Sweet Home A2
Rush Street and its sibling bar 800 North, the latest additions to Main Street, attempt to replicate “a bit of Chicago” in A2 writes the Daily’s Lauren Smith, who describes both Chicago’s bar scene and Ann Arbor’s restaurant scene as “infamous” in a way that leaves us unsure whether it’s meant to be a compliment. 800 North is actually 314 south — it’s been said that naming a restaurant after a number other than its address number is the height of pretension, but what if it’s the address number of something else? In any case, they’re wasting a great opportunity for a pi-themed establishment, which actually has some Chicago precedent with My Pi pizza.
This gives us a great idea if we ever move back to Chicago; opening up a place called Liberty Street. With a menu that’s an eclectic fusion of artisanal homemade marshmallows and Bill Knapp’s classics and a closing time of 8:30, it’ll be a bit of A2 in Chicago.
What exactly would distinguish a pi-themed pizzaria? Specifying what size you want by circumference?
posted by Murph on January 6th, 2005 at 2:39 pmThat’d be awesome! Or maybe an e-themed one? Only natural ingredients, exponentially better than their competitors…
posted by ann arbor is overrated on January 6th, 2005 at 3:03 pmUgh. That e-themed restaurant idea almost made me log off of AAIO.
posted by Anonymous on January 6th, 2005 at 3:34 pmThat log pun is just base humor.
posted by George Hotelling on January 6th, 2005 at 3:51 pmSpecifying a pizza by circumfurence almost sounds Ann Arbory enough. Although Ann Arbor could use a place that does really good Chicago Style Pizza.
Cottage Inn is good. Pizza House is good. But I kind of miss the Pizzera Uno that used to be here. Although, I wish they would open one up that’s like a place in Bay City.
posted by Kozzie on January 6th, 2005 at 6:45 pmMr. Hotelling! You’re going off on a tangent!
posted by Laura on January 6th, 2005 at 8:32 pmAs a resident of Chicago, I find many of the bars to be annoying reminders of Big Ten fraternity scenes. You have no idea how many bars have Big Ten themes and attract kids just out of college on game days. I always thought one of the reasons to live in a large city was to be able to watch REAL sports teams.
posted by Lucky Jackson on January 6th, 2005 at 9:36 pmActually, I have good news for ya, Kozzie. Rumor has it a Pizzeria Uno leased space on Liberty. Good news for pizza lovers, bad news for those of hoping against hope that the space would be leased by something else…say…a locally-owned non-restaurant.
posted by Lisa on January 6th, 2005 at 10:13 pmYou can’t tell me you guys dont like Anthony’s pizza! They make an awesome Chicago style.
posted by Ryan on January 6th, 2005 at 10:32 pmDusty: “What does that mean? Infamous?”
posted by js on January 7th, 2005 at 12:59 amNed: “Ah, Dusty! Infamous is when you’re more than famous! This guy El Guapo is not just famous, he’s IN-famous!”
THANK YOU RYAN! People need to discover Anthony’s … that place is highly UNDERRATED!
posted by Rob on January 7th, 2005 at 9:30 amI spent 8 years here before anyone told my about Anthony’s. Not only is it the best Chicago style I’ve had outside of Chicago, they DELIVER!
www.apin.com
posted by Ryan on January 7th, 2005 at 11:47 amcorrection www.apin.com/anthonys/
posted by Ryan on January 7th, 2005 at 11:49 am*grin* Love the Liberty Street restaurant idea! and a Pi restaurant could have been a lot of fun.
As for Rush Street, I loved the decor, and hated the pretention. Way too overpriced, IMO, for these tiny little dishes of food. Went once, will never go again unless someone else is buying.
An Uno’s on Liberty? Yay! I may be one of the few people who thinks Anthony’s is *overrated*, and I can’t stand Cottage Inn at all. Pizza House is good though.
posted by KGS on January 7th, 2005 at 12:38 pmTapas is always overpriced, and even when it’s done well, I’m not a big fan. And it’s slow.
Corporate Uno’s over Independent Anthony’s?! You savage! Someone get him outta here.
An opinion? What’s that again?
posted by Ryan on January 7th, 2005 at 12:51 pmCottage Inn might make the most overrated pizza in the state of Michigan.
Anthony’s and NYPD are both great. Pizza house is good too. Bell’s makes the best cheap pizza, IMO.
posted by James on January 7th, 2005 at 1:42 pmThe only slice of pizza I ever met in Ann Arbor was Pizza Bob’s hideous greasy mess. Cottage Inn is fantastic (but only the square), Pizza House is expensive but tasty, Bell’s is great when you’re hammered, NYPD is overpriced and generally comes with flies as a mandatory topping during summer (but if you need a particular and weird combination of toppings, it might as well be the only place in town.)
posted by Rob on January 7th, 2005 at 4:19 pmWhere is Anthony’s? I might have to give it a shot at some point.
