Wednesday, August 27, 1969
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Rage Five
Wednesday, August 27, 1 969 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
entertainment
cinema
Ann Arbor bars:
The great Flood's
The cheapie peepies
Hlavinig a Party at Mir. FlIood's
-.food
Dining out:
The desert
There are approxinately three
good restaurants in Ann Ar-
bor. There also are some res-
taurants where you can be sure
you won't get food poisoning
and might even come olf with
a decent meal. But the rest of
the local eateries both literally
and figuratively stink.
All the local restaurants can
be subdivided by category as
well. There are pizza places,
German places, Chinese places..
most of them pretty bad.
So The Daily staff has pool-
ed its collective centuries of Ann
Arbor eating experiences into
this guide to dining in the area.
EXCELLENT: The nearest ex-
cellent restaurant is some 20
miles away in Brighton. The
Canopy has a state-wide repu-
tation for great food, and the
prices aren't too overwhelming
for what you get But you have
to have a car - and reserva-
tions as well - to go there.
GOOD: Best in town is a lit-
tle, recently-opened place on
main Street, Chez Crepe. The
menu is limited --after all, it
is a creperie but everything
is excellent (the corn souffle
crepe, for example, and t h
chef's salad dressing, a white
French). Only problem is that
portions are fairly small, al-
though the prices are relatively
low.
Hidden away in the count ris
another good restaurant, The
Lord Fox on Plymouth Road,
which specializes in seafood. It's
a high-class type restaurant all
the way around, including
prices, but it's also worth go-.
ing to, which is something for
these parts.
A third good place to eatais
Leo Ping's, with Cantonese food
New Yorkers in town say it.
compares with New York Chin-
ese fare, which they claim is the
best there is.
FAIR: You can get a passable
meal at any of several spots.
Manikas Sir-Loin Restaurant.
on Main Street offers some
good and some fair dinners at
moderate prices. They have a
nice fairly inexpensive "small
steak" dinner, and they'll throw
in a free wine cocktail as an ap-
petizer for the of-age set.
The place with the most d-
ceptive reputation in town is
Weber's, which many people
seem to think is something spec-
ial. It isn't. It's really a gla-
morized. more exensive Holi-
day Inn with prices steppedi tp
to match.
Holly's at the Inn is a pas-
able restaurant with American
food. Prices are reasonable, and
yotu get a nice selection o r-
lishes and appetizers rais
with the meal.
Newest in town is the Ambas-
sador, in the Statler on State
Rd. The food is just so-so, like
most of the other restaurants of
this type in town.
Blaise's in the new Sheraton
downtown is another one of the
group, this time with a cultiva -
ed atmosphere, Supposedly the
giant hamburgers are pretty
good. The Sheraton also offers
English-style dining at t W
Room at the Top.
In two locations, Bill Knapps
is the kind of place that you
either hate or love. Unfortun-
ately for Bill, lots of people hat e
it - as many as like it. so
you're pretty much taking a
chance. The food is standard
American, from greasy f r i e d
chicken on.
For fair, moderately priced
food, the Frontier Beef Buffet
will usually do. The food isn't
kosher corned beef sandwich or
chicken matzoh ball soup. Who
knows, maybe they'll reopen.
There are three German res-
taurants in town, Metzger's, Old
Heidelberg, and Old German.
If you like German food, they're
line.
Also passable, maybe even
better, is the Apartment, on
top of Huron Towers Apts. The
steak dinner for $5.95 is fairly
good, but the atmosphere is
fairly bad.
Expensive and mostly med
iocre for dinner, Clint Castor's
Village Bell on South Univer-
sity is rapidly gaining a reputa-
tion lot a great luncheon buf-
fet at reasonable prices.
Castor's famous Pretzel Bell
downtown has that college rah-
rah atmosphere and the sand-
wiches are good for lunches.
Dinners aren't much, though,
but the Bell regulars make the
best of it with huge steins of
beer.
Charcoal House on State St..
is not too bad at all-it may
have the best hamburgers in
town, although larger meals are
only mediocre.
On East Liberty is Thanos
Laamplighter, another stop for
lair food. Luncheons are sup-
posed to be good here.
