Eggs, Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Your Choice of Bacon or Sausage. Topped with Lettuce, Tomato and Mayo), still allowed room (both caloric and financial) for a slice of their specialty cakes, for which they are mostly known for.

Eventually I ventured to their Cinnamon Raison French Toast, and their Pancakes – both of which are as good as any Sierra and I have tried in NYC, Boston, New Zealand, or Europe.

The menu is small, as brunch is only a one day deal for them. But what they do, they do well indeed. So, if you’re looking for a relaxed place to kick it with friends or family, and avoid the hustle of Ann Arbor's weekend brunch scene, I suggest going down to Jefferson Street, and meeting the family that makes Sierra and I so happy on any given Sunday.

Note: By promoting this place now before the blog gets big, we can keep it from getting too crowded!

Ratings:

Location/Parking - 4.5/5

Ambiance - 4.5/5

Food - 4.5/5

Value - 4.5/5

Service - 4.5/5

Overall - 4.5/5!

Blind Pig and Eight Ball Saloon

Continuing our night after Zingermans, we wanted to entertain our guest with some live music. The Blind Pig - (on First street near Washington) had some average to OK bands playing, so we thought we’d go check it out, even if just for a bit of a laugh. The spot has in the past been host to John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, and was considered a favorite venue for the late Kurt Cobain.

On arrival there didn’t seem to be any rush for the first band to get set up, so we headed downstairs to the Eight Ball Saloon. I didn’t even know this place existed, so was stoked to find an underground bar that had dart boards, pool tables, some casual booths, and on that Tuesday night - $1 beers.

My wife had joined us by that point, so after handing over an ID in exchange for some darts, Sierra and I put the other guys in place and won a game of around the world. The place was really cool. The patrons all seemed really laid back, and anyone seemed like they could fit in, or belong there. It was alternative and punky, but also appropriate for a couple of old men who just wanted to have a drink and play some darts or pool.

An hour later we went back upstairs to the Blind Pig and found we missed the first band completely. The second act, Black Jake & the Carnies, brought the 50 or so patrons away from their tables towards the stage to see the band's "polk-funk" set. They were a local band from neighboring Ypsilanti, and really brought the place to life with their enthused dancing on stage - especially their crazy accordionist. The bold on the floor joined in, and started jigging around and even some dosey-does were executed to our group’s amusement.

By the time the main act, Longhorn Slim (a singer songwriter), came out we were about ready to call it a night. The guy walked out onto the stage like Jason Mraz (complete with the cool hat). He waltzed around as if he owned the place. His confidence and assumed fame was the highlight of the night. He came down off stage and sung in the crowd, danced with his endearing middle-aged women fans and even changed his shirts on stage a couple of times. The comedy club around the corner couldn’t have provided us with more laughs. We hung around for three of his songs, and then decided to bail. All in all it was a great night out - so much so, that my three guests went back with reinforcements the following night. Not for the repeat show of Longhorn Slim, but for some more darts and pool.

Ratings -

Location/Parking : 4/5

Ambiance : 4.5/5

Value: 4.5/5

Music: 2.5/5 (that particular night)

Overall: 3.875/5

Zingerman's Deli

Ann Arbor’s most famous eatery would have to be the Zingerman’s Delicatessen. Located in the trendy cobblestoned streets of Kerrytown, Zingerman’s always seems to have lines of customers stretching out the door, and around the corner.

Our newly formed elite running group was hosting a potential new training partner, so Zingerman’s was a must stop to sell him on the idea of making A2 his new home.

Tuesday night at 7.45pm, the lines had died off, and we were able to freely roam the exquisitely stacked isles of fresh breads, cheese, deli meats, olives and jarred preservatives. We must have consumed at least a few dollars worth of free samples as the energetic and well-educated store assistants tempted our taste buds

with the highest quality of deli produce found this side of the Hudson. A few minutes scanning the mouth-watering menu turned into a quarter of an hour before the three of us could decide which sandwiches we would have to forgo. They all looked incredible.

I ended up choosing #00, "D-$’s Cuban Conundrum", with Cuban-style pulled pork, Arkansas peppered ham, Switzerland Swiss cheese, old-fashioned dill pickles, mayo & hot mustard on a grilled paesano roll. Each breath through my nose felt like fire was raging out, from the hot mustard, which would make you think I couldn’t take anymore, but it was a strangely addictive feeling. I couldn’t get enough.

Lisa. C’s Boisterous Beef brisket (#97) was the choice of two-time NCAA mile champion, Lee Emanuel (University of New Mexico). His sandwich was featured in Esquire magazine and on Oprah. It came with hand-pulled beef brisket simmered in Zingerman’s own BBQ sauce on a soft bun, served with a side of applewood-smoked baked beans.

