I have had several meals in here, all of which I found overpriced, skimpy portioned and singularly unimpressive. Not recommended even for late night desperation.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Dimitri's Country Kitchen - Belleville, Michigan
This is a typical diner. I have only eaten here late at night and it is on my banned list. Mostly because they never have anything in stock at that hour. My advice to Dimitri's is to either offer a seperate late night menu with just breakfast and various sandwiches as that is all you ever have to offer at any rate or to, I don't know, actually stock things and keep grills and fryers open and not frustrate customers.
I have had several meals in here, all of which I found overpriced, skimpy portioned and singularly unimpressive. Not recommended even for late night desperation.
I have had several meals in here, all of which I found overpriced, skimpy portioned and singularly unimpressive. Not recommended even for late night desperation.
The Blue Tractor Cook Shop - Ann Arbor, Michigan
I must thank my follower The Foodie Fairy for alerting me to the Blue Tractor Cook Shop with her blog. She had been to the one in Traverse City and seemed quite fond so of course I needed to try the new version here in Ann Arbor. It has similar food but not the exact same menu.
This is a definite Southern style place. From Carolina BBQ to fried green tomatoes, it screams down home deliciousness from south of the Mason-Dixon. I came here following a 16 hour fasting test that had my blood sugar plummeting, excuse enough to eat heartily I figured. I sure did come to the right place. Health food does not seem to be the agenda here, it is just not the southern way. There is plenty of meat, starches and fried food, all homemade and full of temptation.
We started with some Smoked Chicken and Corn Chowder. Filled with big chunks of chicken and tasting of pure sweet corn, it was not too thick but rather had a creamy broth. It was Michigan heaven in a bowl. I could have eaten another bowl it was that good.
I decided on the Carolina Beef Brisket, served over buttermilk mashed potatoes that were decidedly from scratch with lovely lumps but no skins. The beef was braised in a vinegar based Carolina sauce but they offered a basket with two other sauces, a rich tomato based and a zesty Texas variety. I found that by mixing the Texas with the tomato that it created a very satisfying sauce. This was accompanied by the veggie of the day, fresh shredded brussel sprouts, so good I cannot begin to describe. Truly a taste sensation, I ate both mine and my husband's I must confess.
My husband had the Meatloaf, wrapped in bacon and served on a cedar plank and covered with homemade spicy ketchup. It was also served over buttermilk mashers with brussel sprouts on the side. He scraped off the overwhelming ketchup and avoided the sprouts but really enjoyed the rest. Sampling a bite of the meatloaf, I have to say it was tasty indeed. For the money I think it should have been a bit bigger chunk or perhaps another thin style piece at the least. It was not quite enough for my husband, he was peckish so he ordered a side of the excellent mac and cheese but found it to be a bit spicy to his taste so he satisfied himself instead with pilfering pieces of my brisket and eating most of my mashed potatoes.
My mother had the Braised Short Rib, thoroughly coated in the red tomato BBQ sauce. It is served over utterly delicious cheesy grits with greens on the side. The greens were zipped up nicely with the pickapepper sauce from the table. The short rib was nice but I found the BBQ sauce to be a bit much on it. My mother quite enjoyed it though, her favorite part was the cheesy grits which were sinfully rich.
Accompanying these things we decided to get a basket of the beer battered onion rings, also served with the homemade ketchup which is quite salsa like in both consistency and zip factor. It went much better with the rings than with the meatloaf. The rings were to die for, just hearty and fresh. Perfect.
We saw a lot of sandwiches and they look quite healthy in portion, tasty looking too. I think I may give one a whirl next time, I have my eye on the Low Country BLT. Also on my agenda is trying the southern fried appetizer combo which features fried pickles, fried okra and yes indeed fried green tomatoes all with buttermilk lime dressing to dip. My dietician would keel over dead at the thought but hey you have to indulge a bit right?
The prices here are a bit high, the portions a bit on the skimpy side for it in my opinion but the food is amazingly fresh and homemade with variety not often seen in these parts. If I were to make one suggestion it would be to include a bread basket or biscuits with the dinner plates, it would go a long way to increasing the value and filling up men such as my husband.
If you are looking for a bit of southern home, complete with excellent sweet tea, this may well be the place for you.
This is a definite Southern style place. From Carolina BBQ to fried green tomatoes, it screams down home deliciousness from south of the Mason-Dixon. I came here following a 16 hour fasting test that had my blood sugar plummeting, excuse enough to eat heartily I figured. I sure did come to the right place. Health food does not seem to be the agenda here, it is just not the southern way. There is plenty of meat, starches and fried food, all homemade and full of temptation.