MIEDIOCRE: So far, in case
you haven't noticed, most of
these places have not been on
campus, The campus eateries
tend to be terrible.
The Brown Jug on South Uni-
versity Ave. has decent hot
turkey sandwiches and chocolate
cake when it's not stale. Also,
their Irish Hills Club Sandwich
is good when they have it --
about once a week, But the ham-
burgers can be disastrous, anid
the bulk of the food is just plain
grea-.
PJ's, on South University and
on State St., is really pretty bad,
except lot' the strawberry short-
cake, But they hav° a terrible
gravy they insist on burying
all meat in-maybe because the
meat is bad too. They offer all
kinds of hamburgers, from
oliveburgers on, but they're only
fair at best.
Best Steak House on State
St. is just like you find every-
wher'e-- that groovy little $1.49
steak, whose quality varies
wildly. Good luck.
Harry's, on Maynard St., is
much like the Jug, except a
little wotse.
The Cottage Inn Pizzeria on
.East William, should just make
pizzas. The only other thing
wort'h touching there is the
hot fudge sundaes: everything
else is awfuil.
At the Virginian, on State St.
service is bad, and food, they
say, worse.
The Wheel on South Uni-
versity may be the worst place
in town, although competition
is fierce. The South U restaur-
ant used to offer a worse ver-
sion of the same greasy fare,
but it closed.
Despite the Iris B e 11 Ad-
venture, the food at the plush
Rubaiyat just doesn't match
the entertainment. Once a top
eating spot, the fancy Rubaiyat
is now just pretty bad.
Bimpy's, home of the Blimpy
burger, has become a West Quad
standby. Not because the ham-
burgers are good - they aren't
. but because you don't have to
walk very far
Out Washtenaw is 'Friar
Tuck's Pantry. The place looks
nice, but the food --- all of it -
is abominable.
.l ,_ . C . _A"t .- ii . .., a ...f ..A
tage Inn. All you can do is try
all three and decide which is
least unappetizing.
SPECIALTIES: The best you
can get in town are ribs from
DeLong's pit barbecue. Eat 'em
there, or have them delivered,
but try them. At two bucks, one
of the best bargains in town.
For ice cream specialties, iMl-
ler Farms on South University
is tops. They have many, many,
flavors, and sundae fantasies of
all shapes and kinds.
Lucky Jim's fish and c h i p s
(pickup only) can also be a real
treat. They come wrapped ' in
real English newspaper, too, and
with vinegar for the chips,
Submarine sandwich fanciers
can rely on Pizza Loy and Dairy
Joy on State St. The pizza is
good toop, but it's pickup only.
Breakfast lovers should try
Angelo's, on Catherine St., a
favorite of the medical center
crew. Servings are bountiful and
prices low on breakfast specials.
Steve's Lunch, on East Jef-
ferson, is another good place for
big, inexpensive breakfasts, and
fairly decent, inexpensive meals,
A nice place to go and sit
with friends is Dominick's, on
East University. The pizza and
sandwiches are all right, and
you can sip a hot chocolate or
coffee forever.
Great for sandwiches, soup
and bagel's is Mark's Coffee
House on East William. Try the
poor boy, the homemade soup,
By DREW BOGEMA
A special Daily investigation into the redeeming qualities of
local bars has revealed that Ann Arbor is rapidly taking on a two-
tone character - those who frequent Flood's and those who go
elsewhere.
Mr. Flood's Party opened in Ann Arbor early this summer, the
product of the joint efforts of Buddy Jack and Ned Duke, veteran
Ann Arbor hipsters who despaired of the all-too-similar nature of
most Ann Arbor bars. And, its peculiar allures brought an imme-
diate, booming response from experienced Ann Arbor bar-hoppers
who craved atmosphere, low prices and the ever-present diversity
of freakdom, hipsters, and free-floating elderly spirits.
At Flood's, one finds such a spiritual harmony, such a broth-
erhood, such a communal happiness as to make its expanding clien-
tele swear off any other establishment in town. On any given night,
one will find Flood's tripping on love, rock, gaiety, jazz, mirth,
country and western, widespread contentment in spite of occasional
blues. It also fosters a quantity of business that makes Matt Chut-
ich (Bimbo's) or Clint Castor (Pretzel Bell-Village Bell) cringe
with envy.
