ANN ARBOR: A Few Reasons it is Considered the Most Desirable Place to Live in Michigan

We Love Ann Arbor!

As we were running errands today, it occurred to me that it might be interesting to my readers to know why we love Ann Arbor. Prior to moving back here, our standard answer when someone from West Michigan would say in an astonished puzzled voice, “you’re moving to Ann Arbor?!” was 1) family 2) proximity to UofM hospital and 3) seeking a no-step ground floor condo. The first time since living here that I went into the hospital for treatment, Alice and I both looked at each other as we approached the parking lot with the same exact thought, “we’ll be home in 10 minutes not 2 1/2 hours”. That sort of thinking in itself got us here but now that we live here, there are so many more reasons. The review below is listed first only because we visited there today and that’s when the idea to start this blog post came to light. I will continue to add lots more reasons to live in Ann Arbor not because I expect that as you read this you’ll move here too and soon we’ll have all our old friends back in the ‘hood’, but because ya’ll might like to come down and visit once in a while and enjoy some of the local flavor.

Biercamp’s is a one of Ann Arbor’s best kept secrets. A friend of ours, Fred Bowen, is the wine manager at Hansen’s in Hart MI so we generally stop in whenever we are in the neighborhood to say hello. We love the sausage, smoked products and cheese. The last time we were there, the owner was telling us the best ways to cook the asparagus brats and asked where we lived. When we told him Ann Arbor, he remarked that one of his relatives owned Biercamp’s and everything in our cart could be purchased there. So, we’d been meaning to stop in and see the place ever since. Unlike Hansen’s, Biercamp’s is not a full service super market grocery store. It is actually housed in an old house on S. State Street across from the Athletic campus. It is a brewery, cafe and deli specializing in sausage, smoked meats, pickles and a few relatively unusual cuts of meat. We had a couple of delicious brews, Imperial IPA and Blond Lager, with our beef brisket sandwich. The sandwich was as good as anything in memory. Next time we’ll try the Steamship Round sandwich. We purchased a variety of other items which we have not tried yet. UPDATE: The Merguez (African lamb sausage) is excellent as are the pickles, jerky and Polish sausage.

Spring Valley Trout Farm is about a twenty minute drive NW of Ann Arbor half way between Dexter and Chelsea on Island Lake Road. George and Linda’s son, daughter-in-law and their three kids were in town for the Howe Reunion so we decided to take a little side trip for some fishing and a feast. There are both Trout ponds and Catfish ponds. The entrance fee is only $5 and that includes a cane pole and bait. We brought our own poles but I’m not sure that is the best approach. The fish don’t bite too hard and seem to elude the hook pretty well. With a spinning rod and reel, one tends to catch the fish 50-60 feet off shore and it is not easy to land them without the fish wiggling off the hook. However, with the cane pole, one does not reel in the fish. One simply jerks it out of the water and tosses it back on dry land. But, I stuck with the spinning reel and caught a beautiful Brookie and a very large Rainbow that was more Steelhead-like than a typical pond raised trout. The Brook Trout was the first I’ve caught since living on Old Mission Peninsula in the 1970’s. By the time we got done, we had seven nice trout, two of which were a meal for three or four people all by themselves. The staff weighs, cleans and bones your catch and charges $8.99 lb. Not bad!! We ended up with a ton of fish and cooked it right on the spot in the picnic area. I didn’t think we’d come close to eating it all, but it was so delicious we ate every scrap of fish along with two salads and potatoes! The only thing that could have made it better would have been a nice glass of wine to enjoy alongside. For some reason, alcohol is not allowed on the premises.

Busch’s Grocery is basically what D&W was before Spartan bought it out. Although the ads are fairly misleading (written by Spartan) the store itself is not corporate owned and is independent of Spartan in terms of day to day operations. The seafood lady, Katie, is very upfront and honest with her claims regarding the seafood. Busch’s had their lobster/seafood sale this week and unlike other Spartan stores, Busch’s orders mostly 2lb and up lobsters which give you way more meat to shell ratio and have a sweeter more succulent flavor. So that was yesterday’s meal and today we had seafood boil. We were curious about the Hawaiian shrimp so we bought some of those as well as the Argentina shrimp. Neither are well suited to seafood boil. They are just a bit too soft for that sort of preparation and are much better suited to sauté (see “Head-On Shrimp Part 2 March 27, 2023). Nonetheless, it was a very appetizing and delicious meal. We enjoyed a bottle of 2022 Lubanzi Swartland Chenin Blanc, SOUTH AFRICA (12.5% abv) $14.99 at the Village Corner which couldn’t have been nicer. The nose is fresh but not green. The palate is crisp but not acidic. There is a Vouvray-like honied melon component but it is not sweet. Perfect wine with seafood boil.