My absolute favorite pizza is a place called Tommy V’s in Bay City. They use fresh tomatoes and stuff in their sauce. The bread has roughly corn meal in it. Pretty good stuff…..
posted by Kozzie on January 7th, 2005 at 4:50 pmI like NYPD, even though it’s expensive. Not that keen on Cottage Inn. Thano’s Lamplighter is my new favorite– it’s cheap, good, and a real old-school Ann Arbor eating environment. You can’t complain about the dollar slices at In & Out and the Backroom, either– they aren’t amazing, but definitely edible and a good amount of food for the price.
posted by Brandon on January 7th, 2005 at 8:26 pmI used to really like NYPD and ordered from them exclusively (and often) until once when they sent something that I didn’t like. I phoned them to let them know, and the asshole owner got into an argument with me and was a TOTAL dick. Legendary customer service…
Never again.
posted by OFW insurgent on January 7th, 2005 at 9:00 pmThere’s only one pizza worth eating:
Faz’s Hello Pizza.
Please tell me that Faz is still in the house. I haven’t been up in that area of Stadium in about three years. Obvs.
posted by Uncle Grambo on January 8th, 2005 at 6:18 amUnk-
Indeed, Faz is still in the house and I am sure sends you a hello for your props. I also second your recommendation. However, based on endorsements read here, last night we ordered a pie from Anthony’s and now there are two pizzas in this provincial outpost worth eating.
posted by Eric on January 8th, 2005 at 9:22 amSorry KGS, but Ryan is right. Anthony’s is great (to me there isn’t a tremendous difference between it and Geno’s or Giordano’s in Chicago). i used to love Unos on South U, but I tried it in Birch Run recently and didn’t like it as much. Maybe they changed their recipe. Ourside A2, Guido’s in Saginaw is very good.
posted by PeteM on January 8th, 2005 at 10:08 amdetroityes.com has a thread about the Frieze building. ‘Cause, um, we’re still thinking about that all the time even though the conversation is about pizza.
posted by personality on January 8th, 2005 at 11:13 amChapatis are overrated and you feel hungry again after about an hour.
We were just talking about Faz at breakfast today. One guy said, “The pizza wasn’t very good, but I’d order it again just because I love Faz.”
posted by Dale on January 8th, 2005 at 12:24 pmI’m glad someone brought up Thanos Lamplighter– they serve the kind of pizza I used to eat when I was a kid and could never find again for years. Of course, I grew up in Louisiana, so maybe there’s something weird about that.
posted by Lazaro on January 8th, 2005 at 12:27 pmI thought that the new pizza place coming in on Liberty was a Mellow Mushroom, the Southeast-based chain, but maybe not. I’d rather have a Mellow Mushroom than Pizzeria Uno.
I miss Zyedco where you could always find a table, probably why it’s gone. I tried Rush Street based on my policy of trying all new restaurants once. It has a cool bar and the soups are superb, but the menu is limited and the patrons seem like they all just stepped off a shuttle bus from Oakland County.
posted by Matt on January 8th, 2005 at 3:49 pmMellow Mushroom was supposed to go in on Washington - in the Spoon Companies building. Recently the News (I think) ran a big article on Spoon and it’s problems selling real estate downtown - they are still trying to unload the ridicuously overpriced luxury condos on Fifth - it sounded like the company was in big trouble.
A few weeks later, the Mellow Mushroom signs were down from the windows, the windows were boarded over, and there’s no apparent building or renovation activity (at least what I can tell checking it out from the AATA bus every morning….)
posted by Lehigh Valley Refugee on January 8th, 2005 at 4:26 pmIt’s Faz and NYPD for me. Tried Anthony’s once but didn’t like — maybe I need to try it again.