True, the old favorites continue to thrive, although if Flood's
expands into the neighboring Union bar (which is currently up for
sale) their attitudes could change from peaceful coexistence to out-
and-out hostility.
The Town Bar boasts of a soul-shaking jazz trio and a racial
harmony that brings Ann Arbor's students and black ghetto resi-
dents together, producing warm hopes and dreams for a future so-
ciety. Schwaben's is still alive one night a week (and sometimes
two or three) with hard rock, but everyone knows it's only a way
station between Flood's and the Town.
Bimbo's makes it with the frat rats, sorority chicks. and aspir-
ing professionals along with their always painfully evident, obnox-
ious middle-class clientele. Peanut shells litter the floor, and pizzas
burn in the oven as deafening dixieland pours forth from the Gas-
lighters.
A few years back, consensus had it that a good time was avail-
able at Bimbo's, but Kerry Price and Rich Bloch left, Pat De-
Loughery had a stroke, and while John Teachout still packs a damn
good trombone and banjo, the trumpet, honkey-tonk piano, and
tuba generally drown him out.
The Pretzel Bell is swell for the truly collegiate types in our
midst and tradition-minded elders who love to purchase a pitcher
and stare at framed artifacts of past Michigan athletic glory,
thereby avoiding the guilt of noting the racial quality of the bus-
boys and kitchen help.
The Village Bell on South University has as its only attractions
carpeted ceilings and a proximity to studentdom that draws the
collegiates who are too lazy to go downtown.
The Golden Falcon has been known to feature a worthwhile
rock band or jazz group, although its prices are oriented more to-
ward the affluent suburbanite or pretension- tripping redneck than
the impoverished student.
The Rubaiyat swings with Iris Bell at piano, along with a
really good bass and drums. The Liberty Inn has a pool table, a col-
or tube, and a ladies room.
At Flicks, the Del Rio, Twentieth Century, Varsity, or Star
Bars one sees the elderly alcoholics crush themselves with defeat
and futility every evening around eight. One can watch Sheriff
Doug Harvey cavort at the Old Heidelberg and Old German, and
still, allegedly, thoroughly enjoy oneself if inclined to ethnic en-
tertainment. As for the Flame, it has a jukebox and a peculiar
clustering of homogeneity.
If you're uptight about race and uncomfortable with white-
racist-inspired-black-belligerency, don't go to Clint's C 1 u b, the
Derby, or Wonder Bars. After all, everyone knows this is where
blacks collect who have a habit of strangely eyeing white, middle-
class, honkie cleanliness. But if your hair is long, your feet are bare,
and you harbor a calm, joyous, loving personality you may learn
to pass chittlin's test.
As for Fraser's Pub, the Village Inn, the Waterfall, the Ra-
mada Inn, and the Fireside Lounge, one will have,to visit without
this crude subjectivity. Reputedly, however, they cater to the bour-
By NADINE COHODAS
You don't have to be rich to
see a movie in Ann Arbor, even
though three of the four major
theatres in town charge a cool
$2 admission.
Some spots will let you in for
-are you ready-only 75 cents
or maybe even 50 cents. (And
although once in a while some
places may ask a whole dollar
there is also an occasional free
flick sponsored by University
Activities Center or some other
student group.)
The bargain movies are pretty
good, Last year, A Thousand
Clowns and Alfie went for 75
cents, and Tom Jones and Wait
Until Dark came in at 50 cents.
The cheapie peepies are es-
pecially good for foreign movies,
that win critical acclaim but
don't make it at the good old
American box office. These
films are often hard to find
even for people who want to see
them. Cinema Guild, in Archi-
tecture Aud., last year made
available many of these films,
like Woman of the Dunes and
My Name Is Ivan.
Cinema Guild, along with
Cinema II in Aud. A of Angell
Hall, offer films for the 75-cent
budget, Cinema II concentrates
on recent films, especially those
rapidly becoming classics in
their own time, like Blowup.
Cinema Guild has many foreign
films, of course, and throws in
lots of American classics, from
Forty Second Street to Birth of
a Nation.
