Tag: review

Tuptim Thai Cuisine – Ypsilanti, MI

Pretty much every city has a road that contains the majority of their restaurants. Sort of a central eating location, if you will. For Ypsilanti, that road is Washtenaw ave. This stretch used to be home to mostly fast food and local breakfast joints, but it has recently made the transition to mostly ethnic cuisine. The fast food remains, of course, but the rest have become Chinese restaurants(and grocery), and Mediterranean cuisine. All of these places are serving some pretty solid food, but the best food is being served by a small Thai joint housed in a building that obviously used to be a Long John Silver’s. I can guarantee you that this is the best food ever to be served in a Long John Silver’s location.

Tuptim Thai Cuisine has been at this location since 2002, and is serving some of the best Thai food I’ve ever had. Upon entering, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Very elegant, in the “designing on a budget” sort of way. It contains about 20 or so tables, which are frequently full, but you will always have plenty of space to enjoy your meal. Usually the waitresses are doing front of the house duties along with taking care of the customer needs, but they notice newcomers almost immediately. For the most part the small staff is friendly and helpful.

The menu is easy to understand, clear and descriptive. Plenty of choices, with a clear direction and interesting flavor profiles. They offer five different types of curry, many different appetizers, soups, salads, and your entrees, which include vegetarian and meat dishes, can be ordered with rice or noodles, and your choice of steak, chicken, pork, tofu, or shrimp. Finally, you can order any dish mild, medium, or hot. Trust me on this one, if you don’t like spicy stick to the mild. The hot is for real spice lovers, but still allows you to enjoy the taste of the food. When most people think of Thai, spice immediately comes to mind. Tuptim offers you that spicy option, but the mild dishes contain great flavor which can be enjoyed by people who don’t like a little burn.

The food tastes incredibly fresh and always contains unique flavors. You can tell a lot of care has been put into the preparation and the recipes. Many of the dipping sauces are oil based, but the food is not greasy or oil slicked. Every dish is beautiful garnished, and contains enough food to fill you up for the night. Not quite Epic Portions, but you’ll never leave the place hungry.

For starters, the Steamed Dumpling are very decent. Tiny pockets of pork filling, reminiscent of a pot sticker. It is served with your choice of a ginger chili oil vinaigrette. This is my go to appetizer, but any appetizer will offer a great start to your meal.

My go to dish is the chicken with cashew nuts, which is prepared with garlic, onions, fresh peppers, and scallions. I have ordered other entrees, but this one is so good that I usually can’t get myself to order anything else. The sauce is an interesting combination of sweet and spicy. Most Asian style dishes rely on a Hoison sauce base, but this just tastes different to me. In a very good way.

My mother, who accompanied me on this visit, ordered the chicken with spicy basil sauce, which is prepared with fresh basil, garlic peppers, and onions. This is a little more simple, allowing the taste of the basil to shine through. The basil is not very spicy, as advertised, but she chose to order it mild.

November 25, 2009
Woodbridge Pub – Detroit, MI

Put together a meat lover like myself and a vegan like Stephanie, and it gets a little interesting when we want to go out to eat. This past Saturday, we decided to head to Detroit to see Dan Auerbach at the Majestic Theater and required dinner and drinks before the show. Going to concerts on an empty stomach just isn’t an option for me. In fact, doing anything with an empty stomach isn’t for me. Normally in Detroit the obvious choice is either Mexican Town or Greek Town. Not an option anymore for this couple. Gotta find a place that has respectable veggie dishes. In our search for a joint with good food and beer we came across the Woodbridge Pub, which promises vegan friendly eats and quality beer. This place came through, for sure.

On the way, the neighborhood looked a little sketchy after we got off the freeway. The thing about Detroit is you can be in a very nice area, make a wrong turn, and you’ll find yourself right in the middle of the ‘hood. Turns out this place is in a pretty good area right on Trumbull av. across from Wayne State University. The Pub looks great from the outside. Huge windows on the front of the building make this place look very inviting, which is what Detroit really needs more of. Walking in, you notice the decor right away. It’s obvious the owner has really put a lot of time getting the place looking completely unique. The bar is all recycled hard wood from an old church, while the rest of the place is a collision of new materials and salvaged goods from other buildings throughout the Detroit area. It has all of the prerequisite amenities: the recycled materials, the awesome bar, good food, affordable beer, art showcase on the walls, and a TV. It’s only been open since September, but it has the comfortable feel of a place that I have been going to for years.

