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!

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

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

Summit Welcomes "Pizza Vita" with Open Arms and an Eager Appetite

Watch out Summit pizza lovers, there’s a new pizza place in town boasting it’s own twist on everyone’s favorite Italian classic. Located at 7 Union Place in Summit, NJ, Pizza Vita offers a variety of antipasti, pizzas, salads and pastas inspired by the traditional pizzerias of Naples, Italy. Owners Rocco and Adele DiBiase opened the restaurant’s doors on July 18, 2011 and since then, it has proved to be a roaring success. Driven by our eagerness to eat at the newest local cuisines, my dad, brother and I decided to check out what it is that makes this place so popular.

Here’s how we did it:

Starters:

Mozzarella en Carozza (translation: Olive oil poached mozzarella). Breaded, lightly fried and topped with a fresh, sweet tomato sauce, this appetizer is on the top of the menu for a reason. It is the perfect balance of sauce and lightly fried-cheesy goodness that is a necessity to have on your table prior to ordering any other item on the menu. Take it from someone who is normally not a cheese lover, these are a must-have item.

Meatballs: I’m normally hesitant about ordering meatballs because they tend to have a lot of filler and only a little bit of meat. However, these baseball sized-meatballs, which are impeccably seasoned and incredibly moist, have far exceeded any previous expectations I may have possessed. Served with an absolutely delicious and flavorful homemade sauce, this appetizer will make any meat lover a very happy diner.

Pizza:

Before getting into the pizzas that we ordered, I must mention what it is that sets Pizza Vita’s pizzas apart from all the others. Pizza Vita strictly uses ingredients in accordance with the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association (VPN), which was established to protect and promote authentic Napoletana pizza. Consequently, as a member of the VPN, Pizza Vita only serves D.O.C. pizza, which means that their pizza is made with only soft grain flour, water, all natural fresh yeast, sea salt, San Marzano tomato and Mozzarella di Bufala or Fior di latte Mozzarella.

So what does this all mean? It means that Pizza Vita uses only the freshest and finest ingredients (with many imported right from Italy) in order to serve up their original homemade pie! Once prepped, the pizza is cooked in a 100% wood fired oven for just 90 seconds due to its constant 900-degree temperature.

Margheritta D.O.C.: A classic margherita pizza with a chewy, lightly burned crust that is absolutely to die for. Though simple, this pizza will win over any classic pizza lover.

Padrino: Crushed tomato, hot soppresata (Italian cured dry salami), olives and provolone. A different take on the traditional meat-lovers pizza, however, it is equally satisfying and delicious. You may want to ask for extra bread to dip in the oil that drips off the pizza because I can guarantee you will want to savor every last bite.

Desserts:

All of the desserts are prepared by owner and chef Adele DiBiase, whose pastry background provided a delectable ending to this already incredible meal.

Doughnuts filled with melted chocolate, served with homemade caramel sauce: These doughnuts were light and fluffy, dusted with sugar and served hot. The melted chocolate inside is what made these doughnuts extra special and irresistible.

Despite sampling the restaurant’s many options, we barely made a dent in the menu, and left wanting to come back for more. So head on over soon to Pizza Vita and check it out for yourself! I promise you won’t regret it.

If you want to see their menu and other information before heading over, visit:

 www.pizzavitanj.com

A City That's Got the "Dish" on Pizza

Chicago is a lakefront, bustling city that’s rich in history and lined with sky scrapers. Oh, and it’s also home to some of the country’s tastiest, most diverse cuisine.

For my spring break, I spent a week working alongside 10 other U of M students in Southside Chicago, helping to prepare a 5^th grade class at Neil Elementary for their upcoming state standardized test, the ISAT. While most of our day was spent in the classroom, we were still able to find the time to try out the notorious Deep Dish Pizza.

I had two encounters with this native Chicago dish during my trip, the most memorable being at Gino’s East of Chicago. Gino’s East is located across the city and suburbs and best known for its over 1” deep crust filled with cheese, homemade sauce and any toppings imaginable. Our group opted for:

-the classic cheese

-the “Vegetarian”

(topped with fresh asparagus, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, red peppers, yellow squash, eggplant and zucchini)

- the“Meaty Legend”

(topped with pepperoni, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon AND bacon)

Despite being such a large group we were unable to conquer all three pizzas and gladly took home our unfinished business.

Being a true New York thin-crust pizza lover at heart, I still have difficulty saying that Chicago’s pizza beats my native slice. However, if you’re in Chicago and ready to get a taste of what the city is all about, you need to grab a slice (or, maybe even a whole pie) of classic Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.