New on Blue Tractor’s menu… 1/2 lb patty topped with pulled pork, bacon, smoked cheddar, and fried jalapeño chips.

I need this.  That’s in bold because I really need it. Add this to the list of things you will see me eat very soon.

I love Jerusalem Garden’s lentil soup.  It’s like having a bowl of heaven and each bite is full of angels. That actually incredibly sacrilegious and even disgusting, but I swear there’s no other way to describe the taste.  It’s incredible.  I’m currently in talks with several companies about obtaining bowl big enough to fill with lentil soup and bathe in it. Photographic documentation will follow.

Me and Coco aka That Guy aka co-host of the Coco and Warhammer Show went over to Bagger Dave’s for some burgers the other day. There’s one right down the street from our work and I had never been, despite hearing mostly good things.  Apparently this location is one of three, with all of them being Michigan based.  A guy who owns a bunch of Buffalo Wild Wings decided he wanted to open a gourmet burger joint in Berkely a few years ago with the hopes that it would catch on and become a chain.  Not a bad idea.  With the exception of the obvious hole in the wall burger joints, Michigan lacked any kind of gourmet burger establishment until Five Guys started moving in recently.  With the two additional Bagger Dave’s locations being added since 2008, it looks like the idea is working so far.

Before I walked in I was expecting a mostly carry out based burger joint.  The place is actually more of a sit down restaurant(100+ seats) with a pretty solid(mostly local) beer selection.  There’s flat screen TVs and a mini train set that constantly runs around the top perimeter of the restaurant.  It doesn’t really have the feel of a burger joint, but it’s a comfortable, yet different, environment.

"Amazingly Delicious" Turkey Black Bean Chili

I started off with the “amazingly delicious” turkey black bean chili, mainly because of the whole “amazingly delicious” proclamation.  If you’re going to say something on your menu is that delicious, then damnit it better be.  I’m not usually a “substitute turkey for other meat” kind of guy, but like I said, the menu says amazingly delicious.  I had to put it to the test.  Gotta say, stuff is legit.  I can usually tell when things are made from turkey.  It just has a weird taste to me.  This was delicious, and had a good amount of spice.  Despite the fact that a bowl is $4.00+, I would have to recommend that you get some of this before your burger.

Create Your Own Burger

For my burger, I felt that there was no other choice for me than to create my own.  There are a many options on the actual menu, but come on.  How much fun is that?   The thin patties start out in the open kitchen at 3.5 ounces — one costs $3.29 and two $4.29 (turkey burgers are a dollar more) and come in a plain, sesame or whole wheat roll or sourdough bread. For 75 cents you can add one of six kinds of cheese, and for $1 you can add on “premium” topping of fries, fried egg, guacamole, bacon or that delicious turkey black bean chili.  Bagger Dave’s also offers 16 “meaningless free toppings” that range from ketchup and lettuce to sautéed mushrooms, Cajun spice and green peppers.

The burgers are advertised as hand-crafted from lean ground beef that is never frozen.   The burgers are all cooked medium-well, which is always troubling to me.   The result is a smaller patty that was actually a little dry for my tastes. I felt like the condiments and add ons made the burger, not the actual patty.  I feel like if you’re opening a restaurant that specializes in burgers, your patty should stand out even without a single condiment.  These didn’t.

I will say that my creation, with a hell of a lot of toppings, was absolutely delicious.  I went with a plain bun and two regular beef patties with pepper jack cheese, Santa Fe chipolte sauce, a fried egg, applewood bacon, mayo, and Cajun spice. Like I said, the beef is pretty average but the slop on top made it into a solid burger.  Check this guy out.

Not anything amazing, but pretty solid.  Expect to pay about 12 bucks per person if you’re getting a drink, fries/chili, and a burger.  A little steep for burgers and fries, you’re getting a lot more than that if you’re creating your own burger.

Since I am currently in the middle of an intense boycott of Tios’ Mexican Cafe, there has never been a way for me to share with the readers who do not reside in Ann Arbor the absolute horror that is their food.  That ends now.  Some poor soul went and paid $10.00 for one of their world famous* wet burritos and snapped a picture of it.  (thanks uchian)

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Tios’ Mexican Cafe’s world famous* wet burrito.

World Famously Terrible

Now all we need is for the Ann Arbor location to go under.  Hmm, wonder if they’ll blame the new location going out of business on Ann Arbor’s economy like they did after the Ypsilanti one closed.  It couldn’t possibly be that the food is awful.  No way.

If you’re unfamiliar with my hatred for Tios Mexican Cafe, I urge you to review the battle archives.

• Tios – A Rant (May 13, 2009)
• Tios Recieves a Good Review???? (August 5, 2009)
• Dear Tios, You Suck (November 20, 2009)
• Tios.  Torn Down. (December 9, 2009)
• Tios.  Torn Down.  Part 2.  (December 29, 2009)
• Mission Accomplished (March 23, 2010)

* – denotes bullshit

A few months ago I caught some hell for going to Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery in Ann Arbor and ordering the Buffalo Mac & Cheese over some actual BBQ.  I felt that I owed it to people to actually try the ‘que and report on it.  Here you go, complainers.

