Master broth recipe: Makes one bowl of soup
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
⅓ cup water
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs lime juice or rice vinegar
½ inch piece fresh ginger, grated and pressed into broth
½ Tps honey or sugar
Chili oil (optional)
Add all of the ingredients and heat to a simmer. Add one package of cooked Ramen noodles.
Ham and Eggs: The hangover
1 package cooked Ramen noodles
1 master broth recipe
1-2 scrambled eggs
Few pieces cold cut ham, sliced into strips
Hot chili oil (optional)
Chopped scallion, parsley or cilantro for
garnish
Warm the broth and add the scrambled eggs, ham and scallion.
Thai coconut curry Ramen
2 packages cooked Ramen noodles
1 master broth recipe
1 cup coconut milk
4-6 ounces chicken breast, diced, or 6 large shrimp
2 Tbs fish sauce
Juice 1 lime
¼ cup mushrooms sliced
½ teaspoon thai curry paste
Chopped scallion and cilantro
Cook the noodles and set aside. To the master broth, add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken. Simmer for a few minutes and add the sliced mushrooms. Place the curry paste in a small bowl with some of the soup broth and mix with a spoon until the paste and the broth are combined. Add to the soup and stir in.
Divide the noodles into two bowls. Pour the soup over the noodles. Garnish with scallion and cilantro. Add more lime if desired.
Vietnamese pho Ramen
1 package cooked Ramen noodles
1 master broth recipe
3 slices roast beef, sliced into strips
¼ cup mung bean sprouts
Juice ¼ a lime
Cilantro, purple basil
Sriracha hot sauce
To the cooked noodles and broth, add the sliced beef, mung beans, lime juice, cilantro, basil and Sriracha hot sauce to taste.
Chicken, mushroom and peas
1 package cooked Ramen noodles
1 master broth recipe
4 ounces chicken breast, diced
¼ cup peas
½ cup sliced mushrooms
Parsley
To the broth, add the raw chicken breast and simmer till fully cooked. Simmer the mushrooms and peas for a few minutes. Pour over cooked noodles in a bowl. Garnish with parsley.
Ramen noodles are the quintessential food for college students on a budget. They’re cheap, easy to make and taste good. But more than a simple reheated brick of dry noodles in a salty, flavor-packet broth, the humble instant Ramen package can be transformed into even better eats with a little extra effort.
Many in the United States only know Ramen as cheap noodles, but in Japan Ramen making is an art form. Ramen making is illustrated beautifully in the classic Japanese movie “Tampopo.”
It humorously shows one woman’s struggle to create the best ramen noodles to save her fledgling noodle shop. In a montage reminiscent of “Rocky,” she goes through the ropes of Ramen making, from keeping the water at a boil, creating the best broth and slicing pork to the right thickness. Our hero wins the day in the end when her coach silently finishes a bowl of her Ramen noodles, slurping the last drop of broth with pleasure.
Ramen noodle houses have started popping up in cities around the country, including the recently opened Tomukun on Liberty Street in Ann Arbor.
When making Ramen at home, forget the flavor packet and make a broth from chicken or vegetable stock. The Swanson brand is rated highest by America’s Test Kitchen and found in most grocery stores.
To the stock, add soy sauce, grated ginger and some lime juice or rice vinegar and finish it with a splash of chili oil for some heat. Simmer in chicken breast, shrimp, thin cuts of lean beef, ham or even scrambled eggs to make a heartier soup. Carrots, sliced mushrooms, peas, onions and radishes make good vegetable additions, as well.
The Chop House, one of Ann Arbor’s downtown fine-dining establishments, already has 100 reservations.
Those reservations aren’t for today — they’re for six days from now.
This speaks to the popularity of Ann Arbor’s fourth Restaurant Week, a twice-a-year event that continues to prosper.
“This year, we have 40 restaurants participating,” said Maura Thomson, the Director of the Main Street Association and coordinator of the event. “We started with 22. It’s crazy.”
From Jan. 16-21, participating Ann Arbor restaurants will feature fixed-price menus. These aren’t just table scraps, either.
“I know I’ll have to have the quinoa-crusted scallops (from Pacific Rim),” said Thomson. “But don’t ask me to pick my favorite place on the list! That’s like asking a mother to pick her favorite child.”
Each restaurant has its own twist, but the general rules are that lunch is $12 and dinner is $25. However, many of the establishments have decided to make their meals two-for-$12 and two-for-$25. All of the dinners will be three-course meals.
“It’s a really good mix of locals and students,” said Thomas.
Even with all of the added restaurants — some of them away from downtown, which is new — Thomson suggests reserving your spot early. Of course, if you miss out this time, you can always hold out for the summer Restaurant Week from June 12-17.
Arbor Brewing Company
The student customers Thomson referred to can usually be found at Arbor Brewing Company, or ABC, as they call it.
ABC has been around since 1995 right on East Washington Street in downtown Ann Arbor.
The pub and brewery serves house-made beer right from the tap, and will serve some of it during both their lunch and dinner hours – for legal patrons only, of course.
Both ABC’s lunch and dinner specials are two-for-one during RW, and include sandwiches like grass-fed, locally raised burgers as well as a black bean variety.
Call (734) 213-1393 to make reservations or visit
arborbrewing.com for more information.
The Arena
This sports bar and grille sure has seen some sad times in Michigan sports this year, but they’re willing to make up for it in wings, steak and even chocolate cake.
The Arena joins ABC on the two-for-one idea, which is perfect if you plan on taking advantage of its pool table or dartboard.
It boasts 24 different beers on tap, so to really get some bang for your buck, try to visit during different happy hours: 4-7 p.m. and 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and all day Sunday.
Call (734) 222-9999 to make reservations or visit
thearena-a2.com for more information.
Argiero’s
Argiero’s is a family owned Italian restaurant right in the middle of Kerrytown. The place was founded in 1977 by a family of six; today, two sons from the family are all grown up and run the place themselves.
Though Argiero’s will also feature a two-for-one deal, it will only be available for dinner.
However, you may want to get there early so you can order the meatballs – they were featured on the Food Network and won first place on the show “Top Five” in 2005.
“It can be a little hectic because it’s more people than we’re used to, but that’s good for January – we still have to make money,” said Argiero’s server Justin Hinkle.
Call (734) 665-0444 for reservations or visit
argieros.net for more information.
Bandito’s California Style Mexican Restaurant
Bandito’s is in the heart of downtown Ann Arbor and will offer a $12 lunch as well as a two-for-$25 deal for dinner. Chips and queso or guacamole is available at both meal times, but only at lunch are the cherry and apple fritters included in the meal price.
Located on South Fourth Street, Bandito’s offers margaritas and vegetarian options as well as delivery. Out-of-towners have compared the restaurant to Xochimilco’s in Detroit’s Mexican Town.
Call (734) 996-0234 for reservations or visit
banditosmexican.com for more information.
The Black Pearl
Restaurant Week was so popular at the Black Pearl that it now features a fixed-price menu every Thursday. Even without the deal, this swanky establishment has a great atmosphere with rattan-woven fans swirling around the bar.
If you can, try to get reservations for Jan. 19. That’s when singer-guitarist Laith Al-Saadi will be performing rock and blues covers as you sip your lychee martini and nibble your tuna tartar.