We started with some Smoked Chicken and Corn Chowder. Filled with big chunks of chicken and tasting of pure sweet corn, it was not too thick but rather had a creamy broth. It was Michigan heaven in a bowl. I could have eaten another bowl it was that good.
I decided on the Carolina Beef Brisket, served over buttermilk mashed potatoes that were decidedly from scratch with lovely lumps but no skins. The beef was braised in a vinegar based Carolina sauce but they offered a basket with two other sauces, a rich tomato based and a zesty Texas variety. I found that by mixing the Texas with the tomato that it created a very satisfying sauce. This was accompanied by the veggie of the day, fresh shredded brussel sprouts, so good I cannot begin to describe. Truly a taste sensation, I ate both mine and my husband's I must confess.
My husband had the Meatloaf, wrapped in bacon and served on a cedar plank and covered with homemade spicy ketchup. It was also served over buttermilk mashers with brussel sprouts on the side. He scraped off the overwhelming ketchup and avoided the sprouts but really enjoyed the rest. Sampling a bite of the meatloaf, I have to say it was tasty indeed. For the money I think it should have been a bit bigger chunk or perhaps another thin style piece at the least. It was not quite enough for my husband, he was peckish so he ordered a side of the excellent mac and cheese but found it to be a bit spicy to his taste so he satisfied himself instead with pilfering pieces of my brisket and eating most of my mashed potatoes.
My mother had the Braised Short Rib, thoroughly coated in the red tomato BBQ sauce. It is served over utterly delicious cheesy grits with greens on the side. The greens were zipped up nicely with the pickapepper sauce from the table. The short rib was nice but I found the BBQ sauce to be a bit much on it. My mother quite enjoyed it though, her favorite part was the cheesy grits which were sinfully rich.
Accompanying these things we decided to get a basket of the beer battered onion rings, also served with the homemade ketchup which is quite salsa like in both consistency and zip factor. It went much better with the rings than with the meatloaf. The rings were to die for, just hearty and fresh. Perfect.
We saw a lot of sandwiches and they look quite healthy in portion, tasty looking too. I think I may give one a whirl next time, I have my eye on the Low Country BLT. Also on my agenda is trying the southern fried appetizer combo which features fried pickles, fried okra and yes indeed fried green tomatoes all with buttermilk lime dressing to dip. My dietician would keel over dead at the thought but hey you have to indulge a bit right?
The prices here are a bit high, the portions a bit on the skimpy side for it in my opinion but the food is amazingly fresh and homemade with variety not often seen in these parts. If I were to make one suggestion it would be to include a bread basket or biscuits with the dinner plates, it would go a long way to increasing the value and filling up men such as my husband.
If you are looking for a bit of southern home, complete with excellent sweet tea, this may well be the place for you.
California Pizza Kitchen - Ann Arbor, Michigan
I have not been here in many years but I must say I have been missing out. In my mall mode due to the holidays my husband and I had occasion to stop at the Briarwood locale and were quite happy indeed.
The service here is excellent. Fast, friendly and even helpful. Our waitress ascertained we were in a bit of a hurry (we had an appointment at the Apple store for my husband's beloved iPod) and made sure we had everything in good fashion, including the check and a box for the leftovers.
The thing that took the longest was deciding what to order. What a menu, so many pizzas, salads and pastas to tempt the palette. It was quite hard to decide. I was torn between several pizzas and several salads. At last I settled upon a compromise and got the California Club pizza. Featuring applewood smoked bacon, grilled chicken and mozzarella cheese, hearth baked then topped with roma tomatoes, chilled chopped lettuce tossed in mayonnaise and fresh sliced avocado, it was absolutely delightful on the wheat crust. Health conscious, probably not but worth the calorie splurge.
My husband chose a usual combination for him, a Hawaiian with fresh pineapple, Canadian bacon, Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. He quite liked it but it would never be something I would order.
On personal tasting I can quite recommend the Wild Mushroom pizza, the Roasted Garlic pizza, the Thai Chicken pizza and the Sante Fe Chicken pizza. I also quite love the BBQ Chicken Chopped salad, the Chinese Chicken salad and the Grilled Vegetable salad.
All in all I have to say I am quite anxious to go back.
The service here is excellent. Fast, friendly and even helpful. Our waitress ascertained we were in a bit of a hurry (we had an appointment at the Apple store for my husband's beloved iPod) and made sure we had everything in good fashion, including the check and a box for the leftovers.
