0 0 S -f 7f w - - ," W7- -V ; ,-- r I I, , - ,r, ,-.- .f-V 0' C7 BY LISA MAGNINO AND MARK SHAIMAN Coke is The Real Thing and Miller Genuine Draft is As Real As It Gets. Maybe these slogans are meant to reassure you that you are getting what you expected. But as Shakespeare once said, "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much" - all this overt reassurance is some- what suspicious. "Eat, drink, and be merry" is one of the few things ol' Willy didn't say, but had he been invited to Real Seafood Co., he probably would have snuck it into a play some- where. There he'd forget his suspi- cions while having a real good meal. Unfortunately, as Willy would be quick to point out, "real" is an overused, burnt-out word. It's "nice" to have around, but by now it has lost all significance. The "real" in Real Seafood Co. may help revive the word. Every- thing is genuine - from the decor to the dessert. Any self-respecting seafood restaurant has to have paint- ings of seafaring ships and maybe even a fishing boat hanging from the ceiling - as Real Seafood does - but the restaurant never goes so far as having barnacled nets with pink plastic lobsters hanging above your table. Instead, the high-backed booths, fresh carnations, and pleas- ing color scheme create a warm at- mosphere, perfect for the pre-Broad- way Bound patrons crowding the restaurant Sunday night. Real Seafood's menu is domi- nated by - you guessed it - seafood. Everything from frog legs to flounder is represented on the usual menu, as well as a special menu for the fresh catches and spe- cials of the day. To begin with there is a variety of hot and cold appetizers. The best bet in the Cold category is the Raw-' bar Platter ($5.25), a combination of two of each of the other cold starters: oysters, Cherrystone clams, and shrimp in the shell. The shrimp is' the highlight; it is jumbo-sized but still firm and mild-flavored. The' -J z w -J -J w w w w Festival- Continued from Page 9 success may depend on how many performances they do, and how many people will come listen to them. Onstage, Clive and Christine cre- ate colorful emotional tension. To see them is an exhilarating experi- ence, to miss them is a damn shame. Comparisons to Richard Thomp- son and the late great Canadian folk legend Stan Rogers abound in at- tempts to describe the genius of James Keelaghan. One of the hottest and fastest rising musical stars in Canada today, Keelaghan is wowing audiences with his virtuosity and spirit. Inspired by Canada's history, Keelaghan received a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Calgary. Keelaghan's music is a mixture of the old and the new. In- terweaving history and Celtic tradi- tion, he has created a repertoire that encompasses both traditional story- telling through ballad and bringing to life forgotten historical events. Keelaghan's professional musical career took off in1985 when he toured as an accompanist for Mar- garet Christl. In1986, he began ap- pearing on his own, and by 1987 he had recorded Timelines, an album which proved to be one of the best selling independently released folk recordings of 1988. Mustard's Retreat actually had their first start in Ann Arbor, at The Ark. Their odd name comes from one of their first songs, which in turn comes from a combination of a friend's name (that's the Mustard part) and the old folk standard "Bonaparte's Retreat" (yep, the Re- treat part). The name may also be a revolt against their formerjobs as cooks. The duo is made up of David Tamulevich and Michael Hough, who joined together in 1974. Five years later they cut their first album, Mustard's Retreat, which did well in this region. Their next album, Home By The Morning , released in 1983, extended their names throughout folk circles in the country. With their latest album, Midwin- ter's Night, it is clear that Mustard's Retreat is still growing. Numerous artists have contributed to the work, including Claudia Schmidt, Garnet Rogers, and Ann Arbor's own Mr. B - all of whom have performed at previous Ann Arbor Folk Fests. Now Mustard's Retreat can add their own names to the esteemed list. Footloose is another Ann Arbor based group, a quintet who has been around for 11 years, one year less than the Folk Festival. Featuring vocals by Chris Barton, their music is strengthened by Chris on the hammer, Dulcimer and Willard Spencer on banjo and dobro, and the talents of the band's other members Myron Grant, Bill Barton, and Dave Crandall. Together, the ten acts make up the 12th Annual Folk Festival. Each individual or group will grace the stage, and with this much to choose from, you'll be sure to have a fa- yorite. But the highlight always comes at. the end of the night, when the stage becomes as crowded as the audience and all the performers join together in the true spirit of folk music. Make sure you brush up on "Amazing Grace" and "Let The Cir- cle Be Unbroken," because you'll be asked to join in. Remember, people ar- Folks, too. My Dad is Dead The Best Defense Homestead One of the best tracks on this al- bum is called "Anti-Socialist" - as in the adjective, not the political philosophy. Which is not all that surprising, considering that this al- bum, and the rest of My Dad is Dead's output, is the sole work of one man -- Cleveland's Mark Ed- wards. I don't know for sure why Ed- wards doesn't work with other peo- ple. But when I listen to the afore- mentioned track, and hear lyrics like "I want to fix 'em with my bare hands/ And I'm trying not to lose control/ I'm fighting the urge" - well, I can venture a pretty good guess why they don't work with him. But, looking at this LP from a musical standpoint, I can't see why any band wouldn't want to have him. Be forewarned: this is not a "real" album - it's a collection of half-instrumental unreleased material and outtakes from his 1988 effort Let's Skip the Details -which those unfamiliar with his work would be better off listening to first. Even without this handicap in mind, Edwards still does better than the armies of similarly-minded gloom- sters (e.g., Big Black, Skinny Puppy), who often seem reluctant to sully their morbid musings with de- cent music. Not so here. True, when Edwards names a song "When the Elephants