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The Michigan Daily - Weekend Mge
8B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Ma"azine - Thursday, April 15, 2004
ZOLA DELIVERS.
FRENCH FARE WITH
UNIQUE STYLE AND
PANACHE
Original, homely powder
rooms offer relief
By Sravya Chirumamilla
Daily Weekend Editor
By Niamh Slevin
Daily Weekend Editor
Remember those home-cooked
breakfasts at Mom's house. Bacon
was sizzling, pancakes were flip-
ping and eggs were frying to culmi-
nate in the best meal of the entire
week. With the on-the-go dining
atmosphere in Ann Arbor, such a
luxury is hard to find. Thanks to the
wonders of Cafe Zola, this kind of
decadent feast becomes
a reality for many Uni-
versity students.
Cafe Zola, located-at
Washington and Main
streets, offers more than
the campus standard of
bagels or coffee-shop
muffins. The breakfast
menu consists of every-
thing from scrambled
eggs to a wide variety of
crepes in equally entic-
ing sweet and savory
choices.
The bustling atmos-
phere in the restaurant
may be a turn-off for
some. Zola has become
quite a popular venue for Sunday
morning meals. Thus, there is often
a waiting period of an hour or more,
which is unpleasant when one's
stomach is already grumbling for
some satisfaction. The small room
LEFT: Although Zola's location is
slightly farther from campus than most
breakfast venues, it still draws a crowd
for Sunday brunch.
RIGHT: Zola's unique coffee blends add
to its reputation as a first-rate eatery.
quickly fills with the noise of peo-
ple's banter, and seating seems
rather limited. Yet, this excruciating
wait immediately feels worth it
once one's party is called and led to
a sunlit spot right off the main bay
window. As frazzled, but friendly
servers run in and out of the room
dropping off orders and picking up
checks, the customer learns to
ignore this distracting activity and
instead focus on the ornate, drool-
inducing platters whizzing around
the room or landing on a nearby
table.
Zola's creations also add to its
unique charm. The restaurant incor-
porates some unusual ingredients into
classic morning favorites. Omelettes
are mixed with vegetables such as
eggplant and covered with atypical
cheeses. Savory dishes arrive com-
plete with perfectly cooked, flavorful
redskin potatoes. Sweet crepes can be
either simple or complex, depending
on one's preferences. Some derive
their fulfilling taste merely from a
combination of strawberries or pow-
dered sugar. Others combine a variety
of flavors to produce a characteristic
culinary wonder. For example, one of
their many sweet crepes mixes sliced
bananas, nuts, Ghiradelli chocolate
sauce and a layer of drizzled raspber-
ry syrup into one bundle of ultra-thin
dough. The Black Forest Waffle, a
personal favorite, again coats Zola's
light, fluffy dish with Ghiradelli
chocolate and soft, juicy cherries.
Despite the complexity of many of
these dishes, Zola's prices remain
quite reasonable as well. Though a
breakfast here will set one back
slightly more than a Denny's buffet,
the quality is incomparable. Zola's
large portions and handmade delica-
cies typically cost anywhere from $7
to $10, but the taste ensures absolute
customer satisfaction once the meal
has ended.
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Patrons of restaurants can often
deduce the care with which the fare is
prepared by the care taken to maintain
the restrooms. Those that are neat and
well-kept are routine, but restrooms
that are especially original are part of
Ann Arbor's charm.
China Gate on South University
Avenue is known for its delicious
and award-winning Chinese cuisine.
Rarely, though, is it admired for its
hidden and neat restrooms.
When patrons are in need of the
powder room, the wait staff leads
them to the kitchen door. The wait
staff usually screams into the
bustling kitchen, "customer" to fore-
cast the patron's walk through. Cus-
tomers are directed by the staff
through the kitchen and down the
stairs where the restrooms await.
Since the trip is winding, one would
expect the restrooms to also be
cramped, but they are spacious and
homely, enhanced by wallpaper and
potpourri. Choosing instead to focus
on the cuisine offered at the restau-
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SEND TWO 800-
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rant, China Gate would not comment
on the restrooms' appearance.
Yet another gem is located under
the Red Hawk restaurant. A long
passageway filled with framed pho-
tographs and paintings leads to the
restaurant's adorned restrooms. Red
Hawk manager Tony Elam gives the
credit for the decorations to the
owner.
"We get comments off of the Film
Festival pictures," Elam said, noting
that Red Hawk adds a new poster
every year to commemorate the Ann
Arbor Film Festival. "We pride our-
selves on the whole restaurant,"
Elam explained. "We try to keep
everything neat and clean."
Bars are usually not known for
clean restrooms. In fact, they are
typically the worst of the lot, com-
plete with dirty stalls and sinks and
limited amounts of paper towels,
which are usually strewn around the
overflowing trash can. Arbor Brew-
ing Company's restrooms, on the
other hand, offer beautifully deco-
rated walls and a clean atmosphere.
Both of the restrooms on the
main floor are painted, as is the
hallway that leads to the restrooms
downstairs. Elizabeth Hoffman, the
owner's aunt, was an Ann Arbor
artist who painted the murals.
"If you look closely, there are
fairies within the mural and on their
wings are the names of the people
who work here," said Emily Thomp-
son, a manager at Arbor Brewing
Company. Different features within
the mural highlight one staff mem-
ber's love for turtles, another's
bright blue eyes and a manager's
slumber. "It's an homage to the
staff," Thompson said.
Hoffman continues to add new
aspects to the mural; thus, a sign
reading "mural is in progress"
greets the entrance to the mural.
The mural has been in progress
since the restaurant opened nine
years ago. Thompson notes, "Since
the staff is so close and because
people stay for years, it is an honor
to be added to the wall."
By maintaining clean and innova-
tive restrooms, these three Ann
Arbor mainstays deliver not just
exquisite cuisine, but also excep-
tional customer care.
Congratukations
to The Princeton Review voted
Best Test Prep'
in Ann Arbor by the Michigan Daily.
The
(Princeton 1802Rve
Rueviewo~eiei c~
5.
Originally decorated restrooms are a sp
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