I can’t even remember what our "recruit" ordered as I was so consumed with making sure I didn’t have any regrets over the other choices I was leaving behind.

After ordering in the main Deli, we walked out through the courtyard, and into Zingerman’s newer coffee house and café. The sandwiches were brought through to us within 10 minutes, and at the first sight of his meal, Lee blurted out “it’s lucky you haven’t shown me this place until now, otherwise I would have spent $500 here”. Half a sandwich down, and we were more than full, but they were too good to leave any remains on our plates.

The concert we planned to check out at the Blind Pig after didn’t start until 9.30pm, so we hung out in the café and ordered $7 slices of carrot cake and a few coffees to pass some time, and compete our Zingerman’s experience.

Ratings:

Location/Parking – 4/5

Value – 4/5

Food – 4.5/5

Service – 4.5/5

Ambiance – 4.5/5

Overall – 4.3/5

Note: We were there at 7.30pm on a Tuesday night. On weekends, and any day during lunch, you will find long lines, and near impossible to find a park close by.

Metzgers - An authentic German experience

Before my wife and I flee the snow, and take off south for a few weeks of altitude training (Albuquerue, NM), we wanted to try a new restaurant (well one we hadn't been to before) with some friends we like to hang out with. I studied German at school and had spent a few months in the Scharzwald (Blackforrest) region of Germany in the summer of 2006, so I was always keen to check out Metzgers, but for some reason (normally my wife always coming up with a reason to eat elsewhere as she didn't want to pay to eat a big Brat) we never got around to going there.

Metzgers has been around since 1928, but more recently moved from downtown to the west side of Ann Arbor (by the zeeb rd exit off of I-94). The benefit is guaranteed parking right by the door, but it is now in a small strip mall across the road from a gas station and truck stop.

At 7pm on a Sunday the place was busy, but still a few tables available. Sierra and I went up to the bar to wait for our friends, and the barman was happy to switch the channel from the highlights of the Lions to my beloved Pistons (who are just as hapless as the Lions at the moment). The place had a warm feel to it, a bunch of German trinkets on the wall, and enough booths to make it feel like a German version of Applebees.

When our friend's arrived there was no wait time. We we're promptly served (and the waitress happened to be a German teacher, and had spent extensive time in Austria - so we knew we were getting a very genuine experience). The highly reccomended Sunday special of stewed Rabbit was out of stock by the time we arrived, so I ordered the Vienna Schnitzel with sides of Spatzen (a bread dough noodle) and Bavarian red cabbage. Sierra had the German rouladen with potato pancakes (which come with apple sauce!) and a salad. From the time we ordered, our salads, and mains were on the table within 10 minutes and the food overall was excellent. I could have had some sauce or gravy with my Schnitzel, but was able to steal some from Sierra's plate anyway.

The price compared to other similar Ann Arbor spots was a little on the high side. Each couple's bill came out to about $47 with two drinks, so it's reasonable for a planned night out, but not a place you'd stop by if there was no food in the house or you couldn't be bothered cooking (see Applebees).

Right now I seem to be more in favor of modern spots with some style to them. Metzgers definitely falls into the traditional family category for ambiance and feel.

Ratings:

Location/Parking - 3/5
Setting/feel - 2.5/5
Food - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Value - 2.5/5

Overall - 3.2/5

Welcome!

Having lived in Ann Arbor now for nine years, I feel I can finally call myself a true local. Coming to the University of Michigan from my home of Wellington, New Zealand has been a cultural change to be sure, but one of the major similarities between the two cities is the abundance of restaurants, cafes, cultural events, and live music shows. For a town with only 115,000 residents, A2 must have one of the best eating option/person ratios in the country (the first of what will be many made up terms).

My goal of this blog is to:

(1)Provide visitors and locals with a personal perspective on good spots to hit up when going into town.
(2)Promote Ann Arbor as one of the best cities in the country to live in or visit.
(3)Give me some validation or excuse to keep eating out far more often than my wife and I probably should.
(4)As (or if) the blog grows, to help me get more marketing experience, using the site to advertise local businesses. I will eventually need to get a job when my athletic career is over, so I may as well start getting some real world experience before I'm thirty four (Rio 2016 is probably when I'll call it a day)

I do not claim to be a good writer (though my wife is a professional writing masters student at EMU, so hopefully some of her knowledge will rub off on me as this blog progresses), but my posts will be attempting to show what a great little city Ann Arbor is, and I continue to discover to be every day that I live here.