The Never Ending Breakfast Adventures

Just when it seemed like I had exhausted all of Ann Arbor’s breakfast places, there was one more left that needed exploring (I know that once this article is published, I’ll somehow manage to come across another). The perfect fit for a snowy Ann Arbor morning, Northside Grill provided Jessie, Julie, Jordan, Sam and I with an amazing breakfast before heading off to a Michigan basketball game.

Here’s our take on a Northside Grill breakfast:

Vegetarian. Egg white omelet with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and mozzarella-cheddar cheese mix (the hash browns were key, but ask for them well-done)

Our food was great, however, I found that our omelets weren’t anything out of the ordinary and that we didn’t give Northside Grill the justice it deserves. I definitely want to go back soon and try the skillets (a mish-mosh of hash browns, veggies, meats and eggs) or the breakfast sandwiches.

Cost? Although omelets and skillets were on the more expensive side ($9-10), the portions were very generous.

Atmosphere? A cozy breakfast and lunch eatery that is reminiscent of a place you would find in a small New England town.  

Northside Grill is located at 1015 Broadway St in Ann Arbor, MI.

If you want to check out their full menu before heading over:

http://web.me.com/northsidegrill/NORTHSIDEGRILL/Breakfast_Menu_and_More.html

A Vegetarian's Delight

The amount of great restaurants Ann Arbor has that are exclusively vegetarian and vegan never ceases to amaze me. Looking for an inexpensive meal on Main Street before going to the Graham Colton concert last Friday, Julie, Sarah and I checked out the Jazzy Veggie.

Located at 108 S. Main Street in Ann Arbor, the Jazzy Veggie offers a casual, relatively inexpensive menu that will please any vegetarian or vegan. The menu had an abundance of sandwiches, pizzas, salads and entrees to choose from, making our decision on what to eat that much more difficult.

So here’s how we did Jazzy Veggie:

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger (JV Signature Dish). Roasted sweet potatoes, seasoned red quinoa, fresh herbs, roasted garlic, greens, red onions, red curry dressing on a bun.

Muffaletta. Marinated and grilled veggie patty, tomatoes, roasted peppers, sliced marinated tofu, garlic olive oil paste, red pepper aioli on grilled artisan bread.

Cost? Most dishes average around $8.

Atmosphere? Don’t be thrown off by the restaurants’ appearance – even though it looks like a converted Quizno’s, the food experience is something out of the ordinary and the service is extremely personal.

Best dish? Between the two options we chose, the Sweet Potato Quinoa Burger was definitely the better choice. The combination of seasonings, quinoa and sweet potato rounded out by the red curry dressing made this unique burger a delicious choice.  

If you want to check out their menu before heading over:

http://www.jazzyveggie.com/images/Window_Menu.pdf

Continuing the Breakfast Adventures...

With an eight-day break between exams, I figured there was no better way to enjoy the downtime than by exploring more of Ann Arbor’s restaurants. Looking for a way to unwind from a morning exam and catch up on the semester, Lisa and I decided to check out The Broken Egg.

The Broken Egg is located 221 N. Main Street and has successfully been added to the list of “must-go” breakfast places in Ann Arbor after today’s dining experience. After eating at both Afternoon Delight and Angelo’s, I have come to realize that each of Ann Arbor’s breakfast places distinguishes themselves by the way they prepare their omelettes. As someone who is a personal fan of having their omelette add-in’s cooked into the eggs instead of separately, I was extremely happy with the way my eggs turned out and can safely say that there are enough omelette options to please any meat-eater or veggie lover.

Here’s what Lisa and I ordered:

We both went for the Greek Fetish Omelette: A jumbo four egg omelet sauteed with fresh baby spinach, feta cheese, red onions, green and red peppers, mushrooms and calamata olives. Served with hash brown potatoes and toast or english muffin.

And of course had to split the Banana Walnut Cakes: Three fluffy buttermilk pancakes filled with sliced bananas and walnuts, topped with a splash of whipped cream and served with warm maple syrup.

So how does The Broken Egg rank against the others?

Cost? Fairly reasonable, for a coffee and omelette with some substitutions the bill came out to $12. Pancakes, waffles and French toast range from $5.50-$8 and omelettes are $8.25

Atmosphere? Simple, cozy with a mom and pop feeling. Definitely a good place to go if you’re looking for a casual breakfast that’s away from the chaos of State Street.

Best dish? The Greek omelette was the better of the two dishes, though after going to all the different breakfast restaurants I would still say that Angelo’s omelettes are the best I’ve had yet. A great balance of toppings and egg, the omelettes are definitely the dish to get when eating there.

If you want to check out the menu before heading over yourself:

http://www.allmenus.com/mi/ann-arbor/274897-broken-egg/menu/

Whose hands are in YOUR food?

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post in response to a NY Times article about Congress’s recent decision to oppose new USDA guidelines that would incorporate more fruits and vegetables into the school lunch room. I’m still in awe that the food industry has so much power that it can persuade Congress to consider pizza a “vegetable”.