Since January, I’ve been back to Blue Tractor twice and haven’t been disappointed either time.  The food has been solid both times and the only real bitch I have had was that that sweet tea was a little sub par, which isn’t a big deal because the alternative is their delicious selection of beer that is brewed in house.  I had a pint of their IPA and a pint of the Bock, which were both very drinkable.

They give you a little rack of three sauces, a vinegar based sauce, tomato based sauce, and a Texas style sauce.   I’m a Carolina style vinegar sauce man myself, but the other two were definitely acceptable on my table.  If you’re a BBQ joint you HAVE to leave me more than one flavor of sauce for my disposal.  If not, your BBQ is dead to me.

If I had one more bitch it would be that they don’t have any kind of combination options.  Most BBQ joints give you the options such as a half slab of ribs and pulled pork with your choice of two sides.  Everything at Blue Tractor is set for you, with one ‘que option and restaurant designated sides.  I was incredibly disapointed to learn that a side of Mac & Cheese is $5.00.   This needs to be changed!  I need options, damnit!

The last time I went I decided to go with the beef brisket.  It just seemed right.  Brisket is very close to my heart and I figured this would be the perfect way to find out if the place was legit or not.  The brisket is braised in the vinegar sauce and served over buttermilk mashed potatoes.  The meal also comes with seasonal vegetables.  It’s sliced very thin so you can’t get much taste of whatever rub they use, but the tenderness of the meat is perfect.  The beef literally melts in your mouth and requires very little chewing.  The amount of fat on the beef was perfect, as well.  All in all, solid work on the brisket.  The buttermilk mashed potatoes, unfortunately, were average.  If you’re going to make buttermilk mashed potatoes you’re obviously not attempting to make anything healthy, which means they should be rich and delicious.  These fell a little flat.  The seasonal vegetables were blah, but I’m not much of a “seasonal vegetables kind of guy”.  Give me some baked beans or something.  Come on now.

Beef Brisket from Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery

..and for those of you who are like me and get tears in their eyes at the sight of a good smoke ring…

Smoke Ring/BBQ Porn

Check them out.  For Ann Arbor, it’s good BBQ that’s very affordable.  You’ll probably pay a little less than half of what you would pay at Zingerman’s Road House.

I would like to note that they share a kitchen with Cafe Habana, a Cuban restaurant next door that is owned by the same people.  That’s really funny to me.

On May 25th, 2009 I attempted to eat Bella Italia’s 30″ meat lovers pizza and failed miserably.  Looking back on the attempt,  we did fairly well, but our preparation was lacking.  We decided to give it a try the day of, and our stomachs weren’t even completely empty.  You may remember the end result looking something like this..

Well, I can’t let this embarrassment stand.  I need to go back and complete their current challenge of a 30″ pizza with a 30 minute time limit.  The beautiful part of this is I can bring two partners with me.  I would like to bring two Epic Portions readers with me to attempt this challenge. We will arrange a date and time when we can go in, and you will be a part of the glory, a post on Epic Portions, and a write-up on AnnArbor.com.  I will cover the entry fee, but it’s free if when we finish the pizza.

Comment here, e-mail me, talk to me in person, or however else you want to get ahold of me.  If I don’t know you, I need some proof that you’re a serious eater.  I can hold my own but I doubt I can finish the entire thing.  Get at me before Sunday and I will announce the team on Monday.

When it comes to breakfast, I’m a diner or family restaurant kind of guy.  My parents, however, are fancy pants breakfast kind of people.  My Dad has one criteria for a breakfast establishment and it’s that they serve fresh squeezed orange juice.  They could serve him burnt pancakes and a bowl of raw eggs, but if they came with a juice of fresh squeezed, pulpy orange juice he’s there.  Cafe Marie is my parents’ favorite breakfast spot, mostly because of that fresh squeezed orange juice.

Cafe Marie in Ann Arbor doesn’t exactly qualify as a breakfast “joint”, so I’ve never been much of a fan.  The food is pretty solid, but it just seems like a little too much for me.  Specialty coffees?  Salmon scramble?  Pecan pancakes?  Come on.  This is the kind of place where when you order a juice, they bring it to you in a “2 drink” sized glass.  Apparently, Cafe Marie supports dehydration.

Like I said before, the food is definitely solid.  Don’t get me wrong, I can’t hate on the Huevos Hermosos, which is chorizo sausage, jalapenos, and tomatoes, scrambled with eggs and covered in cheese.  It’s actually pretty delicious.  The chorizo may be a little bland, but the actual dish has a ton of flavor.  Problem is it costs $7.85 and comes with exactly what you see below.  Well, minus the “Potato and Cheese Avalanche” in the bowl over top.  That’s an extra $3.25.

Bottom line is Cafe Marie serve up some very good food, but it’s just a little too much when it comes to breakfast.  If you’re looking for some morning eats in a spot that is both a little fancy, but still casual, then it’s perfect for you.