0 0 0 4B - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 14, 2005 Best Pizza1Pizza House The Michigar Be PIZZA CHALLENGE 2005 DAILY WRITERS PUT RESTAURANTS TO THE TEST Big Ten Burrito takes on all the competition By Ashley Dinges and Doug Wernert Daily Weekend Editors Commen ranged fr to "sw l Pizza. It's the time-worn college food, the w" c one that college students look to for both a staffersc quick meal and a late-night snack. With so as "the s many pizza places surrounding the University lent - s campus, the question is obvious: Which one is the best? for the g Enter the Pizza Challenge, a one-night event with," "a where pizza is ordered from every major res- pizza" an taurant in Ann Arbor to find out which one reigns supreme. Last year, NYPD emerged as the favorite. This year, it was anybody's con- Both Marc test, and Weekend Magazine was determined delivery timec to find a winner. ny's said their About 40 Daily staffers gathered last Friday The peopl evening to taste the best pizza Ann Arbor's cordial and p restaurants had to offer. Five testers, one from sary delivery each section of the paper - News, Opinion, order and tha Photography, Arts and Sports - were desig- The only exc nated to try a slice of pizza from each estab- where the emj lishment. a simple "He] The testers rated each piece on eight differ- that the numb ent categories, listed in the chart below. Staff- Over the n ers ordered two pies from every pizza place, pizzas from t and the purpose of the order was not explained lishments, bri until it was delivered. ferent restaur The first round of calls went out at 7:45 p.m., 9:05p.m. with with calls to Anthony's, Marco's and Pizza accidentally c Bob's. DJ's and Mancino's were supposed to be The first d included in this first series of calls, but there 8:05 p.m., ten was no answer on the other line, dropping fact, every piz them from consid- tion of Pizza eration. p.m., one hour placed the orc The qui l Marc r4 f i ts on the pizzas rom "nothing special" t." More opinionated offered tidbits such sausage was excel- picy, yet not too spicy irl I was making out thoroughly average id "trying to kill me?" o's and Pizza Bob's estimated a of 30 to 45 minutes, while Antho- pizza would arrive in an hour. e taking the orders were very polite, asking for all the neces- y information, confirming the anking the caller for their order. eption was the call to Mancino's, ployee answered the phone with [lo?" forcing the caller to verify er was indeed for Mancino's. ext 90 minutes, callers ordered he remaining seven pizza estab- nging the grand total to ten dif- ants. The calling concluded at calls to Leonardo's - which was alled twice - and Mr. Pizza. elivery arrived from Marco's at n minutes ahead of schedule. In zza arrived early, with the excep- tBob's, whose pie arrived at 9 r and 15 minutes after the caller der. ckest delivery came from both By Jackie Lamaj Daily Arts Writer The new kid on the block, Big Ten Burrito, has won over the bur- rito-loving hearts of students in Ann Arbor. After its opening last year, the small restaurant lost last year's title of "Best Burrito" to the larger Panchero's, located on South Univer- sity Avenue. This year, Big Ten has stolen the title, as well as the hearts and stomachs of Ann Arborites. The cheap prices, homemade tor- tillas and the fresh-tasting chicken make Big Ten Burrito the ultimate spot to fulfill those lunchtime and late-night hunger pains. And with taxes already figured, in, you don't need to carry around those extra pennies. "We are so happy that readers voted us best burrito. Next, we want best late-night place, once we have that, I'll be satisfied," said owner Adam Lowenstein. The love affair that students are having with Big Ten Burrito "comes back to the food," manager Brent Hegwood said. "People like the fact that items are rounded to the dollar, the speed, convenience and that we make every- thing fresh," Hegwood said. LSA senior Bernie Liu expressed similar views, saying, "The price is right, that's for sure." "Me and the other owner always went to Panchero's and Odoba before we opened, and now I'm convinced we have the best burrito." - Adam Lowenstein Owner, Big Ten Burrito The burrito is convenient as well - you can have it on the go and at all hours of the day. "The one problem is that Big Ten Burrito is only open until 4 a.m., so if you come home at 5 a.m., you are screwed" said Engineer senior Megan Stricker. Luckily, the restaurant reopens at 11 a.m. Since its opening last year, Big Ten Burrito is not only offered on State Street. The burrito joint now sells selections at the Michigan League's Beanster's Cafe, Cafd ConXion in South Quad Residence