As I started writing my final research paper about the National School Lunch Program for a class on food studies, I came across another NY Times opinion article about the power of the private food sector on public school lunches.

So each day the National School Lunch Program feeds 32 million children. 21 million of those children eat free or reduced-priced meals – thanks to the USDA paying about $1 billion a year for agricultural surpluses. The USDA provides schools with commodities like fresh apples, sweet potatoes, chicken and turkeys. Instead of cooking the food in the cafeteria kitchens (the logical choice…), schools take the commodities they are given and send them out for processing in order to make a profit.

Example:

School gets free raw chicken ($11.40/case) and sends it for processing into deep fried chicken nuggets ($33.45/case).

$33.45/case (sale) – NO COST TO SCHOOL! = $33.45 to the school in profit!

I’m not arguing against the schools trying to make a profit, or the fact that they are receiving these commodities for free; however, since they are receiving chicken for free they would still be making a profit had they chosen not to send them off to be processed into an unhealthy alternative. Yes, it is definitely less profitable for the school to take the chicken that is valued at $11.40/case and grill it in-house, but shouldn’t the purpose of the National School Lunch Program be more about feeding our kids healthy meals and less about the private food industry making a profit?

Although school boards and local politicians have asked food processors to create healthier alternatives, the argument is that children may not want to eat this healthier food and any increase in fruits and vegetables would result in wasted food. Is this possible? Absolutely. But if the schools aren’t able to influence food processors to create healthier alternatives, and the food processors are convincing Congress to block any measures to provide healthier alternatives, how will we ever be able to solve the growing problem of childhood obesity?

If you’re interested in the topic at all, I’d suggest checking out this NY Times article for yourself:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/opinion/sunday/school-lunches-and-the-food-industry.html?scp=1&sq=lunch&st=Search

Also, in researching for my paper I came across several books on the topic that seem really interesting and worthwhile:

School Lunch Politics: The Surprising History of America’s Favorite Welfare Program by Susan Levine

Free for All: Fixing School Food in America by Janet Poppendieck

Fed Up With Lunch: How One Anonymous Teacher Revealed the Truth About School Lunches by Mrs. Q

Lunch Wars: How to Start a School Food Revolution and Win the Battle for Our Children’s Health by Amy Kalafa

Asian Cuisine With a Flair

Sorority parent’s weekend means one thing: time to explore the best of Ann Arbor’s restaurants. Although I had been to Pacific Rim once before, my previous meal was so great that I knew it was worth sacrificing trying a new place. This article may be a month or two overdue, but my dining experience was too great to forego the opportunity to write about it.  

Located at 114 W. Liberty Street, Pacific Rim offers an exotic, yet appealing menu that combines Asian and American flavors. My favorite part about dining at Pacific Rim is the depth of knowledge the servers have about all the food. Nothing frustrates me more than asking a waiter for their opinion on a dish I’m interested in ordering, only to receive a very unhelpful “it’s good…from what I understand” response. Not only will the waiters provide you with their opinion on the dish, they will tell you how each component of the dish is prepared, where the ingredients are from and what drink is best to pair with the meal.

The only downside of eating there? There are too many great options to choose between. The first time I ate at Pacific Rim, I ordered the Japanese-Style Sablefish and while the dish was impeccably prepared, I knew that I needed to further explore the menu.

So here’s how we did Pacific Rim:

Appetizers:

Again, sadly no pictures were taken of the appetizers but of all that we ordered, I’d suggest getting the Pork Confit Mu Shu Tacos. The Mu Shu pancakes were thicker than what would usually be served at a regular Chinese restaurant, but they nicely complimented the very flavorful pork confit.

Entrées:

Seared Big Eye Tuna

Beautiful big eye tuna lightly seared, served with a ginger-miso sauce, wasabi oil, julienned jicama salad and crispy sushi rice.

 

Black Sesame-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Natural-fed Hannewald Farm rack of lamb with a spicy Thai peanut sauce, bok choy and a taro-polenta cake.

Korean Marinated Ribeye

Thin Slices of grilled certified angus ribeye, with sesame crispy rice, sautéed julienned vegetables, jicama kim chi, quail egg and a Korean chili sauce.

Best dish? Not being partial to my dish….but I’d have to say it takes the cake in both presentation and taste. If you’re a fish lover and want to know what tuna tastes like when it’s prepared correctly, I’d highly advise ordering the Seared Big Eye Tuna. The sauces were an excellent addition to the dish and were great with both the fish and side of crispy sushi rice.

Atmosphere? Dimly lit, relaxing and modern. Pacific Rim is a great place to go to with family or on a date – there’s also a full service bar. Large groups beware, the restaurant seems to have limited room to accommodate to groups of over 8.

Cost? Definitely not an everyday place, but great for a special occasion. Most appetizers are around $9 and entrées average $26-29.

If you want to check out the menu for yourself before heading over:

http://pacificrimbykana.com/menu/dinner-menu/