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
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