The thing that took the longest was deciding what to order. What a menu, so many pizzas, salads and pastas to tempt the palette. It was quite hard to decide. I was torn between several pizzas and several salads. At last I settled upon a compromise and got the California Club pizza. Featuring applewood smoked bacon, grilled chicken and mozzarella cheese, hearth baked then topped with roma tomatoes, chilled chopped lettuce tossed in mayonnaise and fresh sliced avocado, it was absolutely delightful on the wheat crust. Health conscious, probably not but worth the calorie splurge.
My husband chose a usual combination for him, a Hawaiian with fresh pineapple, Canadian bacon, Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. He quite liked it but it would never be something I would order.
On personal tasting I can quite recommend the Wild Mushroom pizza, the Roasted Garlic pizza, the Thai Chicken pizza and the Sante Fe Chicken pizza. I also quite love the BBQ Chicken Chopped salad, the Chinese Chicken salad and the Grilled Vegetable salad.
All in all I have to say I am quite anxious to go back.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Riffles - Northville, Michigan
Opened by the former chef of the prior Riffles (which is now Deadwood reviewed in this blog), this Riffles is in the former spot occupied by Helen's and before that the famous Crawford's restaurant.
Riffles is a great cozy place, specializing in comfort food style home cooking such as pot roast, meatloaf, turkey dinners and Northern Michigan chicken stew with homemade biscuits. They also have a variety of sandwiches, soups and salads.
My parents are huge fans already, my father quite addicted to both the turkey dinner as well as the open faced turkey sandwich at lunch, layered with stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce and covered in gravy. My mom loves the pot roast in particular.
I will say the turkey dinner is quite nice, the only real fault I find is with the skin on mashed potatoes, a no no for me with a gravy which calls for a creamy potato. I like skins on redskin buttery garlic mashers though. The gravy is good and the stuffing is spectacular. I would prefer a bit of dark meat too but that is just me. I love that it has the cranberry sauce which is an essential to me.
The onion soup was a stunning delight and is not to be missed.
The pumpkin cheesecake is unbelievable and if you are at all on a diet I will advise you to avoid it as it could well be addictive. The apple pie looks stellar and after the cheesecake I didn't dare take a bite.
The prices are reasonable, the staff beyond friendly. The owner is a charmer and the experience very homey and nice. Makes me very happy indeed. Please stop in, this place deserves a visit and you will not regret it. I know I will for sure be back. The Pretzel Chicken is calling to me.
Riffles is a great cozy place, specializing in comfort food style home cooking such as pot roast, meatloaf, turkey dinners and Northern Michigan chicken stew with homemade biscuits. They also have a variety of sandwiches, soups and salads.
My parents are huge fans already, my father quite addicted to both the turkey dinner as well as the open faced turkey sandwich at lunch, layered with stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce and covered in gravy. My mom loves the pot roast in particular.
I will say the turkey dinner is quite nice, the only real fault I find is with the skin on mashed potatoes, a no no for me with a gravy which calls for a creamy potato. I like skins on redskin buttery garlic mashers though. The gravy is good and the stuffing is spectacular. I would prefer a bit of dark meat too but that is just me. I love that it has the cranberry sauce which is an essential to me.
The onion soup was a stunning delight and is not to be missed.
The pumpkin cheesecake is unbelievable and if you are at all on a diet I will advise you to avoid it as it could well be addictive. The apple pie looks stellar and after the cheesecake I didn't dare take a bite.
The prices are reasonable, the staff beyond friendly. The owner is a charmer and the experience very homey and nice. Makes me very happy indeed. Please stop in, this place deserves a visit and you will not regret it. I know I will for sure be back. The Pretzel Chicken is calling to me.
Olga's Kitchen - Livonia, Michigan
I have long been a fan of Olga's. That warm soft and pillowy pita bread is just fabulous. If you have not tried an Olga you must. On this visit I went with my mom who is also an Olga's fan.
I am a fan of the original Olga, the Gyro-like lamb and beef mixture with onions and tomatoes, I always get Olga sauce on it (a sour cream based concoction) and jazz it up by adding pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper from the shakers at the table. I also on this occasion (as with most others) got the Olga side salad, a delightful combo of lettuce, tomato, feta cheese and olives with a subtle greek-like dressing. This combo is always a winner. Fresh and tasty, not too awfully bad for you but delicious.
My mom had Olga's White Bean Chicken Chili with a piece of Spinach Pie, a combination of spinach, feta and ricotta, hand-made with phyllo pastry and baked to a golden brown. It came with snackers, seasoned crisp olga bread pieces with a dab of swiss almond cheese. A lot of food and so happy.
It was a very good meal indeed. Service was nice, food was fresh and it was a double coupon day so it was cheap too.