For reservations at this seafood and martini bar, call (734) 222-0400 or visit
blackpearlonmain.com for more information.
The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is Ann Arbor’s only Ethiopian Restaurant. Most meals here are eaten with your hands and rolled in injera, a type of flat bread with a moist, spongy texture.
Lunch and dinner will be $12 and $25, respectively, and they both come with three courses.
The second course for dinner is served in a traditional Ethiopian feast style, with eight different kinds of food to try. Both a meat and a vegetarian option are available.
Call (734) 998-4746 to make reservations or visit
bluenilemi.com for more information.
Blue Tractor
If you want real, fried American food, Blue Tractor on East Washington Street is the place to go. Even if you feel silly ordering beer can chicken, you won’t for long. Besides, someone at the table is bound to get messy with a slab of ribs.
Blue Tractor brews its own beers, but boasts a collection of bourbon and rye as well. Lunch will be two-for-$12, while dinner stays at $24 per person.
Call (734) 222-4095 to make reservations or visit
bluetractor.net/annarbor for more information.
Café Felix
Café Felix was established in 1997 and was inspired by European bistros. Inside, you’ll find quaint tables in front of the mirrors, paintings and posters on the walls.
For lunch and dinner, the prices are $12 and $25 per person. Meals at lunch have two courses, while meals at dinner have three and include tiramisu and your choice of pork tenderloin, sirloin steak with a garlic beurre sauce or pan-seared jumbo sea scallops.
Call (734) 662-8650 to make reservations or visit
cafefelix.com for more information.
Café Habana
Café Habana is right next door to Blue Tractor, and it’s a good thing. Otherwise, how would Café Habana stock the Blue Tractor’s house-made beer?
With two-for-$12 lunches and $25 per person dinners, Café Habana provides Cuban food to downtown Ann Arbor.
Patrons can try the steak and wrap up their night with tres leches, a dessert with sweet milks sopped up with cake.
Call (734) 332-6046 to make reservations or visit
cafehabanas.com/annarbor for more information.
Café Japon
Café Japon combines Japanese and French cuisine, providing a wide range of food from baked items to sushi. The highlight of the restaurant, however, is tea, and it has dozens of different kinds to prove it.
Unlike many of the other restaurants featured in RW, Café Japon serves breakfast. It opens at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m.
For reservations, call (734) 332-6200 or visit
cafejapon.net for more information.
Carson’s American Bistro
Located on Commonwealth Boulevard, Carson’s American Bistro is one of the restaurants of RW that steps outside the box of downtown Ann Arbor. Both lunch and dinner come with three courses, and they both are priced per person.
Carson’s boasts some American favorites like mac n’ cheese and prime rib, but also challenges its patrons a bit with dishes like poached pear salads. The dinner version also offers Andouille sausage with the mac n’ cheese.
For reservations, call (734) 622-0537 or visit
carsonsamericanbistro.com for more information.
The Chop House
The Chop House in downtown Ann Arbor only has a dinner special, but it makes it count, offering three courses for $25 as well as a wine special for the week.
Ann Arbor is one of the four locations for the Chop House, with others in Grand Rapids, Charleston, W. Va., and Annapolis, Md. Its menu boasts grass-fed meats, like the filet mignon served with garlic mashed potatoes.
Call (888) 456-3463 for reservations or visit
thechophouserestaurant.com for more information.
Conor O’Neill’s
Conor O’Neill’s is an Irish pub that’s all about options. A dinner for two-for-$25 will allow you to pick out of four appetizers, five beer or cider options, seven entrée options and three possible desserts.
The two-for-$12 lunch option also boasts many options, including a Guinness and Jameson BBQ pork sandwich and shepherd’s pie.
Call (734) 665-2968 for reservations or visit
conoroneills.com/annarbor for more information.
The Earle
The Earle will serve a dinner option for $25 during RW. For the second course alone, patrons have their choice of whitefish with hazelnuts, duck with honey and cider, salmon with tarragon cream sauce, chicken with pesto, linguine with garlic sausage and penne with fresh mozzarella.
The Earle is located downstairs, and many of its seats and walls are decorated with old wine corks. Live jazz music is played Tuesday through Saturday, Restaurant Week or no Restaurant Week.
Call (734) 994-0211 for reservations or visit
theearle.com for more information.
Grange Kitchen & Bar
The Grange Kitchen & Bar uses local ingredients almost exclusively. Come from 5-7 p.m. Monday through Friday or from 10 p.m. until close on Saturdays for $2 off its cocktails in addition to your $25 three-course meal.
Besides, how often do you get a drink with crystallized ginger in it?
Entrees include grilled lake trout with cauliflower puree and preserved lemon relish as well as ale-braised beef, to name a couple.
Call (734) 995-2107 to make reservations or visit
grangekitchenandbar.com for more information.
Guy Hollerin’s
Guy Hollerin’s is located inside the Holiday Inn on Plymouth Road. It’s a sports restaurant and bar serving staples like chicken Parmesan.
The lunch and dinner at Guy Hollerin’s is two-for-one, and the desserts include pecan and pumpkin pies. Guy Hollerin’s is also open for breakfast. On Saturdays, it hosts Local Blues and Local Brews, where local artists play as patrons dance through the night.
Call (734) 769-4323 for reservations or visit
hiannarbor.com for more information.
Gratzi
Gratzi is right on Main Street in Ann Arbor and serves northern Italian food. Inside, the walls are covered with epic murals for a fine dining atmosphere.
The lunch and dinner at Gratzi are $12 and $25, respectively, and both include three courses. Vegetarians may have a hard time ordering dinner though, since only meat entrees are included in the RW menu. Of course, regular items will also be available throughout the week.
Call (734) 663-6387 for reservations or visit
gratzirestaurant.com for more information.
Grizzly Peak
This brewpub opened its doors in 1995 in a century-old building in downtown Ann Arbor. It has seven beers house-made beers on tap, as well as a few seasonal brews. It even has a nitrogen-dispensed beer, providing a smoother texture than carbonated beers.
The Grizzly Peak deals are two-for-one at lunch and then switch to $25 per person for dinner. Soups and sandwiches are offered at lunch, with choices like calamari and pan-seared trout for dinner.
Call (734) 741-7325 for reservations or visit
grizzlypeak.net for more information.
Jamaican Jerk Pit
Hidden just around the corner on South Thayer Street is the Jamaican Jerk Pit. You can smell the jerk spices from a distance, but otherwise you might walk by without even noticing it’s there.
All the offers here are two-for-one with sweet, sticky fried plantains as the appetizer for both. Jerk chicken is, of course, a staple for both meals, either as an entrée, a sandwich or a salad, but many more options are offered, including vegetarian options.
Call (734) 585-5278 for reservations or visit
irierestaurant.com for more information.
Jazzy Veggie
Jazzy Veggie is true to its name; it’s all vegetarian, but with a lot of kick. Owner Ananth Pullela offers chipotle aioli with meatless chicken strips, sweet potatoes with red quinoa as well as more simple treats like mushroom and onion pizza.
Jazzy Veggie is one of the newer restaurants to downtown Ann Arbor, and it’s keeping its prices low. The two-for-$12 will be served all day, every day of RW.
Call (734) 222-0203 or visit
jazzyveggie.com for more information.
