Tried any new restaurants lately?  Was the food any good?

391 responses total.

I had lunch at the City Grill a couple of weeks ago.  I won't go back.
The atmosphere was lousy, and the food wasn't that good.

On the other hand, I recently ate lunch at Casey's.  I like this
place.  The burger I had was very good, and each table has a selection
of 8-10 different mustards.

Has anyone eaten at the China Gate since it went fast food?

How do you like the new bread at Zingerman's?  I think the challah is
better, but I like the old rye bread better.

re 1 and 2: haven't tried it, haven't tried it, and haven't tried it.  :S

I ate at the Blue Nile on 77th street in Manhattan for the first time
yesterday.  It was very good.  I dragged my mom and sister there, somewhat
reluctantly on their part, but they enjoyed the meal.  The NYC Blue Nile
was noticeably different from the Ann Arbor Blue Nile.  In particular,
there are more options on the menu, you sit on low 3-legged stools instead
of on chairs, and they don't give you a wet washcloth before and after the
meal to clean your fingers.  The food in both restaurants tastes similar,
that is, delicious.

We've been to China Gate.  The food tastes the same, but the atmosphere is
a lot different.  The teapot is unlimited (you get up and get your own from
the industrial sized pot by the food counter).  Service is faster now.

  For those who might be hanging around Dearborn, for whatever reason,
I recommend "Thai Palace" on Michigan Avenue..  I had yet another
excellent and inexpensive lunch there this afternoon.  (I favor the
Pa Nang Chicken, but other entrees are also excellent.)

Anybody interested in doing a Grex lunch sometime?  Maybe we can try
the new Red Hawk.

   Sure, a Grex lunch sounds interesting.  And for most of us, we
can't yak forever, as we eventually have to get back to work.  I'm
for it...

i'd be interested in doing a grex *dinner* at the red hawk, but lunch
is definitely out for me.  my office is pretty rigid about lunch hours
going from 12 to 1, and it's about 1/2 hour from work to the red hawk,
if you include time for parking.
would dinner work for other folks, or is lunch much better for you?

Now this is a conference I can sink my teeth into.  I ate dinner last weekend
at the Mayflower Hotel in Plymouth.  Minus stars. . too expensive, service
was amaturish, food was adequate but not exciting.  For a fun evening, try
playing Trivial Pursuit on the TV at Trippers and eat their fajitas.  But
if you want to retain your hearing, dont go after a football game.  

Does the Red Hawk have the capacity to handle groups?  All I remember are
those little booths.

They have lots of  tables up front near the window. Food is great too.

 Does Red Hawk have special, affirmative-action type programs for us 
minorities who are members of the vegetarian-community?

Yes.  They charge you less for green beans than for a steak.

you can even get your green beans _on_ a steak.

  Your discriminatory joke is not humerous.

re 9: Trippers?  Ugh!  They're down the road from my office so we end up
there far too often.  They're too noisy and smokey and the TV's are
distracting and their selection of meatless foods is severely limited.
And the guys at my office say Chi Chi's is a better choice, because
Chi Chi's gives you free munchies when you drink, while Tripper's
doesn't.

o well.

   Is that where the Great Lakes Shipping Co. used to be?

ChiChi's is truly disgusting in my opinion.

   Heh heh.  Dan, if you think of Chi^2 as not Mexican, but American,
it sorta works.  I'm not saying its great (or even good) food, but it
is a step or two up from McDonald's, et al.
   That is the way to mentally steel yourself when getting dragged
there by boyant children...

  Yes, it's a step up from McDonalds, a $5 step, and the food isn't
all that much better..  There's a decent, if a bit expensive, Mexican
place that has opened recently in Ypsi..  I think it's on Cross St.
(whatever street is the main westbound drag that runs past EMU and
merges into Washtenaw (same street Da Lat is on..))

   La Mexicana Festiana, or something like that?  I agree, its great!
*That* is food.

I ventured down to La Fiesta Mexicana a couple of weeks ago.  It's good,
but I still have to drag a group of you down to Detroit for something
a little more autentico.  

 Chi-chis is not a suitable selection unless you're trying to discriminate
against the special needs of those in the vegetarian community.

Re 17: Yup, Trippers is where Great Lakes used to be.
Re 23: Chi-chi's has cheese enchiladas and a couple of other
ovo-lacto-veggie foods.  Nothing on their fast lunch menu is veggie
though.  I've heard they've gotten a salad bar, but i wouldn't
know since i haven't been there recently.  Dunno about any
restaurant whose name translates as "boobs".

