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12B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend agai~n - Thursday, April 10, 2003
The Michigan
Daily - Weekend Magazi
House beloved of Ann Arbor
Potbelly bg on atmosphere, not food
By Sravya Chirumamilla g -' gr
Daily Arts Writer
By Niamh Slevin
Daily Arts Writer
Hidden among the small cafes
and residential dwellings of Church
Street, Pizza House has grown from
just another pizza parlor into Ann
Arbor's most-loved restaurant. Its
pizza is hailed as the best in the
business, but its eclectic cuisine has
surpassed all expectations with its
sheer number and quality of its tan-
talizing meals.
There's no better way to start off
your meal there than with a helping
of Pizza House's breadsticks. With
just the right combination of but-
tery softness and crust-like crunchi-
ness, these things disappear
quickly, leaving only a trail of mari-
nara sauce behind.
Its namesake delicacy, the pizza,
is the classic example of Pizza
House's flair for culinary excel-
lence. Best known for its deep dish,
the Pizza House pie is made to sat-
isfy every order. The toppings are
always smothered in sauce and
buried amid a sea of hot, gooey
cheese. The crust is just thick
enough to support the mound of
treats baked onto it but so much so
as to include an excess of dough,
creating an ideal equilibrium for
this entree.
Anyone who's ordered takeout
can attest: This is not a pizza for
lightweights. The pie itself feels
like it weighs five pounds, but you
can tell it's packed with only the
best flavor in the area.
If pizza isn't appetizing enough,
Pizza House has added innumerable
other winning combinations to its
repertoire of fantastic feasts. Subs,
both hot and cold, make for simple
or spicy meals, depending on one's
tastes. Pizza pockets mirror the
great taste of their larger counter-
part, but these single-serving dishes
serve those who can't handle a
whole pizza to themselves.
While the restaurant offers other
Italian favorites and even the all-
American classic of burgers and
fries, the chipati outshines all of
them. This pita-like choice com-
bines a rather unusual tasting bread
with equally unique and savory
food stuffed inside. The chicken
caesar chipati blends two of Pizza
House's prize meals into one,
including a healthy portion of their
fantastic salad in the mix.
Because it's open pretty late
(approximately 4 a.m.) every night,
Pizza House is a favorite with late
night study groups and the bar
crowd. The servers are welcoming
and pleasant at all times, but the
place can get a little loud in the wee
hours of the weekend.
On the plus side, Pizza House is
more than willing to accommodate
large parties, and some late night
noise never seems to bother anyone.
With its friendly service, acco-
modating staff and great food, Pizza
House, quite rightly, holds the title
as one of the finest campus joints
around.
File Photo
The Naked Mile: we will remember you fondly.
Has the Naked
le run its course?
The grand opening of Potbelly Sandwich
Works was yet another example of the influx of
national chains to this campus' main streets.
State Street has had rapid turnover the past few
years, replacing old businesses with new ones,
but the newest installation is set to stay.
Potbelly comes equipped with a cutesy story
to bring about a mom-and-pop type atmosphere.
The story goes that in order to lure customers
into their antique store the owners decided to sell
sandwiches and fresh desserts. Ironically, the
sandwiches were a bigger hit than the antiques,
launching the chain. The restaurant chain has
spread to 26 locations, primarily in the Washing-
ton D.C. and Chicago areas. Ann Arbor would
commemorate the 26th year of the chain with the
opening of the restaurant located on the corner
on Liberty and State Streets.
The novel sandwich shop is teeming with
friendly and energetic staff eager to satisfy the
customers' needs. The service is by far the most
notable of the restaurant's qualities, as all other
aspects lag in comparison to similar restaurant
joints.
Seating in the restaurant is limited as the con-
structors had to build around the ATM on Liber-
ty Street. Luckily, management utilizes the
sidewalk, placing multiple tables and umbrellas
outside the establishment in order to create more
seating options. The decoration for the restau-
rant, such as vintage signs and old-fashioned
hardwood floors, replicates that of the original
antique store.
A great draw for college students is the live
music often playing at this eatery. This greatly
improves the experience as customers are treated
to one of the few locations in town where live
music is still appreciated.
REBECCA SAHN/Daily
Look for Potbelly to crack Into next year's Best of Ann Arbor.
PIP OU EARf
You mean I can get 6 classes That's right. But only at
of pilates, yoga, spinning / One On One Athletic Club!
or aerobics for just $49?
By Rebecca Ramsey
Daily Weekend Editor
Every year, on the relief that is the
last day of classes, students crowd the
sidewalks of South University Avenue in
voyeuristic anticipation of witnessing
their peers streaking in the Naked Mile.
But, recently, the only parading to occur
is courtesy of the local police and their
threats to potential runners.
Ironically, the most lauded tradition
on campus also happens to be the most
consequential. What used to be an annu-
al act of uninhibited exhilaration is now
a mere memory to many students and an
urban legend to those who have only
heard stories about the event. While the
Naked Mile garnered top honors in the
Best Tradition category this year, it has
inched near mythic status as a result of
increased warnings and arrests by the
University and Ann Arbor police.
"The Naked Mile has grown to such a
large number, we couldn't wait for
tragedy to occur," said Lt. Michael Log-
ghe of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
"People were highly intoxicated and
women were being sexually assaulted."
Indeed, the Naked Mile, which started
in 1986 as a proclamation of liberty by
members of the crew and lacrosse
teams, has exploded to such immense
notoriety that the University administra-
tion began to worry about the safety of
its students. As a way to prevent streak-
ing, which is illegal, administration and
the police issued warnings of ensuing
arrest to those who dared to run in the
buff. However, the arrests proved not to
be strict enough.
The current policy stands as follows:
Those who run will be arrested and pos-
sibly be charged as a sex offender,
which means that one prosecuted
accordingly will be required to register
as a sex offender. Imagine having to
admit that you ar- a sex offender during
a job interview. i3ut the police need to
realize that the real sex offenders are the
gropers who attempt to take advantage
of the runners.
Even though the number of partici-
pants has plummeted, students still have
a deep respect for the Naked Mile. This
year, students can only hope that this
great tradition of exuberant nudity is not
forgotten and shelved away as a fable.
While the atmosphere of the restaurant is inte-
gral in enhancing the experience, the quality of
the food should really set it apart. In terms of
Potbelly though, the food does not stand out
from the numerous other venues on campus. Pri-
marily, students will be surprised by the relative-
ly small size of the sandwiches. For those
accustomed to Subway, Jimmy John's or
Quizno's foot-long subs, Potbelly's sandwiches
would seem very inadequate.
Since the weather refuses to warm up, Ann
Arbor residents might want a hearty soup to get
away from the cold. They would get neither a hot
nor a filling soup at Potbelly. The title "chicken
noodle soup" is very misleading since no chick-
en can be found in the soggy noodles-and-broth
combination.
Continuing with the theme of minuscule size,
the much-acclaimed milkshakes and malts add to
the bill with very small portions. The cookie on
the straw is the saving grace for the weak and
runny shakes.
While the atmosphere scores an undeniable
A+, Potbelly does not pass if the criterion is to
satisfy customers who are hungry, have limited
funds and need a quick place to sit and eat - the
food is meager and overpriced, and seating is
limited.
Al
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