AnnArbor.com News - Category: Food & Drink

The Lunch Room does vegan food in a way that even non-vegans can enjoy

2013-09-11T10:40:33-04:00

With the publication a couple of years ago of the epic vegan tome Veganomicon and more recently Mark Bittman's VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6pm to Lose Weight and Restore your Health, vegans (i.e. people who abstain from using animal products) are gaining ground in numbers and in national conversations around food.

Since the August opening of a brick-and-mortar location in Kerrytown after years as a popular food cart, now Ann Arbor has its second 100 percent vegan restaurant with The Lunch Room.

Continue reading The Lunch Room does vegan food in a way that even non-vegans can enjoy...

Syl's mandel bread

2013-09-11T08:00:00-04:00

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

You say "biscotti," I say "mandelbrot."

According to Wikipedia: "The Yiddish word mandelbrodt literally means almond bread." But not every version contains almonds; the term has simply come to encompass any variety of the traditional treat that's baked as a log, sliced, and then baked again to crisp each individual cookie a bit.

I've been going through Craig's late mother's recipes, and particularly focusing on the handwritten ones (such as the family favorite Helen's Apple Cake). Craig's father, Sid, says that some of those recipes come from several generations back, though he unfortunately doesn't particularly know which ones were passed down from which relatives.

But that doesn't matter so much as knowing that these are a legacy. And the treats prepared from these treasured family recipes are ones that Craig would have enjoyed when his mom baked them, as they were both noted for having a sweet tooth.

Craig's Aunt Syl, his mother Helen's twin sister, seems to have been a particularly noted baker. And her recipe for mandelbrot - Anglicized to "Mandel Bread" - is excellent. I've prepared a lot of biscotti and mandelbrot in my many years of baking, and this one is absolutely the easiest to mix, to shape, and to slice that I've found. The finished cookies aren't too crisp, either, as some variations on this treat require dunking rather than merely being enhanced by a dip into coffee or wine; these can be eaten "as is."

And, best of all, the mandelbrot taste really great, too!

Continue reading Syl's mandel bread...

Ann Arbor Art Center A2 Art & Brew coming on Sept. 26

2013-09-10T14:07:01-04:00

Visual arts and the art of brewing will both be on display in Ann Arbor on Sept. 26 at the Ann Arbor Art Center's first A2 Art & Brew. Six local artists and six area microbreweries are teaming up for this Art Center fundraising event.

The concept is similar to the Ann Arbor Art Center's annual Artini Martini crawl. Ticket holders will meet up at the Art Center before dispersing to six different downtown beer purveyors to sample brews, food and art specifically created for the event.

Continue reading Ann Arbor Art Center A2 Art & Brew coming on Sept. 26...

Brandied apple coffee cake for Yom Kippur

2013-09-10T08:00:00-04:00

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

This Apple Coffee Cake is an ideal sweet treat to enjoy while breaking the Yom Kippur fast on Saturday night. Prepared ahead of time, ready to slice and serve, this uses several variations on the apples traditionally offered at the holiday to usher in a sweet new year: apples themselves, applesauce, and apple juice.

After the night and day of fasting, introspection, study, and resolution during the Jewish Day of Atonement, gathering with family and friends to share a nosh is a lovely tradition. An array of dishes - nothing too heavy, of course - is offered, from salads to sweets. And this cake - which was described by one person as "amazing" - is ideal to serve.

It would also be great for a Sunday brunch, or to welcome friends and family who gather together before heading off to the football game. A perfect baked good for fall!

I brought the cake to work, to share it with my friends. I explained that I'd cobbled together several trusted recipes along with a few new ideas, but that I'd never made a coffee cake this particular way before. The response from the first taste tester?

"Do it again."

Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

Continue reading Brandied apple coffee cake for Yom Kippur...

Last chance to vote for the Ann Arbor area's best brewery

2013-09-09T13:00:08-04:00

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

We're on the hunt for the Ann Arbor area's best brewery, and you've got just a few hours left to let your opinion be known.

Jolly Pumpkin has a growing lead, with Arbor Brewing not too far behind. The battle for third is where the excitement is with Corner Brewery, Wolverine State Brewing, Original Gravity and Chelsea Alehouse seperated by only a handful of votes.