How does La Casita de Lupe in Braun Court stack up against other
Mexican restaurants?

You really have to go to Detroit to get decent Mexican.

   Not *quite* true, Laurel.  We discovered a little hole-in-the-wall
called "Mexico Lindo" on the main street through Jackson.  Yes, Jackson.
The food there is really decent.  I think it holds its own against what
Detroit has to offer.
 
   So what places do you folk consider the best in Detroit?  I confess
to not having been to many recently, other than Xochimilcho, which I
think is moderately fantastic.
 
   Enlighten us.  I always like being enlightened.

Where is the Red Hawk?  Where is Casey's?  Ken and I liked the City
Grill when we ate at their outdoor section a couple of times last
summer.  I thought the burger was decent, and Ken liked his grilled
chicken.
 

I, too, think Chi-chi's is OK if you treat it as an American Restaurant.
Nothing could match the food I ate when I was actually in Mexico,
so I don't really expect it to be the same.  We've been going to San
Pedro's restaurant on Washtenaw (across the street from Herc's) quite
a bit.  Not especially *authentic*, but reasonably tasty.

re Detroit Mexican restaurants:  I was just at the Mexican Village. I
don't like it as much as Xochimilco or El Zocalo.  One place I like
that is a little way away from the main restaurant area is Las Brisas.
They even have a mariachi band on Fridays and Saturdays.

Armando's has excellent food, but the service is indifferent.

Re:#24  I like Casita de Lupe and think its the best Mexican Rest. in town.
We do run to downtown Detroit for our favorite Mexican food but for a
quick dinner, Casita is fine.  Get there before 7:30 so you dont have to
wait.  The reason I enjoyed Trippers was because the group I was with had
a great time playing Trivial Pursuit against the other tables and other
bars throughout the country.  Now, lets talk about "good" Italian food.
We go to Dearborn to La Traviata, or before it burned down, to Amatos.
Anything, really good, closer by?  Please dont tell me about Argiros.  I
think their sauce is poor and if an Italian restaurant doesn't have a
delicious basic tomato sauce, it just doesn't cut it for me.

   It has gone through several name changes, but what may still be
called Bella Caio is (or at least, was) good.  Other than that,
there aren't any in the Ann Arbor area.  Paesano's is OK, and some
of their specials are actually rather good, but I don't think of
them as "Italian".  Of course, since I don't like Italian that much
I haven't made it much of a priority to search them out.

 (As of a year ago, Chi-Chis was using non-vegetarian beans)

Bella Ciao Trattoria, on Liberty, is indeed still open and is my
favorite place for Italian cuisine in Ann Arbor.  Small and elegant,
this place is a special treat.  The best dining in Ann Arbor, bar none. 

I've also enjoyed Palio's, on Main Street.  Somewhat more casual fare,
moderately priced, and quite good.  

Although not classified as an Italian restaurant, the Earle 
serves some mean pasta.

Is Mario's, in Detroit, still considered the mecca for those 
seeking Northern Italian cuisine in the Detroit area?  I haven't
been there in 10 or 15 years.

   The best *European* dining, Mary dear.                             ;-)

Lelli's is far better than Marios' imho. Mexican, downriver: Taco Especial,
they are just little hole in the wall joints but they are great.  Even
use cilantro in their tacos:)

   Steve, wanna give more complete details, for the directionally impared?

I see the Lelli's vs. Mario's feud is still alive.  Well, anyone who has
ever dined on Mario's Veal Tosca knows Lelli's is mostly a spagetti and
meatballs joint for those who think around the neck napkins are chic. ;-)

re 27: The Red Hawk is on State Street, more or less across the street
from Borders.

Re 32: **Thank you** for the tip!  I'd been eating the cheese enchiladas
when i'd been stuck going to Chi Chi's, but i'd been figuring that the
beans were probably a possibility too.  Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks!

  re #36:  Don't know about Lelli's, but I second the recommendation
for Taco Especial..  I frequently meet a friend of mine at the Ecorse
branch (since he lives there and we meet after work) and the food is
great.  Don't go there expecting a reasonably high-class operation like
Xochimilco -- Taco Especial is just a hole-in-the-wall type Mexican
diner with good food.  There're two of them, one on Southfield in Ecorse
(north side of the road, which means it's on the left side if you head
"south" from I-94..  It's just about a block after you pass over this
tiny bridge and find yourself in Ecorse.)  The other is at Goddard and
Allen Roads in Taylor..  I've never been to that one, though if you're
comining from Ann Arbor it's probably closer (get off at Pelham going
south until it ends and merges into Allen; Goddard is right on top of you..)

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