Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

I had a fabulous Girls' Night Out recently with my BFF Wendy and our new friend (who seemed immediately like an old friend!) fellow AnnArbor.com writer Vicki Brett-Gach. Both eat a vegan diet, so I wanted to find a restaurant we could all enjoy without having to impose too greatly upon the kitchen or leave my dining companions with only a few meager options.

Fortunately, NeoPapalis — one of Ann Arbor's newest pizza places — offers a little something for everyone ... and at prices which happily meet our Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

The $6 Red Marinara version comes with tomato sauce, sliced Romano tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, roasted garlic, oregano, and sea salt... and it comes with no cheese. It was perfect!

To the left, you'll see the "as is" version that Wendy chose; to the right, you'll see the one I ordered with caramelized onions and Kalamata olives. At the top of the post is Vicki's pizza, topped with pineapple and green and red peppers. Each of these allowed two slices per person, as we mixed and matched and took home leftovers. You could add more toppings if you're hungry, but the pizza is delicious even with no frills.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Cheeses cost $1 each, meat items cost $1.50 each, and dressing options beyond Ranch, the house vinaigrette, Chipotle Ranch, or Balsamic Vinaigrette cost an extra 75 cents. Pizza and a hearty vegetable-laden salad make an exceptional meal to share with your family or friends at very little cost!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I'd had such a lovely meal with Vicki and Wendy that I brought Jeremy and Craig to NeoPapalis soon after for lunch. Craig ordered a $5 pita sandwich which, unfortunately, wasn't particularly photogenic, although it was enormous. For the base price, you get a nearly foot-long meal containing one meat, one cheese, one dressing, and any vegetables from a list of sixteen — yes, 16 potential additions for no extra money. If you want extra cheeses, they cost $1 each; extra meats cost $1.50 each. But trust me, they're superfluous — the basic sandwich is huge.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I ordered the sweet potato fries again, because I like them so much, and split them with Craig and with Jeremy. I'm not ordinarily a creature of habit (at least with food), but this time I couldn't help it.

For great values, good fresh food, and a menu that is inviting to virtually any diet, NeoPapalis is a welcome addition to town!

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

NeoPapalis
500 E. William St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-929-2227
Sunday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Vegetarian Thali at Cardamom.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

My dear friend Marcie joined Jeremy and me at Cardamom recently; Marcie and I had been counting down 'til it opened, and Jeremy was happy to share in the adventure of trying a brand spankin' new restaurant.

Marcie, unfortunately, suffers from numerous food allergies and intolerances; so Cardamom's menu — which provides a code indicating which items are vegetarian or vegan, which can be made gluten-free or vegan, which ones contain nuts or gluten — makes ordering much easier for those who need to be careful with their diets. Our waitress, Grace, was wonderfully helpful, too, in answering questions and checking with the kitchen to find out information about ingredients.

We ended up ordering an array of items from the lunch menu (available Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.) to try numerous dishes. The dinner menu is more extensive and costs a bit extra because of larger servings; the lunch menu offers some sandwiches and other quick items, as it is designed to facilitate a fast meal — but not typical "fast food" — for busy folks who need to get back to work for the afternoon.

The vegetarian thali (pictured above) costs only $10 and is absolutely generous enough for two, to meet our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person. I ate a huge lunch from this platter, shared tastes, and still had enough food to bring home for another meal the next day. There were dishes of chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, and lentils; rice and naan; chutney and pickles; and even dessert, the creamy and fragrant rice pudding.

Vegetable Pakora and Onion Bhaji.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

A full serving of the cardamom-infused rice pudding costs $3.50. Jeremy ordered the Gulab Jamun — fried balls of dough in a sweet, rose-scented syrup — which also costs $3.50, and which he enjoyed immensely; I was fortunate to be given a small taste, to see how good they were.

Rice Pudding and Gulab Jamun.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I love Indian food, so it's wonderful to welcome another restaurant offering this fabulous cuisine!

Mango Lassi.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Cardamom
1739 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-662-2877
Tuesday - Thursday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday - Sunday: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5 - 10:30 p.m.
Closed Mondays

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Jessica Hammond owns the franchise, one of 600 around the country, with her husband, Doug. With a background in food and beverages, the couple always wanted to own their own place, but thought buying a known commodity would be better than launching an independent store. They enjoyed eating at Firehouse Subs in Florida while visiting relatives.

"Firehouse was a good fit for us" and sales from those located near campuses are usually much higher than those not, Jessica said. As a result, the University of Michigan setting was a perfect fit, she said.

The restaurant occupies the former White Market space, and the Hammonds have totally transformed the small-town grocery. The firehouse motif is everywhere. Fire equipment hangs from the wall, next to firefighter coats. A colorful fire truck mural decorates another wall. Complimentary firefighter hats sit at the cash register.

There's one big open, bright space where you queue up to wait for your sandwiches, which servers bring to the table. There are enough seats for 45 to 50 diners.

One of the neatest touches is the freestyle soda machine, which has a touchscreen and uses software from Apple to create what Jessica Hammond called "the iPod of soda machines." It provides 129 flavors of soda and water.

The pervasive theme of the sandwiches we sampled was wet. The veggie was drenched in Italian dressing and mayonnaise. Mayonnaise also blanketed the chicken salad and tuna salad. The turkey in the smoked turkey breast sandwich, and the meats in the Italian—Genoa salami, pepperoni and ham—tasted processed. The Italian also suffered from far too much Italian dressing.

I wanted to make sure I sampled a big enough variety of the meat subs, so I made one more late-night stop to order the corned beef brisket sandwich. I'm glad I did, since it was, hands down, the best of all the subs we tried. The meat was perfectly cooked, well seasoned and delicious.

The sub rolls resembled those that you would purchase in a package at the grocery store, though the whole-wheat version was far better — soft, sweet and delicious.

The chef salad is the only salad offered. It was basic, yet healthful, with fresh greens. A half sliced hard-boiled egg sat in the middle and was surrounded by fresh ingredients: bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, tomato and ample slivers of provolone cheese. It came without dressing, nor was any provided.

The chili was solid, a thick, hearty offering with plenty of beans. However, it could have used some crackers on the side.

Our sandwiches were delivered promptly by pleasant servers.

Firehouse offers cookies and brownies from David's Cookies. The chocolate chip and lemon cooler cookies were excellent, soft, thick and chewy. But the brownie was very dry.

Firehouse offers the same type of food, both in quality and price, that you would find at Subway. I didn't find it particularly remarkable, but on my second visit, a University of Michigan student was in my dining party. She raved about her turkey bacon ranch sandwich and didn't seem to mind the excess mayo or the barely discernible pieces of bacon. The restaurant may indeed find a niche with the student audience.

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Julie Halpert reviews restaurants for AnnArbor.com.

Not only is it healing for the psyche, you can feel good about eating it for your physical self too. According to CNN, Vietnamese food ranks third on the list of 10 Healthiest Ethnic Cuisines, with "fresh herbs, lots of vegetables and seafood, and cooking techniques that use water or broth instead of oils—these are some of the standout qualities of Vietnamese food." Fortunately, there's a new place to get your Pho fix (and also other classic Vietnamese dishes like bun, banh mi, and cha gio) at Pho House on Washtenaw Avenue at Hewitt.

Pho House, in business only since March, is run by the Inhmathong family (who formerly owned the Laotian restaurant Banh Na), with the matriarch in the kitchen and at least two daughters helping out. Daughter Wendy Inhmathong describes the home-style approach to their food, saying, "Pho House reflects my mom. She grew up predominantly influenced by Lao, Thai, and Vietnamese cooking and culture." As for the experience they want to offer, Inhmathong says, "We envision Pho House as a place that is dive-y, positive, cheap, and (for) those seeking hearty meals. We are not aiming to be fancy, exotic, impressive, or (to have) ambiance," adding "jerks are not welcome." She also notes, "We are a family small business and plan to stay that way."

Booths under the windows line three walls of the main dining area, some with a view of the cars speeding past on Washtenaw Avenue. But what the place lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in portion size—the plates of food are huge, inexpensive and tasty.

The meal begins with youthful waitstaff offering a selection of beverages, including coconut water, bubble tea with the large tapioca lurking at the bottom, and powerful Vietnamese coffee with chicory, served either hot or iced. Brewed in the back (rather than the "do it yourself" drip version of many Vietnamese restaurants), the coffee is thick, authoritative and inky black. A generous layer of sweetened condensed milk is also waiting in the bottom of the cup. When you stir it up and pour over a tall glass of ice cubes, it tastes like melted coffee ice cream. And the double wallop of caffeine and sugar delivers an electrifying jolt to the system.

Once you have a little buzz going from the coffee, try the fried spring rolls, or cha gio. Crunchy golden brown on the outside and deeply savory with pork, wood ear mushrooms, and vermicelli inside, they are delicious with the accompanying sweet and sour nuoc cham dipping sauce. The soft rice paper wrapped goi guon, sometimes called summer or salad rolls, were freshly made, but the filling of shrimp, pork, lettuce, herbs and rice noodles was unevenly distributed in my roll. I got several bites of just noodle and lettuce. A bit more mint and basil would have been nice, and more bites that included shrimp. The accompanying peanut sauce only partly made up for that.

The chao tom, "grilled shrimp on sugarcane," was puzzling, and the only appetizer I don't think I'd order again. These turned out to be flabby little deep-fried shrimp balls. I didn't notice any sugar cane, and couldn't detect any evidence of grilling either.

Unless you've experienced Vietnamese food before, a brief geography lesson might help put the meal in context. Vietnam is shaped like a long skinny S along the South China Sea, bordered by China in the north, Laos to the west and Cambodia in the south. The cuisine of the country reflects the curry- and coconut-infused regional influences of the southern neighbors, the rice culture of China in the north, as well as a history of colonization by France. The influence of France is represented by both cooking techniques and the surprising integration of foods like baguettes and pate.

Theories about the origin of pho abound, but the most convincing one I've read is that pho, pronounced "fuh," is a Vietnamese variation on the French beef stew called "pot-au-feu," also pronounced "fuh." The simplest, archetypal pho is reported to have originated in the northern city of Hanoi before migrating south, picking up herbs and other condiments along the way.

Although there are versions of pho using other proteins, beef-based pho is the most popular, and is often served with rare beef flank steak, meatballs, tendon, tripe and/or brisket in addition to noodles. Wendy Inhmathong says, "Many people have strong opinions about pho. How the broth should taste or what is authentic. But, pho is different for everyone. Each family, village or area has their style. It's hard to say. What we offer is our mom's home cooking from her village." Pho House offers perhaps a dozen different types of pho, with beef, chicken, pork and even a vegetarian version.

Their most basic pho, pho tai, is delicious, served simply with rare beef that is cooked by the boiling hot broth, and onion, rice noodles, scallion and cilantro floating in the soup. All pho is based on a bulwark of rich broth, and Pho House's broth is light in color, but rich and satisfying.

Wendy Inhmathong says her mother's recipe is a secret: "We don't even know." It's fun to doctor up the enormous bowl of steaming hot beef and noodles with the accompanying dish of fresh bean sprouts, mint, basil, jalapeño and lime. Order other versions with meatballs, tendon, tripe or brisket for desired levels of texture and hunger.

We also tried the pho bo kho, "kho" referring to a stew or braise, in which large pieces of tender long-cooked beef are stewed with hefty chunks of carrot and star anise. My husband enjoyed this dish, served with a choice of baguette to soak up the savory broth. I found the pho bo kho heavier, sweeter, and less appealing than the regular pho. Our server told us it was a popular choice for children.

Bun (which I learned translates as rice noodle) is called "vermicelli noodle salad" on the menu, and is another classic dish of Vietnam. In the Bun Thit Nuong, for example, cold rice noodles and sliced iceberg lettuce form the base, and you, dear diner, mix in marinated slices of hot grilled pork, a fried spring roll, bean sprouts and a dressing of nuoc cham at your desire.

It may not be the most artfully composed bowl I've experienced, but the various temperatures and textures of this dish, and the juxtaposition of sweet, sour, savory, and salty is delicious. You take a bite of hot marinated grilled pork intermingled with cold sweet and sour noodle and crisp iceberg lettuce, then follow it with the crunch of hot savory spring roll, then the chewy cold vinegar-spiked noodles. Yum.

One of the most clearly French-influenced offerings of Pho House is the banh mi, "Vietnamese sub," sandwiches. No one expects baguettes, mayonnaise and pate in traditional Asian food, but there it is. Banh mi choices include the "house special" with cold cuts (pork, pork belly, head cheese, and pate), along with grilled pork and grilled chicken. Served on a soft white roll, each banh mi includes "homemade mayo, pate, pickled strips of daikon and carrot, onion, cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno peppers," and comes in small and large sizes.