LIVE is a night club here that recently made the national news in that it is noteworthy that most of the patrons from 6:30 - 9:00 pm on Fridays are senior citizens. It is known locally as “Geezer Happy Hour”. Alice had never been there and I hadn’t been there since 1973 when it was called the Rubaiyat. Curious to see what the buzz was about, Linda and George and Alice and I headed there last night. By 6:30 pm, parking was scarce, the place was packed and the dance floor was ass to elbow. Drinks were good and reasonably priced. The house red is an 8 oz. pour of Chateau Canteloup Bordeaux for $7.50 per glass. Linda wasn’t crazy about the Chardonnay, but, keep in mind, she favors the round, buttery style. Just as we settled in, one could hear a very Dianna Ross-like voice and manner over the din “ooooooh baby, baby, where did our love go? A few minutes later, I could swear I heard Peter Rivera booming out “get ready, ‘cause here I come”. And, right on cue, in walks a very sharp dressed man. We cleared out by 8:00 pm to go next door to have sushi and tempura at Miki Japanese restaurant. Though we didn’t stay around that long, we have been told that at 9:00 pm the music changes and a much younger crowd takes over. It was lots of fun for us old folks to hear some very good covers of our favorites during Geezer Happy Hour.

Crisler Center is where the UofM basketball team plays their home games. It is right next to the ‘big house’. Unlike the big house which seats over 100,000 and is perpetually sold out, seeing a basketball game in a relatively small venue can be done by simply buying tickets at face value; no scalpers or other middle men to jack up the price. My sister and brother-in-law have found one of the coolest little spots to sit and enjoy a game. it is called the Wolverine Den located directly above the camera crew so you are quite high above the court looking right down almost a bird’s eye view. Plus, you sit in a sort of bar-like setting with bar stools, monitors and they serve food (included in your ticket price) for the entire first half and before the tip off. The food buffet is quite good and extensive. We enjoyed a real nail-biter the other night. UofM isn’t a great team this year, but fortunately, Northwestern is even worse so hard as UofM tried to give away the game, Northwestern was just too inept to take advantage of all of the Wolverine errors. Those of you who saw UofM vs MSU will know that MSU did take advantage of all of UofM’s miscues and easily clinched victory. MSU just plays such an athletically fluid, exciting brand of basketball I might actually be wearing green during March madness. UPDATE: Paybacks are hell!! The game on March1st MSU vs UM was the most athletic, relaxed, dogged and accurate I’ve ever seen UM in years. Wow! What a payback.

Pre Game Ceremony & National Anthem

Yost Ice Arena rarely sells out even when #2 and #3 nationally are playing each other and the prices are higher than baseball, but not as bad as football. In all these years as a student, alumni and sports fan, I had never been inside the Yost Ice Arena. It is a building with a lot of history along with unique architectural features. From the outside, it looks a bit like a Cathedral more or less of the same style as the old Red Wings Olympia Stadium though considerably smaller. The stands rise quickly and steeply which helps one see the action even when people stand up to cheer on the Wolverines. On this particular night, #2 Minnesota came to town for what might have been a preliminary Big 10 tournament. However, six of Michigan’s players, including the nation’s #1 scorer along with most of his starting line were out sick and Minnesota made it an easy night. I know the ice and the puck are slippery but Michigan really seemed unable to get off very many crisp, firm shots. Mostly fumbling and jumbling the puck. So, I check off another on my Ann Arbor bucket list. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in winter sports. If there is a downside, the parking lot is next to the Crisler Center which is a pretty long walk in winter weather to the Yost Ice Arena.

He Shoots He SCORRRRRRRES!

Brefka Family Reunion is Alice’s sister, Dorothy and her husband Greg Brefka’s family reunion get together. You never know who you’ll meet and if he still wishes he had Bo’s record.

Plum Market (Maple Rd) is a full service grocery store but we use it mainly as a specialty food store. Most of the food, produce and meat is grossly overpriced but, they often offer a quality that is not found elsewhere. The wines, ironically, offer great value. It just goes to show that if the buying group represents the best and brightest, it is possible to offer great quality and reasonable pricing. Not so much regarding the store’s other departments. Yet, they do have a few things that are remarkable. There are always some gems in the produce department. Could be the most delicious beets we’ve ever had one day to maybe ripe figs or Indiana Honey Rocks the next. You never know. A year ago we purchased a soft shell crab nearly the size of a dungenes! It was fresh (alive), expertly cleaned on request and it cooked up with that unmistakable flavor of the ocean. Today, we picked up some Louisiana “rock shrimp”. I use the quotes, because they are not actually shrimp. They are in fact salt water cray fish nicely peeled with no shell bits. The price was not cheap ($23.99 lb.) but for $12 we had a very generous plate of “My Friend Art’s Scallops”. Of course we substituted the rock shrimp for scallops because a) Alice is allergic to scallops and b) I LOVE rock shrimp!! They were so sweet and tender they literally popped with a seaside explosion in the mouth. Here is the recipe. It is my very old adaptation going back to when Bon Appetite used to have wonderfully easy dishes in the “Too Busy to Cook?” section.

