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Published On: Sep 14, 2009 11:26 AM
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Published On: Sep 14, 2009 11:26 AM
Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
We've had several things to celebrate lately, and
this weekend we celebrated two
more...
1) Our 8th wedding anniversary (observed -- tomorrow is the real day.) We went to a new Ann Arbor restaurant: The Grange Bar and Grill. This is located where Bella Ciao used to be, which was one of our go-to "celebration" restaurants. Sad to see it go, but The Grange is a nice replacement. The schtick at the Grange is that they cook simple food with mostly local ingredients, meat and produce from local farms, etc. We both had great meals, including an appetizer of fried green tomatoes, which I love. I don't know if you've had any luck with tomatoes this year, but in southeast Michigan, no one is having any luck. The 'maters are just staying green because the days and nights have been too cool for them to ripen properly, I guess. Even the ripe ones you can get at the farmers' market don't taste like great summer tomatoes. While I've missed having lots of yummy red tomatoes, it's nice to have a long season of green tomatoes for frying. That was followed by chicken for Brian, and I had pork two ways (pork tenderloin, and pork confit) with deep-fried brussels spouts (which I saved until last, like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms) and a cauliflower puree.
The food was good, but we were wondering if there will ever be a restaurant in Ann Arbor that decides to include a couple of somewhat more challenging dishes on its menu. Can anyone think of a single restaurant in A2 that serves any sort of offal, for example? Heck, even rabbit is too challenging for A2 palates, it seems. I understand that in the flyover states we generally eat chicken, beef, and potatoes, and occasionally some trout and that's it. But wouldn't you think that here in fussy Ann Arbor that there'd be some place with at least one item on the menu that made you think, "Gee, I've never had breaded & deep-fried cow brains before"? I know of one restaurant that serves buffalo (Prickly Pear has buffalo enchiladas, which is what I always order there), but given the bajillion rats-with-antlers (ie. deer) in this state, one would imagine that there would be at least one restaurant in A2 that serves venison.
In other words, there's a lot of great food to be had in Ann Arbor, but it's all pretty typical.
Oh wait, I did have wild boar ragoût at Logan a while back, which was yummy. So, I guess you can find a few atypical proteins being used occasionally at a couple restaurants. Still ... wild boar and buffalo are awfully similar to pig and cow, and the parts being used were completely conventional. Not a single brain in sight.
I wonder how the menu at the Grange will change in the fall and winter. Lots of squash, carrots, potatoes, and other root vegetables, I suppose.
2) We also got to celebrate the baptism of our godson Elijah (we're also his sister's The Godfathers.) His daddies have found a great, welcoming congregation in Jackson, and there were lots of family and friends there to see him get baptized. It was a wonderful day, and he's a great little guy. I have yet to see him in melt-down mode. Mostly he seems amazingly chill for an 18 month old.
BTW, as you may have noticed, I like to have titles that begin with "The" (ie. The Doctor, or The Godfather.)
1) Our 8th wedding anniversary (observed -- tomorrow is the real day.) We went to a new Ann Arbor restaurant: The Grange Bar and Grill. This is located where Bella Ciao used to be, which was one of our go-to "celebration" restaurants. Sad to see it go, but The Grange is a nice replacement. The schtick at the Grange is that they cook simple food with mostly local ingredients, meat and produce from local farms, etc. We both had great meals, including an appetizer of fried green tomatoes, which I love. I don't know if you've had any luck with tomatoes this year, but in southeast Michigan, no one is having any luck. The 'maters are just staying green because the days and nights have been too cool for them to ripen properly, I guess. Even the ripe ones you can get at the farmers' market don't taste like great summer tomatoes. While I've missed having lots of yummy red tomatoes, it's nice to have a long season of green tomatoes for frying. That was followed by chicken for Brian, and I had pork two ways (pork tenderloin, and pork confit) with deep-fried brussels spouts (which I saved until last, like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms) and a cauliflower puree.
The food was good, but we were wondering if there will ever be a restaurant in Ann Arbor that decides to include a couple of somewhat more challenging dishes on its menu. Can anyone think of a single restaurant in A2 that serves any sort of offal, for example? Heck, even rabbit is too challenging for A2 palates, it seems. I understand that in the flyover states we generally eat chicken, beef, and potatoes, and occasionally some trout and that's it. But wouldn't you think that here in fussy Ann Arbor that there'd be some place with at least one item on the menu that made you think, "Gee, I've never had breaded & deep-fried cow brains before"? I know of one restaurant that serves buffalo (Prickly Pear has buffalo enchiladas, which is what I always order there), but given the bajillion rats-with-antlers (ie. deer) in this state, one would imagine that there would be at least one restaurant in A2 that serves venison.
In other words, there's a lot of great food to be had in Ann Arbor, but it's all pretty typical.
Oh wait, I did have wild boar ragoût at Logan a while back, which was yummy. So, I guess you can find a few atypical proteins being used occasionally at a couple restaurants. Still ... wild boar and buffalo are awfully similar to pig and cow, and the parts being used were completely conventional. Not a single brain in sight.
I wonder how the menu at the Grange will change in the fall and winter. Lots of squash, carrots, potatoes, and other root vegetables, I suppose.
2) We also got to celebrate the baptism of our godson Elijah (we're also his sister's The Godfathers.) His daddies have found a great, welcoming congregation in Jackson, and there were lots of family and friends there to see him get baptized. It was a wonderful day, and he's a great little guy. I have yet to see him in melt-down mode. Mostly he seems amazingly chill for an 18 month old.
BTW, as you may have noticed, I like to have titles that begin with "The" (ie. The Doctor, or The Godfather.)
Posted: Mon - September 14, 2009 at 11:26 AM