The grilled pork banh mi was an object lesson in the yin-yang balance essential to Vietnamese food: hot grill-crisped pork against the cold crunch of sweet and sour matchsticks of carrot and radish, balanced by the smooth creaminess of the mayonnaise and pork pate. All this enclosed in a soft bun, and just an occasional fiery spark of jalapeno. Wendy Inhmathong says, "Many people expect banh mi to come out quick. Here, it takes some time. We slow toast the bread. The grilled meats are made to order. We avoid precooking and microwaving as much as possible in order to bring out the freshness of the sandwich. It is recommended to call ahead. Also, banh mi sells out quickly on a daily basis."

So far at Pho House, we've most enjoyed the cha gio, the pho, the bun, and the banh mi. Other dishes we've tried have also been perfectly fine — but haven't necessarily drawn me back for more.

A friend really enjoyed the com ca xao xa ot, or stir-fried chicken and vegetables with spicy fish sauce. This big plate of rice, with large pieces of white meat chicken stir fried with green and red peppers in a gingery brown sauce was tasty but similar to dishes available in most Chinese restaurants.

Likewise, the fish with brown sauce, mi hoanh thanh do bien, was very generously portioned with large chunks of mild white fish and big pieces of shiitake mushrooms in a mild soy-based sauce. The seafood combo with bbq pork and handmade pork and shrimp wontons was also perfectly fine, but didn't have a particular defining quality that elevated it beyond tasty.

Our experience with the service was a little uneven. Mostly the staff was friendly, informative and speedy. But on one visit in particular, a new waiter was well-meaning but a bit awkward.

For example, he brought out a serving dish of hot food but no plates or flatware, then disappeared. We stared longingly at the steaming hot food, contemplating whether to dig in with our hands like philistines. Eventually someone at the table took the initiative to search out plates and chopsticks and an etiquette disaster was narrowly averted. Not a big deal, but little things like that can add up. As Wendy Inhmathong noted, they intend "to slowly work out the kinks and kanks."

I'm glad that that a family run business like Pho House has appeared on the restaurant scene. The relaxed atmosphere and personal touch are part of that. I'm all for authentic, homestyle cuisine at a reasonable price, and that is exactly what Pho House offers.

Kim Bayer is a freelance writer and culinary researcher. Email her at kimbayer at gmail dot com.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

When I first met Mary Catherine Smith, the fabulous host of "Brazilian Sol" on WEMU (Saturdays at 9 p.m.), she recommended Gabriel's Cheese Steak Hoagies as a great place to visit for my Frugal Floozie Friday column: good, honest food served for good, honest prices.

Well, it's taken awhile to get there, but Craig and I had lunch at Gabriel's recently and it definitely proved to be a tremendous value!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

The menu is small, focusing on what the shop does well. You can order a cheesesteak hoagie, a steak hoagie, a Lunchmeat Special, or a ham and cheese sandwich. Prices range from $5.14-$5.54, with extras (cheese, mushrooms, peppers, or Provolone) costing anywhere from 20-69 cents to add on. A bag of chips will set you back a whopping 89 cents.

A small, quaint, tremendously friendly diner, Gabriel's is welcoming to everyone but vegetarians — there aren't any options for you beyond the Garden Salad for $3.49.

But carnivores can celebrate at Gabriel's for not much money!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Gabriel's Cheesesteak Hoagies
2585 East Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-483-5846
Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

972 East Michigan Avenue Saline, MI 48176 734-316-2651

1919 Wayne Road Westland, MI 48185 734-722-4224

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

What crepe? opened Feb. 24. The most striking element is the dramatic, awe-inspiring transformation of the space. This was formerly home to a short-lived restaurant called Squares, a plain, open space that served food cafeteria-style.

It is impossible to recognize it now. This welcoming space has the look and feel of a French bistro, with an eclectic mix of design. Gone is the cafeteria setup. Instead, this is an elegant yet casual sit-down restaurant, with hardwood floors, brick red walls and crystal chandeliers.

White paper covers the black tables, while a large glass pitcher of water with no ice, European style, is there to refill the tiny glasses provided. There are an eclectic mix of knickknacks throughout, including a bookshelf with French cookbooks. Behind the bar, a large flat-screen television plays classic movies, while French cafe music serenades brunch diners. Glass is all that separates customers from the kitchen, so you can watch the chefs prepare the crepes.

There are two dozen "savory" crepes, main-course dishes, including vegan and gluten-free options, as well as a dozen sweet dessert crepes. You can choose from the options on the menu or build your own crepe, selecting from meat, seafood, cheese, sauce and veggie categories.

We started with drinks and I opted for the latte. It was frothy, full-bodied and provided a perfect amount of caffeine; on my next visit, the cappuccino I ordered was of the same high quality.

While the dessert crepes are paper-thin, served the traditional way, the main-course crepes provide a filling entree. On my first visit, I ordered the deja vu crepe. It was enormous, with a sculpture-like appearance. The crepe was stuffed with fresh smoked salmon, Swiss cheese and asparagus, accented with a slightly spicy Hollandaise sauce. The flavors blended well for a rich, filling offering.

I decided to order the chicken truffle crepe the second time around, adding a blend of shiitake, oyster, cremini and button mushrooms, and it was wonderful. The chicken was marinated in a delicious sauce (a house recipe the manager would not reveal), and it combined well with the melted Swiss cheese and fresh spinach. The truffle zip, a mix of soy sauce, butter and truffle oil, nicely accented the crepe.

The pan-seared tofu, red onion, avocado, tomatoes, spinach and feta in the Old Woodward crepe individually tasted fine, but this dish lacked a sauce to tie the ingredients together.

Basic side dishes here are a cut above. The scrambled eggs were thick and moist, while the bacon was outstanding. With a sugary maple flavoring, this was far better than the thin strips served at many restaurants. The pieces were so thick they had to be cut with a fork and knife.

The dessert crepes also were artfully presented, with a mountain of whipped cream and chocolate drizzled on top. They tasted as good as they looked. My daughter got her day off to a sugary start with The Patriot, in which creamy vanilla ice cream was tucked inside a crepe and surrounded by fresh bananas, blueberries and strawberries. A layer of nutella added more sweetness, as did the homemade whipped cream.

I thought this was a sinful concoction until I tasted the even richer What? Chocolate Eclair, which also included shaved white chocolate and vanilla bean white custard. It was beyond decadent, a splurge for anyone's sweet tooth.

The mixed berry was a mix of raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, served in a slightly tart raspberry sauce, also a great offering. We also tried the s'more, in which graham cracker crumbs and chocolate sauce were served over a crepe filled with marshmallow and peanut butter. I thought the peanut butter was a bit overpowering and could be eliminated, especially since the spread isn't part of a traditional s'more.

On our second visit, on a weekend night, the restaurant had an entirely different vibe. Instead of jazz, Motown played on the speakers and patrons sipped cocktails instead of coffee.

We started with the savory appetizer flight, which came with three different spreads and was served with slightly sweet "crispies," resembling flat, unsalted chips. The artichoke dip was better than the typically mayonnaise-laden dish. It had a broth-like consistency and contained delicious chunks of artichokes. The salmon pate had a dense taste and was thick and creamy, while the queso offered a spicier option. I appreciated the way these different spreads complemented each other, though I think they would have been better served with crusty French bread instead of the crispies. I didn't much care for the soup of the day, spinach feta, which had a watery broth and was overly salty.

I want to give a special shout-out to our server on our first visit, Phill, who had a welcoming and contagious enthusiasm. After he checked in on us and asked our opinion of our meals, and we told him that our food was delicious, he responded with genuine pleasure. On our second visit, our server was quieter and seemed a bit nervous, though she was nonetheless pleasant. Though our entrees were delivered promptly on both visits, we needed to wait longer for the dessert crepes the second time.

Premium food comes at premium prices. The most basic dessert crepe is $8, while many of the savory crepes are $12, but I felt the quality justified the price.

On both our visits, this place was bustling. That doesn't surprise me. If you're a crepe lover, or even someone who just likes crepes, you'll be happy for this new addition to the Ann Arbor dining scene.

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Julie Halpert reviews restaurants for AnnArbor.com.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

It's Ann Arbor Veg Week, so it made perfect sense to feature The People's Food Co-op today. It's an Ann Arbor institution which offers many creative and delicious vegetarian and vegan options both for dining in and for take-out. There are so many, many ways to eat well here while staying within our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

The miniature chocolate bars normally cost $1.29, which would have taken my total to $4.75 if I'd been shopping at a different time; but I happened to be at the Co-op on a day when the treats were on a two-for-one sale, which made this an even better deal! So I was able to purchase a nutritious, wholesome meal for a quick take-out — and even a luxurious dessert — and still stay within our limited budget.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

The co-op offers Fair Trade, organic, and locally-sourced items, as well as cooking from scratch; so whatever you choose will not only taste good but do good, as well.

Cafe Verde, the coffee shop connected to the co-op, offers coffees, teas, juices, and a beautiful assortment of baked goods and pastries for varying prices. If you're looking just for a luscious treat — particularly if you are on any sort of restricted diet (vegan, gluten-free, allergies, etc.), you will likely be able to find an option. The co-op is very careful and conscientious about its ingredients and about everything it sells. (And when it's not Veg Week, feel free to choose some of the meat-based selections, as well.)

At any time, The People's Food Co-op can be a wonderful local resource for good food and good prices.

The People's Food Co-op
216 N. Fourth Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-994-9174

Store:
Monday - Saturday: 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Food Bar:
Salad & Soups: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. daily
Hot Bar: 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. weekends

Cafe Verde:
Monday - Saturday: 7 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

What do the violations in the reports mean?
The laws governing food service changed significantly on October 1, 2012. The most noticeable change was in the terminology used for violations in restaurant inspections. Previously, violations were Critical or Non-Critical, but now they are categorized as Priority, Priority Foundation or Core.

• Priority violations are the most serious. Correcting these eliminates or reduces a problem directly associated with foodborne illness. Examples include improper food temperatures and lack of hand washing. Priority violations were previously called Critical violations.

• Priority Foundation violations are problems that can lead to a Priority violation. Correcting these problems may keep Priority violations from occurring. Examples include not having an appropriate food thermometer, not having sanitizer test strips and not having soap or paper towel at a hand sink. The Priority Foundation category is made up of violations that were previously called Critical or Non-Critical Violations.

• Core violations are related to general sanitation and facility maintenance. Examples include dirty floors and improper facility lighting. Core violations were previously called Non-Critical violations.

Where can I see the inspection results?
Washtenaw County Public Health posts restaurant inspections monthly on Ann Arbor.com. The inspections posted were completed the month prior (i.e. January inspections are posted in February).

You can also search the online database of all restaurant inspections and detailed reports. Click here for access to all Washtenaw County restaurant inspections!

How frequent are inspections?
Routine inspections take place twice per year (or once per year if the business is only open seasonally). Routine inspections are typically unannounced. However, when there are changes to the Food Code or Food Law, like those that took place Oct. 1, 2012, the first routine inspection is scheduled. Key restaurant staff must be present so the Sanitarian can explain how the changes impact the establishment’s operations. The number of violations observed often decreases when inspections are announced. This may explain why the recent inspections appear somewhat better than usual.

Each inspection is a snapshot in time, and conditions found at the restaurant are not necessarily the conditions that could be found in the restaurant at other times. Sanitarians (otherwise known as health inspectors) ask many questions about the menu, operations and procedures to get the best possible idea of the day-to-day conditions of the restaurant. Environmental Health conducts additional inspections if a foodborne illness or other complaint is reported.

What if I have a complaint?
Environmental Health responds to general restaurant complaints as well as foodborne illness complaints. Please call our office at 734-222-3800 to file a complaint or to report a suspected foodborne illness.