Jolly Pumpkin
This upscale brewpub has a name that customers either hate or love. The pub has two stories, with the upstairs serving as a slightly quieter area.
House-made beers are on tap, with names like Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere, and all draft beers are available as take-home beverages in growlers.
The more substantial food comes in the form of granite-baked pizzas and sandwiches, using unusual ingredients like kimchee and broccolini. One of its best-selling items, however, is the truffled French fries. They are sprinkled with truffle salt and rosemary.
Call (734) 913-2730 for reservations or visit
jollypumpkin.com/annarbor for more information.
Logan
Patrons who want to check out this establishment will have to come early for lunch; reservations are for dinner only. Those lucky enough to find a seat during the day will enjoy two courses for $12, including entrees like albacore tuna, farm-raised chicken breast and applewood-smoked bacon.
Dinner is $25 per person, with three savory courses like bourbon pork and shrimp skewers. Although the third course doesn’t offer much for vegetarians, one could presumably choose an extra dish from another course to make up for it.
Call (734) 327-2312 for reservations or visit
logan-restaurant.com for more information.
Mahek
This Indian restaurant is located on East Washington Street and offers a buffet for both lunch and dinner. Both meals are two-for-one.
Mahek is a great option for vegetarians, since there’s an entire section dedicated to meatless meals. Most of its food is northern Indian, meaning it specializes in roti, naan and rice.
Call (734) 994-5972 to make a reservation or visit
mahekannarbor.com for more information.
Marnee Thai Restaurant
Marnee Thai is right on Main Street next to a BP gas station. Marnee is associated with another Ann Arbor Thai restaurant, Lotus Thai. Only Marnee is involved in RW.
The lunches are two-for-one, while the dinners are $25 per person. The dinner includes any drink on the menu. From there, there are eight appetizers offered, 22 main courses and four desserts, including mango ice cream.
Call (734) 929-9933 for reservations or visit
marneethai-restaurant.com for more information.
Mediterrano
Mediterrano is a bit outside of the student part of Ann Arbor, right where Eisenhower and State Street cross. It serves food from all across the Mediterranean, from Greek to Spanish to North Africa.
Owner John Roumanis grew up in Greece as a boy, moving to the United States to work. He opened Mediterrano in 1995 after working in the food industry for years. He also oversees the selling of Mediterrano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which comes from his hometown in Greece.
A few customer favorites are the butternut squash ravioli and mustard rack of lamb, and they’ll get a head start on trying them.
“We’re introducing our own Restaurant Week starting on the 13th,” said Ray Borden, manager. “Some people can be intimidated by our truer spices, so the dishes for this event will be more user friendly.”
Call (734) 332-9700 for reservations or visit
mediterrano.com for more information.
Mélange Bistro
This bistro and wine bar almost feels like a secret. The door on Main Street is understated compared to the high doors of the businesses next to it. From the outside, you’d never guess that you could walk downstairs and into a full bar and Asian-inspired cuisine.
Dinner at Mélange will be $25 per person. A few of the standout entrees are spicy shrimp and Asian chicken, both of which come with a bed of Jasmine rice.
On Friday and Saturday, patrons will be able to enjoy live music in the lounge.
Call (734) 222-0202 for reservations or visit
melangebistro.com for more information.
The Melting Pot
The Melting Pot is a fondue restaurant on Main Street. It has both cheese and dessert fondues, but don’t worry: even fondue haters will be able to find something to eat here.
The lighting is low and the servers will help you through the process if you’ve never been there before. Customers dip anything from pickles and sausages (in the cheese fondue) to pound cake and marshmallows (in the dessert fondue).
Call (734) 622-0055 for reservations or visit
meltingpot.com for more information.
Mercy’s
For the first time, Mercy’s restaurant in Kerrytown will be able to participate in the lunch portion of the week. Sure, its dinners will still be $25 per person, but lunches will only be two-for-$12.
“People really liked it (last year) and got their money’s worth,” said Mercy Kasle, co-owner of Mercy and the namesake of the restaurant. “We just had to make sure there was enough staff!”
The lunch has features like Kobe beef burgers and Burmese soup, while the dinner is divided into three different combinations named things like The French Asian, The Aquarius and The Brahman.
Call (734) 996-3729 or visit
mercysrestaurant.com for more information.
Miki Japanese Restaurant
Miki Japanese Restaurant is located on South First Street and has everything from sushi to teriyaki.
Lunch will be a two-for-one deal, with salad and miso soup as well as a choice between two sushi rolls or chicken teriyaki. Dinner is the more expensive $25 per person deal, with three courses in addition to a glass of house wine.
Call (734) 665-8226 for reservations or visit
mikirestaurant.com for more information.
Old Town Tavern
Old Town Tavern is the place to try if you just want a casual night out. Inside, the building feels like an old-timey bar, and the food covers some favorites like burritos, steak fries and wings.
Old Town, as it’s known to locals, will have a two-for-one special during both lunch and dinner times. On Jan. 16, musician Scotch Bonnet will take to the stage, so be sure to take advantage of the free entertainment.
Call (734) 662-9291 for reservations or visit
oldtownaa.com for more information.
Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim has one of the more extensive menus available for the week. As an Asian fusion restaurant, Pacific Rim will include everything from quinoa to kohlrabi to edamame – all in one dish.
The restaurant has five different entrees available during its dinners. Features include tenderloins grilled in a wasabi-peppercorn sauce and a Thai basil pesto fettuccini.
Call (734) 662-9303 for reservations or visit
pacificrimbykana.com for more information.
Palio
In passing by Palio’s window on Main Street, many passersby can’t help but be startled by the large looming man in the window. Once they get past the initial shock and realize that this man is just a statue, patrons sit down to an Italian dinner.
Palio will offer two-for-$25 dinners throughout the week, which include the choice of spaghetti with pumate, or sundried tomatoes.
Call (734) 930-6156 for reservations or visit
paliorestaurant.net for more information.
Prickly Pear Café
The Prickly Pear Café is a place for southwest-inspired food. And no matter what meal you enjoy at the Prickly Pear Café, you’ll be getting a side of their house-made guacamole.
The Prickly Pear will have lunch specials set at $12 per person and dinner specials at $25. Each meal comes with a choice of soup or salad and an option of any entrée on the menu (half an entrée for lunch, a whole entrée for dinner).
Call (734) 930-0047 for reservations or visit
pricklypear.com for more information.
Real Seafood Company
The Real Seafood Company will be serving mostly – you guessed it – seafood during Restaurant Week. The restaurant will keep both kinds of clam chowder on the burner (New England and Manhattan) as well as more creative options like drunken shrimp and hot rocks, which are flash-fried baby shrimp.
This establishment will be charging per person for both lunch and dinner.
Call (734) 769-7738 for reservations or visit
realseafoodcorerestaurant.com for more information.
Sabor Latino
Sabor Latino sits right on Main Street and brings Latin and Mexican dishes to downtown Ann Arbor. Of course, we would be remiss if we were not to mention the Margarita Mondays, in which margaritas are $3 all day.
During RW, both Sabor Latino’s lunches and dinners will be two-for-one. The dishes are more adventurous than what you might find in a run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. Case in point: chiles rellenos — a stuffed, egg-battered poblano peppers.
Some locals say that Sabor Latino has the “best ice in town.”