The menu had a nice range of items for both meat eaters like me and for Stephanie who only eats the green stuff. It focuses on salads, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and burgers, and offers a good variety of flavors to choose from. Before dinner, I had to grab a pint of locally brewed Ghettoblaster. From there we moved onto a bottle of house wine, which is only $10 after 5:00 PM on Fridays. Not bad stuff.

For starters I decided to go with the queso fundido dip which was pretty basic blend of cheese and chorizo, which happen to be two of my favorite things in the world. It turned out to be a very rich and delicious dip which came with tortilla chips from Mexican Town. A bit much for one person, but I’m not your average eater.

Stephanie had been looking forward to trying one of their vegan soups, so she was excited to see the harvest grain and portabella soup. From what we could tell, this a potato and vegetable broth based soup with lentils, corn, carrots, and chunks of portabella. Beyond that, it was a mystery to us. Honestly, this was some of the best soup I’ve ever had. They’ve really succeeded in creating a hearty soup using all vegan ingredients. It’s become our mission to try and re-create it. We’re currently plotting to break in and steal the recipe. Maybe writing that on a public forum isn’t a good idea.

For dinner I had to go with one of the pizzas which come on a 10″ extra thin crust. I said before that I was looking for meat but the artichoke, spinach, and brie just looked too good to pass up. There’s just something about creative uses of brie cheese that gets me every time. This pizza was solid, but not great. Definitely a good amount of food for one person, but it was missing something(chicken). The crust is good, the brie tastes fresh, the spinach was a little light, and the artichoke hearts were tasty. They drizzle a garlic infused olive oil over top which adds a little extra taste, but I think a little fresh garlic on top would’ve worked well.

Stephanie went with the “Stevers McFever” black bean burger, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite non-meat dishes. This was by far the most interesting black bean burger I have ever seen. The huge patty is surrounded by two giant pieces ciabatta bread, and topped with avocado, marinated tomato, caramelized onion, and a balsamic glaze. The combination of the bread, the vegetables, the spice of the patty, and the sweetness of the glaze really created an incredible flavor. I’ve only been eating black bean burgers for a few months now, but I will say that this is the best I have had. There may be a credibility issue here, but you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

It’s nice to find a gem like this in Detroit, especially one this accessible. I’ve written before about all of the great food in the city before, and this is a perfect example of it. Not only can you find great bars, authentic eats, and entertainment, but also a friendly neighborhood pub or two. Woodbridge Pub definitely gets a recommendation from me.

November 13, 2009
Blimpy Burger – Ann Arbor, MI

Every town should have a great burger joint, and I am in no way referring to gourmet restaurants that have decided to begin offering their version of a burger, all gussied up with exotic toppings or ingredients.   Sometimes gourmet burgers are pretty simple, but most achieve “gourmet” status by using things like aged cheddar from Vermont, aged beef from Scotland or Japan, and ciabatta buns from some local bakery. Others just pile on the fixins: avocados, artisanal bacon, blue cheeses, washed-rind cheeses, weird aiolis, relishes and chutneys, greens and microgreens, pestos, wasabi, herb and spice blends, Spanish and Italian charcuterie, pineapple, ostrich, buffalo, moose, and roasted peppers are the stuff of gourmet burgers. Thanks but no thanks Bobby Flay, I’ll take my burger without the habanero mango chutney with green chiles.

You know this place is legit just from the burger "Open" sign.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger, which should be the only thing listed after “burger joint” in the dictionary. No fancy meat or gourmet bullshit, just great burgers with your normal fixings.   Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger is an Ann Arbor institution. It’s been there since 1953 and regularly gets “best burger” awards in any respectable local poll. It’s the food and the atmosphere that make Blimpy’s what it is. If you’re a fan of burgers, or local color, you won’t want to miss this joint. If it looks familiar, it’s because it was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Thanks Guy Fieri, for douching the place up a little bit.