MY FRIEND ART’S SCALLOPS 1/2 pound of scallops, shrimp, crab or other bite-sized seafood 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons white wine small amount of chicken bouillon small amount of tom yum paste (optional, but it really adds a wonderful aroma and aftertaste) pinch of white pepper 1 tablespoon of cornstarch buttered cooked rice (about a half cup dry / cup and a half cooked) plenty of chopped parsley

In a large glass measuring cup add the lemon juice, white wine, bouillon, tom yum, white pepper and about 3/4 cup of water and microwave it about 2 minutes until all is nicely dissolved and set aside. Heat the butter in a frying pan and when fairly hot add the seafood. As soon as it is no longer translucent (no more than two minutes) remove it from the pan and add about 2/3 of the liquid. Scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the cornstarch to the reserved liquid and mix well then add it to the liquid in the pan and immediately start whisking so it doesn’t lump up. Add the fish back into the pan, stir once and serve over rice. Garnish heavily with parsley.

Detroit Institute of Arts is just a short drive away and boasts one of the better collections in the US. In fact, as we just learned, DIA was the first US museum to purchase a Van Gogh painting, and an iconic one at that; self portrait in a straw hat. As a small donor, we get free tickets to the museum and free admission at the start of any new exhibit. So, we made a day of it. After the Van Gogh exhibit, we went downtown and had lunch at Fishbones and then to Greektown to lose a few bucks at the Casino. From there, to Comerica Park for a pretty boring low scoring game followed by the best fireworks display we’ve ever seen and an easy drive home.
Mint House Detroit is a very well located daily condo rental in the Phillip’s Houze downtown. We used to meet with Alice’s family in Chicago (Alice’s maternal family is from Chicago) but all of the relatives there have now passed. If you live long enough, that happens. So, now her sister flies in from Manhattan and we pick her up at Metro on the way in while her other sister and brother in law from Frankenmuth drive down to Detroit. From there we can do all sorts of things, such as Polish dinner in Hamtamk, sports events, museums, and, of course just driving around to see what’s going on at Belle Isle, the old Tiger Stadium neighborhood and discovering the great local food scene. Now that the COVID has lifted, we’re planning on going to Windsor to the old Italian neighborhood later this month during our get together.

Ray Fisher Stadium (UofM baseball park)

We finally attended our first UofM baseball game last night (5/20/22) and thoroughly enjoyed it. The stadium is not big (seats from first to third base) and there is plenty of free parking. Oddly enough, when we got there, most of the parking spaces way in back were filled and there were tons of empty parking spaces right in front of the entrance. We had found a spot near the back when we pulled in thinking the lot was full and when we got up to the gate wondered why there were so many “great” empty parking spots. By the end of the first inning, the answer was obvious. Being that the stadium isn’t very wide or tall, foul balls fly out several times per inning landing right on the cars parked in the “great” spots! The game itself was very entertaining. I would say the level of play (keep in mind UofM and Rutgers are among the best in the BIG 10) was very high. Comparable to minor league "high A” ball but not quite AAA, like the Toledo Mud Hens. However, the fact that they use aluminum bats, the ball really travels at a remarkable exit speed and carries. Lots of extra base hits and homers which makes it exciting. Considering that the final score was 9-7, in favor of UofM, with many pitching changes for both teams and it was televised so there were many commercial breaks, the game still only took three hours. When it is not on TV, most college games are played in about two. So, even though the game started at 8:00pm, we were home and in bed shortly after eleven o’clock. We look forward to seeing more college games especially since this game clinched UofM into the playoffs.

Zingerman’s has become the model which all modern deli’s try to imitate. I don’t need to tell you what a fantastic food experience you get upon walking in the door. Lucky us, their warehouse, commissary and specialty shops are only a few blocks away so we don’t need to drive across town to shop at the main store in the Kerry Town neighborhood, although visiting the neighborhood is a big part of the experience. The shops in our part of town are spacious, easy to shop, carry everything found in the main store and have an abundance of free parking; a scarcity in Downtown Ann Arbor. Everything in this collection of specialty stores is probably priced higher than it should be, but the quality is second to none.