Call (734) 214-7775 for reservations or visit
annarborsabor.com for more information.
Sava’s on State
Sava’s on State is located where the restaurant Zanzibar used to be, and they have made themselves at home.
The inside of the sprawling restaurant features a wood balcony that stretches the length of the restaurant. During normal weeks, many of the Ann Arbor hipsters can be found here.
Sava’s will feature a two-for-one deal for both lunch and dinner. For dinner, the appetizers are to be shared, which is easier said than done when the choices are goat cheese with fig compote, pecan encrusted chicken skewers and a salad with bleu cheese and a poached pear.
Call (734) 623-2233 for reservations or visit
savasrestaurant.com for more information.
Seva
Seva has been in the same location in Ann Arbor since 1973, churning out vegetarian food for the vegetarians – and the masses.
Lunch will be two-for-$12, while dinner will be $25 for one, with a glass of wine included.
Seva will include plenty of vegan options as well, such as Fuji apples with spicy pecan chutney and roasted vegetable pot pie.
Call (734) 662-1111 for reservations or visit
sevarestaurant.com for more information.
Shalimar
Shalimar is an Indian restaurant right on Main Street specializing in north Indian, Tandoori and Mughlai dishes. It will provide both vegetarian and non vegetarian during RW, with choices like palak kofta, which are spinach balls stuffed with homemade cheese, herbs and spices.
Both lunch and dinner are $12 and $25 per person, respectively.
Call (734) 663-1500 for reservations or visit
shalimarrestaurant.com for more information.
Silvio’s Organic Pizza
Silvio’s Organic Pizza may sound like quite the hippy establishment, but meat lovers need not fear: pepperoni lives here! Still, Silvio’s isn’t your average pizza joint. Besides serving courses like gnocchi with butter and sage, it offers a glass of wine with its $25 dinner during RW.
Lunch is $12, and can be vegan or gluten free. And customers should know that should they go to Silvio’s looking for pizza, they’ll only be able to get it on the menu during lunch (unless they order off the fixed-price menu, of course).
Call (734) 214-6666 for reservations or visit
silviosorganicpizza.com for more information.
Vinology Wine Bar & Restaurant
As the name suggests, Vinology prides itself on its wine. Which, of course, means it creates food to match.
Customers can enjoy prosciutto and Parmesan dumplings by night (dinner) and slurp on a forest berry liquid nitrogen milkshake by day (lunch).
Happy hour is 4-6 p.m., Monday through Friday. That means that vinologists can sip on wines by the glass for half off or drink $3 draft pints with their sweet potato ravioli.
The lunch and dinner meals are paid per person.
Call (734) 222-9841 for reservations or visit
vinowinebars.net for more information.
Weber’s Restaurant
Weber’s is another one of the restaurants that is on the RW roster, yet off the beaten (aka downtown) path. Of course, that hasn’t deterred customers from coming in.
“We get kinda busy, yeah. My favorite thing is the whitefish ’cause it’s on both menus!” joked Ellen Sobieck, supervisor.
Both lunch and dinner menus include more than a dozen choices, such as the Salmon Oregon, featuring grilled Atlantic salmon with a salmon and chive mousse center, all wrapped with smoked salmon.
The lunch and dinner options are priced per person.
Call (734) 665-3636 for reservations or visit
webersinn.com for more information.
To find out more about Ann Arbor Restaurant Week or learn about future Restaurant Weeks, visit
annarborrestaurantweek.com.
James Highsmith of The Washtenaw Voice takes on another slice of pizza at Bella Italia in Ann Arbor.
Take the challenge
Get a threesome together and take a healthy appetite for the “30-inch Pizza Challenge” at Bella Italia, 895 Eisenhower Parkway, Ann Arbor.
To learn more, phone (734) 222-9993, or visit:
bellaitaliapizzaandpasta.com
Nick Gavizi of Ann Arbor beat James Rocker’s record for the most patties eaten at Ann Arbor’s Blimpy Burger.
He downed 43 patties, which came to 4.3 pounds of meat alone — not including the buns, cheese and toppings.
“Man v. Food” host Adam Richman, of the Travel Channel, tackled Tios Mexican Café’s legendary Mount Nacheesmo, a five-pound plate of nachos.
And Bella Italia of Ann Arbor offers its 30-inch pizza challenge, pitting its nine-pound monster against three hungry eaters.
Competitive eating has grown in popularity as the result of shows like “Man v. Food.” These fun contests are a whimsical part of the American food culture and competitive spirit.
Many local restaurants offer these challenges, which can make them a possible tourist destination for competitive eaters — and a source of local pride and lore.
There are also stand-alone competitive food events that are sponsored by organizations like Major League Competitive Eating (MLCE). MLCE oversees about 80 food challenges annually, with some featured on sports channels like ESPN.
WCC students join in battle to devour Ann Arbor’s infamous Bella Italia’s 30-inch pizza, a nine-pound monster of crust, sauce and cheese — in 30 minutes
James Highsmith, Matt Durr, and Alan Scafuri prepare to devour a 30-inch pizza in 30 minutes at Bella Itlaia in Ann Arbor.
The rules are simple. Up to three people have 30 minutes to eat the pizza. If they finish, the pizza is free, and they get their names and a picture on “The Winner’s Wall of Fame.” If they lose, however, they have to pay the $40 price for the pizza and get a chalk mark under the loser’s column on the board of shame.
Jim Millan, 29, owner of Bella Italia and a Flint native, delivers the monster pizza with a thud, then announces the ground rules: “Time starts when they are ready. You can wait till the pizza cools a little.
Once it starts, there is no bathroom break, so everyone keeps it down.”
Our fearless contestants are Alan “Cool Hand” Scafuri, 47, of Chelsea, Matt “Two-Fisted Fury” Durr, 26, of Adrian, and James “Flash” Highsmith, 18, of Ypsilanti. They are wearing head and arm bands in sports fashion, as if to psyche themselves up.
To put a little perspective on the size of a 30-inch pizza, Millan places four regular large sized pizza boxes into the 30-inch box, which fit easily. He has to special order these 30-inch pizza boxes. And he also had to construct a heavy-duty pizza peel, the large wood spatulas that pizza chefs use to take the enormous pies out of the oven.
For those who think of a nine-pound pizza as something of an appetizer, Millan also has a 30-inch meat lover’s pizza challenge, which tops out at 15 pounds.
All confidence and male bravado drain from our heroes’ expressions when Millan takes out the pizza from the oven and places it into the large-size box.
“What was I thinking?” said Durr, while shaking his head and sitting over the bubbling pizza.
The pizza all but takes up an entire table that seats four. The trio stands above the pizza, anxiously rocking back and forth like football players in a pre-game huddle.
“Let’s do this,” said Durr. “Put your game face on.”
Highsmith looks skeptical.
ROBERT CONRADI THE WASHTENAW VOICE
Matt Durr of The Washtenaw Voice looks in wonder at the 30-inch pizza, as in, ‘I wonder how we are going to eat all this.’
“I am not sure,” said Highsmith. “I am a little bit doubtless right now. I am not going to lie.”
Durr, the self-appointed team leader, is taken aback by the lack of faith from his team member.
“What!” he exclaims. “I am the confident one. I am the leader, and when it comes down to it, I’m going to have to eat extra and sack up.”
