0 0 0 0 0 The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Mag 22B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend, etc. Magazine - Thursday, April 6, 2000 THE BEST OF UNSUNG ANN ARBOR IA2 IBest Overall Restaurant The love never leaves at the magnficent Every year, by polling legions of University students, the Best of Ann Arbor issue determines a comprehen- sive list of local favorites. This year, however, by polling one sarcastic University student, I have determined a comprehensively differ- ent list of favorites - let's call it the Best of Unsung Ann Arbor. The poll's categories are a bit out of the norm, but then again, so is the guy putting it together. Middle-of-the-road choices like "Best Restaurant" or "Best Video Store" aren't present in order to spotlight the local notables that don't get the same attention as a Cottage Inn or a Tower Records. The winners are, in essence, the unsung heroes of the town. Or, to use a different analogy, they're like the freakish, three-legged cousin who gets locked up in the fair city's attic of anonymity. So without further ado, I proudly present the winners of the first (and possibly last) annual Best of Unsung Ann Arbor poll. Best Panhandling Approach: "Spare some change for food?" A classic, time-tested line, Ann Arbor's less fortunate citizens have chosen to continue using this straight- forward plea even after the advent of hipper, trendier lines like "Have time to give a dime?" and "Can I gits a nickel fer a salted pickel?" Best Bathroom Graffiti: Angell Hall, ground floor. Thanks to a steady flow (so to speak) of students of English, Philosophy and other liberal arts, the stalls of Angell Hall's g r ou nd-l e velI men's restroom are adorned with writings of a much higher pedigree than your average interstate truck stop, as evi- denced by the Chris Kula fecal satire of MiIto1n's Unsung "Paradise ro Flushed" and the Ann Arbo age-old question of "If God is both omnipotent and omnibenevolent, then why would He allow such a foul stench?" Best Side Effect of a Party Situation: the Overjoyed Recognition. There's hardly a soul who hasn't experienced the absolute euphoria of seeing someone whom they barely know across the room at a party and, as a result, shaking hands/hugging said individual like some kind of long lost sibling. But once the midnight hour has passed and you've quickly pounded down a couple of alcoholic beverages, chances are you'd probably give the Devil himself a hearty "Wassup!" Best Impersonation of Pepperoni Pizza: Domino's. Best-kept Campus Secret: The Musical Bell Tower. At freshman orientation, every University student is introduced to well-known legends like stepping on the bronze 'M' before the first blue- book and so on and so on. But what your tour guide doesn't tell you is that when there's a bad moon on the rise, the chimes at Burton Memorial Tower come alive with late-night renditions of Bad Company's "Feel Like Making Love" and the Steve Miller Band's "Swingtown" (apparently, the bell tower possesses a porthole to some kind of psychic trans-dimensional con- nection with a middle-aged DJ at a classic rock radio station somewhere in the Midwest). Best Parking: What's that? You say there's parking in this town? Best Fundraising Campaign: Angell Hall bake sales. Based on how many groups peddle their tasty wares on any given day in the Fishbowl, I have to assume your average old-fashioned bake sale far surpasses alumni donations and federal grants in terms of money raised for the University's special interest groups. Need funding for the new atomic parti- cle separator on North Campus? Here, have a bear claw. Best Diag Event: Anything with a moonwalk. I don't care if the event planners are raising awareness for the most obscure, directionless band of rebels in Mexico - if they provide me with the opportu- nity to get my bouncing schwerve on Showbiz Pizza-style, I'll sign any peti- tion they want. Best End to a Column: Chris Kula can be reached at ckula@unmich.edu. By Darren Ringel Daily Arts Writer Ever been at your favorite grocery store, picked out your favorite meats, vegetables, spices and sauces and wished you could cook them right away with no messy cleanup? For all of those who said yes, BD's Mongolian Barbeque is the place for you. BD's Mongolian Barbeque, located on the corner of Main St. and Washington at 200 S. Main St., won three major awards in the Best of Ann Arbor for the year 2000. The crowded hit list includes best BBQ, best dinner and best overall restau- rant. I moseyed my way over to BD's Mongolian Barbeque for the first time ever last weekend to find out that each of these awards was well deserved. First of all, the concept is ingenious. You walk in, sit at your table, order your drinks and then head over to a large buffet-style island in the rear of the restaurant. On this island is an overwhelming display of fresh meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, oils, sauces and spices. The wide array of ingredients is nearly indescribable - it includes almost every type of food and sea- soning imaginable. The next and most difficult step is choosing the constituents of your own personal masterpiece of a meal. After this painful and treacherous decision-making process, you bring your bowl of fresh food to a large grill where a few loud and obnox- ious (yet entertaining) chefs await you. These chefs, who were all in their early twenties, were definitely looking to scrounge up a few tips as they made jokes and sang songs such as "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." I gave my food to one of the chefs/entertainers and it was stir- fried and given right back to me within just a few minutes. My per- sonal recommendation for those on dates is to keep your distance from the grill if you don't want your clothes to smell like stir-fry. On this occasion, though, the chefs were so hilarious that I stuck around and did- n't even care about the smell on my clothes. After leaving a dollar in the tip bowl next to the grill, I headed back to my table where my drink, a bowl of rice and warm, tasty tortillas greeted me. There are several possible ways of eating the bowl of meats and vegeta- bles. These include chowing it down just as it is in the bowl, pouring the bowl over a plate of rice or throwing a portion on top of a tortilla and rolling it up with some rice. I tried every way possible, but utilizing the tortillas was my personal prefer- ence. The food was delicious and the service was even more commend- able. My waiter, Craig, a Weird Al look-alike otherwise known as "Hot Rod," never let our ice touch the bot- tom of the glass and was always eager to amuse us with his goofy demeanor. The manager and head waitstaff trainer, Angela, also came by our table to generously make sure we were being well taken care of, but she needn't have worried, as we were. My one early-evening concern with the Mongolian, Barbeque ser- vice was that it would be impossible to keep the buffet area clean, avoid overlapping amongst the vegetables and replenish the food. This turned out to not be an issue at all as there was at least one employee of the 1 10-person staff tending to the buf- fet area at all times. With the atmosphere and dress code being so casual and decora- tions nothing too elaborate, one would not expect the desserts to be anything too far above average. After pondering whether I wanted to invest my time and money, I decided to indulge myself in a few desserts anyway just to get an overall feel for the quality of the restaurant. It turned out that my time and cash could not possibly have been spent more wisely. The first dessert that landed in front of me was Genghis Khan's Chocolate Torture, surrounded by a circle of dripped chocolate sauce. The only torturous thing about it was that it was so unstoppably good, my friends grabbed it and ate it all before I had a chance to stop them. The second dessert I tried was a Reese's Peanut Butter Pie. This rich treat is sealed with a kiss by its sig- nature graham cracker crust. I have four words to describe it: Un. Be. Lieve. Able. The third dessert, my favorite, was an apple cobbler in a light caramel sauce topped with whipped cream. It didn't matter how full I was, I could have eaten ten of these. It turned out I was wrong in my theory that the quality of dessert is only as good as the aspirations to high-toned dining of the restaurant. Compared with all the delicious desserts I had eaten at fine restau- rants around the country, these three I enjoyed at BD's Mongolian Barbeque rated right up there with the best. The best part about this restaurant is the virtual impossibility of going wrong with your food selection. The customer personally chooses every ingredient that makes up the meal, meaning that the only person to complain to about a bad meal is yourself- However, don't feel pressured - it should be impossible to make an mixture of ingredients that doesn't provide personal taste bud satisfac- tion, given the truly fine quality and judicious selection of the many options BD's presents, provided no outside party is allowed to influence LA4TE Nierif NoPrc fr 16,6650 r MUNae'IEs? iblema!1 MEXICAN RESTAURANT Mici7 Daily Readrs CHILE PEPPER MAGAZINE'S FIERY FOOD CHALLENGE, HOT SALSA DIVISION I GRUB NOT TO BE SNUBBED A selection of meals you shouldn't miss on your travels through Ann Arbor's best Angelo's "Eggs Florentine" - the brink of buck nutty. But then OK, you've tried eggs Benedict that shining silver tray arrives, plenty of times, now it's time to and you'd bow down in worship if think outside the box. No need to you weren't busy inhaling your say thanks. first two pieces. Arbor Brewing's chicken salad Seva's spinach enchiladas - sandwich - Easily the most More savory cheeses than the inspired revision of a dull-sound- naked eye can count wrapped up ing meal within walking distance. with the freshest green vegeta- tion under a transcendental The Earle's sweetbreads -As cayenne sauce. Staying strong to long as you don't let the words the finnitch never tasted so sinful. "cow brains" enter your head, this . incredible recipe will spin your Zigerman's pastrami -Come head with culinary awe and your on now, you're not going to claim intestines with gratitude. ALL those international experts are wrong? Take a walk on the Pizza House's Chicago deep- kosher side and pretty soon you'll dish - Yes, on a busy night the be saving up to take a pound 45-minute wait just might drive to home for the fridge. It takes a village worth of gutsy chefs to the selection of anyone's personal choices. Another bonus to this restaurant is the extremely reasonable prices for the value of the merchandise. For lunch, it costs $6.95 for one bowl (which is more than enough food), $8.95 for a bowl and a salad, and $9.95 for all you can eat. Dinner costs $12.95 for-the all-you-can-eat 810 S. State S FREE D Thanks F M r. Best by the Michigan " 19911 1 DOZEN WIN' FRIES 32 OZ, SOI expires 4/30/00 MEXICAN CAFE 333 E. Huron - Ann ArLor ..__r... . ---