Clover Eats!
Sharing restaurant experiences through photography!
CloverDrinks: Peeled Juice Bar in Evanston
On sleepy afternoons, I love nothing more than a fresh juice to pick me up and get me through the day. I’m not big on coffee anytime after 6AM, because then I have difficulty getting to sleep at night, so a fruity (or vegetable-y) drink is perfect. I was devastated when Glassbox closed down. Luckily, there’s lots of juice places popping up – one recently opened in the Whole Foods on Washtenaw, which makes shopping that much less painful.
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Visions and philosophies at The Ravens Club
Last week, The Ravens Club generously invited a group of bloggers for cocktails and dinner. Among those in attendance were MegGoesNomNom, The Food and Wine Hedonist, The Winegetter, David Bardallis, Key to my Cellar, Next Stop: TBD, The Detroit Foodie, Awesome Michigan, and Damn Arbor. It was awesome to be able to meet some of these great writers in person, and I felt glad that for once, I wasn’t the only one at dinner with a camera.
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CloverEats: Echelon Foods’ turducken with Momma Cuisine
I was kindly invited by Echelon Foods and Momma Cuisine to join them during part of their Getting Ready for the Holidays national tour showcasing the intersting amalgamation, Turducken. Not only is it fun to say, it packed an interesting array of meat and flavors – turkey with stuffing, duck, and chicken. Johanna Cook is Momma Cuisine, a blogger and cooking personality, and she was incredibly warm and welcoming.
The turducken in all its glory. You cook it like a turkey basically, slow and steady in the oven. (more…)
CloverEats: Afternoon Delight
Muffin Delight
Despite having been in Ann Arbor for a couple years now, we’ve never made it out to Afternoon Delight. We heard of incredible waits for Sunday brunch, but we arrived, we got seated almost immediately. The whole street corner near the restaurant smelled like waffle/pancake/muffin goodness. The inside was much larger than I imagined, and reminded me somewhat of a school cafeteria mixed with an old fashioned diner. I was very interested in the Muffin Delight – one of their famous bran muffins split and topped with frozen yogurt – how would something like this work? Would it be an interesting spin on the typical frozen yogurt? As you can see above, it’s the froyo that we all know and love. While the muffin was good and the froyo was good, I just wasn’t convinced that they were meant to be together like this. It also came out piping hot, and we had to eat it quickly before it melted! (more…)
Snapshot: Tony Sacco’s Coal Oven Pizza
My friend Jenny and I were by David’s Bridal in the Cranbrook Village Shopping Center looking at wedding dresses, and after some exhausting maneuvering in and out of gigantic, heavy dresses, was looking for something to eat. Right across the street, delicious smells were coasting my way from Tony Sacco’s. We hadn’t previously heard about them, but the amazing scent of pizza was enough for us to go in. I rarely lug the Canon 6D out while I’m shopping, so please forgive the iPhone quality photos. (more…)
CloverEats: El Harissa Market Cafe in Ann Arbor
Fred suggested we try El Harissa Market for dinner, it’s a small deli/cafe on the northwest side of Ann Arbor, near Juicy Kitchen. True to its name, it feels like a market. There are shelves with everything from local tomatoes to jasmine tea in tin cans.
The fanciest pho ever at the new restaurant Taste Kitchen on Liberty St
I was sad when the make-your-own-sushi restaurant Tamaki closed, but was excited to see signs for Taste Kitchen soon after. The same owners of Tamaki are running Taste Kitchen, but the two restaurants seem to have very different philosophies. Tamaki had pho, one of my favorite dishes, and I’m glad to see it survived the transition. Its Taste Kitchen incarnation is a lot fancier, involving an unlidding of the dish that really lets its aroma make an entrance. It also involves a side dish with a poached egg that you get to drop in yourself.
The single Yelp review that was posted on Taste Kitchen page mentioned that everything was well-plated, which is definitely true. There is a focus on presentation, with active little moves like pouring sauce over your dish. Above is the succulent pork plate, with coffee, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, romanesca, and maple maple burre monté! The best part of this was the maple butter; it was just the right amount of sweetness. (more…)
CloverEats: Red Brick Kitchen & Bar in Dexter
It was storming and pouring when I finished work, so I asked Fred for a ride home. He surprised me by driving not home, but to the Red Brick Kitchen & Bar in Dexter. It’s about the season we usually venture out to Dexter for their cider mill and to stock up on raspberry wine from the Sandhill Crane’s tasting room. There was unfortunately a 40 minute wait, but since we had come all the way, we put our names down and walked around, our umbrellas only somewhat protecting us from the rain.
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In which I discover a newfound love for oysters: The Sardine Room in Plymouth
Once in a while, we’ll hear about a fantastic restaurant that’s a little ways away. Kevin told me about The Sardine Room in Plymouth a couple months ago, but it took a while for us to be able to make the drive over. They feature “buck-a-shuck” dollar oysters during their happy hour, which runs 4-6PM Monday-Friday. Although I grew up in Boston, I always found oysters to be strange-looking sea creatures that belonged in a harbor rather than on my dining plate. I must truly be an adult now that I have not only tried oysters, but found them to be delightful little bursts of lemony-ocean flavor. Also, they’re so photogenic!
Autumn traditions: Sandhill Crane Vineyards Tasting Room
Every year when we visit the Dexter Cider Mill, we always stop by the Sandhill Crane Vineyards tasting room located in a little corner room of the barn. I still have not found a dessert wine that comes close to their wonderful raspberry wine, and every year try to stock up on a few bottles to last us through the holiday season.
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