These words are a welcome relief to Scafuri, who actually looks frightened.
“This is a hell of a big pizza,” Scafuri said ominously. Then he predicts his team will beat the record. “We’re going to eat it in 13 minutes and 12 seconds.”
“Maybe not,” said Highsmith, still a little awestruck.
Millan asks the three how they would like the pizza cut. They opt for eight even slices. The pizza is cut, and the time is set.
He even offers some tips.
“We had a few professional eaters in and they said that you should try to get as much in the first 15 minutes,” said Millan. “They (professional eaters) said after 15 minutes your brain tells your body that you are full. After that, you are fighting your body.”
Scafuri and Durr choose to sit, while Highsmith stands up. He had done a little research on competitive eating and read that standing is better. He also unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants.
The time starts, and they are off.
“Cool Hand” Scafuri stays seated and digs in.
“Flash” Highsmith’s standing strategy does not seem like a good idea.
As he opts to roll the big slices of pizza into a large cigar shape and attempts to scarf it down, he’s also jumping up and down as he eats. This is another one of his researched strategies. But this backfires when his unbuttoned pants starts to fall down and both of his hands are a saucy mess.
The team cracks up with laughter joined by a few customers who stick around to watch the spectacle.
Halfway into his first slice, pizza sauce has already found its way to Durr’s pants. Highsmith is all over the map. He frantically shakes red pepper flakes on his now crazy roll of pizza mass and, for some reason, he is dipping it into his pitcher of water between bites.
“I am just afraid of the last slice,” said Highsmith.
Durr again has to counter his teammates’ doubts and fears. “You play to win the game,” he scolds.
At five minutes in, our team is looking good. All three are mostly done with their first slices — a third of the giant pizza gone. Highsmith and Durr decide to reserve their crusts to the end. Scafuri is opting to finish the entire slice one at a time.
“The bread (crust) is what is killing me,” said Highsmith, who turns to Durr and asks: “Do you want to eat my bread?”
They’re losing steam quickly. The second slices don’t go down nearly as easily, or quickly, as the first. One of the nine slices is noticeably smaller than the others, and all three stake a claim to it.
“I am slowing down guys,” admits Durr. “I talked a big game, but I am slowing down.”
Ten minutes in, and the prospect of leaving without paying for this pizza is not promising. Highsmith decides to remove all of the cheese from his second slice and leaves a pile of sloppy crusts in front of him.
“This is my get-to-it-later pile,” he said, like he actually meant it.
Our heroes are starting to groan and grumble from eating fatigue.
“Why?” moaned Highsmith, questioning his decision to attempt the 30-inch pizza. “We have so must crust. I just dread it.”
Durr starts to use a knife and fork, which seems to be working for him. By the third slice, the pizza loses its taste. Highsmith is hunched over with a huge slice of pizza in one hand and his other arm resting on the table preventing him from falling over.
“My wife was afraid I was going to have a heart attack,” Scafuri joked.
Doubt transforms the team. There have been 28 winners and 80 losers since Millen initiated this challenge three years ago, and our boys do not want to end up on the wrong side of the ledger.
Suddenly, Highsmith lies down on a cozy booth and symbolically declares defeat. There are about seven minutes left — and too much pizza. He grabs his last barely eaten slice and attempts to eat it from a lying down position. This is not a good idea.
“It’s a lost cause,” said Highsmith, throwing down a large folded mass of gnarled crust in contempt.
Durr also spikes his crust on the table.
The box looks mostly empty, but it is an illusion. Millan brings out a scale and weighs the remains. It comes to two-pounds.
Millan then walks over to the large chalkboard behind the counter, and his chalk breaks as he marks up another one in the loser’s column.
Suddenly, Scafuri lets loose with an apocalyptic belch.
“Ohhh,” Highsmith said, backing away. “That did not sound good.”
They paid their tab and left, defeated.
Jim Millan is not Italian. Take one bite of his food, however, and you’ll think he came straight from Naples.
Millan, 29, of Ann Arbor, is the owner of Bella Italia Pizza and Pasta in Ann Arbor, and he learned the authentic taste from the restaurant’s previous owner, Giuseppe Cincinato, one of Naples’ authentic favorite sons.
Bella Italia’s focus has always been its true Italian patrons. Despite his success at recreating the taste, Millan was not immediately accepted for his cooking abilities. Some customers wanted real Italians to be doing the cooking.
“It was hard at first. A lot of people did not like me cooking the food because I am an American,” said Millan. “But if you close your eyes, the food is the same.”
A few of the regulars even stopped coming in.
Millan stayed persistent and continued along, consistently making the food the same. The sauces and pastas are made fresh each day along with the dough for the pizzas. The pizza dough is aged for a day to eliminate bubbles, and to allow for the authentic New York-style thin pizza.
“We get lots of East Coasters in here that say our New York-style is the closest they’ve had to the real thing,” said Millan.
An engineering graduate of Oakland University, Millan grew tired of working a desk job and soon began thinking about making a career change. Despite his family’s urging for him to get a master’s degree, Millan followed his gut and went another route.
He found that for the cost to go back to school and get his master’s, he could open his own restaurant. Having worked in restaurants to pay for college, Millan knew he enjoyed the business.
“I think if you do what you love the most, you will be most successful,” he said.
Millan and his wife Katie Millan, 29, purchased the restaurant from Cincinato in 2007. Jim taught Katie all the recipes from scratch and they continued to keep the restaurant a family-owned business. Their 11-month-old daughter Julia can also be seen at the restaurant, eating lunch at the tables while mom and dad work during the day.
“Even though we both work a lot, we love it,” said Millan. “We get to know our customers and it’s like they come to our place and catch up.”
Business has continued to improve since taking over and Millan believes that an expansion is on the horizon. He hopes to double the size of his facility, which now seats 35 people.
If an expansion doesn’t happen, though, Millan is still content with his decision to open his own place.
“I am my own boss in charge of my own destiny,” he said. “I will never be laid off, or have to relocate — and I am doing something I love.”
When the winter wind begins to move its way through Michigan, we polar bears accustomed to the bitter temperatures and inches of snow know the best way to survive the season is with some good home-cooked comfort food.
That’s because there is nothing better on a cold day than pulling a warm homemade pie out of the oven, spooning smooth mashed potatoes or sipping a bowl of soup — made from the same recipe your family has used for generations.
So although you may reserve turkey and stuffing for Nov. 25, there’s no reason to limit whipping up those family recipes to just one or two days a year.
Just as we should be mindful to give thanks for our many blessings more than during the holiday season.
And when a group of people as diverse as The Voice staff gets together and starts swapping family recipes, some pretty mouth-watering ingredients begin to fly off the flour-caked notecards.
We just had to share some of them with you.
Barszcz – Polish soup
Josh Chamberlain
Every winter, my family drives to Kalamazoo to celebrate the Polish Christmas Eve holiday Wigilia with a special dinner. Family members catch up and embrace, and everyone eyes the mountains of prepared food.
No one is allowed to eat, however, until the first star is spotted. This task is given to the younger members of the family, who step out into the frigid December air and look hopefully up at the sky. After the star-spotters have been outside in the snow, this beet soup is the perfect thing to warm them up all the way to their toes.
