Cafe Felix Revisited
Though Cafe Felix has graced Main Street since 1997, I had never stopped in. I’m not really sure why–perhaps I imagined it more coffeehouse than restaurant or perhaps the inset front never attracted my eye the way...
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Getting Creative with Plants
Foodies discovered vegetarianism decades ago, and the local produce movement has been nothing short of wonderful for enhancing the crisp brightness of plant-oriented cuisine. But veganism, which pushes vegetarianism to the limit...
Read MoreSo Long, Steam-Punk, Hello, Vacuum Press
If you’re one of us coffee geeks who heard talk of the new steam-punk process at the Glassbox Coffee & Juice location in the fancy new Arbor Hills Crossing on Washtenaw and got there in the first weeks to view the...
Read MoreGood food, confusing setting
Even after several visits to the Songbird Cafe, I’m still trying to figure out what it wants to be. The enticing pastries and fancy lattes–cardamom rose, rosemary sea salt–and customers who spend hours with a...
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Healthy Foodies
In less than a year since Juicy Kitchen Cafe opened in the small strip mall at Maple and Miller, a variety of regulars have made it their own. Skyline High students and M-14 commuters dash in at sunrise for coffee, banana bread...
Read MoreFast Food innovation
Burgers aren’t just for buns anymore–but grilled cheese is. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar can split before-and-after duty on crisp French fries. And house-made veggie burgers peacefully coexist on a menu with a...
Read MoreThe rise of NeoPapalis
A theory: Pizza ranks among the world’s most popular meals because 1) irresistible magic happens when good dough meets aromatic sauce meets rich cheese, and a hot oven melds them into a crispy-edged whole greater than its...
Read MoreDown on the Campus Farm
In its first summer, the U-M’s new Campus Farm grew kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and eggplant. This month, students will also harvest squash and...
Read MoreCurrying Flavor
“We’ll bring lunch with us,” I had told my mom. Always happy to eat a meal she doesn’t have to cook herself, she didn’t ask what my husband and I were planning to pick up. Her dismay, though, when...
Read MoreDown on the Campus Farm
In its first summer, the U-M’s new Campus Farm grew kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and eggplant. This month, students will also harvest squash and...
Read MoreFarmers’ Markets Abound
A longstanding center of community activity, the Dixboro village green lay uncharacteristically dormant in the early 2000s. But last year, the new Dixboro Farmers’ Market started bringing people back to the...
Read MoreHeavenly and Earthy
Imagine strolling through the Farmers Market on a hot day while cooling off with little spoonfuls of ice cream flavored with brown butter, sage, berries, lavender, basil, rhubarb, chamomile, or lemon balm. Grange Kitchen pastry...
Read MorePop-up Dinners
“Pop-up dinner.” For me, the name suggested a tantalizing meal, conjured out of the air with sleight-of-hand wizardry by a chef wannabe in an inspired setting. My husband’s mind, though, leapt immediately to...
Read MoreBarbecue Quest
Growing up in the Midwest, I was never enamored with the local barbecue–typically baked or boiled ribs slathered with ketchup-like, overly sweet sauce, then quickly finished on an open grill. Later, on visits to the Texas...
Read MoreRoad Food Reviewed
My husband and I love almost everything about a road trip–driving away from everyday life towards new landscapes, small towns, and regional cultures. We love everything, that is, but road food, especially across the vast...
Read MoreMark’s Carts’ Third Season
For the third season at Mark’s Carts on Washington, there’s a new taco trailer and a mini-satellite cart from an established BBQ restaurant. Mark Hodesh has engineered still more gastronomic public service for folks...
Read MoreBatter Up on Liberty
Liberty from Main to Fifth Ave. already offers cherry treats, chocolates, handmade ice cream cones, cupcakes, and fruity-plump muffins. In the early weeks of 2013, with the opening of What Crepe? and the Wafel Shop, it added two...
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