March 2013 Restaurant Inspection Results

Establishment Name	Address	City	Inspection Date	Priority Violations	Priority Foundation Violations	Core Violations
24 HOUR VENDING LLC	PO BOX 801	BRIGHTON	03/06/2013	0	0	1
A TASTE OF SOUL	97 SPRING STREET	YPSILANTI	03/07/2013	0	0	1
AFC SUSHI @ EMU	1200 OAKWOOD	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	3
ALI BABA RESTAURANT	601 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/25/2013	0	0	0
AMERICAN GRILL INC.	1450 HOLMES ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/20/2013	0	0	1
AMERICAN LEGION POST 322	320 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	03/15/2013	0	0	0
ANN ARBOR REGENT HOTEL CONFERENCE CENTER	2525 CARPENTER RD	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
APPLEBEE'S	2310 GREEN ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	2
APPLEBEE'S	3819 CARPENTER ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/20/2013	0	0	0
ARBOR BREWING CO.	114 E. WASHINGTON	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	0
ARCTIC COLISEUM CONCESSION STAND	501 COLISEUM DR.	CHELSEA	03/08/2013	0	0	0
ARGIERIO'S RESTAURANT	300 DETROIT STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/08/2013	1	0	4
ASIA CITY RESTAURANT	2905 WASHTENAW AVE.	YPSILANTI	03/28/2013	3	0	4
AUBREE'S PIZZERIA & GRILL	8031 MAIN ST. SUITE 100	DEXTER	03/18/2013	2	0	0
AUTOMATIC SALES LLC - THOMPSON SHORE	1600 W. JOY RD - BINDERY	DEXTER	03/06/2013	0	0	0
AUTOMATIC SALES LLC - THOMPSON SHORE	1600 W. JOY RD. - PRESS	DEXTER	03/06/2013	0	0	0
B-24'S FLY BY CAFE'	5577 WHITTAKER RD	YPSILANTI	03/12/2013	0	0	0
BABS' UNDERGROUND LOUNGE	213 S. ASHLEY	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	1
BACH ELEMENTARY	600 W. JEFFERSON	ANN ARBOR	03/20/2013	0	0	1
BANFIELD'S BAR & GRILL	3140 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	1	0	2
BATES ELEMENTARY	2704 BAKER ROAD	DEXTER	03/08/2013	0	0	0
BETHLEHEM CHURCH OF CHRIST	423 S. FOURTH AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	03/25/2013	0	0	0
BIGGBY COFFEE	1741 PLYMOUTH RD.	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	0
BILL'S, INC.	1292 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	0
BLIND PIG CAFE	208 S. FIRST STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/27/2013	0	1	1
BOMBER RESTAURANT	306 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/12/2013	0	0	0
BONA SERA CAFE	200 W. MICHIGAN AVE	YPSILANTI	03/12/2013	0	0	0
BRECON VILLAGE	200 BRECON DRIVE	SALINE	03/04/2013	0	0	0
BRECON VILLAGE COUNTRY STORE	200 BRECON DRIVE	SALINE	03/04/2013	0	0	0
BREWED AWAKENINGS CAFE	7025 E. MICHIGAN AVE	SALINE	03/07/2013	0	0	0
BRIDGEWATER BANK & TAVERN RESTAURANT	8452 BOETTNER	BRIDGEWATER	03/28/2013	0	0	0
BROKEN EGG	221 N. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	0	0	3
BROOKHAVEN MANOR	401 W. OAKBROOK DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	0
BRUEGGER'S BAGEL BAKERY	709 N. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	1	1	1
BTB CANTINA (BIG TEN BURRITO CANTINA)	1140 S. UNIVERSITY (2ND FLOOR)	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
BURGER KING # 519	823 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/25/2013	0	0	0
BURGER KING #472	4885 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	0	0	0
BURNS PARK ELEMENTARY	1414 WELLS	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	1	0
CAFE OLLIE/MI GENERAL STORE	42 E. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	2	2	8
CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN	870 BRIARWOOD CIRCLE	ANN ARBOR	03/28/2013	3	1	1
CARPENTER ELEMENTARY	4250 CENTRAL	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	0	0	0
CHAN GARDEN	2265 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	0
CHELA'S RESTAURANT & TAQUERIA	693 S. MAPLE ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/11/2013	2	0	0
CHELSEA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL	775 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	03/07/2013	0	0	0
CHELSEA COMMUNITY CENTER	500 E. WASHINGTON	CHELSEA	03/25/2013	0	0	0
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL	740 N. FREER ROAD	CHELSEA	03/25/2013	0	1	0
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL CONCESSION	740 N. FREER ROAD	CHELSEA	03/25/2013	1	0	0
CHICK INN	501 HOLMES ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/04/2013	0	0	0
CHINESE TONITE RESTAURANT	1127 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	03/27/2013	0	0	0
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL #955	3354 WASHTENAW AVE	ANN ARBOR	03/01/2013	0	0	0
CITY LIMITS DINER	220 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	03/15/2013	0	0	0
CLAGUE JR. HIGH SCHOOL	2616 NIXON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	0
COFFEE HOUSE CREAMERY	3780 JACKSON RD.	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	0
COMET COFFEE LLC	16 NICKELS ARCADE	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND	FORENSIC CNTR BRK RM 8303 Plat	YPSILANTI	03/27/2013	0	0	0
COMMON CUP THE @ ST. LUKE LUTHERN CHURCH	1511 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	0	1	1
CORNERSTONE ELEMENTARY	7480 DAN HOEY ROAD	DEXTER	03/07/2013	0	0	0
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	546 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/01/2013	0	1	1
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	520 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	03/08/2013	0	0	0
COUNTY COFFEE SHOP	101 E. HURON STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/22/2013	1	0	4
CREEKSIDE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL	2615 BAKER ROAD	DEXTER	03/08/2013	0	0	0
CSTS DD COMERCIAL KITCHEN	2140 E. ELLSWORTH RD	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	0	0	1
CUBS A.C.	1950 S. INDUSTRIAL HIGHWAY	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	1	1	1
DABU SUSHI	4037 CARPENTER RD	YPSILANTI	03/28/2013	2	0	6
DAIRY QUEEN OF ANN ARBOR	2430 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	03/15/2013	0	0	0
DALAT INN RESTAURANT	100 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	0	0	1
DELICIOUS DOGS @ LOWE'S	3900 CARPENTER RD.	YPSILANTI	03/28/2013	0	0	2
DEXTER CONEY ISLAND RESTAURANT	8124 MAIN STREET	DEXTER	03/01/2013	2	2	5
DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL	2200 N. PARKER RD	DEXTER	03/11/2013	0	0	1
DIBELLAS OLD FASHIONED SUBMARINES	904 W. EISENHOWER PKWY	ANN ARBOR	03/18/2013	0	0	0
DICKEN ELEMENTARY	2135 RUNNYMEDE	ANN ARBOR	03/20/2013	0	0	0
DKY SUSHI	283 S. ZEEB ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	1
DOMINO'S PIZZA	2601 PLYMOUTH RD STE B	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	1	1	1
DOMINO'S PIZZA #1102	25 JACKSON INDUSTRIAL DR	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	0	0	0
DWIGHT BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL	445 A.D. MAYER DRIVE	CHELSEA	03/27/2013	0	0	0
EASTERN FLAME	304 S. ASHLEY	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	0	1	5
ELK'S FRONTIER LODGE #1681	1405 ECORSE ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	0
EMU - INTERNATIONAL KITCHEN	900 OAKWOOD	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	1	0	2
EMU CONVOCATION CENTER	HEWITT ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/21/2013	0	0	6
EMU CROSSROADS & HOYT CONFERENCE CENTER	HOYT CONFERENCE CENTER	YPSILANTI	03/15/2013	1	0	6
EMU EINSTEIN BAGELS	HOYT CONFERENCE CENTER	YPSILANTI	03/15/2013	1	0	2
EMU E-STREET GRILL / JUMP EXPRESS ESTRN	SELLERS DRIVE DC#2	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	3
EMU ISLAND FOOD COURT	900 OAKWOOD BLVD.	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	1	0	3
EMU SATELLITE OPERATIONS	ST. JOHN STDC1	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	0	1	3
EMU STARBUCKS	900 OAKWOOD BLVD.	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	0	0	2
EMU SUNSET STRIP / BAKE SHOP	SELLERS DR DC #2	YPSILANTI	03/27/2013	0	0	1
EMU TACO BELL (SALSA GRILLE)	900 OAKWOOD BLVD.	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	0	0	2
EMU UPPER CRUST (THE)	SELLERS DRIVE	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	1	1	3
EMU WRAP IT UP / FRESHENS	SELLERS DRIVE	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	1	0	3
ESPRESSO ROYALE	2264 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	1	1	2
ESPRESSO ROYALE	1101 S. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	1	1	2
ESTABROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	1555 W. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	0	1	1
EVERGREEN ORIENTAL INC.	2771 PLYMOUTH ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	0	0	2
EXPRESS FISH & CHICKEN	3015 E MICHIGAN AVE	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	0	0	1
FENDERS BAR & GRILL	18-20 WABASH STREET	MILAN	03/15/2013	0	0	1
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH	1200 N. ANN ARBOR STREET	SALINE	03/01/2013	0	0	0
FOOD ZONE CHINESE RESTAURANT	7023 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR ROAD	DEXTER	03/15/2013	0	0	0
FORSYTHE JR. HIGH SCHOOL	1655 NEWPORT ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	1	0	0
FULL HOUSE INC	57 ECORSE ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/14/2013	0	0	0
GANDY DANCER	401 DEPOT STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	1	1
GIARDINOS	5060 JACKSON ROAD # A-1	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	1	1	3
GOLDEN EGG	2660 WASHTENAW	YPSILANTI	03/01/2013	0	0	3
GOLDEN WALL	421 W. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	03/29/2013	1	3	6
GRACE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH	1345 S. HARRIS	YPSILANTI	03/13/2013	0	0	0
GRATZI	326 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	0	0	5
GREEK LIFE FOOD SERVICE LLP	50 E. NORTH TERRITORIAL ROAD	WHITMORE LAKE	03/15/2013	0	0	0
GREENHILLS SCHOOL	850 GREENHILLS DR.	ANN ARBOR	03/27/2013	0	0	2
GUI LIN	711 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	03/01/2013	0	0	0
HAABS RESTAURANT, INC	18 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/27/2013	2	1	1
HANA RESTAURANT	1346 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/14/2013	0	0	3
HAPPY WOK	1916 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	0
HAPPY'S PIZZA #38	2997 WASHTENAW AVE	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	0	1	0
HARVEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	1155 CAMPUS PARKWAY	SALINE	03/08/2013	0	0	0
HARVEST MOON	5484 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/25/2013	0	0	0
HERITAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	290 WOODLAND DRIVE	SALINE	03/19/2013	0	0	0
HIGH POINT CENTER	1735 S. WAGNER ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	0
HURON HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA	2727 FULLER ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	0	0	0
HURON KRISPY KRUNCHY CHICKEN	505 S. HURON ST	YPSILANTI	03/11/2013	0	0	4
ICHIBAN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & SUSHI BAR	4641 WASHTENAW AVE	ANN ARBOR	03/18/2013	1	0	0
JAMAICAN JERK PIT	314 S. THAYER	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	0	0	0
JET'S PIZZA	978 E. MICHIGAN AVE	SALINE	03/07/2013	0	0	0
JET'S PIZZA	7011 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR RD	DEXTER	03/14/2013	0	0	0
JETS PIZZA OF CHELSEA	506 NORTH MAIN ST	CHELSEA	03/18/2013	4	1	1
JOLLY PUMPKIN CAFE & BREWERY	311 S. MAIN ST.	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
JUICY KITCHEN	1506 N. MAPLE ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/01/2013	2	1	1
JUMBO STEAK HOAGIE/BROADWAY CA	1139 BROADWAY	ANN ARBOR	03/27/2013	0	0	0
KAI GARDEN	116 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/22/2013	0	0	4
KANG'S KOREAN RESTAURANT	1327 S. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	4
KLAGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	405 ANN ARBOR STREET	MANCHESTER	03/26/2013	0	0	0
KLUCK'S DRIVE IN	401 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/18/2013	1	2	0
KNIGHT'S BAR & RESTAURANT	2324 DEXTER STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	3	1	3
KOOLIES ICE CREAM	BUHR PARK-2751 PACKARD RD	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	0	0	0
KP'S CATERING (PSI CHI FRATERNITY)	620 S. STATE ST.	ANN ARBOR	03/28/2013	1	1	0
LAS FUENTES MEXICAN RESTAURANT	350 N. MAIN ST.	CHELSEA	03/27/2013	3	2	3
LEO'S CONEY ISLAND	6889 STATE ST.	SALINE	03/04/2013	0	0	0
LEO'S CONEY ISLAND	1342 ANNA J STEPP	YPSILANTI	03/01/2013	0	0	0
LIBERTY ATHLETIC CLUB INDOOR SNACK BAR	2975 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	1
LI'S CHINA ONE	1047 EMERICK ST	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	0	0	0
LITTLE PORKY'S - WHITMORE LAKE	52 BARKER RD	WHITMORE LAKE	03/07/2013	1	0	0
LOS AMIGOS	2851 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/19/2013	1	1	3
LUCA'S CONEY ISLAND	309 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	03/18/2013	0	0	0
MANCHESTER HIGH SCHOOL	20500 DUTCH DRIVE	MANCHESTER	03/26/2013	0	0	0
MANCHESTER MIDDLE SCHOOL	710 E. MAIN STREET	MANCHESTER	03/26/2013	0	0	0
MANGIAMO ITALIAN GRILL	107 W. MICHIGAN AVE	SALINE	03/06/2013	0	0	0
MARCO'S PIZZA #56	1752 PLYMOUTH ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	0
MARCO'S PIZZA (ANGA LLC)	4068 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	0
MARK 4 LOUNGE	1180 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	03/14/2013	0	0	0
McDONALD'S #11359	1070 HURON RIVER DRIVE	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	1	0	3
MCDONALD'S #3990	3811 CARPENTER RD	YPSILANTI	03/01/2013	0	0	4
MILL CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL	7305 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR	DEXTER	03/08/2013	0	0	1
MODERN VENDING SERVICE	SHERIDIAN BOOKS 613 E. INDUS	CHELSEA	03/13/2013	0	0	0
MODERN VENDING SERVICE	GMSPO-87 2885 TYLER	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	1
MODERN VENDING SERVICE	WARDE MEDICAL LAB	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	2
MR. MIKES LOUNGE INC	1425 ECORSE / P.O.BOX 980294	YPSILANTI	03/01/2013	0	1	0
MULTICULTURE ACADEMY	5550 PLATT RD	ANN ARBOR	03/27/2013	0	0	4
MY FAVORITE CAFE	107 N. ANN ARBOR STREET	SALINE	03/07/2013	0	0	0
NO THAI!	1300 S UNIVERSITY STE #3	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	0	0	1
NORTH CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	699 MCKINLEY STREET	CHELSEA	03/08/2013	0	0	0
OCED SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM	106 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/29/2013	0	2	3
OLGA'S KITCHEN	454 BRIARWOOD CIRCLE	ANN ARBOR	03/25/2013	0	3	2
OLIVE GARDEN # 1110	445 E. EISENHOWER PKWY	ANN ARBOR	03/27/2013	0	0	1
OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH	1515 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	03/06/2013	0	0	0
PANDA CHINESE & KOREAN RESTAURANT	3020 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	0
PANERA BREAD #1105	1773 PLYMOUTH RD	ANN ARBOR	03/20/2013	0	0	0
PANERA BREAD #874	903 W. EISENHOWER PKWY	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	1	0	0
PANERA BREAD #878	5340 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	1
PAPI'O NIGHTCLUB	2275 ELLSWORTH ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/04/2013	0	0	0
PITA PIT	615 E. UNIVERSITY SUITE A	ANN ARBOR	03/15/2013	1	0	0
PIZZA HUT #26314	2407 WASHTENAW	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	0	0	0
PIZZA HUT #26316	3045 CARPENTER ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/11/2013	0	0	0
PIZZA HUT #26317	5630 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/18/2013	1	2	3
PIZZA PINO EATERY	221 W. LIBERTY ST.	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
PLEASANT RIDGE ELEMENTARY	229 PLEASANT RIDGE	SALINE	03/27/2013	0	0	0
POWELL'S PUB	625 N. HURON	YPSILANTI	03/08/2013	3	3	9
RAJA RANI INDIAN CUISINE	400 S. DIVISION	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	0
RED LOBSTER #260	2420 CARPENTER ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	5
SADAKO JAPANESE RESTAURANT	1321 S. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	1
SAICA	1733 PLYMOUTH ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	1
SALINE HIGH SCHOOL	1300 CAMPUS PARKWAY	SALINE	03/08/2013	0	0	0
SALINE HIGH SCHOOL "THE HIVE"	1300 CAMPUS PARKWAY	SALINE	03/12/2013	0	0	0
SALINE MIDDLE SCHOOL	7190 N MAPLE	SALINE	03/19/2013	0	0	0
SAN FU ORIENTAL CUISINE	625 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	8
SATCHEL'S BBQ LLLC	3035 WASHTENAW AVE	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	0
SCOREKEEPERS	310 MAYNARD/P.O.BOX 8260	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	0	0
SHARON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - HALL	19980 PLEASANT LAKE RD	MANCHESTER	03/19/2013	0	0	0
SINBAD KONEY ISLAND	2563 ELLSWORTH ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/29/2013	0	0	5
SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA	2552 N. MAPLE RD	ANN ARBOR	03/11/2013	0	0	0
SLAUSON JR.HIGH SCHOOL	1019 N. WASHINGTON	ANN ARBOR	03/13/2013	0	1	0
SMARTY CATZ	16 N. HURON STREET	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	0	0	1
SODEXO - INTERFIRST CITIGR BSMT	6300 INTERFIRST	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	0	0	0
SODEXO - INTERFIRST CITIGR CAFE	6300 INTERFIRST	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	0	0	1
SONGBIRD, THE	2707 PLYMOUTH RD	ANN ARBOR	03/07/2013	1	0	0
SOTTINI SUB SHOP	1525 WASHTENAW AVE.	YPSILANTI	03/11/2013	1	1	1
SOUTH MEADOWS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	335 PIERCE STREET	CHELSEA	03/14/2013	0	0	0
SOUTHPOINTE SCHOLARS CHARTER ACADEMY	10550 GEDDES RD	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	0
ST. ANDREW CATHOLIC CHURCH	910 AUSTIN DRIVE	SALINE	03/01/2013	0	0	0
ST. JOSEPH MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM	5301 E.HURON RIV *for temp	ANN ARBOR	03/08/2013	0	0	0
ST. JOSEPH MERCY HEALTH SYSTEM	5301 E.HURON RIV *for temp	ANN ARBOR	03/08/2013	0	0	0
ST. MARY CATHOLIC CHURCH	14200 E OLD U.S. 12	CHELSEA	03/19/2013	0	0	0
ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH-PARISH HALL	5671 WHITMORE LAKE ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	1	0	0
ST. PAUL UNITED CH OF CHRIST	122 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	03/12/2013	0	0	0
ST. PAULS LUTHERAN SCHOOL	495 EARHART ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/18/2013	0	0	0
ST. THOMAS PARISH HALL	530 ELIZABETH STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	0
ST. THOMAS SCHOOL CAFETERIA	540 ELIZABETH STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	1
STERLING SERVICES - R & B MACHINE TOOL	1605 WOODLAND - LUNCHROOM	SALINE	03/07/2013	0	1	1
STOCKWELL'S BREAKFAST & LUNCH	108 ADRAIN ST.	MANCHESTER	03/07/2013	0	0	0
STONE SCHOOL CAFETERIA	2800 STONE SCHOOL ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY #50227	411 E. WASHINGTON STE A2	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	5
SUBWAY #5076	2868 WASHTENAW	YPSILANTI	03/05/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY OF DEXTER	7050 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR RD 600	DEXTER	03/18/2013	0	0	0
SUSHI TOWN	740 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	0	0	0
TAQUERIA LA FIESTA MEXICAN RESTAURANT	4060 PACKARD RD	ANN ARBOR	03/06/2013	0	0	4
TIM HORTON'S	760 S. HEWITT ROAD	YPSILANTI	03/07/2013	0	0	2
TMAZ TAQUERIA	3182 PACKARD RD	ANN ARBOR	03/08/2013	5	0	5
TOPPERS PIZZA	607 E WILLIAM ST	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	1	0	0
TOYOTA TECH CENTER(YORK) - ARAMARK	8777 PLATT RD	SALINE	03/12/2013	0	0	0
TOYOTA TECHNICAL CENTER	1555 WOODRIDGE	ANN ARBOR	03/04/2013	1	0	0
U OF M HILLEL FOUNDATION	1429 HILL STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/28/2013	0	0	1
UNIVERSITY ASSISTED LIVING	2865 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	03/26/2013	0	0	0
VELLUM RESTAURANT	209 S MAIN ST	ANN ARBOR	03/05/2013	1	0	4
VETERANS ICE RINK & SWIM POOL	2150 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/08/2013	0	0	1
WASHTENAW CHRISTIAN ACADEMY	7200 MOON RD	SALINE	03/06/2013	0	0	0
WCC CULINARY ARTS KITCHEN	4800 E. HURON RIVER DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	3	1	0
WCC STUDENT CENTER - CONTINENTAL	4800 E. HURON RIVER DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	03/20/2013	0	0	0
WENDY'S @ EMU	900 OAKWOOD	YPSILANTI	03/18/2013	0	0	1
WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL	105 N. MANSFIELD	YPSILANTI	03/26/2013	0	0	4
WHAT CREPE ANN ARBOR LLC	241 E. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	03/28/2013	0	0	0
WHITE CASTLE MICHIGAN #26	3953 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	03/19/2013	0	0	1
WHITMORE LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	1077 BARKER ROAD	WHITMORE LAKE	03/28/2013	0	0	0
WHITMORE LAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL	8877 MAIN STREET	WHITMORE LAKE	03/26/2013	0	0	0
WHITMORE LAKE TAVERN	9839 MAIN STREET	WHITMORE LAKE	03/06/2013	0	0	0
WINES ELEMENTARY	1701 NEWPORT ROAD	ANN ARBOR	03/14/2013	0	0	0
WOLVERINE FOOD & SPIRITS, INC	20460 OLD US-12	CHELSEA	03/29/2013	0	0	1
WOODLAND MEADOWS ELEMENTARY	350 WOODLAND DRIVE	SALINE	03/27/2013	0	0	0
WYLIE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL	3060 KENSINGTON	DEXTER	03/07/2013	0	0	1
ZAL GAZ GROTTO	2070 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	03/12/2013	0	0	0