If you want to get started with Olga's coupons you need a reward card, they are free and on some days your coupon can even be tripled. These are the only coupons I see regularly for Olga's and it pays to join up. Learn more here: http://www.olgaskitchen.com/coupon.htm .
I am a fan of the original Olga, the Gyro-like lamb and beef mixture with onions and tomatoes, I always get Olga sauce on it (a sour cream based concoction) and jazz it up by adding pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper from the shakers at the table. I also on this occasion (as with most others) got the Olga side salad, a delightful combo of lettuce, tomato, feta cheese and olives with a subtle greek-like dressing. This combo is always a winner. Fresh and tasty, not too awfully bad for you but delicious.
My mom had Olga's White Bean Chicken Chili with a piece of Spinach Pie, a combination of spinach, feta and ricotta, hand-made with phyllo pastry and baked to a golden brown. It came with snackers, seasoned crisp olga bread pieces with a dab of swiss almond cheese. A lot of food and so happy.
It was a very good meal indeed. Service was nice, food was fresh and it was a double coupon day so it was cheap too.
If you want to get started with Olga's coupons you need a reward card, they are free and on some days your coupon can even be tripled. These are the only coupons I see regularly for Olga's and it pays to join up. Learn more here: http://www.olgaskitchen.com/coupon.htm .
Honey Tree Grille - Belleville, Michigan
We stopped in here one night for a quick meal. It has only been open for a few weeks and already it is quite popular, we had no wait for a table but almost every one was filled on a weekday.
I have dined at other Honey Trees in the area and I have to say this ranks right up there. They are relatively inexpensive, have healthy options and big variety. A very nice place for families as well.
I had the Athenian 1/2 chicken. Marinated and roasted to perfection, served with rice and peas, choice of soup or salad and nice bread. They offer a tomato sauce for the rice but I am not a fan, my father adores it though. I chose greek salad and was very pleased, zesty but creamy dressing on the side and full of fresh veggies. Pretty healthy, very filling and reasonable to boot. I ended up taking a quarter chicken home.
My dad had the Gyro platter, with some tzatziki sauce. Served with grilled pita triangles, and the same sides as the athenian chicken. He had the navy bean soup and it was really delicious.
My mom had the Country Omelette. It has bacon, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and swiss. Served with decent hash browns and your choice of toast. She really enjoyed it. I love places where you can get breakfast for dinner too.
We saw lots of sandwiches pass our way that looked quite nice, a very large stir fry that had us talking and some saganaki that made me drool at the sight. Next time I am getting some, calories be damned.
All in all a decent place. Nothing fancy but plenty of variety and tasty. If you are looking for a solid family place, you cannot go wrong.
I have dined at other Honey Trees in the area and I have to say this ranks right up there. They are relatively inexpensive, have healthy options and big variety. A very nice place for families as well.
I had the Athenian 1/2 chicken. Marinated and roasted to perfection, served with rice and peas, choice of soup or salad and nice bread. They offer a tomato sauce for the rice but I am not a fan, my father adores it though. I chose greek salad and was very pleased, zesty but creamy dressing on the side and full of fresh veggies. Pretty healthy, very filling and reasonable to boot. I ended up taking a quarter chicken home.
My dad had the Gyro platter, with some tzatziki sauce. Served with grilled pita triangles, and the same sides as the athenian chicken. He had the navy bean soup and it was really delicious.
My mom had the Country Omelette. It has bacon, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and swiss. Served with decent hash browns and your choice of toast. She really enjoyed it. I love places where you can get breakfast for dinner too.
We saw lots of sandwiches pass our way that looked quite nice, a very large stir fry that had us talking and some saganaki that made me drool at the sight. Next time I am getting some, calories be damned.
All in all a decent place. Nothing fancy but plenty of variety and tasty. If you are looking for a solid family place, you cannot go wrong.
Bagger Dave's - Ann Arbor, Michigan
I saw this place on a run to Moe's (the Ann Arbor one is superior to the Allen Park one) and I had to try it.
We decided to meet my parents there and try a variety of food. Before we went I had my mother join their eClub as her birthday is coming up soon. She recieved a free bowl of chili for joining and I will update and share what they give for a birthday or an anniversary as they ask for both dates. You can also join the eClub here for various discounts and freebies: http://baggerdaveslegendaryburgersfries.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe .
Bagger Daves is a simple concept, burgers with a bazillion toppings and fries and things you can make using products you stock for those two things. It is an unassuming place apparently with a train theme, I didn't notice much of it but they do have a train that runs along the middle divider. It is strictly casual and very kid friendly. A big warning is they serve peanut butter as well as fry everything in peanut oil so if you have nut allergies I would not stop in. We waited for a table for about 10 minutes on a Saturday night, not too bad.
