Twin Oaks Legacy
Julie Jones and Kevin Taylor come from generations of farmers. They consider themselves, Taylor says, “stewards of the land.” So it seemed a bit of kismet when two towering bur oaks on Macon Rd. in Saline beckoned...
Read More2015 December
Anyone Want to Buy a Restaurant?
On October 7, Ethan Pham and his cousin, Terry Phung, opened what may be a first in Ann Arbor–VKitchen, an all-Vietnamese, sit-down, open-for-dinner restaurant. Pham says “At first, I wanted a smaller one, like a...
Read MoreChristmas Shopping
For my husband’s family, conversation–even the exchange of trivia–is highly prized, so dinner with the in-laws is always a lively, animated affair. The actual meal, though, might be less inspired. My own...
Read MoreIn the Dark
Big-box stores across Michigan have won massive tax breaks in recent years using what’s known as a “dark store” argument. For tax purposes, local assessors have been valuing stores like Best Buy and...
Read MoreExpensive Election
Together, Lumm and challenger Sally Hart Petersen spent at least $58,000 battling over Lumm’s Second Ward seat (see “The Second Ward War,” November). “It’s crazy,” says Lumm. who served two...
Read More
Saline’s Secret
Every workday, hundreds of workers stream into Saline from all points of the compass, headed to jobs at one of nearly thirty small to midsize companies tucked away in the city’s four industrial parks.The parks’ high...
Read MoreThe Art of Tyree Guyton
Tyree Guyton’s art is overwhelming. Called assemblage, it’s monumental, environmental, and unmistakable–and is best grokked in one of two ways: You can stand in the middle of his Heidelberg Project and gape at...
Read MoreChip & Chuck
Ann Arbor’s Fifth Ward is now represented solely by councilmembers named Charles. Conveniently, both are known by other names–but that’s not the end of the coincidences.”Our birthdays are just a few days...
Read MoreTrustee Turnover
Judging by their expressions, Pam Horiszny shocked most of her fellow Washtenaw Community College trustees when she announced her resignation at their September board meeting. Declaring that “internal union relations have...
Read MoreNew Act for the Encore
“We had a short period where we were stagnant,” recalls Dan Cooney. So last year, the New York-based actor sat down with his Encore Musical Theatre Company co-founder, Dexter resident Anne Koch, to consider the...
Read MoreSanta’s Helper
Every holiday season, for at least a few hours, I volunteer to ring the bell for one of the Salvation Army’s red kettles.I do so because just before Thanksgiving in 1987, I was part of an FBI SWAT team called to Atlanta to...
Read MoreThe Perfect Tree
Early on Black Friday morning, my family embarks on our annual pilgrimage to the woods, not the malls. Dressed in our oldest cold-weather clothes and boots, we wedge ourselves into the car with our kids, our dog, my parents, and...
Read MoreSaline Inn Resurrected
Saline Inn owners Frank Daidone and Nick Kirkopoulos reopened their E. Michigan Ave. restaurant on October 7, ten months after it was shut down by a kitchen fire.Daidone and Kirkopoulos, each wearing a white chef’s jacket,...
Read MoreA Pair of Westgate Changes
“We’re moving across the courtyard,” says Mike Grob, owner of Pictures Plus in Westgate. His neighbor Sun & Snow has already vacated (see above). The adjacent AADL West Branch will be quadrupling its...
Read MoreAndy Adamson
Over the years, longtime residents of Ann Arbor have probably heard Andy Adamson performing in some capacity as soloist, sideman, or bandleader. He was a member of the Caribbean jazz troupe Melodioso in the 1970s and 1980s, Dick...
Read MoreSun & Snow Subdivides
“Skiing is a very technical sport,” says Rob Parent, owner of Sun & Snow, the last real ski shop in town. Ski boots, for instance, aren’t supposed to fit like street shoes, but “most people wear...
Read MoreMore Clicks, More Mortar
“Sure, you can snorkel the Huron River,” says Rachael Kasper. Her kids do it all the time, and so, on occasion, do Rachael and her husband David (“people call me ‘Scuba Dave'”), who own iSnorkel....
Read MoreWhat the Heck Is a Cheese Bar?
Abby Olitzky and Steve Hall, owners of the new restaurant and cheese bar Spencer, met about four years ago in San Francisco, where they had both taken a deep dive into northern California’s famous artisanal food scene. She...
Read MoreBack2Roots Bistro
If you dine out with vegans, you know that ordering a meal often involves more questions than an episode of Jeopardy. Is there meat in the soup or its broth? Butter in the cake? Lard anywhere? I’ll never forget a harried...
Read More
