arts & life books History A Taste Of Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer Gail Offen John Milan 36 January 5 • 2017 G ail Offen grew up in Southfield but regularly ate at Ann Arbor res- taurants — sometimes more than one in a day. She was introduced to the college town’s culinary fare by her late uncle Morton Lesser, a foodie who liked lots of mealtime company. Early on, Offen sampled egg- rolls at Kosmo in Kerrytown, chowder at Monahan’s, barbecue at DeLong’s, the salad bar at Afternoon Delight, a limeade and grilled pecan roll at Drake’s — all generally topped off with an ice cream cone at Miller’s. Devotion to the city’s res- taurants remained fun when Offen attended the University of Michigan and worked at Pizza Bob’s in the late 1970s, then a hippie hangout with loud music and staff-customer banter. She got into the act as new pie com- bos and sandwiches were invent- ed and given funny names. “I became known for my triple fudge milkshakes that were per- fect for late-night munchies,” she says. “Pizza Bob’s was and still is an iconic Ann Arbor restaurant.” These days, Offen hopes to become known for her new book, Iconic Restaurants of Ann Arbor (Arcadia Publishing; $22.99), written with Jon Milan, a friend and co-author of an earlier col- laboration, Grand River Avenue: From Detroit to Lake Michigan. There are 107 restaurants referenced and joined with 120 pictures — all introduced by Ari Weinzweig, an owner and found- er of Zingerman’s, a purveyor of Jewish style-dishes that have left fans salivating across the country. The book can serve up back- ground for foodies getting ready to indulge during Ann Arbor Restaurant Week, Jan. 15-20. There will be bargains for diners and proceeds for Food Gatherers, which provides needed staples PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Take a culinary journey through Ann Arbor in a new book — just in time for the city’s Restaurant Week. in Washtenaw County. There also will be a book presenta- tion Jan. 19 by the authors visiting Literati Bookstore. “I was looking for informa- tion on Drake’s, a wonderful comfort food place, but couldn’t find a book covering it,” Offen explains about the impetus for her culinary project. “While thinking somebody should write that book about Drake’s, I found the idea snowballing into the notion that somebody should write about a lot of these restau- rants in Ann Arbor.” Offen, nominating herself, ABOVE: Drake’s Sandwich Shop was a longtime favorite that stood along North University for more than 60 years — famous for fresh-squeezed limeade, great sandwiches, fountain service and the fabulous Martian Ballroom, upstairs. Drake’s menu, circa 1936, is from the col- lection of Gail Offen.