125472 Sat May 20 10:19:25 -0700 2006 6 8 Midwest 0 681034 KRAZY JIM'S BLIMPY BURGERS Blimpy Burgers was an enthralling experience. I was giddy with delight when I first saw the place. It's a small, greasy spoon with old swivel chairs. The line to order saddled up to a sizzling griddle and a bubbling deep fryer. I was eager to eat, but one thing Joy said stuck in my mind. She warned that the people who worked there sported an attitude and expected that customers order with precision and without hesitation. I was thinking Soup Nazi from Seinfeld, but didn't really believe it. Rude midwesterners? Impossible. The first visit I made was on a weeknight. The joint was nearly empty, but alas, it didn't stop the young grill-man from yelling at a customer who was unwise enough to answer his cell phone in line. "Take it outside! Can't you read the sign!?" he said as he pointed at it with his greasy spatula. So before I saddled up to order, I wiped the smile off my face, righted myself, and rehearsed what I would say over and over in my mind. "Double with egg, on an onion roll. Double with egg, on an onion roll." As soon as I flawlessly rattled off my order, the guy plopped down two spheres of raw meat, the size of golfballs, directly onto the grill to heat. Then, without warning, he smashes it flat with his spatula to finish cooking on that side and then a final flip to finish. A fried egg, tomato, lettuce, onion, pickles and a slather of mayo later, my burger was ready to eat. An order of habit-forming, crunchy onion rings came in tall singular lacy gob that reached for the ceiling. The burger was delicious. If I had to decribe it, it's as if In-N-Out and Fatburger decided to marry, have children, and move out to the Midwest. The patty is thin like In-N-Out's, but the add-ons like fried egg, chili, and bacon makes the burger endlessly customizable, à la Fatburger. They tout the fact that there's over a million possible Blimpy Burger permutations. With unconventional extras like salami, I don't doubt it. On the second trip made over the weekend, a woman was flipping the burgers. It was then that I saw the trademark Blimpy Burgers attitude in its full splendor. No one was safe from her acid tongue. Fellow customers, her own co-workers, even small children -- if someone did something she didn't approve of, she'd have something to say to them. This was a mean woman who made mean burgers. This time around, to accompany our Blimpy Burgers, we asked for the deep fried "Mixed Veggies". Mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, onion and zucchini are dusted in a seasoned flour and cooked in gurgling oil to a deep golden brown. It was tempura-like in its execution, but exhibited a crumbly crunch instead of a light, lacy crisp. This was a side dish that's both dangerously addictive and unhealthy. Definitely the wrong way to get your daily recommended serving of vegetables, but why does it feel so right? Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger (734) 663-4590 551 S Division St Ann Arbor, MI 48104 ZINGERMAN'S DELICATESSEN Zingerman's Deli is revered for being the best deli in America that isn't in New York City. Some folks in Ann Arbor might even debate that statement. They'd passionately proclaim Zingerman's as the best in the U.S. I'll leave the verbal brawls to others who know better. But for what it's worth, I quite enjoyed the sandwich I ordered. Although I'm used to fattier, wetter incarnations seen in California, the carved pastrami and corned beef was just what I'd expect from a deli with Zingerman's reputation. Flanked by two kinds of bread with two kinds of cheese and slathered with a good deli mustard, it made for a hefty dinner. Housed inside a cramped brick building, the store was well-stocked with hanging meats, cheeses, and canned goods. One shelf towered above all others with golden loaves of bread, some braided and some crusted with seeds; a gallery with edible works of art. This is the Louvre of food in Ann Arbor. Next door to the deli, was Zingerman's "Next Door" which looked like a house the company took over to sell desserts and coffee. This was also where customers of the deli would be served if they chose to dine in. We did on our last visit and sampled an exquisite but simple slice of cocoa cake with a scoop of vanilla gelato while enjoying the spring air on their