Mary Bilyeu, Contributor

On New Year's Eve, my BFF Wendy and I decided to have dinner at a place that we hadn't been to for quite some time: The Heidelberg, an Ann Arbor institution and today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.

We were bidding "Good riddance" to a wretchedly bad year and wanted to imbue 2012 with all of our very best hopes and wishes and dreams for happiness.  So we ordered food that was indulgent and celebratory.

The cheesy, bacon-topped decadence pictured above is a plate of the German Potato Skins, which are served with a strong (but not overpowering) garlic sauce. Rather than finding the usual potato beds stuffed with fillings, these are closer to being roasted potatoes inundated with generous quantities of all the goodies.

At only $7.99, this is an excellent Frugal Floozie Friday deal; it could easily have made an entire meal for two, and would be a great dish to split among four friends and enjoyed with a soda. This falls well within the mandatory $5 budget per person, as do all of the restaurant's appetizers.

Our entrees were well over that price range, so I'll spare you the temptation of seeing them; they were quite good, though, and so large that they provided us with dinner as well as with the next day's breakfast.  Let's just move right along to another Frugal Floozie Friday option — sharing dessert with a loved one.

The Heidelberg's desserts are $6 each, which places them outside of our budget for individual servings.  But they are so rich that, truly, you could split them — sharing both the joy and the calories — and not feel at all deprived.

Our server, Travis, who was utterly charming (Wendy and I had notions of playing yenta and fixing him up with her daughter, since they're both interested in international economics and are studying Chinese), presented us with an astounding tray of sweets to choose from.  He smiled brightly while leading us into temptation though, really, we didn't need much nudging to find our way there all by ourselves.

Wendy couldn't decide between the carrot cake and the Key lime cheesecake.  So, given that she planned to start training for the Detroit Free Press Marathon once the new year officially began, she decided to provide herself with some incentive to run... she ordered both.

Atta girl!  Both selections were rich and moist and sublime.

I paid no attention to most of the offerings because I had already eyed one which featured chocolate and caramel and creaminess — the Snickers cheesecake. And yes, it was as luscious and decadent as it looks!  Snickers plus cheesecake... is there any way to go wrong with that?  It would be a perfect treat to share with a date, sighing happily together as you enjoyed it.

The Heidelberg was warm and welcoming, with very friendly service.  Wendy and I had a grand time there, sending 2011 on its way and happify-ing ourselves for the new year.

The Heidelberg

215 N. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-663-7758




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Mary Bilyeu writes about her adventures in the kitchen - making dinner, celebrating holidays, entering cooking contests ... whatever strikes her fancy. She is also on a mission to find great deals for her Frugal Floozie Friday posts, seeking fabulous food at restaurants on the limited budget of only $5 per person. Feel free to email her with questions or comments or suggestions: yentamary@gmail.com.

You should also visit Mary's blog — Food Floozie — on which she enthuses and effuses over all things food-related.

The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured in this post) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers - when you come to visit here, may you always be happy.