Page 10-The Michigan Daily/New Student Edition-City - Thursday, September 10, 1992
Restaurants provide .
variety for,
by Yaei Citro
"Don't worry. There is plenty
for you to eat. They have great
salads."
Contrary to popular opinion,
vegetarians can not be satisfied by
merely grazing on a three mile
long, all-you-can-eat salad bar. A
good vegetarian restaurant is hard
to find. However, Ann Arbor has a
considerable number of restaurants
with a lot to offer vegetarians.
Seva has always been called the
icon of vegetarian restaurants in
Ann Arbor. Everything on the menu
is fair game. ,The food is quite
good. I would have to say that the
best dishes are the sandwiches, the
Mexican pizza and the
Chimichanga. Don't forget to look
at the specials. They are usually
quite innovative and tasty. You re-
ally can't go wrong at Seva. If you
are really hungry and you want to
order an appetizer, try the eggrolls
- absolutely fantastic! Seva has
taken an interest in providing a
restaurant specifically for vegetari-
ans of all degrees. Consequently,
every vegetarian in town knows
about Seva. I recommend visiting
Seva - numerous times. However,
don't get caught in a rut. While it is
true that Seva is one of the only -
if not the only - "hard-core" vege-
tarian restaurants in town, this is
not the only place to go for a good
vegetarian meal.
If only atmosphere were edible.
Jerusalem Garden offers the most
for your money. The food is authen-
tic and the prices could not be bet-
ter. "J Garden's" chef is on of the
few people living today who know
how lentil soup is supposed to be
made. Also try vegetarian grape
leaves, falafel, hummus, tahini,
pita, spinach pies, and majddara
(rice and lentils). For dessert there
Is always baklava, the only way to
top off a Middle Eastern feast.
When you have finished your meal
it is polite to say Shukran (thank
you) on your way out.
If you want to go out for a more
formal Middle Eastern lunch or
dinner, go to Shahrayar. The tab-
bouli and the fattoush, two types of
Middle Eastern salads, are out of
this world and the portions are just
ihe right size. Another fantastic dish
fo tease >your appetite before the
vegetarians
main course is the Zaatar bread.
The only problem is which vegetar-
ian dish to choose. I recommend the
falafel special (falafel, vegetables,
tahini, tabbouli and hummus all in a
pita). However, if you are not a fan
of falafel the baba ghannouj and the
majddara are also fantastic.
Del Rio is a good place to go
with a friend, and the prices are
very reasonable. It offers a good
size menu for vegetarians.
However, I wouldn't recommend
letting yourself loose. Some dishes
are good and some are not. The
Angelica B. and the Pizza
Mexicana are worth a try if you like
cheese. The tempeh burgers come
to order, but it will cost you extra. I
would stay away from the burritos.
They leave a lot to be desired (like
vegetables, cheese, and unimportant
stuff like that). Give it a try, but
don't say I didn't warn you.
If you are in for an ethnic
evening, the Blue Nile is the only
place to go. This Ethiopian restau-
rant is the jewel of Ann Arbor. The
atmosphere is dreamy. You will be
so comfortable you may want to lay
down and take a little nap. The
meal is an all-you-can-eat feast.
You can choose the Ethiopian feast,
which includes a variety of meats or
the Vegetarian feast, which is
strictly vegetarian. You will be
treated right from the moment you
sit down. First, you will be given
steaming towels to refresh yourself.
Then, those who order it - as ev-
eryone should - will receive
Spiced Ethiopian tea which is a
special blend of rose hips, cinna-
mon, orange and lemon peels. The
main course consists of cabbage,
yellow split peas, green lentils, red
lentils and other greens prepared as
they would be in Ethiopia. Don't
ask the waitress for silverware -
there is none. Dishes are scooped
up with the pancake-like bread.
There is very little that can compare
with diner at the Blue Nile.
La Casita de Lupe is one of the
only Mexican restaurants which
specifically has vegetarians in
mind. La Casita de Lupe has
something for everyone. There are
two menus, one for the carnivorous
types and another especially for
vegetarians. If you like tempeh (a
culturized soybean product with the
Ann Arbor offers
pizza a-plenty for .
all bank accounts'
Vegetarian fare is available at the People's Food Co-op.
by Andrew Levy
Daily Staff Reporter
There is something you, as a new
student, should know before starting
at the University. It's a slight
lifestyle modification that you're go-
ing to make, and it's only fair that
you know in advance.
That change is that you are going
to be eating a lot more pizza than
you used to.
Now, don't argue. I speak from
experience. Even if you are accus-
tomed to a very well-balanced diet.
Even if you've prepared yourself for
(perish the thought) residence hall
cafeteria food. Even if you don't like
melted cheese, chances are you will
be eating lots of pizza.
And this is your lucky day. Why?
Because Ann Arbor clearly has more
pizza places than it can support. Go
through the yellow pages if you need
proof. You will, upon moving into
Ann Arbor, receive coupons from a
zillion places - some of which even
really exist.
The simple notion of attempting
to give a rundown on all the pizza
places in the campus area is terrify-
ing. But it has to be done, so here
goes.
By the way, here's a word of
warning for those of you who, like
me, hail from the New York
metropolitan area. Pizza does not
mean the same thing in Michigan as
it does in New York. Sure, there are
similarities. They both use cheese
and some kind of sauce. But you are
more likely to find a very thick,
heavy loaf of bread under the top-
pings than a crust - wherever you
go. Understand that when terms like
very good and flavorful are used,
they are completely relative to Ann
Arbor and have nothing to do with
anything you can get east of the
Pennsylvania border.
