The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Wednesday, September 5, 2001- 3F
Best
of
Ann Arbor
Pizza House perfect
for the indecisive
By Heidi Wickstrom
Daily Arts Writer
RACHEL FEIERMAN/Daily
Cooks at Fleetwood know how to make the best greasy food in Ann Arbor. Here a
0k is making cheese fries.
Fleetwood a late
night favorite
4 Joanna Goddard
For the Daily
Voted "The Best Greasy Spoon"
in Ann Arbor, Fleetwood Diner is
the dirtiest, dingiest dive you'll ever
love. On the corner of Liberty and
Ashley, this little restaurant offers a
taste of real America.
"Fleetwood is a legit crappy
diner," said LSA senior Penny
~Meets, "but I wouldn't say crappy
cause it's so good."
The little dive has no pretensions.
The decor is basic. The wait staff is
down-to-earth. And the customers
seem to love the good, cheap,
greasy food.
,,Customers sit at the counter and
watch the cooks scramble eggs on
the stove. Other patrons chat togeth-
er at the small tables inside the
ner, around which servers bustle
ith trays of burgers and cokes.
"It feels like you're in a trailer
home; it gets you down to your
roots," explained regular customer
Kathryn Fortune.
But despite its small size and
modest appearance, Fleetwood has
plenty of spunk. Tami Koperl, a tall
waitress clad in a black t-shirt and
jeans, claims that they have "the
gist wait staff in Ann Arbor." And
the brightly colored menu, Fleet-
wQod dubs itself "The Hippest Little
Diner in the Hippest Little Town in
the Midwest."
The most popular item on the
menu is the Hiippie 1-ash, a mass of
homemade hashbrowns, onions,
green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli,
And mushrooms, all topped with
melted Feta cheese.
*The diner also serves eggs, pan-
cakes, meats, sandwiches, salads,
gyros, and burgers. And coffee, tea,
soft drinks, milk, and juices are
available to wash it all down.
"You can get comfort food here,"
Kathryn said as she pulled her son
Cameron into her lap. "Fleetwood is
a very comforting, social place.
Everyone starts talking, and you're
nurtured by the waitress."
Open 24-hours-a-day, Fleetwood
is a classic scene of Ann Arbor:
weird and wonderful. A wide spec-
trum of Ann Arbor locals visits the
diner, and Tami has noticed that "a
pattern has developed" throughout
the day.
In the morning, gruff old men sit
on the black chairs, sip the strong
coffee, and read the morning paper.
Professionals also bustle in and out,
grabbing coffees and gobbling eggs
before heading to the office.
In the afternoon, high-school stu-
dents fill the tables. Dressed in
hooded sweatshirts and baggy jeans,
they relax outside and order Cokes
and French fries. "Kids just come to
Fleetwood to smoke away from their
parents," laughed Tami.
In the evening, families with
young children enjoy a low-key din-
ner at a place where it really doesn't
matter if the kids spill lemonade on
the floor.
And late at night - when parties
have ended but buzzes are just
beginning - University of Michigan
students flock to the diner for
munchies before hitting the sack.
LSA senior Stephanie Shuler
explained, "The best feeling is when
you cuddle up in bed right after
downing a cup of black coffee and a
plate of Hippie Hash."
So, why wait? Put on your oldest
t-shirt, grab a few bucks, and run
over to Fleetwood Diner for some
scrambled eggs and bacon - and
lick it all off that inevitably greasy
spoon.
Over the past two years, Pizza
House has earned top honors in the
Michigan Daily "Best of Ann Arbor"
Poll for their extensive variety of
delectable pizzas, entrees, and
munchies. Since its humble begin-
ning in 1985, Pizza House has flour-
ished into something of a take-out,
delivery, and dining-in Mecca, with
an immaculate menu of appetizers,
salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes,
chipatis, desserts, and of course,
pizza to satisfy any craving. As this
school year comes to a close and the
votes have been cast for all that
which is great in Ann Arbor, it is no
surprise that for a third consecutive
year, Pizza House has proven to be a
favorite dining and delivery estab-
lishment among Michigan Daily
readers.
Whether you feel like dining-in or
carrying-out, a Pizza House appetiz-
er or salad can complement a main
course, or be a meal in itself. Their
many appetizer selections range
from standard fare, like chicken fin-
gers, buffalo wings, and onion rings,
to more unique treats, such as their
mini-pizzas, pepperoni stix, and
highly-acclaimed three cheese
nachos. If you fancy a salad, they
offer over ten different varieties,
from antipasto to taco salad.
When it comes time for the main
course, Pizza House serves up a
wide variety of fantastic sandwich-
es, submarines, and savory pasta
entrees to pleasure any palate. You
can order cold and hot sandwiches
and subs alike, with top-sellers
being the chicken parmesan sub,
Georgia reuben, and Italian sub.
Their Big as a House Burger certain-
ly lives up to its name; 1/2 pound of
beef and a plethora of toppings to
choose from give this burger leg-
endary status. Since this is Ann
Arbor, Pizza House has not forgot-
ten the vegetarian diner; a Big as a
House Burger can be made with a
black bean patty on request. As for
their delightful pasta selections, they
offer everything from ravioli and
spaghetti to lasagna and fettuccini
alfredo, providing a taste of Italy
right here in Ann Arbor.