Barszcz (Polish Borscht)
1 lb red beets, cut into small cubes
1 large red onion, diced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons vinegar, or 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Cover all ingredients with water in a large pot and boil for an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. May be served with sliced mushrooms and potatoes, or cold with rye bread.
Early morning cinnamon rolls
WENDY OCHOA
Contibutor
While most people probably associate turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie with the holidays, I have an entirely different gastronomical delight that I look forward to.
On Thanksgiving morning, my favorite thing to do is to grab a cinnamon roll and camp out in front of the fireplace and watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. For years, my mom made the cinnamon rolls. Then I moved to Louisiana, which makes coming home for the holidays difficult.
Necessity dictated that I learn to make these rolls, and ever since they’ve become a popular staple — even to the point where a friend in Louisiana asked me to just make the rolls and not send a gift!
Yes, they require yeast and some folks don’t like to work with yeast, but it’s well worth the hassle.
Makes 12-18 rolls
Dough
1 package yeast
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water (not hot)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (scalded – you can do this in the microwave or on a stovetop)
3 ½ cups flour
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
Filling
1/2 cup melted butter
3 cups brown sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon
Raisins or pecans optional
In a small bowl, pour the warm water over yeast and then set aside. In another small bowl, pour milk over sugar and salt. Stir and set aside. In a large bowl, mix half of the flour (1 ¾ cups) with the egg and butter. Mix in the yeast mixture and milk mixture. Add the other half of the flour. Add more flour if needed. Knead (you can do this by hand or with the hook attachment on a KitchenAid mixer); let rise. Punch down when it doubles in size. Now the dough is ready to roll out for cinnamon rolls.
Roll the dough out to about 1/4–1/2 inch thick. Brush dough with 1/2 cup of melted butter. Then sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture on dough. Add raisins or pecans if desired. Roll the dough into a long roll. Cut into 1/2 inch rolls. Place into a greased cupcake tin and allow to rise until doubled. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cheesy Potatoes
ANNE DUFFY
Staff Writer
Mmmmm, the aroma of cheese cooking on potatoes. Every year my family expects to see, smell and eat the cheesy potatoes that my mother, Betty Lou Duffy, is famous for making at almost every holiday gathering. One year she didn’t make the dish and the cousins all complained and moaned. They actually told her she wasn’t allowed to come next time unless she made them. That was it; my mother never missed a beat since, making sure she always has cheesy potatoes at all gatherings. And now you can too. Enjoy!
2 lbs frozen hash brown potatoes
1 cup diced onion
1 can cream of celery soup
1 lb sour cream
1 stick of melted butter
12 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
Mix together in bowl. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 Pyrex dish and add ingredients. Add one cup of crushed potato chips on top before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Nutty salad
NICOLE BEDNARSKI
Features Editor
Thanksgiving dinner at my house has always been the traditional turkey and stuffing meal. We set out the fine china at the dining room table and fill serving dishes with gravy, cranberry sauce and the works.
But my mom introduced a new twist to the set up a few years ago. I have to admit, when a salad hit the table, everyone sitting was more than confused. As true old-school southerners, empty carbs and dishes that are sure to make us lethargic, football-watching hippos are really the only items on our food radars for Thanksgiving.
But this salad gets the job done. It’s nutty and fresh and all kinds of delicious.
Salad
Two heads of cut romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
3 ounces pecans, toasted
1 ½ ounces sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sliced strawberries
Dressing
1 ½ cups sugar
2/3 cup white or wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons poppy seeds
Mix dressing ingredients together.
Mix salad ingredients together separately in a large serving bowl and toss in dressing.
Molasses Cookies
FRANCES ROSS
Contributor
For the past few years, I’ve basically taken over the kitchen on the holidays. Dear Mom has never been blessed with the ability to cook very well. She tends to burn food with great ease. So I decided to start my own traditions — starting with molasses cookies.
I grew up on molasses cookies from the local farmer’s market. Not only are they delicious, they’re almost idiot-proof. You throw them in the oven and take them out when they smell like cookies. Duh. And if you overcook them? No worries. The jam keeps them nice and soft.
They’re just as good the next day.
Makes 4-8 dozen
2 cups sugar (plus extra for dusting)
1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 -1 teaspoon salt
2-4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger (ginger oil also works well if you have it)
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1-2 teaspoons vanilla
Blackberry or raspberry jam (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degree. Butter cookie sheets. Mix together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add molasses, eggs and vanilla. Mix in spices, soda and flour.
Place dough on cookie sheets in heaping tablespoons. Make a little crater in the middle of each cookie and put a little bit of jam in each (about 1/2–1 teaspoon). Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Sprinkle them with a bit of sugar while they’re still hot. Cool for a minute or so before transferring somewhere to cool completely.
Store in airtight container to keep them soft for longer.
Polish Pierogis
Drew Brodie
Contributor
This is a favorite holiday food in my family. I remember going over as a family to Grandma and Grandpa’s house before the holidays, and making several batches of pierogis and freezing them to be served during holidays, birthdays and family get-togethers. Every time we see family, we have pierogis and kielbasa — a Polish family tradition since I can remember.
Smaczne! Tasty!
Makes about four dozen
Dough
3 cups flour
3 whole eggs
2 tablespoons Crisco oil
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 cup potato water
Filling
(Potato or sauerkraut are popular substitutes.)
Dry cottage cheese mixed with Philadelphia cream cheese to make a ball about the size of a large marble.
Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a large bowl and mix completely, sprinkling in flour. Roll the dough out into about four dozen balls. Cover for 10–15 minutes and the dough will begin to rise. Roll out each ball of dough so it’s thin and place a cheese ball in the center.
Fold the dough in half over the cheese ball and press the edges together. Place the folded pierogis on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with flour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in the pierogies over medium heat. (Don’t add all the pierogis in at once or they will clump together.)
When the pierogis start to float to the top, take them out and let them cool and dry. After cooling, use a large frying pan (with butter) to fry them crispy golden brown.
The Polish tradition is to dip them in sour cream as you eat them.
Leftover delights
BRIAN STEINBERG
Staff Writer
I made these biscuits the day after Thanksgiving last year. They go perfectly with leftover turkey to make incredible biscuit turkey sandwiches — or they taste great on their own.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Makes about 15 biscuits
2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons of chilled butter
3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
1/2 cup of sweet potato puree
1-2 tablespoons of melted butter for brushing (optional)
Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in the bowl. Slice the cold butter into eight pieces and cover with the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into small, pea-sized pieces. Combine the chilled buttermilk and sweet potato puree and mix to create a dough. Dump out the dough on a clean, floured counter. Fold the dough a few times to form, then roll the dough out to a thickness of one inch.
Cut the biscuits in a straight up and down motion without twisting. Twisting will seal the sides and prevent raising. Fold the remaining dough and cut until you have used all of the dough.
Place the biscuits next to each other, but not touching, on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20–24 minutes in a 425 degree oven.
Brush with melted butter.
This version of a ’hot brown’ turkey sandwich has a cheese sauce and bacon on top to make a different and delicious way to consume leftovers.
LOUISVILLE – Not every town can boast its own sandwich like Kentucky’s Hot Brown, an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacyon, tomato and Mornay sauce.
