City Review: Ann Arbor Michigan

I recently spent the weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Coming from the desert climate of Southern California, I often forget how green and lush other parts of the country can be.  Ann Arbor is the perfect small college town where local businesses thrive and there is an emphasis on locally farmed food.

A few recommendations:

Cafe Zola

Need a big breakfast?  Head to Cafe Zola.  Giant portions of tasty breakfast foods are what you will find.  Sweet or savory crepes, pastries, omelettes, or Mediterranean olive and veggie breakfast platters, no matter how exotic or eclectic your breakfast desire Zola's got you covered.  If you are in an adventurous mood, try the Moroccan coffee, it is Turkish coffee made with an espresso grind with mint, cardamon, and toasted almonds mixed in.  The coffee is strong and unusual, but in a good way.  Come hungry.  

Grange Kitchen and Bar

Everything that hit the table was excellent.  I had Parisian gnocci with goat cheese and fiddle heads.  It was my first time trying fiddle heads, and they were so good that I will do a follow up post as soon as I can find some to make myself.  The menu is constantly changing depending on the season and availability of foods from local farms.  The farms that provide the produce you eat each night are listed on the menu.

Vault of Midnight

A locally owned and operated comic/game/geek toy shop.  Prices on some games we were looking for were lower than anywhere else we had seen them (including Amazon).  It was well lit and well ventilated and was not at all intimidating to those in our group who do not frequent comic shops.  The selection of off the beaten path games is great and the employee I spoke with knew what was in stock and offered to order a copy of a game that I have had my eye on but was not in stock.