When it comes to chipatis, Pizza
House. proves that no one does it
better, with a wide array of dress-
ings and toppings to complement
this unique salad-bread hybrid. The
Original Chipati is the most popular
of the chipati family; however, the
chicken ceaser, steamed vegetable,
and chicken ranch chipatis, as well
as the spinach-version, the Chipop-
eye, are not to be forgotten. To com-
plete the masterpiece that is chipati,
a spicy, yet creamy Pizza House
original chipati sauce or your choice
of a salad dressing accompanies the
goods.
Hence the name, Pizza House
serves up a mean pizza. The choices
are endless, as they offer a tradition-
al or thin crust pizza, as well as their
famous Chicago Deep Dish or
Stuffed Pizza. Their specialty pizzas
will solve any problems of having to
choose toppings; they feature many
interesting and unique varieties,
such as the chicken alfredo, seafood,
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Here a cook at Pizza House prepares to make a pizza, but Pizza House has much
more to offer than just the pie.
chicken salsa, salad pizza, and
Southwestern BBQ pizzas. These
specialty pizzas, along with cal-
zones, pizza pockets, and matzo piz-
zas are offered for those looking to
liven up their dining experience.
Saving room for dessert is a must
at Pizza House. Regardless of your
tastes, they have a tempting treat to
satisfy any sweet tooth. The Snickers
Pie and New York Cheesecake are
House Specials, and their over 20
flavors of shakes and malts are fan-
tastically mind-boggling. For the
more upscale diners, a scrumptious
tiramisu is also offered. Heavenly.
Convenience is key for the Pizza
House customer. All these aforemen-
tioned dishes can be enjoyed in the
restaurant, or in your home. Pizza
House has over 40 drivers on staff,
which means that fabulous food is
only a phone call away, and you don't
even have to leave the house. Also,
Pizza House is open from 10:30 am
until 4:00 am, seven days a week, for
both dining in and delivery. There-
fore, there are only 45.5 hours a week
when you cannot reach the Pizza
House crew. I find that both impres-
sive and commendable. Hats off to
these special people.
Pizza House is deserving of praise
and recognition from Michigan
Daily readers and other Ann
Arborites alike. To conclude, I
would remind you that you should
be hungry by now. If so, you know
what to do; give the folks down at
Pizza House a call or stop in to
experience some great food and ser-
vice for yourself.
Better than Mastercuts? T
By Autumn Brown
For the Daily
Getting comfortable in its new location on South
University, two doors down from its former home,
Noggins Hair Shop continues to serve the campus
community for its sixth consecutive school year. This
is the fifth year Noggins has been recognized for its
outstanding hair service. Noggins is a full service hair
salon, specializing in hair cuts, coloring, perming and
highlights for both men and women.
"We set our prices around students, as they are the
majority our clientele," Manager Debbie Williams
said.
Consequently it is clear that Noggins salonists make
a consience effort to cater to the needs of University
students. One of the ways they are able to do this is by
attending various hair shows annually, where they
often are updated on current styles and trends in the
young adult sector. According to Williams, the most
difficult style to do is a bald scalp, but she offers the
assurance that all of the salonists are capable of doing
a Mr.Clean.
Noggin's proximity to the quads and the all-female
dorms makes it an ideal alternative to a trip home to
your high school salonist. As an added bonus, Nog-
gins is able and willing to do all of the styles your
mom refused to pay for, and will still shock her when
you go home for Easter. It will be especially interest-
ing to see the look on your grandmother's face when
her high-achieving grandson sits down at the table
with hair that matches the color of her borsch.
This is not to say that Noggin only caters to
extreme tastes. The most conservative, Wheaties-eat-
ing college student has been known to frequent Nog-
gins, and they too have been satisfied by the friendly,
prompt service of the famed hair salon. You will not
find any grouchy, overworked salonists at Noggins.
Instead the salonists are refreshingly upbeat and just
waiting to take the next student that comes into the
ry Noggins
shop.
While, you are sitting in a comfy chair trying to get-
a glimpse of your beautiful self in the oddly shaped-
mirrors that line the walls of the shop, your salonistM,
asking you the usual group of questions- where your,
are from, what classes your taking, do you miss you;
folks,ect. - basically all of the stuff people ask y'
now that you are a University student. Meanwil;
you are thinking to yourself: What if she screws up;
my hair? What if she messes up my hair so badly that
I have to do a Mr.Clean?
Naturally, all of your fears come to nought as she:
takes the mysteriously sterile black cape off of yoiu
neck, and presto! You smile as you touch the back of:
your neck and are pleased to discover the absence of
razor burns and missed spots. Wow! As you are grab-
bing your coat,you make a mental note to tell all o
your shaggy friends about this great hair salon an&
give your salonist a generous tip and of course, your
phone number.
