Too Many Carts to Choose From...

Now that sophomore year has come to an end, I can reflect on the year and the amazing times I’ve had with friends and of course – the times spent exploring Ann Arbor’s restaurants. Before heading back to New Jersey for the summer, it was only appropriate that I tried one last restaurant.

Jordan, Staci, and I had heard about Mark’s Carts and unfortunately were unable to make it there before they closed for the season last fall. However, a spontaneous decision led us to Mark’s Carts and before we knew it, we were heading down to the Main Street area ready to check it out.  With an eager appetite and six open carts to choose from, we set out to find which cart would reign supreme:

The Contenders:

Cheese Dream. Serving artisan grilled cheese sandwiches and soup using local ingredients.

The Lunch Box. The mission of The Lunch Box is to provide high-quality, delicious, and nutritious vegan food that demonstrates the breadth and versatility of plant-based whole foods.

Hut-k Chaats. “Hut-K” means “non-mainstream,” and “chaats” are savory, flavorful Indian street food. Their health sauces are based around raw foods like spinach, cilantro, mint, dates, mangoes and lime and they’ve replaced sugar with dried fruits, and traditionally fried foods are baked when possible. It’s a culinary experience of flavors, nutrition and healing by food. (not pictured)

A2 Pizza Pi. Fresh, made to order wood-fired pizza.

  

Although Mark’s Cart was home to eight food carts (two of which were not open when we went), we decided these four were the best options and chose meals that we felt best represented these carts.

The Dishes:

Chili Grilled Cheese and the “Frenchi”. Baby swiss and caramelized onions between two slices of Zingermans bread from Cheese Dream.

Roasted Red Pepper and Spinach Wrap. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Cucumber, Onion, Spinach and Tomato wrapped in a Whole Wheat Tortilla from The Lunch Box.

Masala Puri. A multilayered chaat generally sold in the streets of Bangalore. It is a mixture of potatoes, chickpeas and peas, layered on baked chips, onions and topped with chaat sauces and garnished with savories from Hut-k Chaats.

SPIN(ach) the Feta. Fresh local spinach, feta, mozzarella, oven roasted garlic, red sauce and caramelized onion from A2 Pizza Pi.

Best dish? Before disclosing what our favorite of the four was, I have to say that each of the carts were delicious and definitely worth checking out. However, in the end our favorite was the pizza from A2 Pizza Pi. An elegant twist on the traditional pizza, this wood-fired pie was loaded with flavor and had us yearning for seconds.

Cost? Mark’s Carts as a whole is full of cheap eats – food ranges from $4-$12 depending on the cart.

Atmosphere? Mark’s Carts is seasonal and only open from April-September. Additionally, not all of the carts are open everyday, so I advise checking out the Mark’s Carts website before heading over. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed and has plenty of seating room – perfect for a sunny Ann Arbor afternoon.

If you find out more about each of the carts, or more about Marks Cart’s check out this website:

http://markscartsannarbor.com/

Location: 211 W. Washington Street, Ann Arbor.

Thank you, Ann Arbor, for the food adventures this past year. See you again in August!

Next stop – Washington D.C. Keep following University Meets Food Diversity as I make the move to the capital for the summer!

A Locally-Grown and Locally-Sourced Breakfast

A little more than three years ago, a unique and sustainable way of serving food to local community members was conceived. Selma Café was “envisioned as a center, a hub, a heart of the many ongoing efforts to improve our lives through community building, free access to affordable, healthy foods, and to foster right-livelihood in vocations with meaning and purpose” (www.repastspresentandfuture.org). Each week, Selma Café features an array of locally grown breakfast dishes prepared by local chefs and volunteers. Although you won’t be met with a bill at the end of your meal, suggested donations are $10-15 for breakfast. Selma is an all-volunteer operation and all proceeds go directly to the local farmers and producers that supply the ingredients and to non-profit groups working to expand access to healthy, sustainable food resources.

In light of Selma Café’s recent showcase at the University of Michigan TEDx this April, Sam, Julie, Ben, Zack and I decided to visit Selma to find out for ourselves what all the talk was about.

What to know about Selma Café before heading over:

You won’t find Selma located on State Street, Main Street or near any of the other restaurants in the Ann Arbor area. This is because Selma Café is hosted at the home of Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe on 722 Soule Boulevard in Ann Arbor.  Also, be ready for an early breakfast. Selma Café is open from 6:30-10:00am every Friday, but I suggest getting there early because food runs out quick and every entrée is worth trying!