Continue reading Last chance to vote for the Ann Arbor area's best brewery...

September Tabouli - feel free to customize with seasonal veggies

2013-09-09T04:13:43-04:00

September Tabouli

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

The dinnerFeed web site links to great

summer grilling, salad and chilled soups!

To receive my lastest dinnerFeed posts
by email, sign up here.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on what makes a good tabouli.

Continue reading September Tabouli - feel free to customize with seasonal veggies...

Locally-grown food, drink and music on the menu at annual HomeGrown Festival tonight

2013-09-07T12:00:00-04:00

People try different types of tomatoes at the tomato tasting during the fifth annual Home Grown Festival at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market in 2012.

Previous coverage: Sixth annual HomeGrown Festival Saturday, Sept. 7 celebrates delicious regional foods

The sixth annual HomeGrown Festival, a community event celebrating the best of the region’s locally-grown food, drink, music and more, runs Saturday evening at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.

Continue reading Locally-grown food, drink and music on the menu at annual HomeGrown Festival tonight ...

Dining in the eye of the hurricane - 5 places to eat out during the U-M-Notre Dame game

2013-09-06T15:03:00-04:00

Knights Steakhouse

Even if you don't have tickets to Saturday's Notre Dame game under the lights, every Ann Arbor resident knows that you have to plan your day around the massive influx of traffic and football revelry.

For most of us, it means hunkering down and watching the game from the comfort of our living room, but it doesn't have to be that way.

"We are passing on the game and instead have reservations to eat downtown in the 'eye of the hurricane' at 8:00," wrote my friend Jim on Facebook.

While it's true that making your way across town before or after a Michigan football game is next to impossible, the truth is that once those 107,500 people have taken their seats and the game has kicked off, the rest of Ann Arbor gets eerily quiet.

Continue reading Dining in the eye of the hurricane - 5 places to eat out during the U-M-Notre Dame game...

Frugal Friday at La Casita Taqueria - hearty dishes won't break the bank

2013-09-06T08:00:00-04:00

Shrimp Quesadilla.

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!

My friend and fellow AnnArbor.com contributor Peggy Lampman wrote to me awhile ago to let me know that "La Casita Taqueria has amazing value — I had a shrimp quesadilla for $2.50 that sent me to the moon."

Well, that was all the recommendation I needed. A trusted palate and a referral to a place that meets our mandatory Frugal Floozie Friday budget of $5 per person...? Off I went!

Gordita Al Pastor.

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

So, of course, I ordered the shrimp quesadilla that had set Peggy's heart so a-flutter. A freshly fried, hot, crisp shell filled generously, it was very hearty all by itself, especially when paired with the chips and salsa basket that the waitress had brought to the table. To fill out the $5, I also ordered a gordita: a "Round Crispy Corn Tortilla Filled With ... Fresh Shredded Lettuce & Cheese." The Al Pastor — marinated roasted pork — cost $2.25. It was so much food that I actually had leftovers for the next day.

The tacos range in price from $1.69 (Al Pastor, Carne Asada, Carnitas, Chorizo, Lengua/Tongue, Chochinita/Pork) to $2 for Tripe. Pambazos — "Mexican Bun Filled With Your Choice of Meat & Drowned in Special Red Mild Sauce" — cost $4.50-$4.75, with fillings from chicken to pork to beef.

La Casita also offers breakfast, served with beans and rice, with platters costing $4.75 for eggs with a variety of accompaniments (chorizo, ham, vegetables). And you know dessert is always important! For $3.50, you can choose from Tres Leches Cake, Flan, and rice pudding.

For a wide variety of frugal and hearty options, La Casita Taqueria is a great find!

Mary Bilyeu | Contributor

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Aunt Pat's Quinoa Cereal - superfoods for a super start to your morning

2013-09-06T04:34:30-04:00

Quinoa Cereal is a Breakfast of Champions

Peggy Lampman | Contributor

I don't pay much attention to recipes on health food sites written by some 20-year-old, bronze-brushed, bikini-clad, roller-blading pixie stick, who thinks a Dutch oven is what Heidi uses to bake pies in Amsterdam.

Continue reading Aunt Pat's Quinoa Cereal - superfoods for a super start to your morning...