Hall and Pierpont Commons on North Cam- pus. Kinesiology sophomore Caroline Sweet, a former participant of the Greek Week burrito eating contest hosted by Big Ten Burrito, said "they are delicious, hearty and a full well-balanced meal. They have fresh tasting ingredients, high- quality rice and beans." Vegetarians can even indulge in burritos. In fact, Hegwood said the vegetarian burrito is the most popular at Big Ten Burrito. Even with all the elements of a burrito, it sells for the reasonable price of $3. "Good protein sources for vegetarians can be really hard to find at many restaurants, so the beans at places like Panchero's and Big Ten are a fabulous option for us," said LSA junior and vegetarian Megan Ouellet. Although Big Ten Burrito is currently the "it" spot for burrito lovers, Ann Arbor offers several other options as well. The hot spot for bar stars after a long night of drinks and dancing in the South University area is Panchero's. Runner-up Panchero's location is prime for late night burrito noshing. Students on campus are very passionate about their burritos and where they choose to dine, said Ouellet. "I've seen arguments over Big Ten Burrito and Panchero's - it gets pretty heated," said Ouellet. "Some of my friends have even made report cards comparing each establishment on various burrito characteristics ranging from tortilla to best value," Ouellet said. But Lowenstein is confident in Big Ten Burrito's reign over the rest of Ann Arbor's offerings. "Me and the other owner always went to Panchero's and Qdoba before we opened, and now I'm convinced we have the best burrito," he said. Sofia Ruiz and Pedro Rodriguez pr Y $5 Bck Cuero 0 m ALI OLSEN/Daily NYPD driver Hurol Ulupinar makes change for two pizzas at the Pizza Challenge. Besides simply testing pizzas and rating Daily staffers once informed of the contest. their personal choices, Pizza Challenge par- NYPD driver Hurol Ulupinar commented on ticipants also interacted with several pizza his experiences as a deliverer. deliverers. "I like the communications with people. I Marco's Pizza driver Matt Smith was "has- like my boss," Ulupinar said. sled" by a Daily writer who claimed he deliv- He added that his favorite NYPD pizza is ered the wrong type of pizza and demanding a chicken pesto, but he is also a fan of Pizza new order. Smith was friendly, albeit confused House pizza. by a Daily photographer snapping his picture As soon as the orders arrived, Daily staffers from the front porch. Offering a refund for the eagerly snatched up slices of pizza. Comments mistaken pie, Smith was helpful and kind to on pieces ranged from "nothing special" to the "rude customer." "sweet." More opinionated staffers offered Jason Lavigne, the sole driver for Leonar- tidbits such as "the sausage was excellent - do's Pizza, stayed and chatted with Daily spicy enough, yet not too spicy for the girl I staffers for a few minutes after making was making out with," "a thoroughly average two deliveries to the challenge due to the pizza" and "trying to kill me?" accidental order. Once the results had been tabulated, a clear Born and raised in Ann Arbor, the winner emerged. Pizza House took first place Eastern Michigan University student in four of the eight categories, including Best has worked at Leonardo's for about Overall Taste. The testers remarked that they six months. He said the company thought the sauce was flavorful, the cheese has been his favorite place to work was high-quality, and the crust was good and at so far, in comparison to previ- crispy. ous employers Cottage Inn and Final comments included "best yet," "tastes A Pizza House. really good" and "most flavor." Leonardo's "The owners are real assholes," had the weakest showing in the contest, aver- said Lavigne of Pizza House. aging only a 1.6 out of ten in the Best Overall As the only driver at Leon-- Taste category. ardo's, he added that his job is In general, the testers were picky, scoring easier because he doesn't com- only Cottage Inn, Marco's and Pizza House pete against other drivers for above five in all categories. orders. Overall, the Pizza Challenge was a success. Most drivers who delivered It proved that service in Ann Arbor is quick pizza to the challenge were and efficient, and that good pizza isn't too friendly and willing to talk to hard to find. E F i , ' #83 10 4 #80 -:+ i84 .4* '4 4# 4 d*'M as t 6!4as' YE^ £ c'4 t' d & r£4'-"> ! . 300 W. Huron corner of First 734-623-1951 www.relaxstationmassage.com R $ Y a voted Ann AtbOr's DtLi- %-V- ~j~x~~ie~~o wself IIA Massage Therapy WEEKEND MAGAZINE. WE COULD GO FOR SOME TACO BELL RIGHT NOW. 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