Washtenaw County Public Health promotes health and works to prevent disease and injury in our community. Visit us online at http://publichealth.ewashtenaw.org.

By "elevate" I mean carefully selecting quality tea and focusing attention on its preparation and service. TeaHaus' 179 varieties of tea come from "Europe’s most reputable and highest-quality tea company, located in Germany," which is "the only tea company that has their own testing facility, testing for both pesticides and heavy metals residues," according to TeaHaus owner Lisa McDonald. She notes that she was trained as a "tea sommelier" and that in her shop they are "first tea connoisseurs, who also happen to have really great food."

While the tea is excellent, the food stands on its own merit. With interesting choices influenced by France, Germany, Sweden, and Africa, McDonald says she's chosen her menu based on "where I've lived and what I liked."

The food at TeaHaus— including finger sandwiches, soup, salad, scones and other sweets, is all "Haus-made" as they punnily write on the menu, and it is well put together and delicious in an un-fussy way. No matching hat, handbag or gloves required.

I recently made a reservation for the "Full English Tea Service" with some of my lady friends. Although TeaHaus offers a "quickie tea service" option with no reservation required, a 1-2 day notice in advance is needed for the long-playing "full" version that comes with soup, savory finger sandwiches, scones (served with jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream), along with pastries and petit fours, and all the tea you can drink.

This full English tea is not the posh watered silk and hushed pinkie-curling experience of the iconic Fortnum and Mason in London. The vibe at TeaHaus reminds me more of Apartment Therapy, with a sort of organic, modern, euro slant. The space is painted a rich brown and has funky gold and crystal chandeliers suspended from the high ceiling. Bright euro-mod and Asian tea wares share space with antique leather tea caddies and a collection of white porcelain teapots in many shapes — my favorite is the elephant.

After a somewhat lengthy wait (10 or 15 minutes), our afternoon tea service started with a round of white porcelain mini-cocottes holding a richly flavored roasted red pepper soup, appealingly infused with coconut green tea. The soup, with its felicitous melding of warm tropical flavors and a hint of astringency from the tea, was just one example of many items that are made to include their teas.

After the soup and another significant wait (in which we wished for accompanying bread or crackers — and "Downton Abbey"-style attentiveness), my friends and I were thrilled with the triple-decker serving contraption that appeared, filled with layers of sandwiches, scones, and pastries.

Attempting to follow English tea etiquette in a manner that would have made Lady Grantham proud, we started with the petite open-faced and crustless sandwiches on the bottom layer and worked our way up to scones and finally to the tea sweets at the top.

