Eat carry-out restaurant opens in former Marcano's Takeout space on Packard
Eat, an Ann Arbor-based outdoor food cart and catering business, recently opened its newest venture: eat carry-out restaurant.
Owners Helen Harding and Blake Reetz opened the carry-out restaurant in the former Marcano’s Takeout space at 1906 Packard.
Lunch and dinner are available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Menu options include $7-8 sandwiches such as green-bacon BLT, Korean barbeque beef and grilled eggplant with sweet-hot tomato jam. Dinner options include braised meats with seasonal sides for $16 or a vegetable Moroccan stew for $12. There are also salads, two soups per day and homemade sweets.
Eat carry-out restaurant opened in the former Marcano's Takeout space.
Photo from loopnet.com
Over the summer, Harding and Reetz operated a cart in Mark’s Carts outdoor food courtyard, but exited the courtyard to launch the carry-out restaurant.
They will still keep a cart open for different events around town like the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.
Before Marcano’s, the 864-square-foot building on Packard just south of East Stadium Boulevard was occupied by BTB Burrito, which closed in August 2010 because the location was unprofitable. It was also once occupied by a Cottage Inn Pizza.
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
Skylar Woodman
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 3:18 p.m.
Really lovely little spot. Let my Mom & I in 3 minutes before close to eat in! Excellent vegetarian dishes as well as an array of options for the carnivores. Geniune vibe and customer service to match the food too, like S. State's Biercamp or Ypsi's Beezy's. Support these folks.
ypsiarborchica
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 2:33 p.m.
DDOT1962, I think that everyone sounds like a friend of the proprieters because they have created such a homey environment there that we're all rooting for them. I don't know them personally, but after eating there once I have told several of my friends that they need to check it out.
Freddy Rosenthal
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 1:22 p.m.
The food has always been good, when I have eaten at the carts around Ann Arbor. Glad Eat is opening near where I live. I am looking forward to trying the soups.
motorcycleminer
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 12:08 p.m.
As a historical note the building originally housed Honda of Ann Arbor and a barbershop ( 1963 )...
Brad
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.
The Packard Barbers - they sponsored my baseball team when I was a kid. I don't remember Honda being there. Wasn't it a Pizza Hut at some point?
Foodie01
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 2:56 a.m.
I hope they're the charm for that location. I plan to help. But I agree: Green-bacon BLT??
DDOT1962
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
Many of the posts read like friends of the owners masquerading as overly-enthusiastic converts to a place that's barely been open a couple of weeks? @DBH- You're splitting disingenuous hairs to defend your definition of potentially dangerous processed food. Fresh pork belly that's been cured ONLY in salt or a brine then smoked, air-cured and aged is not going to be the same as the commercial product that's been butchered, loaded up with nitrites and nitrates as preservatives then given artificial smoke flavor and sold. THAT is the product that has been flagged as a potential carcinogen.
thefoodandwinehedonist
Fri, Dec 9, 2011 : 8:42 p.m.
Nope, not a friend of the owner...Actually, I think they got a little upset when I called them a bunch of hipsters in my blog - <a href="http://www.foodandwinehedonist.com" rel='nofollow'>www.foodandwinehedonist.com</a> The food is just that good. I think they're going to do pretty well, considering they already have a catering clientele. Plus, they get their food to you in a few minutes - as opposed to Marcano's who took more than 20 minutes the times I went there.
DBH
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 4:02 p.m.
@DDOT1962, I am not being disingenuous, and I am not splitting hairs. I cite references, and you cite none. Your counterargument would be more persuasive if you would offer more than an opinion masquerading as fact. To make it even simpler for you, here is a quote from the American Institute for Cancer Research regarding the ACTUAL definition of processed meat ( <a href="http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2/1591202754?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=20691&news_iv_ctrl=1102" rel='nofollow'>http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2/1591202754?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=20691&news_iv_ctrl=1102</a> ): "Processed meat is meat preserved by smoking, curing, SALTING, OR [my emphasis] by the addition of preservatives." While it is true that nitrites, nitrates and (perhaps) artificial smoke flavor have been concerns, the link to colorectal (and others, by the way) carcinomas is not limited to meats processed only with these agents. If you have some evidence that shows consuming salted meats such as "fresh bacon" is NOT associated with colorectal carcinoma, please share it with the readership. Please be more circumspect in the future about attributing motives to those with whom you might disagree without a better understanding of what it is they are saying and on what basis they are making their assertions. Thanks.