A regular burger here is two 3.5 oz patties and starts at $4.49 for beef. You can get a small with just one patty, turkey burgers and Gardenburger black bean burgers as options. There is a small sandwich selection; Sloppy BBQ, Grilled Cheese, Grilled Egg, California BLT and two peanut butter options. There are a few different salads (Garden, Cobb or Caesar) which are available with two hamburger or two turkey burger patties for 2.00 which is nice.
Sides include the Turkey Black Bean Chili, Belgian twice fried style Idaho Potato Fries and Dave's Sweet Potato Chips. The Sweet Potato Chips come with either a honey, cinnamon and sea salt mixture or a honey mustard sauce and are tasty with either. The fries are nice but not as spectacular as I hoped. The chili was excellent with some cheese, sour cream and onion added, really amazing for turkey chili, very hearty and beef like.
I had a double burger with mozzarella, two different types of lettuce, basil, tomato, onion (fresh and sauteed), mushrooms and a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. It did not need the nice plain bun. Absolutely delicious. My husband had the Bacon BBQ Burger on Honey Wheat minus the grilled onions and was quite pleased. He said the BBQ matched nicely with the sharp cheddar. My father ate a basic bacon sharp cheddar burger on sesame with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mayo. He said it was much better than he expected as he had feared pre-pressed patties and dryness. These are hand formed and juicy. My mom went for the baby single burger with just about every veggie topping and raved about the Honey Wheat bun, my husband agreed with her on that score.
Overall we were very impressed. Decent service, good burgers, nice sides.
They have desserts here. Like the rest of the items, very straightforward. Shakes with ice cream or yogurt with plenty of mix in options, Ice Cream Sundaes, Root Beer Float, Brownie or Cookie (chocolate chip or sugar).
If you are looking for variety you will not find it here but if you are looking for tasty burgers and fried fun then give it a whirl.
We decided to meet my parents there and try a variety of food. Before we went I had my mother join their eClub as her birthday is coming up soon. She recieved a free bowl of chili for joining and I will update and share what they give for a birthday or an anniversary as they ask for both dates. You can also join the eClub here for various discounts and freebies: http://baggerdaveslegendaryburgersfries.fbmta.com/members/UpdateProfile.aspx?Action=Subscribe .
Bagger Daves is a simple concept, burgers with a bazillion toppings and fries and things you can make using products you stock for those two things. It is an unassuming place apparently with a train theme, I didn't notice much of it but they do have a train that runs along the middle divider. It is strictly casual and very kid friendly. A big warning is they serve peanut butter as well as fry everything in peanut oil so if you have nut allergies I would not stop in. We waited for a table for about 10 minutes on a Saturday night, not too bad.
A regular burger here is two 3.5 oz patties and starts at $4.49 for beef. You can get a small with just one patty, turkey burgers and Gardenburger black bean burgers as options. There is a small sandwich selection; Sloppy BBQ, Grilled Cheese, Grilled Egg, California BLT and two peanut butter options. There are a few different salads (Garden, Cobb or Caesar) which are available with two hamburger or two turkey burger patties for 2.00 which is nice.
Sides include the Turkey Black Bean Chili, Belgian twice fried style Idaho Potato Fries and Dave's Sweet Potato Chips. The Sweet Potato Chips come with either a honey, cinnamon and sea salt mixture or a honey mustard sauce and are tasty with either. The fries are nice but not as spectacular as I hoped. The chili was excellent with some cheese, sour cream and onion added, really amazing for turkey chili, very hearty and beef like.
I had a double burger with mozzarella, two different types of lettuce, basil, tomato, onion (fresh and sauteed), mushrooms and a bit of balsamic vinaigrette. It did not need the nice plain bun. Absolutely delicious. My husband had the Bacon BBQ Burger on Honey Wheat minus the grilled onions and was quite pleased. He said the BBQ matched nicely with the sharp cheddar. My father ate a basic bacon sharp cheddar burger on sesame with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mayo. He said it was much better than he expected as he had feared pre-pressed patties and dryness. These are hand formed and juicy. My mom went for the baby single burger with just about every veggie topping and raved about the Honey Wheat bun, my husband agreed with her on that score.
Overall we were very impressed. Decent service, good burgers, nice sides.
They have desserts here. Like the rest of the items, very straightforward. Shakes with ice cream or yogurt with plenty of mix in options, Ice Cream Sundaes, Root Beer Float, Brownie or Cookie (chocolate chip or sugar).
If you are looking for variety you will not find it here but if you are looking for tasty burgers and fried fun then give it a whirl.
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