Also, small, medium, and large
are very loosely-based terms. For
instance, a small may be eight inches
in diameter, but that might be a
baby. Larges run from 14 inches to
20 inches, but that might be an extra-
large depending on which place you
order from, the cube root of pi, and
whether or not the moon is in an
Aquarian phase on that particular
night. If you have trouble under-
standing this, then ask a friend of
yours in the engineering school.
Anyway, now that the pizza ba-
sics have been covered, it's time to
get a little bit more specific. The fol-
lowing is a list of pizza places, in no
particular order, with my personal,
very biased opinion of each one. The
criteria I use in choosing where to
get pizza from vary each time, but
they include price, flavor, deliv-
ery/speed of delivery and degree of
breadiness.
If I could order all my pizza from
any one place in Ann Arbor, that
place would be The Backroom, lo-
cated on Church Street next to
Campus Video. The Backroom is at-
tached to and owned by The Brown
Jug, an Ann Arbor institution for
well over 30 years, so if you're eat-
ing pizza at the Jug, it's from the
very same oven. The pizza has a thin
crust, but not too crispy, the cheese
has flavor, and the toppings are
generally very good. Their prices are
reasonable. But - and you knew
there had to be a but - The
Backroom does not deliver. Of all
the nerve.
Gumby's Pizza, located on S.
Industrial near Kroger, is a
sentimental favorite of mine. With
deals that have names like "Pokey's
Revenge" and "Gumby Dammit"
and the suitable-for-framing print of
Gumby that comes on every box,
how could you not like this
operation? Gumby's is very
inexpensive, and generally delivers a
pizza faster than Domino's. The
toppings and cheese have good
flavor, but the crust is very thick,
and not that good. Gumby's hits the
spot when you need cheap food fast,
but it's not going to win any awards;
If you have some money burning
a hole in your pocket, and you want
a good pizza delivered to your
house, call Pizza House, nestled al-
most across the street from The
Backroom on Church. Pizza House
makes a very good pizza pie. It's a
little oily, so if you don't like that,
you might want to stay away, but the
word that comes most to mind when
I think of Pizza House is "tasty."
See PIZZA, Page 11
consistency of meat) you can't go
wrong, whatever you order.
Finally, real Mexican food for
vegetarians. The prices are above
what the average college student
spends on an average dinner, but
maybe you should treat yourself to
dinner at La Casita when you have
had an above average day.
If you are in the mood to treat
yourself to a night out and you like
Italian food, Palio is the place to
go. Palio serves some of the finest
Italian food in town. Although its
menu is not strictly vegetarian,
Palio offers a variety of dishes that
do not include meat, chicken or
fish. If you go to Palio, don't miss
the Crostini Ai Funghi if you love
mushrooms. Definitely one of the
finest appetizers I have ever had.
As far as entrees are concerned
there is Lasagne Verdure, a plethora
of pasta dishes and pizza. Just as
you lean back in your chair and un-
button the top button of your pants,
along comes dessert. If you've got
the room, Palio's desserts can finish
you off.
Afternoon Delight has a large
selection of vegetarian salads,
sandwiches and entrees on its
menu. The food is good, the prices
reasonable, and the atmosphere
cheerful and sunny. This is a per-
fect place to have lunch with a
friend. A personal favorite menu
item of mine is the Muffin Delight
- a hot, fresh, homemade muffin
split in half and filled with frozen
yogurt. The most major drawback
of an Afternoon Delight dining ex-
perience is the annoying calorie
counts in parenthesis staring up at
you from next to each menu item.
Try to ignore them, you'll enjoy
your meal much more.
So don't settle for surviving on
salads alone. Be adventurous, and
try some - or all - of Ann
Arbor's numerous options for the
veggie crowd. You just might dis-
cover a new type of cuisine to
please your palate.
.
F
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WRTEFO3HEDAL
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JOPenney
at Briarwood Mall..
presents
Our 2nd Annual
University Appreciation Night
Sunday, Sept. 13 from 6:30-9:00 pm
Welcome back to all students, faculty, staff, & administration! To
kick off the new school year, please join us for fabulous savings
throughout the store.
The first 1000 customers will receive a free gift.
2)' __
DRAWINGS
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* Women's Interview Suit
* Men's Interview Suit
- Gold Passes to Main Street
Comedy Showcase
- Styling Salon Gift Certificates
- Dormroom Appliances
- University Apparel
- Jonathon B Pub Movie Goer
The Ridefor All the Best Routes
Wherever you live, work, study, or play, you can get there and back on
AATA. Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and environs rely on the Ann Arbor
Transportation Authority for exceptional, efficient mass transit services.
So do U-M students, faculty, and staff. The Ride offers three routes designed
specifically for the University of Michigan community.
'W- Broadway/Traver/
Pontiac Trail to U-M
Direct service from
north-central Ann Arbor
to the U-M Medical
Center and Central
Campus, from 6:30 am
to 6:30 pm Monday-
Friday.
R15-Minute Service
C J EAlong Packard
Every weekday, from
7:30 am to 5:30 pm, The
Ride provides 15-minute
service along Packard
Road. This route includes
Meijer's on Carpenter
Road and the Michigan
Union.
Michigan Union to L
Briarwood
Special shoppers' shuttle
from the Union to
Briarwood Mall, Oak
valley Shopping Center, -
and Meijer's on Saline-
Ann Arbor Road.
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" WIQB 103 FM Guest Appearance
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Free Cottage Inn Pizza & Soft Drinks will be served.
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