Fig you the he d hir on tra( stag "El gro Edm and fury bea and dur gan into a m sist Along with serving great food, the Real Seafood Co. also offers fresh catches to take home at the Real Seafood Fish Market. platter is laid out practically, yet Te"real" fresh-tasting. It's a dishtto be sa- tastefully, with lemon wedges and a The in Real vored. generous amount of cocktail sauce Seafood Co. may help If you stick with the regular for those not brave enough to eat revive the word. Every- menu, you can sample a variety of unadrnedraw hellish-the fresh catches on the Chargrill The cocktail sauce, as well as ing is genuine - from Platter ($14.95) or take the fried numerous other treats including the the decor to the dessert. ' route with a platter of fresh fish, salad dressings and New England froglegs, and shrimp ($14.95). clam chowder, are made right on the wedge accented the greens, but the There's also lobster, crab, scallop, premises and sold alongside fresh croutons suffered from the same and shrimp dishes. catches in the Real Seafood Fish syndrome as the oyster crackers - There are entrees for the non- Market. cellophane death. seafood lover in you. Red meat After tasting the clam chowder, The dressings were homemade, eaters can enjoy a New York Strip you'll claim that it corners the Mar- but had problems of their own. The Steak ($15.25) or a Filet Mignon ket. It's definitely worth taking honey mustard was tasty but ($15.75). The Chicken and Arti- stock in. The hearty broth had more sparsely doled out, while the dijon choke pasta ($12.75) - fettucine than its share of clams - chunks, vinaigrette was overbearing, espe- topped with a smooth, light sauce, not diced - celery, green pepper, cially considering its sharp spices, tender artichokes, and chicken - is corn, and potatoes, with flecks of Ask for the dressing on the side. probably the best non-seafood dish, basil on top. It. comes with the req- Two dinner salads are also offered - and David said that the kitchen can uisite oyster crackers that, although one with a variety of seafood prepare it without the chicken for served in a bowl, tasted straight out ($7.95), the other with lump crab- vegetarians. Real Seafood will also of the package. meat ($8.75). make the seafood dinner salads mi- But their lameness can be over- When choosing the entree, pre- nus the seafood on request. looked by the fantastic homemade pare to deliberate for a while. Maybe As for vegetables, try the fried bread, which is all it's cracked up to even order your appetizer while you zucchini. And ask for'some of the be. To begin with, it's sprinkled are pondering the selection. There are creamy garlic dressing on the side, with poppyseeds, doused in butter regular specials depending on the which makes a wonderful dip for the and then heated; but for those who day, daily specials depending on the moistly-breaded squash. The rice pi- enjoy their cholesterol, more butter fresh catches, and there's also the laf was good, but not spectacular. is served on the side. And whereas staple items. All the fresh catches Stewed tomatos, french fries, and bread is served as a sidedish, it was are broiled unless otherwise noted, those little red potatoes - you tempting to make it the main but you can request yours to be know, the baby ones - are other course, especially since the basket is poached, chargrilled, or blackened. options. continuously and gratuitously re- The daily special was a filet of White wine naturally goes with filled. As our waiter David said, mako ($13.50), chargrilled to fish. There is a large selection of there's two things you can't leave tenderness. It was ahnost a shame to domestic brands, and even more im- the Real Seafood Co. without hav- destroy those precise little lines that ported varieties. We sampled ani ing - the bread is one of them, and are imprinted during cooking, but Australian and a California chardon- we'll get to the Brandy Mousse later. after one bite any appreciation for nay ($3.50 and $3.75/glass), both of The entrees are listed under one of geometry becomes oblique. This which were excellent accompani- the following headings: Varieties, wonderful piece of shark meat could ments to our entrees. David knew Crab and Lobster, and Pastas. What- make Jaws leave the beaches and the wine list inside and out and was ever the category, entrees come with turn cannibal. extremely well-versed in the intrica- a salad, and the non-pasta dishes also The regular Sunday special is stir- cies of each wine we questioned him include a vegetable. And, of course, fried shrimp ($12.75), a euphonious about. Red, blush, and sparkling more bread. The tossed salad is defi- medley of 16 or so very-lightly-fried wines, along with wine coolers, draft nitely better than average, mostly shrimp, pea pods, mushrooms, and and bottled beer, and liquor are also because it uses mixed greens instead broccoli. There was just the right available. of the ubiquitous iceberg lettuce. amount of soy sauce, and the veg- Carrots, mushrooms, and a tomato etables were perfect -crunchy and Perfect for Vale Birthdays, Anni just because you lo Softly sensitive a woman showi s de that all women portrait gift for the n r F i t i 5 Z T , a u ,r h f n - rf i- s t- n g ft 0 r l Seven original portraits in a designer matte or folio in the color harmony of your choice Bring out the true bE and surprise th --4 WA'- CALL TODAY 996-4030 Strickfaden Assoc., Ltd. * Ann Arbor, MI t Ready to give in Just seven days after you are photogrt $25,000 SCHOLARSH A VALUABLE PROGIR 'A PERSONAL CHALLI The NROTC Scholarship Program offers you a two-year c that's worth as much as $25,000. And it offers you the opp( a Navy officer and start a successful career. During college, the Navy pays tuition, cost of textboo fees, and provides an allowance of $100 a month for up to 2 your last two years of college. Upon graduation and compl requirements, you'll become part of the Navy adventure as Navy officer. Call your Navy representative for more information o program. Lt. Steven Dinobile 258 North Hall 747-458 NA4.~OFFICER LEAD ThE ADVENT Clive and Christine create a lively and colorful performance f See Kesraurant, rage 16 PAGE 4 WEEKEND/JANUARY 271989 WEEKEND/JANUARY 271989