Epic Portions

Category: Food Reviews

  • Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery – Ann Arbor, MI

    Blue Tractor | Photo by Ann Arbor Chronicle

    If I had one complaint about the food in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area it would be that there are no legit BBQ joints.  I really can’t think of one place in the area that specializes in BBQ, aside from Smoke House Blues which is pretty so so.  Zingerman’s Roadhouse comes close, but it features a lot more than BBQ and costs a pretty penny.  When I found out that the Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery was opening up in Ann Arbor, I couldn’t wait to visit and see if my wishes were answered.  How do you survive without good BBQ within driving distance?  How has this area, which has pretty much any kind of food you could ever want, existed without BBQ?  The guys who brought you Grizzly Peak and Cafe Habana have come to our rescue.

    This is a definite Southern style place. From Carolina BBQ to fried green tomatoes, it screams down home deliciousness.  The atmosphere of this place is pretty nice. It’s a cozy, trendy, dark little pub with that Southern flair (unfinished wood paneling, random tractor paraphernalia on the wall). There are giant casks of beer above the bar that help add to the rustic feel.  I’d say there are probably only about 20 tables in the entire restaurant.  I’ve been to some of the better BBQ joints down South, and the Blue Tractor is obviously trying to emulate that atmosphere while adding a modern feel.  It works to a point, but doesn’t exactly trick you into thinking you’re not eating in downtown Ann Arbor.

    My meal began with the soup of the day, which was a Chicken Corn Chowder.  This wasn’t anything incredible but it was a pretty tasty soup.  I wouldn’t rush to order it again, but it definitely wasn’t the worst soup I’ve ever had.

    Chicken Corn Chowder

    There are a lot of good looking appetizers to choose from, but we went with the Artichoke Dip, which is made with Swiss cheese and served with fry bread.  This dip looks exactly the way it tasted.  Delicious.  It was a lot heartier than your average artichoke dip and will fill you up before you get your dinner if you’re not careful.  A lot of the appetizers look like they have potential, but I have to recommend this one.

    Artichoke Dip

    For dinner one of the obvious choices is the Beer Can Chicken.  If you’ve never had beer can chicken, you need to stop reading this right now and figure out a way to get yourself some.  Basically you stick a chicken on top of a half filled can of beer with some added seasonings, throw it in the oven, and the steam from the beer moistens and adds flavor to the chicken.  Blue Tractor slow cooks a free range chicken over the beer can, chargrills it, and bastes it with Bock barbecue sauce.  It’s served with a side Bourbon baked beans and buttermilk mashers.  This is some serious food porn.  The chicken comes perfectly cooked, and the barbecue sauce is plentiful.

    Beer Can Chicken

    While I was looking around the menu a lot of items caught my eye, but none more than the Buffalo-Style Mac and Cheese.  I know I’m at a BBQ restaurant and everything, but I couldn’t turn this down.  It’s made with a blue cheese sauce, chicken cooked in red hot, and topped with chives.  What I got blew my mind.  I seriously couldn’t start eating for a few minutes because I didn’t want to disturb such a beautiful sight.  Thankfully I bring a camera with me to restaurants and I can now savor this image forever.  This isn’t your everyday mac and cheese.  If you can finish this entire bowl in one sitting, then you get some major respect from me.  The blue cheese sauce is incredibly rich, and the chicken is spicy and delicious.  I couldn’t help but mix the chicken and the hot sauce in with the macaroni and create a big sloppy mess.  Good god this was delicious.

    Buffalo Style Mac and Cheese
    Buffalo Style Mac and Cheese

    They also brew all of their own beers in house, but it was lunch time and my drinking problem hasn’t reached that level yet.  I will for sure be making another visit and will give them a try then.  As far as the food goes, I have to recommend the Blue Tractor to anyone who likes BBQ or just good food in general.

    Blue Tractor BBQ & Brewery on Urbanspoon

  • Aubree’s Pizzeria and Tavern – Ypsilanti Township

    Aubree's Ypsilanti Township Location

    Aubree’s is a long time institution in Ypsilanti, my adopted hometown. The original establishment graces Depot Town, a wonderful little strip of restaurants and bars just a mile down the road from Eastern Michigan University. Eventually Aubree’s added other locations, two in the Ypsilanti/Ann Arbor area and one in Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, near Northern Michigan University. This review will focus on their Ypsilanti Township/Whittaker Road location.

    Built a few years ago, Aubree’s Pizzeria and Saloon fits nicely into the strip mall a mile from my house. Their pizza was rated top 25 in the Metro Detroit area, and while I would dispute that I would agree that they make a serviceable pie that they should be proud of.

    This particular location has a couple flaws that are evident right away. The bar is ringed with 32” tv’s and while this may at first seem like a good thing it is just too busy. Your eyes are drawn to them and cannot look away. If they brought in a designer from Vegas or Atlantic City, they would tell them to tone it down, it is overwhelming. If this wasn’t bad enough, several booths contain small tv’s as well. From where I was sitting, I could see no less than seven tvs on a quick glance to the left. All of which were showing different content, from ESPN, to poker, to NTN and even cartoons. The smaller tv on the other side of the restaurant has keno playing on it, and I can tell you from experience that it is impossible for a six year old to look away. The art of conversation is lost at this place. You may as well go there prepared to watch tv while you eat, and save conversation for later. As far as ambiance is concerned, Aubree’s misses the mark.

