Michigan Daily readers voted on their favorite
things about Ann Arbor. On this page and the next are
staff members's reflections on several winners.

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Espesso Royale Cafe

Six Espresso Royale Cafes. Two
Amer's Mediteranian Delis. Two
Sweetwater cafes. Rendezvous.
Ambrosia. Ten Starbucks. As a col-
lege student in Ann Arbor, you're
never far from a coffee shop.
Ann Arbor seems to breed coffee
houses. Patrons can frequent the
mainstream Starbucks or the indie
Ambrosia or they can settle for a
compromise - a coffee shop that
doesn't make them feel like part
of the establishment but that also
doesn't make them feel overdressed
wearingkhakis and a polo.
Espresso Royale is a happy
medium between the coffee shops
Ann Arbor has to offer. Without
being a suffocating chain or pre-
tenses of beinga cultural hub, ERC
has a welcoming atmosphere.
Unlike a few campus coffee
shops, the clientele isn't homog-
enous - you're almost as likely to

Best coffee shop
see your professor there as you are
to see your classmate.
It's foundin two campus locations:
State Street near Nickel's Arcade and
South University Avenue near the
entrance to the Diag. There are also
two on Main Street and three others
on the outskirts of town. While six
locations might seem like a lot, when
you consider that there are nearly
twice as many Starbucks in town, it
seems like a rarity.
In each location, tables near the
large front windows provide the
perfect opportunity for people-
watching while slowly sipping a
cup of the house blend. or if work
needs to be done, patrons can go
downstairs where it's quiet at
the South University location or
toward the back at the State Street
location, where the rows of outlets
are a welcome relief from the ruth-
less search for a table where you

can plug in your laptop.
Also, the campus spots offer
free wireless Internet, a big selling
point over say, Starbucks, where
access to the web via T-Mobile
costs $9.99 for a day.
Espresso Royale first opened on
the West Coast in 1987 and soon
spread to college towns in seven
different states. The cafe on State
Street was the first Espresso Royale
to open in Ann Arbor. In 2004, the
second ERC near campus opened
on South University.
The South University cafe,
while slightly smaller, still pres-
ents the same friendly ambience
for customers, as well as the same
product selection. If you're looking
for a meal that's heartier than just
pastries and coffee, the parfait at
ERC is better than it is anywhere
else on campus.
See ERC, Page 9B

: CHINESE FOOD
Chef Jan - 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Top Gold Medal Award Winner: 2001, 2003, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1983, 2003
International Professional Culinary Competition
(The World's Largest Culinary Competition)
Congratulations to Chef Jan
2006
November 14
Top Gold Medal Winner
International
Professional
Culinary Competiton
in New York City
SPONSORED BY:
Societe Culinaire Philanthropique
International Chefs De Cuisine Association
American Culinary Federation
Executive Chef Jan American Chefs De Cuisine Association
French Culinary - US Group
2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 & 1998
Voted Ann Arbor's Best Chinese Food by Michigan Daily
(734) 668-2445 TAKE-OUT SERVICE
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK, 1lam - 10pm
1201 S. University " Ann Arbor
(Corner of Church & S. University)

Zingermn's
Best deli
When I decided to come to the
University, my father imparted
some words of wisdom.
"Since you'll be living in Ann
Arbor, you've got to eat at Zinger-
man's," he said. "It's a famous deli.
Everybody's eaten there."
From that moment on, the exhor-
tation "you've got to eat at Zinger-
man's" has become a refrain that
haunted me. Because I hadn't eaten
at Zingerman's well into my first
year at school, I felt like I couldn't
call myself a true Ann Arborite. I
was just another ignorant fresh-
man; I clearly didn't know anything
about the best of Ann Arbor.
After the barrage of superlatives
from Zingerman's enthusiasts, I
began to envision the deli as aculi-
nary kingdom. I saw bright lights
illuminating display cases packed
with every type of meat and cheese
imaginable. I saw the walls adorned
with a dazzling array of oils, spices
and vinegars.I saw a majestic cel-
ebration of food.
Surprisingly, when I finally vis-
ited, my mental image turned out t
be quite accurate.
Located on Detroit Street in Ker-
rytown, Zingerman's Delicatessen
is a food connoisseur's heaven. Its
menu is both impressive and over-
whelming. The deli offers more
than 60 different sandwiches, along
with salads, soups and much more.
In a world overrun by food chains
See ZING'S, Page 9B

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