Upscale, Laid-back and Absolutely Fabulous...

There was no better way to round out a family visit and a blow-out victory for Michigan than by celebrating over an amazing meal at Mélange. Located at 314 S. Main Street, Mélange is a great find that you don’t want to miss out on – especially when your parents are in town.

A contemporary bistro with Eurasian cuisine, Mélange offers an exciting and varied menu that will satisfy both your eyes and your palate. The menu has enough options to make all types of diners happy – lo mein for traditional eaters, a vegetable medley for vegans and duck nachos for the adventurous eaters.

I went last Friday while my dad and brother were in town to celebrate my dad’s 50^th birthday and it still amazes me how incredible the food was and how special they made my dad feel.

Here’s what we ordered:

Appetizers: I didn’t get any pictures but we had the Kamikaze maki from their sushi menu and “The River Rock” from their bistro menu. I’d highly advise the River Rock (marinated strip steak, thinly sliced, floating on a ginger ponzu sauce). Not only was the meal full of flavor, but you cooked it yourself at your table on top of a hot seasoned river rock.

Now onto the entrées:

Bronzini.  Filet of Bronzini seasoned then pan roasted and topped with a lemon curry compound butter. Served with a coriander brown rice pilaf accompanied by sautéed leeks, shitake mushrooms and fresh asparagus.

Lamb. Grilled New Zealand lamb chops marinated in thyme, rosemary and basil. Served over roasted Yukon gold potatoes and a chiffonade of brussel sprouts with a chili lime soy glaze.

Beef. 8-ounce filet mignon grilled and drizzled in a red wine demi-glaze. Served with a parmesan potato croquette and roasted asparagus.

Best dish? It’s a close tie between the lamb and bronzini. Having never had bronzini before, I was pleasantly surprised by this dish and thought that the fish was roasted to perfection – however, for meat lovers I’d recommend the lamb, not only was it incredibly tender but the chili lime soy glaze was good enough to eat on it’s own.

Cost? Definitely a place to take your parents when they’re in town – or great for a very special occasion. Appetizers average around $10 and most entrées are around $25.

Atmosphere? Cool, laid-back lounge atmosphere that gives the restaurant a younger vibe than its’ competitors. Also, the service truly can’t be beat.

If you’re interested in checking out their bistro or sushi menu before heading over:

http://www.melangebistro.com/bistromenu.pdf

http://www.melangebistro.com/sushimenu.pdf

Save the Children?

This past Monday, Congress blocked rules proposed by the US Department of Agriculture to overhaul the nation’s school lunch program. Apparently, we value our finances over the health of our nation’s children. With childhood obesity climbing at an alarming rate, shouldn’t it be a priority to revitalize school lunches and make them healthier?

Last I checked, pizza was not considered a healthy lunch option. However, Congress’s ruling against the USDA proposal, which would have cut the amount of potatoes served and changed the ways schools received credit for serving vegetables by continuing to count tomato paste on a slice of pizza only if more than a quarter-cup was used, shows that well – pizza can still be considered a vegetable.

I understand the argument of major food companies ConAgra, Coca-Cola, and Del Monte foods – if you change the foods to make them “healthier”, not only will it cost the company more, but children are more likely to throw this newer food away. But, there comes a point when obesity and health risks should supersede the interests of food companies. Not to mention, there are ways to implement healthier, less expensive options that are still delicious – it just requires thinking outside of the junk-food norm.

I suggest checking out the article for yourself, especially if you have any interest in what’s going on between Congress and our school cafeterias.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/us/politics/congress-blocks-new-rules-on-school-lunches.html?_r=1&ref=health

Aspartame, Saccharin, Tartrazine oh my!

I came across an interesting article this morning from the EatThisNotThat twitter feed on food additives. Proposing that all of the 11 food additives listed are "controversial", this article is definitely worth looking at. As someone who tries actively (and usually has trouble being successful at) avoiding chemical food additives, this article was extremely eye-opening.


Here is what Women's Health Magazine believed to best the 11 Most Controversial Food Additives:


1. Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame-K)
2. Artificial Flavoring
3. Aspartame
4. BHA and BHT
5. High Fructose Corn Syrup (...should be considered the worst in my opinion)
6. Interesterified Fat
7. Monosodium Gultamate (MSG)
8. Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
9. Red #3 (Erythrosine) and Red #40 (Allura Red)
10. Saccharin
11. Yellow #5 (Tartrazine) and Yellow #6 (Sunset Yellow)


With an abundance of links drawn between consumption and cancer, seizures, tumors and weight-gain, it seems like there is no benefit from consuming any of the above listed food additives. But with the way food is prepared, packaged and preserved, it is nearly impossible to buy and consume all foods that are free of any of these chemicals. I'm sure if you look close enough, even those frozen meals you buy at Whole Foods contain at least one of these "controversial" food additives.

Take a look at the article, and take from it what you may - who knows, maybe it'll change the way you buy and consume some of your favorite foods.


http://eatthis.womenshealthmag.com/content/11-most-controversial-food-additives?article=7&page=1

Brain Food

In an effort to reach out to another category of readers, I’ve decided to expand the areas that my blog covers and incorporate another one of my passions: food studies.

So what exactly does food studies mean? Well as defined by Wikipedia (which we know is always extremely reliable), food studies describes the critical examination of food and its context within science, art, history, society and other fields. While I have not had the opportunity to have extensive academic exposure to food studies, I have been lucky enough to have taken some classes and read some books on the topic.

If you’re reading this blog, it means that you have some interest in food. So if you’re even remotely interested in taking this interest to another level, I’d suggest checking out these books and websites. All of these books are extremely eye-opening and will really give you a different perspective the next time you go out to eat or go to the grocery store.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollen

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

Food Politics by Marion Nestle (brilliant woman, leading the modern-day food politics movement)

The Ethics of What We Eat by

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Chew on This by Michael Pollan

And here are the websites to check out:

http://www.foodpolitics.com/ (Marion Nestle’s website)

http://www.letsmove.gov/

Look out for articles and news stories I’ll be posting in the new few weeks. I’ll be keeping my eye out for one’s that are sure to appeal to readers of all ages. 

Ann Arbor's Best Scoop

Looking for a delicious way to end last Saturday’s meal, my mom, brother and I only had to walk so far as one block to find the perfect fit. Kilwin’s, located at 107 E. Liberty Street in Ann Arbor is hands down Ann Arbor’s best homemade ice cream shop.

Although I’ve always been more partial to soft serve, Kilwin’s serves hard ice cream that can’t be beat. They have enough flavors to suit every ice cream lover’s palate, but my suggestion? Try Toasted Coconut.

This flavor is truly no-fail. If you allow it to soften for a few minutes after it is scooped, you’re in for a real treat. Imagine a Caramel Delight Girl Scout Cookie or Mounds bar in ice cream form – a vanilla ice cream base with toasted coconut that has been allowed to caramelize, creating a caramel-chocolately flavor that’s consistent until the last bite.

So if you’re looking for where to go for Ann Arbor’s best scoop, take an adventure down towards Main Street and stop into Kilwin’s. What if ice cream isn’t your thing? Next door to the ice cream shop is Kilwin’s homemade chocolate store where you can choose between any of the incredible chocolates, toffees, caramels and candied or chocolate apples that they have to offer.

Location: 107 E. Liberty Street Ann Arbor, MI

Cost: Small ice cream is around $3. Chocolates, Truffles and Caramels average $14 for 8 oz.

Website: https://www.kilwins.com/annarbor