Cinema Guild also puts on a
number of festivals each yea',
devoted to a top director like
Godard or a top actor like Bo-
gart or maybe just a special
medium, like science fiction.
Cinema Guild runs movies
Thursday through Saturday all
year long with some specials
sandwiched in in the earlier
part of the week. Cinema II is
less industrious and shows films
only on Friday and Saturday
and once in a while on Sundays
for the movies in great demand,
like Blowup.
There is a regular method for
going to either Cinema Guild or
Cinema II. You and your date
usually get in line either at 6:30
p.m. for the 7 p.m. show or by
7 p.m. to buy aticket for the 9
p.m. show. Then, you calmly
saunter back to the auditorium,
ticket in hand, for your show
and walk right in.
Very rarely, it seems, does
one stand in line at 7 p.m. for
the 7 show or at 9 p.m. for the
9 show, although you often must
get in line at 6 p.m. on Friday
for tickets for a top movie on
Saturday.
Cinema Guild is probably Ann
Arbor's most notorious low-
Fil1m capital
ofthe midwest
George Manupelli's Ann Arbor Film Festival makes Ann Arbor
the film capital of the Midwest. For the past seven years, the
festival has attracted the best in underground, experiment, and
independent made throughout the country.
The festival runs for five days at Cinema Guild in March with
four to six hours of different films each night. On last night of the
festival over $1500 in prize money is awarded and the winners are
shown.
And to top all that, the highlights and winners are sent all
over the country with chances at more and more money. Then the
guys with smelly cigars come around and look at the films and
take the young talent off to dark corners.
Last year, audiences were treated to George Manupelli's Dr.
Chicago, the lyrical story of the abortionist-sex changer in modern
society. And, if the rumors are true, Manupelli has two more
"Chicago" films in the works. Manupelli, a professor in the art
department, has been the moving force for experimental and in-
dependent film in Ann Arbor.
Another highlight of the festival was Stanton Kaye's Brandy
in the Wilderness, which was awarded first prize. "Brandy" is the
story of a young great director who ends up living the life of the
film (or filming the life he leads).
Local talent is also promoted by the spirit of the festival.
Besides Manupelli, there is Andrew Lugg (who is reportedly work-
ing on a new gangster film), and Keewatin Dewdney, a festival
winner from a few years back with his animated Sissors. Last year
Bruce Henstell and Ellen Frank's Selected Quotations From Chair-
man Mao, Jay Cassidy's A Personal Statement By Robin Farbman,
and Bill Clark's Hollywood Here I Am were awarded prizes for
films by University students.
Ann Arbor has thus become a real hot town for people who
like to watch films. Weekend after weekend is crammed with
more and more possibilities for viewing pleasure. But for people
whose lives circulate around the movies, there is no hotter time
than the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
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THE MIC".,HIGAN DAILY
cost film house. In 1966 it made
large headlines when the Ann
Arbor police headed by Det. Lt.
Eugene Staudenmaier seized
the film Flaming Creatures dur-
ing a performance. They said
it was obscene.
In addition to the two Cine-
mas, there are several smaller
organizations and some ad hoc
movie enthusiasts who sponsor
films. The Ark on Hill St., Can-
terbury House and Newman
Center all offer low-admission
films-many of them homemade
movies by Ann Arbor cinema-
tographers.
The ad hoc groups usually
pick less common spots for their
films. Ocassionally there will be
a movie in one of the dorms.
4West Quad last year had reg-
ular Sunday night films for 50
cents.1 Or some student group
will take over the Natural
Science Aud. or Trueblood Aud.
in the Frieze Bldg. for a Holly-
wood event.
And during finals, somebody
always come through with a
flick or two in the Multipurpose
Room of the Undergraduate
Library.
But if you really must go to
a bonafide theatre, you still can
do it on less than millionaires
earnings. Just go to a Saturday
or Wednesday matinee. They're
only $1.50 till 6 p.m. and the
popcorn's just as good.
and the umpteen varieties of geoisie.
coffee. Sandwiches all come on But, to repeat, for an evening to be a success, the smart set
Russian black bread. begins at Flood's. Most stay all night,
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