A2 Menu

Hello, welcome to a new blog about food in Ann Arbor--okay, yes, there are already several... but the hope here is to capitalize on how much the Ann Arbor Observer crowd cares about good eats in a fun town. And also to share some of the news that gets sent to us from local restaurants, brewers, bakers, briners (more on that soon!).

Meanwhile, it seems only appropriate to start an Ann Arbor food blog with a post about coffee, clearly one of our community passions. I'd been hearing about Comet Coffee since it opened in Nickels Arcade over a year ago, and the phrase "best coffee in town" has come up more than once. I kept meaning to try it, and finally on the Friday before the July 4, when I seemed to be the only person heading to work in the morning, I treated myself to what I thought would be a memorable cuppa. It was good, but not unforgettable. Perhaps my questions distracted the creator (barista doesn't seem the right word) as she went through a codified process of single-cup creation. She poured hot water through a paper filter "to wash out the paper taste," weighed my beans, and dripped-up that cup for me. The provenance was South American--I'm actually not sure which of the various beans I settled on after we discussed a bunch. You choose from what they have each time you walk in.

There was a tiny bit of unpleasant bitterness in the coffee I got, but it was part of a complex and ich flavor that I basically relished. Good enough certainly that I want to go back and pay more attention next time! I can see the potential of the process...

--MB Lewis