Epic Portions

Category: Ann Arbor

  • Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery – Part Deux

    Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery – Part Deux

    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.

  • Trader Joe’s, I Love You.

    Too often in this world we don’t get a chance to tell those we care about how we feel until it is too late.  Well, I’m not going to let that happen to me!  Trader Joe’s, you are awesome and I love you.  From your delicious trail mixes, specialty beer, three buck Chuck, pre-cooked chicken sausage (amazing), sauces and desserts, to the way you rip off my iPod every time I shop there. The last two times I went there TJ’s was piping in Radiohead and Bob Marley.  When was the last time you heard Radiohead at a grocery store?

    TJ's never leaves me High and Dry.

    As for delicious food, I would specifically like to speak about several different TJ’s specialties that have won my heart.  For an appetizer, start with Trader Joe’s Horseradish Hummus and Trader Joe’s Pita Chips.  Combine these two and life is grand.  I had never found a horseradish hummus before I first spotted it at TJ’s and have seen it nowhere else since.  Too bad?  Not really, because no one could do it as well as TJ anyway.

    Trader Joe's Horseradish Hummus

    What better way to wash down horseradish hummus than beer?  TJ’s has a wonderful beer selection, but I usually get Trader Joe’s Bavarian Hefeweizen. 

    TJ's Hefeweizen

    Delicious and refreshing, I have yet to wear this out and move on to another of TJ’s beer offerings, but no doubt I eventually will.  And that one will be great as well. 

    Finally, I have to say a word about the greatest sandwich cookie known to man or beast.  The Joe-Joe.  Joe-Joe’s would be best described as similar to an Oreo, but some of the greatest minds in cookie engineering have made a better cookie. 

    Joe-Joe's. Eat and squawk loudly.

    The tops of the cookies easily peel away if, like my son, you enjoy removing the top of the cookie and eating the crème filling.  Oreo has not mastered this trick and it is still possible to break your Oreo (especially if you are six) when you try to unscrew the lid.  Unforgivable.  Joe-Joe’s also have about as much crème as a Double Stuff Oreo, so they are more robust on top of their superior engineering.  TJ’s offers them in three flavors:  vanilla cookie with vanilla crème filling, chocolate cookie with vanilla crème filling, and my favorite, chocolate cookie with chocolate crème filling.  They used to offer a chocolate cookie with a peanut butter filling that was incredible but it has been discontinued.  I never received a satisfactory answer as to why they did this, but years ago I sent a dead fish wrapped in newspaper to TJ’s Corporate HQ and feel better about the whole thing now.  Ain’t no time to hate.  Amazing how the sending of a dead fish washes away the anger…

    I plan to have a segment in the future called “Jeremy and Trader Joe’s Semi-Homemade is better than Sandra Lee’s.”  In that feature I will show how you can make a healthy and delicious dinner for a family in 20 minutes (suck on it Rachael Ray) using products purchased at TJ’s (except for shallots, which I use a lot and TJ’s does not carry.)  I often say that we here at Epic Portions have the most intelligent readership on the web, and most of you have brains and know how to combine pre-made ingredients.  I don’t think I’m some kind of genius, but since cooking duties are mine every night I appreciate a simple, healthy meal that tastes good, the kids like, and saves me a little time and effort.  Contrary to popular belief, making dinner every night with a six year old and a one year old roaming loose in the house is not the easiest thing in the world.  If my time savers can help anyone with similar duties and keep them from watching Sandra Lee than I have done something positive.  And I promise, no tablescape bullshit.

    So there it is, TJ’s.  It doesn’t matter if you feel the same about me, or that your cashier made my daughter cry, I still love you.  Maybe next time I’m there you can dim the lights and play some Barry White.  I can’t get enough of your horseradish hummus, babe.

  • Cafe Marie – Ann Arbor, MI

    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.

    Cafe Marie on Urbanspoon