Ann Arbor one of Bon Appetit's top five "America's Foodiest Small Towns"
Andrew Knowlton, Restaurant Editor of Bon Appetit magazine, has named Ann Arbor the first runner-up as America's Foodiest Small Town, after Portland, Maine, which was this year's winner.
Criteria included "small (fewer than 250,000 people) or with a small-town feel, quality farmers' markets, concerned farmers, dedicated food media, first-rate restaurants, talented food artisans, and a community of food lovers."
This is good news for Ann Arbor, and shows that we can be respected for our food "chops" on a national level.
Unfortunately, after giving the criteria, Mr. Knowlton characterizes Ann Arbor this way:
"Here, we find the Zingerman's empire, which includes the mail-order catalog, the deli, and the Roadhouse restaurant. Like so many college towns, Ann Arbor is filled with forward-thinking smart people who love good food. They frequent the farmers' market, as well as greasy spoons like The Fleetwood Diner and the more upscale Angelo's. They also order good burgers at local institution Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger. Not a fine-dining town, but one that knows real comfort food."
OK, so he acknowledges the fact that we love good food, we frequent the farmers market and that Zingerman's is one of the top food enterprises in the country. (All true).
And I like Krazy Jim's just as much as the next person, but I take issue with "not a fine-dining town." For our size, the fine dining and varied dining experiences here are extraordinary. Eve, the late lamented Earle Uptown (not to mention the original Earle), Cafe Zola, Vinology, and the new Grange Kitchen and Bar all provide top-notch fine-dining experiences, and that's just to name a few.
I grew up in New York City and have lived in Boston and Berkeley, and Lotus Thai has some of the finest Thai food I've ever had. Shalimar is exemplary. Yotsuba is both homey and wonderful. We have Taiwanese snack food at Asian Legend, pan-American at Sabor Latino, fabulous Eastern European at Amadeus, Arirang for Korean, and even Japanese/French fusion at Cafe Japon. And I'm only naming places that immediately come to mind.
What do you think about this ranking? Is this a fair characterization of our town? What food spots/businesses do you think should be on the list?
I'm Jennifer Shikes Haines and my blog is a2eatwrite. Please contact me at: Jenshaines at gmail dot com.
Comments
Jennifer Shikes Haines
Thu, Sep 10, 2009 : 4:19 p.m.
I haven't yet been to Logan, but many people have told me that. I hope to try it one of these days! Marvin - apparently I need to get to Portland, too. The last time I was there was in 1990. Lemmy - The Roadhouse is certainly popular and deserves to be, but there are many, many other experiences in Ann Arbor, as well. For a city this size, we have a lot of diversity in terms of our restaurants.
leaguebus
Thu, Sep 10, 2009 : 4:10 p.m.
Don't forget Logan, its as good as it gets in AA
Lemmy Caution
Thu, Sep 10, 2009 : 11:09 a.m.
I think the Bon Appetit writer was very generous to Ann Arbor and probably correct about the comfort food/fine dining issue. We ought not to knock a gift-horse. Perhaps we have two or three actual fine dining restaurants (in the contemporary sense: unique menus, innovative chefs, challenging dishes, experimental plates) at any given time, but let's not exaggerate. The main street ventures are all overpriced comfort food, after all (predictable dishes, mediocre preparations, sketchy service). Thus the Zingerman's braintrust was right to make their resto venture all about high-end comfort food (mac n cheese, fried chicken, burgers). They know this town's taste buds better than most of us.
Marvin Face
Thu, Sep 10, 2009 : 8:26 a.m.
Portland, Maine is absolutely far and away the best "small" city for food. In fact, I would put it up against any large city other than NY. If AA is #2 to Portland, we're doing quite well indeed.
Jennifer Shikes Haines
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 6:18 p.m.
Bridesmaids! I like that term, John - that was very much what it felt like.
John Hritz
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 5:50 p.m.
Thanks for this, Jennifer. I too was underwhelmed by the faint praise and so should the other runners-up. The coverage of Portland's food scene was good on the Gourmet blog, but nothing but the briefest of summaries for the bridesmaids.
Jennifer Shikes Haines
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 5:32 p.m.
Ayse's! I knew I was forgetting a favorite... Yup, I'm with you, Mary.
Mary Bilyeu
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 5:13 p.m.
I'm thrilled that we're getting so much national attention these days! But to focus -- as you pointed out, Jen -- on the comfort foods rather than on the extraordinary variety and quality we have to offer here was really unfair. Did this guy not manage to stroll down Main Street? Couldn't find the Gandy Dancer? Missed our exceptional ethnic offerings, everything from Ethiopian to Eastern European to Turkish to Cuban??? Come on! Kind of a back-handed compliment, methinks....