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:
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!