Many eateries in Louisville offer the Hot Brown, but arguably the best is at J. Graham’s Café, located at the Brown Hotel. It was invented in 1926 by Chef Fred Schmidt at the hotel, from which the sandwich takes its name.
“There are other items on the menu, but most come for the Hot Brown,” said Matt Wilcoxen, sous chef of J. Graham’s Cafe. “On busy days we sell about a hundred.”
A quick view of the tables at J. Graham’s reveals the signature oven-safe plates featuring a bubbling Hot Brown in front of all but a few diners.
For those interested in trying this sandwich, you better bring your appetite. This is not low-calorie fare. The first ingredient in the two-serving recipe is a quart of cream. And we have not even mentioned the cheese, butter, turkey and two pieces of bacon yet.
“It is so rich that many diners split a Hot Brown and finish off the meal with a salad,” said Wilcoxen.
Many visitors to Louisville feel that trying a Hot Brown is an absolute-must experience.
“It would have been a shame not to have it,” said Jeff Beck, a guest of the hotel, who was in town to attend a wedding. “It was very unique. I recommend it.”
You can tell if people like their food by how quiet they get when they are eating. Eating a Hot Brown left one Voice staffer speechless.
The traditional Hot Brown is made with turkey, but you can substitute country ham. J. Graham’s Cafe also features an Egg Florentine version for breakfast.
The Legendary Hot Brown Sandwich Recipe
Recipe courtesy of the Brown Hotel Serves two (or four)
2 ounces whole butter
2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 quart heavy cream
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
14 ounces sliced roasted turkey breast
2 slices of Texas toast, crust trimmed
4 slices of crispy bacon
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half
Paprika
Parsley
In a two-quart saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). Continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Whisk whipping cream into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about two to three minutes. Remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in Pecorino Romano cheese until the Mornay sauce is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For each Hot Brown, place one slice of toast in an oven-safe dish and cover with seven ounces of turkey. Take the two halves of Roma tomato and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. Next, pour one-half of the Mornay sauce to completely cover the dish.
Sprinkle with additional Pecorino Romano cheese. Place entire dish under a broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of crispy bacon on top, sprinkle with paprika and parsley and serve immediately.
Ham variation: Substitute equal parts country ham for turkey.
Egg florentine version: Substitute four poached eggs, one bag of frozen spinach (thawed, liquid squeezed out),and six artichoke hearts pieces for the turkey.
Follow the recipe for the turkey version, but instead of turkey, place half the spinach on the Texas toast. Place two poached eggs on top of the spinach and plate three artichoke heart pieces on the plate. Add the rest of the ingredients and broil.
Charcuterie is the presevation of meat and fish. Above are some of Brian’s Polcyn’s creations.
Bacon is back! But for Brian Polcyn, the author of “Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting and Curing,” it never left.
Charcuterie is the craft of preserving meat and fish. It is the hotdog at the ballpark, the pepperoni on a pizza, the salami on an Italian sub and the bacon on a BLT sandwich.
Charcuterie can also be featured in lavish parties with items like smoked duck breast, prosciutto de Parma (dry-aged ham) and French pates and terrines with foie gras (duck liver) and black truffle mushrooms.
“I grew up on sausage and corn beef,” said Polcyn. “I was fascinated with charcuterie when I started training to be a chef. I was lucky to work with a European chef to learn the craft, but no one was teaching this when I started and there were not any books.”
He features a charcuterie plate at his restaurants, The Forest Grill, an upscale eatery in Birmingham, and for Cinco Lagos, his moderately priced Mexican restaurant in Milford.
“When I got to be a chef, I always had charcuterie on the menu because nobody was doing it. It differentiated me from everybody else,” said Polcyn.
When Polycn is not working at his restaurants or being featured on the TV show “No Reservations” with Anthony Bourdain, he is teaching charcuterie at Schoolcraft College in Livonia and working on a follow up to his book.
“I made every mistake there was to make,” said Polcyn about his early experience with charcuterie. “A good place to start for beginners is breakfast sausage. That’s just ground pork and spices. Bacon can be made in about six days. Corn beef is just water, salt, aromatics and beef brisket. Corn beef can be done in three days.”
Washtenaw Community College (WCC) features a Garde Manger class, CUL 210, where student learn charcuterie.
Breakfast sausage
5 pounds of ground pork (pork shoulder butt)
1 ½ ounces of kosher salt
5 tablespoons of peeled and finely grated garlic
1 tablespoon of minced fresh sage
2 teaspoons of fresh black pepper
1 cup of cold water
Procedure
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, except the water. Using a heavy spoon, mix in the cold water and stir. Mix for a few minutes to incorporate the water. Continue to mix until the mixture forms a mostly smooth paste. At this point the sausage can be cooked in patties in a sauté pan or placed in zip lock bags and frozen for months.
Sweet Italian
sausage variation
To five pounds of fatty, ground pork, add three tablespoons of salt, two tablespoons of sugar, two teaspoons of minced garlic, two tablespoons of fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons of fresh-cracked pepper, two tablespoons of sweet or smoked paprika, ¾ cups of cold water and ¼ cup of cold, red wine vinegar.
Combine all of the ingredients except the water and vinegar. With a large spoon incorporate the water and vinegar until the mixture forms a mostly smooth paste.
BRIAN STEINBERG THE WASHTENAW VOICE
Brian Polcyn displays one of his pieces of charcuterie.
“Most students are pretty new to it,” said Paul McPherson, chef instructor at WCC. “We use hot smoking. We heat wet hardwood chips in a pan on the stove and place the meat on a rack and cover it. The meat is fully cooked and the smoke adds flavor.”
“Every time we get that smoking, security comes in and thinks there’s a fire,” joked McPherson.
Some WCC culinary students really take to charcuterie.
“I got the grinder attachment for the KitchenAid,” said Chis Troiano, a graduate of WCC’s culinary program and a full-time assistant to the culinary department.
Sanitation and food safety is a major concern for those interested in preserving meats. The main concern is botulism, a type of food poisoning that is caused from Clostridium botulinum bacteria. If left untreated, it could be fatal.
Nitrates, a food preservative, are used in many preserved meats, especially cold-smoked meats, for food safety. There has been some concern about possible negative health affect with consuming nitrates.
“The purpose of nitrate is to kill botulism, and it gives its cured flavor,” said Polcyn. They are found naturally in the earth and vegetables (celery and cauliflower). There have been studies on nitrites. The studies say that you need to eat two pounds of bacon a day for a year to be affected.”
“There is no Michigan charcuterie tradition,” said Polcyn. “I guess there is venison jerky.”
With that said, Polcyn takes pride with the charcuterie that he and other chefs are producing here in the US.
“I am an advocate to challenge anyone in Europe,” said Polcyn.”We can have a throw down. Here is my challenge. I am not trying to produce prosciutto de Parma. I want to produce prosciutto de Michigan.”
Polcyn enjoyed his time on the “No Reservations” show.
“It was fun,” he said. “Bourdain tasted my stuff and was like, ‘Man you can be in New York or Los Angeles or Chicago. Your food is so good. Why are you here?’ I said because my family is here. This is where I like to live and it is a beautiful state.”
Charcuterie supplies can be found at butcher-packer.com.
Outside of Fattoush Grill just after it opened. It is located at 2224 Washtenaw Ave.