It may not have been very traditional, but the spicy salami with black pepper served on an herb buttered baguette was particularly flavorful. The chicken salad — a scoop of finely chopped chicken with a sweet and sour poppy seed dressing and bits of dried strawberry and tarragon on a small toasted round of baguette — was also delicious. And I enjoyed a thick, melty slice of Brie topped with a confit of apricot stewed with their ginger rooibus on a sturdy slice of baguette. Both the egg salad on wheat and the triangles of cucumber and cream cheese on white were tasty — but in the way my grandmother likes: plain and very rich.

Lemon-blueberry and traditional scones were buttery with a tight, tender crumb. A bit on the dry side, they go well with the tea and also the "Haus-made" plate of delightful accompaniments — silky lemon curd, fresh clotted cream, a stewed berry jam, and an orange marmalade that our server told us they "doctor up with elderflower tea."

The ladylike portions meant that we still had room for a final layer of pastry sweets that included: chewy, buttercream-filled French-style macarons in Easter egg colors (also made with their teas); richly moist carrot cake balls covered in a white candy shell; and dark chocolate covered peanut butter petit fours with a triumvirate of dragees for decoration.

One friend exclaimed that our teatime was so delightful that she was adding it to her list of "top food experiences." Except for the lengthy waiting times, I was pleased with it too. The food was delicious, fresh, and abundant, the tea was excellent (if somewhat under brewed for my taste), and the company was excellent.

However, in my note to self for visiting on my own nickel, I could be just as satisfied with the "quickie," which comes with fewer sweets, no soup, and one pot of tea. Lots of tables seemed to be ordering it — and I would get it for the lemon curd alone.

On a follow-up visit to TeaHaus with other friends, we ordered from the regular menu, which McDonald says changes from week to week. I was curious about the North African "dukkah," a platter described as "nuts seasoned with coriander, fennel and other spices (including their Darjeeling or Assam tea). Served with bread, olive oil, dried fruit, olives and cheese," our server explained that you eat this dish by dipping the bread in the olive oil, then in the nuts, and choose a sweet or salty accompaniment with each bite.

Lisa McDonald explained that she offers this dish as a reminder that tea culture is worldwide, and that tea is second only to water as the most common beverage around the globe. She said dukkah is something that would often be on the tables at meetings in Europe, "a fun nosh that's filling yet healthy, and it's sustaining throughout the day." While I loved the crushed nuts with fennel and coriander, the cheese, olives and dried fruit may have been sustaining, but they weren't compelling.

We also tried the Swedish pannkakor, a large pancake folded in quarters like a crepe, but puffier. It was filled with frozen strawberries that had been stewed with their popular strawberry-mint-lavender tea. Topped with whipped cream, this would be phenomenal with the fresh berries that will be here in a few weeks.

What stood out for me on this visit were some of the sweets. In particular, a dark chocolate pot de creme was fantastically rich, thick, creamy and deeply chocolatey without being too sweet. The "oreo" macaron, two chocolate meringues sandwiching vanilla buttercream filling, was, according to my guest, "what an oreo should be like" and definitely on the order again list. But it was the delicately soft and buttery strawberry-mint-lavender infused house-made caramels that will keep me coming back again and again.

Tea Haus owner Lisa McDonald observes that tea culture in the world is ancient, with 1500 year old tea plants still under cultivation for teas that we drink today. "Tea is an agricultural product that should be revered just as much as a wine or scotch," she says, and at Tea Haus, "the food is just a pairing to our amazing tea." I agree that the tea is excellent, but the food is just as delicious — and you should go there for both.

Kim Bayer is a freelance writer and culinary researcher. Email her at kimbayer at gmail dot com.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Frugal Floozie Friday is a feature that seeks out dishes — appetizers, drinks, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, whatever — for $5 or less per person. Sometimes I split generously-sized items with loved ones, saving both money and calories; sometimes I find a great deal on a single serving that fits perfectly within the mandatory budget. I try to showcase several options to choose from, and you never know where I'll find them. Check out the column every Friday!

As with so many restaurants around town, I'd driven past Mary's Fabulous Chicken and Fish dozens of times, always thinking, "I need to try that place!" Not only does it bear my name, but how many times do I use superlatives like "fabulous"? Just as there is undoubtedly a drinking game that encourages a swig every time Guy Fieri says "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," when I get my own show on the Food Network there will be a drinking game — sips of coffee only, though; I can't condone anything stronger — associated with my effusive adjectives.

But I digress ....

Jeremy and I went out to lunch on our first really truly spring-y day recently, with no coats, sunglasses on, windows open. And as we drove past Mary's, we decided the time had come to try it.

The menu is fairly extensive, with many family-friendly dinner packages available. There are also frugal options that meet our mandatory $5 per person budget.

Jeremy ordered the cheese steak hoagie, asking for no peppers (which he loathes), for $4.99. A foot-long sandwich, it was generously filled with meat and was a hearty lunch.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Other options that come in under the $5 budget are a two-piece fish plate with fries for $4.99, a 10-piece order of chicken nuggets for $2.89, and a variety of chicken snacks — mix 'n' match wings, thighs, or breasts — ranging in price from $2.59-$3.95. You can even choose a large order of gizzards (which was selected for take-out as we ate) for $3.99.

There's a table to sit at; but the bulk of the business is clearly take-out, as four different orders were placed and filled as Jeremy and I sat and enjoyed our meal.

Mary's does make good chicken, and it's worth stopping by to get some.

Mary's Fabulous Chicken and Fish
3220 Packard
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
734-971-5703
CASH ONLY

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

With the exceptions of sushi, tofu, and locusts (which have apparently been quite the "in" food in Israel, of late), I am a pretty inclusive omnivore; I'll eat most vegetables, fruits, grains, sweets, meats, fish, baked goods, cheese, legumes, and even Cheetos.  I don't tend to limit my diet.

But I do think about it, and I try to be conscientious. I try to eat with some semblance of health — whole grains, lots of produce — and with respect.

So, I am planning to eat a vegetarian/vegan diet next week, which can contribute to both health and environmental benefits as well as animal welfare. Mayor John Heiftje has issued an official proclamation declaring Ann Arbor Veg Week from April 22-28, so why not participate in some of the community events in support of this occasion?

On Monday, there's a kick-off party featuring vegan and former Detroit Piston John Salley and Mayor Hieftje at Downtown Home and Garden at 7 p.m. The rest of the week, there will be tours of Whole Foods Cranbrook, movie screenings, talks, and even a vegan potluck at the Humane Society of Huron Valley. (Click here for the complete list of activities.)

Try some new recipes — I'll be featuring vegetarian and vegan recipes all next week both here and on my blog. Go out to eat and enjoy dishes that you might not ordinarily order. Have some fun! Expand your dietary choices, rather than relying upon familiar favorites.

This is Ann Arbor's first-ever Veg Week. Join us!

With thanks to organizer VegMichigan, and to Ann Arbor Veg Week sponsors: Ann Arbor District Library, Arbor Brewing Company, Big City Small World Bakery, Compassion Over Killing, Downtown Home & Garden, Humane Society of Huron Valley, Hut-K Nutrilicious, Jazzy Veggie, The Lunch Room, Nicola's Books, Seva, Trader Joe's, and Workantile.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

Bell's Diner, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature, is a place which — as it states on its menu — invites you to "Call it your home." Very friendly, it's a great place to go for breakfast, lunch, or just to find "good, homemade food in a casual and cheerful atmosphere." It's an Ann Arbor institution.

Many, many options qualify for our mandatory $5 per person budget, and it's really hard to choose among them! But since Craig and I were there in the early afternoon, I was feeling more inclined towards lunch than towards breakfast.

Thus, I ordered the Deluxe Cheeseburger, which offered a choice of American, Cheddar, Swiss, or Jack cheese and was served with either fries or onion rings. Most places charge extra for an option other than the potatoes, but this full plate of food fell perfectly within our limit at $4.99.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Some other choices include homemade sausage gravy with a biscuit for $3.59; two large pancakes with one egg for $4.29; or a three-egg cheese omelet served with toast for $4.59.

Regular sandwiches (served with potato chips, pickles, and coleslaw) that meet our budgetary limit include the grilled cheese, the egg salad, the BLT, the hot dog, and the Coney Island. Deluxe sandwiches (served with lettuce, fries or onion rings, cole slaw, and pickles) that qualify are the grilled cheese, the egg salad, and the hot dog.

All of the regular burgers (same terms as the sandwiches, above) are great frugal options; or you can order a deluxe hamburger or cheeseburger.

One of the many great aspects of Bell's is that it serves both diner food and also Korean classics. So you can even enjoy a six-piece plate of Mandoo — "seasoned vegetables wrapped in pasta and deep fried" — with sweet and sour sauce for only $3.99.

If you just want dessert and a cup of coffee, Bell's offers fresh pie for $2.49, or enjoy it a la mode for $3.49. A hot fudge sundae also costs $3.49.

Stop by Bell's for a warm welcome, a cozy atmosphere, and great food for very inexpensive prices!

Bell's Diner
2167 W. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-995-0226
Monday: 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tuesday - Saturday: 6:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

At the new Juicy Kitchen at Maple and Miller in Ann Arbor, owner Susan Todoroff writes that her mission is "to nurture people with healthy, creative, flavorful food prepared with love." I don't know if love is what I'm tasting, but whatever it is, I want more of it.

The Juicy Kitchen business started up two years ago with healthy prepared meals for home delivery and catering. The success of that venture gave Todoroff the ability to set up her own dedicated production space in January, and the kitchen she found happened to have room for a bite-sized cafe. Open during the week starting at 7 a.m. (and 8 a.m. Saturdays), the Juicy Kitchen Cafe is in a part of town that is short on restaurant options, let alone healthy ones.

The Juicy Kitchen cafe menu is filled with fresh, whole-grain, and minimally sweetened options that leave you feeling virtuous and ready to go conquer something — rather than with that defeated and needing a nap reaction I usually get from the overly greasy, salty and sweet food of most restaurant meals.

Much of the menu at Juicy Kitchen is vegetarian (although they do have bacon from AppleSchram Organic Orchard in Charlotte), and there are many vegan and gluten-free options as well. Todoroff, also a fitness instructor, says, "My goal is to show people that healthy food can be creative, nutritious, delicious, gourmet, and beautiful, and really elevate the reputation that healthy food has."

Breakfast includes things like: scrambled egg "breakfast sliders," hot breakfast cereal bowls of steel-cut oats or quinoa with milk and a little maple syrup, chai-spiced granola, a daily quiche, omelets filled with vegetables, baked whole wheat french toast, and, on Fridays and Saturdays, Scottish oat cakes and baked eggs.

Lunch brings daily homemade (and almost all gluten-free) soups, a multitude of inventive salads, and sandwiches including a daily vegan option. And there are also choices for both decadent and healthy desserts, fresh-squeezed juices, and coffee drinks. Susan Todoroff says, "It's really a selfish menu. It's what I like to eat."

Juicy Kitchen is serious about the health aspect of its food, including whole grains, like quinoa, oats, millet, spelt, and even chia seeds, cooked in lots of delicious ways, on both the savory and the sweet side of the menu. Todoroff says they use only a little raw, vegan sugar as sweetener, preferring bananas, apples and maple syrup in their baked goods.

Fresh greens from the Senna Prairie Farm only a couple of miles away, and beautiful fresh fruit with beautiful raspberries, blueberries, even blackberries, and juicy cara cara oranges garnish almost every plate. Todoroff credits Chef Dan Vernia, whom she hired to help her open the restaurant, with the local sourcing that they do, saying, "Dan knows every farmer in town."

The first couple of times at Juicy Kitchen, I only ordered their roasted apple muffin — but it was such a great muffin! Hearty and filled with fruit and whole grains, and not too sweet.

On another visit, I enjoyed a fluffy omelet filled with fresh greens and goat cheese, with a generous garnish of fresh fruit that was as beautiful to look at as it was delicious to eat. A friend was happy with her breakfast slider, a simple sandwich with scrambled eggs and a spicy sauce on focaccia. The spinach quiche is packed with greens and potatoes, and comes in a whole wheat crust. The french toast, stuffed with light cream cheese, comes on whole wheat bread and real maple syrup. They make their own chai-spiced granola and have a healthy banana bread with the crunch of millet for breakfast too.

The warm quinoa breakfast bowl, Todoroff says, is among their least-ordered items. While her husband really loves the warm cereal served with milk and maple syrup, not many people seem to know about this protein-rich grain with the nutty flavor. Donuts, I heard, fly off the shelf at Juicy Kitchen. The one that can't keep up with customer demand is a vanilla-scented baked donut made with spelt flour. It is deliciously light and perfect with coffee.

