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4 - The Michigan Daily - best of Ann Arbor 1999 - Thursday, April 8, 1999
A Z Best Businesses
The Michigan Daily - best of Ann Arbor 1999
IA Best of Ann Arbor Column
LIVE TO EAT
From copies to videos,
big-name chins win
most students' hearts
KRISIN uOBLEuaaIy
Art and Design first-year student and Abercrombie and Fitch employee Rick Joutras shows off his store's latest summer line.
Abercrombie & Fitch (Best Men's
Clothing) Ever feel like you're the only
one in class not wearing an A&F hat or
shirt? Probably not, considering every-
one wears them. And that's why they
won.
Blockbuster Video (Best Video
Store) Roll over and let the big dog eat!
Specializing in movies that make more
than $100 million at the box-office, this
store is nothing that needs much expla-
nation. Five nights for $1 is nice for
those Film/Video students, but no guar-
antees on non-new releases. Sorry.
Borders Books and Music (Best
Books, Best Magazines) Well, of course
they're going to win this one - it would
be pretty embarrassing for a huge mega-
national chain to be out-voted on its
home turf. That would be almost as bad
as, well - maybe Brian Ellerbe and the
Michigan coaching staff failing to con-
vince hometown Ann Arbor Pioneer bas-
ketball sensation LaVell Blanchard to
come to Michigan instead of going away
to college to play ball. Any book you
want, they got - or could get for you.
Same thing for magazines.
Boersma Travel (Best Travel
Agency) You know the hundreds and
hundreds of students who bought
Spring Break tickets to Paris for about
$45? Boersma sold all those cheap tick-
ets - that's why we love them. We did
.iot, however, love how cold and rainy it
was over there or how jet-lagged the 52-
hour-flight left us. Some of us are still
recovering even today.
Campus Corner (Best Liquor) For
those over age (or for those with a good
fake) this is the place to go for that late-
night hooch hook-up. The prices are fair,
the people are friendly and the location is
good. A fifth of Jack Daniels, you say?
Yes, and much, much more.
Millie Empedocles (Best Landlord)
In a world of big business, it's nice to
see a strident individual win once in
awhile. She is calm, cool and collected
- and she'll collect rent at the begin-
ning of every month.
Great Lakes Bank Corp. (Best
Bank) They know all there is to know
about deposits, interest, ATMs, loaiis
and withdraws - and money makes the
world go 'round, after all.
Great Lakes Bikes (Best Bike
Repair) Even if you lose the key to your
heavy-duty U-lock, they've got a dia-
mond-studded saw to cut your bike to
freedom. These guys are also great with
more run-of-the-mill bike repairs and
upgrades - although why anyone
would need any of those things remains
to be seen.
Kaplan (Best Test Prep) In the world
of MCATs, LSATs and GREs, there's a
giant - and it doesn't even live at the
top of a beanstalk. For good help with
knowing what to study and how, the
busy minds at Kaplan are always will-
ing to help you out. The results show
that they do a lot for students (who pay
them).
Kinko's (Best Photocopying)
They're open twice as much as all of
the other photocopy places - hey,
they're open 24 hours a day. If you
want color, large size, resume paper, or
acetate, they have it. And at a good
price, too. But never try and violate
any copyright laws, buster.
Mast (Best Shoe Store) Specializing
in, well, in anything to put on your feet,
this place knows all. They've got mules,
slippers, high-heels and flats. So many
styles to chose from - if only humans
had more than just two feet.
MC Sports (Best Sporting Goods)
Whether you're a baller or thug on the
ice, they've got what you want. From
pads and helmets to balls, balls and
more balls,they're fully loaded. You say
you are interested in jai-alai'? Well they
might not have that stuff, but they do
have a lot.
Meijer (Best Groceries) Well, it
might not be the most high-brow of
supermarkets, but Meijer sure is super.
They have anything that the over-
worked college student could possibly
want: Chips, beer, microwave dinners,
ice cream and beer. And why stop with
food? Take a trip into the toy aisle for
some fun, or to the garden equipment
section for lawn mower bags. There's
nothing like making a food run in the
middle of the night.
Noggins (Best Haircut) Scissors, clip-
pers, combs and gel. They've got them all
- and at a reasonable price. With a good
location on South University Avenue, it's
close by and easy to find. The hairdressers
are nice and friendly and you look better
on the way out.
Scavenger Hunt (Best
Thrift/Used Clothing Shop) Search
and ye shall find. That's the name of
the game. Also search for fun old
LPs of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana
Brass, toys that were thrown away a
long time ago and ugly neckties.
Play with friends or by yourself. The
winner is he or she who finds the
most hideous brown-orange tie (title
of "most hideous" to be determined
by a panel of judges).
