V I w a 0 ,W' w Now Nw ,w qw E3 Thusdy,.ctbe 20 01/ h , NOW YOU CAN FIND FOOD WARS ONLINE, TOO! Check out The Table for our battles and more food content VISIT MICHIGAN DAILY.COM/ BLOGS/THE TABLE B-Side cover illustration by Kristi Begonja, Allison Kruske, Helen Lieblich and Anna Schulte for more information call 734/615-6449 The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts presents a public lecture and reception FOO D WARS Each week, one Ann Arbor staple menu item becomes a battlefield as Daily Arts editors butt heads over which restaurant makes it best. For a classy night out, we've got your martini recommendations. MARTINI Thursday, October 20, 2011 / The B-Side 7B -rw-dw.iht-pra Throwing down with the Spartans It's not just the academics that set us apart from State By CASSIE BALFOUR Daily Community Culture Editor When I told my dad, a Michi- gan State.alum, that I was going to East Lansing after the game last Saturday, he advised me not to wear University apparel. "It's probably safer not to," he hinted ominously. But when trekking through State's sprawling campus, I found my State brethren to be in jolly moods, despite an absurd amount of police presence. My State friend had taken to point- ing out the police slowly cruising around East Lansing. "There's another one," she dully said approximately 25 times on our 45-minute exodus to a house party. On Grand River Avenue, a large stretch that eerily parallels our State Street, the police were even more apparent. Two mounted offi- cers were clopping intimidatingly past bars; those hellishly large horses looked ready to curb-stomp any bystander that got out of line. I didn't witness any hoof- stomping - but just because I have no actual evidence doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I don't really think drunken revelers mix well CAVERN From Page 5B Traditionally, it's the Killer Fla- mingos, a pop-rock band of the Detroit area, who take the stage and get the crowd of a wide age range grooving on their feet for hours with covers of popular radio songs like the Black Eyed Peas's "I Gotta Feeling." I wasn't as impressed with the adjacent, Batman-themed bar entitled Gotham City that exists as a spooky and exciting atmosphere with a mirror-walled dance floor that lost its crowd to the live band next door. When Millennium isn't "hap- pening" with live music, you can almost always count on the people flowing through Circus, if not just for the cheap PBR and free perfect- ly buttered popcorn. I appreciated with even the most well-trained equines, but it sure beats attempt- ing to police State's gigantic cam- pus on foot. "The police presence is crazy - there are like five different police departments including campus police that are out every week- end," said one LSA junior. The stu- dent, who transferred from State to Michigan, chose to remain anonymous because he is under- age. He attributed the increased police presence to State kids' par- ty-prone ways. After seeing the vast number of police cars swarming the campus, I contacted the Michigan State University Police multiple times in an effort to find out if the influx of backup was simply due to the big game. But unsurprisingly, no one picked up the phone - probably because they were all stationed somewhere on campus. Though I didn't witness the police actually interacting with students, I saw a few "fights" that broke out due to wandering packs of bloodthirsty State kids aggres- sively heckling the poor University bastards who were brave or stupid enough to wear maize and blue. A bright spot on this mass exo- dus to party: The Campus Crusade for Christ student group was sta- tioned at an ordinary house party, grilling "Jesus Dogs" to distribute to hungry partiers. One campus the karaoke stage but wished the jukebox wasn't just decoration. A lion's head appropriately emerges from the circus tent that encases the bar and five billiard tables available for a free hour of play. The most classic time to walk those extra few blocks in your boots is Wednesday nights. On these evenings, there is always a different and usually well-known bluegrass band, leaving the top floor of the complex sweaty with the beautiful grunge of music lovers with taste for less popular music styles. "I think because of the large number of grandchildren of the '60s - the children of the 1960s children in town, who are into bluegrass, we've found a niche audience," Easton said. Despite the turn-off of cover charges, the atmosphere's unpre- dictability and the walk in typical- crusader said he just wanted to make sure people were drink- ing on a full stomach and staying safe. Even though the stereotype is that East Lansing is crazy, many seemed to be on the lookout for others. The visible police presence may be more pronounced at State, but wayward Michigan kids should take comfort in the fact that East Lansing and Ann Arbor have many