Much as I hate to say it, the pizzas they bake at Whole Foods can be good — particularly the Greek pizza if they use olive oil instead of tomato sauce.
posted by Sam on January 9th, 2005 at 12:05 amGood call whoever brought up Thano’s. I’ve only had their pizza once, but it was great. Of course, they don’t deliver and when I go there I usually want something other than pizza. Best greek food in town. Easily better than Parthanon or that place that opened in Kerrytown.
posted by James on January 9th, 2005 at 12:38 pmAubree’s Pizza (Depot Town, Ypsi) is number one in my book. I’m not sure if they deliver to A2, but I’d recommend the drive if you have access to a car.
posted by DMA on January 9th, 2005 at 1:07 pmIn order to follow up personality’s non sequitur, the National Trust for Historic Preservation also has an article in their online magazine about Frieze.
posted by Dale on January 9th, 2005 at 3:06 pmHa! I guess that means it can no longer be classified as a non-sequitur. Thanks for the tip, Dale!
posted by personality on January 9th, 2005 at 3:30 pmThere used to be an Uno’s on S. University. Wonder why they think they’d have any more luck in a different location?
posted by Anna on January 9th, 2005 at 9:47 pmMaybe they see all the other chains popping up and figure that Ann Arbor is more chain friendly. I was kind of surprised to see it go because it seemed like they were doing well any night I went there.
posted by Kozzie on January 10th, 2005 at 9:51 ampersonally I hate Chicago-style pizza. But that’s probably because I’m a purist New Yorker.
posted by Alex(andra) on January 12th, 2005 at 1:27 pmI can’t resist, since, as I read today, it’s the 100th anniversary of the debut of pizza in America.
Fact: The most popular topping? Pepperoni. (#2? Mushrooms.)
Fact: The average American eats 49 slices each year.
Fact: Pizza lovers in our country consume a total of 100 acres of pizza every year.
As for pizza in Ann Arbor, I was sorry to see La Famiglia go from State Street. Good New York pizza. However, I think NYPD has a pretty good pizza. Is it expensive? We usually get just cheese.
Lifer
posted by lifer on January 12th, 2005 at 4:55 pmAh, the great pizza debate. Pizza Bobs is only good for the whole wheat crust; their slices are usually on white and those blow. Even lately the whole wheat has been lighter and less good. (The Wildflower Bakery used to make the best pizza in town, but I guess I’m dating myself…)
posted by js on January 12th, 2005 at 4:57 pmI’m not a huge fan of the Lamplighter, mostly because their Greek food (the ostensible theme of the restaurant) is usually of pretty poor quality. I’ve long believed them to be a Greek mob front. It’s more fun to go there because it’s almost always empty than any other reason.
Oh, and Cottage Inn, Pizza House, Backroom, Arbor Pizza, Nikkos, Big Ten Pizza, Big House Pizza, Manhattan Pizza, Papa Romanos, Leonardos and Bells all suck. Faz is good, but not great, but he is proof that a Middle Easterner can make good pizza.
For a while I’ve wanted to get a pizza from every shop in town and compare them, but Current would never let an article like that run (too many advertisers would get their feelings hurt).
Josh, the Daily did a pizza round-up once. I hosted it at Arbor Vitae on State St. We had a huge crew, and each person was responsible for ordering a pizza from once place, spaced out by 15 minutes or so. We compared every pizza as they came in. One of the writers (Mike Grass) ate a slice from every place — something like 15 slices. They didn’t review every place, but almost every place that delivers and caters to students.
I’d be up for doing this and trying to sell the article (cheap) the Current or another local publication. It’d be fun.
posted by Scott T. on January 12th, 2005 at 5:21 pmBell’s has a $6 large pizza and pop pickup special, and I can walk there while trashed. That’s all I need, really.
Although maybe I will try Anthony’s if money ever comes my way. Hello Faz’s advertisements always bring a smile to a girl’s face, though. (Muhammad Ali says Hello Faz!)
posted by Jen on January 16th, 2005 at 6:50 amnot only that, the rush street area has to be the lamest part of the chicago bar scene. it is full of whores from the suburbs looking like something i would scrape off my shoe and stupid ex-frat boys with burgeoning bellies who are looking for cheap pink stink. any real chicagoan would avoid the gold coast like the plague. THANKS RUSH STREET for bring the worst bit of Chicago to this shitty town.
posted by Anonymous on January 17th, 2005 at 3:57 pmI thought the worst part of Chicago was Berwyn.
posted by js on January 18th, 2005 at 2:42 pmYeah, I’ve always avoided Rush Street. Berwyn has a great Latin American bakery, at least.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on January 20th, 2005 at 1:50 amWhich one?
posted by js on January 21st, 2005 at 9:34 amAlso, Berwyn has one of the best burritos I’ve ever had. At Ino’s, which if you’re ever in the area you should try. It’s $4 and larger than my head. If you eat it there, they load you up on homemade chips and pico de gallo too. It’s excellent.
“Faz is good, but not great, but he is proof that a Middle Easterner can make good pizza.”
Faz is a great guy. When my wife and I had my first child, he offered us a free dinner, and it was really good.
By the way, he is from India, which is not yet in the Middle East
posted by Ace Davis on January 28th, 2005 at 12:57 pm