We managed to brave the dreaded early Friday morning wake up and got to Selma around 8:00am, just in time to beat the second wave of breakfast rush. Although we had to wait anxiously for 30 minutes for enough seats to clear, during our wait we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet Jeff and Lisa, and speak with them further about their experience at TEDx.

Once we were finally seated, we decided the only way to get the full Selma Café experience was by trying out all of the dishes on the menu that week:

Here’s how our Selma experience went:

If you're looking to support the local, sustainable food movement and you're craving something different than the usual breakfast places by U of M campus - I'd definitely advise checking out Selma Cafe, it's worth the early Friday wakeup.

Here's their website if you want to find out more about the mission of Selma and what's on the menu for this week: http://www.repastspresentandfuture.org/site/fmselma/

Not Your South U Sushi Place

I’ve always been a Sadako fan, minus the occasional trip to Ayaka, Totoro or Sushi.com when I’m craving something different. However, with sophomore year coming to a close, Sam, Julie and I thought it was time to step out of our sushi comfort-zone and venture down by Main Street with a mission of finding a great new sushi place.

Mission accomplished. Located at 106 S. 1st Street in Ann Arbor, Miki's enormous sushi menu has enough variety to satisfy all kinds of sushi-lovers and it's safe to say it has now become my favorite sushi place.  

Looking for something sweet? There's a roll for that.

Ever wish you could see a sushi roll lit on fire? There's a roll for that. 

Want something deep fried? There's a roll for that. 

Ordering enough sushi to fill a sushi boat - but want the boat to light up? ...Miki does that too. 

So here's how our Miki experience went:

(Pictured rolls: Mango Fiesta roll, Crazy Boy Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Pacific Roll and Kiss of Fire Roll)

And to top it off ... the Diablo roll... Shrimp tempura, crab, avocado and cucumber inside. Topped with spicy scallop. Baked in oven and drizzled with eel sauce. 

Cost? The quality of the sushi is reflected by the cost. While most specialty rolls more expensive - between $12-14 - classic rolls are between $4-6. If you're not into sushi, most kitchen entree's average $15.


Atmosphere? Relaxed, yet upscale. Not quite as fancy as the Main Street restaurants but definitely a few steps up from places on South U or State Street. Great service.


Best dish? Hands down the Diablo Roll. I have never been a fan of baked rolls - I believe sushi is best when served simple and raw; however, the Diablo Roll has made me reconsider these feelings. This roll is packed with tons of flavor and is perfect for any kind of sushi-lover.


If you want to check out the menu before heading over, click here. 

Miki: 106 S. 1st Street, Ann Arbor, MI

Dining With Friends on a College Budget

Despite the overwhelming feeling of stress that always comes about during finals time, I’ve always found that there is no better way to take your mind off of studying than a home-cooked meal enjoyed in the company of good friends.

Last week, Julie, Sam, Arielle and I decided it was time to take a break from studying and get together over a college-budget friendly meal. With fresh and frozen ingredients from Trader Joe’s, we put together a fast and delicious meal that satisfied our stress-induced appetites.

We took the basics - pre-cooked Lemon Pepper Chicken, pre-cooked Balsamic Rosemary Chicken, frozen marinated eggplant and zucchini, and frozen mixed peppers – and supplemented the basics with some easy and delicious additions to create a great meal.

Here’s what we made:

Here’s how to do it:

Chicken Dishes:

1. Heat medium or large skillet over medium heat on stovetop.

2. Pour 4-5 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar into skillet, add seasonings (salt, garlic salt, onion powder, dried basil). Cook until vinegar begins to thicken.

3. Place chicken breasts into skillet with vinegar, covering each side with the vinegar mixture. Cook on each side for 20-30 seconds.

4. Remove chicken skillet. Finish re-heating chicken in the microwave (1 min – 1:30min on medium    power).

Vegetable Dishes:

(Note: If you buy the frozen, marinated eggplant and zucchini, the vegetable slices will be much larger than the frozen pepper slices. For best cooking results, slice eggplant and zucchini into smaller pieces)

1. Heat large skillet over medium heat on stovetop.

2. Add in all frozen vegetables. Stir in skillet until vegetables are fully heated.

3. Season with salt, garlic powder and any other seasonings you think would taste best! (I’d suggest dried basil, oregano, onion powder)

In total - the meal cost $28 dollars or $7 per person.