Volunteers needed for Saturday's HomeGrown Festival

2013-09-05T14:15:00-04:00

The sixth annual HomeGrown Festival — a celebration of what's beautiful, delicious, and amazing about our region — is two days away, and organizers are looking for a few more helpful food-loving volunteers.

Laura Meisler, one of the festival organizers, says that much like the name of the festival would suggest, HomeGrown is all about grass-roots community support.

"Each year we have over 200 volunteers work to set up, run and clean up after the festival, and we have a blast in the process," said Meisler. "I think the best-kept secret about HomeGrown is how much fun it is to be behind the scenes."

A scene from the 2012 HomeGrown Festival.

AnnArbor.com file photo.

Continue reading Volunteers needed for Saturday's HomeGrown Festival...

Ann Arbor food & drink calendar for the week of Sept. 5-12

2013-09-05T08:24:56-04:00

Today
Coney Dog and Root Beer Float Night. 5-8 p.m. American Legion Post #419, 9807 Whitewood Road, Pinckney. $1.25 per Coney dog. For more information call 734- 878-9522 or 734-341-4249.

Farmers Market Vendor Highlight Series. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Growing Hope Center, 922 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. Get tips and advice from some of your favorite local growers from the Ypsilanti Farmers Markets, Nightshade Army Industries and Dyer Family Organic Farm. The event includes tasting samples. $15; scholarships are available based on financial need by sending a message to getintouch@growinghope.net. Registration is at www.growinghope.net or 734-786-8401.

Pittsfield Township Farmers Market. 2-7 p.m. every Thursday June 13 through Oct. 10. Pittsfield Township Administration Building, 6201 W. Michigan Ave., Pittsfield Township. Pittsfield Township will begin hosting a Farmers Market at the Administration Building at the corner of Michigan and Platt. Pittsfield is fully supportive of a Michigan-based product Farmers Market with a focus on providing fresh produce and vegetables, meats, cheeses, eggs, hams, salsas, and bread products from local area farmers. The Pittsfield Farmers Market is a member of the Michigan Farmers Market Association. No admission charge; price of purchases. www.pittsfield-mi.gov.

Continue reading Ann Arbor food & drink calendar for the week of Sept. 5-12...

Vote for your favorite Ann Arbor area brewery in our search for Michigan's Best Brewery

2013-09-05T07:00:00-04:00

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

We asked and you answered. The nominations are in for the best brewery in the Ann Arbor area, and now it's time to put it to a vote.

AnnArbor.com and MLive are teaming up to find the best brewery in the state of Michigan, and you can imagine that the competition is fairly intense. Craft beer is a booming business in Michigan, and the Washtenaw Country area is well represented with a significant list of high-quality brewers.

Continue reading Vote for your favorite Ann Arbor area brewery in our search for Michigan's Best Brewery...

Celebrating the late summer harvest with heirloom tomato and burrata salad

2013-09-05T05:59:00-04:00

Heirloom tomatoes, fresh burrata cheese, basil and frizzled shallots make up this perfect late summer salad.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

When tomato season is in full swing, I have a difficult time convincing myself to eat anything else. A fresh, ripe, funky-looking heirloom tomato puts most other foods to shame. It’s sweet and tangy and so very, very good.

I’ve been incorporating tomato and basil into many of my meals, from layering it between slices of toast and fried eggs to eating it solo with just a little bit of salt and pepper as a dinner side.

By far my favorite tomato preparation this year has been a simple tomato and burrata salad, a slight variation on the insalata Caprese.

Continue reading Celebrating the late summer harvest with heirloom tomato and burrata salad...

The Week in Beer: It's the time of the season

2013-09-05T05:58:00-04:00

Fall is coming and with it, some monster beers.

David Bardallis | Contributor

You may have noticed a change recently. Not in the weather necessarily, but perhaps in the taps of your local barroom or the shelves of your favorite retailer. Pumpkin beers. Oktoberfests. Brown ales. The sure signs of fall may be a wee bit ahead of the elements, but they portend shorter days and cooler nights ahead. Best to get out and enjoy the dwindling days of fun in the sun while you still can. Here's where to go and what to do, courtesy of your latest Week in Beer.

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