What they’ve got is burgers made from freshly-ground beef, fixed a million ways (more, actually–someone did the math) and also a variety of vegetable side dishes based on the concept of “If You Deep Fry It, It Will Be Tasty.” Blimpy’s has its own ordering system which you’re sure to screw up at first, but enduring the gruffness is part of the experience. When you get there, go to the end of the line. Get your desired drink from the cooler, and get a tray. if there are two of you, get two trays. Study the menu, knowing that a single burger is not enough for a normal person. A double may not do the trick either. When I say study the menu, I mean if you order improperly you will be told. On a cell phone? Expect to have something thrown at you. If you’re a Blimpy virgin, here is your complete guide to ordering your burger. This is important, so read carefully.

1. First, you’ll want to grab a drink from the cooler, or as of late, get a cup and fill it up at the fountain (Coca-Cola and Coke products are exclusively available here).

2. After getting your drink, grab a tray. Even if you’re 6 years old and can’t see over the counter. I’m serious. Also, do not share a tray. One per person. You’ll be asked for your selection of items from the deep fryer, I suggest fries or onion rings.

3. Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for: ordering the burger; now pay attention here.

This is how you order your burger: State the number of patties you’d like (1-5, with it costing a dollar extra for each one after that), the type of bun you’d like (plain w/ or w/o seeds, or an onion, kaiser, or pumpernickel roll), and if you’d like anything grilled. DO NOT MENTION CHEESE, yet.

But there’s more explaining to be done than just this. First of all, the patties are quite small. Ordering just one isn’t even allowed, unless you’re under five. A double is a good amount for some, generally younger kids, ages 5-8, but everyone’s different. Triples are the most popular, but in my opinion the quad or the quint is the way to go. There’s not any explanation needed for the bun, and as for grilled items, people have varying tastes. Grilled items include onions, mushrooms, banana peppers, bacon, egg, and salami. Shifting back to the ordering process, although you now know the format of an order, it’s quite discourteous to the over-worked Blimpy staff to slow up while you’re ordering. Everything else is very fast-paced, so the ordering should be too. For instance, you shouldn’t say, “Well…I guess I’ll have a burger with some onions, and um…a regular bun, oh yeah, and make that a triple.” It’s not that that isn’t a correct order, it’s just too drawn-out. A good order would be, “I’ll have a triple, regular bun, onions grilled.”

4. As the burger is almost done being grilled (and this is entertainment in and of itself), you’ll be asked what kind of cheese you’d like. There are quite a few selections, american, cheddar, swiss, provolone, blue, and feta.

5. After this, you will be asked for your condiments. Start with the wet stuff first (mayo, mustard, ketchup) then anything else you’d like (lettuce, pickles, tomato, olives, peppers, etc.) Don’t just say you want everything because you probably don’t. Then, finally, you are ready to feast upon one of the best burgers you will ever have.

In my opinion, these burgers rank with some of the best in the country. Period. The key to understanding their burger is to take a step back and look at where you are at. You are on a college campus in a burger joint themed as a 50’s diner. Is the service friendly? No – it is not supposed to be. Service is designed to be efficient and it works when people order correctly. Are the burgers healthy? NO. It is a burger that is cooked on a griddle so yes there will be some grease!   But do they taste good? Absolutely and without question. Why do they taste good? Simple – high quality ingredients and a fabulously seasoned griddle top. The ground western chuck is ground daily on site. You are not going to get fresher burger meat anywhere and the flavor shines through, so much so that people have thought that they cut the burger with ground pork because it is so flavorful. The fresh bun selections are incredible, and the onion roll is as good as you can get anywhere. The variety of cheeses is equally impressive. The veggies are fresh, the brownies and cookies are homemade, the thick cut french fries are perfect for vinegar dipping, and the onion rings and fried zuchini are near famous.

My personal favorite is a quint, which is 5 patties, topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, with ketchup, mustard, and mayo all on a kaiser bun. I didn’t say it was the healthiest, I only said it was my favorite.

The way a burger should look

Napkins required

This picture brings tears to my eyes.

Remember when I said that the fries are thick cut? I wasn’t lying.

I'm still trying to figure out where they get the giant potatoes for these things

October 21, 2009