similarities. They both have a Pot- belly, an American Apparel and some zany, sign-wielding zealots who preach on street corners. The fire and brimstone-breathing old guys standing on literal soapboxes in downtown Ann Arbor condemn- ing random passersby are appar- ently a franchise. They've also been dispatched to East Lansing to assure the Spar- tans they are also going to rot in hell for a whole litany of "sins." East Lansing is definitely not lack- ing in folksy charm. But there exist differences between the nightlife at the two rival universities, as many wide- eyed University of Michigan kids have discovered in East Lansing. A State sophomore who grew up in Ann Arbor and preferred not to be identified as a drinker con- firmed that in East Lansing, stu- dents have to pay five dollars per cup at a party. "People party a lot more in East ly frigid weather, the Cavern Club environment embraces adults of all ages trying to have a memora- ble night of play. "We're really just far enough away from campus - about a mile - that we appeal to a lot of town- ies and working grad students," Easton said. "So it's just a little bit older age group on up and that's another reason why students feel comfortable bringing their par- ents here, because their parents don't feel like grandma and grand- pa walking around." It turns out though the estab- lishment has a couple of shortcom- ings, the ability to show up and have a good time before turning 21 is a turn-on to many. There is a lot more adventure to offer than the average party joint with the mul- tiple themed options, especially on its biggest night of the year: Halloween. Lansing, so it's sort of the price of admission," she said. But in a lot of ways, State kids are just like us. They require post- party fuel in order to trek back home after a night of revelry. The entire party scene revolves around one street - Grand River, in their case. And they have a Panchero's, too. But where we found the real after-party was at the packed double decker McDonald's on the outskirts along Grand River. There was a line to get into the golden arches with an exasperated, elderly security guard acting as a bouncer. The tired, sad-eyed man attempted to control the scene, but people spilled into the establishment in waves of green and white. Another one of the ever-pres- ent security guards was stationed upstairs peering warily down at the hordes of hungry students jos- tling over their place in line, and the workers behind the counter patiently repeated orders back to their slurring customers. And when one blurry-eyed patron decked out in Spartan colors asked if he could have the rest of my fries, I felt a sense of camaraderie with our (little) brother school. They aren't so different from us - but if you come, come mounted on your own police steed, because serious- ly, that campus is huge. THE NEW UNE CHINESE CUISINE aKjtiarfen SPECIALZING IN HONG KONG, TAIWANESE, - SZECHUAN & HUNAN STYLES 734-995-1786 116 S. MAIN STREET (BETWEEN W. HURON AND WASHTENAW), - DOWNTOWN ANN ARBOR WWW.KAIGARDEN.COM pp.- Ben A. van der Pluijm Bruce R. Clark Collegiate Professor of Geology Thursday, October 20, 2011 Rackham Amphitheater 4:10pm BAR LOUIE 401 East Liberty Street You can't just order a plain martini at Bar Louie. For a martini with gin, you have to order The Abbey, which contains a mix of Hendricks, fresh grapefruit, pure cane syrup, grenadine and a lemon rind garnish that accents the glass. The $9 drink is definitely for the ladies, but don't be deceived by its pink tint. The gin overpowers the sweet grapefruit flavor and leaves a strong alcoholic taste. THE BLACK PEARL 302 South Main Street You're not just ordering a martini at The Black Pearl - you're ordering a classy eve- ning. Rather than daunting, the lengthy martini menu opens up a wide array of pos- sibilities. The signature martini achieves that delicate balance of sweet, sipable flavor with enough alcohol to keep the conversation flowing. With the swanky atmosphere and drink in your hand, you can't go wrong here. SAVA'S 211 South State Street Martinis are a secret special at Sava's, not on the menu but available to those in the know. However, the gin martini here doesn't go down smoothly at all. It tastes more like straight gin than watered-down gin with ver- mouth ... thoughgranted, there's already afine distinction to be made there. It's not hard to believe this joint got its liquor license just last year - clearly, it's a learning process. RED HAWK 316 South State Street Red Hawk's version of the gin martini on the rocks is three ounces of pure pleasure. This drink is smooth from start to finish. Their basic well martini costs just over $7 and is served with Bombay gin rather than the darling of rapper Snoop Dogg (and for- mer Red Hawk well gin), Tanqueray. The drink is inexpensive, full of alcohol and smooth. Bond would be proud. LSA And the winner is: Red Hawk