SEE (Best New Business) Eye glass-
es are just part of the fun. It depends on
how you look at it.
en I was young, my father never
V'played baseball with me. He never
took me to a basketball game and never
explained to me the rules of football.
When I hit adolescence, he never talked to
me about the birds and the bees and never
told me not to do drugs. My father taught
me how to love eating.
This might sound like a silly and sim-
ple lesson, but there's more there than it
seems. There's more there in theory and in
poundage.
The idea of "chasing" is something
only an overweight 40-year-old could
come up with. It consists of eating one
meal and, before letting your tastebuds
rest, eating another meal of complimenta-
ry flavors. For those trained well in the art,
eating is not just an activity, but the only
activity their time will allow. (To become
"trained well" one must spend a few
years continually overeating until the gov-
ernment warnings on, packages indicating
that the food "serves six" becomes laugh-
able.)
But it is not overeating. To say that "I
ate too much" implies regret. Chasing
serves to enjoy the quality of foods
regardless of the negatives. It implies the
understanding that you could stop eating
at any point, but why bother? It figures
that "fullness" is a relative term (once you
start eating, you are less full than before
you began) and that there's always room if
you know what tastes you're craving.
When I arrived in Ann Arbor two years
ago, I found that the town was built for
eaters like me.
First of all, there are at least six restau-
rants per three steps you take. This is actu-
ally ideal for someone like me, for as the
day gets longer
and the food starts
settling deep into
my stomach, it is.
nice to only have
to take a mini-
mum amount of
steps to get fromt
one eating place to
another.
Second, there
are a lot of differ-
ent kinds of food. Aaron Rich
It's not like the A Touch o
college town cliche
of pizza, pizza, Class
pizza (although it
does seem like that many times). Rather,
one night you can enjoy the cuisine of
China, then India and after that a good old
burger or the tastes of Greece, or grease.
(The Greek government has not yet offi-
cially recognized "coney" as an official
export. They claim that if they had really
invented the devilish mix, the Romans
would not have been able to conquer them
- anyone, smart enough to invent
cement-like chili would be able to defend
themselves against the fiercest attackers
- and Western civilization would not be
the same today. Let's just call it "Michi-
Greek" food.)
To give you an example of what I'm
saying, let me run you through an ideal
night for my stomach and me.
It begins easily, at, say, Mr. Rib (on
Packard Road by Platt Road). Because
barbeque is my favorite and because, as
any grocery bagger will tell you, "the
heavy stuff always goes on the bottom."
You have a wide open selection here, but
I would suggest something meaty, like a
pulled pork dinner. It basically is what it
says - young porks are pulled to death,
rolled in sauce and served in a hygienic,
styrofoam box. If you are unable to finish
your helping you should quit here and
workout harder in the off-season.
After enjoying the barbeque (with cole-
slaw and fries), the next stop is a good hot
dog to trade the spicy flavor in you mouth
for a salty one. Around Ann Arbor, the
only real hot dog is at Red Hot Lovers (on
East University Avenue). If you walk in
and start whining about how you haven't
eaten tubular meat since you read "The
Jungle" in eighth grade, go home now
I'd suggest sticking with a good stand-
by, the Chicago Dog (one can only hope
about the Cubs). Basically, this has every-
thing on it including celery salt, the bas-
tard son of the condiment family that had
the bad luck of falling off the American
dinner table many years ago. Fries are
optional here, depending on how you
made out at Mr. Rib.
Now you've done pig and cow (dog)
and spicy and salty. How about sweet ....
Stucchi's (on South University Avenue
or State Street) is the perfect dessert after
any meal--and due to corpulent portions,
there is always enough to cover up all
remains of barbegue and dog. Everyone
has their own taste in ice cream - some
of which I don't understand (bubblegum)
- but I would suggest a flavor that's thick
and hearty, like blueberry cheesecake or
chocolate maltball.
Now, we're at a strange crossroads.
Sweet can be chased by a number of fla-
vors - from salty again (this time in the
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*- A
4CAPE *
"Oustanding...Four Stars!"
--The Detroit News
"One of
Michigan's Top Ten!"
--The Zagat Guide
Daily Vegetarian Specials
Seafood, Pasta & Steaks
Sandwiches & Salads
Half-off bar appetizers
sun-thurs (4-7pm)
Modern American Cooking
303 Detroit St
(Next to The Farmer's Mkt)
734.665.0700
WAgIK4?A
(Hong Kong Style) cafeteria
510 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor, M
4
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I 48104
_
Th~anadian Brass
TouChdown Rest
30BIGSI
8 ADDITION
SATEiLTE
@OLL[G[E PR!
13 BEDI
Best Sr
Best CI
-Michigan Da
1997 and 19
Best 0'
Best H(,
-Michigan Da
1997
RESTAURAN
1220 c
6E
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