patio. The employees, perky and cheerful students from the University, were all probably very happy to be working at the town's landmark. Or maybe it's perhaps because they get discounts on shots of espresso. Zingerman's Deli (734) 663-3354 422 Detroit St Ann Arbor, MI 48104 Link: http://elmomonster.blogspot.com/2006/05/non-california-adventure-ann-arbor-mi.html Sat May 20 10:19:25 -0700 2006 0 elmomonster 1 681113 Excellent post. Coincidentally, when I drive from Detroit to Chicago, which is frequently, the two places I stop for dinner are Zingerman's and Blimpy Burger. Wed May 24 13:06:07 -0700 2006 681034 0 david de berkeley 1 681128 >>>The employees, perky and cheerful students from the University, were all probably very happy to be working at the town's landmark. Or maybe it's perhaps because they get discounts on shots of espresso. Actually, they're famous for their incredible customer service as much as their food. I've never had anything less than superlative, friendly, always-willing-to-accommodate service from the folks who work there. It's amazing. Wed May 24 16:07:53 -0700 2006 681034 0 Smokey 1 681134 Hi all I was born in Ann Arbor in 1953 to grad student parents, haven't really been back there in a really long time. I live in Minneapolis now so I noticed this post on the chow board. Just to let people know you can mail order lots of good stuff from Zingerman's website. I sent my picky gourmet dad some bread from them and he raved about it several times. It arrived fresh even with the cheaper 2-day delivery method. Chow down! Wed May 24 19:39:06 -0700 2006 681034 0 Faith Lubitz 1 681168 I admit it: I don't get Blimpy's. I took my family there once, in the mid-90's, when my youngest was about 6 or 7. He, oddly enough, was the focal point of the famous surly service. He came over to me and said that "the lady was yelling" at him. He was crushed. The burger itself was okay, but certainly not in Miller's of Dearborn's league, or, for that matter, not even in the Sidetrack's league. I mean, if you have to put up with some Blimpy lady harrassing your seven-year-old kid, then the burger should be UNBELIEVABLY mouth-wateringly scrumptious. But it was just okay. I digress, but the Sidetrack now, in my opinion, rates a "Downhill alert" as their service has gone south and their burger has become inconsistent. I've two horror stories from the last two years, the second one ending with my family and me leaving after receiving NO FOOD after an hour of waiting. An hour! We've vowed to never return. In the first horrible experience we did receive food (after an hour's wait) but it was half-cooked. This informed our reaction in the second horror story. I remember when the Sidetrack was just a hole-in-the-wall bar with the greatest burger around. I do miss those days. Thu May 25 16:55:37 -0700 2006 681034 0 Summerfield 2 681188 This post reminded me of a good article written by Alan Richman about the twenty best hamburgers in the country. Both Miller's and Sidetrack are on the list. Link: http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_4196 Fri May 26 14:24:50 -0700 2006 681168 0 david de berkeley 1 681226 Wow, all the Ann Arbor posts on the board today, guess I haven't been here in a while. I don't get Blimpy's either. Way overrated. Two weeks after I'm dead I'll be able to make a better burger than they can, and without the attitude. Smashing it with the spatula is what Wendy's does too. Zingerman's is better than the Carnegie Deli in NYC, which I don't get either. And that place in Cleveland with the pickled eggs is better than Carnegie too. Zingerman's is way NOT SHY with their prices though. But they have serious quality stuff to sell. Except for the bread, which they make themselves. It has a great rep around here, but it only looks good, it's not special. More than once I've busted them on not mixing in the yeast. When you pay $10 for a loaf of bread, you're not expecting to find a hole in the middle big enough to fit both your fists. I attribute the respect their bread gets to the general lack of decent bread in the world today. (Btw, there is a world class baker in AA, but it's not Z). Sandwiches are good, but where Z's shines is in finding small artisanal producers around the world and bringing their stuff in. Cheese, meats, olive oil, etc. Sun May 28 17:37:42 -0700 2006 681034 0 Chris