    The second flaw, although a minor one, is the choice of music. Every time I go there they are playing the same “best of the 80’s” satellite radio channel. Look, I grew up in the 80’s and know all the songs they play but I can tell you that while fun on occasion 80’s music is not what any restaurant should be playing exclusively. If you like listening to Def Leppard or REO Speedwagon while you eat, dive in, you have found your home. If anyone from Aubree’s reads this, please, expand the musical horizons.

    Fortunately the food helps take your mind off the overstimulation and overdose of Bananarama.

    Beginning with appetizers, I usually go for the hummus as it is quite delicious and my six year old son likes it as well. Served with pita bread, carrots, and celery, their hummus is a little heavy on the cumin, a little light on the garlic; a perfect interpretation if you ask me.  Overall a great prep for the gastronomic olympics that are to follow.

    Let’s begin with the pizza. This particular evening we ordered a thin crust (which I am partial to) and I also ordered a Chicken Caesar Wrap with their specialty salt-thyme fries and ‘bayou sauce” which I will get into later. First, the pie:

    Aubree's Thin Crust

    For starters, they got the crust just right. Perfect thickness (or thinness, as it were) for a thin crust, crunchy and delicious. No special flavoring, but that is ok if they are going to cook it to a perfect crunch. The tomato sauce lacks any real robust flavor, there is nothing wrong with it, but it lacks pizzaz. I would prefer a hint of oregano or basil, but it is pretty conservative fare. As for cheese and toppings, again, this is an operation that knows its pizza and is not going to make amateurish mistakes. Perfect amount of both and a pleasing flavor but again, nothing that screams best pizza in the area.  Overall a workman-like effort, a well constructed pizza that while tasty fails to aspire to boldness.

    The Chicken Caesar wrap, pictured below was another story. Their Caesar dressing was outstanding, not too garlicky with a nice tang. It comes in a whole wheat wrap which looks suspiciously like a whole wheat tortilla, but I’m not complaining. Too often a caesar wrap will come in a flatbread that overwhelms the whole sandwich.

    Chicken Caesar Wrap with Salt-Thyme Fries

    Along side the wrap comes Aubree’s own salt-thyme fries. While the use of thyme and potato is a solid combo, I felt they used too much and needed to ease up a bit. On the side I ordered their bayou sauce. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was overall a disappointment. While it came strong with the heat, it lacked flavor. While I appreciate the effort and am glad that it is legit as far as the spicy quotient is concerned, I will say that in the future I will probably pass on paying the extra $2.99 for the bayou sauce.

    The saving grace for this particular location is the friendly and attentive service. From management to the waitstaff, I have always found Aubree’s to be top notch. I suppose that if listening to 80’s music helps foster this, I’ll put my collar up, wear my ripped jeans and rock out to Asia.

    Overall, Aubree’s stature as an Ypsi institution is well founded. Their Ypsi Township location, while bombarding the senses with busy tv’s and 80’s music, still holds its own with a pretty solid pizza and better than average sandwiches and burgers. La Fuente, which is located in the same strip mall, is a far better culinary experience but if you are not in the mood for Mexican, Aubree’s will certainly suffice.

    Aubree's Pizza on Urbanspoon

  • Taco Bell Beefy 5-Layer Burrito

    I have a system when I go to Taco Bell.  Some might call this the J.O.H.N. system, but I can’t come up with any words that make sense to fulfill that acronym so actually no one calls it that except for me.  I like to order a few different courses like I’m eating some fancy meal.  I usually start from the $.89 menu options, such as pintos and cheese or perhaps the 5 layer nachos.  I then progress to the middle of the road items such as 1/2 lb cheesy potato burrito or a cheesy bean and rice burrito.  The main course comes after that, usually consisting of a chicken quesadilla or a grilled stuft burrito.  I like to keep it fresh with variety, never ordering a burrito for all three courses.  That would get real old real fast.

    The beautiful part about the J.O.H.N. system is that Taco Bell is aware of my frequent boredom with the same menu items.  This is why they frequently come up with new menu items to freshen up my courses.  The best is when they debut a new $.89 cent item, because the cheap items don’t switch up too often.  Most recently, they came up with the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, which consists of the Taco Bell hall of famers and nothing more. No fancy Baja or avocado ranch sauce in this burrito. They stick with only the classics.  It’s like the Mexican pizza of burritos, except people might order them that aren’t over the age of 40.


    Beef, beans, cheese and sour cream, all wrapped in a tortilla that’s covered in another tortilla, but not until they smother the in between area with nacho cheese.  How perfect is that?  $.89 cents for all of that?  In these harsh economic times, this has to be the perfect fast food menu item, as well as a perfect option for my “appetizer” course.  This has increased my Taco Bell intake by at least 325% over the last few weeks.

    I would like like to reiterate that that actual burrito is wrapped in an additional tortilla that has been smothered in nacho cheese.  Seriously, who thought of this?  I hope they have been promoted or at least given some sort of medal of honor.  Not only does the additional tortilla help hold in the ingredients, BUT IT HAS MORE CHEESE!  NOT JUST THAT SHREDDED CHEESE, BUT NACHO CHEESE!  I apologize for the caps, but it’s an idea that has me excited about eating.  Look at this picture!  Amazing!

    So to the team that developed this burrito and to Taco Bell in general, Epic Portions salutes you for perfecting an appetizer perfect for the J.O.H.N. system, and creating one of the best Taco Bell menu items of all time.  I am excited to be a part of it.