2WheelsGood
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 3:21 a.m.
I never met the owners before going there. I'm just an enthusiastic neighbor who happens to live within walking distance who would be VERY sad to see them go. I liked BTB, I liked Marcano's, but I love Eat!
bedrog
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 12:23 a.m.
sounds great...will try asap.
Topher
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 : 12:18 a.m.
I can't say enough good things about this place. The BLT is out of this world, as is the Korean BBQ. The neat part about EAT is that their menu is constantly rotating - yesterday I went in and they were doing Moroccan tagine. They are friendly, quick, and make tasty food. And on top of this, they use locally-sourced and sustainably raised meat.
yaybikes
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 11:27 p.m.
I am addicted to a potato salad that they have that is made with sweet potatoes and tahini. I have cravings for it all the time. Congrats, your place looks incredible. I wish Helen & Blake and the eat team all the best!
thefoodandwinehedonist
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:43 p.m.
I stopped in there with my kids on what happened to be their 2nd day. And went back a couple days later. And then a couple days after that. The BLT is fantastic as are the Korean BBQ beef sandwich and venison sloppy joe. It was so good, I delayed publishing other posts on my blog in order to get my review of this place online. It's a true Ann Arbor-type place - fresh, local, high-quality - without the usual Ann Arbor price-gouging I've seen at Mark's Carts, Frida Batido's, Zingerman's, etc... Prices aren't completely cheap, but very fair considering the ingredients and preparation.
noreaster
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:33 p.m.
Their grilled eggplant sandwich proved to be one of the tastiest sandwiches I've EVER had! I may just go back for another tomorrow.
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:36 p.m.
Now that sounds good, since I very much enjoy baba ghanoush!
2WheelsGood
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:51 p.m.
They've been open for a month. We eat there often. Excellent food!
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:29 p.m.
Green-bacon BLT?
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:45 p.m.
@2WheelsGood, right. But denying that "fresh bacon" is processed is like calling pickles "fresh cucumbers." Despite the name, "fresh bacon" is still processed bacon. It's not processed in the same way as other bacon is, but it's still processed.
2WheelsGood
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
From the article: "It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon (also known as green bacon). Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating." Everything you read below that is just for bacon in other various forms.
thefoodandwinehedonist
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:37 p.m.
Enough of the debate on what green bacon is. It's an amazing sandwich and I've had 3 in the past week and a half...
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:25 p.m.
@2WheelsGood, I have not contradicted myself, though I can see how you might think so if you have not read the link I provided for how "fresh bacon" is defined. Read the information in the link first, and then get back to me.
2WheelsGood
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:21 p.m.
Not only have you contradicted yourself, you're also spreading misinformation. You just stated that green bacon means fresh. Then you said you wouldn't try one because it's processed. Which is it? The reason processed meats are so bad is the preservatives and additives they add to give it a long shelf life. This is NOT the bacon you buy at Kroger.
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 9:03 p.m.
Lizzy, thanks for your additional information. I have never heard of green bacon before. It appears to be a synonym for fresh bacon ( <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon" rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon</a> ). Personally, as a proprietor, I would advertise it as fresh, not green, bacon. I'll pass on trying one. Eating processed meats (as little as an average of 1.7 ounces a day) has been correlated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer ( <a href="http://pcrm.org/media/online/dec2011/bacon-rectal-cancer-billboard-bacon-festival" rel='nofollow'>http://pcrm.org/media/online/dec2011/bacon-rectal-cancer-billboard-bacon-festival</a> ).
Lizzy Alfs
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:56 p.m.
Thanks, @2WheelsGood!
2WheelsGood
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
Trust me, in spite of the name, the bacon isn't green. No, don't trust me, try one instead.
DBH
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:53 p.m.
@2WheelsGood, thanks for that clarification.
Lizzy Alfs
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:52 p.m.
From the eat website: "house-cured green bacon, pickled green tomato, lettuce, and house made mayonnaise on grilled farm bread"
2WheelsGood
Wed, Dec 7, 2011 : 8:49 p.m.
It's green tomatos, not green bacon. Awesome sandwich!