In Ann Arbor, it's all about the comfort food
Ann Arbor is known for comfort food.
Photo courtesy of Zingerman’s Roadhouse
Face, it Ann Arbor. We may be proud of our farmers markets, our focus on local ingredients and our innovative chefs, but the rest of America will know us by our comfort food. Last year, Ann Arbor was named one of the country’s “foodiest small towns” by Bon Appetit, which went on to call us “Not a fine-dining town, but one that knows real comfort food.”
Then last week, Alton Brown’s Food Network series “America’s Best” featured a countdown of the country’s best comfort food. The winner? Zingerman’s Roadhouse macaroni and cheese. While I’m thrilled for Chef Alex Young, and I certainly agree that the Roadhouse makes killer mac & cheese, it’s a little bit discouraging to be called out for our city’s mastery of comfort food yet again.
What do you think? Should we be resigned to the fact that we’re all about the comfort food? Where do you eat when you’re looking for “fine dining”?
Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for AnnArbor.com, and would be remiss if she didn’t admit to eating a lot of Zingerman’s Roadhouse mac & cheese. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.
Comments
asdf
Thu, Sep 30, 2010 : 9:27 a.m.
Fine dining isn't just about foie gras and quail eggs, though unique ingredients are important. Though it would be nice if someone in town featured a dish or two made from something other than chicken or beef (OK, a bit of an exaggeration, but not much of one.) Fine dining is also about quality and technique and attention to detail. It seems that most (all?) of the pasta to be found in town isn't even made fresh. How difficult is that? That said, the comfort food in town is fine (and it must be comfortable because the menus never, ever, ever change. eg. the "specials menu" at Prickly Pear mentioned above) but it's hardly adventurous nor even particularly upscale. Frankly, I can't think of a restaurant in town that anyone can't walk into wearing a Tshirt and jeans and feel perfectly comfortable, at least based on the fact that every restaurant I've been to in A2, I've seen people in Tshirts and Jeans and flip flops. The food might be decent and comfortable, but certainly doesn't qualify as "fine dining." Watch an episode of Top Chef and you're likely to see that even the chef who gets sent home has made a more inventive dish than the pasta primavera found everywhere in downtown Ann Arbor.
Jake C
Tue, Sep 28, 2010 : 2:42 p.m.
A nice hamburger from a local sit-down restaurant has about as much in common with a McDonald's hamburger as a Zingerman's Mac & Cheese does with the stuff in the Kraft box. You pay for quality, plain and simple. It doesn't matter if it's a serving of foie gras, sushi, or pizza.
PersonX
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 4:45 p.m.
I agree with Mr. Spolarich. Annn Arbor is an incredibly boring town from a culinary point of view. Where are the "innovative chefs" that are touted? Zingerman's deli is great, but the restaurant is overrated. I have eaten there twice and both times the food was simply very poor; once it was so oversalted that I could not eat it and the same was true of the dish my wife had. Macaroni and cheese is no my idea of dining, period. The funny thing is that so many people here travel, and therefore they know good food, which does not have to be fancy, and yet put up with mediocrity at home. The Main St. ventures places have become lazy and very bad restaurants, with no attention to detail and stale menus--they are like chain restaurants. I fault the high rents on Main St. which make it impossible to make money serving just good food; it has to come from the booze (including nonsense like jello shots in drinks). On another note, however, the Jolly Pumpkin beer is extremely good and puts all the brewpubs to shame, which may make them improve!
walker101
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.
Macaroni and cheese? You probably think a double cheese burger from MacDonald's from Ann Arbor is "heavenly". Gee give me a break.
Stephen Landes
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
"Fine dining" is nice, but I'd rather have a re-run of the most memorable meal I ever had: farmhouse white bread still fresh from the oven, real Wisconsin butter and cheddar cheese, and a bottle (as in glass, folks) of milk. Over the last 50 years I've had a lot of good and great food, but nothing sticks in my memory like that one meal. The bread was so fresh I could smell it 1/4 of a mile away -- and I still can.
Brian
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 12:46 p.m.
Take a walk around downtown. You'll find a bevy of places serving pub-grub, some better than others. There's the set of Main St. Ventures restaurants, each of whom "own" a particular niche and really never innovate or even compete outside of that. There's the old standbys like Heidelberg, The Earle, and Seva, which have their loyal followings. None of their menus change much though, and little of what they serve could be called "adventurous" or particularly "sophisticated" food. Heck - Prickly Pear puts the Buffalo Enchiladas on the special menu and its been there for as long as I've been eating there. I'd say the only place in Ann Arbor doing anything particularly interesting at the moment is The Grange.
A2K
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 12:45 p.m.
Depends on what your definition of "Fine Dining" is: ostentatiously prepared, expensive, sniffy/trendy environs, lack-luster service (or service who act as if they're the clients) -- or expertly prepared, high-quality dishes with superb service in comfortable, elegant surroundings. Plenty of places in A2 trying for the former and failing. West End Grill is close the the later definition. A2 has variety and number, but needs more family-owned establishments (i.e., excellent, from-scratch dishes, comfortable setting, moderate prices) and one or two killer, knock-your-socks-off places for celebrations/occasions.
naturally
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 12:10 p.m.
There is nothing comforting about mac & cheese that costs that much.
cheshirecat
Mon, Sep 27, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.
I don't think there's anything wrong with being well-known for comfort food...and frankly, comfort food is often the inspiration for many "fine dining" dishes. Foie gras might be haute cuisine but it won't get you through the winter like a plate of mac&cheese!