With the closing of one of Ypsilanti’s favorite restaurants, Tios, the city has been craving another go-to destination.
Ironically, a new go-to restaurant may be in the exact same building that Tios used to occupy.
Fattoush Grill opened on Oct. 7, and is owned by Dearborn resident Ahmed Ahmed, 45. The grill serves Middle Eastern cuisine, and also has another establishment in Livonia.
Ahmed, the owner and chef, has been cooking Middle Eastern food for more than 25 years, and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. He prides himself in being able to prepare the most authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in Southeastern Michigan.
And customers haven’t found reason to dispute.
“I didn’t really notice the place had opened,” said Abdurrahman Bansfield, 17, of Ypsilanti. “I finally decided to check it out and boom! That place can throw down!”
“I thought it was pretty good,” said Dave Nassar, 32, of Ypsilanti. “I’ve been waiting for a good Middle Eastern place in the area. It’s quite reasonable.”
Fattoush Grill serves a variety of items, from vegetarian dishes to several soups and salads.
Along with the large menu, the restaurant offers lunch and sandwich specials for about $7, which all come with rice or fries and soup or salad.
The food has been receiving praise from customers around town. Fattoush is known to give large serving sizes for reasonable prices, unlike other Middle Eastern restaurants in the area.
“I’m actually from Lebanon and this was extremely authentic,” said Nassar. “I’m almost shocked.”
MEGHAN CARPENTER THE WASHTENAW VOICE
Inside of Fattoush Grill, before the lunch rush.
Customers of the restaurant may notice its striking similarities to the old Tios. The outside color scheme remains the same, and the inside setup is identical — minus the hot sauce display, of course. And don’t expect this to change anytime soon.
“I like it like this,” Ahmed said. “I really like this old style.”
On top of the style similarities, Ahmed picked this specific Tios location for a few reasons.
“I look at this area, and it’s a very good, nice area,” he said. “It’s also a very good location with the traffic.”
“I probably wouldn’t have found (Fattoush) if it were somewhere far. I was on my way to Pita Pita driving down Washtenaw when I spotted it,” said Bansfield.
Fattoush will have to compete with several other Middle Eastern restaurants located on or around Washtenaw. Pita Pita, Haifa Falafel and Palm Palace will be stiff competitors for the newly established Fattoush.
But it certainly won’t have trouble competing.
“I’ve only been once now, but I think I’ll definitely come back,” said Eastern Michigan student Raymond Alshari, 22. “The hummus alone was well worth the trip!”
Fall is frequently associated with beautiful colors, great weather and tasty food.
November has Thanksgiving, but September and October are the time of year when fresh pumpkins and apples can be picked and turned into delicious treats.
On a sunny, brisk Saturday in mid-October, three intrepid Washtenaw County residents biked to three of the most well-regarded cider mills: Wasem Fruit Farm, Wiard’s Orchards & County Fair and the Dexter Cider Mill.
Each destination strikes up fond memories in many long-time residents of the area for different reasons. Best of all, they are all within 10 miles of downtown Ann Arbor.
The recipe for a perfect fall destination, we decided, should include cider, apples and donuts. Our mission: To find out how these competitors stack up, and provide you with the ultimate guide for making the most of this too-short season. The results:
WASEM FRUIT FARM
6580 Judd Rd., Milan
(734) 482–2342
wasemfruitfarm.com
DEXTER CIDER MILL
3685 Central St., Dexter
(734) 426–8531
dextercidermill.com
CIDER
$5.50 per gallon.
A light, crisp cider. Fairly flavorful, but mild. Obviously fresh-made.
$7.50 per gallon.
Tastes watery, more like apple juice. Pasteurized. Tastes store-bought.
$6.75 per gallon.
Lives up to its reputation. Very flavorful, the most “apple-tasting” of all.
While Wiard’s had disappointing cider and Wasem’s was fresh made and modestly priced, in the end it didn’t matter. The judges decided Dexter Cider Mill’s blend couldn’t be beat.
APPLES
$3.50 and up for 1/2 peck.
More than 20 varieties to choose from already picked, and visitors are welcome to pick whatever variety is currently available in the expanse of orchard.
$7.75 for a five-pound bag, plus $11.95 admission.
While the judges were stymied by the price of the apples and the orchard didn’t seem to be as large or varied, they still enjoyed the apples.
$6.50 for 1/2 peck.
There’s no orchard at the Mill, but the apples were delivered daily and of good quality.
Wasem Fruit Farm takes this category easily because of the great price, peaceful orchard and variety.
DONUTS
$7 per dozen.
Visitors enjoyed watching these donuts made, and, judging from the length of the line, eating them. The donuts are a bit heavier and greasy, but there’s no pretending when you watch them fry before you eat them. Varieties are inconsistent day to day, but often include pumpkin, apple, plain and blueberry.
$7.50 per dozen.
Also made daily are these donuts, which are much lighter and airier. Varieties include apple, apple cinnamon, cinnamon, and plain. Apple fritters are a unique specialty, as well. These deep-fried, syrup-coated treats will have anyone begging for more.
$6.25 per dozen.
These donuts did not disappoint. After 20 minutes of waiting, the judges finally got their hands on some delicious cinnamon goodness. There are only two varieties, but the crispy-on-the-outside, spongy-on-the-inside texture is enough to make these the winner. They will have anyone begging for more.
Dexter Cider Mill had the cheapest and fluffiest donuts, although there were no disappointments across the board.
ATMOSPHERE
The unassuming baby-blue building at the intersection of two dirt roads doesn’t look like much, but behind it lies some of the best apple-picking the group had ever encountered. A beautiful bike ride or short car jaunt will take you here for a satisfying trip. The staff is incredibly friendly even on peak days, and share in the love of fall fun.
Upon arriving at Wiard’s, we were directed to park in a sea of cars full of families set upon a day full of fun. It’s renowned for its hay rides, Night Terrors haunted houses and carnival feel. The focus at Wiard’s is certainly not a low-key stroll in an orchard, but there’s certainly a place for it.
Dexter Cider Mill was very short on parking, but the walk was well worth it. A long line winds through the parked cars, but like Wasem’s staff, the small group of employees remains friendly and helpful at all times. There is a nice shaded area behind the barn where the apple press can be seen, and visitors enjoy their cider and donuts while watching the river.
Each location has its bonuses, but the judges agreed that they would rather spend a day at the laid-back Wasem Fruit Farm.
OVERALL
Wasem Fruit Farm ended up being a fun trip for the judges. Straightforward, low-priced and delicious, Wasem was our personal favorite for its atmosphere, apple picking and donuts. A bad apple crop is more likely to hurt Wasem than the other cider mills, however, because apples are their main product.
Wiard’s ended up not impressing the judges. The huge entrance fee would be enough to buy a half-peck of apples, cider, and donuts at the other two locations. The prices were steep in other areas as well, but the apple fritters and “make your own caramel apple” stand stood out. In the end, the pasteurized and watery cider made us decide on Wasem’s.
Dexter Cider Mill was very short on parking, but the walk was well worth it. A long line winds through the parked cars, but like Wasem’s staff, the small group of employees remains friendly and helpful at all times. There is a nice shaded area behind the barn where the apple press can be seen, and visitors enjoy their cider and donuts while watching the river.