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
Best Compact Discs: Borders- The corporate
behemoth known to us as Borders proved too
strong for our local music shops. They've got
A erything: Books, coffee, live entertainment,
music and DVDs. Now if only they would sell
milk. Just out of curiosity, how can a CD on sale
still be $16?
Best Used CDs: tie between Wazoo Records,
L'ncore- Wazoo and Encore fought long and hard
for the crown, but after an impressive array of used
stock, the stores ended in a draw. Encore took the
early lead with its never-ending stack of used discs
their counter, but Wazoo came back strong with
cozy atmosphere and friendly service.
Best Shoe Store: Footprints- Not to be con-
fused with Foot Locker, although the employees do
wear those tacky referee outfits.
Best Haircut: Noggins- For 15 bucks they'll
m7ake you look as sharp as a Philadelphia lawyer.
For a few dollars more you might be able to get
teat mullet you've always wanted.
Best Tanning Salon: Tanfastic- Tanfastic, oh I
it.Clever. Whileits name lacks creativity, the
high octane tanning beds are sure to give you that
sorority shine you've always dreamed of.
Best Books: Borders- They sell books too?
From the latest "Harry Potter" thriller to the unau-
thorized biography of Mary Chapin Carpenter,
Borders has every book in print.
Best Art Supplies: Ulrichs- Jackson Pollock
ops here, so should you. The friendly staff at
Ulrich's is waiting to help with your artistic needs.
Ask for Frank, he'll be good to you.
Best Textbooks: Ulrich s'- I thought all the
textbook stores were the same. Regardless, Ulrich's
ias been named once again the best textbook
Act like y(
best of 'U'
Best Campus Tradition: Naked
Mile- If there's anything better than
college co-eds running through the
streets in the buff it's being the amateur
pornographer who is putting it on the
internet for $3.95 a week.
Best Campus Event: Football Satur-
days- Fans sitting to watch future
Major League baseball players play
football. I smell irony.
Best Speaker (past year): Jesse
Jackson- He never meant to make
your daughter cry, though he can
rhymes better than Aurthor Miller. The
civil rights pioneer is always welcome
back.
Best Course: Psych 111- Won last
year. Won this year. Will win again next
year. It's the weeder class for the psych
department, I promise.
Best Blow-Off course: Psych 111-
It wins the best course, and then wins
the best blow off, I think the students
are trying to send a message to admin-
istration. More courses like sorority
girl, easy.
Best Professor: Ralph Williams-
Hey, it's a special treat when you can
teach like hell, touch your knees stand-
ing straight up, and palm two medicine
balls. All hats down for Ralph.
Best Lecture Hall: 1800 Chem-
But, it's so big. I know baby, I know it
is If we~ start slw u i'll yet used to it.
)u know;
CampuS
Best Residence Hall Cafeterias-
Bursley- Up in the Bur-lodge the sexy-
grandpa roams free, serving some of
the University's finest in pre-packaged
cuisine.
Best Co-op: Michigan House- This
co-op is tolerable, sexy and ready to
step to the podium and take home the
gold for this best of.
Best Frat to Party With: Beta Theta
Pi- Big jeans, big muscles, aw shit, I
dunno these jokers are probably the
smoothest group of criminals on cam-a
pus, pimpin' the ladies leavin' their
heads ringing.
Best Sorority to Party With: Delta
Gamma- The DG's know how to dance
and swing with the best of them. ActualP:
ly, I don't know if they do, I'm a hermit.
Best Place to Study: Law Library
It's oh-so-quiet. Turn off your Bjork CD
and get some work done. Just because
you are taking German pass/fail doesn'
mean you should slack. Dad, is that you?-
Best Library: Graduate Library-
For reasons why this is the best library
on campus, head to the Best of Dating
section. It will open your eyes, where as.
the grad library opens something else.
I'm talking about your mind. You per
verts.
Best Computing Center: Angell1-
Hall Fishbowl- This is like asking
paitrons at Ouitback Steakhouise what-
ABBY ROSENBAUM/Daily
Encore records has one of the largest selections of music on campus.
ter way to say, "I love you" than with a flower?
Your special someone would really like to see you
waste fifty bucks on plants that die in a few days.
Best Travel Agency: STA Travel- That's no
moon; it's a space station! For $17,000 they'll book
you a flight on the Millennium Falcon. Remember
to board at docking bay 94.
Best Men's Clothing: Bivouac- They have a
great selection of top quality, but it will cost you.
Ever wonder where the source of all those North
Face coats on campus is?
Best Women's Clothing: Urban Outfitters-
sure Diag Party Store would have won this catego-
ry, oh well. Maybe next year. No, you can't rent
their canoes. I asked specifically, and apparently
they aren't usable on dry land.
Best Sporting Goods: Bivouac You'd think the
winner of the best sporting goods category would
sell shuttlecocks. No such luck. When I asked an
employee if they carried them I was greeted with
an all too common phrase, "Shuttlecocks? Shuttle-
cocks? We don't need no stinkin' shuttlecocks!"
Best Bicycle Sales: Great Lakes Cyclery They
specialize in midget-sized unicycles with detach-
able horns. If you're in the mood for something in