Knight’s is a local restaurant chain with two restaurants in Ann Arbor as well as one in Jackson and I think one in Lansing. When we were moving, we typically stopped at the Dexter Road location on our way into town. We love the place. It is everything a neighborhood restaurant should be. We love to see all the neighborhood senior citizens waddle in wearing the same clothes that they have been wearing since the 1960’s or sometimes just bellying up to bar in their pajamas. The food is good, the drinks are big and the service is friendly. Unfortunately, this neighborhood gem is NOT in OUR neighborhood. What we do have here in the same complex as Zingerman’s specialty stores is Knight’s commissary and butcher shop which supplies the restaurants. It is a handy spot to get good meat and specialty foods without leaving the neighborhood.

Halal Lamb at Costco in Ann Arbor

Costco is just a block from Zingerman’s too. Though it is pretty much the same as any other Costco, it does cater to the large local African and Middle Eastern populations by selling whole Halal lambs dressed and ready to cook on a spit for special holidays.

Slippery Jack Mushrooms are growing in our lawn. I would have never even given a thought to whether they are edible or not. They look like every other wild mushroom; deadly poisonous. But, our neighbor a native of Poland, showed us how to find and prepare them. Well, the finding is easy if you get to them before the lawn crew mows them down, but the top translucently thin membrane on top of the mushroom cap needs to be removed so they are not stringy or bitter. I picked a bunch of them, sautéed them with some onions, butter, cream and salt and pepper and they are delicious. Alice is still a bit timid when it comes to foraging but, I love ‘em. I put them with pasta and a bit of Parm and voila! I had an absolutely wonderful meal. Who’d have thought about mushroom gathering in your own yard?

Cos d’Estournel is not located in Ann Arbor, but, we did attend a tasting of ten Cos wines from 2000-2018 recently. Our local wine merchant, Dick Scheer of the Village Corner, sponsors a tasting of a dozen wines every week. The wines always exceed the expectations of a $15 charge and sometimes, like the Cos tasting, dwarf it. This tasting included several vintages of the 2me Grand Cru Classe as well as some of the so called second wines, Goulee de Cos and Pagodes De Cos from a range of vintages. The highlight of the tasting were the 2000, 2009, 20012 and 2017 Cos. The 2018 and all of the second wines were dandy examples of fine Bordeaux, but quite honestly, I didn’t think they were any better than the wines I typically buy en primeur for less than $25. It is hard to say if the wines I list here are any kind of value considering the price, but make no mistake, these are memorable examples of Bordeaux’s finest. 2000 Chateau Cos d’Estournel, 2me Grand Cru Classe, St. Estephe, Bordeaux FR, current value at least $300 was the hit of the show for me. I cannot imagine a wine being any better than this one. Not only did it express the richness and complexity of its origin, the balance is perfect, fleshy and easy yet so much flavor and bouquet packed into an extremely sleek package. Oddly enough, the mouthfeel and flavor seemed more vibrant and fresher than either the 2009 or 2012! I would score it 100 on a 100 point scale. 2009 Chateau Cos d’Estournel, 2me Grand Cru Classe, St. Estephe, Bordeaux FR, current value about $480 was certainly the biggest of the wines we tasted with a gigantic rich nose showing every element perfectly with power and firm tannins on the finish. I would have said that this was a perfect 100 except that the 2000 was even better if you can imagine that. 99/100 2012 Cos d’Estournel, 2me Grand Cru Classe, St. Estephe, Bordeaux FR, current value about $200 is truly spectacular showing all the glory of a great wine in its prime. The youthfully rich ripe fruit and left bank essence are on full display while the texture was amazingly silky and fine for a nine year old baby. Though the tannin is abundant the mouth feel is smooth and fresh. 94/100 2017 Cos d’Estournel, 2me Grand Cru Classe, St. Estephe, Bordeaux FR, current value about $190 was surprisingly balanced and approachable for such an ageworthy wine. It goes without saying that perfect balance in its youth bodes for a great wine with great potential. As we had progressed from the second wines to the 2018 Cos, this was the first wine with an exclamatory YUM factor. Red fruit galore carried throughout the experience concluding in a firm but very juicy finish. It was surprising how much one year can make. By contrast, the 2018 was hard as a rock leaving to wonder if it would ever balance out and show the hedonistic joy expressed here in the 2017. 93/100.

I’ll continue to update this blog regularly with both the good and the bad. I’ll also add some of the great Detroit attractions here too, being that downtown Detroit is only about 35 miles away and we are only minutes away from Metro Airport and the western suburbs. So far, I can only think of two things I hate about Ann Arbor; traffic on football Saturdays and the fact that our Meijer store is terrible. Henrick would roll over in his grave if he knew his good name was on this store.