2007 has come and gone, and I have a hard disk of food pics and recipes I haven't posted yet, virtual posts still sitting in my head, and restaurant reviews. So now it's 2008 and with 11.5 more months to go, I've made some resolutions for 2008 — and I'm not normally a resolution kind of person — that include:
- finish posting about our trip to Spain & Morocco. I'll be interspersing write-ups of our adventures between recipes and restaurant reviews.
- review some of my favorite restaurants that I have yet to cover, some of which are new and others which have been around for years!
- post more frequently (that's a perennial one!)
- eat more puy lentils, because puy lentils are awesome!
Doing all of these in one post would be... "odd" to say the least (especially as I didn't eat any puy lentils in Spain or Morocco), so let me start with just one. Here are three restaurants which I haven't gotten around to reviewing yet, but which Joe and I think are the "best in class" for Ann Arbor. You'll be seeing writeups (with yummy photos!) soon:
Middle Eastern
Don't get seduced by the fresh bread at Charlie's (ex La Shish). And don't get us wrong, Charlie's has some good food, but... La Zamaan Cafe, on State Street in the former Pilar's location, has the best Lebanese food in town bar none. Everything's just more flavorful there, from the ambrosial Karnabeet (cauliflower) appetizer, with lightly fried cauliflower dressed with tahini, sumac, and pomegranate seeds, to standards like shawarma and even baba ghannouj. (Seriously. I just used "ambrosial" and "cauliflower" in the same sentence without batting an eye. I mean it.) The eggplant main dishes are also standouts, making this a great place for vegetarians too — they won't feel like they're losing out to the omnivores if they eat here. The latest restaurant venture of Ali Hijazi, who used to run Shahrayar on Maynard, La Zamaan is excellent. 2285 S State,
Ann Arbor, MI 48108 - (734) 761-5800. (Note: their online menu doesn't list everything that their paper menu does. It also doesn't say they're open on Sundays, but they are.)
Japanese
If you want the most authentic Japanese food around, head for Kerrytown and Yamato. This is a mom-and-pop place, where pop honed his skills on the Ginza in Tokyo, before moving to New York (he has an autograph from Madonna on the wall), and then getting recruited to Ann Arbor to be the chef at Godaiko. When that didn't work out, he and his wife decided to stay and open their own place on the Kerrytown courtyard. As you might expect, the food is great. He doesn't have the huge array of funky sushi rolls that some places do, but he executes the ones he does have perfectly — his tamago is divine. And it's not just sushi — Joe loves the Katsudon. He's a Katsudon addict and says this is the best he's had. I often order the seasonal lunch set. With large windows looking out on the Kerrytown courtyard with its lovely Japanese maple, the ambiance is tranquil and at certain times of the year I feel like I've been transported to Japan. It's a small place, so it's best not to take a huge group. 403 N 5th Ave, Ann Arbor, 48104 - (734) 998-3484.
Lunch. Every day.
I've mentioned everyday lunch before, but still haven't managed to turn up there with a camera, so I'll say it again: these talented chefs are doing amazing work. Because they don't have a standard menu — selections are decided every morning, and go on their website by 10:30 am — they can take advantage of what's in season, what's available, and what's on special to come up with menus that are seasonal, tasty, and sometimes shockingly cheap (huge slabs of seared tuna or Delmonico steaks for $13 including tax and a non-alcoholic beverage?!) You need to check it out. Lunch only (obviously) and only Tuesday-Saturday from 11-2 (less obviously). The menu for the day can be found either on their website, or on chalkboards all over Kerrytown. Second floor of Kerrytown, (734) 827-2665.
Cool -- I work near A2 so I might actually be able to check some of these out!
We did gorge ourselves on the La Shish bread this weekend...a guilty pleasure.
Posted by: telfair | January 06, 2008 at 12:52 PM
make with the trip pictures. Love virtual travel...
************************
In search of the divine
musings on the moon
meditations on the nth root of unity
Peace and blessings for the New Year.
PSS...Look it this way. Each word is a pebble.
In fact, each image, thought, idea is a pebble.
Oddly enough, only one pebble, the right one
will make the ever widening ripples that not only
make the water dance
but, moreover,
plumb hereto fore untold depths
from the heart to the soul and beyond.
Posted by: poetryman69 | January 06, 2008 at 03:28 PM
ooh, thanks the reports. i didn't even consider La Zamaan cuz i was so upset about Pilar's closing!
the other stuff sounds good too... even though i don't find myself in kerrytown often...
Posted by: RobynT | January 07, 2008 at 12:57 PM
I love the bread at Charlie's, but I will definitely try that new Lebanese place! I miss Shahrayar.
Posted by: Tricia | January 07, 2008 at 10:27 PM
RobynT: don't blame La Zamaan for Pilar's closing!
Telfair & Tricia: Ali told us that La Zamaan was gonig to be making their own bread on site starting *this* week!
Poetryman: ni hao! and thanks for the poem.
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | January 07, 2008 at 10:35 PM
I look forward to the completion of teh reporting on the Spain trip. We are going to Andalucia in April and I am looking for tips and dishes to try. Very exciting stuff so far!
Posted by: Will P. | January 14, 2008 at 01:30 PM
We went to La Zamaan on the 19th and they were still getting bread delivered. But our meal was tasty and delicious! The chicken was cooked to perfection - really, everything was. Service was not great (as mentioned in the News review) but we weren't in a hurry so it didn't matter.
Posted by: Tricia | January 28, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Tricia, I think Ali was being optimistic. I was there a week or so ago, and they weren't yet making bread. (He's a very busy guy. In addition to running La Zamaan, he works several other jobs including teaching Arabic at UM.)
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | January 30, 2008 at 06:41 PM