The Juicy Kitchen lunch offers a variety of soups made fresh daily — usually gluten-free and often vegan. The French onion soup with stout was filled with caramelized onions in a deeply savory, and not too salty, broth. I loved that the toasted croutons on top were covered with a reasonable amount of melty cheese — not the huge glop that most restaurants serve. I also enjoyed the split pea soup with fennel and coriander — a very successful taste combination with just a hint of the anise flavor from the fennel.

Also for lunch, the salads and sandwiches are exemplary. The tarragon chicken salad in particular was fantastic. It's served open-face on toasted Avalon bread with big chunks of white-meat chicken, shredded romaine, dried cranberries, and just a hint of tarragon in the light dressing that's a combination of yogurt and mayo. I also enjoyed the enormous quinoa salad with fresh greens, slices of fennel and cucumber, crunchy walnuts, creamy goat cheese, and lots of berries in a light sweet and sour white balsamic dressing.

Seekers of desserts at Juicy Kitchen can find both healthy and decadent choices, but all are delicious. The chewy and satisfying oatmeal and chocolate chip "smart" cookies use only ripe banana as a sweetener. The quinoa cookies use a little maple syrup. The chia-chai pudding is like tapioca, but made with the new super-food of moment (chia seeds) flavored with the warm spices of chai.

When the dessert is decadent, like the almond butter cup, made with a Ghirardelli chocolate shell enclosing a vanilla-almond filling, it's on the small side and surrounded with a rainbow of gorgeous berries and fruit. The friend who helped me eat this said "I'm never going to look at another Reese's again. Why bother?"

When I asked Susan Todoroff about her focus on healthy food and whole grains, she talked about the contradiction that exists between what we know we should eat (fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains) and what is out there in the restaurant world. She said, "I hated when I went out to eat and nothing seemed healthy to me. I love to indulge, but I wanted to provide a place where you could go and know you could get some healthy options. It makes me feel better to eat this way."

Not only is the food at Juicy Kitchen healthy and delicious, the experience of being there is also warm and inviting. I observed special requests, dietary restrictions, and children all being catered to with ease and grace. Todoroff chats with everyone, refills glasses and checks in at each table to make sure her guests have what they need.

There aren't many places in town where I want to go again and again, but I'm adding Juicy Kitchen to my list. Todoroff may be offering what she likes to eat, but I think it is what a lot of people would like to be eating as well.

Kim Bayer is a freelance writer and culinary researcher. Email her at kimbayer at gmail dot com.

Toppers is a franchise, with headquarters in Wisconsin. Moe Baydoun, the owner of the Ann Arbor store, is undaunted by the competition. He said he "fell in love with the hip brand" and thought it would be a perfect fit in this college town. What makes Toppers stand out, he says, is that everything is made fresh, with cheese from Wisconsin.

Baydoun said it was a challenge turning a former shoe repair shop into a pizza place, and he gutted the interior in order to transform it. It looks slick and sparkling clean. The area beyond the counter is open, so you can see the employees preparing the food.

There's a tiny eating area with a few high-backed stools and tables, with room for a dozen people, where you wait while your food is being prepared. Three out of the four flat-screen televisions were tuned to ESPN on our visits, but the sound was turned off, since popular tunes were blaring from the speakers.

The focus is on unusual varieties of pizza with a range of exotic ingredients. The combinations are so rich, they would test even the most forgiving stomach. For example, the "hangover helper" consists of Canadian bacon, onions, green peppers, potatoes, and bacon bits, topped with mozzarella and cheddar; while the mac 'n cheese pizza is cheese sauce layered with macaroni noodles, smothered in a mound of mozzarella, with cheddar served on a pizza crust.

No one in my family could be convinced to give these a try, so we first opted for the basic plain cheese pizza, which I thought would be a good test. The pizza was fine if unremarkable, with ample amounts of tomato sauce.

The second time around, we decided to be a bit more adventurous, ordering the meat topper. Ideal for the dedicated carnivore, it consists of pepperoni, both Canadian and American bacon, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. All the toppings were high quality, especially the thick squares of the regular bacon.

I didn't enjoy the California topper. The combination of spinach, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta, mozzarella and ranch sauce was overpowering. The ranch sauce, on top of two very rich cheeses, didn't make for an appetizing pizza.

There are three choices of crust: hand-tossed, crispy and the "signature" Tall Boy crust. While the Tall Boy was slightly puffier and airier than the other two, there was no substantial difference among the three.

Baydoun says "nobody has anything equal to our Topperstix," which are made from fresh dough and Wisconsin cheese. Yet I thought they were similar to cheese sticks that you would get from many pizza places. I did like them better when they were paired with the wonderful cucumber sauce, a big improvement over the traditional ranch dressing dip.

In addition to pizzas, Toppers offers a few other items. We sampled its pizza quesadilla, called the "Q'Za," opting for both the chicken and plain cheese versions. The cheese is between two layers of a tortilla crust. I thought this was inventive and a nice twist. It was just as good as the pizza, and the chicken version was a hearty offering.

Toppers offers both Buffalo and boneless wings. We ordered the Buffalo wings cooked in a barbecue sauce. The wings on their own were unappetizing and had a bitter taste, but the sweet and smoky barbeque sauce served on the side substantially improved them.

We sampled one of the eight toasted grinders offered here, the Italian sausage and peppers. I enjoyed the thick, quality, toasted French roll that was the foundation for the gigantic sandwich. The three types of peppers — green, banana and jalapeno — added a nice mixture of spiciness, complementing the mozzarella and pizza sauce.

On our first visit, I was told that the order took as long as it did, 25 minutes, because the wings take longer to cook. That would have been helpful to know in advance of ordering. The second time around, the server promised my food in 10 minutes; it took 20. Since the eating area is small and not an ideal place for lingering, a better choice would be to order ahead.

Staff people were very pleasant on both our visits.

While there isn't anything wrong with the pizza at Toppers, it doesn't offer much that isn't already found in this campus corridor and in the greater Ann Arbor area. Still, with so many students in the vicinity craving this type of fare as sustenance round-the-clock (Toppers is open until 4 a.m. every day), it may nonetheless prove to be a popular option.

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Julie Halpert reviews restaurants for AnnArbor.com.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Frugal Floozie Friday is a feature that seeks out dishes — appetizers, drinks, snacks, desserts, sandwiches, whatever — for $5 or less per person. Sometimes I split generously-sized items with loved ones, saving both money and calories; sometimes I find a great deal on a single serving that fits perfectly within the mandatory budget. I try to showcase several options to choose from, and you never know where I'll find them. Check out the column every Friday!

On a recent rainy, cold, dreary afternoon, Craig and I went in search of some good ol'-fashioned comfort food. And for frugal prices — within our mandatory budget of $5 per person — we found precisely what we sought at Satchel's BBQ.

I decided to try something a bit off the proverbial beaten path, so I ordered Satchel's Stew — "smoked chicken & pork, corn, okra in a tomato broth" — that comes with a large slice of cornbread for $5. I spooned the stew over the cornbread, which made for a very filling meal; I even brought half of the stew home with me, and it made an exceptional breakfast one morning. (Everyone else loves breakfast for dinner; I like that too, but I adore dinner leftovers for breakfast!) Accented with some of the vinegar sauce that's available at each table — there are four different varieties of barbecue sauce to choose from — it was rich and spicy and very good.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

There are several frugal options to enjoy, including a pulled chicken sandwich. Side dishes cost $1.25 each; you could easily choose four of the options — cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, greens, or beans and rice — and make a meal from them. Or you can order a pint of any side dish for only $4, if you want to focus solely on one item.

The service at Satchel's was very friendly, and we were welcomed not only by the staff but also by the amazing aroma when we walked in. So for hearty food at reasonable prices, try Satchel's BBQ soon.

Satchel's BBQ
3035 Washtenaw Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-971-5100
Monday - Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

In the recent era, a handful of solid and inexpensive taquerias (like Tmaz, La Casita, and Taco King, to name a few) have populated the "low" end of the price range, while the new chef-driven Isalita has taken charge of the "high" end, creating something of a vacuum in the middle. Rushing in to fill the gap is the new Maiz restaurant on Washtenaw Avenue.

Calling itself a "Mexican cantina," Maiz has taken over a 220-seat former steakhouse (and more formerly smokehouse), on the highly trafficked strip between Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor. While their website touts the fact that "Maiz has the largest full service bar on Washtenaw Ave.," the front of the menu claims in large print that "Maiz Mexican cantina brings the bold flavors and colors of the traditional meals you would find across Mexico. Our food is prepared from scratch daily using many local suppliers for our ingredients."

With the emphasis they put on catering to a "cantina" crowd, it's not surprising that a substantial bar area with perhaps 20 bar stools and at least three large-screen TVs is the focal point of the main dining room. I was glad to see that the large square footage at Maiz is surprisingly warm, with wood floors throughout. Cushioned booths line the perimeter, with a fireplace in one room, and a mural of a Mexican street scene in another.

As in the olden days, the server brings a basket of just-fried chips — gratis, even. The chips at Maiz are wafer-thin, and colored surprisingly blue, green, yellow and red. They taste good, but are almost too delicate to pick up anything more dense than a pureed salsa.

The smoked corn salsa with black beans was not as popular. Tasting of little but smoke, it needed more salt, garlic, lime, onion — anything.

We fared better with the Plato Supremo, a selection of appetizers including a sopes, sweet potato cakes, fried jalapenos and the smoked corn salsa. Having a weakness for deep-fried food, I enjoyed all of these salty, crunchy snacks.

I was struck, though, by the odd juxtaposition of the traditional sopes with their little hand-made masa boats holding shredded pork and pickled onion contrasted with the Americanized cream-cheese-stuffed jalapeno poppers and the crunchy sweet potato and black bean cakes. Regardless, the creamy poppers and golden sweet potato cakes were both excellent examples of bar food at its deep-fried best.

Not that there's anything wrong with jalapeno poppers and sweet potato cakes in a Mexican restaurant, but for me it undercuts the assertion that "you'll find the flavors of Mexico brought to you in every fresh and flavorful bite." And it heightens my suspicions of marketing messages like "we strive to use local ingredients," especially when the "local ingredients" claim is followed by that frequent and all-purpose disclaimer "when we can."

So when we pressed for more information about Maiz's local sourcing, we learned that rather than working with local producers and farmers, they attempt to use "local suppliers," which Maiz defines as Michigan-based companies including Hiller's and Gordon Food Service.

Among my favorites of the Maiz dinners we tried was the chiles rellenos, with "smoked poblanos coated in corn flour, filled with shredded chicken." The rellenos served topped with salsa verde and queso fresco. This kitchen does know its way around a deep fryer. We got two fat poblano peppers, fried golden brown and stuffed with a very mild chicken and cheese filling. The peppers were piled atop a bed of "spanish rice," with a tasty sofrito of peppers and onion mixed in. I enjoyed the mild heat and crunchy coating of the peppers with the creamy richness of the cheese and chicken.

I also thought the Camarones a la Diabla was tasty. Described as "spicy, sauteed shrimp with diced tomatoes, onion, and chipotle peppers served with rice," this mild-heat dish featured a sauce that was deliciously chunky and garlicky, and a good match with the Spanish-style rice. The medium shell-on shrimp were just just okay, but that spicy, complex sauce made up for it.

When my husband ordered the Tacos de Pescado, our server asked if he preferred soft corn, flour or hard corn tortillas to hold the "Dos XX beer battered cod, tangy slaw, mango salsa and chipotle cream." He chose soft corn for the tortillas, and the battered cod was nicely fried in the three generous tacos. But the condiments lacked the bright punchy flavors I would have expected. The tacos came with sides of unremarkable refried beans and "street corn," aka elote, a grilled cob slathered with mayonnaise and chile powder that made passable eating.

The Enchiladas Verde is described as being served with "spicy green salsa verde," and comes with a choice of chicken, pork or beef, with rice and beans on the side, and crema and queso fresco on top. Rolled in a soft corn tortilla that fell apart, the chicken was tender, but the tortilla tasted raw and had an off flavor. Most enchilada recipes that I have seen direct the tortillas to be fried in oil before being dipped in enchilada sauce and enclosing the filling—the oil both cooking the tortilla and helping to preserve its structural integrity. The green tomatillo sauce was only mildly spicy and had bright, uncomplicated flavor, but it was still enough to overpower the mild chicken. While some at the table enjoyed this dish, I found it muddled and mushy.

A sign posted at the door on our first visit listed tamales as the day's special, with a choice of chicken, pork, or spicy vegetable (they have since been added to the regular menu). I was excited to see the tamales wrapped in the traditional corn husks in which they were steamed. They were filled with a salty, mildly spicy masa, and I was not immediately able to distinguish the shredded pork from the shredded chicken tamale. However, I enjoyed the spicy vegetable option, which seemed to have smoky poblanos as a main ingredient.

Among their four the dessert offerings, I found little to love. Most of the desserts fail at being true to the flavors of Mexico or even Mexican-America, in my opinion. Deep-fried oreos with ice cream, described by our server as tasting like donuts, was one dessert choice that tasted like something you would get from a carnival vendor. Another choice, chocolate cake flan, consisted of a layer of very firm cheesecake-like flan on the bottom and a very wet chocolate cake on top. The other two options, Abuelita Chocolate Crisps and Fried Ice Cream, were almost the same dessert. Both have fried flour tortillas, vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce; but the fried ice cream has a nice cinnamon coating.

Maiz does seem familiar with many popular dishes of Mexico, with a menu that includes enchiladas and tacos along with less commonly seen items like tamales, sopes, rellenos, and even chilaquiles and elote. But the food seems often to lack the sophisticated technique and complex herbs, spices and (especially) chiles of Mexico.

However, I'm not sure that everyone will find fault. The food is on the positive side and the portions are large. And I do think they are doing their best to provide mid-range Tex-Mex food for the American palate, and I do believe their claim that "we make our food from scratch daily."

My experience was that Maiz offers filling and uncomplicated food that appeals to families and a bar crowd. Since Maiz is still very new and they seem well-intentioned, I hope they can make adjustments that will help them live up to their claims. I did find our second visit a more positive experience than the first, with much credit to the large margarita and our delightful server.

Kim Bayer is a freelance writer and culinary researcher. Email her at kimbayer at gmail dot com.

What do the violations in the reports mean?
The laws governing food service changed significantly on October 1, 2012. The most noticeable change was in the terminology used for violations in restaurant inspections. Previously, violations were Critical or Non-Critical, but now they are categorized as Priority, Priority Foundation or Core.

• Priority violations are the most serious. Correcting these eliminates or reduces a problem directly associated with foodborne illness. Examples include improper food temperatures and lack of hand washing. Priority violations were previously called Critical violations.

• Priority Foundation violations are problems that can lead to a Priority violation. Correcting these problems may keep Priority violations from occurring. Examples include not having an appropriate food thermometer, not having sanitizer test strips and not having soap or paper towel at a hand sink. The Priority Foundation category is made up of violations that were previously called Critical or Non-Critical Violations.

• Core violations are related to general sanitation and facility maintenance. Core violations were previously called Non-Critical violations. Examples include dirty floors and improper facility lighting.

Where can I see the inspection results?
Washtenaw County Public Health posts restaurant inspections monthly on Ann Arbor.com. The inspections posted were completed the month prior (i.e. January inspections are posted in February).

You can also search the online database of all restaurant inspections and detailed reports. Click here for access to all Washtenaw County restaurant inspections!

How frequent are inspections?
Routine inspections take place twice per year (or once per year if the business is only open seasonally). Routine inspections are typically unannounced. However, when there are changes to the Food Code or Food Law, like those that took place Oct. 1, 2012, the first routine inspection is scheduled. Key restaurant staff must be present so the Sanitarian can explain how the changes impact the establishment’s operations. The number of violations observed often decreases when inspections are announced. This may explain why the recent inspections appear somewhat better than usual.

Each inspection is a snapshot in time, and conditions found at the restaurant are not necessarily the conditions that could be found in the restaurant at other times. Sanitarians (otherwise known as health inspectors) ask many questions about the menu, operations and procedures to get the best possible idea of the day-to-day conditions of the restaurant. Environmental Health conducts additional inspections if a foodborne illness or other complaint is reported.

What if I have a complaint?
Environmental Health responds to general restaurant complaints as well as foodborne illness complaints. Please call our office at 734-222-3800 to file a complaint or to report a suspected foodborne illness.

February 2013 Restaurant Inspection Results

Establishment	Address	City	Inspection Date	Priority Violations	Priority Foundation Violations	Core Violations
A.D.P. NETWORK	175 JACKSON PLAZA	ANN ARBOR	02/21/2013	1	0	1
AHMO'S GYROS & DELI	341 E. HURON	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
AMADEUS CAFE	122 E. WASHINGTON	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	0	0	0
AMVETS POST 269 - ROBERT L. CARVER	2839 E. MICHIGAN AVE	YPSILANTI	02/26/2013	0	0	0
ANGELO'S LUNCH	1100 E. CATHERINE	ANN ARBOR	02/08/2013	0	0	5
ANGELO'S ON THE SIDE	1100 E. CATHERINE	ANN ARBOR	02/08/2013	0	0	4
ANN ARBOR PIZZA COMPANY & BURRITO JOINT	1200 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	1	2	1
ANN ARBOR REGENT HOTEL & SUITS	2455 CARPENTER RD.	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	0
ANTHONY'S GOURMET PIZZA	621 SOUTH MAIN ST	ANN ARBOR	02/08/2013	0	0	0
APPLEBEE'S	1005 E. EISENHOWER PKWY	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	1
B 24's	217 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	02/08/2013	2	0	1
BANDITO'S	216 S. FOURTH AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
BANG'KOK CUISINE EXPRESS #3 INC.	4119 STONE SCHOOL RD	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	0	5
BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLERS, INC	3235 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
BELL'S DINER	2167 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
BEL-MARK LANES-ANN ARBOR BOWLING LLC	3530 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	0	0
BENITO'S PIZZA	439 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/07/2013	0	0	0
BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION	2000 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	0
BIG OCEAN	334 S. FORD BLVD	YPSILANTI	02/12/2013	0	0	0
BIGGBY COFFEE	539 E. LIBERTY ST	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	0
BRECON GRILLE	101 W. MICHIGAN AVE	SALINE	02/07/2013	0	0	0
BTB (BIG TEN BURRITO)	810 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	0	1
BUFFALO WILD WINGS	205 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/25/2013	0	0	0
BUFFALO WILD WINGS	216 JAMES L. HART PARKWAY	YPSILANTI	02/11/2013	0	0	0
BURGER KING # 4187	725 VICTORS WAY	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	1	0
BURGER KING # 434	2295 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
BURGER KING #11248	151 S. ZEEB ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/04/2013	0	0	0
CAFE ZOLA	112 W. WASHINGTON	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	0	0
CHELSEA ALEHOUSE BREWERY	420 N MAIN ST. STE 100	CHELSEA	02/06/2013	0	0	0
CHINA GATE RESTAURANT	1201 S. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	2
CHINA ONE	29 E. MAIN STREET	MILAN	02/07/2013	0	0	0
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL	858 BRIARWOOD CIRCLE, STE E130	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	2	0	1
CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL	235 S. STATE ST.	ANN ARBOR	02/27/2013	1	1	2
CLARK'S CO & GRILL	1653 HOLMES ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/08/2013	0	0	0
CLASSIC CUP CAFE	4389 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	1	0
CLASSIC PIZZA	8015 HURON	DEXTER	02/15/2013	0	0	0
CLOVERLEAF	201 E. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	1	4	1
COMMON GRILL	112 S. MAIN STREET	CHELSEA	02/21/2013	0	0	0
CORNER BREWERY, LLC	720 NORRIS ST	YPSILANTI	02/14/2013	0	0	3
COTTAGE INN CARRY OUT STORES	501 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/04/2013	0	0	1
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	3219 BROAD ST.	DEXTER	02/26/2013	0	0	0
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	1141 BROADWAY	ANN ARBOR	02/11/2013	0	0	0
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	2900 STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	0	0	0
COTTAGE INN PIZZA	2301 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL(Concession Stand)	2200 PARKER RD	DEXTER	02/01/2013	0	1	0
DIMO'S RESTAURANT	2030 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
DON'S VENDING SERVICE - JC PENNY	PENNYS AT BRIARWOOD	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	2
DOWNTOWN DINER	131 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE, STE D	SALINE	02/07/2013	0	0	0
DROWSY PARROT MERCANTILE LTD	105 N. ANN ARBOR STREET	SALINE	02/04/2013	0	0	0
EARTHEN JAR	311 S. FIFTH AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	0	0	0
EASTERN ACCENTS	214 S. FOURTH AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
ELLIE'S CHOCOLATE CAFE	312 N. MAIN ST.	CHELSEA	02/20/2013	1	0	1
EMANUAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHR	324 W. MAIN STEET	MANCHESTER	02/21/2013	0	0	1
ESPRESSO ROYALE	324 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	2	0	0
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH	1432 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	0
FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES	311 S. STATE	ANN ARBOR	02/25/2013	0	0	2
FLEETWOOD DINER	300 S. ASHLEY	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	1
FOOD FOR ALL SEASONS	124 W. SUMMIT, SUITE B&C	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	2
FOREST HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER - CAFETERIA	135 S. PROSPECT	ANN ARBOR	02/21/2013	0	0	0
FRANKS PLACE	104 E. MAIN STREET	MANCHESTER	02/21/2013	0	0	0
FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES	2935 HOLMES ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	0	0	0
GRAHAMS	600 HILTON BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	2	0	0
GRAND TRAVERSE PIE COMPANY	291 NORTH ZEEB RD	ANN ARBOR	02/04/2013	0	0	0
GRANGE KITCHEN & BAR	118 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
GREAT WALL CHINESE RESTAURANT	2128 WHITTAKER ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/21/2013	1	1	5
HAIFA FALAFEL	4584 WASHTENAW AVE STE 2	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
HELLO FAZ PIZZA	2259 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	2	1
HELLO ICE CREAM & GELATO	3744 PLAZA DR	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
HEPHZIBAH UNC (DBA TERIYAKI TIME)	314 DETROIT STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	3
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS	1540 COMMERCE PARK DR.	CHELSEA	02/27/2013	0	0	0
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS	600 HILTON BLVD.	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	0	0	0
HOLIDAY INN HOTEL & SUITES	3155 BOARDWALK DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
HOTEL HICKMAN WILD WEST ADVENTURES	8050 MAIN ST.	DEXTER	02/15/2013	1	0	0
HOWARD HOAGIES # 3	2011 MCCARTNEY	YPSILANTI	02/13/2013	0	0	1
HUNGRY HOWIE'S	1874 WHITTAKER ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/20/2013	0	0	0
HUNGRY HOWIE'S / MILAN PIZZA	901 W. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/06/2013	0	0	0
HURON HIGH INDOOR CONCESSIONS	2727 FULLER ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
INTERFIRST CAFE/SODEXO	6300 INTERFIRST DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	02/21/2013	0	0	0
IORIO'S, LLC	522 E. WILLIAMS ST.	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	1	0	0
JERUSALEM KITCHEN INC	2251 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
JET'S PIZZA	1298 ANNA J. STEPP	YPSILANTI	02/27/2013	0	0	0
JOE'S JAVA @ CHELSEA COMMUNITY HOSPITAL	775 S MAIN ST	CHELSEA	02/05/2013	0	0	0
KATHERINE'S CATERING	359 METTY DR., SUITE #4	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	0	0
KATIE'S	2830 BAKER ROAD	DEXTER	02/19/2013	0	0	0
KFC #W812092	39 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	YPSILANTI	02/21/2013	0	0	1
KFC #W812127	4040 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
KFC / TACO BELL	502 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/26/2013	1	0	4
KOOLIES ICE CREAM	HURON VALLEY PRISON-3201 BEMIS	YPSILANTI	02/07/2013	0	0	1
KOSMO	407 N. FIFTH AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	1	4
L.O.O.M. YPSI LODGE # 782	5506 STONEY CREEK ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/14/2013	1	1	1
LA CAFE'	7120 DEXTER-ANN ARBOR RD	DEXTER	02/07/2013	0	1	1
LAB	505 E. LIBERTY STE 300	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	0	0	1
LE DOG/DOBOS INTERNATIONAL	306 S. MAIN ST., SUITE 1E	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	1
LEO'S CONEY ISLAND	3644 CARPENTER RD, SUITE A	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	3
LIGHTHOUSE COFFEE CO.	9 W. MAIN STREET	MILAN	02/28/2013	1	0	1
LIVE, THE LAST WORD DBA	102 S. FIRST STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	1	2
LOS AMIGOS	625 HILTON BLVD.	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	0	2
LUCA'S CONEY ISLAND II	2469 WASHTENAW AVE.	YPSILANTI	02/11/2013	1	5	0
LURIE TERRACE	600 W. HURON	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	0	1
MACY'S	700 BRIARWOOD CIRCLE	ANN ARBOR	02/01/2013	0	0	0
MANCHESTER UNITED METHODIST CH	501 ANN ARBOR STREET	MANCHESTER	02/21/2013	1	0	0
MANCINO'S PIZZA & GRINDERS	1323 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/13/2013	0	0	0
McDONALD'S	2675 PLYMOUTH ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	1
McDONALD'S #3086	7847 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/06/2013	0	0	4
McDONALD'S #7790	101 BAKER ROAD	DEXTER	02/22/2013	0	0	4
MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT	4775 WASHTENAW AVE	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	5
MEDITERRANO	2900 S. STATE STREET #7	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	1	0	1
MERCY'S RESTAURANT	300 S. THAYER	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	0	1
METZGER'S GERMAN RESTAURANT	305 N. ZEEB ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
MIKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT	106 S. FIRST STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/04/2013	0	0	1
NEW CHINA	6889 STATE RD., STE D	SALINE	02/21/2013	0	0	0
NO THAI! 2	226 N. FOURTH ST.	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	1	0
NOODLES & COMPANY	320 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	2
OCED SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM	7714 ANN ARBOR (@ COPELAND)	DEXTER	02/07/2013	0	0	1
OLGA'S KITCHEN	3399 PLYMOUTH RD	ANN ARBOR	02/21/2013	1	1	1
OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE	3173 OAK VALLEY DRIVE	ANN ARBOR	02/20/2013	0	0	0
PALM PALACE - PITTSFIELD	2370 CARPENTER RD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	3	2	8
PANERA BREAD #876	3205 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/12/2013	0	0	0
PEA POD INN	330 ECORSE ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/12/2013	0	0	1
PEABERRY BEAN & BEATS COMPANY	152 BARKER RD	WHITMORE LAKE	02/20/2013	0	0	0
PILARS TAMALES	2261 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	1	0
PITA KABOB GRILL	619 E. WILLIAM	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	1	0	0
POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS, LLC	3785 WASHTENAW AVE	ANN ARBOR	02/04/2013	0	0	0
POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS, LLC	300 S. STATE STEET	ANN ARBOR	02/25/2013	0	0	0
PRICKLY PEAR CAFE	328 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	5
PRIMO FITNESS CENTER WCC -FITNESS CENTER	4833 EAST HURON RIVER	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL	2252 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/27/2013	0	0	0
RAVE MOTION PICTURE	4100 CARPENTER ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/12/2013	0	1	8
REAL SEAFOOD	341 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	3
RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS	3797 CARPENTER ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/05/2013	0	0	0
RICK'S AMERICAN CAFE	611 CHURCH STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
RIO WRAP	1334 ANNA J STEPP	YPSILANTI	02/05/2013	0	0	1
ROMANO'S MACARONI GRILL #141	3010 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	0	2	1
ROY'S SQUEEZE INN	2283 ELLSWORTH ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	1	0	2
RUB BBQ & PUB AT ANN ARBOR	640 PACKARD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
SALINE INN	434 E. MICHIGAN AVENUE	SALINE	02/04/2013	0	0	0
SAMOSA HOUSE	1785 WASHTENAW	YPSILANTI	02/25/2013	0	0	0
SCARLETT JR HIGH SCHOOL (Vending)	3300 LORRAINE	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
SILVIO'S ORGANIC PIZZERIA	715 N. UNIVERSITY STE #2	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	0
SMOOTHIE KING # 555	222 N. FOURTH AVE	ANN ARBOR	02/08/2013	0	0	4
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHURCH	2150 FRIEZE AVENUE	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
ST. PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH	420 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	0
STARBUCKS COFFEE #2359	222 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	0
STARBUCKS COFFEE #8793	300 S. MAIN STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	0
STUCCHI'S	302 S. STATE STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	1
SUBWAY	1478 ECORSE ROAD	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY	1094 HURON RIVER DRIVE	YPSILANTI	02/27/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY	3384 WASHTENAW	ANN ARBOR	02/27/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY	2410 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/06/2013	0	0	1
SUBWAY	3395 PLYMOUTH RD.	ANN ARBOR	02/26/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY	1315 S. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	02/08/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY @ WAL-MART	2515 ELLSWORTH RD.	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	0	0	2
SUBWAY SANDWICHES & SALADS	902 S. STATE ST.	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
SUBWAY/PILOT TRAVEL #021	750 BAKER ROAD	DEXTER	02/04/2013	0	0	0
SUSHI.COM	715 N. UNIVERSITY	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	1	0	0
TACO BELL #1938	2280 W. STADIUM BLVD	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
TASTY GREEN CAFE	100 N. 5TH AVE, STE 125	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	0	0	0
TIAN CHU	613 E. WILLIAMS	ANN ARBOR	02/22/2013	0	0	3
TOWER INN CAFE	701 W. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	02/27/2013	0	0	5
UGLY MUG CAFE, YPSILANTI	317 W. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	0	0	1
UMI SUSHI	3393 PLYMOUTH RD SUITE 200	ANN ARBOR	02/20/2013	0	0	0
UPTOWN CONEY ISLAND	3917 JACKSON ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
VARIETY FOODSERVICES	BORTZ HEALTH CARE	YPSILANTI	02/21/2013	0	0	0
VICTORIOUS LIFE CHURCH OF GOD	860 E CLARK RD.	YPSILANTI	02/19/2013	0	0	0
WAFEL SHOP, THE	113 E. LIBERTY ST.	ANN ARBOR	02/28/2013	0	0	0
WASHTENAW MILK & ICE CREAM	602 S. ASHLEY	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
WENDY'S	1655 PLYMOUTH ROAD	ANN ARBOR	02/19/2013	0	0	0
WESTSIDE UNITED METHODIST	900 S. SEVENTH STREET	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0
WHITMORE LANES INC & CONEY	9455 MAIN STREET	WHITMORE LAKE	02/28/2013	1	0	0
WURST BAR (THE)	705 W. CROSS STREET	YPSILANTI	02/22/2013	0	0	8
YOGGIE'S FROZEN YOGURT	535 E LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/07/2013	0	0	0
ZAMAAN CAFE	3580 PLYMOUTH RD	ANN ARBOR	02/13/2013	0	0	0
ZINGERMAN'S MAIL ORDER	610-640 PHOENIX DR.	ANN ARBOR	02/14/2013	0	0	2
ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH	1501 W. LIBERTY	ANN ARBOR	02/05/2013	0	0	0

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I had driven by Roy's Squeeze Inn so many times, but never managed to stop in. That's too bad, because it offers wonderfully friendly service, good food, and amazing prices. Thus, it is today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

I ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich, pictured above, for $3.70. It was the size of a large burger, and — I was very pleased to find out — came topped with the coleslaw so that it wasn't necessary to place an extra order to put this together myself. I also wanted to see how generous the side dishes were, and found that the curly fries were a perfect single serving at $2.15. If you're just in the mood for a salty snack, they're ideal.

Craig chose the Quarter Cheese Squeeze burger that cost $3.70, and paired it with onion rings that also made for a nice-sized single serving, if you were to order them alone, for $2.20.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Vegetarians will have to make do with the side dishes, from potato wedges to fried mushrooms, as well as the options listed above. Carnivores, however, will be able to eat very well for very little money. "Sandwiches," as the menu calls them, range from hot dogs to ham sandwiches (with or without cheese) and also a chicken sandwich; prices range from $1.30 to only $4.

And then there are the burgers, from Little Squeeze sliders costing a mere $1.15 each to the half-pound Big Squeeze for $4.95. You can also add toppings — extra cheese, crispy bacon, jalapeno peppers, grilled mushrooms, coleslaw, or chili — for as little as 40 cents and as much as $1.50.

So sort through the various permutations and eat very well at Roy's for less than $5!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Roy's Squeeze Inn
1315 E. Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
734-485-3999
Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m.- 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

For $4.50, you can get two good-sized portions of spinach pie plus a 24-ounce soda. The pie was not what I'd expected; I'd presumed there would be a lot of doughy crust and a tidbit of spinach. But I was very happy to find a very generous layer of spinach layered within flaky phyllo dough. This was a nice vegetarian meal.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

The menu isn't extensive, but Backroom Pizza offers fast food and good quantities of it for very little investment. And while there are no tables — it's mostly a "grab 'n' go" kind of place that caters to students on campus. There is a small counter along the wall where you can stand and eat if you're not taking your meal with you.

Be forewarned that Backroom Pizza only accepts cash. But it won't take a lot of your money to get a quick, substantial meal.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

Backroom Pizza
605 Church St.
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
734-741-8296

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The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.

Goldsmith's partner is Tia Hoffman. She says Goldsmith's background as a Zingerman's employee and a former day trader in New York perfectly complemented her experience running several coffeehouses in Indiana. Hoffman says the emphasis at The Wafel Shop is purely on preparing excellent waffles with wholesome, locally-sourced ingredients. "We use nothing boxed. We don't even own a freezer," she said. She expects this restaurant will be a draw for one simple reason: "People love waffles."

The Wafel Shop occupies the former Cafe Japon on Liberty, and the owners have put their own youthful stamp on the interior, painting the walls a bright orange and adding some seating capacity. The place now seats 16. In addition to the few aluminum tables and chairs (which are a bit too hard for comfort) there are counters with high stools in front of a window looking onto Liberty and by the cashier.

Owners of The Wafel Shop are attempting to bring the Belgian version of hand-held street food to Ann Arbor. It's waffles and nothing else but coffee drinks, teas and hot chocolate. There aren't even any bottled waters in sight, and they have yet to offer juice.

The latte I ordered was frothy and full bodied. The teas offered are varieties of the organic Rishi tea. I tried the ginger and, though it was the standard tea in a bag, it was high quality and made for a flavorful hot drink.

There are two types of waffles to choose from: the liege, described as dense and chewy, and the Brussels, intended to be crispy, with a fluffy interior. I couldn't detect much difference between the two, except that the liege tasted slightly sweeter, likely due to the Belgian pearl sugar; and it was a bit smaller than the Brussels. Both tasted delightful.

Toppings fall into categories of fruit, spreads and syrups, chocolate, nuts and protein. Bacon is the only item in the protein section. Peanut butter, which is full of protein, is in the "spread" category.

My daughter ordered her Brussels wafel topped with strawberries, whipped cream and Nutella, which proved to be a great combination. The whipped cream was clearly fresh. My son topped his Brussels wafel with blueberries and chocolate chips. All the fruit we sampled was sweet, fresh and flavorful, with produce from Frog Holler. My son's observation, which I thought was accurate, was that it's difficult to keep the toppings within the little squares of the waffle. They tend to slide off, making for a messy and less satisfying eating experience. Incorporating the toppings within the waffle batter instead of just sprinkling them on top might make for more interesting and tasty waffles.

My waffle was the best of all we ordered, a liege topped with bacon, along with fresh, whole almonds (they were out of pecans) and maple syrup. The bacon was thick, crispy and amazing, but I still don't think it was worth the wait. After waiting roughly 20 minutes for my son and daughter's waffles, I was told the bacon would take an additional 10 to 15 minutes. It took longer than that, and I had to wait 40 minutes for the waffle. (A server offered to refund my money.) On my second visit, I noticed an ample supply of cooked bacon behind the counter, so hopefully that issue has been addressed.

The next time around, I tried the liege waffle with the biscoff topping, made from cookies. The hot waffle caused the spread to melt. I thought this spread tasted very much like graham crackers, making this resemble a sort of waffle s'more, absent the marshmallow. It was heavenly, so sugary it could easily qualify as a dessert or sweet snack.

I was skeptical of how peanut butter would taste on a waffle, but I decided to give it a try, pairing it with pecans on a Brussels waffle. It was actually quite good, and a bit more healthful (if not low calorie). The pecans, like the almonds, were plentiful and served in big chunks. Unlike my first visit, where the servers clearly were overwhelmed with the crowd, they delivered these two waffles in a reasonable amount of time.

The big question is the niche that this restaurant will fill and whether people will flock to a place that serves just waffles. With this in the dessert or snack category, I'll be curious to see if this becomes popular, as the waffles aren't substantially different from what you would find at popular breakfast destinations around town. Still, the place was bustling on a noon weekday, so perhaps the novelty will work, especially with the college crowd.

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Julie Halpert reviews restaurants for AnnArbor.com.